52 Weeks in the Ark with Noah and Family (WEEK 15) – Day 6: The Land Creatures and Humans
WEEK 15 (26th of Av, the 5th Month, to 2nd of Elul, the 6th Month, in the Hebrew Religious Calendar)
Day 6
Then Elohim said, “Let the Earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: livestock and creeping thing and beast of the Earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. And Elohim made the beast of the Earth according to its kind, livestock according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the Earth according to its kind. And Elohim saw that it was good.
Then Elohim said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the Sea, over the birds of the Air, and over the livestock, over all the Earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the Earth.” So Elohim created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the Earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the Sea, over the birds of the Air, and over every living thing that moves on the Earth.”
And Elohim said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the Earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the Earth, to every bird of the Air, and to everything that creeps on the Earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Then Elohim saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the Evening and the Morning were the sixth day.
Final day of Creation – Day 6. We said that by Day 3 or Day 4, all the elements of the Universe must have already been in existence. Hence, the creation of living creatures by Day 5 meant all the essential materials and processes in Nature had to be working efficiently to support and sustain Life on Earth. Plants and animals need sunlight, water and minerals already made available in abundance and in pristine condition to make a perfect environment for all living beings, especially for humans.
All those preceding incredible days and things created by Elohim were topped on Day 6 with the masterful creation of Land creatures, such as livestock, creeping animals and beasts, as well as humans. The Law of Reproduction, established on Day 3 and repeated on Day 5 for the plants and then for the fishes and birds, respectively, became applicable to Land animals and humans, as stated:
And the Earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. . . .
And Elohim blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the Seas, and let birds multiply on the Earth.”
Was the Command to Multiply Limited at First?
Take note that Elohim told the fishes, the birds and humans “be fruitful and multiply, fill the waters . . . , multiply on the Earth . . .”, and “fill the Earth” but not specifically the plants and the Land creatures. Was that a blanket command which Moses left out or do we see some kind of exception or limit to the multiplication of plants and large animals? Was there, perhaps, a later “creation” of new species or kinds of plants after the Flood that needed rectification or renewal due to some kind of corruption among those parts of Creation? After all, we do not hear Yah commanding Noah to bring in “plants of all kinds” but only “all food that is eaten . . . for you and for them”.
And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the Earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.”
We know that hidden behind that command is the later command for Noah and his sons to eat meat which they had taken with them in the Ark. What else would they eat in the next months or year if no plants survived the Flood and all the food they had brought would have been consumed or spoiled after a year? That is why they had to take 7 pairs of “clean animals” as source of food and sacrifice to Yah. We do not say plants and Land animals were not essential in the Post-Flood world; nor were they intended not to multiply either like the rest of living beings. It only seems unusual why the command to multiply was never mentioned by Moses.
Was it because the one living creature that caused humans to sin was a creeping Land-animal? In fact, the serpent was not even a creeping animal at first but was only cursed to crawl later on. What gives? Also, the serpent which enticed Havah used the Forbidden Fruit from the Forbidden Plant in the Garden. We know Elohim must have foreseen the Fall of humans and how they would sin. Was that the reason Plants and Land animals never got the verbal marching orders to multiply or to abound as the rest of living creatures? Did an evil element or wicked spirit infiltrate Creation which required Yah’s intention to use it as a test or a warning for humans? For even after having judged and condemned the world through the Flood to renew it, the presence of evil, brought about by what Yahusha Himself called “serpents, brood of vipers”, and the proliferation of devitalized food and corrupted medicine that has brought about the death of billions of people through various kinds of illnesses and plagues, has continued to hound humanity seemingly without end and hope.
The Promised Seed and the Promised Real Rest and Refreshing
Only in the presence of Masshiak did we finally see the genuine remedy, relief and freedom from such wicked spirits and oppressive diseases working in the world since the days of Creation. Was that not enough proof that a New Creation was on hand? And, in fact, convincing us that Yahusha is indeed the Son of Yah Who was with Elohim during Creation and is coming again to receive the Kingdom He promised to present to Abba? And there is more! Right after the Fall, Elohim referred to the coming Savior as “SEED”! From eating Poisoned Food to eating Pure Food again, it would take millennia; Noah was only an early precursor of the real rest and refreshing prophesied by Isaiah. (Isa. 28:12).
And we also remember the “creation” of what we called hybrid animals, such as the dinosaurs or the Reptilian Race, by the hybrid-humans called Nephilim who had lorded over the ancient world of Noah. Those Land animals had practically posed not only danger upon innocent and righteous humans but to the whole human population on Earth. Was it, perhaps, the reason why many ancient civilizations built gigantic structures with strong fortifications in order to protect themselves from wicked giants and their huge reptilian animals? Or even the presence of fierce, huge animals, such as dragons, perhaps as counter-measures to fight off the enemy’s armies and wild animals? We can imagine how violent and wild the world had become that Elohim “repented” that He had created humans and animals.
Then Yahuah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the Earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And Yahuah was sorry that He had made man on the Earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So Yahuah said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the Earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Yahuah.
With the exception of fishes, perhaps, it appears that all living creatures were included in the wrath of Yah, not just one or two particular things. Or was it, as in the case of Noah and his family, that there were “good living creatures” which Yah spared? What we naturally accept as a general law applicable to all living beings for them to multiply came to an abrupt end with Yah’s decision to destroy all except a few. Yet, in spite of the judgment passed on Creation, we know that after the Flood, humans would once again enjoy the abundance of the same things which Adam and until Noah had enjoyed, with the addition of meat as food, which we now enjoy as well, in general. We feel blessed and privileged to have seen all this historical development and how we have been given the chance to become part of its fulfillment in our own lives in the Presence of Yah and His Ruach. HalleluYah! Hence, our duty is precisely to showcase this epic tale of Noah to highlight how all things have been intended to bring as many humans as possible into the Perfect and New Creation about to be inaugurated at the end of Time. Hop on aboard! And take the greatest ride in all of history with Noah in the Ark! Destination: Eternity!
“Noah found grace in the eyes of Yahuah.” Our story was made possible because one man and his family of 7 remained faithful and avoided the corruption of the Earth. In these “Days of Noah Part 2”, who will find grace in the eyes of Yahuah? Our pets and livestock? Our farm plants, tropical forests and vast seas teeming with marine life? Our families that have multiplied upon the face of the Earth? Will Yahuah really send fire to destroy this wonderful Planet we treasure as our home, our place of birth and our only source of existence within a vast Universe?
Why World Views Only View This World
Or shall we listen to scientists and humanistic teachers who say we evolved from eukaryotes that somehow learned to develop into more complex organisms? Or shall we listen to the Creator who had created all things and told Noah to save animals with which he would repopulate the Earth after the Flood for over 300 years before he himself departed? Yes, he left his log of their journey, with his family and the animals along with them. Do we still see his story as a quaint tale to be taken with a barrel of salt or a keg of beer to make it palatable and credible? What can 10 or so chapters of Genesis possibly offer against the volumes of books and scientific journals proving the Theory of Evolution? Faith in an ancient, crude person who built a huge vessel because he himself had faith in an invisible Divine Being Whose anger led to a global Flood. We do not have to believe Noah’s testimony; but Velikovsky’s evidences of a worldwide flood is enough. Or we can believe them both. And Yah as well. His testimony is far more superior.
The Heavens declare the glory of Yahuah! (Psa. 19:1; Psa. 14:1) Only the truly blind cannot see Yahuah and His power in Creation. And only the fool rejects Creation has no Creator.
Whatever we make out of this tale of Noah is up to each one of us. The Flood was in itself a Re-Creation of the world, as we said. A cleansing of a corrupted world in order to rebuild a new home for humans, as beautiful and as abundant as the one before, and with all the elements and blessings that the old Earth offered. In fact, the multiplication of humans and living creatures and plants was intended to be greater as the Planet had now expanded into twice its size or radius as before. What for? Not only that Yah can make a better world and a bigger world but also to show that there is no limit to what He can do.
Yes, humans can cause Yah to become indignant and unleash His wrath upon disobedient humans. But He does not remain angry; on the contrary, His love and compassion cannot be measured. If our 6-day narrative of how the Creator created the Universe did not impress you, then nothing else will. Or perhaps, only human knowhow and technology impresses you, as with so many people today. But does Yah really get angry at anyone who rejects intellectually the evidences in Creation when an alternative possibility given by the Theory of Evolution seems convincing enough? How is that as abominable as those ancient people who committed despicable murders and deeds and ended up drowning in a Global Flood?
We are glad that judging humans does not our fall on our hands but on Yah’s alone. We comment on this age-old difference in opinions or views because at every step or every day in the Creation of the Universe, we want to emphasize the interconnection of each part or element to all the succeeding parts and elements in the whole universal structure, from the smallest to the largest. Hence, from the photon to the galaxy, from the second to the millennium, from the atom to the star, from the daily orbit to the planetary revolution, from the seed to the tree, from the cell to the body, from the first breath to the glorious life that we all partake of up to this moment. Nothing, as in NOTHING or ZERO, was and is left to chance, or to mere survival, or to the supposed natural desire to gain advantage over other creatures in any competition for food, space, or to the inevitable drive of every living being to reproduce its own kind or some other kind we may consider to be better than what we can find in existence. That perfection is impossible in an entropic world meant to decay.
Again, humans see the origins of Life and the Universe based on what they find in Nature today – that is, in the Fallen World. Well, if Noah had been a more prolific writer and chronicler, he would have documented the vast difference between the Pre-Flood and Post-Flood Earth. But he actually did! He, in fact, wrote a book listing down all the herbs that provided healing to all kinds of ailments for humans, and, perhaps, also for animals as well as for plants. (Jubilees 10:10-14) However, somehow, some depraved individuals or groups have thought such knowledge would destroy their lucrative enterprise of evil root-based medicine taught by fallen angels. And yet, the past 2 to 3 decades have brought about an upsurge in organic farming and healing that has opened up the door to the natural healing methods that Yah had revealed to Noah a long time ago. Still, the selfish corporations, in tandem with humanistic industrialists and vile political leaders, seek to undermine this revival through machinations we consider inimical and even disastrous to human health and to environmental balance.
Rewriting Dr. Noah’s Herbal Medicine Book: The Resurgence of Alternative Medicine
Remember those early years when herbal medicine and alternative medical practice were becomingmore acceptable and were even being endorsed by experts and licensed medical practitioners? Big Pharma lobbied for government to label herbal medicine with this warning: “This is not a drug and there is no proof that it can cure any ailment ascribed to it. Consult your doctor.” Which means, only doctors or some authorized agency can tell you what is a “drug” and what can cure any disease you may have. We wonder what Noah would say to that? Or my beloved, late grandmother who died at 105 years old without having seen a dentist or even being hospitalized, except for once when she had a serious medical problem years before she passed on. And all she had was simple veggie meals and range-free chickens, geese and livestock which provided her the basic nutrients she needed to stay healthy. Well, not as old as Noah, but that was before Yah decided humans only needed 150 years to live. Point is, for Noah and my Lelang Udis, their food was their medicine and their medicine was their food.
And what if the early humans got sick? There were the leaves of the trees that gave them the right cure or relief. That is exactly what Yah did in the beginning through the Tree of Life. It was not only food for humans but also their sustenance to gain Perpetual Life. As long as they had that Source or Fountain of Youth, they needed nothing else. But they ate the Forbidden Fruit that caused them to die. And yes, the Tree of Life will be in the New Heavenly City of Yerushalem to give Eternal Life and healing to the nations. (Rev. 22:1-2) Not many doctors, if any at all, would write a prescription for “malunggay leaves and fruits, boiled at lunchtime” or “warm yellow-ginger tea taken with lemon and honey before breakfast”. Patients would invariably put their trust and whole health on the synthetic tablet or drug they have been told to buy to cure their lingering disease. It took years and centuries for humans to get into this kind of paradigm; however, many of us today can admit that it took practically 2 generations from their grandparents to their generation of baby-boomers which was introduced to so many technological innovations that no other generation before it ever was.
As children, we walked to school without slippers or shoes. We were grounded to the Earth, like Adamah and Havah were. We ate chicken (and their eggs) which roamed freely and which ate grass and seeds without chemicals. We did not eat junk food, except for the tempting new brands of candies and imported processed food, which were rare earlier on. We listened to analog radios and were not exposed to microwave radiation from TV and digital gadgets. We used incandescent bulbs (then shifted to fluorescent) which was more conducive to maintenance of eyesight and cell function. We climbed fruit trees and savored the natural sweetness of farm-fresh produce, such as corn, cassava, banana, coconuts, citrus, nuts, berries and bread fruit. Our water came from the ground, unfiltered and unprocessed, unlike the water today that requires electricity to become potable. We played in the Sun and swam in the rivers and sea as often as we could. And we lived in houses with wide open windows, nipa-leaf roofing, bamboo slatted-floors and surrounded by trees and farm fields.
Yes, we can definitely tell the difference between living in a more healthful life and wholesome environment in the small city and in a less-healthful and unwholesome environment in the big metropolis. Just as Noah, most certainly, could have told us how living in a smaller, corrupted Earth was greatly different from a bigger, cleansed Earth. But you need not believe these anecdotal evidences of my grandmother or my adolescent years. Not many Millennials will certainly do. However, not accepting Noah’s testimony, as we have narrated it here, would be dangerous to one’s life and soul.
This series does not intentionally contend with scientific views on the origins of the Universe but only to offer an alternative view based on Revelation. We do not even need to argue that Yah exists but only to show that in every step in His creative work there is a refutation of the accepted scientific or humanistic world view. Perhaps, many would think we use science to justify scriptures – and vice versa. But if science is the search for truth – and there is such an absolute truth discoverable through meticulous investigation – then it follows that science must be and is always consistent with scriptures, which is the Revelation of that Absolute Truth that is also both discoverable and available through, well, meticulous study. (2 Tim. 2:15)
The Flow of Creation
We end with a discussion of the flow of Creation, which we began to deal with when we said that Water and Light were the first elements or building blocks of the Universe from which Elohim created all other things. They brought about the Atmosphere, the Land, the Plants, the Sun and stars, and then all living beings. On Day 6, Elohim would declare that Plants would provide the food or sustenance for all living creatures, from animals to humans. The physical structure of the Universe was set up as early as 4th day when the celestial bodies were finally made. All the gravitational, electromagnetic, cosmic, meteorological, geological, chemical, physical, thermodynamic and subatomic forces and phenomena we recognize today had been put to work to allow Life to exist. The sustenance of Life, therefore, depended on those physical forces to remain at work and to allow the multiplication of Life upon the Earth. That is essentially the goal of Reproduction. Elohim wanted Life to abound in its created goodness.
Goodness, to be clear, does not evolve. It is either present or not. Just as Light is either there or not. Darkness is not the absence of Light; it is the presence of Light somewhere else. The absence of Light is simply the absence of Creation and goodness. For Light is good. And even darkness is good, in the sense that we can appreciate more the stars and the Moon, among other reasons. The Evening is meant to be dark; and that is good. Elohim made it all and saw that all They made was good. They wanted that goodness to remain as good as ever.
And so, food obviously came from Plants (fruits). The Atmosphere came out of the separation of Waters (Oxygen, Hydrogen and Nitrogen and other gases obviously coming from Water). The Land arose out of the Waters beneath the Atmosphere. Then Plants grew out of the Land (using Water, Light, gases, and minerals). If you please, Plants drink Water and eat off the Land, the Air and the Sun). What the Plants produce is food for living things. For food is Water, Light, Air and Land photosynthesized for consumption by biological organisms. Will the Water, Light, Air and Land (WaLiALa) ever run out such that Life will also eventually cease upon the Earth? Never! There will always be food – good food – as long as the Universe remained at work. Adamah and Havah knew that. Noah knew that. We all know that.
While humans and animals were given herbs and fruits as food in the beginning, after the Fall, the flesh of animals also became food. The flow of sustenance became an indirect flow of pristine WaLiALa energy for animals and humans. Plants are perfectly-efficient processors of WaLiALa, whereas animals and humans are not. That is why Plants are rooted to the Earth, while we and animals walk about. To gain the direct benefits of such energy, we must eat Plant-based food. That was the original plan. Livestock, fowl, fish and birds are only secondary benefactors of WaLiALa, like humans are. The meat we eat are already pre-processed energy from the Earth. Of course, we can get WaLiALa directly by drinking Water, bathing in Light, breathing fresh Air, and grounding or getting in touch with the Earth physically or by eating minerals, salts or trace metals.
But with the devitalized conditions of each step of this complex process through manufacturing and technology, as well as with the pollution and degradation of the environment, we barely get the optimal level that will sustain “good” health and Life. Corporate business and economics have totally captured the natural or organic processes of Creation for selfish interests to the detriment of human populations today. Little did humans realize that the first poisoned fruit they would eat would lead to millions more of poisoned and degraded nutrition and medicine that the seed of the serpent would produce to nourish generations of humans that would not only bring about judgment of the world by Flood Waters but also by Fire. For those who believe the writings of Moses, the coming judgment is as sure and true as the 6-Day Creation.
The Question of Dominion Over Creation
Why did Elohim make the Forbidden Tree? The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil allowed access to knowledge of a different kind that would undo all Creation. Where that “evil food” came from and how it came to exist within Creation, we do not know. Perhaps, Elohim also created it for a reason we can somehow never comprehend. One thing that humans received on Day 6 may, however, give us some inkling as to why. Dominion.
The Hebrew word, radah, means rule, reign or dominion. The word “radius” comes from Latin radius, meaning a staff or spoke. The outer bone of the human forearm is called a “radius”; beside it is the “ulna”. The staff or scepter of a king, perhaps, is a metaphor for the “right to rule” or the authority to “have radah or dominion” over a territory or people. Did Elohim put within humans that “strong arm” to enable us to rule over Creation? It seems so. In fact, the radius is connected to the thumb, which, in turn, is a biblical symbol of authority. (Lev. 14:17) Hence, the thumbs down or thumbs up used by Roman emperors to determine the fate of a vanquished fighter during gladiatorial combats.
The thumb, evolutionists say, makes primates and humans superior creatures because it allows them to grasp objects and to efficiently make and utilize tools with which they can increase their ability to survive as a species. We know monkeys still have to make a crude hammer or a dull knife, whereas humans have made cellphones and electric knives. Perhaps, monkeys ruled the Earth first before humans came along? We doubt lions would agree. You do not need to have hands or to climb trees to eat as heartily as a lion. No doubt, humans have achieved dominion over the world in so many ways and so many fields. But is this the dominion or rule Yahuah desired from the beginning? Or are the things we are seeing clearly today incontestable signs that we truly live in the “Days of Noah Part 2”?
Conclusion
Humans were meant to have dominion over Creation, not over other humans. To care for it that it may continue to nourish humans and that they may flourish along with the whole of Creation. This should be obvious and clear. However, we know it has been abused and corrupted throughout history. Hence, the Flood and the renewal of the Earth and the eventual establishment of Yah’s Kingdom by the Masshiak, the One and Only True King and Ruler Who reigns in Heaven.
We have shown how Creation was made in and out, up and down. And we have also shown how the Earth was corrupted in Noah’s time in and out, up and down in order to give us a basis for determining how the world today has been also corrupted and polluted in and out, up and down. And yet, Noah’s story is barely halfway done. With 15 weeks or 105 days gone, Yahuah still had much to do and to undo with Creation in order to rebuild it for Noah, his family and for us. If He needed only 6 days to create the Earth and the Universe, why did He need 365 days to renew the Earth? We continue to search for answers.