25-0504a - Detailed Summary

Preacher Scott introduces the sermon’s focus on the fifth day of creation as described in Genesis 1, painting a picture of a previously lifeless world transformed by God’s command. He describes the sudden explosion of life in the seas and skies, rejecting evolutionary theories of gradual development over millions of years. Instead, Scott advocates for young Earth creationism, asserting that approximately 6,000 years ago, God created a diverse array of creatures in a single 24-hour day. This literal interpretation of Genesis 1-11 is presented as historical truth, contrasting with secular claims of an ancient Earth.

Scott explains why a literal reading of Genesis 1-11 matters, arguing that these chapters provide a historical record, not myth or poetry. The six days of creation, genealogies from Adam to Abraham, the global flood, and the Tower of Babel form a timeline supporting a recent creation, approximately 6,000 years ago. On the fifth day, God created sea creatures and birds in hours, not eons, and their past abundance, now diminished, reflects His power. The sermon aims to inspire awe and worship by exploring the wonders of day five, with Genesis 1:20-23 as the primary text, detailing God’s command for the waters to swarm with life and birds to fill the skies.

The sermon delves into Genesis 1:20-23, where God commands the waters to swarm with living creatures and birds to fly across the heavens. Scott highlights the creation of "great sea creatures" (tanninim gedolim in Hebrew, meaning "great dragons" or "monsters"), portraying them as real, awe-inspiring beings like whales and sharks, not mythical figures. These creatures, created instantly within a 24-hour day, demonstrate God’s unparalleled strength. The Hebrew term "yam" (day) paired with "evening and morning" reinforces the literal 24-hour period, supported by Exodus 20:11, which states God made everything in six days.

Scott elaborates on the tanninim, describing them as massive, untamable sea creatures that ruled the pre-flood oceans. He references Job 41’s description of Leviathan, with its formidable features like rows of shields and fiery emissions, suggesting it could be a mosasaur, a 50-foot marine reptile, rather than a modern animal. Fossils of mosasaurs and plesiosaurs indicate the diversity of tanninim kinds in the pre-flood world, now extinct due to the global flood described in Genesis 6-9, dated roughly 4,500 years ago via genealogies. The flood buried these creatures in sediment, preserving their fossils as evidence of a young Earth and a catastrophic event, not millions of years of evolution.

The sermon explains how the global flood altered the post-flood oceans, with changed currents and colder temperatures leading to the extinction of many tanninim, while whales and sharks survived. Ancient maps noting "here be dragons" may reflect memories of these lost creatures. Scott emphasizes that God created these beings instantly, not through gradual processes, and their fossils, alongside Genesis 5 and 11 genealogies, support a 6,000-year-old Earth. This timeline rejects old Earth claims, framing fossils as evidence of God’s judgment during the flood, not evolutionary eons.

Shifting to the "swarming creatures" of Genesis 1:20, Scott describes the Hebrew term "sharats," which evokes bustling, teeming life like schools of fish, jellyfish, and octopuses. These creatures, created distinct within a 24-hour day, defy evolutionary timelines. Young Earth creationism posits that pre-flood oceans were warmer and supported greater diversity, with fish and cephalopods displaying forms and colors now lost. Fossils from the Cambrian and Jurassic periods, like ammonites and trilobites, reflect this rapid, God-ordained variety, not slow evolution.

The global flood buried many swarming creatures in sediment, and post-flood environmental changes limited survivors, with some fish like tuna persisting while others, like trilobites, vanished. Psalm 104:25 is cited to capture the sea’s former grandeur, teeming with innumerable creatures. God’s blessing in Genesis 1:22 to "be fruitful and multiply" ensured marine life’s survival, though not its full pre-flood splendor. Today’s coral reefs are a remnant of this design, thriving despite losses, and a literal Genesis 1-11, supported by Romans 5:12, rejects pre-fall death, affirming that fossils postdate Adam’s sin.

Scott highlights God’s blessing in Genesis 1:22 as a sacred empowerment for sea creatures to thrive, enabling rapid multiplication in a young, 6,000-year-old Earth. This blessing allowed clownfish, sardines, and other creatures to fill pre-flood seas, reflecting God’s design. In a pre-fall world without death, this fruitfulness was unhindered, with creatures like jellyfish and octopuses multiplying freely. The blessing underscores God’s intent for abundant life, contrasting with evolutionary scarcity narratives.

Citing Del Tackett, Scott describes fruitfulness as a form of worship, where each new fish or coral polyp glorified God by fulfilling His design. Psalm 148:7 calls sea creatures to praise God through their abundance, acting as sub-creators in His symphony. Even after the flood’s losses, the blessing persists, evident in today’s coral reefs. For believers, this fruitfulness inspires not only physical multiplication but also spiritual growth in faith, love, and service, connecting the divine mandate to human responsibility.

Preacher Scott transitions to the third main point, focusing on the creation of birds on the fifth day, as described in Genesis 1:20, where God commands birds to fly across the expanse of the heavens. In an instant, diverse birds like eagles, hummingbirds, penguins, and ostriches were created, each a distinct kind, not evolved from reptiles but designed to dominate the skies within a single 24-hour day. Scott emphasizes the complexity of birds, with interlocking feathers, unique lung structures, and the falcon’s sharp eyes enabling 240-mile-per-hour dives, arguing that such intricacy defies evolutionary chance and points to intentional divine design.

(17:52 - 19:24) Pre-Flood Bird Diversity and the Flood’s Impact
The sermon highlights that the pre-flood world hosted a far richer array of bird kinds, with giant forms, vibrant colors, and behaviors now lost. Fossils like Archaeopteryx, which had true feathers, demonstrate variety within bird kinds, not evolution from reptiles. Scott suggests pterosaurs, with wingspans up to 30 feet, could be the “flying serpents” of Isaiah 30:6, created as distinct kinds on day five, not as bird ancestors. He paints a vivid picture of pre-flood skies where eagles coexisted with pterodactyls and massive birds like teratorns with 23-foot wings. The global flood, detailed in Genesis 6-9, submerged the earth for ten months, sparing only the ark’s inhabitants. This cataclysm buried many bird kinds and pterosaurs in sediment, with their fossils tied to this event, not millions of years, reshaping the landscape and forests.

Post-flood, surviving bird kinds diversified, such as finches adapting to different islands, but they never regained their pre-flood splendor. Scott notes extinctions like the dodo and passenger pigeon, possibly including giant eagles hunted by early humans. Legends like Native American thunderbirds or ancient art depicting winged serpents may echo these lost fliers, reflecting the crowded skies of day five. This past abundance glorifies God, as Psalm 148:7-10 calls sea monsters, deeps, and flying birds to praise Him, forming a once-fuller choir now diminished but still resonant in today’s birds.

Scott outlines the practical implications of day five’s diversity. First, it strengthens trust in Genesis 1-11 as historical truth, not allegory, asserting that creatures appeared 6,000 years ago in a vibrant world. Fossils of mosasaurs, pterosaurs, and ammonites, buried during the flood, support a young Earth, as affirmed by 2 Peter 3:5-6. Second, it deepens awe at God’s power, with today’s whales, fish, and birds as mere shadows of day five’s fullness. Imagining oceans teeming with tanninim and skies thick with wings reveals God’s limitless creativity, echoed in Romans 1:20, where creation displays His attributes. Scott critiques evolution as moving toward extinction, not creation, emphasizing that creation was a singular divine act.

Third, day five assures believers of God’s care. Despite the flood’s losses, God’s blessing to multiply preserved fish and birds, suggesting He will sustain humanity, as Matthew 6:26 states that God feeds the birds and cares for His people. Finally, Scott urges sharing this truth, pointing to tanninim and pterosaurs as evidence of a Creator, not chance. Believers are encouraged to tell others about the God behind fossils, waves, and wings, living in awe, trusting His word, and proclaiming His name.

The sermon concludes by reiterating that Genesis’ day five reveals a young Earth teeming with tanninim, swarming creatures, and diverse birds, a testament to God’s boundless design. The historical flood reduced this diversity, but survivors carry His glory. Scott previews a future sermon exploring how these creatures inspire deeper faith. For now, he calls the congregation to marvel at waves and wings, praising the Creator of a richer past and vibrant present. The sermon closes with a prayer, expressing awe for day five’s works, gratitude for scripture revealing a young Earth, and a request for strengthened faith and boldness to proclaim God’s name, ending with an “Amen.”