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The Bible is NOT Literal as we understand the word. It is theology, that is, it is really a series of snapshots whic describe how a number of people over thousands of years, have wrestled with the idea fo God and how we as humans and believers should respond to God. It is myth, in the original sense of the word, that is, a story to help us understand what is unknowable. The Creation stories/myths in Genesis have come down from diferent traditions from thousands of years ago. It provided a frame fo reference that made sense then, and still does in that it cements the claim that God is the creator of all. The mechanics are irrelevant. All of the writings have to be read and studied carefully, keeping in mind their historical and culture contexts. The worst thing you can do with the Bible is to interpret it literally, as you would a modern history book, or pick and choose random verses to guide your life. You would be seeing the words, but not hearing the music, so to speak.
The current apocalyptic stuff is mostly extra-Biblical. Many of the gory details are derived form Revelation, which was written as an extended mystical allegory, not as literal fact". This has then been taken by variousl charlatans over the years and spun into a fantastic scenario. The "Left Behind" series is the most recent of this series of traveties. They completely ignore the Gospel and revert to the ancient view of Messiah as a tribal avenging angel. It's really a very primiticve understanding of God
If you have Christian leanings, I urge you to find a pastor or priest from a mainstream denomination who has a solid theological background, and have him or her recommend some good, basic books that willl introduce you to a more complete way of studying and beginning to understand scripture. If you can't find anyone, PM me and I'll see what I can do as far as references.
Good Luck.
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