Day 3
Genesis 1:9-13 "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. And God called the dry land Earth,
and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw
that it was good.
"Then God said,'Let the earth bring forth
grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit
according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth'; and it
was so. 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. So the
evening and the morning were the third day."
Day three was
all about the earth. It was divided into two parts, bringing out the
land from the water and then filling both with an amazing array of
plants.
The Dry Land And The Seas
Genesis 1:9 "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let dry land appear."
God's
first act on day three was to confine the water that covered the earth
and bring out the dry land. Psalm 95:5 says that this one creative act
is what gives God ownership of the oceans. "The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land." Proverbs 8:29 also describes this incredible event, "I [wisdom] was there when He set the limits of the seas, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries."
In
His amazing power, God drew back the water into one place and brought
up the dry land. Psalm 33:7 appears to make reference to this, "He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap..."
Did you know that there are heaps of water, literally hills and
valleys, in the oceans? Did you know that there are places where the sea
itself is above sea level? Today these "heaps" of water are held up and
moved about by the gravity of the moon. But just like God produced
light without the sun for the first three days, it also appears that He
personally drew and held up these hills of water until He created the
moon on day four.
So God gathered the waters together into one
place. This strongly suggests that God originally created earth with a
single ocean. If there was one ocean, with the water gathered into one
spot - then it's logical to assume that all of the dry land was also in
one spot. The idea of a single supercontinent is not original with
old-earth evolution. Here we can see a reference to "Pangea" in the very
first chapter of God's Word!
So what happened to this single
continent? Why is the dry land separated into seven continents today?
We'll find out later why the world broke up, but here's a clue: At some
point in earth's 6,000 year history, there was a global disaster that
changed everything! We're no longer living in the original world; our
world is scarred by death and disaster. Still, remnants of its original
beauty remain. If a corrupted and death-riddled world still retains
enough beauty to point to the Creator, what an amazing place the world
must have been before sin!
From Barrenness To Beauty
Genesis 1:11 "Let
the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit
tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself,
on the earth..."
After God brought up the dry land, He began
to fill it with plants of every kind. This marks the end of one phase
of creation and the beginning of another. Up until now, God had been
creating empty canvases. The earth, the expanse of space, the oceans,
the dry land - all of these were just empty spaces on the afternoon of
the third day. Now, God began His work of filling these spaces with
beautiful and incredible creations.
Plants of all shapes, sizes,
smells, and colors were created by God and filled every acre of dry land
- and much of the seas too! Grasses, flowers, and trees covered the
ground. Other plant life such as fungi, algae and photoplankton were
also created with specific purposes (such as the production of oxygen, a
food source for myriads of animals yet to be created, and the
production of fresh soil). Plants were God's first biologic creation and
they filled the earth with life!
Many of these plants have since
gone extinct and are only known to us by fossils. We can only guess at
what sights and smells these other plants added to the world, but we do
know that each of them were personally designed by God Himself! What an
amazing sight this new, flowering world must've been!
Even the
seas had an abundance of plant life! Kelp, sea grasses, and various
algaes grew up from the ocean floor and filled the otherwise barren
water. There's even evidence that suggests the existence of giant
floating forests. These were island-sized masses of lightweight trees
whose roots intertwined to hold them together. These giant masses of
vegetation even had their own soil (made from their own leaves). We see a
similar phenomenon today called "quaking bogs" - but these floating
islands dwarfed anything that exists now and must have been an amazing
sight to see!
Some of the most beautiful plants that can be seen
today exist in gardens, where gardeners personally control the nutrients
and water that the plants get. Good gardeners put time and effort to
produce the most beautiful plants and the most delicious fruit. This is a
reflection of God's own creative nature - but what must the world have
been like when God Himself was the Gardener? We see the descendants of
the plants that He created today - but this was the only time in history
that each and every plant was put in place by God's own hand! Not a
single blade of grass escaped the Creator's notice!
Day Three
Genesis 1:13 "So the evening and the morning were the third day."
Once
again, for the third time, we see the formula - evening+morning+a
number. Once again, God emphasized that this was still an actual day.
Think
about this; God still hadn't created the sun yet...and yet the earth
was full of plant life! The third day couldn't have been thousands or
millions of years (like the day-age theorists state) - plants need
sunlight to survive!
Not only do plants need sunlight, they also
need insects to pollinate them. When you view these days of creation as
ordinary days, the lack of insects doesn't matter - they're only lacking
for two more days. But if you believe that the days of creation were
long ages of time, you have to explain how plants pollinated without
insects to help!
At the close of the third day, the newly-created
earth was already drastically different. The water was contained and
dry land appeared for the first time. Beautiful vegetation filled both
the land and the sea. Now, on the morning of the fourth day, God was
going to turn His attention to heaven once again.
Showing posts with label moon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moon. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
3.2 - Day Two
Day 2
Genesis 1:6-8 "Then God said, 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.' Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day."
The second and third heavens were created at the very beginning - on day one. But day two saw the creation of the first heaven, the natural heaven. At first it was simply called the firmament, or expanse. But after its creation, God renamed it "Heaven."
Dividing Waters From Waters
We're told that the firmament was created between two bodies of water. One was called the waters under the firmament, the other was called the waters above the firmament. It's most likely that the waters under the firmament are the oceans. The waters above the firmament are still a mystery though. There are a couple of theories that try to explain the waters above the firmament of Heaven.
The first theory (we'll call it the cloud theory) says that the firmament is simply what we call the sky. When the Bible talks about the waters above firmament, it is only a reference to the water in the clouds. So this theory suggests that God established the water cycle on the second day.
The second theory says that the firmament is the earth's atmosphere. The waters above the firmament are explained as a layer of water or ice that surrounded the outside atmosphere of earth. Known as the "canopy theory" - this idea is said to explain the larger plant and animal life that existed at the beginning. This bubble of water or ice is said to have functioned like a greenhouse - increasing sunlight, warming the earth and producing much higher oxygen levels. This canopy is then said to have collapsed during Noah's flood.
While it is true that the earth had an amazing climate for the first 1,500 years of its history, inventing a canopy of water to explain this climate produces a problem. This canopy would amplify the sun's rays like a magnifying glass, producing much more heat. At the same time, the water would function as a barricade - holding in the heat that normally escapes into space. This would make the temperature of earth unbearably hot!
Another problem with the canopy theory is found in Psalm 148:4 - "Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens!" While the canopy theory claims that the waters above the firmament collapsed in Noah's flood, this verse is telling us that the waters above the heavens still exist today!
Actually, both explanations of the waters above the firmament (the canopy theory and the cloud theory) have a major biblical problem, and it's found in Genesis 1:14. "Then God said, 'Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven...'" God placed the sun, moon and stars inside the firmament! This means that the waters above the firmament are out beyond the farthest stars - and not at the edge of our atmosphere. So these waters couldn't be clouds (which are inside our atmosphere) or a canopy.
So what are the waters above the firmament? When read straightforward, it appears that there is water somewhere beyond the stars! What this means exactly, though, we can't be sure. Someday, we'll be able to ask the Creator Himself!
An Enormous Creation
When you think of the firmament as only the earth's atmosphere, you get the feeling that day two was an "off day" for God. Seriously....God took a whole day to create air? It doesn't seem like much, does it? But when you realize what the firmament really is - you can see the magnitude of what God did on the second day!
Yes, it's true that the earth's atmosphere was formed on the second day. This means that each of earth's four atmosphere levels were created and positioned to protect us. It also means that God mixed the perfect blend of gases in the air that we would be breathing. But there's so much more to God's creative act on the second day!
The firmament of the first heaven begins at ground level and extends to the edge of the universe. We're talking about distances so vast that you couldn't travel across them within a million lifetimes - even if you were traveling at the speed of light! All of this space was included in the creation of the firmament!
Although this empty space was going to be filled with incredible sights and breathtaking artistry; at the close of day two, it was still empty. It was a blank canvas, ready for the Master's touch!
The Second Day
Genesis 1:8 "So the evening and the morning were the second day."
For a second time, we see the biblical rule of interpreting the Hebrew word "yom". Whenever there is a time of day used in the same sentence as "yom" - then this word always means a 24-hour period of time. Also, if you ever see a number attached to "yom", it is always a literal day. Here in verse 8 we have both. Two times of day ("evening and morning") and a number ("the second day") clearly indicate, even insist, that day two was an actual day.
Think about this, in the same amount of time that we call a day, our Creator prepared the atmosphere of the earth and spread out the entire expanse of space!
Genesis 1:6-8 "Then God said, 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.' Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day."
The second and third heavens were created at the very beginning - on day one. But day two saw the creation of the first heaven, the natural heaven. At first it was simply called the firmament, or expanse. But after its creation, God renamed it "Heaven."
Dividing Waters From Waters
We're told that the firmament was created between two bodies of water. One was called the waters under the firmament, the other was called the waters above the firmament. It's most likely that the waters under the firmament are the oceans. The waters above the firmament are still a mystery though. There are a couple of theories that try to explain the waters above the firmament of Heaven.
The first theory (we'll call it the cloud theory) says that the firmament is simply what we call the sky. When the Bible talks about the waters above firmament, it is only a reference to the water in the clouds. So this theory suggests that God established the water cycle on the second day.
The second theory says that the firmament is the earth's atmosphere. The waters above the firmament are explained as a layer of water or ice that surrounded the outside atmosphere of earth. Known as the "canopy theory" - this idea is said to explain the larger plant and animal life that existed at the beginning. This bubble of water or ice is said to have functioned like a greenhouse - increasing sunlight, warming the earth and producing much higher oxygen levels. This canopy is then said to have collapsed during Noah's flood.
While it is true that the earth had an amazing climate for the first 1,500 years of its history, inventing a canopy of water to explain this climate produces a problem. This canopy would amplify the sun's rays like a magnifying glass, producing much more heat. At the same time, the water would function as a barricade - holding in the heat that normally escapes into space. This would make the temperature of earth unbearably hot!
Another problem with the canopy theory is found in Psalm 148:4 - "Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens!" While the canopy theory claims that the waters above the firmament collapsed in Noah's flood, this verse is telling us that the waters above the heavens still exist today!
Actually, both explanations of the waters above the firmament (the canopy theory and the cloud theory) have a major biblical problem, and it's found in Genesis 1:14. "Then God said, 'Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven...'" God placed the sun, moon and stars inside the firmament! This means that the waters above the firmament are out beyond the farthest stars - and not at the edge of our atmosphere. So these waters couldn't be clouds (which are inside our atmosphere) or a canopy.
So what are the waters above the firmament? When read straightforward, it appears that there is water somewhere beyond the stars! What this means exactly, though, we can't be sure. Someday, we'll be able to ask the Creator Himself!
An Enormous Creation
When you think of the firmament as only the earth's atmosphere, you get the feeling that day two was an "off day" for God. Seriously....God took a whole day to create air? It doesn't seem like much, does it? But when you realize what the firmament really is - you can see the magnitude of what God did on the second day!
Yes, it's true that the earth's atmosphere was formed on the second day. This means that each of earth's four atmosphere levels were created and positioned to protect us. It also means that God mixed the perfect blend of gases in the air that we would be breathing. But there's so much more to God's creative act on the second day!
The firmament of the first heaven begins at ground level and extends to the edge of the universe. We're talking about distances so vast that you couldn't travel across them within a million lifetimes - even if you were traveling at the speed of light! All of this space was included in the creation of the firmament!
Although this empty space was going to be filled with incredible sights and breathtaking artistry; at the close of day two, it was still empty. It was a blank canvas, ready for the Master's touch!
The Second Day
Genesis 1:8 "So the evening and the morning were the second day."
For a second time, we see the biblical rule of interpreting the Hebrew word "yom". Whenever there is a time of day used in the same sentence as "yom" - then this word always means a 24-hour period of time. Also, if you ever see a number attached to "yom", it is always a literal day. Here in verse 8 we have both. Two times of day ("evening and morning") and a number ("the second day") clearly indicate, even insist, that day two was an actual day.
Think about this, in the same amount of time that we call a day, our Creator prepared the atmosphere of the earth and spread out the entire expanse of space!
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