Brian Cole: 'Living Creatures' - Part 1

Genesis 1:20-25 – Living Creatures, Part 1

By day 5 of creation, earth’s environment and the heavenly realm were complete, and from here on the creative work of God consisted primarily in filling the earth with living creatures.

Scripture makes a clear distinction between plant and animal life. Trees and plants are nowhere in Scripture referred to as “living creatures,” or “living souls.” Yet there are many people and organizations who would have us believe that plant life is equal to animal life, and that they have “life” and “souls.”

They do no possess the life of animals and man. They are indeed spectacular, beautiful, and complex, and able to reproduce “after their kind,” but they are designed by the Creator to be a source of energy to maintain life – they are NOT alive.

The beasts, the birds, the living creatures, and the various creeping things are to find food from the “green herb.” In no place in the Scriptures are plants ascribed the life that living creatures possess. Plants are FOOD.

Once again, as always. The means of creation is a decree from God. “Then God said” (vs. 20).

What is “life?” Every form of evolution views life as anything that is capable of cellular reproduction. The so-called “common ancestor” is supposed to be the first life and is said to be something like algae. All evolutionary schemes teach some form of the “tree of Life” illustrations that originates with this first life form, and then develops over ages through random natural processes to produce what is observed and recorded today.

The Biblical text says different! When God created Adam on day 6, He does so by forming him with the dust of the earth. If evolution were correct, we might expect to find God creating sea creatures from some pre-existing life form – some plants or algae. But what Scripture says is that He SPOKE the ALL of the sea creatures into existence immediately, out of nothing.

This is an amazing step in the creative process, as profound as the creation of a whole universe of heavenly bodies on day 4. The vastness and complexity of the forms of life God created rivals that of the stars! It includes everything from the smallest amoebas and microscopic animals to the “great whales” mentioned in the King James Version.

Notice that verses 24 and 25 repeat the phrase “according to its kind” 5 times! The phrase appears a total of 10 times in Genesis 1, repeatedly denoting the limitations God placed on the variation of species. It rules out spontaneous generation, and it rules out macroevolution.

There is a very clear and specific emphasis on the vast array of creatures God created. He spoke them into existence at once, all on the same day – in fact, all at the same moment. All were created in massive swarms that filled the seas.

Verse 20-21 says the same thing about bird life: He created innumerable species, each “according to its kind.” And notice the birds were created with the ability to fly. This wasn’t a skill acquired through an evolutionary process. It is what they were created to do. NO FOSSILS OF THE EVOLUTION OF BIRDS OR ANYTHING ELSE “EVOLVING” HAVE EVER BEEN FOUND. THERE ARE NO FOSSILS OF “MISSING LINKS.

Next week we will cover the second part of the creation of animal life.

Editor's Note: Every Sunday, DrydenWire.com publishes a submitted article in a weekly series from Pastor Brian Cole. If you would have a question for Brian or would like to learn more about him, visit his website or his official Facebook page.