25-0504p - Detailed Summary

The preacher, Scott, transitions into the sermon by noting a change in its focus, underscoring the importance of interpreting Genesis as literal history rather than allegory, setting the stage for the evening’s exploration of Day 5 of creation. Scott strongly advocates for a literal interpretation of Genesis, asserting that the creation account describes a young earth formed by God in six literal 24-hour days, not millions or billions of years as suggested by modern science. He argues that Genesis is not an allegory and that a day is precisely a day, rejecting the idea that it represents vast periods. He critiques modern science for denying the supernatural, insisting that nature could not have created itself and that its origins lie with a supernatural being—God. This perspective, he claims, explains why scientific attempts to find natural explanations for the universe’s origins fail. Scott emphasizes that Genesis 1 is a sacred history and divine testimony that demands unwavering trust, forming the foundation of faith. He warns that accepting non-literal interpretations aligns with human philosophies rather than God’s truth, referencing Romans 8 to highlight that the natural man cannot comprehend spiritual truths.

Scott outlines the deliberate order of creation as described in Genesis 1, detailing each day’s events: Day 1 brings light and the spiritual realm, Day 2 establishes the firmament, Day 3 forms land and vegetation, Day 4 creates the sun, moon, and stars, Day 5 introduces sea creatures and birds, and Day 6 completes creation with land animals and mankind. He highlights that this sequence, particularly the earth’s formation before celestial bodies, contradicts modern cosmology, which posits that the earth could not exist without prior celestial bodies. This discrepancy, he argues, requires contorting biblical definitions of a day to align with secular theories, a practice he rejects. Scott urges the congregation to trust the plain testimony of Scripture over human speculations, warning that doubting Genesis 1’s literal account undermines the trustworthiness of all Scripture and risks conforming faith to worldly philosophies.

The sermon shifts to a deeper exploration of Day 5, when God created sea creatures and birds approximately 6,000 years ago in a single day, as per young earth creationism. Scott vividly describes the instantaneous creation of whales, fish, and birds, emphasizing their immediate vibrancy and diversity as a testament to God’s sovereign command. He introduces the evening’s focus: how these creatures reflect God’s glory and how their diversity, diminished by the flood, calls believers to trust Scripture and care for creation. He paints a picture of a pre-flood world teeming with sea dragons and mythical-winged creatures, whose fossils and surviving legends point to a creator of unmatched power. Scott references Leviathan from Job 41, describing it as an untamable sea dragon with formidable features like shields on its back and flaming torches from its mouth, underscoring God’s sovereignty over such mighty creatures.

Scott elaborates on the “Tanninim Gedolim” (great sea creatures or dragons) created on Day 5, interpreting them as real, not mythical, creatures like Leviathan that showcase God’s untamable power. He connects young earth creationism to a literal reading of Genesis, which reveals a young earth with extraordinary biodiversity. Leviathan’s kind likely included modern whales and extinct creatures like mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, whose fossils, found globally, are interpreted as relics of the flood 4,500 years ago, not millions of years old. Scott describes a pre-flood world with warm, stable seas supporting diverse Tanninim, possibly with glowing or chemical-based features as suggested by Job’s description. The flood’s cataclysmic torrents and subsequent ice ages and desertization wiped out many of these creatures, but survivors like whales adapted, while others inspired post-flood tales of sea serpents and dragons. He notes that dragon lore reflects their decline, with medieval art showing fewer dragons, leaving only bones and legends that exalt God’s creative power.

Scott discusses the divine blessing of fruitfulness given to sea creatures on Day 5, enabling them to multiply rapidly and fill the oceans, fitting a young earth timeline where life exploded in days. He cites Del Tackett, who views this fruitfulness as worship, with creatures like whales and plesiosaurs glorifying God by fulfilling their mandate to multiply. God created “kinds” that multiplied purposefully, reflecting His abundance and design, as seen in Psalm 104’s depiction of Leviathan playing joyfully in the sea. Despite the flood’s impact, this blessing endures, with modern whales roaming vast oceans. Scott presents God as a deity of overflow and delight in life, urging believers to mirror this fruitfulness in faith and service, filling the world with God’s glory as the Tanninim once filled the seas.

The sermon turns to the birds created on Day 5, described as flying across the heavens with distinct kinds like hawks, doves, and penguins, each crafted with precision, such as hummingbirds’ rapid wing beats and owls’ glowing eyes. Scott rejects the idea that birds evolved from dinosaurs, asserting they were spoken into being by God. Young earth creationists, he notes, see a pre-flood world with even greater avian diversity, including early birds like Archaeopteryx and giant pterosaurs with 30-foot wingspans. These creatures inhabited a world of endless forests and warm skies, expressing God’s bountiful design. Importantly, Scott clarifies that none of these creatures were carnivorous before the flood, suggesting a harmonious environment that was later shattered by the flood’s cataclysm.

The sermon continues with Scott addressing the catastrophic effects of the flood on Day 5’s birds, noting that while rising waters and storms spared many, subsequent climate changes, ice ages, and desertification led to the extinction of others, including pterosaurs, whose fossils were buried in flood mud rather than over eons. Giant birds also dwindled, possibly due to hunting, with their legacy preserved in thunderbird myths. Modern birds like sparrows, eagles, and penguins are described as survivors that diversified within their kinds, but the current avian population is a mere shadow of the vibrant, diverse pre-flood skies. Scott references Psalm 104:24-26, which praises the manifold works of God, including Leviathan, created to “play” in the sea, emphasizing the joyful abundance of pre-flood creation where birds and Tanninim contributed to a divine symphony of life.

Scott challenges evolutionary claims that whales evolved from land mammals and birds from dinosaurs over millions of years, asserting that young earth creationism aligns scripture and nature in a unified narrative of a young, once-diverse earth. He supports this with three points: First, the sudden appearance of Tanninim fossils like mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, without evolutionary ancestors, matches Genesis’ account of instant creation, with survivors like sharks representing only a fraction of pre-flood splendor. Second, the complex lungs and feathers of birds, appearing fully formed in fossils, and pterosaurs’ flight capabilities defy gradual evolution, indicating a pre-flood sky filled with diverse bird kinds. Third, global dragon tales, thunderbird legends, and ancient art reflect post-flood encounters with Tanninim like Leviathan and giant birds, not myths but memories of Day 5’s variety. Scott cites Job 40’s descriptions of behemoths and Leviathans as evidence that humans witnessed these creatures in a young world, reinforcing the harmony between scripture, fossils, and legends that glorifies God, as affirmed by Psalm 19’s declaration that the heavens proclaim His glory.

Scott outlines five ways believers should respond to the truths of Day 5’s creation. First, they must trust God’s word, as Genesis 1:20-23 and fossils of mosasaurs, pterosaurs, and ammonites buried in the flood confirm a young earth teeming with life, supported by 2 Timothy 3:16’s affirmation of scripture’s divine inspiration. Second, believers should marvel at God’s power, recognizing that today’s seas and skies, though wondrous, pale compared to the pre-flood world of Tanninim and countless birds, which reflects God’s boundless creativity capable of addressing human fears and needs. Third, they should rest in God’s care, as His blessing to multiply preserved creatures through the flood, with Matthew 10:29 assuring that no sparrow falls without His notice, extending this care to believers. Fourth, believers are called to live fruitfully, mirroring the creatures’ mandate to multiply by filling their lives with faith, gospel-sharing, and service, as Jesus in John 15:8 states that bearing fruit glorifies God. Fifth, they should proclaim God’s glory, using fossils, waves, and wings to declare His creative power, as Colossians 1:16 affirms that all things were created through and for Him. Scott emphasizes that Day 5’s creatures, from Leviathan to sparrows, reveal a God of power, precision, and provision, urging believers to live in awe, trust, and proclamation of His name.

The sermon concludes with a prayer led by Scott, expressing gratitude for God’s blessings and a desire to align with His will in spirit and truth. He prays for spiritual strength to overcome the natural man’s tendencies, seeking to be fruitful and glorify God through their actions. The prayer invokes Jesus’ name, asking for guidance and blessing in their efforts to be God’s people, encapsulating the sermon’s themes of trust, worship, and fruitful living in response to the divine testimony of creation.