“Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all[a] the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” (Genesis1:24-31 NKJV).
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind, quadrupeds and reptiles and wild beasts of the earth according to their kind, and it was so. And God made the wild beasts of the earth according to their kind, and cattle according to their kind, and all the reptiles of the earth according to their kind, and God saw that they were good. And God said, Let us make man according to our image and likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the flying creatures of heaven, and over the cattle and all the earth, and over all the reptiles that creep on the earth. And God made man, according to the image of God he made him, male and female he made them. And God blessed them, saying, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the seas and flying creatures of heaven, and all the cattle and all the earth, and all the reptiles that creep on the earth. And God said, Behold I have given to you every seed-bearing herb sowing seed which is upon all the earth, and every tree which has in itself the fruit of seed that is sown, to you it shall be for food. And to all the wild beasts of the earth, and to all the flying creatures of heaven, and to every reptile creeping on the earth, which has in itself the breath of life, even every green plant for food; and it was so. And God saw all the things that he had made, and, behold, they were very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (Genesis1:24-31 LXX).
On the Sixth Creation Day, God filled the Earth’s landmass with animals, and humankind. This day’s work included the creation of land dwelling insects, reptiles, and mammals, flightless birds, along with sauropod and theropod dinosaurs. God created many other living systems during the Sixth Day, but Moses only mentions a few creatures and humankind. The global flood and post-flood climatic transformations caused massive extinctions that decimated many land animal kinds created on the sixth day. Many pre-flood animal kinds are only found within the fossil record. The post-flood Earth was replenished with land animals that survived aboard Noah’s Ark. Many land animals aboard Noah’s Ark died out shortly after the great flood. The animals living today had superior capacity to adapt to changing environments. (Genesis 1:24-31 NKJV).
DINOSAURS
During this period, God made the theropod and sauropod dinosaurs. Theropod dinosaurs included Tyrannosaurs, Allosauruses, and Velociraptors. Tyrannosaurs became predatory dinosaurs during the pre-flood era. Their sharp teeth were originally designed to feed on a plethora of tough pre-flood plants. They were large, high skulls, powerful jaws and legs, and large, sharp teeth shaped for biting through flesh and bone. Tyrannosaurs walked with the body horizontal and the long tail held off the ground as a counterweight. In that posture, large adults, weighing more than six tons, would have been more than 12 meters long. In some forms, the hands had only two digits.
Allosaurus were large carnivorous dinosaur of a group similar to the Tyrannosaurs. They are found as fossils primarily in post-flood rocks of North America. They were originally designed to feed on plants. They weighed around 1,800 kilograms and grew to 11 meters long. Allosaurus walked on its two hind limbs and probably used the much smaller forelimbs for grasping. Equipped with powerful, flexible jaws, Allosaurs likely preyed on medium-sized dinosaurs; they were hunters and scavengers that hunted in groups. Velociraptors were genus of clawed theropod dinosaurs. They flourished in central and eastern Asia during the early post-flood era. They were related to the North American genus, Deinonychus. Both genera had a sickle-shaped claw on each foot and ossified tendon reinforcements in the tail that enabled them to keep their balance while striking and slashing at prey. They were swift moving and agile predators that attacked small herbivores. They grew up to 2 meters long and weighed between 45 and 50 kilograms.
When God made the sauropod dinosaurs, they included the Brontosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus, and Apatosaurus dinosaurs. All species had a small head, extremely long neck, massive body, thick, pillar like legs, and a very long, tapering, whip like tail. With their weak, sparse teeth, they cropped vegetation from even the tallest trees, apparently depending on swallowed stones or bacteria in the gut to digest plant matter. The animals ranged from 15 meters to 30-meters in length. They weighed between 35 and 70 tons. These gigantic beasts are mentioned in the Book of Job chapter 40. They are called Behemoths.
God reveals that each living creature on the land is created “according to their kind.” This refutes the notion that all species of animals evolved from a single, common, primeval organism. It supports the scientific evidence that living creatures have adapted over time to their environment, while there is no convincing evidence that one species of animal has evolved into another. God created humankind in His own image. God saw everything that He had made, and it was “good” (1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). It is interesting to note that God declared all that he had made on the sixth day “very good” perhaps to stress the relative significance of this day in comparison to the prior days.
HUMANKIND
Before God creates humankind, the Creator takes counsel with Himself (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), and “God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness’” (Genesis 1:26). These words are an early revelation of the Divine Trinity and they are part of the foundation for such, as God reveals an “us” within the Godhead. God makes humankind, and humankind is made in the image of God (men and women are made in God’s Triune image) and we are special above all other life forms. To emphasize this fact, God places humanity in authority over the Earth and over all the other life forms. God blesses humankind and commands them to reproduce, fill the Earth and subdue it. God announces that humankind and all other land animals are to eat plants alone.
THE IMAGE OF GOD
Unlike the animals, humankind is created in the image or likeness of God. This is what makes human beings superior to animals. This concept is both challenging and revelatory. Other Scriptures confirm that man is in the image of God: James 3:9-10 says men should not be cursed because they are made in the likeness of God. 1 Corinthians 11:7 says man is the image and glory of God. Psalms 8:4-8 says God placed man over all creation, including all animals (Hebrews 2:6-8). These verses show that Genesis chapter one and two are not to be taken as myth. What it says about the nature of man is intended to be taken as historical truth, and is so treated throughout the Bible. The “image of God” does not seem likely to refer to man’s physical nature, since God is spirit (John 4:24), and a spirit does not have flesh and blood (Luke 24:39 NKJV).
Humankind is similar to God, but on a significantly inferior level, and unlike animals in the following six ways. First, men and women have rational intelligence. We have the capability to reason, invent, and communicate verbally and symbolically in many ways, which are far superior to all animal kinds. This ability allows us to communicate with God and understand God’s will for our lives. Second, men and women have will and power to choose. We are free moral agents. This enables us to choose between alternatives and determine which course we will pursue. We are, therefore, accountable before God to make the choices and pursue the goals that God instructs us to do. Third, men and women have emotions. We can experience joy, love, anger, hatred, sorrow, and many other feelings. The Bible also attributes such feelings to God. Fourth, men and women have a conscience. We are able, not only to distinguish right from wrong, but also to have an inherent sense of guilt when we have done wrong and a sense of approval when we has done right. Fifth, men and women have a spirit nature, which has the opportunity to be with God in eternity. Sixth, men and women are born with God consciousness. In other words, the human brain is wired to believe in God and the supernatural. The image of God involves much more than this, but it surely includes these six characteristics of humankind.
THE FIRST PRE-FLOOD HUMANS
The first human beings were mentally and physically healthier than modern post-flood humans. Adam and Eve were clothed with supernatural light when they were created. They lost their illumination when they ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Paradise (Eden). The weight of scientific evidence indicates that they probably had either a medium-brown or reddish-brown skin complexion. Their pre-flood descendants lived on average for up to 900 years. While we have no direct evidence revealing the height of pre-flood humanity, this author believes that pre-flood human males were roughly 180 centimeters tall and females were around 170 centimeters tall. When fallen angels reproduced with human females, the Nephilim came into existence. These Hybrid pre-flood human males reached an average height of about 360 centimeters. Many of their skulls were elongated, gigantic, and thick. These Hybrid humans were responsible for many of the megalithic constructions during the pre-flood and early post-flood generations. They were violent and extremely aggressive during combat and they were cannibals.
GARDEN OF EDEN
The Garden of Eden was the first home for humankind. The Garden of Eden was a gigantic region that was located somewhere in parts of Africa and the Middle East when all the continents were connected together for 10 generations before the worldwide flood. Africa was part of Pangaea before the global flood. The Pison and Gihon rivers encircled portions of pre-flood Ethiopia and Tanzania, which was part of Pangaea, before they were destroyed by the worldwide deluge. During the time of Peleg, Pangaea separated in the major continents we observe today. The major continents include Africa, Antarctica, Eurasia, Australia, North America, and South America. Many geographers and scientists now refer to six continents, where Europe and Asia are combined because they are part of one solid landmass.
The Hebrew name Adam means red-man probably because Adam was formed out of the reddish-brown Earth somewhere in North East Africa. Humanity was likely created somewhere in the region of North East Africa before Pangaea broke up into the major continents we observe today. Pre-flood humanity was made up of a single ethnic population with minor variations in physical appearance because the pre-flood super-continent contained similar weather and climatic conditions worldwide. Pre-flood humans lived longer than all post-flood human populations because the pre-flood climate was designed for maximum genetic expression. The human remains of Homo Erectus, Homo Neanderthals, and Homo Sapiens belong to human beings who were living during the early post-flood era, but remains of pre-flood humanity are primarily lost to history. Today, only Homo Sapiens (modern thinking man) remain alive generations after the early post-flood period.
EARLY POST FLOOD HUMANITY
Analysis of early post-flood human remains primarily derived from Homo Erectus, Neanderthal, and Cro-Magnon human populations reveal that a few early humans lived longer than modern humans. Their large thick brow ridges resulted from a lengthy lifespan when post-flood populations lived to be 200 and 300 years. Human growth hormone (HGH) causes a person’s skull to grow as long as the person is alive; therefore, sometimes the thicker his or her brow ridges the older the person. Homo erectus human populations flourished during the early post-flood generations. They proliferated widely from the Middle East into Asia, Africa, Europe, and elsewhere. The anatomical differences between Homo erectus and modern humans concern their skulls and teeth. Homo erectus people had a low, thick braincase with jutting brow-ridges, large noses, and large teeth. Homo erectus males were about 170 centimeters tall. Running and hunting was a major part of their activities.
Neanderthals were post-flood human populations that occupied parts of North Africa, Middle East, and most of Europe and the Mediterranean lands. The Neanderthal name derives from the discovery in 1856 of remains in a cave above Germany’s Neander Valley. Neanderthals were short, stocky, and powerful. Many of the males were about 163 centimeters tall. Their Cranial capacity equaled or surpassed that of modern humans, though their braincases were long, low, and wide. Their limbs were heavy and they walked fully erect and had hands as capable as those of modern humans. They were cave dwellers who used fire, wielded stone tools, and wooden spears to hunt animals, buried their dead, and cared for their sick or injured. They used their unique language to practice their religion. Today, many Europeans carry Neanderthal DNA.
Cro-Magnon populations proliferated during the early post flood generations and they appear to be the direct ancestors of many modern humans. When Cro-Magnon people migrated from the Middle East into Africa, Asia, Europe and elsewhere, they replaced the Homo erectus and Neanderthal populations that were already occupying those lands. The remains of these people were first discovered in 1868 at the Cro-Magnon rock shelter in the Dordogne region in southern France. The human skeletons that came to be called Cro-Magnon are now considered representative of humans at that time. Cro-Magnons were relatively more robust and powerful than today’s humans, with a somewhat larger brain capacity. The Cro-Magnons are generally associated with the Aurignacian tool industry and artistic tradition. Cro-Magnons seem to have been a settled people, living in caves or primitive huts and lean-tos, moving only when necessary to find new hunting or because of environmental changes. While the average Cro-Magnon was about 175 centimeters tall, a few of them were 200 centimeters in height and taller. For these reasons, the first man and woman were mentally and physically healthier than modern humans living today were.
CREATION SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
God created the universe by the power of His Word. On the first day, God created the entire universe before He formed the Day and Night cycle (Genesis 1:4 NKJV). On the second day, God formed the Sky and the hydraulic cycle (Genesis 1:7-8 NKJV). On the third day, God formed the super-continent called Pangaea and the super ocean called Panthalassa, and vegetation (Genesis 1:8-10 NKJV). On the fourth Day, God filled the universe with lights when he formed the Sun, Moon, and Stars (Genesis 1:18 NKJV) from the dark invisible matter created during Day One (Genesis 1:1 NKJV). On the fifth Day, God filled the ocean with marine life and the sky with flying creatures (Genesis 1:20 NKJV). On the sixth day, God filled the ground with land animals and humankind (Genesis 1:24-26 NKJV).
The creation days were short periods because each creation day is divided into periods of darkness and daylight. Long creation days would mean that no life could survive the long periods of sunlight and darkness on the Earth’s surface if each day were billions, millions, or thousands of years in duration. It was on day six when God created the insects. If the creation days were long ages, then many botanical life forms would die because most plant-life cannot survive without insects. The interdependent relationships of life forms existing on Earth mean that the creation days were short solar days and not long ages. The solar days during the pre-flood years were probably 22 hours long before the days became 24-hours long after the worldwide flood. The geography of the Earth was different because all the major continents were connected together when the planet Earth was 25 percent smaller.
When God’s creative work was completed by the conclusion of the Sixth Day, the entire universe in all its beauty and perfection was fully formed in six literal, consecutive, solar days. At the completion of His creation, God announces that His creation was very good. There was no death and destruction of animal kinds before the creation of Humankind. Everything God made was genetically perfect and physically and mentally healthier than the life forms existing today. The environment was perfectly designed for maximum genetic expression in all life forms. Again, everything God created was designed to reproduce after its own kind. The Genesis creation account has already shown that this was true of the plants, fish, and birds and here we are told that it was also true of the land animals. Again, this thoroughly and necessarily contradicts Darwinism and evolutionism in all its forms. Again, all was declared by God to be good.
Finally, God came to the crowning creation, the greatest and most dominant of His creatures. He made humankind, male and female. Here God is referred to as “us” and “our” (Genesis 1:26 NKJV) and then “His” and “He” (Genesis 1:27 NKJV). This cannot refer to the angels because the man and woman were made in God’s image, not the image of angels. The “us” and “our” (Genesis 1:26 NKJV) must refer to God. Hence, God is both singular and plural — three in one. Here is further evidence of the plural individuals in the singular God. Other passages in which the individual beings in God appear to be conversing are Psalm 2:7; 110:1; 45:7; Isaiah 48:16; as well as the many New Testament references to the Father and Son. Note that Yeshua quoted Genesis 1:27 in Matthew 19:4, thereby proving His acceptance of this account as historic, factual revelation from God. The term “man” (Genesis1:26-27 NKJV) clearly includes both male and female. Hence, by Divine decree, woman wears the name of man. “Man” can refer to the male or to the human race including both male and female.
CREATION SCIENCE SOURCES
Creation; Dr. Grant R. Jeffrey; 2003. Genesis One; Dr. Gerald Schroeder With Zola Levitt; 1998. Genesis and The Big Bang; Gerald L. Schroeder, Ph.D.;1992. Starlight and Time; D. Russell Humphreys, Ph.D.; 1990. Rethinking Genesis; Duane Garrett; 2000. The English Septuagint Version, Sir Lancelot C. L. Brento