In the beginning there were no cavemen, no dinosaurs, no plants, no oceans, no mountains, no Sun, no Moon, no stars. There was nothing, not even space or time. Only God existed.

Then God spoke-suddenly creating space, time, matter, and energy. Out of this sudden beginning all the galaxies, stars, and planets formed. Light was everywhere in the universe but none on the surface of the earth. It was dark all the time because the clouds of the earth would not let any light pass through. At that time, billions of years ago, the earth was totally unfit for the existence of any kind of life.

Then God's Spirit began to work over the ocean's surface. Maybe God first created life at this point-simple, single-celled life in the ocean.

God next worked in the clouds, transforming them so that the light from the sun and stars could diffuse through. More than that God worked in both the clouds and the ocean so that water would evaporate from the oceans and condense from the clouds as rain.

Then God gathered the ocean water to one place so that the land would appear. Now there was not just water on the surface of the earth. There were ocean(s) and continent(s).

Then God produced plants on the land, plants of various kinds. These plants consumed carbon dioxide and water and, with the energy from the sun, converted them into food and oxygen.

Then God worked again in the clouds, and with the oxygen from the plants transformed the clouds so that it was not always overcast. Now the clouds would break up, allowing the sun, moon, and stars to be seen. Also, a shield of ozone was established high up above the clouds so that the new species of animals would be protected from harmful radiation from outer space.

Now God created advanced animals both in the oceans and on the continents. The first such creatures were small and soft-worms and slimy animals. Then came small animals with shells, like clams, crabs, and insects. Fish and amphibians, like frogs, were next. Then came the reptiles, such as lizards.

More than 100 million years ago God created dinosaurs. These lizardlike creatures were as much as 80 feet long and 50 tons in weight. They were ten times larger than any other animals that ever existed on the continents. But major disaster, perhaps a nearby exploding star, an asteroid collision, or a huge volcanic eruption, took place about 60 million years ago, wiping out nearly all the dinosaur species. Only a couple of species remain, both rather small and almost extinct.

The dinosaurs were not the only species to be wiped out. In fact, even when conditions on earth are favorable, lifeforms go extinct. All lifeforms, given enough time, go extinct. The more advanced animals, like antelopes and lions, can go extinct in a few million years or less. Less advanced creatures, like cockroaches, may last as long as 150 millions years. This is why God, during the time He was creating, was constantly replacing the extinct species with new species.

After the dinosaurs, God created birds and mammals. He created four different kinds of mammals–mammals in the oceans, like whales and dolphins; rodents, like rabbits and mice; wild four-footed animals like moose and tigers; and tameable four-footed animals, like cows and sheep. Birds and mammals are different from all animals before them because they can express their emotions, their wills, and their minds in communicating with us. This is why we make pets out of these creatures and not (usually) insects or lizards.

Starting about 2 to 4 million years ago, God began to create man-like mammals or "hominids." These creatures stood on two feet, had large brains, and used tools. Some even buried their dead and painted on cave walls. However, they were very different from us. They had no spirit. They did not have a conscience like we do. They did not worship God or establish religious practices.

In time, all these man-like creatures went extinct. Then, about 10 to 25 thousand years ago, God replaced them with Adam and Eve. From Adam and Eve came all the people that live on the earth today. God told Adam and Eve and their descendants that they were to fill the earth and rule wisely over all the animals and all the resources of the earth. And God wrote His ten commandments on the hearts of all people. The first one is to worship Him only.

REASONS TO BELIEVE, P.O. Box 5978, Pasadena, CA 91117 (626) 335-1480.

Copyright 1989, Reasons To Believe

Sword & Spirit Ministries
P.O. Box 712 • Murrieta, CA 92564

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