old earth ministries homeschool series creation the fifth day

Old Earth MinistriesHomeschool Series

CreationThe Fifth Day

Creation – The Fifth Day

• The 5th day of creation is discussed by God in Genesis Chapter 1, verses 20 thru 23

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• And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

Genesis 1:20

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• God created the sea creatures on this day. New species appear throughout the fossil record until the present day

• Using Creation Overlap, God continued to create new species through Day Six

• Remember, the Days are groupings of events, not necessarily periods of time


• A trace fossil is not an actual organism, but a sign that was made by the animal, such as a track in the mud, or a burrow

• Trace fossils exist prior to 1 billion years ago

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• The first evidence of animal life is trace fossils

Therapod Footprint

For a great website explaining Trace Fossils, click here!

Fossil Burrow

Coprolite


• The first species are known as Metazoan fossils. They were flourishing by 750 million years ago

• God greatly increased His creation of animals about 540 million years ago

• This time is marked by the Pre-Cambrian-Cambrian time period border

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• The first solid evidence of an organism’s fossil is around 750 million years ago


• The first Era later than 543 million years is the Paleozoic, and the first Period of the Paleozoic is the Cambrian

• The abbreviation Ma is used for millions of years

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• The Geologic Time Scale is divided into Eras, and these are divided into Periods

To see the complete Timescale, Click here (Internet access required)


• The first Era later than 543 million years is the Paleozoic, and the first Period of the Paleozoic is the Cambrian

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• Over the next 540 Ma, God created the ocean life, and it gradually became more complex

Trilobites – 540 Ma

Octopus – 130 Ma

Belemnites – 360 Ma

Creation – The Fifth Day• With Creation Overlap, we know that

God set in motion the first animal species

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• He continued to introduce new species of ocean life, right up until the Creation was completed with Adam

• Some Old-Earth Creationists believe in evolution. The term for this is “Theistic Evolution”

• The belief is that God started life, and guided the evolutionary processes, overseeing His creation as it developed

Creation – The Fifth Day• The progressive creationist says

there are no transitional fossils

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• Under progressive creationism, God is said to have created every species in a unique act of creation, not involving evolution from a previous species

• Under progressive creationism, God is said to have created every species in a unique act of creation, not involving evolution from a previous species

Creation – The Fifth Day• Which Old-Earth creationist theory

is the correct one?

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• Very good arguments can be made for both theories. As an old-earth creationist, you must research and decide which one is best

• Many good websites are available for both. Check Answers In Creation for links

• Most importantly, it does not matter which you choose. Either one can be shown to be in agreement with the Genesis account of creation


• And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind; and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:21

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• The other key creation point for Day Five is the creation of birds

• At first glance, this is out of place. The first birds appear in the fossil record around 150 million years ago, well after the first land animals created on Day Six

For a detailed scientific explanation of the first bird discovered, click hereGrades 9 and up. (Internet Link)

For a simple datasheet on the first bird discovered, click here (Internet Link)


• To solve this dilemma, we turn again to three key points

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• First, the days of creation explain groupings of events, and not necessarily firm beginning and ending points

• Second, we must always remember that “time” with God is not the same as time with man (II Peter 3:8)

• Finally, we use our theory of Creation Overlap

• Using Groupings, Time, and Creation Overlap, there is no conflict between the fossil record, and the order of events in the Genesis account


• And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

Genesis 1:22

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• God commands His creatures to multiply, and fill the earth, which they clearly have done


• And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. Genesis 1:23

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• Day Five details the creation of ocean life, and the creation of birds

• New species appear right up to the end of Day 6


• The duration of Day Five goes from about 700 million years ago through the creation of Adam

• In summary…

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• In Progressive Creationism, God created each species in a unique act of creation

• Points to the apparent lack of transitional fossils

• For further study, the best website is Reasons to Believe, at www.reasons.org

• In Theistic Evolution, each species evolved from a previous species, under the direction of God

• God started the process of animal development, and then let it evolve

• Theistic evolutionists point to several examples of “transitional fossils” that they believe are valid

• For further study, see the website www.theistic-evolution.com


• The fifth day of creation presents no problems for a person who believes in an old earth

This concludes this module on the 5th Day of Creation

old earth ministries homeschool series creation the fifth day

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