If the first chapter of Genesis tells us anything, it claims that God created a mature universe. In other words, it didn’t require time to produce what exists today. For example, uranium didn’t have to decay into lead for lead to exist today, because God created the universe without it having to age to get to where we are in the 21st century AD. Am I trying to evade the difficulties of science? No, I am merely stating what the text says or implies. This isn’t science. One reads what the text says and believes it or rejects it as myth. I believe it, and my reader can do as he pleases. If science is the study of what exists, how could it analyze and come to a provable conclusion, concerning what did and what did not come into existence at the moment, when everything happened?
If nothing, absolutely nothing, existed, then suddenly, in a moment of time, everything existed, how does one analyze that? Whether we’re speaking of Genesis 1:1 or the Big Bang, how does one decide that this existed but not that? If “in the beginning God… then we can either believe what we’re told or reject it. Likewise, if “in the beginning…” Bang, then we can either believe it or reject it. Neither the Bible, nor the Big Bang is science (in the technical sense of the word).
So, we come to the point in our study of creation, where God actually creates life, specifically, vegetation. We know from previously reading the text that he’ll begin to create fish and birds on the fifth day and beasts and mankind on the sixth day. Therefore, the vegetation, which he creates on the third day, must be fully grown and offering its fruit to fish, birds, beasts and mankind in a matter of days, not years. Therefore, the only option is God created mature vegetable life on the third day, unless one wishes to make a day much longer than 24 hours, which has its own problems to overcome, if one chooses the other path. As for me, it is easier to believe the text as written, vis-à-vis God created a mature universe, and that includes mature life forms. Once again, if it needs to be repeated, God isn’t limited by time; we are, but God is not. He is able to give us the finished product immediately, we must take the time to grow or build the product we wish to give away.
We have now come to the point where God causes the waters under the heaven to gather themselves into one place to allow dry land to appear (Genesis 1:9). Does this imply one continent? Perhaps, but this can’t be proved one way or the other. It is conjecture, but allowable. God called the dry land earth, and the waters, which he gathered together, he called seas, and after some consideration, he pronounced it good (Genesis 1:10).
Then God spoke, saying “Let the earth bring forth vegetation, that which bears grains and that which bears fruit, and it was done” (Genesis 1:11) God isn’t a magician, who says a thing and “poof!” it’s done. No, God created a process that must occur in time from our perspective, but from his perspective time doesn’t exist. It is done immediately. I don’t mean that if one could have witnessed the event, that he might see vegetation growing right before his eyes. No! God created the whole plant with its seed contained in the plant and already bearing fruit. Certainly, this is impossible for man to do, but the creation account is all about presenting the reader with the awesome abilities of his Creator.
So, in response to the command of God, the earth brought forth all kinds of vegetation, and God said it was good (Genesis 1:12)! In other words, he was pleased with what he had done. So, with the passing of the evening and the morning, the night and the day, the third day was concluded (Genesis 1:13).
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