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†. Gen 1:14a . . God said: Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky
On the fourth day, God spent time up in celestial regions. It might seem odd
that He began work on the surface of the Earth, and then before finishing,
stopped short and moved off into space. Why not finish building down here
on the planet first?
Because many types of plants and animals need sunlight if they're to be
strong and healthy. At this point in the creation, planet Earth was very dark
and freezing cold. The dark side of the Moon gets down to like 279º below
zero; so it was time to turn the Earth into a greenhouse. And besides,
temperature variations play a role in the process of erosion; which assists in
soil formation. And climate is important too seeing as how most varieties of
vegetation are geared to seasonal variations.
Oxygen is a must gas for sustaining life on earth and a very large
percentage of it is produced by photosynthesis which is a chemical process
that works best in sunlight. No doubt the original atmosphere contained
oxygen enough, but would eventually be absorbed by oxidation and other
kinds of chemical activity. Plant life plays a major role in both filtration and
replenishment; hence the need to get a Sun shining as soon as possible.
The atmosphere contains about 19.5 to 23.5 percent oxygen at any given
time and even with all the fossil fuel burned around the world, along with the
destruction of savannas, prairies, woodlands, wetlands, and rain forests,
coupled with volcanic activity, the percentage remain fairly stable.
The lights created in verse 14 are luminous objects; and one of them; the
Moon, doesn't generate its own light. It reflects light from the Sun. But for
practical purposes, both of them shed light upon the Earth just as God
intended for them to do.
†. Gen 1:14b . . to distinguish Day from Night;
On the first day; God defined Day as a condition of light; and defined Night
as a condition of darkness. Here, it's further defined that Day, as pertains to
life on Earth, is when the sun is up; and Night is when the sun is down.
These definitions occur so early in the Bible that they easily escape the
memories of Bible students as they slip into the reflexive habit of always
thinking of Days as periods of one earth rotation of 24 hours. That's okay for
calendars but can lead to gross misunderstandings when interpreting biblical
schedules, predictions, and/or chronologies.
†. Gen 1:14c . . they shall serve as signs for the set times-- the days and
the years;
The word for "signs" is from 'owth (oth) and means: a signal; such as a flag,
beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.
The Sun and the Moon are very useful time keepers. The Sun of course
marks off days and years; and if you were to tell somebody your intention to
visit them in five Moons, they would have a pretty good idea when to get
ready for your arrival.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
†. Gen 1:14a . . God said: Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky
On the fourth day, God spent time up in celestial regions. It might seem odd
that He began work on the surface of the Earth, and then before finishing,
stopped short and moved off into space. Why not finish building down here
on the planet first?
Because many types of plants and animals need sunlight if they're to be
strong and healthy. At this point in the creation, planet Earth was very dark
and freezing cold. The dark side of the Moon gets down to like 279º below
zero; so it was time to turn the Earth into a greenhouse. And besides,
temperature variations play a role in the process of erosion; which assists in
soil formation. And climate is important too seeing as how most varieties of
vegetation are geared to seasonal variations.
Oxygen is a must gas for sustaining life on earth and a very large
percentage of it is produced by photosynthesis which is a chemical process
that works best in sunlight. No doubt the original atmosphere contained
oxygen enough, but would eventually be absorbed by oxidation and other
kinds of chemical activity. Plant life plays a major role in both filtration and
replenishment; hence the need to get a Sun shining as soon as possible.
The atmosphere contains about 19.5 to 23.5 percent oxygen at any given
time and even with all the fossil fuel burned around the world, along with the
destruction of savannas, prairies, woodlands, wetlands, and rain forests,
coupled with volcanic activity, the percentage remain fairly stable.
The lights created in verse 14 are luminous objects; and one of them; the
Moon, doesn't generate its own light. It reflects light from the Sun. But for
practical purposes, both of them shed light upon the Earth just as God
intended for them to do.
†. Gen 1:14b . . to distinguish Day from Night;
On the first day; God defined Day as a condition of light; and defined Night
as a condition of darkness. Here, it's further defined that Day, as pertains to
life on Earth, is when the sun is up; and Night is when the sun is down.
These definitions occur so early in the Bible that they easily escape the
memories of Bible students as they slip into the reflexive habit of always
thinking of Days as periods of one earth rotation of 24 hours. That's okay for
calendars but can lead to gross misunderstandings when interpreting biblical
schedules, predictions, and/or chronologies.
†. Gen 1:14c . . they shall serve as signs for the set times-- the days and
the years;
The word for "signs" is from 'owth (oth) and means: a signal; such as a flag,
beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.
The Sun and the Moon are very useful time keepers. The Sun of course
marks off days and years; and if you were to tell somebody your intention to
visit them in five Moons, they would have a pretty good idea when to get
ready for your arrival.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=