Bible Studies

Our Dwelling

by Augustine Nicholas
03/28/18
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This is not a verse by verse study of the book of Genesis. Rather, it is an unbiased look at what the Lord has created for us . It may be that we will see something that we never noticed before. My only appeal would be to look at this with an unbiased mind. Let’s begin

Gen 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

We see two entities created - “the heaven” and “the earth”.

Gen 1:2  And the earth…

The next word in this verse - “was” has been explained in different manner by different bible scholars. But we have to stop before that word, so as to draw our attention to something very important. These words “And the earth” tells us many things. It tells us that the rest of the chapter is going to speak about the earth.  It tells us that the rest of the action is going to take place, not in heaven but on the earth. It is very important to keep that in mind before we proceed further.

Gen 1:2 ...and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

So, on this earth there are only things that seem to exist - “darkness” and “waters”. Let’s keep that also in our mind.

Gen 1:5  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

So God creates light on the first day. Let’s recall that the only things on this earth was darkness and waters. In that, the darkness has been removed for a section of time.

Gen 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.

Note on the words “IN THE MIDST OF THE WATERS” in this verse. The “firmament” means an expanse, a space, the visible arch of the sky. So where is the firmament? In the middle of the waters. Now let’s recall that all this is going on, on this earth at a time where there were only 2 things on this earth, namely waters and (½ a day of) darkness. A space inside of water sounds like an air bubble, doesn't it?    

Gen 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.

This verse sounds like it is verifying our deduction so far. There is water above and there is water below and space in the middle.

Gen 1:8  And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

So we now have a name for that firmament - Heaven.  Let’s again recall that in the beginning the Lord created the heaven and the earth. Those are 2 different places. But this “heaven” is inside the earth. The earth now consists of the “heaven” and the “waters above” and the “waters below”

Gen 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.

While the waters above are untouched, the waters below is made to gather to one side making room for dry land to appear.

Gen 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.

Here we see another earth?? Well, but it is explained well. The dry land is called the earth. So now the earth consists of - waters above, firmament, earth and sea.

Gen 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:

HALT right there!! “Lights in the firmament”?? We already saw that the firmament was inside the earth. If so what lights did God put over there?

Gen 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.

Wow!! So the sun, and the moon and the stars were made in the firmament inside the earth? Let’s recall that we had kept in our mind that the second verse tells us that all the action is happening on this earth. Is the verse really telling us this? Let’s also note that this is the 4th day after the earth was created. So for the first 3 days there was no sun, moon or stars.

Gen 1:17  And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

Well this verse is indeed telling us that God set them in “the firmament of heaven”. So the earth now consists of - the waters above, the firmament (consisting of the sun, moon, and stars), the earth and the seas.

Gen 1:20  And God said, ...and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

Well what we are seeing here is that, along with the sun and the moon and the stars there is somebody sharing the same space. The fowls of the air.

So dear brothers and sisters please think about this. What has the Lord created for us?