Day
6: Mammals, creeping things, man
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth the
living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the
earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after
his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the
earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good” (Gen
1:24-25).
Interpretations
of Day 6:
- Literal 24-hour Days:
the day man was created circa 6,000 years ago
- Thousand-Year Days:
circa 7,000-6,000 years ago
- Diminishing Day-Ages: circa 468,750,000-13,306 years ago (Duration: approximately 468,735,694 years)
Young
Earth Creationists claim land animals and man first walked on earth some 6,000
years ago, or 7,000-6,000 years ago at the earliest.
In
the Diminishing Day-Ages timeline, God created land animals and hominids during
Day-Age 6, 468,750,000 to 13,306 years ago (kya).
A multi-segmented
Day 6?
In the Diminishing Day-Ages timeline, the sixth
segment should be Day-Age 6, ending about 234,375,000 years ago after the
creation of land animals (amphibians, insects, reptiles, mammals). But it
cannot be the Biblical Day 6, because it ended before man could be created.
However, if we continue with the exponentially
regressing pattern, we see the coming of hominids in the succeeding segments
until around 28,611 years ago. For still unclear reasons, it appears that the
time segments after Day-Age 5 are not individual day-ages, but parts of a
multi-segmented Day-Age 6! There is no apparent basis, but the time segments
match the scientific estimates accurately.
There is a clue in the Bible,
though. More time and words were used to relate the events of Day 6, because
more things happened and more entities were created on that last creative
“day.” Moreover, there is a textual parallel in the next chapter, where one
“day” is used to mean several days: “These
are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in
the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens” (Gen 2:4). We
know that the “the earth and the heavens”
were not created in one single “day,’ but over several “days.”
Did God (Elohim) use more segments of time for Day-Age 6 to create animals
of a higher order, as well as to perfect man -- the prime paradigm of His
creative work? Let go through those time segments.
Day-Age 6-a
- Circa 468,750,000 to 234,375,000 years ago (Duration: approximately 234,375,000 years)
First of worst extinctions. Paleontologists have identified at
least 17 mass extinctions since life began on earth. Eight are major, all of
which took place in the last 500 million years. However, five events are the
most devastating: the first took place around 438 million years ago during
Day-Age 6-a. Over 85% of species became extinct.57
Amphibians created. God created land animals and
“creeping things” on Day 6. Fossil remains show that amphibians, a kind of
creeping creature, crawled onto dry land around 417 million years ago during
Day-Age 6-a.
Second of worst extinctions. The second of the five worst mass
extinction events also happened during Day-Age 6-a, approximately 367 million
years ago. This time, 82% of all species were lost.58
Insects created. God created insects
approximately 350 million years ago during Day-Age 6-a. Scientists are puzzled
why insects, comprising 80% of all living and extinct animal species, have no
known evolutionary ancestors.
A U.S. government reference (Insects, 1952) states: “There is… no
fossil evidence bearing on the question of insect origin; the oldest insects
known show no transition to other arthropods.”59
Reptiles created. God created more “creeping
things” – reptiles. The record of the rocks reveals that cold-blooded saurians,
the forerunners of modern lizards, arose on the face of the planet starting
approximately 323 million years ago during Day-Age 6-a.
Mammals created. God created warm-blooded mammals
-- the “beasts of the earth” (wild animals) and “cattle” (domestic animals).
The fossil record shows that the mammals first walked
upon the earth 248 million years ago during Day-Age 6-a.
Third of worst extinctions. The third and most devastating of
the five worst mass extinctions also occurred during Day-Age 6-a, some 245
million years ago. As much as 96% of all species were wiped out.
The
destruction was so great paleontologists use this event to mark the end of the
ancient or Paleozoic Era and the beginning of the middle or Mesozoic Era, when
many new groups of animals arose.60
Day-Age 6-b
- Circa 234,375,000 to 117,187,500 years ago (Duration: approximately 117,187,500 years)
Fourth of worst extinctions. The fourth of the five worst mass
extinctions transpired some 208 million years ago, claiming about 76% of all
species at the time, including many reptiles.61
Archaeopteryx appeared. A chimeric creature appeared 150
million years ago. Scientists say it was the first true bird – with feathers
and wings, and a “wishbone” (the fused collarbones underpinning wing muscles).
However, it also had jaws with teeth, claws on its wings, and a long tail like
dinosaurs. It was half-bird, half-reptile – the archaeopteryx!
It
seems to be alluded to in Scripture. Leviticus 11:18 (NKJV) lists birds: “the white owl, the jackdaw, and the carrion
vulture.” The “while owl” is tanshemeth
in the Hebrew original. Several verses later, 11:30 lists reptiles: “the gecko, the monitor lizard, the sand
reptile, the sand lizard, and the chameleon.” Strangely, “chameleon” is
also tanshemeth in the original. The
word tanshemeth, applicable to both a
bird and a reptile, perfectly describes the archaeopteryx! Was tanshemeth the Scriptural term for the
archaeopteryx?
Day-Age 6-c
- Circa 117,187,500 to 58,593,750 years ago (Duration: approximately 58,593,750 years)
Fifth of worst extinctions. The fifth and most recent of the
five worst mass extinctions occurred more or less 65 million years ago, with
the death of 76% of all species, most notably the dinosaurs.62
Primates created. Around the time that “terrible
lizards” (dinosaurs) became extinct, primates – animals that resemble modern lemurs,
monkeys, and apes – came onto the scene some 65,000,000 years ago during
Day-Age 6-c.
Day-Age 6-d
- Circa 58,593,750 to 29,296,875 years ago (Duration: approximately 29,296,875 years)
Rise of mammals. As the level of atmospheric oxygen
continued to rise from 10% to 17% about 50 million years ago, then 23% some 40
million years ago, mammals dominated the planet.
Paul
Falkowski, a marine science professor, explains: "In the fossil record, we
see that this rise in oxygen content corresponds exactly to a really rapid rise
of large, placental mammals… The more oxygen, the bigger the mammals… the rise
in oxygen content allowed mammals to become very, very large – mammals like
12-foot-tall sloths and huge saber-toothed cats.”63 Some hornless
rhinoceroses measured about 30 feet long and stood 18 feet high at the
shoulder.
Day-Age 6-e
- Circa 29,296,875 to 14,648,437 years ago (Duration: approximately 14,648,437 years. From here on, fractions are added to succeeding numbers to keep figures rounded.)
Day-Age 6-f
- Circa 14,648,437 to 7,324,218 years ago (Duration: approximately 7,324,218 years)
Manlike creatures.
The Jewish philosopher Maimonides
said in his exegesis of Genesis that there were manlike creatures before Adam.64
Similarly, the Talmud
and other ancient Jewish commentaries mention pre-Adamic animals with human
forms but without the neshamah or
God-given spirit.65 How did they know that before fossils were
discovered?
Anthropologists
call manlike creatures thought to be ancestors of man “hominids.” They call
living apes “hominoids,” because they are only similar to humans, but not man’s
supposed ancestors.
Ramapithecus, 14-8 mya. Found in 1932 in
northern India (now part of Pakistan), parts of a fossilized jaw and some teeth,
dated about 14-8 million years old, were named Ramapithecus -- “Rama's ape,” after Rama, a mythical prince of
India, combined with pithekos, Greek for
“ape.” In 1976, a complete jaw was discovered. With a distinctly simian V shape,
it differs markedly from the parabolic shape of hominid jaws.66 More
complete fossils have been found in China and Pakistan, confirming that Ramapithecus was not a hominid, but a
true ape.67
Day-Age 6-g
- Circa 7,324,218 to 3,662,109 years ago (Duration: approximately 3,662,109 years)
Sahelanthropus
tchadensis, 7-6
mya. In 2001 the fossils of the supposedly
oldest hominid species, estimated at 7-6 million years old, were found in the north central African
nation of Chad.68 Dubbed Sahelanthropus
(“Sahel man,” after the semi-arid region and the Greek word anthropos, meaning “human”), it has an
apelike skull. The fossil pieces are so few, it is uncertain if Sahelanthropus walked bipedally.69
Orrorin
tugenensis, 6
mya. Found in the Tugen Hills of central Kenya in 2000, the fossils received
the name Orrorin tugenensis, which means
“original man in the Tugen region.” Thought to be 6 million years old,70
the fossilized skeleton has simian features, including long, curved finger
bones for grasping and movement in trees, and apelike canine and premolar
teeth.71
Ardipithecus,
4.4 mya.
Unearthed in Ethiopia in 1994, this fossil find dated to be 4.4-million years old
has been named Ardipithecus, from
words in the Afar and Greek languages meaning “ground ape.”72
“Ardi,” however, has apelike teeth and skeleton, suggesting its ability to walk
upright might not have been well developed.73
Australopithecus,
4-1 mya. In 1924,
a fossilized skull was dug up in Taung, South Africa. It was named Australopithecus, which means “southern
ape.” Thought to be man’s ancestor, six species have since been identified. An
almost complete 3,200,000-year-old skeleton of a female unearthed in 1974 by
Donald Johanson at Hadar, Ethiopia, was nicknamed “Lucy,” after the Beatles
song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” which played on the night of the find.74
Australopithecines, some 3½ to 5 feet tall, had a brain (390-550
cu cm) about one-third of that of a modern human; a low cranium behind a
projecting face; small canine teeth like
those of humans, but large cheek teeth (molars) like apes. Although Lucy had
arms proportionally longer than those of modern people, she is said to have
walked upright,75 based on a knee joint. (Johanson later said the
knee fragment was discovered a mile and a half away in a rock layer 200 feet
deeper, but was included due to “anatomical similarity.”)76
Bruce
Bower, in the Science News of 2 June 2001,
reported that, in one study, Australopithecine inner ear bones used to maintain
balance were found to be greatly similar to those of chimpanzees and gorillas,
but markedly different from those of humans.77 Mark Cartmill et al.
wrote in the July-August 1986 issue of American
Scientist: “At present we have no grounds for thinking that there was
anything distinctively human about australopithecine ecology and behavior... they
were surprisingly apelike in skull form, premolar dentition, limb proportions,
and morphology of some joint surfaces, and they may still have been spending a
significant amount of time in the trees.”78
Anatomist
Sir Solly Zuckerman and Dr. Charles Oxnard, in contrast to anthropologists using subjective and less
analytical visual techniques, developed a multivariate analysis technique with computers performing millions of analyses on homologous
Australopithecine, simian, and human bones. Their finding: Australopithecus is not a
missing link between ape and man.79 Sir Solly observed: “When
compared with human and simian skulls, the Australopithecine skull is in
appearance overwhelmingly simian – not human… Our findings leave little doubt
that… Australopithecus resembles not Homo sapiens but the living monkeys and
apes.”80
Paleontologist
Richard Leakey said in his book Origins
(1977) that it is “unlikely that our direct ancestors are evolutionary
descendants of the australopithecines.”81 James Shreeve remarked in
the Science magazine issue of May 3,
1996: “The proportions calculated for (Australopithecus)
africanus turned out to be amazingly
close to those of a chimpanzee, with big arms and small legs... One might say
we are kicking Lucy out of the family tree…”82 As their family
name pithecus (“ape”) denotes, these
prehistoric pithecoid creatures were just apes.
Day-Age 6-h
- Circa 3,662,109 to 1,831,054 years ago (Duration: approximately 1,831,054 years.)
Kenyanthropus
platyops, 3.5 mya. A fossilized cranium and
other bones, estimated to be 3.5 million years old, were found in 1999 in northern
Kenya. The creature had a mixture of features not seen in earlier hominid
fossils: a much flatter face and smaller molars; the cheekbone joined the rest
of the face in a forward position; and the region beneath the nose opening was
flat. Researchers placed it under a new genus and species: Kenyanthropus platyops. In Greek anthropos means “humen being,” while platyops means “flat” – combined to mean “flat-faced human from
Kenya.”83
Homo
habilis, 2.8-1.5 mya. So named for the
primitive stone tools found with its fossilized skull in 1960, Homo habilis means “handy man” -- from
Latin words meaning “human” (homo)
and “able or skillful” (habilis). The
first to be classified under the genus Homo,
the species had a bigger braincase of about 600 cu cm.84 It was also
taller.
The
fossil had been found beneath volcanic ash dated at about 2.6 million years,
pushing back the presumed origin of man by millions of years. Its discoverer,
Richard Leakey, says: “Either we toss out this skull or we toss out our
theories of early man.” He adds that “it leaves in ruins the modern notion that
all early fossils can be arranged in an orderly sequence of evolutionary change.”85
The
first confirmed limb bones of Homo
habilis were discovered in 1986. They showed the creature clearly had
apelike proportions and should never have been classified as human. Hugh Ross
comments on the web: “Starting about 2-4 million years ago, God began creating
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…
God replaced them with Adam and Eve.”86
Homo rudolfensis, 1.9 mya. In
1972, more than 150 fragments of bone fossils were discovered in eastern Kenya.
As the size of the skull and several anatomical features differed from those of
earlier finds, scientists classified it under a new species named Homo rudolfensis, after Lake Rudolf (now
Lake Turkana). Its best-known fossils from the lake area date from about 1.9
million years ago.87
Richard
Leakey notes: “This Australopithecine material suggests a form of locomotion
that was not entirely upright nor bipedal. The Rudolf Australopithecines, in
fact, may have been close to the ‘knuckle-walker’ condition, not unlike the
extant African apes.”88
Day-Age 6-i
- Circa 1,831,054 to 915,527 years ago (Duration: approximately 915,527 years)
Homo
erectus, 1.5 mya. A skullcap and tooth
found in 1891 by Eugene Dubois in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) was
first named Pithecanthropus erectus (“erect
ape-man”). Popularly known as “Java man,” it is dated about 1,500,000 years old.
It had a larger brain (about 850 cc) and a rounder cranium than earlier
species.89
In China, at a site known as Chou
K’ou Tien (Dragon-Bone Hill), 25 miles from Peking, from 1921 to 1934 a total
of 14 skull fragments, 11 jawbones, 7 thigh pieces, 2 arm bones, a wrist bone,
and 147 teeth similar to Java Man were found. Called Sinanthropus pekinensis – “Peking Man” – its composite skull was
named “Nellie.”90
Forty
years after finding “Java man,” Dubois conceded it was a big ape.
“Pithecanthropus was not a man, but a gigantic genus allied to the Gibbons,
superior to its near relatives on account of its exceedingly large brain
volume, and distinguished at the same time by its erect attitude.”91
He admitted withholding parts of four simian thigh bones found in the same
area.
The
World Book states: “Modern humans
could not have evolved from these late populations of H. erectus, a much more primitive type of human.”92
Day-Age
6-j:
- Circa 915,527 to 457,763 years ago (Duration: approximately 457,763 years)
Homo
heidelbergensis,
600-300 kya. In 1907 a fossilized manlike jaw was discovered 16 kilometers southeast
of Heidelberg, Germany. It had no chin, but was unusually thick and broad, as
well as long, suggesting the individual had a projecting lower face. The teeth also
were too small for the massive mandible.
Other
specimens from Africa (Ethiopia, Zambia, Tanzania), Europe (Greece, France),
and possibly Asia (China) have been dated at from approximately 600 to 300 thousand years ago (kya).93 Their craniums have heavy brow ridges,
long and low braincases, and thick vault bones like H. erectus, but larger.
____________________
57Mass Extinctions, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 2004
(Excerpted from Chapter 4, Primordial Planet Puzzles, THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD: A Primer on the Secrets of Heaven and Earth by M.M. Tauson, Amazon.com)
