If there were no large bodies of water on the surface of the earth, how could God give man dominion of the living creatures in the seas?

Hello everyone. Today I answer a very good question from one of the ministry's YouTube viewers @brandisweetLovesJesus. Brandi asks the following:

Teacher, I understand there earth was different and there was no rain back in this time until after Noah, but if there was no lakes or seas, then why is it in Genesis God created the gathering of the waters that He called seas in the 'third day' and in the 'fourth day' the fish and sealife and whales and the 6th day told man to have dominion over them? I think this is so amazing, how they lived so long back then. Wow I wonder what they did for 900 years lol. Thank you for your time, truly appreciate you I've been watching and learning so much and so excited learning to truly study like this brother Kevin! God bless, B Sweet ️

Here is my response to @brandisweetLovesJesus.

Hello @brandisweetLoves.Jesus, great to hear from you again.

When the scriptures speak of creation it describes it by dispensations or ages. What is that?

1. God's original creation account given to us in Genesis 1 & 2. The large bodies of water were not ON THE TOP SIDE of the earth. They were all underneath the earth's surface. In today's vernacular we call them springs but in Genesis the Lord calls them "the deep".

Genesis 1:2 (NKJV) 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.

(NKJV MacArthur Study Bible, 2nd Edition Notes) DEEP. Sometimes referred to as primordial waters, this is the term used to describe the earth’s water-covered surface before the dry land emerged (1:9, 10). Jonah used this word to describe the watery abyss in which he found himself submerged (Jon. 2:5).

Now pay close attention to Genesis 1:9, listen carefully to the words of the LORD God.

Genesis 1:9 (NKJV) 9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens BE GATHERED TOGETHER INTO ONE PLACE, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.

Okay, now based upon those two scriptures let's ask ourselves a couple of questions.

1. What were the waters God IN THE BEGINNING? The Deep.

2. How many places were the waters located? One

3. What did God call this one place where He stored all the waters below heaven?

Genesis 1:10 (NKJV) 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and THE GATHERING TOGETHER OF THE WATERS HE CALLED SEAS. And God saw that it was good.

4. What are the seas in the scriptures, please, not in your mind or my mind, according to the scriptures? Don't think about how things are today, only what the scriptures tell us about the beginning of creation. What are the seas? The seas in Genesis 1 are the one and only location where God stored all the waters below heaven.

5. According to the scriptures where is THE DEEP located? It, the DEEP, was located beneath the surface of the earth. How can we know that for certain? We can know it because of God's explanation of the flood. How did God flood the earth? Genesis 7:11 (NKJV) 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all THE FOUNTAINS OF THE GREAT DEEP WERE BROKEN UP, and the windows of heaven were opened.

The four rivers that proceeded from the garden of Eden came from these fountains which were basically streams that went around the planet, underneath the surface to water everything. The came to a head in the garden of Eden, surfaced, then became the rivers Pishon means increase, Gihon means bursting forth - with life, Hiddekel means rapid or rapidly, and Euphrates means fruitfulness. Putting these four rivers together God's message to His creation is simple: I will increase life rapidly and it will be fruitful.

(NKJV MacArthur Study Bible, 2nd Edition Notes) all the fountains of the great deep were broken up. The subterranean waters sprang up from inside the earth to form the seas and rivers (1:10; 2:10–14), which were not produced by rainfall (since there was none), but by deep fountains in the earth.

Now that we understand the WATERS, the DEEP, the SEAS, the FOUNTAINS, and the RIVERS let's turn our attention to the living creators in the waters. What did God say and how did He describe it?

The Lord begins to describe what He did in Genesis 1:20 (NKJV) 20 Then God said, “Let THE WATERS" - STOP!!! Ask yourself, at this time what were the WATERS called and where were THE WATERS located according to God in His written account, the scriptures. The WATERS were called SEAS and the DEEP. The WATERS were located beneath the surface of the earth in a single location with fountains or streams running beneath the entire surface of the earth to water everything above the surface of the earth.

Excellent answer! Good job following what is written. Now let's continue reading.

20...abound with an abundance of living creatures" STOP!!! Ask yourself again, where are the WATERS? Answer: beneath the surface of the earth. Okay, then if that is true according to the scriptures, where are ALL THE ABUNDANCE OF LIVING CREATURES? Are they in a body of water that at this time in creations history, on the surface of the earth? No, because there were no bodies of water above the surface of the earth except the four rivers and the scriptures does not state that the living creatures lived in them.

What does the scriptures actually declare.

Genesis 1:20b-23 (NKJV) 20b...and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 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.

Okay, let's break down the scripture passage above.

1. God created great sea creatures. Did God create great river creatures? No!

2. Where did He place these sea creatures? In the place God called THE WATERS. Where are THE WATERS located? Beneath the surface of the earth in a single place.

3. God commanded this abundance of living creatures that are living in the WATERS to be fruitful and multiply, and fill THE WATERS IN THE SEAS. Where are THE WATERS IN THE SEAS? They are located in THE DEEP below the surface of the earth.

Now ask yourself. Did God, in the original creation, create any of the abundance of living creature in THE WATERS and the great sea creatures IN ANY OF THE FOUR RIVERS? No, He didn't.

Okay, if that is true according to the scriptures, and it is. Were there fish at any time in the four rivers that proceeded out of the garden of Eden? NO! Why not? There were no living creatures living in the rivers because God created them in the beginning to live in the WATERS of the DEEP which He called SEAS.

It wasn't until after Adam sinned that all these things changed. In the plan of God, through the process of time, the curse which brought forth futility or constant decay and death, required God to water the earth from above and not beneath. This is what the Holy Spirit revealed to the apostle Paul in Romans 8. Listen to God explain it Himself.

Romans 8:18-24 (NKJV) From Suffering to Glory 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 FOR THE CREATION WAS SUBJECTED TO FUTILITY (meaning death from a constant state of decay), not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope (the hope is the new heaven and new earth not a remodeled current heaven and earth which are contaminated by sin); 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?

Hope that helps. Please be mindful not to bring your human experience into the study of God's word. Let the scriptures interpret themselves for you. By the way, great question.