Genesis 1:20-23 “Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens." (21) So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (22) And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." (23) So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture we have the account of the sea and bird life that God created. Once again, although the scripture records this creation event as taking place on one day i.e. the fifth day, it actually took place in two stages i.e. God created the sea life first and then the bird life second, which is why scripture records this creation event in that order. And so, the first stage of day five is an account of God beginning the creation of the sea creatures on the earth. Most scientific evidence today points to the fact that sea creatures are the oldest life forms on the earth, which obviously agrees with the creation account in the book of Genesis. The oldest marine fossils discovered thus far are called Trilobites, and they began to appear on the earth approximately 521 million years ago.[1] As we examine the pattern of God’s creation through scientific observation, we see that God began His creation of the sea creatures on this day, but continued to replace each era of species with the next generation as each age materialized. God continued to do this until the end of day six, when He created the final era of sea life that we see on the earth today. We will discuss this concept in more detail in a later section in this series.
Job 41:1-34 “Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? (2) Can you put a reed through his nose, or pierce his jaw with a hook? … (7) Can you fill his skin with harpoons, or his head with fishing spears? (8) Lay your hand on him; Remember the battle-- Never do it again! (9) Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him? (10) No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up. … (12) "I will not conceal his limbs, His mighty power, or his graceful proportions. (13) Who can remove his outer coat? Who can approach him with a double bridle? (14) Who can open the doors of his face, with his terrible teeth all around? (15) His rows of scales are his pride, Shut up tightly as with a seal; (16) One is so near another That no air can come between them; (17) They are joined one to another, They stick together and cannot be parted. (18) His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. (19) Out of his mouth go burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out. (20) Smoke goes out of his nostrils, as from a boiling pot and burning rushes. (21) His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth. (22) Strength dwells in his neck, and sorrow dances before him. (23) The folds of his flesh are joined together; they are firm on him and cannot be moved. (24) His heart is as hard as stone, even as hard as the lower millstone. (25) When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; Because of his crashings they are beside themselves. (26) Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; nor does spear, dart, or javelin. (27) He regards iron as straw, And bronze as rotten wood. (28) The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones become like stubble to him. (29) Darts are regarded as straw; He laughs at the threat of javelins. (30) His undersides are like sharp potsherds; He spreads pointed marks in the mire. (31) He makes the deep boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a pot of ointment. (32) He leaves a shining wake behind him; one would think the deep had white hair. (33) On earth there is nothing like him, which is made without fear."
The above quoted passage of scripture records the discourse that God had with Job when God challenged him to explain how God had created the earth and all things in it. In this discourse God showed Job one of the sea creatures that He created, which God called “Leviathan”. Although some have foolishly stated that God is describing either a crocodile or a whale in this passage, neither of those two animals come anywhere close to resembling the creature described in this passage. Those same individuals also discount the comments made by God, about fire shooting from the mouth of this creature as not being literal fire. The reason they do that is because natural man has never seen any creature like that, and they therefore do not believe that such a creature can exist. And so, besides accusing God of lying, these same individuals forget that there are other accounts in scripture that describe fire proceeding from the mouths of God’s creations. Two examples of which are; the Lord’s two witnesses in the last days (Revelation 11:5) and the creatures described as horses with lions heads and serpent tails, that will roam the earth also in the last days (Revelation 9:17). The same people also forget the fact that fire proceeds out of the mouth of God Himself (Psalm 18:8). And so, there is no animal alive today that is even remotely like the creature described in this passage of scripture. The reason for that is because the creature that best fits the one described; began to swim in the oceans of the earth approximately 208 million years ago, and is known to mankind today as “Plesiosaurus”[2]. These creatures became extinct 66 million years ago; nevertheless their fossilized remains have been discovered in various locations in the earth. And so, even though Job lived approximately ten thousand years ago, he was not around when God created this creature. Nevertheless in a vision, God showed Job this and another creature that God called “Behemoth” (Job 40:15). So why did God do that? The Lord did that for our benefit, for He knew that in the generations that followed, that mankind’s knowledge would increase, as we have already mentioned. And so, God knew that mankind would discover evidence of the existence of these creatures that once roamed the earth. By describing these creatures to us thousands of years before men ever discovered their fossils, God showed us that He is the one who created them in the first place.
This brings us to the second stage of day five, which is the account of God beginning the creation of the flying creatures on the earth. Unlike the timing of the sea creatures appearing on the earth where scientists agree with Genesis, scientists disagree with the concept of bird life being on the earth before animals existed, for the Genesis account in scripture declares that God created the animals only on the sixth day. It must be noted however, that science is extremely limited in this area, for they are reliant on fossils they accidentally discover over time, thus enabling them to formulate any scientific opinions on this subject. The word translated “bird” in this passage is more accurately translated “flying creature”, which is actually a better translation when we see the various fossils found in the earth today. And so, because the oldest fossil of a flying creature (Pterosaur) discovered thus far, is roughly 228 million years old[3], scientists believe that birds were formed after animals. New fossils are being discovered all the time however, and it may be that science will eventually catch up with scripture; to show that bird life i.e. flying creatures, did exist on the earth before animals.
Michael E.B. Maher
[1] Wikipedia
[2] Wikipedia
[3] Wikipedia
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