The Bible is very clear
Genesis 1:5 (KJV) says;
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Now if the first day was a thousand years or more, then with the first day being 1 night and 1 day, it would have been 500 years of night and then 500 years of daylight with an incredibly slow rotation which would not be able sustain any life in the later days of Creation!
When we play with Gods Word it becomes more complicated and this is why people do not believe.
Take God at His Word and everything makes sense.
Sure, we do not understand how He creates things but He is superior to us and we must accept there are something He will know that we will not know.
The order of Creation is Deliberate!
God does not do things by accident, He is a God of order.
He used His light (glory) to luminate the planet. Had He created the sun first, the earth would look like the moon! What do I mean? I mean the Sun would fry the earth and it would be dried up like the moon which has no atmosphere!
God created light on the first day and counted 1 day and 1 night. In the Hebrew He makes it emphatic that it was A DAY (singular).
This is the start of counting and He has given a way to measure so that there is no guessing... so that anyone can understand.
But surely coal has taken a long time to form.... I mean the scientists say so... it must be right?
Well, here is a scientific study that questions that, and I quote;
Natural coal may also be formed quickly. Argonne National Laboratories has reported on research proving that under natural conditions coal may be formed in only 36 weeks.
In an article published in Organic Geochemistry Vol. 6:463-471, 1984 (Oxidative Degradation Studies and Modern Concepts of the Formation and Transformation of Organic Constituents of Coals and Sedimentary Rocks, Ryoichi Hayatsu, Randall E. Winans, Robert L. McBeth, Robert G. Scott and Leon P. Moore, Chemistry Division Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 USA.) it was reported that all that was required for coal to form was that wood with kaolin clay as a catalyst must be buried deep enough that there is no oxygen, with a ground temperature of 150 degrees Celsius, and you will get coal in only 36 weeks. Further, it was noted that if the temperature were higher, the coal would form faster.
source
So things are not always as they seem... humankind is always changing their stance on topics as their perspective keeps changing BUT God never changes and His word is as sure as it is today as it was yesterday.
I hope the above can be accepted objectively.
"The Bible is very clear"
This quote is the standard opening to the most uninformed, closed minded, fundamentally false comments I've ever seen on religious articles and videos. I'm not directing this at you personally, it's just that that quote there in large font bold letters is what drew my attention to your comment, while causing my eyes to involuntarily roll back before I actually read what you have to say.
Relevant to your comment, I agree that sometimes things are not as they seem. I also know that one Proverb warns parents to not exasperate their children. God is our Father. He did not put us here to confuse us, and he wouldn't deceive us. He created us in his image bestowing us with free will and intellect. He expects us to use these gifts to always be prepared with an answer, and to have faith like a child. Faith like a child doesn't mean just to swallow whatever is spoon-fed to us by our parents, teachers, and pastors. Faith like a child means to be joyfully open to the unfamiliar, while constantly asking "why?" The bible also warns us to test the spirit. When we cease to always question everything, we've lost our way. And by everything I mean everything including the bible. If we don't question the source of our knowledge, how can we be certain we are coming to truthful conclusions? On the other hand, scientists who dismiss all religion based on poor representation from closed minded fundamentalists, they are guilty of the same thing mindedness that hampers the discovery more well rounded knowledge.
I don't believe God would make his universe to appear one way while inspiring Moses to write an account that seems to directly contradict what he knows his scientists will eventually find; all the while expecting us to reject sound science in favor of clinging to the literal interpretations we're familiar with even though they don't seem to be as reliable as we once thought. If a theory can be proven through reason, then how could we be judged for reevaluating our beliefs to find where our understanding of scripture will mesh with the latest science without compromising the core truths that are the substance.
What's most important to take away from Genesis is that God is the driving force behind creation whatever the process was and for however long it took in time increments that we can understand. Also, that at a specific point in time the first humans began to exist whether it was literally from the clay of the earth, or metaphorically from the earth through an evolutionary progression. Also, the importance of resting from your work for reflection and prayer. The grave consequences one sin can have on those close to the sinner as well as future generations. Most importantly, Genesis makes us aware of the art of deception as we see the serpent present himself as a friend with Adam and Eve's best interest in mind to gain their trust while planting the seeds of doubt concerning that mean old Father guy who only wanted to keep them oppressed. And the nature of sin which is we sin not to be evil, but because we desire a perceived "good" as Eve sees that the fruit was "good for food and pleasing to the eye." Which leads, finally to the absolute necessity of confession when The Lord asks "have you eaten from the tree in which I told you not to eat?" Does anyone really believe God didn't know the answer to that question? Of course not, but we see our fallen nature in our face. Adam says "this WOMAN whom YOU gave me ate of the fruit then SHE gave it to me..." If Adam would have said "Lord, I disobeyed you. Please have mercy." Things would be a whole lot different today. So you see, the particulars don't add or subtract any substance from Genesis one way or another. It's written so that anyone can read it and begin to understand the nature of God and our relationship to him and creation. It was never meant to be a science text.
On an even deeper level, Genesis 1:1-2 we see God hovering over the face of the deep. From the start, there is water and spirit. Noah and his family were saved through the water while the dove flew over them. The Hebrews escaped Egypt through the water while the pillar of fire rose high above them. Jesus says we must be born again of water and the spirit to attain eternal life. Jesus is baptized affirming his human nature and declaring that baptism is "necessary to fulfill all righteousness." At this moment God The Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove and God the Father instructs those present to follow His beloved Son with whom He is well pleased. This brings us back full circle to Genesis. So those first two verses describing the first moments of creation prefigure the mode in which God's people would ultimately enter back into His Kingdom! So, yeah, there's that.
What was supposed to be a quick comment turned into a short exegesis. So be it. If anyone actually reads this, I hope it was informative and entertaining.