The Answers Book for Kids Volume 1

For Parents and Teachers

Dear Moms and Dads:

The more I learn about our infinite Creator God, and the longer I serve Him, the more amazed I am at His greatness. As I consider the universe God created, I share David’s exclamation in Psalm 145:3, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.”

The greatness of God is truly unsearchable when we consider creation. This book is intended to give biblical and scientific answers, in a way children will understand, to questions they have about God’s creation and man’s fall into sin.

Sadly, our culture today, by and large, has turned away from the truth of God’s Word in Genesis. As you know, the Bible makes it very clear that parents are responsible for the teaching of their children. I thank you for allowing me the opportunity to partner with you as we strive to teach children to not only believe God’s Word, but to also put their faith and trust in our Savior — the Creator of the universe — Jesus Christ.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “The only way to keep chaff out of the child’s cup is to fill it brimful with good wheat.” We need to be consistent and intentional as we fill the “cups” of children with the “good wheat” of God’s precious, holy Word.

My prayer is that this book will begin to answer many of the questions your children will encounter, but in a way that gives God the glory, honor, and power He is worthy of.

Ken Ham

President/CEO, Answers in Genesis

When did time begin?

Sarah S.
Age 10 — Canada

Answer:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).

Time began when God started to create everything in the whole universe. He did this “in the beginning” of the Creation Week. According to the Bible, that was about 6,000 years ago. Before then, there were no days or weeks or years. It is hard for us to understand, but time, just like everything else God created, including you and me, had a beginning, and it wasn’t very long ago! God, on the other hand, is infinite. He has always existed, and He is not bound to time, like we are. In fact, the Bible says that to God a day can be like 1,000 years and 1,000 years can be just like a day. Time just doesn’t mean the same thing to God as it does to us. He’s “outside” of it. We do know, however that He created time on the first day of creation.

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
- 2 Peter 3:8

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
- Revelation 1:8

How did God create everything from nothing?

Shelby H.
Age 11 — Texas, USA

Answer:

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible (Hebrews 11:3).

We serve a mighty and powerful God! He created everything — the whole universe — in just six days! And in our Bible verse we learn that the things we see were made from things not seen, or invisible things. In other words, there was nothing (or maybe we should say “not even nothing”) when God began to create.

If you read the first chapter of Genesis, you will see the words “God said” eight times. Shelby, this explains how God created by His great power. For example, can you imagine how amazing it must have been when God said, “Let there be lights in the heavens?” The stars, sun, and moon appeared, just as God had planned. God needed only to speak and everything was created. He truly is worthy of our praise!

For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
- Exodus 20:11

¹⁴ 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 for 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.
- Genesis 1:14–15

Did Adam and Eve have bellybuttons?

Kimberly W.
Age 7 — Georgia, USA

Answer:

And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (Genesis 2:18).

Okay. First of all, this person wasn’t exactly a boy. Adam was a man. And we know that, as our infinite Creator, God can do whatever He wants to do. When He made Adam first, God was teaching us how He wanted our families to be. He made Adam to be the head of the family. See in our Bible verse? It says that God wanted to create a “helper” for Adam, so He created Eve. Eve was the perfect complement to Adam.

Adam was the leader of that very first family. Adam was not better or more valuable than Eve. It was just that God knew someone had to be the leader, so He made that leader Adam. By doing this, God showed us that He wants the husband, the dad in the family, to be the spiritual leader in the family.

⁴ This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, ⁵ before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; ⁶ but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.
⁷And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
- Genesis 2:4-7

¹⁵ Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
¹⁸ And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” ¹⁹ Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
²¹ And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. ²² Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
²³ And Adam said:
“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”
- Genesis 2:15-23

Where is the Garden of Eden?

Joy B.
Age 10 — Michigan, USA

Answer:

A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is Pishon. . . . The name of the second river is the Gihon. . . . The name of the third river is the Tigris. . . . And the fourth river is the Euphrates (Genesis 2:10–14 NIV).

Joy, we have absolutely no idea where the Garden of Eden was located. The Bible verse tells us about the Garden of Eden and it even mentions four rivers around the Garden. But there are only two rivers today that have the same names as those where the Garden of Eden was located, the Tigris and the Euphrates; the rest of the description doesn’t match. So the Garden of Eden wasn’t there.

Also, the worldwide flood of Noah’s day would have destroyed everything on the earth, including the Garden of Eden. So why do those two rivers have the same names? Well, I think Noah, or someone in his family, named the rivers. And he used names of rivers that existed before the Flood — names he already knew. Maybe he wanted to be sure that the people would not forget the days before the Flood, and to remind them they must honor and obey God.

¹⁸ The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. ¹⁹ And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. ²⁰ The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. ²¹ And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. ²² All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. ²³ So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.
- Genesis 7:18–23

Does Genesis 1:1-2 refer to the first day?

Lee R.
Age 9 — New York, USA

Answer:

So the evening and the morning were the first day (Genesis 1:5).

Yes, Lee, the first two verses of Genesis 1 describe events on the very same day. I presume you ask the question because you have heard that supposedly millions of years passed between verses 1 and 2. You can find the answer to this question if you read closely what Genesis, God’s Holy Word, says.

When God first began to create, He created the heavens and the earth. That’s verse 1. They weren’t completed yet. Verse 2 describes what they looked like so far. The earth was “without form and void” (without life and incomplete). Each day God completed a bit more until, after six days, it was all finished. He called His finished work “very good.”

And Lee, you need to know there are many qualified creation scientists who do not believe in millions of years and who have done much scientific research that confirms the universe is only thousands of years old. When you read the Bible carefully, there is no doubt that verses 1 and 2 describe part of the first day.

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
³ Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴ And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
- Genesis 1:1–5

When God created the earth, were the trees fully grown, or were they baby trees? If they were full grown, did they have growth rings?

Chris J.
Age 11— California, USA

Answer:

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 God saw that it was good(Genesis 1:12).

Well, let’s see. We know by our Bible verse that the trees in the Garden provided fruit for food. And we know that Adam and Eve could eat the fruit from all the trees except one. They didn’t need to wait for years for the trees to grow big enough to produce fruit, did they?

It seems that God created the trees to sprout, grow, and bear fruit all in one day. I do believe that the trees had growth rings, for a couple of reasons. First, they were fully grown trees to start with, and most grown trees have growth rings. Second, the growth rings of many trees are actually part of the structure of the tree and support the tree. Some trees would need those growth rings to stand tall and produce fruit for Adam and Eve. So the growth rings were part of what made these trees perfect and very good, like the rest of God’s creation.

²⁹ And God 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. ³⁰ 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. ³¹ Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
- Genesis 1:29–31

Why did God make a week seven days long?

Caleb F.
Age 6 — Ohio, USA

Answer:

For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it (Exodus 20:11).

Our Bible verse tells us why God made the week seven days long. Let me explain. He made the seven-day week just for us. He created everything in six days and rested on the seventh day, right? Well, God could have made the entire universe in one split second because He is all-powerful and mighty. But He was setting a pattern for us to follow.

If we just kept on working every single day, we would get very tired and probably get sick. God was showing us that we can work six days, but then we need to rest for one day. Remember that He didn’t need to take that long to create everything (and He didn’t need to rest). Six days is actually a very long time for God. The seven-day week is for us!

²⁵ Then Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. ²⁶ Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”
²⁷ Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none.
- Exodus 16:25–27

Why was the first person that God created a boy?

Chloe G.
Age 6 — Illinois, USA

Answer:

And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him”(Genesis 2:18).

²² Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
- Ephesians 5:22–25

But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
- 1 Corinthians 11:3

Question:

Why did God let Adam name the animals? Why didn’t He name them himself?

Caleb Z.
Age 11 — Tennessee, USA

Answer:

And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (Genesis 2:18).

Our Bible verse says that God didn’t think it was good for man to be alone. If you keep reading in your Bible, you’ll see that the Lord brought animals He had already created to Adam. Now we know that God easily could have named all of those animals. But God was teaching Adam and us a lesson.

You see, as Adam was naming the animals, it became very clear to him that he was completely different from the animals and was a special creation. He was created in God’s very image. Keep this in mind, Caleb, when you hear that humans evolved from animals. God’s Word tells us just the opposite! Humans are far different from animals, and when Adam understood that he was alone, God put him to sleep to make a “helper” for him, and her name was Eve!

¹⁹ Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
²¹ And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. ²² Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
²³ And Adam said:
“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”
²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
²⁵ And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
- Genesis 2:19–25

Did Adam give each of the animals the names we call them today?

Olivia B.
Age 7 — Pennsylvania, USA

Answer:

So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field (Genesis 2:20).

This question has a couple of answers. Let me explain.

First, Adam didn’t name every animal created or each variety and species. He would have only named the “kinds” of animals that God brought to him. (All of the varieties and species would not have been there yet!) In other words, he only named the dog kind, the cat kind, the horse kind, etc.

Second, we don’t know what language Adam spoke, so there is really no way of knowing what he called each animal kind. And third, when God later confused all the languages at the Tower of Babel, it is possible that Adam’s original language did not survive (if it had survived, we still wouldn’t know what it was). As we study the Bible, we see that there is no way of knowing what Adam called the animals. But the names were probably not the same as today. Like for example, the word “dinosaurs.” The word wasn’t even invented until 1841, but we know from the Bible that these creatures were created along with the other animal kinds. But we do not know the name Adam gave them.

⁷ Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. ⁹ Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
- Genesis 11:7–9

Question:

How long did it take Adam to name the animals?

Sydney C.
Age 8 — Ohio, USA

Answer:

. . .and [God] brought them to Adam to see what he would call them . . . (Genesis 2:19).

Well, a lot of people say there is no way Adam could have had enough time to name all the animals in a single day. Actually, when we read God’s Word carefully, we find he didn’t name all the animals.

First, we know from Genesis that Adam named only land animals on the sixth day (and he named them before Eve was created on that same day, by the way). This means that he definitely named them within 24 hours, at most!

Second, remember from the previous question that Adam named only “kinds” of land animals and then, only the cattle, birds of the air, and beast of the fields. Adam really named far fewer animals than we think! One more thing — Adam was the most intelligent man that ever lived. God made him with a perfect brain and a perfect memory. It wouldn’t take him long to think of the names and to then remember which animal was which! He had plenty of intelligence and plenty of time to name them all in one day!

¹⁸ And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” ¹⁹ Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
- Genesis 2:18–20

The serpent talked to Eve, so why can’t snakes talk today?

Jemimah F.
Age 10 — Northern Ireland

Answer:

So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?” (Numbers 22:30).

You, Jemimah, are made in God’s image, right? You can talk and communicate. You can have a conversation with other human beings (also created in God’s image). Animals are not made in the image of God. And yet, you see in our Bible verse that God opened the mouth of a donkey and it talked.

Whenever it will serve God’s perfect plan, He can use anything to convey His message, even a donkey.

In the same way, God allowed Satan (the devil) to use the serpent to disguise himself and tempt Eve.

¹ Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; ³ but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
⁴ Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
⁶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
- Genesis 3:1–7

Question:

Why did God put the tree in the Garden of Eden if He didn’t want Adam and Eve to eat the fruit from it?

Lance B.
Age 5 — Kansas, USA

Answer:

. . . but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Genesis 2:17).

Have you ever played with a puppet? The puppet will do whatever you want it to do because it is on your hand. You are moving it, talking for it, and making it sit, stand, and dance. Well, when God made Adam, He didn’t want him to be a puppet, but He wanted Adam to truly love Him.

The command about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was God’s test to see if Adam really did love God enough to totally obey Him. But Adam failed the test. He sinned against God and did something God told him not to do. This was a very bad day for all of us because Adam was the head of the whole human race — the very first man. When he failed God’s test, he brought sin into the world, and now all of us have the same sin nature from Adam.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
- John 3:16

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned...
- Romans 5:12

If all that God created was good, how could Satan be bad?

Jordan C.
Age 7 — Indiana, USA

Answer:

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day (Genesis 1:31).

The Bible clearly tells us that on Day 6, when God saw all He had made, He called it all “very good.” God had to have included the angels with the rest of creation! So Lucifer (or Satan) was very good when God created him. In fact, Lucifer was one of the beautiful angels God had created!

But he soon became proud and wanted to take God’s place on His throne. He thought that he could be as great as God. Because God created Adam and Eve as special human beings, Satan wanted them to turn away from God, too. So he told Eve that she could become like God. They believed him, sinned, and were cast out of the Garden.

For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
- Isaiah 14:13

¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
- James 1:13–15

Question:

Who was Cain’s wife? Why doesn’t the Bible mention her birth if she was Eve’s baby?

Calista M.
Age 8 — New Hampshire, USA

Answer:

After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters (Genesis 5:4).

Adam and Eve had many children. Adam lived to be 930 years old, and Jewish tradition states that he had 33 sons and 23 daughters. (That is a really big family!)

Most people believe that Cain married his sister or his niece, and the Bible does not tell us what her name was. Keep in mind that way back then (about 6,000 years ago) close relatives could marry — they had to in order to start their own families. Even Abraham married his half-sister. Of course, we can’t do that anymore because of the effects of sin on our bodies and because God told Moses that people were not to marry close relatives from that time on. Now when we marry, we marry someone not so closely related to us.

While we’re speaking about marriage, Calista, remember that according to God, marriage is one man and one woman until death — that’s how God commands it.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
- Genesis 2:24

But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
- Genesis 20:12

‘None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord.
- Leviticus 18:6

Did bumblebees have stingers before Adam and Eve sinned?

Heidi C.
Age 10 — Ohio, USA

Answer:

For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now (Romans 8:22).

Because of Adam’s sin in the Garden, we do not live in a perfect world. We really can’t imagine what a perfect world would be like. We know there was no violence and no death — we wouldn’t expect this from a loving, life-giving God.

Our Scripture verse tells us that the whole creation is affected by sin, and that includes bumblebees. So, when we consider their stingers, all of us wonder the same thing that you’ve asked, Heidi. I think it is likely that the bumblebees had what we now call stingers before sin, but they weren’t used to harm anything. I am sure they weren’t originally meant to sting us, but because of sin in the world, things have changed! When a bumblebee reacts to us in a fallen world, it hurts!

⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
⁹ Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
¹⁰ So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
¹¹ And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
¹² Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
¹³ And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
¹⁴ So the Lord God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.
¹⁵ And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
¹⁶ To the woman He said:
“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
In pain you shall bring forth children;
Your desire shall be for your husband,
And he shall rule over you.”
¹⁷ Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:
“Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.
¹⁸ Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.
¹⁹ In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.”
- Genesis 3:8–19

How long were Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before they sinned?

Olivia K.
Age 11 — Australia

Answer:

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply . . .” (Genesis 1:28).

Olivia, let’s look at what the Bible says to find an answer. Our verse says that God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. In other words, they were supposed to start a family in the Garden. But the Bible also indicates that they had to leave before they had any children.

You see, the Bible tells us that all men are born with the sin of Adam. If Adam and Eve had started their family in the Garden, their children would not have been born in sin or affected by Adam’s sin. So, I think they may have been in the Garden only a few days before they sinned and God made them leave.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
- Romans 3:23

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned
- Romans 5:12

When were the other planets created?

Joshua C.
Age 8 — Arkansas, USA

Answer:

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. . . . So the evening and the morning were the fourth day (Genesis 1:16, 19).

Our Bible verse tells us that God made the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day. Although the Bible doesn’t specifically say “planets,” it is correct to say that the Hebrew word translated “star” included the planets that God spoke into existence on that great day!

God also tells us that He hung these “lights” in the heavens for signs, seasons, days, and years. And another fun fact we find, as we read Genesis 1, is that the earth is actually three days older than all the stars and planets, since the earth was created on Day 1!

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
- Psalm 19:1

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
- Psalm 33:6

Question:

If God created the world 6,000 years ago or so, why are stars millions of light years away?

Brendon M.
Age 10 — Pennsylvania, USA

Answer:

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork (Psalm 19:1).

Brendon, what a question! Yes, we know from the dates God gives us in the Bible that He did create the whole universe about 6,000 years ago. When we hear the term light-year, we need to realize it is not a measure of time but a measure of distance, telling us how far away something is. Distant stars and galaxies might be millions of light-years away, but that doesn’t mean that it took millions of years for the light to get here, it just means it is really far away!

When God created the universe, everything was already working perfectly, exactly how He wanted it to work. So, I believe the stars could be seen (however God did that) on earth as soon as God spoke them into existence. Keep enjoying the splendor of the night sky, but remember that God created it to display His glory so we could behold how wonderful and powerful our Creator really is!

Let the heavens declare His righteousness,
For God Himself is Judge.
- Psalm 50:6

He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
- Psalm 147:4

Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.
-Isaiah 40:26

What is evolution?

Calista J.
Age 8 — New Hampshire, USA

Answer:

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 (Genesis 1:21).

Calista, the word evolution actually just means “change.” Of course, we all know in our world today it usually means something else. When most people hear the word evolution today, they think of Charles Darwin. Darwin believed that one kind of animal evolved into a totally different kind and that eventually ape-like creatures evolved into human beings over millions of years.

This is totally against God’s Word, which clearly records that God created all living things according to their kinds (that dogs would only produce dogs, cats only produce cats, and so on). God’s Word also states that the first man was made from dust and the first woman from his side (they didn’t come from ape-like creatures)! There has never been any scientific evidence to show that one kind of animal (any animal) has ever turned into another totally different kind of animal! God’s Word is true.

Professing to be wise, they became fools,
- Romans 1:22

³ When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
⁴ What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
⁵ For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
⁶ You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
⁷ All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
⁸ The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.
⁹ O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
- Psalm 8:3–9

²⁰ 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 day.
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.
- Genesis 1:20–25

Why do evolutionists trust their beliefs and not Christ?

Joy B.
Age 11 — Michigan, USA

Answer:

But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water (2 Peter 3:5 NIV).

God’s Word gives us the answer to your question, Joy. Our Scripture verse says that people “deliberately forget” that God created the universe from nothing, that He spoke it all into existence.

Why don’t they believe? Why do they want to forget? We are all born sinners and because of that people just don’t want to admit that a powerful, all-knowing God created them. They don’t want to admit that God is in control of all things — even them!

They would rather believe that they evolved from slime over millions of years. If this were true, then it means they don’t owe God anything. They don’t have to obey Him or be grateful for His many gifts. But the Bible makes it very clear that God is our Creator; we are His, and He has a plan for our life. He is the One we need to listen to and obey!

“I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
- Job 42:2

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
- Ephesians 1:11

Did God use the same design for humans as for monkeys?

Caleb W.
Age 10 — Missouri, USA

Answer:

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).

Have you ever gone shopping and seen a whole bunch of really neat skateboards? You might know what type they are because of how they are painted or designed. They are similar because the same company made them. Well, when you look at God’s creation, you find many similarities because the same Maker created them.

God created all living things, and it makes sense that a lot of these share many similar characteristics or design. The same God, the same Designer, created both monkeys and humans and thus there are some similarities. But the differences are also important. Man is not an animal! Our Bible verse here says that man was made in God’s image — a monkey wasn’t.

Man is very different from a monkey. Man can think, he can appreciate and write music, and he can build airplanes and bridges. Monkeys can’t do this. Humans can have a relationship with their God, and we can spend eternity with Him if we believe His Word concerning salvation. We can ask forgiveness for our sins and believe in Jesus Christ, who took the punishment for our sins. Monkeys and animals cannot do that!

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
- 1 John 3:1

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
- John 1:12

Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment,
Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.
He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters,
Who makes the clouds His chariot,
Who walks on the wings of the wind,
Who makes His angels spirits,
His ministers a flame of fire.
You who laid the foundations of the earth,
So that it should not be moved forever,
You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters stood above the mountains.
At Your rebuke they fled;
At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.
They went up over the mountains;
They went down into the valleys,
To the place which You founded for them.
You have set a boundary that they may not pass over,
That they may not return to cover the earth.
He sends the springs into the valleys;
They flow among the hills.
They give drink to every beast of the field;
The wild donkeys quench their thirst.
By them the birds of the heavens have their home;
They sing among the branches.
He waters the hills from His upper chambers;
The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.
He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
And vegetation for the service of man,
That he may bring forth food from the earth,
And wine that makes glad the heart of man,
Oil to make his face shine,
And bread which strengthens man’s heart.
The trees of the Lord are full of sap,
The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,
Where the birds make their nests;
The stork has her home in the fir trees.
The high hills are for the wild goats;
The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers.
He appointed the moon for seasons;
The sun knows its going down.
You make darkness, and it is night,
In which all the beasts of the forest creep about.
The young lions roar after their prey,
And seek their food from God.
When the sun rises, they gather together
And lie down in their dens.
Man goes out to his work
And to his labor until the evening.
O Lord, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your possessions—
This great and wide sea,
In which are innumerable teeming things,
Living things both small and great.
There the ships sail about;
There is that Leviathan
Which You have made to play there.
These all wait for You,
That You may give them their food in due season.
What You give them they gather in;
You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
You hide Your face, they are troubled;
You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
May the Lord rejoice in His works.
He looks on the earth, and it trembles;
He touches the hills, and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the Lord.
May sinners be consumed from the earth,
And the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!
- Psalm 104