Genesis 1:24-25 - “24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good."

Introduction

God's command for the earth to produce cattle, creeping things, and beasts -- according to their kind -- followed the flourishing of sealife, birds, and whales. The problem is that whales -- created on Day 5 -- appear to descend from land mammals, which appear to have been created on Day 6...

24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so.

"Let the earth bring forth" (v. 24a)

It is easy to read this command and think it was uttered when the earth had no land mammals, or at least no cattle, creeping things, or beasts. However, this command refers merely to a time when there were kinds of land mammals (possibly extinct now) from which the earth could bring forth those mammals we have today.

"living creature according to its kind" (v. 24b)

There were likely land mammals already, of a kind that today's land mammals could be brought forth from.

"cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth" (v. 24c)

Cattle would refer to animals that live in herds and can be raised for meet. Creeping things would refer to animals that live close to the ground. This could include beavers and types of rodents. Finally, beasts would refer to large and/or dangerous animals, like the rhinocerous, or perhaps the lion.

And God made (v. 25a)

In 1 Chronicles 14:15-16, God went and conquered the Philistines. Then, David went out and conquered the Philistines. It was the same victory, but the only David would have left physical signs. The same thing happened here. God made. The earth brought forth. The earth is the one that left physical signs.

Created "according to their kinds" (v. 25)

Most intereprete this phrase to mean that life was created to reproduce. However, scripture does not say that. Glenn Morton wrote, in "Why I Believe Genesis is Historically Accurate"...

Look at the object of this sentence and the modifying phrase, “Creatures… according to their kind.” God created creatures according to their kind. They were not commanded to reproduce according to their kind. Once again, a very different situation.

What is Evolution in the hands of God, if not the creation of creatures from creatures of the same kind?

Day 6: A Prescription for Evolution

On Day 6, God took the existing land mammals, and told Jesus to let the earth bring forth cattle, creeping things, and beasts, according to their kinds. It was easy, because those kinds already existed. The event that science has identified that describes the beginning of this development is the Grand Coupure. It was a mass extinction event from which our modern land mammals arose over the millions of years that followed. The domino was tipped... the creation of creatures from other creatures, according to their kind. But God did not make them evolve; He "let" them.

Read about the Grand Coupure, and the conditions used by God on Day 6

Read about whale Evolution, and why Day 5 does not overlap Day 6