The book of Genesis says that God made the light on the first day of creation. Yet, a few verses later, we are told that God made the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day of creation. Is this not a clear contradiction?

There is no contradiction in the Genesis account. Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created the universe. Then, in the next verse, we are told that the earth was "without form, and void," meaning that the planet's environment was not suitable for life. The land that would later provide a place for human and animal life to flourish was completely covered with water, and the atmosphere did not allow light to reach the surface of the planet. We are not told how long this condition lasted; nor are we told whether the earth was created in such condition or became that way. The term translated was in "was without form" can also mean became, so it is possible that the earth became a watery wilderness unsuitable for life at some pointperhaps billions of yearsafter the heavens and the earth were created.

       Since the heavens and the earth were created in the beginning, we may logically assume that the sun, moon, and stars existed during the time the earth was covered with water and darkness, and may have existed billions of years before the earth became that way. The lifeless condition may have been due to a collision with a huge asteroid, or possibly several asteroids, resulting in massive flooding and global darkness due to billions of tons of debris being hurled into the atmosphere.

       Genesis 1:3 states, "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light." This verse does not say that God created light on the first day. It simply tells us that God caused light to shine where darkness had previously been. In other words, the atmosphere was transformed from opaque to translucent. Light could now reach the planet's surface.

       On the fourth day of creation, "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 for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth'; and it was so" (verses 14,15). Since the sun, moon, and stars were created in the beginning, we may logically assume that this passage refers to yet another atmospheric change, allowing the lights of the firmament to be clearly visible from the earth. The translucent atmosphere now becomes transparent.

       Verse 16 tells us that "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." This verse does not necessarily mean that God made these lights on the fourth day; rather, it emphasizes that it was God who made them. The great luminaries that rule the day and night were worshiped by primitive societies, but the Genesis account informs us that the great lights have a Makerand only He is to be worshiped.

       On the fourth day, God caused the translucent atmosphere to become transparent, thus enabling the heavenly bodies to serve as indicators and regulators for the division of time, and to provide additional light for the earth. God had the arrival of a new species in view when He made all these changes. This new creature would have the capacity to recognize the relationship between the heavenly bodies and the earth's seasonal cycle, and would have mental abilities far greater than any other creature. We read of him in Genesis 1:262-8:

       "Then God 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 cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God 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.'"

Genesis 4:17 mentions Cain's wife. Where did she come from? Were there humans other than those who came from Adam and Eve?

All the families of the earth originated with Adam and Eve. Therefore, Cain's wife was either a sister, niece, or great niece. While laws against marriages between close relatives would later be put in place, such marriages were necessary in the early years of man's existence.

       Some read the Genesis account and are left with the impression that Cain, Abel, and Seth were the only children Adam and Eve had, but Genesis 5:4 says plainly that Adam "had sons and daughters." No doubt, Cain's wife was one of Adam's daughters or granddaughters.

Genesis 6:19,20 and Genesis 7:2,3 tell us that Noah was to admit pairs of all kinds of animals, and seven each of "clean" animals and birds, aboard the ark. That's a lot of animals! How did Noah get so many animals on the ark?

According to The Genesis Flood, by John Whitcomb and Henry Morris, the ark was 437.5 feet in length, 72.92 feet in feet in inches (cf. Genesis 6:14-16). With three decks, the ark had enough room to carry at least 125,000 sheep-sized animals.

       Whitcomb and Morris estimate that less than 17,600 animals would have needed the protection provided by the ark. By multiplying that number by two and adding the estimated number of clean animals, the ark would have to house approximately 79,000 animals. That's 46,000 fewer than the estimated maximum number. Given the probability that Noah brought young animals aboard the ark (cubs rather than full-grown lions and bears, for example), and the fact that the average animal was no larger than a sheep, it becomes clear that the ark had sufficient room for the animals as well as sufficient food-storage areas and living quarters for Noah and his family.

Who are the "sons of God" and "daughters of men" mentioned in Genesis 6? Did evil angels marry human females?

The theory that the "sons of God" are fallen angels is based, at least in part, on scriptural references to angels as "sons of God" (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7, for example). However, Jesus's assertion that angels do not marry (Matthew 22:30) exposes the theory as false.

       In Luke 3:38, Adam is called a "son of God." Genesis 5:13 states, "In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth."

       Adam, made in the image and likeness of God, is a son of God. Seth, bearing the image and likeness of Adam, would also be a son of God. Apparently, this image and likeness of God refers to Godly character more than any physical characteristic. This seems to be suggested in the fact that it was Seth's descendants who "began to call on the name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:26). Seth's line, contrasted with Cain's line, sought fellowship with God (compare Genesis 4:16-24 with Genesis 5), as indicated by comparing Enoch, who "walked with God" (Genesis 5:22), with Lamach, who followed the murderous ways of his father Cain (Genesis 4:23,24).

       We need not assume that the phrase "sons of God" always refers to angels. In Isaiah 43:6,7, God calls those who are called by His name His sons and daughters. In the New Testament, human followers of Christ are called "sons of God" and "children of God" (Romans 8:14,16, for example). It makes sense, then, to conclude that the God-fearing men of the line of Seth were the "sons of God" of Genesis 6. The "daughters of men," then, would be the daughters of menfrom the line of Cainwho did not fear God. Marriages between these two lines corrupted the worship of God and resulted in increased violence and ungodliness in the earth.

       Some have argued that the "giants" of Genesis 6:4 were super-beings that resulted from unnatural unions between evil angels and women. However, the term translated "giants" can refer to extraordinarily large men or to power-wielding monarchs. We are not told whether these "giants" were the progeny of the sons of God and daughters of men, or whether they were physical or political giants. We are told that they were on the earth both "in those days, and also afterward." As the "mighty men who were of old, men of renown," it appears that they were powerful monarchs whose unrighteous influence contributed to the spread of wickedness upon the earth.