Our Rare Earth: CREATED by Divine Wisdom, not Evolved
(Prov. 8:12, 22-36; I Cor. 1:24) Day 2
GOD FORMS THE FIRMAMENT & DIVIDES THE WATERS
(Gen 1:6-8) “& God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, & let it divide the waters from the waters. (7) “& God made the firmament, & divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: & it was so. (8) “And God called the firmament Heaven (Hebrew is plural). And the evening & the morning were the 2nd day.”
THE TRINITARIAN GOD MADE 3 HEAVENS!
(Gen 1:8) “& God called the firmament Heaven” (Hebrew is plural).
God’s Word reveals 3 Heavens: (Deut. 10:14; I Kings 8:27; Neh. 9:6; Ps. 115:16). Why do you think God made 3 Heavens?
Paul was caught up to the 3rd Heaven (Paradise) & said: “whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell” (2 Cor. 12:2-4).
1st Heaven: Earths atmosphere (Deut. 33:28; Jer. 10:13; 14:22; 15:16)
2nd Heaven: Outer Space (Gen. 1:14-18; Ps. 115:16; 2 Pet. 3:10)
3rd Heaven: God’s Dwelling place (Isa. 57:15; 2 Chron. 6:33; Ps. 123:1)
3rd HEAVEN: GOD’S HOME & OUR FUTURE HOME
Also called “Mount Zion”; “the city of the Living God”; & “the heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb. 12:22; Gal. 4:25-26; Rev. 3:12; 21:2, 10)
It is toward the North (Ps. 48:1-2; Ps. 75:6-7). Sacrifices were killed on the north side of the altar “before the LORD” (Lev. 1:10-11). When satan tried to usurp God’s throne he ascended the sides of the north (Isa. 14:12-15). God designed Creation to point people to the North Pole star (now its Polaris) as a fixed point to get direction on Earth.
THE 2nd HEAVEN: THE UNIVERSE
God prepares “infinite” expanding space where He will make the Sun, Moon & stars on the 4th Day (Gen. 1:14-19). There are over 100 billion galaxies in the universe, each with 100 billion stars, yet only one atom for every 88 gallons of space. Most of the Universe is empty space! Science can’t even begin to explain where “space” came from. It is still debating what space is! “God stretcheth out the north over the empty place” (Job 26:7). Apparently there is a uniquely empty place in the northern sky! Science Magazine (Nov. 27, 1981) announced a “hole in space.” It’s a 300 million light year gap in distribution of galaxies in the northern Hemisphere toward the constellation Bootes. It’s Not visible to the naked eye so how did Job know this 4000 yrs ago? Obviously science is not the only source for knowledge!
The Hebrew Word “firmament” hints at being “stretched out” or “expanded!” Not till 1900 did man first realize the (2nd ) Heavens are expanding (at the precise speed necessary for Life on Earth!). (Job 9:8-10; 37:18; Isa. 40:22; 42:5; 51:13; Jer. 10:12; Zech. 12:1). God will roll them back up in Rev. 6:14; 2 Pet. 3:10-13; Ps. 102:25-26; Heb. 1:10-12.
God perfectly balanced the force of Gravity with the extraordinary speed of expansion to allow life on Earth! (Ps. 115:11-6; 89:11; Isa 45:12, 18)
AN IMPORTANT LESSON ON 2 KINDS OF SCIENCE:
[Hard] Empirical, operational or process Science: Gave us technology, modern medicine, electronics, aviation & engineering.
These discoveries are built on principles that we can test & use in experiments – IN THE PRESENT
[Soft] Historical, forensic, or origins Science: Involves working out what happened IN THE PAST. Historical Science is severely limited because we cannot repeat, experiment on, or observe past events. So Scientists make inferences based on assumptions.
Speculation & pre-existing beliefs play a major role in the interpretation of data & impacts conclusions. Thus Scientists who reject God or are pre-committed to ‘scientism’ or ‘materialism’ will be led astray by their worldview & lead us astray! (Rom. 1:19-22; Ps. 14:1; 53:1; Prov. 1:7).
The Conflicts between Science & Religion occur in [soft] historical science not in [hard] Empirical science! Science doesn’t really say anything – scientists do! Often they are biased by their worldview.
Observations show all Galaxies moving away from the Earth (makes Earth a special central point in Space). But Atheistic Scientists cannot accept the notion Earth is special! Edwin Hubble wrote: “Red Shifts imply we occupy a unique position in the universe…but this unwelcome supposition of a favored location must be avoided at all costs.” [its intolerable!] (Edwin Hubble, The Observational Approach to Cosmology, 1937, p. 50, 51, 59).
Stephen Hawking admitted it was incomprehensible that the Universe could have formed by random chance. He writes: “if the original rate of expansion were smaller by 1 part in a hundred thousand million million the Universe would have recollapsed!” (A Brief History of Time – From the Big Bang to Black Holes, 1988, p. 122-123). The Fear of the LORD is the beginning of Wisdom (Prov. 9:10). Stephen Hawking said: “There is no heaven or afterlife; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.” John Lennox responded: “Atheism is a fairy story for people afraid of the Light.” (see John 3:19-21).
(Ref. Can Science Explain Everything? By John C. Lennox, 2019, p. 30. [any Book or YouTube video by John Lennox will strengthen your faith]
1ST HEAVEN: “SPREAD OUT AS A TENT” (a Temporary Home)
(Isa 40:21) “Have ye not known? …hath it not been told you from the beginning?” (God rebukes us for forgetting Gen. 1!). (22) It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth… that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain (a thin veil), & spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: (Isa. 42:5; Ps. 102:4; Jer. 10:12). Earth’s Atmosphere is literally like a thin veil, that makes earth a safe Home for man. Our atmosphere is complex, unique & supernaturally designed to allow life on earth!
GOD RIDES UPON “THE HEAVENS OF HEAVENS” (Ps. 68:4, 33)
Unlike man trapped in this 3 dimensional world God doesn’t need “light years” in order to travel across the entire Heavens. God is not bound by space or time in travelling between His Home in 3rd Heaven & our temporary Home on Earth (Deut. 33:26).
Isaiah’s Inspired Question challenges us to see God’s Glory:
“Who meted out heaven with the span?” (Isa. 40:12; 48:13). To God the Heavens are as small as “a span of his hand.” They reveal God to be infinite! Omnipresent! & timeless (eternal)! God The Father is Omnipresent (Ps. 139:7-10); The Son is Omnipresent (Eph. 1:23; 4:10); and The Spirit is Omnipresent (Ps. 139:7-10)
Jesus proved He was God by “Passing into the Heavens”
(Heb. 4:14) “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession” (Heb. 8:1; Rom. 1:4). Jesus is Omnipresent! He “ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things” (Eph. 4:10; Act 2:32-36). Jesus is the LORD God Reigning from the Heavens: God “raised Jesus from the dead, & set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:20-22; 4:8-10). In Christ we are Intimately Involved in the Spiritual realm. God has already “made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6-7; read Col. 3:1-4).
IN CHRIST WE TRANSCEND TIME & SPACE!
When we die we are transported to the 3rd Heaven in an Instant! (2 Cor. 5:1-8; Psalm 16:11). At the Rapture the Church is transported to the 3rd Heaven in an instant (I Cor. 15:51-58; I Thess. 4:13-18; John 14:1-3; Phil. 3:18-21). This is our “blessed Hope” (Titus 2:13).
Don’t let “godless” evolutionists with their “vain materialistic imaginations” rob you of your Incredible Spiritual blessings! God goes to great lengths to Reveal the intimate interaction between the Spiritual & Physical realms of Creation! (Gen 1:1-2; Ps. 89:5; Zech. 6:5; Ps. 16:11; 2Cor. 4:18). The Heavens open for Jesus (Matt. 3:16); Stephen (Acts 7:56); Peter (Act 10:11, 16); John (Rev. 4:1-2); Us (Rev.19:11, 14).
WATERS ON EARTH & WATERS ABOVE THE 2nd HEAVEN
“the firmament divided the waters which were under it from the waters which were above it” (Gen 1:7; Ps. 148:4) “Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.”
Scientific Facts eventually catch up to God’s Revelation!
Astronomers found “the largest & farthest reservoir of water ever detected.” A billion light-years farther away than any previous water & 140 trillion times the volume of water on earth! (Ref.: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, news release, July 22, 2011).
BETWEEN THE 2nd & 3rd HEAVEN IS A HUGE BODY OF WATER!
John describes it as a “sea of glass” (ice?) (Rev. 4:6; 15:2). The Temple’s “molten sea” was a ‘Prophetic Type” of this (I King 7:23). Our Eternal Heavenly Home has plenty of water (Rev. 22:1-2). Is this the sea satan works from in the Heavenly places? Read the following Scriptures and find out (Isa. 27:1; Eph. 3:10; 6:10-12; Job 41:1, 31-34).
God “stretcheth out the north over the empty place, & hangeth the earth upon nothing” (Job 26:7; Isa 40:22). Earth’s size & the force of Gravity is fine tuned for Life! Isaiah’s Inspired Question challenges us to see God’s Glory: “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand?” God “weigheth the waters by measure” (Isa. 40:12; Job 28:25) Science has determined the amount of water on earth is extremely fined tuned for life!
Jesus Proved He is The Creator of both Space & Water! How? Read Mark 4:35-41 with Proverbs 30:4 and Psalm 89:6-9. He who created the waters can easily walk on water (John 6:18-21; Job 9:2, 8)
Scientists are Finally catching up to God’s Revelation of Earth’s Water. In 2015 New Scientist magazine suggested that “our planet had water from the very beginning.” (Holmes, B. Origin of Earth’s water traced back to the birth of our planet. New Scientist). “Early earth was covered in a global ocean & had no mountains” (New Scientist, May 8, 2017).
DO SCIENCE & GOD’S REVELATION IN GENESIS CONFLICT?
God reveals the broad truth of His creation in Words understandable to every generation & culture to teach us WISDOM. If God described exactly how He created, it would be unintelligible for it would be far beyond anything anyone could comprehend. God’s Truth never Changes; Science (knowledge) is always changing. Till 1930 Scientists Taught the Universe was Eternal! Now they teach it had a beginning. They wasted a lot of Life catching up with God’s Revelation. Until Scientists know the Creator they will be “Ever learning, & never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2Tim. 3:7). But all along Bible Believers experience God, His Love & Eternal purpose for their Lives (1 Tim. 2:4).