Lesson 6

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SERIES:        A World in a Week 

LESSON 6     Genesis 1:6-8   “DAY – 2 –  God And The Atmosphere”

 

 

6.   And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 

7.   And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

8.   And God called the firmament Heaven.  And the evening and the morning were the second day.

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Just suppose you were driving through your neighborhood one day and you passed a lot that you have known to be vacant as long as you can remember but on this particular day there is something different there.  This day you notice that there is activity on that lot.  Someone has brought in some heavy equipment and they are beginning to move the earth around and grade the lot for something very special.  You go on your way and in a few days you pass by again and you see men and machines beginning to dig ditches in all different directions.  Days later you pass again and there are cement trucks on the lot and men are pouring cement into the ditches that look like a foundation for a building of some kind.  A week or so later when you pass by you see cement trucks out there again with a lot of men pouring a slab of cement all over that area of the lot that has been prepared.  Very soon you notice carpenters and contractors out there and they are beginning to erect wooden frames.  Before long the entire slab of cement is covered with a wooden structure with windows installed everywhere.  There are stacks and stacks of bricks all around the building and bricklayers have moved in to lay brick around the outside.  As you continue passing by one day you notice men seem to be busy on the inside putting up sheetrock and there are men on the roof putting on shingles.  Then all kinds of activity is going on with a variety of systems being put in place like an electrical system, an air conditioning unit, a heating system, plumbing and everything else a building needs.  Because you are an observant, wise, and a fairly smart person, it becomes very apparent to you that something is going on there which is preparatory in nature.  Something is happening on what was once a vacant lot.  Something special was designed and built for a particular occupant.  You have come to believe that someone is going to be moving into that new creation.

 

When we begin to read the account of creation given to us in Genesis chapter one, that is exactly what we find.  As we begin to go through the successive days of creation, we discover that God is making preparation.  God is building a world that is uniquely designed for inhabitance.  Someone is going to live here.  God is also designing and building a universe in a particular way.  As best we can discover there is no other planet in the entire universe that is uniquely designed for the existence of man.  Everywhere we turn, we discover that all of the systems of earth are uniquely designed for the existence and occupation of man.  That's what we find when we read through these opening verses of the book of Genesis.  It essential that we understand what is involved behind the scenes, what the use of some of the Hebrew words actually are, how important God’s timing is, the beauty of God’s creation, and how blessed we are to be the occupants.

 

INTERPRETATION

 

On day one we have the creation of light.  God said, “Let there be light and there was light.”  Life cannot exist without light.  If there was no light, life as we know it, could not exist.  However, there is another essential that has to be in the universe if there is going to be life.  That is the existence of air on day two.  God has designed us with lungs.  God has designed us with the necessity to breathe so there has to be air.

 

That is what we find when we read the second day's account.  The Bible says that God said, “Let there be a firmament.”  “And God made the firmament” and He called it “heaven” or sky.  The word, “heaven”, is used in at least three different ways in the Bible.  In 2^nd Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul talks about a vision which he had and he said he was “caught up into the third heaven.”  He calls that third heaven “paradise.”  So in the Bible the word, “heaven”, is used to refer to “the third heaven” where the throne of God is.  One of these days, if you know Jesus, you and I are going to live forever and forever in the third heaven.

 

The first heaven is what you and I refer to as the sky.  That is where the birds and the planes fly.  That is the place where we get the air for our lungs to breathe.  That is where we fly our kites in March.  That is where the hot air balloons float.  That is where the smog develops over our cities.

 

The second heaven is that which lovers and astronomers gaze.  The stellar heaven is where outer space is, where the sun, moon, and stars are.  The Bible uses the word, “heaven”, to refer to “the stellar heaven.”  I think that's primarily what we have in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 

 

There is the third heaven where God is.  There is the stellar heaven where the sun, moon, and stars are – outer space.  Then there is the atmospheric heaven – the heaven of air.  The heaven where the ability to breathe is designed into the universe.  That seems to be what God is giving to us in this second day.

 

Pay close attention to what I am about to say.  Keep in mind that Moses is the human author of these verses.  Moses was trained in all of the wisdom of ancient Egypt.  He was brought up and trained at the University of Heliopolis.  There were many theories about the existence and the origin of man in those days.  Those theories would be very, very primitive if you compare them to what we find today.  Yet, when you read the writings of Moses you don't have any hint of the ancient cosmologies or the ancient theories about the origin of the universe.  When you read his writings there is not one contradiction to modern science here.  There is not one error that can be detected in the words that Moses wrote about the existence of the universe.  Where did Moses get his information?  How did Moses find out what he gave us in Genesis one?  Moses found out from God.  The Bible tells us that God inspired men, by the Holy Spirit, to write the things that are in our Bible.  God gave to Moses divine inspiration and God revealed to Moses the existence of the universe and all of the systems that make it possible for man to exist.

 

EXPLANATION

 

I want us to study deeply about the atmosphere, which includes the air, the heaven, and the sky because as we read these verses several matters come to mind.

 

 I.         WE NEED TO GIVE SERIOUS ATTENTION TO THE FORMATION OF THE ATMOSPHERE.

The Word gives us on DAY TWO, the formation of the atmosphere.  Verse 6 says, “And God said, let there be a firmament.”  In verse 7 it says, “And God made the firmament.”  These two statements are more important than you may think.  Statement number one, God said, (that is) God willed the firmament into existence.  Statement number two, God made the firmament.  This word “made” in that second statement is not the Hebrew word that we translate “creation.”   Rather it is the Hebrew word which means to make, not create.  It means to take existing material and do a work.  It is like the potter putting marred clay on the potter’s wheel and remaking what was previously created.  Now, go slow and you will understand.

 

God willed the firmament into existence and God fashioned or wrought the firmament into existence.

 

I WANT TO GIVE YOU A DEFINITION FOR THE WORD, FIRMAMENT.  The Hebrew word is a word that literally means to stretch out or to hammer out.  It was used in the tabernacle when the Bible talks about the garments of the high priest.  It talks about those threads of gold put in the garment.  The word that was used to beat out that gold is this Hebrew word.  It means to spread out thin.  It means to stretch out.

 

Through the years, liberals have latched onto this particular word and said that this is an illustration of how the Bible teaches primitive error.  They say the Hebrews believed that the firmament was a solid piece in the sky.  The English word, firmament, would cause people to think that.  It is the word, “firm”, which gives the idea of something solid.  Nevertheless, there is no evidence whatsoever that the Hebrews ever believed that there was something firm or solid in the sky.  That is a theory that came up 25 centuries after Moses’ writings.  Actually the word “firmament” here means air spaces or an expanse.  Probably the best translation for the word is the word “atmosphere.”   “And God said let there be an atmosphere.  And God made the atmosphere.”  That is the definition of the word “firmament” that God uses here. 

 

It tells us a little bit about the location of the atmosphere.  It says in verse 6, “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”  We do know, in the original creation, that the world in its original state was covered in water.  2^nd Peter 3:5 says, "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water."

 

THE PICTURE THERE IS OF AN EARTH THAT WAS COVERED IN WATER.  There in the midst of the water there is that space, there in that atmosphere is this air.  Of course, we know a great deal today about the atmosphere.  We know that there are about four layers to our atmosphere.  The top layer is the exosphere.  The next layer is the mesosphere.  The third layer is the stratosphere.  That's where the ozone layer is.  The layer closest to the earth is the troposphere.  That's where weather is.  We have the science of meteorology which talks about what goes on with the weather.  At this particular time, before the flood, there had been no rain on the earth.  In the middle of Genesis 2:5 it says, “For the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth.”  So at this point in time there is no weather.  The meteorologists try to predict the weather for us.  They have a pretty hard job.  They are doing much better than they have ever done before, but it is still very difficult to predict the weather.  Jesus said one time in John 3:8, "The wind blows where it will.  You can't tell where it came from and you can't tell where it's going."  We can't tell exactly why the winds do what they do.  We can't tell exactly why the atmosphere does what it does.  There is a mystery about the air.

 

THERE IS A LOCATION TO THE AIR, BUT THERE IS ALSO AN INTENTION HERE.  I said to you that God is getting ready for an occupant.  Somebody is getting ready to move into this earth.  God has a purpose for this atmosphere.  There are several passages in the Bible that talk about this air, this atmosphere.  There are many beautiful poetic descriptions of the atmosphere.

 

In the book of Exodus it is compared to a clear sapphire pavement.  In the book of Job it is compared to a beautiful glass.  Isaiah compares it to a curtain or veil.  In Isaiah 40:22 it says, “That stretched out the heavens as a curtain.”  This is very interesting.  Also in Isaiah 22 it says “He spreads them out (the atmosphere) as a tent to dwell in.”  Isn't that an interesting picture?  God stretched out the atmosphere as a tent to dwell in.  The picture is the idea of a massive water vapor canopy.  It is the idea of the whole earth being circled about by an atmosphere of air.  Circled about by this atmosphere to make it possible for man to exist.

 

There are some scientists who believe in the canopy theory.  They believe in the original creation, that the atmosphere was like a canopy.  They point out that the atmosphere is a protective layer around the earth.  We know that because of the atmosphere, ultraviolet radiation is somewhat minimized so that man can exist.  If there were no atmosphere, ultraviolet rays would destroy man.

 

It was also believed that there was an ideal climate, That there was beautiful humidity and beautiful temperature.  It is also believed that this created healthy conditions for the existence of man on the earth.  You have read in the Old Testament, in the early years, about how people lived such long, long lives?  Some creation scientists believe this was possible because of the water vapor canopy and this made it possible for people to live long years.

 

Some believe a dinosaur is just a big lizard.  A lizard is one creature in the earth that gets bigger and bigger and never stops growing.  It is altogether possible that the dinosaurs grew to be such great size because of this protective vapor canopy that encircled the earth.  Whether that is true or not, there are some creation scientists who do not believe that is true.  However, we do know that God has given us this layer, this canopy of atmosphere and God has constituted in that atmosphere the elements which make it possible for you and me to breathe.  God has created the air.  God has created our lungs.  When you look at the capacity of the human lungs and what is necessary for it to breathe and when you look at the constitution of the air in our atmosphere, you discover that both of them are ideally suited for one another.  Why is that true?  Is all of that just a colossal accident?

 

II.        WE NEED TO GIVE SERIOUS CONSIDERATION TO THE SEPARATION OF THE ATMOSPHERE.

Verse 6 says that God said, “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it (the atmosphere) divide the waters from the waters.” There is earth circled in water, covered with water, and now God says “let there be a separation.”  The first separation is given to us in the 4th verse where God separated light from darkness.  The second separation God divides the waters from the waters.  God said, let there be waters below or under the firmament or the atmosphere and let there be waters which are above the firmament or the atmosphere.  That is exactly a correct scientific statement.

 

Scientists know that there are two massive bodies of waters.  We have the waters UNDER the atmosphere and we have the waters ABOVE the atmosphere. 

 

The waters below the atmosphere refer to the oceans, the seas, the rivers, the streams, and all of the waters below.  According to science, we know that those massive bodies of water below are transported to the waters above.  How do the waters below get to the waters above?  We know this is possible because of the law of evaporation.  It is a rather astounding thing to read what the Bible says about this.  Ecclesiastes 1:7 says, “All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full, unto the place from which the waters come, thither they return again.”  That is a description of evaporation.  Psalm 135:6- 7 says, “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven and in earth: in the seas and in all deep places.  He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth.  He maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasures.”

 

The scientifically accurate statement of the principles of evaporation is as follows.  The sun turns water into vapor.  The vapor rises to the sky.  Then that vapor, those minute molecules of water, condense and cool and become clouds.  Then the clouds send rain.  (We'll think more about that later on.)

 

God said let there be a firmament, let there be an atmosphere and let there be the waters below – the earthly waters and waters above – the heavenly waters.  That is an astonishing thing.  When Moses wrote those words, man had no idea that this was true.  Yet, today, you and I know scientifically that this is exactly what we find.  Because of science, we have discovered that in our atmosphere there is an absolute ocean of water.  They estimate that there are 54 trillion, 460 billion tons of water in the atmosphere – all in the form of vapor.  The mechanical engineering alone is mind boggling when you think about that concept of those waters hanging in the atmosphere.

 

There are several things I want us to consider about that water in the atmosphere.  LET'S CONSIDER THE CLOUDS.  DID YOU KNOW THE BIBLE SAYS THINGS ABOUT THE CLOUDS?  As I indicated to you those water molecules cool and condense and come together to form clouds.  Is there anything more interesting or amazing than a cloud?  There are three basic kinds of clouds.  There are the cumulus clouds.  These are those big fluffy clouds -- the ones that are constantly changing their shapes.  They just roll around in the sky.  Then there are the cirrus clouds.  Those are the faint clouds -- the feather-like clouds.  Those are the clouds that are fast moving in the sky.  Then there are the nimbus clouds.  Those are the low- lying and the dark clouds.  When you see those nimbus clouds hovering down near, you know that rain is coming very soon.

 

THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT THE CLOUDS.  Job 37:16 says, “Doest thou know the balancing of the clouds, the wonderful works of him which is perfect knowledge.”  The balancing of the clouds -- that didn't come out of a science book.  That came out of the Bible.  Yet, we know that is exactly true.  The clouds are balanced.  What keeps the clouds from falling to the earth below?  We know that it is the warm air going up and the pull of gravity coming down.  God keeps the clouds in perfect balance.  We know that the laws of navigation for the waters above are amazingly similar to the laws of navigation for the waters below.  If you want to travel in the waters below, you have to get in a pressurized submarine.  Your body is uniquely designed to exist on the earth as you presently exist.  Your body is so constructed that it can maintain a certain pressure level.  The average human body can hold about 14 tons of pressure.  However, if you go down into the waters below you have to get into a pressurized compartment to make it possible for you to exist there.  The same thing is true if you go into the waters above.  You have to get into a pressurized plane.  The laws of navigation are basically the same whether you are in the waters above or whether you are in the waters below.

 

III.       WE NEED TO GIVE SERIOUS RECOGNITION TO THE DECLARATION OF THE ATMOSPHERE.

Verse 8 says, “And God called the firmament Heaven (or sky), And evening and morning were the second day.” God declared this firmament (or atmosphere, or sky) Heaven.  Can you think of anything more beautiful than a blue sky – especially when it is “Carolina Blue”?

 

Making reference to the beauty of the sky Daniel 12:3 says, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament.”  Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork.”  Every time you look at the beautiful blue sky, every time you see those clouds in the sky, it is a message to you of the Lord and the creation of God.  God has made this sky like a tent to dwell in as the Scripture told us.  The sky contains the air that we breathe.  It is a combination of nitrogen and oxygen.  We know that there is a very delicate balance between those two chemicals.  Earth's atmosphere is about 78% nitrogen.  It is about 21% oxygen.  Why don't we just move the percentages around a little bit?  Instead of making it 3-1 as it is now, how about having the same amount of nitrogen in the atmosphere and the same amount of oxygen?  They tell me if you did that, you would have nitrate oxide, which is impossible to breathe.  Well, how about if we changed the formula around and made it 1-2 instead of 1-3.  They tell me if you did that you would have gunpowder.  You can't breathe gunpowder.

 

I'm trying to say to you that when God said let there be an atmosphere and when God made an atmosphere, God put it all together in balance to make it possible for you and me to exist on this earth.  Psalm 115:16 says   “Even the heavens are the Lord's, but the earth hath He given to the children of men.”  Psalm 68:4 says, “Sing unto God, sing praises to His name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.”  Psalm 148:4 says, “Praise him, ye heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.”

 

APPLICATION

 

The Bible says that GOD CREATED THE ATMOSPHERE, that GOD CONTROLS THE ATMOSPHERE, that GOD CLAIMS THE ATMOSPHERE.  GOD UNIQUELY GAVE US THIS ATMOSPHERE.

 

I look up at that beautiful sky and I remember that the Bible says one of these days the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel and the trump of God and the Lord is coming in the sky.  The Bible says He is coming on the clouds in the sky.  One of these days you and I are going to take a space trip up through the atmosphere, through the sky, above the sky into heaven itself where God is and forever and forever and forever we are going to live with God.  Friends just knowing that makes it easier to deal with whatever the devil throws at us.  If you ever need a reminder – just look up at the SKY!  There is more to the Atmosphere than we take time to realize sometimes.  “This is the DAY that the Lord has made; I shall rejoice and be glad in it.”

 

We all need water and we all need air.  The same thing is true spiritually.  WE NEED WATER.  Jesus said “I will give you some water to drink and you'll never get thirsty again.  If you take a drink of this water you will have eternal life.” WE NEED AIR TO BREATHE, but you also need the breath of God to be saved.  The Bible says that “God breathed into man the breath of life and that moment man began to breathe.”  The same thing is true when Christ comes into your life.  The Holy Spirit breathes new life into your heart.  The divine atmosphere of God begins to move into your very existence.  That's what it means to be saved.

 

To find more help in receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior please go to the Bible Study Title Page “ETERNAL LIFE”.  Please send me an email and respond to me about any decision for Christ you make so that I may pray for you.  Feel free to send me any questions, comments, or responses you may have as well.  For those who are already Christians I invite you to also please let me know of any decision you make in your Christian life and feel free to send me any questions, comments, or responses you may have to  rfdenning1951@gmail.com

 

ALWAYS REMEMBER!

The support of your local Church ministry and the ministry of your Pastor should be the first priority of your Christian life and your service to the Lord.  Be faithful to attend Sunday School and Worship Service this Sunday and participate in worship as your Pastor preaches the Word.  Do not forget to give the Lord at least your TITHE through your local church from your gross income – that is your first fruits.  Honor the Lord in all you do and with all that you have.  Always remember that everything you have and all you are belongs to the Lord.  It is on loan to you – so manage it well!  There will be an audit one day!  Make sure the Books Balance!