These are written that you may believe - Days 3, 5, and 6

What if Genesis 1 is a revelation from God about the work He did in creating the Heavens and the Earth?

Does that sound like a unnecessary question?  Many might think, "Well, of course it is just that." It starts out with "In the beginning..." and ends up with "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them." And yet, there is a trend among Biblical scholars to treat Genesis 1 as if it were a mere literary device to convey God's purpose, but not His specific actions.  Some scholars wish to distance Genesis 1 from the actual history of planet Earth. They warn us not to read science into the Bible. There is good advice to be had from these professional Bible scholars.

But still, the question nags. It gnaws at the back of the mind. What if Genesis 1 is real history? That's not the same as asking whether Genesis 1 is true.  Of course it is true.  It is true in many ways, and false in none. But does it convey true history, or just true concepts?

To answer this question in full is a project of tremendous scope, beyond a mere blog post. What I will do here is to sniff around the edges and see what I can find.  Is there an enticing aroma that lures us to dig deeper, or do we unearth a stench that warns us to retreat?

For this investigation to merit our time, it must be set up correctly.  I am going to apply insight from the ancient Near Eastern culture which first received the Genesis text, carefully study the original Hebrew language, and look at recent and relevant scientific discoveries.  To scope the project into a manageable size, I will look specifically at the passages teaching about the plants and animals referred to in the texts for the third day (v. 9-13), the fifth day (v. 20-23), and the sixth day (v. 24-31).

Bringing the Ancient Near Eastern Culture Near

John H. Walton, in his Lost World series, delves deep into the literature of the Ancient Near East to bring us an understanding of the cultural milieu in which Genesis 1 was first received.  He notes that while, by God's providence, the book of Genesis was written for us, it was not written to us.

Walton warns that we moderns wish to interpret Genesis 1 as a tale of material origins. "Since in our culture we believe that existence is material, we consequently believe that to create something means to bring its material properties into existence.  Thus our discussions of origins tend to focus on material origins." p.23, The Lost World of Genesis One, John H. Walton

But, Walton goes on to argue that "some sorts of origins are more important than other sorts of origins." p. 34

"I have suggested that in the ancient world they defined [existence] differently.  They thought of existence as defined by having a function in an ordered system." p. 34

"...analysts of the ancient Near Eastern creation literature often observe that nothing material is actually made in these accounts.... instead, everything is function oriented." p.33

"Consequently, to create something (cause it to exist) in the ancient world means to give it function, not material properties." p. 33

Walton argues that the Hebrew word bara which is translated create means to assign something its function.  That is to say, a chair is not meaningfully a chair unless someone sits on it. If it is only propped against a door to bar entry, then it is more of a lock than a chair. The functional nature of Genesis 1 is readily apparent.  Each day begins with "Let..." which signifies the ordination of a function as in "Let the earth bring forth...".

Walton also raises the question, "In the beginning of what?"  Here we can look to the creation proverb, Proverb 8: "then I [wisdom] was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man." v30-31

I take this to mean that the end goal of the Genesis 1 narrative is an "inhabited world" in which mankind can thrive and worship God.  The inhabited world is the particular ordered system for the purposes for which functions are assigned.

So we can consider the phrase "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void" and understand it in the correct light.

Informed by ancient Near Eastern culture and other Bible passages we can interpret it as follows:

In the beginning of God's preparing the heavens and the earth, the earth was uninhabitable and uninhabited. So God assigned functions throughout the heavens and the earth to make a habitat for mankind and then He placed Mankind into that habitat to thrive.

The manufacture of material is part of the narrative, but secondary to the functional assignments.  The purpose of a thing is more important than the properties of a thing.  Yes, it is interesting that something came to be, but it is more relevant to know what it is supposed to do and to see it doing.  This is the ancient Near Eastern mindset.

With this as our background, we will look specifically at the plants, fish, birds and animals of Genesis 1.

Reading Genesis 1

DAY 3

In order to stick to my limited scope, I will just look at the second part of the Day 3 account.

And God said, "Let the earth (erets) sprout (dasha) vegetation (deshe), plants (eseb) yielding (zara) seed (zera), and fruit (periy) trees (ets) bearing (asah) fruit (periy) in which (asher) is their seed (zera), each according to it kind (miyn), on (al) the earth (erets)." And it was (haya) so (ken). v. 11

The earth brought forth (yatsa) vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind.  And God saw that it was good. v. 12

And there was evening and morning, the third day. v. 13

The most literal translation, would be something like this:

God said: "Sprout, oh land, soft plants, herbs sowing seeds, and productive trees making produce of kind with seed, upon the land." Thus it happened.

Young's Literal Translation renders it like this:

And God saith, 'Let the earth yield tender grass, herb growing seed, fruit-tree (whose seed [is] in itself) making fruit after its kind, on the earth:' and it is so.

The Functions of the Plants on Day 3

Skipping to the plants, we see that God's command is not about bringing something materially into being, but about telling something to function in the way it is intended to function.  Seeing this motivates the functional over material interpretation of Genesis 1.

Kinds of Plants

One question that arises is whether there are two kinds, or three kinds, of plant life mentioned.  Is vegetation (deshe) a category with two types: herbs and fruit trees?  Or, is it a type unto itself?

The word deshe is often associated with young plants, tender plants, and new grass in other Bible passages.  Plants during this phase of development are low in the chemical lignin that gives plants their stiffness.  Deshe could refer to all plants low in lignin and indicate a third category.  The word also is associated with the first plants that emerge or that which is green emerging from the earth.

Looking at the blessing given later in v.29-30 provides some points of comparison:

And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant (eseb) yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree (ets) with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” v29-30a

In the blessing, we see two kinds from Day 3 are given, with no mention of deshe plants.

deshe - plants that can be described as deshe include any soft, green plant including everything from bryophytes to very young sprouts of a variety of species.

eseb - seed plants include two major types: gymnosperms (like evergreens) and angiosperms (like flowers)

ets - fruit trees are woody angiosperms, flowering plants that have woody stalks and grow into trees; the flowers grow into the fruit and the fruit contains the seeds of plant; some gymnosperms also produce fruit-like structures that even carnivores enjoy as a food source

Summary of Day 3

The above analysis suggests that the text for Day 3 intends to paint the following picture for the reader:

• The barren earth becomes green as the first tender plants (perhaps bryophytes that lack seeds and flowers) sprout from the soil.
• Then plants producing seeds, which we identify as gymnosperms and angiosperms, begin to grow and scatter their seeds about.
• Finally, fruit trees, which we identify as woody angiosperms, begin to grow and produce fruit.  It is also possible to think of those gymnosperms which produce fruit-like structures.
• The function of the plants is to bless mankind, and the animals and birds identified in v.29-30

DAY 5

And said God, "Let bring forth abundantly (sharats) the waters (mayim) the moving (sherets) creature (nephesh) that has life (chay) and birds (oph) [that] may fly (uph) above the earth in the open firmament of the heavens." 1:20 [an interlinear Hebrew-English translation is used here to help identify the Hebrew words that are translated into English]

Again in ESV:

And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens." v. 20

[So] God created the great (gadol) sea creatures (tannim) and every (kol) living (chay) creature (nephesh) that moves (ramas), with which to the waters swarm (sharats), according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. 1:21

And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas (yam), and let birds multiply on the earth." 1:21

And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 1:23

...And let them have dominion (radah) over the fish (dagah) of the sea (yam) and over the birds (oph) of the heavens... 1:26

From the Day 6 text (in v26), we see that God gives mankind dominion over the creatures that he has assigned to the waters and the heavens.  The parallelism between the three decrees of God (ordain, bless, dominion) helps us to understand the nature of the creatures that are brought forth.

The Functions of Day 5

Thinking about functions within an ordered system helps us to see the point of the day 5 narrative.  The fish have a function - to swarm.  The birds have a function - to fly. The fish and the birds have a function - to fill the waters and the earth.  The waters and the earth support these functions by providing habitats.  In wisdom, God's blessing ensures that the habitat allows these creatures to fulfill their function.  The function of these creatures and these habitats must serve a greater function within the overall goal of providing a habitat in which humanity can thrive.

So God assigned functions to the great sea creatures and to the other creatures.

If we think about create meaning assigned functions, then it changes our expectations from the narrative.  In terms of historical occurrences, it completely changes the focus.  Now, instead of thinking of Day 5 as when the specified fish and birds came into being materially, we should think of the specified fish and birds coming into their dominions and thriving on Day 5.  They begin to fulfill their intended function on Day 5.

We can ask the interesting scientific question, What is the oldest fossil ever found that in meaningful ways resembles a bird?  But the answer to that question has no bearing on the text of Genesis 1!

We need to ask a different question, When did the flying birds over which mankind would have dominion become fruitful and begin to multiply on the earth? The Bible answers that: Day 5.  

Studying the history of the Earth using the tools of science might also provide an answer.  But this answers a totally different question than asking about the oldest bird fossil.  It's very much like the difference between asking When were the first concepts that would inspire the Constitution of the United States written down?(material origins) and When did the Constitution become the law of the land? (functional origin) Since we are trying to understand history, it really matters that we get the right answers matched up to the right questions.

To ask the right questions though, we need to know what is meant by fish and birds.

Concerning Fish

Studying the Hebrew words, we see that God ordains that the seas and mighty rivers (yam) and oceans in general (mayim) of the earth provide an environment in which nephesh, chay, sherets begin to sharats and to thrive abundantly.

What do all these Hebrew words mean?

nephesh indicates a living soul with mind, will, and emotions.

chay means living, alive, lively or active creature.

sherets means swarming or teeming animals including insects (but in this context water animals).

sharats means to swarm - it is what swarming animals (sherets) do.

gadol means great in either size or number

tannim, tannin means dragon, in a general sense, but is used in a range of contexts including land snakes, sea monsters, and formidable monsters.

dagah is the generic term for fish

mayim means waters; as a parallel to yam likely indicates open waters of the oceans or great seas

yam is used to refer to seas such as the Mediterranean or great rivers like the Nile 

In 1:26 mankind is given dominion over the fish that the waters bring forth.  Putting this together, we can see that the waters bring forth fish which behave in ways reflective of mind and emotion and which swarm together in the oceans and great seas and great rivers.

Using these specifics, we can identify the creatures indicated.  In animal species, it is the neocortex portion of the brain that is attributed with soulish (nephesh) behavior reflective of mind, will, and emotions.  Among land animals, it is the mammals that have a neocortex and which primarily exhibit intelligent and emotional behaviors.  Some fish have a homologous region in their brains, giving them similar characteristics.

Among fish, it is specifically teleost fish, which are a type of ray-finned, bony fish that most exhibit nephesh characteristics and schooling (swarming, sharats) behavior.  96% of the 30,000 extant species of fish are teleosts.  Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that 1:20 specifically indicates God's command for great schools of teleost fish to be brought forth abundantly and to multiply in the oceans and waters of the world for the eventual benefit of mankind.

Concerning what God created

The description of what God created is expanded relative to what He ordained that the waters bring forth, namely it includes the "great dragons".  This is not to be taken as a mythical element in the narrative.  Quite to the contrary, this statement explicitly teaches that the feared tannim of Ancient Near Eastern cultures were not demons, gods, or mystical creatures.  Rather, they were simply animals created by God.  In fact, this tells us more about what these creatures are not, than what they are.

However, the creation Psalm 104 contains this useful reflection:

Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.  There go the ships, and Leviathan (livyathan), which you formed to play in it.  Psalm 104:25-26

The Hebrew livyathan has a broad meaning and can essentially function as a synonym for tannim. Again, we are told that these creatures are not mystical beasts, but creatures made by God.  Helpfully, this Psalm identifies them as sea creatures that sport in ships' wakes and which are seen playing from ships' bows.  Therefore, we can see that these are creatures like dolphins and killer whales that play in wakes and larger whales that breach.  Like all mammals, these creatures have a neocortex and exhibit highly intelligent and emotional behaviors befitting the soulish (nephesh) descriptor.  Like schooling fish, these social animals form pods and family groups and "swarm" or "teem" together.

A second word appears in the statement of what was created: every (kol) living (chay) soulish creature (nephesh).  The Hebrew kol can mean all, any, or every and different translators make different choices.  For example, the Contemporary English Version uses "all the living creatures" and the English Standard Version uses "every living creature".  What is crucial to note is that this word does not modify the meaning of what is meant by chay nephesh.  When we read the word "every" in an English translation, that does not suddenly permit the meaning of the words nephesh chay sharats to include neurologically simple oysters and starfish or sessile sea anemone or solitary octopi and sharks.  What we can infer is that God was involved with the origin of each of the kinds that are indicated by the text.

Taken together, in addition to teleost fish, we see that Day 5 includes the creation of dolphins and whales.  By careful analysis, we can see that this excludes other sea creatures such as clams, sponges, jellyfish, octopi, and sharks which may exhibit some, but not all, of the identifying characteristics.  We can certainly assert that God created all these other kinds as well (Colossians 1:16), but we cannot look to Genesis 1 to see when or on which day He did so.

What we learn from food laws about fish

In Genesis 9:2-4 we find: "...all the fish of the sea.  Into your hand they are delivered.  Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you..."

In Leviticus 11:9 "These you may eat, of all that are in the waters.  Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat.  But anything in the seas or in the rivers that does not have fins and scales, of the swarming creatures (sherets) in the waters and of the living (chay) creatures (nephesh) that are in the waters, is detestable to you."

Fish (chay nephesh sherets from Genesis 1) have fins and scales and are distinct from animals that are described as either swarming creatures (sherets only) or living creatures (chay nephesh only).  For example, jellyfish swarm but are not soulish and sharks and octopi are lively and intelligent, but tend to be solitary.

The point we want to take in is that when the Hebrew words get translated from words that convey specific traits such as lively, soulish, and swarming into English words such as living, creature, and moving, the meaning becomes broadened in a way that is not readily apparent.  When the English reader then interprets the translated words, he is tempted to again expand the meaning and overly generalize.  He may come to the conclusion that everything that lives in water was materially brought into existence all at once on the fifth day not realizing that the Hebrew text is far from supporting such a claim.

References:

The Lamprey Pallium Provides a Blueprint of the Mammalian Layered Cortex. (October 2017) "In ray-finned fish, there is evidence based on a combination of histochemical and genetic markers for the presence of a pallial region homologous to neocortex"

The Pallium and Mind/Behavior Relationships in Teleost Fishes (August 2013) "The dorsal media area (Dmd) has sensory 'neocortex-like' features"

Concerning Birds

The Hebrew words in this case are fairly clear.

oph means flying thing and could refer to birds, insects, and bats

uph mans to fly, which rules out flightless birds and swarming (sharats) insects (sherets)

Because these creatures also fly across the heavens, instead of swarming, the correct understanding is flying birds, with possible inclusion of bats.

Birds are also soulish (nephesh), although the term is not specifically applied here.  Specifying that these creatures fly instead of swarm already identifies them adequately as birds and distinguishes them from swarming insects. Some insects can fly but do not form swarms.  However, it would seem odd to choose insects over birds for the creatures being described as flying across the expanse of heaven.

What we learn from food laws about birds

In Genesis 9:2-4 we find: "...every bird of the heavens,...  Into your hand they are delivered.  Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you....  But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is its blood."

In Leviticus 11:13 "And these you shall detest among the birds (oph); they shall not be eaten; they are detestable: the eagle, ...vulture(s), the kite, ...falcon(s), raven(s), the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, hawks(s), owl(s), the cormorant, the stork, heron(s), the hoopoe, and the bat."

All identified creatures (oph) are birds, except for the bat.  We must consider bats among the oph created on Day 5.  We can exclude insects because they do not have blood and flightless birds like the ostrich and penguin because the Day 5 text explicitly refers to birds that fly.

References:

Bird Brains Are Far More Humanlike Than Once Thought (September 2020)

Summary of Day 5

When considering the Hebrew text carefully, we can observe that Genesis 1 is specific rather than general in describing what kinds of animals were assigned functions on Day 5.  While this analysis seems difficult and technical, that is because Hebrew is not our native language.  What we conclude here with effort would have been obvious to the original audience when delivered in their heart language and in their culture.

The above analysis suggests that the text for Day 5 intends to paint the following picture for the reader:

• schooling and shoaling teleost fish are to proliferate rapidly, filling and dominating ecological niches in many kinds of waterways
• the function of filling and multiplying implies a vacated space to occupy
• large marine mammals including whales and dolphins are to proliferate
• flying birds and bats are to proliferate rapidly, filling the earth
• the fish, marine mammals, birds, and bats support human habitation, meaning the text is dealing with extant rather than extinct kinds

These points can guide us when we turn our attention to the scientific data.

DAY 6

And said God, "Let bring forth (yatsa) the earth creatures (nephesh) living (chay)  according to their kinds - livestock (behemah) and creeping things (remes) and beasts (chay) of the earth according to their kinds."  And it was so. 1:24  [Here an interlinear Hebrew-English translation is leveraged.]

And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind.  And God saw that it was good. 1:25

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.  And let them have dominion (radah) over the fish (dagah) of the sea (yam) and over the birds (oph) of the heavens and over the livestock (behemah) and over all the earth and over every creeping thing (remes) that creeps (ramas) on the earth." 1:26

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 1:27

And God blessed them.  And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 1:28

And God said, "Behold, I have given you every green plant (eseb) yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit.  You shall have them for food.  And to every beast (chay) of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food."  And it was so. 1:29-30

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.  And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. 1:31

Concerning Animals

The earth is ordained to bring forth living creatures (chay nephesh) according to their kinds.

yatsa translated bring forth literally means to go forth from or come from

nephesh indicates a living soul with mind, will, and emotions. (see mammalian neocortex)

chay means living, alive, lively or active creature.

eseb includes herbs, grass, and green plants; specifically seed-bearing plants in this case

We have already come across these terms talking about the fish.  In the context of animals, this would indicate that mammals are being specified, but could also include some lizards.  We can understand this when evaluating the word behemah which in general indicates livestock, especially when used as a distinctive from other animal kinds as is the case here.  The narrative includes mankind's dominion over these animals and the most useful land animals to humans are mammals.  Some are hunted, some are domesticated, and some are tamed for service.

Genesis 37:33 provides a useful comparison to the animals of Day 6. "...A fierce (ra, ra'ah) animal (chay) has devoured him.  Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces."

The word translated fierce is the same word translated evil in the context of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  This is an indication that while God certainly created the fierce animals as well as the tame, the Day 6 account may be focused on the gentler creatures.

A word should be said about the earth bringing forth (yatsa) creatures.  The land does not literally produce the animals in a spontaneous generation sort of way.  What is meant is that the animals come from the land and the land provides a supportive habitat in which they can thrive.

The Blessing

In contrast to the birds (and bats) and fish (and whales), God does not include the animals in the specific blessing to be fruitful and multiply and have dominion.  This blessing is aimed specifically at humans.

Instead, God gives the creatures and mankind green plants for food.  This puts a focus on herbivores among the creatures identified in the Day 6 text.

What we learn from food laws about animals

In Genesis 9:2-4 we find creeping things (remes) referred to this way: "The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps (remes) on the ground and all the fish of the sea.  Into your hand they are delivered.  Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you.  And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.  But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is its blood."

Animals that are easily frightened include wild herbivores (such as deer), birds, small herbivorous mammals such as rabbits, and fish.  Beasts of the earth used here and in Genesis 1 may possibly exclude predators such as lions and bears that do not fear humans with the same kind of dread as these other animals.

The command regarding blood applies to the birds and beasts of the earth and creeping things (fish don't bleed in the same sense), indicating all are animals with blood.  That rules out the inclusion of insects in the creeping things being described.

In Leviticus 11:2 we read, "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living things (chay) that you may eat among all the animals (behemah) that are on the earth...." And the text describes animals with hooves and paws, all of which are mammals, specifically placental mammals (to further distinguish these from marsupials and monotremes).

In Leviticus 11:29-30 we read, "And these are unclean to you among swarming things (sherets) that swarm (sharats) on the ground: the mole rat, the mouse, the great lizard of any kind, the gecko, the monitor lizards, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon."

Genesis 1 and 9 make a distinction between creeping things (remes) which may be eaten and swarming things (sharats) that may not be.  Animals such a lizards are grouped with swarming things (sherets) as distinct from creeping things (remes).

From our analysis we can be certain that the focus of Day 6 is on mammals, with a special focus on herbivores.

Summary of Day 6

When considering the Hebrew text carefully, we can observe that Genesis 1 is specific rather than general in specifying what kinds of animals were created on Day 6, just as it was for Day 5.  Again, the fact that Hebrew is not our native language makes the analysis seem harder than it really is.

The above analysis suggests that the text for Day 6 intends to paint the following picture for the reader:

• the earth becomes more productive, especially with regard to providing seed plants and fruit trees that support the proliferation of mammals in general
• active, wild herbivorous mammals (nephesh chay chay) suitable as game begin to proliferate
• small herbivorous mammals (nephesh chay remes) suitable for food or pelts begin to proliferate
• domesticatable herbivorous mammals (nephesh chay behemah) suitable for livestock begin to proliferate
• fierce, wild animals (ra'ah chay) are not specifically identified
• the specific blessing to be fruitful and multiply is directed to humankind and not the animals
• animals do not have a vacated space to fill (because fish and birds have already multiplied) but are blessed, along with birds, by green seed plants and fruit trees
• mankind does fill and multiply, because his unique function does not already fill the land

These points can guide us when we turn our attention to the scientific data.

Created Kinds and Their Proliferation

On the Third Day, God commanded that the earth support the production of the first plants (bryophytes)  which where tender due to being low in lignin, but rich in green chlorophyll to green the barren ground.   God commanded the production of seed plants that scatter their seeds abroad which would include gymnosperms and angiosperms.  God commanded that trees bearing fruit would grow which would include woody angiosperms and some kinds of gymnosperms.

On the Fifth Day, God commanded that the waters support the abundant proliferation (swarms) of schooling, teleost fish and pods of whales in the oceans and flying birds, including bats, on the earth.  God specifically blessed the birds and the fish to be fruitful and to multiply, filling vacant space.  These are creatures over which man will have dominion and their function is to enhance the habitability of the world for mankind.

On the Sixth Day, God commanded that the earth support the production of various kinds of mammals, including specifically those that will serve as livestock.  God does not specifically bless the mammals to be fruitful and multiply and fill vacated space.  God does bless them, along with birds, with green seed plants and fruit trees so that they will thrive to the benefit of mankind.

Key Events in Earth's History

Interleaved Data - Biblical and Scientific

And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

575 Ma - start of the Avalon radiation when the first animals started appearing in the marine fossil record.  These soft-bodied animals do not fossilize easily and their discovery was more recent. 

541 Ma - start of the Cambrian radiation when practically all major animal phyla started appearing in the marine fossil record.  These hard-bodied animals fossilize easily and were discovered before the Avalon fauna.

515-448 Ma - tender green, seedless plants (deshe) colonize land

420 Ma - bony fish

382-358 Ma - plants producing seeds

400 Ma - ray-finned, bony fish

310 Ma - teleost, ray-finned, bony fish 

300 Ma - mammal-like animals

237-201 Ma - origin of flowing plants (fruit-bearing seed plants)

220 Ma - schooling behavior in teleost fish

201-100 Ma - major radiation of flowering plants (fruit-bearing seed plants)

165-150 Ma - the first birds

113-100 Ma - fruit-bearing trees appear as part of the major radiation of fruit-bearing seed plants.

And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

93 Ma - possible but contested origin of placental mammals

66 Ma - mass extinction of: dinosaurs, lizards and snakes, the first birds, many kinds of fish, marine reptiles, flying reptiles, many mammal-like creatures, many small mammals.

And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

66 Ma - Ray-finned fish are the most diverse and ecologically dominant group of vertebrates on the planet.  Crown teleosts (modern ray-finned fishes) came into their current dominant ecological role in pelagic ecosystems immediately following the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction 66 million years ago by filling newly vacated ecological niches and marking the beginning of an "age of ray-finned fishes.  The increase was sustained for the following 24 million years.

66 Ma - Early birds diversified throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous, becoming capable fliers... but were decimated at the end-Cretaceous (K-Pg).  After the mass extinction, modern birds (members of the avian crown group) explosively diversified, culminating in more than 10,000 species distributed worldwide today.

51 Ma - the origin of bats

34 Ma - modern whales exist of both toothed and baleen type

And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

35-24 Ma - C4 photosynthesis arises across 60 different kinds of seed plants and fruit trees

23 Ma - rapid radiation of kinds of cattle (Family Bovidae)

10 Ma - rise of the African savana ecosystem from which early humans would emerge; functional habitability of the earth for human beings was created in an ordered system.

115-11.7 Ka - The Last Glacial Period occurs, a time during which fully modern humans take dominion on earth.  At some point in this timeframe, God creates Adam and Eve.

And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

The Final Analysis

Based on my view of creation narrative as a the history of functional initiation versus initial material origination, I believe that what may appear as discrepancies between science and the Bible can be resolved.

For example, the scientific facts supporting the conclusion that the first bony fish predates the first seed plants is no longer a point of contention.  This is because the Bible is not describing the initial material origin of fish and plants, but rather it describes the initiation of their functional ascendency in an ordered ecosystem designed to support a habitat in which human beings can thrive.

This new understanding creates the opportunity for a major shift in how concordism between science and the Bible is constructed.  Rather than a focus on the scientific concordism of material origins, we pivot to look at the historical concordism of functional initiation.  

Under the older scheme, some believing scientists identified the Cambrian explosion of the first animals in the oceans that occurred 541 Ma with the start of the Fifth Day.  But these animals, as important as they were, and as much a testament to God's handiwork as they are, did not take on the functional role assigned to the fish on Day 5.  In fact, they subsequently went extinct.  Breaking the link between the Cambrian Explosion and Day 5 frees us to construct a new alignment between the scientific record and the Biblical narrative.

There is exactly one time in all of Earth's history when the birds (including bats), and the fish (including whales) both began to multiply and fill the waters of the seas and to increase on the earth.  That Day 5 event occurred in the aftermath of the K-Pg Extinction event that wiped the dinosaurs, and many other kinds of animals, off the earth and dramatically reduced the number of kinds among survivors.  That reordering of all systems created vacated ecosystems. God purposefully filled those ecosystems with the express goal of creating a habitat for human beings. The flowering plants, seed plants, and fruit trees that God gave function to on Day 3 rode through the K-Pg extinction event and flourished in the aftermath.  Between 66 Ma and 34 Ma, the Earth was a significantly warmer planet and all the events described in the Bible pertaining to Day 5 were accomplished.

Unlike the "immediate" and "explosive" multiplying of fish and bird kinds after the K-Pg, the multiplying of mammal kinds was a slower, steadier process with the specific kinds of animals that humans are most dependent upon and interactive with originating more recently.  The transition at 34 Ma to a permanently cooler global climate was accompanied by the emergence of a new kind of photosynthesis in seed plants and fruit trees that was more efficient in this new cooler and more arid regime.  While mammals had also diversified during Day 5 (66-34 Ma) into a wide range of kinds including bats and whales, God up-ended land mammals about 34 Ma at the start of Day 6.  By seeding the world with C4 plants and grasses, He changed the dynamics of the global ecosystems. 

Only under this new climate and with these new plants would the diversity of mammals and other animals over which human beings have dominion arise.  The work of Day 6 had begun.  Grasslands gave rise not just to the behema, remes, and chay of Day 6, but also to the erect primate form.  Once perfected, God imbued the human form with a living and immortal spirit and the first human being was created, that is, given functional dominion to bear God's image on Earth.  God placed this man, Adam, in a garden and the rest, as they say, is history.

Some may still complain that the Biblical text is too brief to accommodate a robust reconciliation with a scientific reconstruction of Earth's history.  But I will leave you with a thought from John about our creator Jesus Christ:

Now Jesus did many other signs... which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.  John 20:30-31

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REFERENCES

The timescale of early land plant evolution (March 2018)

515-470 Ma - "Land plants emerged in the middle-Cambrian-Early Ordovacian interval"

472-419 Ma - "Vascular plants emerged in the Late Ordovician-Selurian" interval.

"The establishment of plant life on land is one of the most significant evolutionary episodes in Earth history."

488-443 Ma - On the origin and evolution of lignin biosynthesis  Origin of lignin supports stronger plants.

420 Ma - bony fish

400 Ma - ray-finned fish - 99% of the 30,000 extant fish species are ray-finned, bony fish

310 Ma - teleost fish - 96% of the 30,000 extant fish species are teleost, ray-finned, bony fish

300 Ma - animals with distinguishing characteristics: mammary glands, neocortex, fur or hair, and three middle ear bones

252-66 Ma - The first mammals also appear during the Mesozoic, but would remain small - less than 15 kg - until the Cenozoic.

237-201 Ma - Origin of angiosperms and the puzzle of the Jurassic gap (May 2019) "Angiosperms are by far the most species-rich clade of land plants... we dated the origin of the crown angiosperms to the Upper Triassic, with major angiosperm radiations occurring in the Jurassic (201-145 Ma) and Lower Cretaceous (145-100 Ma)."

220 Ma - schooling behavior in teleost fish (September 2018)

201 - 100 Ma - major angiosperm radiations

165-150 Ma - Origin of Birds

145-94 Ma - Woody or not woody? Evidence for early angiosperm habit from the Early Cretaceous fossil wood record of Europe

113-100 Ma - angiosperms (flowering, fruit-bearing plants gain woody characteristics)

93 Ma - potential origin of placental mammals

66 Ma - Mass extinction of lizards and snakes at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary (December 2012)

66 Ma - Mass Extinction and Adaptive Radiation in Lizards and Snakes: Evidence from Fossils and Molecular Data (July 2020)

66 Ma - New Age of Fishes initiated by the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction (July 2015) "Ray-finned fish are the most diverse and ecologically dominant group of vertebrates on the planet... Our data suggest that crown teleosts (modern ray-finned fishes) came into their current dominant ecological role in pelagic ecosystems immediately following the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction 66 million years ago by filling newly vacated ecological niches and marking the beginning of an "age of ray-finned fishes." Our study is, to our knowledge, the first geographically comprehensive, high-resolution study of marine vertebrate communities across the extinction."   The increase in the size and abundance of ray-finned fish teeth is sustained for the following 24 million years.

66 Ma - The Origin and Diversification of Birds (October 2015) "Birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the Jurassic (around 165-150 million years ago)... Early birds diversified throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous, becoming capable fliers... but were decimated at the end-Cretaceous (K-Pg) extinction alongside their close dinosaurian relatives.  After the mass extinction, modern birds (members of the avian crown group) explosively diversified, culminating in more than 10,000 species distributed worldwide today.

Evolutionary History of Grasses 

56-23 Ma - Eocene and Oligocene - The delayed rise of present-day mammals (March 2007) "Did the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event, by eliminating non-avian dinosaurs and most of the existing fauna, trigger the evolutionary radiation of present-day mammals? Here we construct, date and analyse a species-level phylogeny of nearly all extant Mammalia to bring a new perspective to this question. Our analyses of how extant lineages accumulated through time show that net per-lineage diversification rates barely changed across the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary. Instead, these rates spiked significantly with the origins of the currently recognized placental superorders and orders approximately 93 million years ago, before falling and remaining low until accelerating again throughout the Eocene and Oligocene epochs. Our results show that the phylogenetic ‘fuses’ leading to the explosion of extant placental orders are not only very much longer than suspected previously, but also challenge the hypothesis that the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event had a major, direct influence on the diversification of today’s mammals."

51 Ma - Fossil Evidence and the Origin of Bats

34 Ma - origin of modern whales

Evolution of C4 plants: a new hypothesis for an interaction of CO2 and water relations mediated by plant hydraulics

35-24 Ma - The evolution of C4 photosynthesis

A Grass-Fed Evolution? Altered Environment Fueled Human Change

23-2.5 Ma - Miocene - Sixty-six million years along the road of mammalian ecomorphological specialization (May 2019) "The tropical-like forests of the Paleocene and early Eocene were replaced, following higher-latitude cooling, by seasonal woodlands and scrublands in the late Eocene and Oligocene. This was followed by the diversification of savanna-like grasslands in the warming of the Miocene that turned to prairie in the cooling and drying of the Plio-Pleistocene. The changing dominant habitats correlated with (and probably drove) the evolutionary changes in the animals inhabiting them. Increasingly specialized forms (hypercarnivores, grazers, cursors) took advantage of new ecological opportunities, and less specialized ecomorphological types (omnivores, generalized quadrupeds) became less common."

23 Ma - Molecular Insights into the Evolution of the Family Bovidae: A Nuclear DNA Perspective (July 2001) "bovid subfamilies... had a rapid radiation dating to... 23 Ma"

10 Ma - Synchronous rise of African C4 ecosystems 10 million years ago in the absence of aridification

How Did Africa's Grasslands Get Started?

How the Earth became a habitable world in which human beings can thrive

On October 9th, the Reasons to Believe apologetic ministry posted an answer to a frequent online question: What are the scientific dates for the starts and ends of the the six creation days?

This question prompted me to collect together and write up some of my own research that addresses this  question.

The Preparation of a Habitable World

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1, ESV)

Young's Literal Translation presents a variation of this rendering by following the original Hebrew literally: In the beginning of God's preparing the heavens and the earth

Some commentators suggest that "the heavens and the earth" is a merism referring to the whole frame and furniture of the universe.

Paul focuses us on the world as experienced by mankind, teaching that the God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. (Acts 17:24-25)

What we see is that the purpose of God in preparing this creation is to create a habitat for life, to fill that habitat, and especially to enter into relationship with mankind with the intent to bless mankind.  Today, when we think of the heavens and the earth, we don't just think of the land on which we live and the skies overhead.  Instead, we think of our planet, Earth, with a core, mantle, continents, oceans, and atmosphere.  Some might even think of the protective magnetic shield generated in the core of our planet.  We might think of Earth orbiting the Sun and being orbited itself by the Moon.  We might think of how the Earth belongs to the solar system that exists within a galaxy, among many other galaxies, in a very large Universe.  It might seem that when viewed scientifically, all of this goes far beyond what is referred to in Scripture.  And yet, we can also understand, scientifically, that all these parts, from how the Universe as a whole is formed, to the nature of our star, the Sun, to the particular characteristics of the Moon and the magnetic field generated by Earth's core, have been prepared by God so that mankind can have life and breath and everything he needs.

Proverbs tells it this way: The LORD possessed me [Wisdom] at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.  Ages ago I [Wisdom] was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.  At the end of this creation psalm, it states: and I [Wisdom] was daily his [the LORD's] delight, rejoicing before Him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.  And now, O sons, listen to me [Wisdom]: blessed are those who keep my ways.  Proverbs 8: 22-23, 30-32

In John Walton's The Lost World of Genesis One (TLWOGO), the proposition is put forth that the cosmos (however that may be defined) is created as a temple (pp. 77-85) for the worship and glory of God.

So, a serious question then arises.  Can Genesis 1:1-2:4 be viewed as the stages of preparation of that temple?

Is Genesis 1 Cosmic History?

Does Genesis 1 reflect the actual history of the formation of the Earth into a habitable planet, or is it instead written as a framework for contemplating the works of God?

John Walton puts forth the question as a dichotomy: "Is the account of creation the description of a manufacturing process or the communication of a concept?" (p. 17, The Lost World of Genesis 1)

We can consider Exodus 25 and beyond that contains considerable information on the construction and furnishing of the Tabernacle as instructed by Moses.  We can look to 1 Kings chapters 5-7 and other passages that contain very detailed instructions on preparing for, manufacturing, and furnishing the temple built under the reign of Solomon.

It is not out of the question that Moses, in presenting Genesis 1:1-2:4, provided some insight into some of the steps God took in creating the cosmos for human habitation, service, and worship.  I think John Walton's question can likely be answered with, "yes, and yes."  I find the text to be sufficiently rich to communicate both history and theological truths and concepts.

What follows then is the presentation of some of my research into the history of Earth as it was prepared for human habitation.  Certainly we see that other planets and bodies, such as Mars, Venus, and the Moon, are not habitable worlds.  I address this question, What happened on Earth that enables humans to live here?  

Furthermore, Earth was originally not habitable itself, formed as a lifeless world.  When life did first appear on Earth, the Earth still was not immediately habitable by human beings.  The Earth became more habitable in stages.  Is it possible that these stages correspond to the works of God as described in the Bible? Is any such correlation simply circumstantial, merely a product of cherry-picking data points?  How can we know the difference?

In Walton's The Lost World of Genesis 1, his Proposition 2 argues for a functional rather than material view of the creation narrative.  Following this lead, I look at habitability as a functional indicator.  Therefore, when we look at data points regarding the history of Earth, and for major phases of Earth's history, we will evaluate them with a view toward habitability, and especially habitability for human beings.  This provides an objective criteria.

In short, I am seeking to provide a historical (vs. scientific) concordant model of the origin of the functional ability of planet Earth to support a habitat in which human beings can thrive.

Of course, no human beings were present during the vast majority of Earth's history.  Therefore, my model [the AOJ model] leverages scientific discoveries about the history of Earth in order to build its concordant model.  What makes my model distinct compared to some other views based on scientific concordism is the focus on the history of Earth's habitability.

For a helpful backgrounder read The Various Meanings of Concordism which describes Type A, B, and C concordism.  Here, I start with a "Type B" approach and try to learn from John H. Walton whether the my approach can be posited as a "Type C" model.

Comparing Models (a. k. a. Stories) of Earth's History

To try to address questions about Earth's past, I first create a scientific model of Earth's history and a model of the Genesis 1:1-2:4 creation account and then compare those models to see where they might align and where they might clash.

I compare the models based on the following data (the Ages of Joy models) to competing models created by Reasons to Believe (the RTB models).  I also show how Young Earth creationists handle the geologic data and how secular stories of the history of the Earth are presented in educational settings.  I regard Genesis 1 as a revealed story of the history of the Earth presented in instructional, religious settings.

It is important to acknowledge that we can find many summaries of Earth's 4.5 billion year history written up in a page or two or presented in a chart or a graphic with a dozen or so critical details and created for secular instruction.  In every case, the author is forced to choose a select few events or descriptions to relate out of the thousands or even millions of discovered facts that could be highlighted.  Often the author has chosen the particular details for a reason while excluding others. The overriding concern is brevity.  The account in Genesis 1:1-2:4 faces a similar constraint - it is brief.  Therefore, it necessarily excludes many details.  Therefore, two accounts of Earth's history can both represent true facts while at the same time painting very different pictures.  The primary concern with the AOJ model is to examine both Scriptural and scientific creation accounts with an eye toward the preparation of Earth as a habitat for human thriving.

Modeling Cosmic History

One of the organizational tools scientists use when studying the history of the Earth is to identify and characterize timespans that cover that history.  These are designed to somewhat align to major transition points in Earth's history.  I say somewhat, because often the timespans are demarcated by ease of identification rather than by relative significance.  Only after detailed analysis can the characteristics of each time span really be understood and their significance realized.  In the meantime, the timespan names are convenient for reference.  Often, details of the ancient past remain murky for decades and much still remains to be learned.

The various time spans used in geochronology are as follows:

Eons (4 total, each of 500 MY or more)

Eras (10, several hundred MY each)

Periods (22, 10-100 MY each)

Epochs (34, 10s of MY each)

Age (99, millions of years)

In the AOJ cosmic history model, an attempt is made to map the 8 timespans of Genesis 1:1-2:4 (the beginning, the 6 creation days, and the day of rest/post-creation timeframe) to the time spans used for geochronology.  AOJ accepts that some form of the Big Bang Theory is likely adequate for creation science models and AOJ accepts the current age of the Universe to be 13.8 billion years.  That said, the AOJ cosmic history model is primarily concerned with the history of the solar system starting at about 4600 million years ago and especially with conditions on the surface of planet Earth over that timespan.

There is a very interesting and important phenomena that is apparent in exploring Earth's history.  That is that from the standpoint of significance to human interest, change occurs much more rapidly as time advances.  For example, some scientists refer to the time from 1.8 to 0.8 billion years ago (Ga) as the Boring Billion calling it the dullest time in Earth's history.  It's also well known that it took about 4 billion years to go from a lifeless planet to one that had a diversity of animals, but only 100 million years from that point to have a huge diversity of life all over the planet.  So history is decidedly non-linear and that affects how it is divided up and described.  More recent time horizons present more details to consider not only because the recent past is easier to study, but also because seemingly more interesting changes were happening.

Gathering the Data

The approach here is to present an interleaved account of Earth's history and Biblical creation passages.  Other formats are possible, and this approach is focused around the Ages of Joy model-building methodology.  I use this format for my own convenience and provide this as a note for attentive readers.  Elements of the Ages of Joy creation model are set off with the label AOJ.  Other content is intended to be factual or theoretical information from which the AOJ model is derived.

Note on dates: all dates are approximate and shown in Ma - million anum (years) ago for convenience; therefore significant figures on dates are not rigorously applied.   Where used, Ga (giga anum) means billion years ago.  ICS where cited below refers to the International Commission on Stratigraphy.

Habitability of Earth for Humans as a Primary Consideration

AOJ: Consider a scale for measuring the ability of human life to thrive on a planet.  Consider the early, Hadean Earth to have a thrivability score of 0 and conditions when humans first inhabited the Earth as a 6.  Each Day of Creation advanced the habitability and thrivability of Earth by 1.  Planets less habitable than early Earth, like Venus, would have a negative score.  Venus may have started out as a 0, but ended up at a negative value.  Planets like Mars seemingly never got beyond a 1.  Planets like Jupiter would always have had a negative score.

Key Events: The Beginning through Day 6

AOJ: THE BEGINNING - AOJ Hadean Eon (4600-3950 Ma)

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)

John H. Walton argues that the Hebrew word translated beginning introduces a period of time rather than a point in time, which can be understood by comparing the word's usage in Job 8:7 "And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great."  Here in context, beginning refers to the former days period of time in contrast to latter days.  Walton then argues that beginning refers to the entire seven-day period.  However, in the same argument Walton points out that the word can also mean, first installment or first part.  TLWOGO, pg. 43.  

So, we must consider whether the beginning period (first part) could refer to either the whole seven-day period or to an initial period of time prior to the seven days.  We can see this latter sense in the way that the word is used in Job 8:7 in which beginning refers to an initial time period preceding a later time period.  In the Genesis 1 narrative, the candidate time periods would be 1) an initial time period during which the Earth lay formless and void and in darkness prior to God saying, "Let there be light" or 2) the first six days prior to the latter seventh day of rest (apparently on-going), or 3) an implied "since then" time period.  I don't agree that beginning refers to the whole seven days, because there is no "latter days" in the narrative to set apart from the "former days" and because the seventh day is often considered to be on-going (including the present time).  I find option 3 to be weakest option because it leans on an implied contrasting time period rather than an apparent time period provided by option 1 from within the narrative itself.

In the beginning of God's preparing the heavens and the earth -- the earth hath existed waste and void, and darkness [is] on the face of the deep...  Genesis 1:1-2a YLT

While Genesis 1:1-2 is rendered several different ways in various translations, Young's Literal Translation captures the sense in which "the earth had existed formless and void" for some unspecified amount of time prior to when the "darkness [is]" on the face of the deep.  It is important to note that in the context of the narrative, there are no time keeping elements at work yet.  It is in a sense a "timeless", or better yet "untimed", period as far as the story is concerned.

AOJ: The AOJ model considers that the formless and void Earth may have lain in that state for some amount of time awaiting God's action.  This conveys the sense that, apart from God's work, the sorry state of formlessness and voidness had no remedy.  The beginning conditions, and therefore the time period framed by the word beginning, start to change as soon as God says, "Let there be light."

John Walton spends seven pages arguing that the phrase "tohu wa bohu" translated as "formless and void" refers to a functional rather than material non-existence in the before state.

AOJ: Following Walton's lead somewhat, I interpret the intent of "tohu wa bohu" to communicate that the Earth under its initial conditions was "functionally uninhabitable [tohu-wasteland; place of chaos] and materially uninhabited [bohu-empty; void]".   This mutes the pointless argument some raise saying: since "sphere" is a "form" therefore, scientifically speaking, the Earth was never formless, and thus, the Bible is incorrect.  I am rejecting Walton's idea that Genesis 1 only addresses functional creation.  I am also rejecting the idea that Genesis 1 is primarily concerned with material creation.  I think it is a balanced blend in which we see that form [that which is material] follows function because there is a functional purpose for the creation.

AOJ: The Biblical creation account describes conditions on Earth during the beginning period of God creating the Heavens and the Earth that match how scientists describe the earliest period of Earth's history which is called the Hadean Eon.

ICS: ~4600 Ma - 4000 Ma : Hadean Eon per the current "informal" ICS definition

4600 Ma - Stellar ignition of the Sun

4540 Ma - creation of the Earth

4425 Ma - creation of the Moon; 

Formation of the moon brought water to Earth (May 2019) or Meteorite study suggests Earth may have been wet since it formed (August 2020)

Geologists determine the early Earth was a 'water world' by studying exposed ocean crust (March 2020) - "...early Earth could have been a 'water world' with submerged continents."

AOJ: Light is produced by the Sun, but the light reaching the Earth is not yet good and the early Earth becomes wrapped in clouds of thick darkness (Job 38:9) caused by volcanic outgassing of water vapor from the interior of the Earth.  Some of the water vapor condenses into a liquid water ocean while a low-lying cloud layer remains.

AOJ: Initially, the earth (0776) was formless (08414) and void (0922).  Later (v9,10) dry land (03004) will appear and God will call it earth (0776).

In John Walton's The Lost World of Genesis One he asserts, "Through the entire Bible, there is not one single instance in which God revealed to Israel a science beyond their own culture.  No passage offers a scientific perspective that was not common to the Old World science of antiquity." p. 17

So does AOJ accept or reject Walton's assertion?  Well, I find that this strong statement could lead to a very long debate, because there are many possible instances, each of which would have to be proven to have provided no new insight that could be considered scientific.  This would mean that the Holy Spirit never supernaturally inspired a Biblical author to write revealed truth that provided new insight that at the time had to be accepted by faith but which now can be scientifically verified.

The second caution I apply to Walton's statement is that a region exists where science and history overlap.  In general terms, historical events are observed phenomena that later investigators can only access forensically, whether by tapping into recorded testimony or analyzing trace artifacts.  Therefore, if God revealed that He 1) acted in the past and 2) in the absence of human observers and 3) in such a way that trace artifacts exist pertaining to those past actions, then the revelation of God's historical actions become scientifically investigable.  Historical truths in such a case cross over into the scientific arena.  The book of Job suggests that we may have just such a situation at hand:

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?  Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.  Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?  Tell me, if you have understanding." (Job 38:1-4)

In other words, paraphrased from feedback provided by my daughter Talitha, "we can use science to investigate and see that God did what just He said He did."

A third caution to Walton's position is that common positions taken by Old World (ancient near eastern) science, shared by Israelites and their neighbors, might still have been the product of earlier divine revelation.  This must be considered, although how to do so is admittedly challenging.

To avoid an endless debate, I will take Walton's assertion as a strong caution rather that an absolute rule and try to use it to temper the AOJ model.

The Hadean Eon is informally defined as extending from the creation of the Earth until 4000 Ma.

The moon-forming impact is thought to have melted some regions of the earth and created a rock vapor atmosphere which condensed leaving behind hot volatile gases and a heavy CO2 atmosphere along with hydrogen and water vapor.  A liquid water ocean existed with a surface temperature of 446 degrees Fahrenheit kept from boiling away by a crushing atmospheric pressure of 27 atmospheres.

In fact, it is possible to find many descriptions of the Hadean, but in general they all communicate an early Earth that is both lifeless and chaotic, at least at the beginning.  So, does the Biblical statement that earth was "formless and void", or as I would translate it "uninhabitable and uninhabited", constitute the revelation of scientific truth?

Well, let's consider two simple thought experiments. 

1) Did all known planets start out the same way, with a surface that is formless, void, dark, and a deep ocean with a surface?  Uninhabitable/Formless: check; Uninhabited/Void: check; Dark: maybe, maybe not; Covered in an ocean: maybe, maybe not

2) Did ancient near eastern creation narrative authors have other options for describing the conditions of the primordial earth?  They are largely working from the point of view of the "absence of what is" and working backwards to whatever seems irreducible.  So scratch any sense of order, scratch light, scratch life, scratch land.  Keep water as the fundamental element.  But they could have assumed that since God is light, that in the beginning there was no darkness, everything was alive, and everything was perfectly ordered. God could have created darkness, things that were not alive, and chaotic forces.  In a sense, if we back up to before the creation of the Universe, maybe that is true.

I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things. Isaiah 45:7 ESV

AOJ: I see many ways to correlate the Biblical vocabulary formless/uninhabitable, void/uninhabited, dark, and watery with the early Earth during the Hadean Eon, whether regarding the Earth as a whole, or any given region upon the Earth.  God may have inspired the author of Genesis to use a generic description of chaos or given them a prophetic vision of some area of Earth during this time.  Not all planets have supported conditions that match those found on the early Earth, but some probably have.  Genesis 1 seems to reveal insight into true and actual conditions that occurred early in the formation of Earth as a not-yet-habitable planet.

AOJ: Does the Biblical description of early earth being formless, void, dark, and watery constitute the revelation of scientific information into an ancient near eastern context?  I am going to say, probably not.  I think what was revealed was historical information.  In the ANE, this historical information would have been assumed to apply to the ANE concept of the earth-cosmos system which was based on humanly observed phenomena.  In today's world, we can apply this revealed historical information to our modern concept of the earth-cosmos system.  Studying Earth's history, we can see that the setting of the opening salvo in Genesis 1 best correlates with the Hadean Eon and not to any other.  We cannot work it the other way.  We cannot start from Genesis 1 and derive a scientific model of early planetary formation any more than we can start from Genesis 1 and derive the Ancient Near Eastern concept of the earth-cosmos system.  Genesis 1 validates neither the modern, nor the ancient cosmological models, but instead provides insight into the historical setting of God's historical actions, whichever conceptual model is in mind.  I agree with Walton that God did not attempt to provide significant improvements to the ANE earth-cosmos concept, because it was not necessary.  The ANE concepts were adequate to accommodate the revelation.  It could be that if God had revealed the Genesis 1 history into a different culture's earth-cosmos model, He would have provided additional corrective revelation.  Maybe God had already blessed the ANE with adequate revelation to enable the receipt of the Genesis 1:1-2:4 revelation.

AOJ: In an important way, Genesis 1 does provide a powerful corrective on other ANE cosmogonies.  It destroys the concept of a pantheon of chaotic gods being responsible for different domains of creation and replaces that with the concept of one God who works consistently and providentially throughout all of creation.  Genesis 1:1-2:4 is pre-scientific while at the same time providing the necessary foundation for science to proceed.  Does it constitute "the revelation of scientific truth into an ancient culture" that the world is not operated by a pantheon of gods?  I will leave that for you to decide.

AOJ: Why is the connection between science and the Bible so important?  Scott Freeman notes on his blog, "It is an article of dogmatic belief for New Atheism that biblical faith cannot be based on evidence.  At all.  Ever. They feel that materialism/atheism owns the field of observable, verifiable evidence and that religious faith must ever remain wholly outside of that field.  By definition.  Always.  Ironically, this in itself is a religious belief contradicting evidence."  Atheists strongly prefer miraculous interpretations of biblical events and decry any connection these events have to historical or physical reality.

4000 Ma - The action of plate tectonics and the oceans trapped vast amounts of CO2, reducing the greenhouse effect and allowing the surface temperature to cool to near current levels.

4100-3800 Ma - The Late Heavy Bombardment of Earth and the Moon by asteroids occurs.

4500-4000 Ma - Fragile, high-erosion early continents seed the oceans with the nutrients needed for life.

The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2b)

He watches over His nest like an eagle and hovers over His young; He spreads His wings, catches him, and lifts him up on His pinions.  Deuteronomy 32:11 - Poetic description of the LORD's care for Israel.

AOJ: The Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life (Nicene Creed) gives life to the first living organism(s) in the ocean, hovering over and nurturing them.

3950 Ma - Early trace of life from 3.95 Ga sedimentary rocks in Labrador, Canada (September 2017)

UV radiation from the sun is lethal to living organisms.  In the absence of atmospheric oxygen, and therefore also of UV-blocking ozone (O3), living organisms had to employ three powerful mechanisms to actively correct otherwise-lethal DNA damage.  The 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to describe these mechanisms.  Prior to the emergence of these mechanisms and before ozone, surface life could only survive in the cloud-darkened environment created by high-sulphur UV-blocking clouds. (needs more references)

AOJ: The first life may have been nurtured by the Spirit of God while the Earth was still shrouded in clouds of thick darkness (Job 38).  AOJ models the creation of the first living organism as the transition point between the formless and void earth (no longer completely void) and the following Days of Creation (forming and filling).

AOJ: Does the Bible reveal that God created the first microscopic life forms before or during the first Day of Creation?  No, I would argue that it does not make this revelation.  But, it does reveal that the Holy Spirit was hovering over the face of the deep.  Scientists believe that the first life forms developed in the ocean or in tidal pools near the end of the Hadean.  Scientists do not know exactly how and under what conditions that life arose.  The Bible does reveal that the life-giving Spirit of God was present and not as a mere observer, but as an active agent, doing something.  This means that, according to the Bible, scientists cannot claim that life got started without help.  Scientific information on the origin of cellular life was not communicated to the ANE audience by Genesis 1.  However, Genesis 1 does have implications for modern scientists interpreting and philosophizing about the origin of life event.  Realizing this, we heed John Walton's warning against claiming that Genesis revealed science to the ANE culture, but we must still absorb the impact of revealed history on modern scientific philosophy.

AOJ habitability assessment:  The AOJ Hadean Eon (the beginning) was a time when Earth was not only uninhabited by life, but also uninhabitable and even inhospitable.  In fact, it seems downright hostile.  If ice age human beings had been dropped onto Hadean earth, they would have quickly died in the choking, anoxic atmosphere, if not crushed first in high atmospheric pressure or boiled in searing temperatures.  Space age humans would fair little better.  A stout spacecraft could possibly allow a touch-and-go mission to such planet, but long term settlement would have been impossible.  The environment was toxic and corrosive.  The temperatures and pressures high.  The rapidly rotating Earth created huge waves and fast winds.  There was little exposed land surface and it was unstable at best.  Frequent collisions from large asteroids resurfaced large portions of the planet from time to time.  AOJ gives this period a habitability score of 0.

AOJ: DAY 1 - AOJ Archean Eon (3950-2250 Ma)

ICS: 4000-2500 Ma: Archean Eon formally defined dates

AOJ: AOJ uses the origin of life as the transition point between the formless and void Hadean and the life-bearing Archean; therefore the exact start date will change as scientific information on the timing of the first life improves.  It is not expected that the scientific community will utilize this thinking to adjust the start date of the Archean.

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.  And God saw that the light was good.  Genesis 1:3,4a

3800-3500 Ma - Origin of Photosynthesis

The light reaching the surface of the Earth becomes good in several ways during the Archean Eon.  These include having the right spectrum, intensity, and stability to drive photosynthesis in organisms whose metabolism then transformed the ocean waters of the Earth.

Photosynthetic organisms produced oxygen that transformed the oceans by binding to toxic metals causing them to precipitate out as ores, especially iron.  Ultimately this led to an oxygenated ocean suitable for other life forms and to the first whiffs of oxygen building up in the atmosphere.

Build up of atmospheric oxygen led to the Great Oxidation/Oxygenation Event which plunged the Earth into a long-lasting global deep-freeze for hundreds of millions of years.   This was the first major Snowball Earth event.

2660 Ma - Oxygen levels on early Earth rose, fell several times before great oxidation event (July 2018)

2700-2600 Ma - Great Oxygenation Event begins but oceans remain anoxic. (August 2010)

2501-2434 Ma - The Great Oxygenation Event preceded a Paleoproterozic "snowball Earth" (February 2020)

2460-2426 Ma - First Paleoproterozic global glaciation. (February 2017)

The postglacial transition of atmospheric oxygen levels may have promoted an ecological shift and biological innovations for oxygen-dependent life. Great Oxidation Event and Snowball Earth (February 2019)

2400 Ma - Oxygen begins accumulating in Earth's atmosphere after being held back by volcanic activity for hundreds of millions of years. (June 2020)

2300 Ma - Global glaciations and atmospheric change at ca. 2.3 Ga (September 2013) "GOE includes 2.5-2.3 Ga oceanic oxidation and 2.3-2.2 Ga atmospheric oxygenation.  The nature of Earth's superficial system dramatically changed at ca. 2.3 Ga."

2300 Ma - Oxygen first appears in Earth's atmosphere. (February 2017)

2420-2250 Ma - A proposed Oxygenian Period would establish the first period of the Paleoproterozoic Era and of the Proterozoic Eon based on stratigraphy (glacial deposits and iron beds) instead of chronometry (radiometric dating).

AOJ: The events of the Oxygenian Period (whether by this name or any other) are generally considered the last phase of the Day 1 events which are triggered by photosynthesis operating under the provision of good light.  AOJ uses the end of the proposed Oxygenian Period at 2250 Ma as the end of Day 1.

AOJ habitability assessment  The AOJ Archean (day 1) was a time when Earth was habitable only to single-celled organism of the simplest kind.  Eukaryotes probably did not exist.  Cyanobacteria utilizing photosynthesis to produce oxygen from light was occurring and was the most profound process occurring that improved the habitability of the planet.  There was still no oxygen in the atmosphere, so ice age humans could not survive.  Space age humans in a sturdy craft might survive.  Water and air temperature and pressures had stabilized near modern levels and the occurrence of large impacting astroids had greatly decreased compared to the Hadean.  Volcanic activity also had lessened.  There was still little exposed continental crust, and shorelines would have been pounded by immense waves.  Some kind of submarine that could harvest oxygen from cyanobacteria and utilize them as a food source might allow space age explorers to survive for a while, but colonization would have been impossible.  Fierce, unmitigated UV radiation bathed the entire planet.  AOJ gives the Archean Earth a habitability score of 1.

DAY 2 - AOJ Proterozoic Eon (2250-575 Ma)

ICS: 2500-541 Ma: Proterozoic Eon formally defined dates

After the GOE event, photosynthetic organisms continued to produce oxygen that bubbled out of the water into the atmosphere.  The exposed minerals of the rising continental crust that jutted out of the water was rusted by this oxygen, trapping the oxygen and preventing it from building up to modern levels for over a billion years.

800 Ma - Earth's O2 levels remain at 0.1% of modern levels, below the level needed for animals of any kind to survive.  Low Mid-Proterozoic atmospheric oxygen levels and the delayed rise of animals

Once the surface of the Earth was fully oxidized, atmospheric oxygen could then build up again. This produced the second Snowball Earth scenario.

715-595 Ma - according to Snowball Earth hypothesis, Earth's surface became entirely or nearly entirely covered in frozen water.  Earth was a frozen Snowball when animals first evolved

Not only did the atmospheric oxygen cool the planet, but it also allowed an ozone layer to form for the first time.  Ozone blocks UV radiation which is damaging to cellular tissue.  With the UV blocked, cells could do more than just try to repair radiation damage and reproduce - now they could differentiate and become the specialized tissues of the first animals.

And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” (Genesis 1:6). The word translated expanse means canopy, firmament, or surface providing support.  The description that this is an area of separation and also a place for birds to fly (v. 20) indicates that the author is communicating in a straightforward way about God creating a "space in which people can live" - a space above the water and below the sky.

AOJ: The Ozone Layer that formed on the 2nd Day of creation became the supporting shield that would enable the Earth to become habitable by all the creatures God was about to begin creating.  It blocked UV radiation.

600 Ma - Life on land made possible by ozone layer

600 Ma - Life exploded on Earth after slow rise of oxygen "...why Earth has been habitable for so long is extremely important for understanding both the climate system, and why life is on Earth in the first place." and "Ultimately, a grasp of geologic controls on oxygen levels can help us understand whether animal-like life might exist or not on Earth-like planets elsewhere."

AOJ: The air we breathe, the sky we gaze up at, the clouds overhead - all these were created by God for human habitation. The Bible does not reveal scientific details about the kinds of changes God made to Earth's atmosphere. But the Bible appears to reveal that historically speaking there was a time when God made changes to the Earth's atmosphere such that His creatures would be able to live on the land. And that is what happens next, both in the Biblical narrative and the scientifically-discerned history of the Earth.

AOJ habitability assessment: The AOJ Proterozoic (day 2) was a time when the Earth continued to be uninhabitable by humans.  Anaerobic bacteria largely went extinct or retreated to extreme environments following the end-of-day-1 Great Oxidation Event.  Eukaryotic life could now live during this time.  Eukaryotes are cells with a nucleus and mitochondria.  This are the cell type of all plants and animals.  However, during this time, the Earth was too hostile to support multi-cellular creatures which required genetic flexibility to allow cells to differentiate into different types.  Because of the harsh environment, cells had to have the ability to aggressively correct mutations or they would die. This may have limited the possibility of utilizing mutations to adapt to the demands of multi-cellularity.  Ice age humans would still quickly die on such a world, because oxygen levels were typically quite low, in the 1% range.  Space age humans could tap into this low oxygen level and utilize it in an artificial habitat.  The ocean waters were far less toxic than during the AOJ Archean (day 1) and the Earth's rotation rate was a bit slower so winds and coastal waves would be less severe.  The Moon was farther away and tides would be lower, though still dramatic enough to limit coastal sites as bases for exploration.  Iron deposits would have existed, laid down during the AOJ Archean (day 1), and other biologically-deposited ore reservoirs formed during this time.  These available ores would increase habitability, but most would have been deep underwater at this time, making them difficult to extract.  UV radiation levels were still lethal throughout most of this time.  AOJ gives this period a habitability score of 2.

A Quick Re-cap

AOJ: The largest timespan in geochronology is the eon.  Earth's history has been divided by scientists into 4 eons. As shown, the first three eons correspond roughly to periods where the earth was first formless and void, secondly was illuminated by good, photosynthesis-driving light, and thirdly experienced atmospheric transformation.  This relates the first 3 eons respectively to the biblical beginning, first day, and second day. Informally, this is known as the Precambrian.  The fourth eon, the Phanerozoic, is subdivided and examined for correlation with the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth days of creation.

Informal	Eon (formal)	Day (biblical)
Precambrian	Hadean	Beginning
	Archean	Day 1
	Proterozoic	Day 2
	Phanerozoic	Day 3-6

DAY 3 - DAY 6 - AOJ Phanerozoic Eon (580-0 Ma)

580 Ma - At the beginning of Day 3, from space, the Earth would have resembled a snowball.

ICS: 541-0 Ma: Phanerozoic Eon formally defined dates

The Phanerozoic derives its name from the Greek words meaning visible life; since it was once believed that life began in the Cambrian, the first period of this eon.  It was named in 1930.  With the discovery of the soft-bodied Ediacarans that appear in what is called the Avalon explosion, the true beginning of visible (non-microscopic multicellular animals and plants) life is somewhat earlier.  The Avalon Explosion is dated to about 575 Ma and follows the Gaskiers Glaciation which is dated to 580 Ma and may be the trigger event creating the conditions of habitability needed for these animals to live.

AOJ: I suggest that the dates for the Phanerozoic be adjusted to reflect the significant findings regarding the Ediacarans and should therefore begin at either 579 Ma or 575 Ma; I have no reason to expect that the ICS will actually make this change however.

DAY 3 - Paleozoic and Mesozoic[Early Cretaceous] Eras (580-100 Ma) 

580 Ma - A volcanic binge and its frosty hangover. A major volcanic event 619 Ma could have triggered one of the largest glaciations in Earth's history -- the Gaskiers glaciation, which turned the Earth into a giant snowball approximately 580 million years ago. Volcanism is a natural process that releases the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Weathering of silicate rocks on Earth's surface traps atmospheric CO2 and sequesters it in carbonate rocks. "That guarantees long-term stability of Earth's temperate surface conditions in comparison to the hostile environment of its cosmic neighbours, hot Venus and cold Mars".

AOJ: Earth is fine-tuned for habitability by God's creative work throughout geologic history.

575 Ma - Origin of first complex multicellular organisms.

That almost 4 Billion years elapsed since the origin of the Earth before the first complex multicellular organisms appear testifies that intelligent life may be exceptionally rare in the Universe or even unique to Earth.  The Timing of Evolutionary Transitions Suggests Intelligent Life Is Rare

Gen. 1:9. "Let the waters under heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear."

Gen. 1:10 "...the waters that were gathered together he called seas."

Eccl. 1:7 "All streams run into the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again."

AOJ: In the warming that followed the End-Proterozoic Snowball Earth, the dry land appears as the glaciers melted and the melt-water ran into the sea.  It was along these river channels that plants first cultivated land.

470 Ma - O-S extinction event - 85% of marine species go extinct

420 Ma - Origin of Bony Fish

419-359 Ma - The First "Age of Fish"; creation of kinds of fish, the vast majority of which go extinct

360 Ma - Late Devonian extinction event - between 79% and 87% of all biodiversity is lost - potentially triggered by plant evolution

Plants put a choke hold on the age of fish.  The Devonian extinction saw the oceans choke to death

AOJ: While Bony (and therefore easy to fossilize) Fish were created before plants bearing seeds, I don't see this as a conflict with the Biblical narrative because of these early bony fish species went extinct. Furthermore, they don't characterize the kinds of fish alive at the time of the Israelites.  In other words, the first Bony Fish are not the kinds of fish over which God gave Adam and mankind dominion.  They aren't the fish of Genesis 1.

Toward the end of the Devonian period, vascular land plants develop. The size of the tallest plants goes up from 3 cm to 30 m. Thriving, large land plants broke up soil, releasing nutrients into the oceans which trigger algae blooms.  In some areas of the world's oceans, algae was broken down by bacteria which consumed all the oxygen in the water. In other places, different species of algae-eating bacteria released toxic sulphur chemicals into the water. Large areas of anoxic water and hydrogen sulphide pollution led to massive extinction of marine life. Above the ocean surface, plants removed CO2 from the atmosphere triggering global cooling.

310 Ma - Teleost fish are created but do not dominate marine ecosystems until post-K/Pg

AOJ: Teleost fish are created before the first seed plants.  Again, this is not a contradiction to the Biblical narrative because God had not yet commanded them to "fill the water in the seas", and they may not have been engaged in the swarming behavior commanded in Genesis 1.  At this point in history, teleost fish where still minor players in the world's oceans.

350-320 Ma - First Seed Plants (Gymnosperm)

300 Ma - pinophytes (pine trees), cycads, ginkgo (Modern orders of gymnosperms)

260 Ma - Capitanian mass extinction event - loss of about 1/3 of marine invertabrates

252 Ma - P-Tr extinction - benefits to conifers including pine trees; 96% of marine species go extinct

245 Ma - origin of seed-plant ancestor of angiosperms

201 Ma - Tr-J extinction - per Wikipedia, plants were left fairly untouched, along with dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and earlier mammals; while up to a third of marine genera went extinct along with all conodonts in the seas and archosauromorphs on land.

AOJ: While we see the origin of fish predate plants, the combined extinctions of the LD, Cap, P-Tr and Tr-J eliminate 79%, 33%, 96% and 34% of all marine species while benefiting seed plants and flowering plants.  Therefore, the early fish and marine species that went extinct are not the ones referred to in Genesis 1 as being the species over which man would rule (Genesis 1:28).  It is the plants that originate at this time that continue to the present day.

165-150 Ma - now-extinct species of archaic birds created

The Origin and Diversification of Birds

    "Early birds diversified throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous, becoming capable fliers with supercharged growth rates, but were decimated at the end-Cretaceous extinction alongside their close dinosaurian relatives. After the mass extinction, modern birds (members of the avian crown group) explosively diversified, culminating in more than 10,000 species distributed worldwide today."

    "True modern birds -- members of the crown group Neornithes -- are a mostly post-Cretaceous radiation, although there is some fossil evidence for Cretaceous species.  This evidence mostly consists of extremely fragmentary specimens of tenuous taxonomic affinity.  The single best record of Cretaceous neornithine is the partial skeleton of Vegavis from the latest Cretaceous (around 68-66 Ma)."

Genesis 1:28 And God said to [man] have dominion over the... birds of the heavens..."

AOJ: More than decimated, most or all original species of birds died out during the K-Pg extinction event.  Therefore, it is the birds that God created on Day 5 that are referred to in Genesis 1 and over whom mankind was given charge, and not the early birds that He apparently created on Day 3 and which then went extinct.

125 Ma - true flowering plants by at least this time; probably much earlier

113 Ma - Woody or not woody? Evidence for early angiosperm habit from the Early Cretaceous fossil wood record of Europe (June 2008) "woody characteristics in angiosperms appeared during the Albian (113-110 Ma) ... global extension and dominance of angiosperms in the Cenomanian (100-94 Ma) is concomitant with a sharp increase in heteroxylous wood diversity."

100 Ma - Modern Orders of Extant Fruit Trees Radiation (that is, orders of fruit trees that still exist in the world today begin to diversify and proliferate)

AOJ: The origin of fruit trees (woody angiosperms) is one of the three anchor events (along with origin of DNA-based life and the origin of modern humans) that tie the scientific history of the Earth to the biblical creation narrative in Genesis 1:1-2:4.  Therefore the Day 3 creative work is considered done when woody angiosperms show up in the fossil record and is nominally specified as 100 Ma.

AOJ habitability assessment: The AOJ Paleo-Mesozoic (day 3) was a time when the Earth could finally host plant and animal life.  The Earth's climate varied widely throughout this time.  Volcanic activity was high.  During the early portion, oxygen levels were high and continent-sized wild fires were common.  Ice age and space age humans would have had great difficulty surviving during this time.  While they could survive without space suits and air tanks, they might still need respirators at times to clean the air.  Once seed plants arose, it would be easier for them to gather food.  But predators were fierce and prey was formidable.  It's not clear who would survive longer, ice age or space age humans.  It would be difficult to maintain a high technology culture in this environment.  Dinosaurs came to so dominate the environment that early mammals were all mouse-sized or smaller.  Several major extinction events occurred during this time.  Given that human species such as Denisovans and Neanderthal went extinct under much more benign conditions, it is unlikely that humans would survive long during this time. AOJ gives this period a habitability score of 3.

DAY 4 - Mesozoic[Late Cretaceous] (100-66 Ma) 

"...let them [the lights] be for signs and for seasons and for days and years"

66 Ma - Sun governs 24-hour circadian rhythm (+/- 15 minutes); approximately 365 (~369) days per year; ~12 lunar months/year

AOJ: The focus of Day 4 is the change in the movement of the lights in the sky

66 Ma - K-Pg Extinction of Dinosaurs and other creatures

AOJ: The K-Pg Extinction cleared the way for the emergence and dominance of the kinds of birds, fish, and animals over which man would come to rule (Gen. 1:28) and was accompanied by the flourishing of fruit trees and seed plants.

AOJ habitability assessment: The Late Cretaceous (Day 4) was a time when Earth could host plant and animal life of great diversity.  Dinosaurs still reigned supreme, surpassing mammals.  This is a strong indication that humans would not survive well during this time.  While vast coal deposits formed during the early part of day 3, most of the highly available coal formed only during the later part of day 3 and even later.  This resource could have been valuable to humans, especially technologically advanced ones.  Even more significantly, at the very end of Day 3, fruit bearing trees emerged.  Throughout this time, they diversified greatly, providing a high-energy food source.  An important element to human thriving is the circadian 24-hour rhythm.  Humans are adapted to this rhythm and during this time, the Earth's rotation rate finally slowed down to within the tolerance of human circadian rhythms.  The Earth also became more seasonal, creating more habitats to exploit.  Many factors make the Late Cretaceous the first time in Earth's history when ice age or space age humans might have been able to survive on a long-term basis.  But dinosaurs still presented a formidable foe and competitor, and the K-Pg extinction event would likely have destroyed all humans as well.  AOJ gives this period a habitability score of 4.

DAY 5 - Cenozoic[Paleocene & Eocene] (66-34 Ma)

"Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens"

66-34 Ma - Majority of Modern Orders of Extant Birds Radiation (diversify and proliferate)

The Origin and Diversification of Birds

    "True modern birds -- members of the crown group Neornithes -- are a mostly post-Cretaceous radiation, although there is some fossil evidence for Cretaceous species.  This evidence mostly consists of extremely fragmentary specimens of tenuous taxonomic affinity.  The single best record of Cretaceous neornithine is the partial skeleton of Vegavis from the latest Cretaceous (around 68-66 Ma)."

66-34 Ma - New Age of Fishes initiated by the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction 

50 Ma - Stone slab reveals oldest evidence of schooling behavior by fish

56-34 Ma - Modern Orders of Bats develop (Biblically grouped with birds)

56-34 Ma - Modern Orders of Extant Toothed Whales develop (includes killer whales and dolphins, the Leviathan that sport in ships' wakes; compare Psalm 104:26; great monsters of Genesis 1:21, maybe)

AOJ:  Over the course of the Paleocene and Eocene, modern birds evolve, ray finned fishes come to dominate the marine ecosystem, bats evolve, and both toothed and baleen whales evolve.

42 Ma - root of the carnivora order emerges; but E-O extinction will eliminate many branches

34 Ma - E-O Extinction event - most significant restructuring of mammals and land animals since the K-Pg

AOJ habitability assessment: The AOJ Early Cenozoic (day 5) provided a step-change in habitability for humans.  With the dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and marine reptiles gone, modern kinds of birds and fish thrived.  Mammals also thrived which is a good indication that ice age humans could have thrived as well.  Birds and small mammals would have made good prey.  Large mammals could have been hunted as well.  The predators were fierce, but only on a scale comparable to ice age mega fauna.  Still, challenges abounded.  The climate overall was hotter and at the end of the Eocene almost all early primates went extinct along with many mammals.  Humans might have succumbed as well.  Also challenging, there were no C4 photosynthesizing plants, meaning plants were less productive as food sources.  Tall grasses and grains were still uncommon.  The domesticated animals that humans leverage for survival, like horses, cattle, sheep, and wolves (dogs) did not yet exist.  Any ice age humans living during this time would likely have remained at a very primitive state, if they even survived many generations.  Human lineages seem to have a penchant for extinction.   Still, overall conditions were much more favorable than during the AOJ Late Cretaceous (day 4).  If humans were to find another planet like this, they would likely find a way to thrive.  AOJ gives this period a habitability score of 5.

DAY 6 - Cenozoic[Oligocene & Neogene & Pleistocene] (34-0 Ma)

And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds - livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." Genesis 1:24 ESV

23 Ma - bovine (cattle, sheep, goats, etc.)

300-50 Ka - human beings bearing the Image of God created (depending on various concepts)

150-10 Ka - Adam and Eve created (depending on various concepts)

AOJ: domesticated farm animals clearly have their roots in species that evolved after the E-O boundary, as do human beings.  What is debatable is "creeping things and beasts".  The E-O extinction affected many land animals and sheared off many side-branches that emerged earlier.  Furthermore, recent detailed climatic studies neatly divide the Cenozoic into two periods: Hothouse-Warmhouse from 66-34 Ma followed by Coolhouse-Coldhouse from 34 Ma until present.  The global climate change affected which animals would thrive and thus which animals would exist for man to rule over.  Therefore, I also divide the Cenozoic along these climatic lines into Day 5 and Day 6.

AOJ habitability assessment: The AOJ Late Cenozoic (day 6) is clearly the time when humans were able to thrive.  Even a variety of archaic hominid species survived for millions of years before going extinct.  A huge change occurred early during the AOJ Late Cenozoic and that is the emergence of a wide variety of plants adopting C4 photosynthesis which allowed them to be much more productive as food sources.  The overall global climate was cooler which seems to have benefited human beings in particular.   As evidence, modern humans first began to thrive globally during the most recent ice age.  Temperate climates along the equator probably were very beneficial, along with lower sea levels that allowed for global expansion.  Many animals species arose that humans expertly learned to exploit.  AOJ gives this period a habitability score of 6.

"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation."  Genesis 2:1-3 ESV

AOJ habitability assessment:  The AOJ Anthropozoic (day 7) is the time when the Earth was ready not just for humans to survive but also to thrive.  God's preparations were complete.  Following the recent ice age's last global maximum, Earth's global climate began to warm (although unevenly at first) and eventually stabilized significantly during the Holocene.  This allowed for global agriculture to thrive and the Earth to support a burgeoning human population engaged in highly productive and specialized occupations.  Ice age humans survived to produce space age descendants.  AOJ gives this period a habitability score of 7.

AOJ: By looking at the history of planet Earth with a scientific lens, we can see that Earth passed through several distinct step changes in habitability when considering the needs of human beings.  The Bible reveals that God prepared the earth including its sky, its oceans, and its land so that human beings could thrive on this planet.  The Bible reveals that God created plants and animals as necessary resources for human thriving.  Although the Bible does not reveal the scientific technical details of habitability, it does lay out the story as one of stages of preparation.  We do well to use the Bible as a guide to thinking about the history of planet Earth.  Given that the geologic timespans used by scientists are conveniences for the study and stewardship of the Earth, we would also do well to think of the alignment between Genesis 1:1-2:4 and these time spans.  It is an advantage to Christians to discuss the historical concordance between the habitability of the Earth as revealed by modern science-based stewardship of this planet and the revealed message of God's preparing this planet for that stewardship.  For this reason, I present the Days of Creation with habitability-informed tweaks to the official geologic timespans.  Seeing science and the Bible in harmony in this way allows for a well-established Christian worldview and a faith-grounded, science-informed pursuit of the God-given, human-shouldered role of planetary stewardship.  May we glorify God and keep our habitability score at 7.

AOJ: Did God reveal scientific information to people living thousands of years ago?  Well, certainly not using modern scientific jargon.  I do think He revealed truth about the history of His work in preparing the heavens and the earth as a habitat for humanity and as a temple for His worship.  That we can now examine that history scientifically simply means that the burden of knowledge is all the more laid at our feet.  

And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?  Blessed is the servant whom his master will find doing so when he comes....

But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating.  Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more." Luke 12:42-43,48 ESV

AOJ:  I read Genesis 2:4 as a summary of the creation account detailed in the first chapter of the book of Genesis, seeing it a colophon taken from an original source tablet.  As such, it tells us that Genesis 1 is an ancient, historical account of God's work as revealed by God Himself and we should treat it as such, not being surprised that the study of Earth's history fills in additional details.

AOJ Summary Chart

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heavens.  Genesis 2:4 NASB

ICS Formal Names	AOJ Dates (Ma)	Timespan (biblical)	Habitability For (scientific)	Creation Habitat Work (biblical)	AOJ proposed designation	Habitability Score
Hadean Eon	4600-3950	Beginning	pre-life molecules & first DNA life	Spirit of God hovering over the deep	The Beginning	0
Archean Eon (extended to include proposed Oxygenian Period)	3950-2250	Day 1	simple single-celled life; Photosynthetic life	light; regions of light and dark; days and nights	Archean Yom	1
Proterozoic Eon (extended to include early Ediacaran Period)	2250-580	Day 2	Oxygenic and Eukaryotic life	protective firmament; atmospheric changes	Proterozoic Yom	2
Paleozoic & Mesozoic Eras (excluding Late Cretaceous Epoch)	580-100	Day 3	Land-based plants and animals; ocean animals	continents, rivers, seas; seed plants; woody angiosperms	Paleo-Mesozoic Yom	3
Late Cretaceous Epoch of Mesozoic Era	100-66	Day 4	24-hour circadian rhythm and seasonal climates	function of sun, moon, stars to mark days, years, seasons	Neozoic Yom	4
Paleogene Period (shortened to excluded Oligocene Epoch)	66-34	Day 5	telost fish radiation, modern birds, bats, marine mammals	great sea creatures, living creatures that swarm in the water, winged birds	Paleogene Yom	5
Neogene Period (extended to include Oligocene Epoch)	34-0	Day 6	C4 fruit trees and grains; cattle; humans; pets; small game	livestock, creeping things, beasts; mankind; blessing of seed plants and fruit trees	Neogene Yom	6
Late Pleistocene & Holocene Epochs	0-now	Day 7	human habitation and thriving	providence; human stewardship	Anthropogene Yom	6+

RTB Creation Model Compared

Since this article was originally inspired by a question answered on the reasons.org website, I include here a chart that attempts to faithfully represent their answer to the following question:

According to the Reasons to Believe creation model what are the scientific dates for start and end times for each of the six days of creation in Genesis 1?

By carefully studying the chart below you may observe both similarities and vast differences between the AOJ model described above and the Reasons to Believe model below.  It's up to you to decide if you think one of these is more helpful than the other.  

This is not meant as a competitive criticism of RTB.  RTB is a fantastic apologetic ministry and provides some of the best available information on God's work throughout the history of the Earth.  Many of their books are very valuable resources.

I will point out some distinctions to help you compare these models.

Distinction in focus:

• The RTB model tends to focus on when each day may have started. 
• The AOJ model tends to focus on when each day may have ended.

Distinction in how the two models deal with the firmament of Day 2:

• RTB focuses on the separation of the waters above from the waters below and interpret this to mean the establishment of a stable water cycle.
• AOJ focuses on the creation of the firmament as a protective canopy that allows complex plant life to take root on land.

Distinction in identification of plants created on Day 3:

• RTB starts Day 3 with the formation of the first continental land masses that hosted any kind of chlorophyll-bearing organisms but ends before seed plants and fruit trees exist.
• AOJ ends Day 3 with the creation of fruit trees and includes the origin of the first seed plants.

Distinction in the function of the lights referred to on Day 4:

• Both RTB and AOJ models assert the creation of the Sun and Moon prior to Day 1.
• Both RTB and AOJ models assert that the surface of the Earth was darkened at the beginning of Day 1 because of light-blocking clouds.
• Both RTB and AOJ models accept that the Sun, Moon, and stars became occasionally visible through a sometimes transparent atmosphere prior to 580 Ma.
• Both RTB and AOJ would accept that the Earth's rotation rate had slowed to the point that ~24 hour days and ~365 day years occurred by about 66 Ma.

• The RTB model focuses on the lights appearing in the heavens; RTB ends Day 4 prior to 575 Ma.
• The AOJ model asserts that the lights appearing in the heavens is a literary flashback to conditions that occurred on Day 2 which it asserts ended prior to 575 Ma.
• The AOJ model focuses on the lights marking signs, seasons, (24-hour) days and (365 day) years; AOJ ends Day 4 by 66 Ma.

Distinction in how global extinction events are considered:

• The RTB model does not seem to address global extinction events
• The AOJ model weighs extinction events heavily; it looks at the habitability of Earth over time; it considers the origin of extant kinds of plants, birds, fish, and animals rather than the origin of the long-extinct first type of any of these.

These distinctions, and others, drive significant changes in how the geologic record and biblical texts are interpreted and aligned.

RTB Summary Chart

Creation Day	Start Time	End Times	Comments
1	4.47 to 3.83 BYA	3.83 to 2.45 BYA	Spirit of God hovering above Earth's primordial waters to create photosynthetic life after God transformed Earth's atmosphere from opaque to translucent.
	3.825+/-0.006 BYA		Origin of photo synthetic life
2	After 3.83 BYA	Before 2.45 BYA	God establishes a complex, stable, water cycle.
3	2.45-2.32 BYA	1.2 BYA to 580 MYA; Not clearly defined.	At the time of the Great Oxygenation Event the continental landmass coverage of Earth's surface suddenly jumped from less than 2% to more than 26%.
	1.2 BYA		Earliest known date for vegation covering the landmasses.
4	By or before 580 MYA	Before 575 MYA	God transforms Earth's atmosphere from always translucent to being at least intermittenly transparent so that when God creates animals they will be able to see the positions of the Sun, Moon, and stars in the sky and use those positions to regulate their biological clocks.
	about 580 MYA		Second greate oxygenation event transformed Earth's atmosphere from a dense haze into a transparent sky. This event coincided with the Great Unconformity, a geological upheaval that occurred about 580 million years ago.
5	~575 MYA	~65 - 10 MYA	Begins with God creating the first animals.
	575 MYA		Avalon explosion
	543 MYA		Cambrian explosion
	65 MYA		First known sea mammals, however there could be some several million years earlier.
6	After 65 MYA to 10 MYA	250,000 - 15,000 KYA	God created three subcategories of land mammals, those that are most critical for helping humans launch civilization. It is not exactly clear which land mammals the biblical text refers to.
		250,000 - 130,00 KYA  or  130,000 - 15,000 KYA	The coming together of four known rivers in the Garden of Eden implies that God created Adam and Eve sometime during an ices age, most likely the last ice age.

Side-By-Side AOJ and RTB Creation Chart

ICS Formal Names	AOJ Dates (Ma)	AOJ Timespan	RTB Time span		Habitability For (scientific)	Creation Habitat Work (biblical)	AOJ Name	Habitability Score
Hadean Eon	4600- 3950	Beginning	Beginning	1	pre-life molecules & first DNA life	Spirit of God hovering over the deep	The Beginning	0
Terminal Event: Late Heavy Bombardment and orgin of life
Archean Eon (extended to include proposed Oxygenian Period)	3950- 2420	Day 1	Day 2		simple single-celled life; Photosynthetic life; 11 hrs/day	light; regions of light and dark; days and nights	Archean Yom	1
	2420- 2250		Day 3
Terminal Event: Snowball earth event: Huronian Glaciation
Proterozoic Eon (extended to include early Ediacaran Period)	2250- 1200	Day 2			Oxygenic and Eukaryotic life; possible early, tiny plants on land	protective firmament; atmospheric changes	Proterozoic Yom	2
	1200- 580		Day 4		Transparent atmosphere; 22 hrs/day; 400 days/year	sun, moon, stars occasionally visible
Terminal Event: Snowball earth event: Gaskiers Glaciation
Paleozoic & Mesozoic Eras (excluding Late Cretaceous Epoch)	580-100	Day 3	Day 5		True Land-based plants and animals; ocean animals	continents, rivers, seas; seed plants; woody angiosperms	Pale-Mesozoic Yom	3
Terminal Event: Onset of Seasonal Climate and Rapid Proliferation of Fruit Trees
Late Cretaceous Epoch of Mesozoic Era	100-66	Day 4			24-hour circadian rhythm and seasonal climates; 23.8 hrs/day; 368 days/year	function of sun, moon, stars to consistently mark days, years, seasons tuned for human benefit	Neozoic Yom	4
Terminal Event: K-Pg Extinction Event: comet strike that wiped out the dinosaurs
Paleogene Period (shortened to excluded Oligocene Epoch)	66-34	Day 5	Day 6		telost fish radiation, modern birds, bats, marine mammals	great sea creatures, living creatures that swarm in the water, winged birds	Paleogene Yom	5
Terminal Event: E-O Extinction and Faunal Turnover; Transition from Hot/Warm to Cool/Cold global climate
Neogene Period (extended to include Oligocene Epoch)	34-0	Day 6			C4 fruit trees and grains; cattle; humans; pets; small game	livestock, creeping things, beasts; mankind; blessing of seed plants and fruit trees	Neogene Yom	6
	10-0
Terminal Event: Creation of Mankind
Late Pleistocene & Holocene Epochs	0-now	Day 7 and beyond			human habitation and thriving	providence; human stewardship	Anthropogene Yom	6+