6And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7And 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.
8And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
A simple reading of this might lead people to believe that the author is merely saying that there was water in the sky (the clouds) and the oceans below. Some have speculated that people lived longer prior to the flood because the firmament protected people from the aging properties of ultraviolet light. I should explain that the word that we translate for firmament is closer to an expanse.
Some have speculated that the rain of the great flood occurred when the firmament was removed. If this is so then we would have had less water on the earth prior to the great flood and there is archeological evidence for this. The standard explanation in science is that long ago a great ice age trapped the water in glaciers; but, it is agreed that there was less water in the oceans and seas than there is now. I find it interesting that the authors of the bible knew that the earth had less water in the seas and oceans long ago.
As we read the creation story we should begin to see a pattern. As with dark and light we see the same approach with water. God creates a thing and then separates it in two with all the different mixtures in between. This approach allows for maximum variation. God likes diversity.
As we go through the bible we are going to see certain themes again and again. If you read the bible from beginning to end in order you begin to get a deeper understanding of how all the pieces fit together. It is not just individual stories, it is a progression, an evolution of mankind. To really understand the bible one must understand this progression.
In creating everything God started with very little, he started with him and darkness. God did not create the universe from outside of himself, there was nothing other than him and darkness. He created the universe with what was inside of him by his will alone. This is also a theme that we will return to. At present we are merely looking at the progression of creation. By the way, the bible says that the earth and planets were created in a certain progression. We should find it interesting that it is the same progression that science describes, although the time frame is often debated. As we don't know how long a day for God is, I have no idea how many human years were involved.
Well I hope this gives people something to think about. Be well.
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