The story of creation is one of the most important ones in the Bible. It explains the origin of everything that is seen, including man. Most people wonder when all the animals, birds, and fish were created. The creation of the world and all that is in it took six days. But what did God create on the fifth day?
On the fifth day, God created every living organism that lives in water, including fish, sea lions, seals, snakes, and crocodiles, among others. He also created all birds and everything that has wings. Birds and other flying animals, and all creatures in the sea were created together on the fifth day: Genesis 1:20-23.
This article will discuss what earth looked like before the fifth day and what animals God created during the fifth day. We will also see whether God blessed the animals and whether the fifth day was the completion of the second day of creation. You will learn various things that were created on the fifth day and what the earth looked like without the fifth day’s creation.
What did the earth look like before the fifth day?
To understand what the earth looked like before the fifth day of creation, knowing what God had already created is crucial. Before the fifth day, the earth did not have a sun, moon, or stars. Although the sun, moon, and stars were created on the fourth day, the earth had light. It is one of the mysteries of creation. How could there still be light, and the sun and the moon were not yet created?
The Blue Letter Bible notes that the fact that light existed before the creation of the sun and moon is a clear indication of how divine creation was. So, before the fifth day, God created the sun, moon, and stars. The Bible says: Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs and seasons, and days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth days. Genesis 1:14-19. This passage suggests that there was another source of light besides the sun and the moon, which were created on the fourth day.
Before the fifth day, the earth had every kind of plant, sea, and river but did not have a single animal, human, insect, fish, or bird. It was a great mass filled with green vegetation, and the plants were created on the fourth day, immediately after God separated the water and dry land. It is possible that it was a very quiet place with no animal or bird sounds. It must have had the freshest air because plants produced plenty of oxygen, and there was no pollution.
What animals did God create on the fifth day?
God created several categories of animals on the fifth day. The Bible states: Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth days. Genesis 1:20-23.
These verses show that God began the first day by creating the sea creatures. Examples of sea creatures include birds such as penguins, fishes, reptiles such as turtles and crocodiles, sea lions, seals, sharks and rays, squid and octopuses, and whales and dolphins. There are thousands of different sea creatures from these few categories, and the National Ocean Service notes that more than 80% of the ocean remains unexplored, unobserved, and unmapped. It means that thousands of sea creatures have not yet been discovered.
The other category of fifth-day creation was the birds. At this point, all birds were wild because man had not yet been made, and domestication had not occurred. So, every bird you see today was created on the fifth day. There are thousands of birds, and some of the examples include parrots, owls, chicken, Columbidae, blue jay, nyctibiids, hummingbirds, birds of paradise, toucans, bluebirds, eagles, falcons, ostrich crows, woodpeckers, finches, Indian peafowl, cranes, house sparrows, and herons among others. ABCBirds note that about 180 bird species have gone extinct in the last 500 years. Even mammals such as bats and flying dinosaurs were created on the fifth day. They argue that the translation for birds is wrong since the Hebrew word used also includes other flying creatures. Therefore, even flying insects were created on the fifth day.
Did God bless the animals after creating them?
God blessed animals after creating them. in Genesis 1:22, the Bible says God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” Genesis 1:22. Like humans, God, blessed all the animals because they were precious to him. In this verse, God blesses them the same way he blessed humans. He wanted them to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth.
God blessed the animals and has continually cared for them, as demonstrated in Luke 12:6, which says: Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.Therefore, as the people responsible for taking care of the earth, we should care about animals just like God does.
Was the fifth-day completion of the second day of creation?
The second-day creation set the stage for the fifth-day creation. On the second day, God created the sky where the birds were to fly. The Bible says: Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So, the evening and the morning were the second days. Genesis 1:6-8. So, by creating the sky, there was a ready place where the birds could fly. We can say that the fifth day was a completion of some part of the second day’s creation.
References
How much of the ocean have we explored?
How Could There Have Been Light before the Sun?
What did God create on the fifth day of creation?
Six Extinct Birds Whose Fame Lives On: The Dodo, Passenger Pigeon, and More
As a devout Christian, I have always been passionate about the Christian faith. This inspired me to pursue a degree in Religious studies and a Masters in Theology in college. I have also been privileged to teach 4 Christian courses in a college and university. Since I am dedicated to spreading the word of God, I am actively involved in the Church. Additionally, I share his word online and cover diverse topics on the Christian faith through my platform. You can read more about me on the about us page.
