In the last lesson we learned about the application of light on this
earth giving all things the power to be.
In this lesson, we will begin with:
Genesis 1:6 “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of
the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
It seems at this point, when this was written, that water or atmosphere
prevailed. It seems that there was no distinction between earth and heaven.
This was a dimension difficult for us to understand. We do know that
atmospheric pressure controls the waters and keeps them from floating away.
We do know that light affects atmosphere, water, and all substances.
I do not believe that God expects us to scientifically figure out how
this all came about. He just expects us to have faith that He did it.
Genesis 1:7 “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.”
There are planets like Jupiter, which have the same density of water.
It does not mean that this is water. All of this is God’s business. As I
said before, our part is to believe that God spoke and this was a creative
announcement. From His command, it became.
This separation mentioned here separated the heavens, and then in
Genesis 1:8 “And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the
morning were the second day.”
The scientists tell us, that after you go about 45 miles up into the
atmosphere, there is no barrier for all the expanse of Heaven. It seems to
have no end.
Somehow God fixed this 45 miles of atmosphere that surrounds the earth
in every direction to make it support life as we know it. So far, scientists
have not found any other planets with the same peculiarities of earth.
At the end of the second day there is no phrase “and God saw that it
was good”. Anything we might say about this would be just supposition.
God has so perfectly made up the earth and all that surrounds it. The
atmosphere around the earth is oxygen and nitrogen, which are mixed in
exact proportion as 20 to 80 in 100 parts. If this combination was altered,
the earth would either burn up if there was too much nitrogen, or
everything would die if there was too little nitrogen. The perfect balance
of the atmosphere is a necessity to life on this earth. God in all of this
shows His perfections.
Genesis 1:9 “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered
together unto one place, and let the dry [land] appear: and it was so.”
In verse 9, you could assume that there had been a flood and the waters
subsided, or you could believe that this was speaking of the atmosphere
being gathered. As we said before, it is unimportant which happened. All we
need be concerned with is the earth we live on now. Whether another
habitation of this earth was so, or not, doesn’t matter for our study here.
In this statement, we see that dry land does appear. It is very
interesting to me, that in the new heaven and new earth there will be no
sea. Revelation 21:1 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”
Genesis 1:10 “And God called the dry [land] Earth; and the gathering
together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that [it was] good.”
This separation of the land and water created the world as we know it
today.
In verse four, when God applied the light to this earth and divided the
light from the darkness, He did not call the darkness good, only the light.
When He separated the water from the dry land He said both were good.
You see darkness, or negative things, are not good. God is goodness to
the ultimate. Satan is negative and everything bad.\
Genesis 1:11 “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb
yielding seed, [and] the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose
seed [is] in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.”
You see God not only created the first plant life, grass, fruit, trees
etc., but He also provided the way for it to perpetuate itself.
We mentioned before how plant life could not exist without the light
acting on the chlorophyll in the plant leaves and causing it to grow.
Notice, too, the first three words “And God said”, and the last four
words say it all “and it was so”.
Genesis 1:12 “And the earth brought forth grass, [and] herb yielding
seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed [was] in
itself, after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good.
These two verses tell us that God’s thoughts and wishes are carried out
to the utmost, and that they are also good. In verse 13, we see again that
God starts His day with evening and ends with the morning.
Genesis 1:13 “And the evening and the morning were the third day.”
Genesis 1:14 “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of
the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and
for seasons, and for days, and years:” Genesis 1:15 “And let them be for
lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it
was so.” Genesis 1:16 “And 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.” Genesis 1:17 “And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to
give light upon the earth,” Genesis 1:18 “And to rule over the day and over
the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that [it
was] good.”
The sun and the moon are not creative Light. They are fixtures that we
see creative Light in. The sun is one explosion after another, but if the
energy to cause the explosion was removed, the sun would go out. The moon is
a reflection of the sun. They were made for the purpose of shining the Light
upon the earth, for separating or lighting the day and the night.
The Scripture says they were also to be for telling the seasons, and
the days, and the years. In the Jewish calendar a month occurs at every new
moon.
Notice especially, verse 15, because it is very explicit that it does
not create light. It only gives light to the earth. Both are just huge light
fixtures. God can turn them off at will, and there will come a time that
there will be no need for them. We will be in the presence of the Light and
there will not be a separation of Light; only one eternal day in the
presence of Jesus. Jesus is the Power. There are just the holders, and
separators of His Light.
Revelation 22:5 tells it all. “And there shall be no night there; and
they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them
light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”
Revelation 21:23 tells us who this Light is, “And the city had no need
of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did
lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof.” (you see Jesus is the
Light). Where His presence is there is just eternal day, as we read in
Revelation 21:25 “And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for
there shall be no night there.”
The source of all Light is Jesus. All other things we associated with
light are receiving their strength from Him. In St. John 8:12 Jesus calls
Himself the Light, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light
of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall
have the light of life.”
You see, “God is” above His creations for He is all intelligence and
goodness as well as power, glory, and King.
In the most exalted sense, He is our Father in Heaven.
The perfect knowledge of God is His alone. It relates to Himself and
everything beyond Himself. It includes all things that are actual and all
things that are possible.
“He is Creator God”. On this I will close this lesson