What God did on Earth's first fourth day.

Follow the reasoning here for a bit... (I know it's long...)

WHEN IS A COMPUTER A COMPUTER?

Is it simply a collection of its components?
Is it only the hard frame? or does it include the screen?
Does it become a computer when it is put in the box at the manufacturer?
Does it become a computer after the main components are assembled?
Does it only become a computer after it is plugged in?
Or is it a computer only after one hits the "START" button?
Or does it become a computer only after the owner sits down and gives it an assigned task? ...when it's actually computing?
​

The Hebrew phrase "tōhû wa bohu" has been translated a number of different ways.
The only other time they occur closely together is in Isaiah 34:11, where the Authorized Version translates them as "confusion" and "emptiness".

Genesis 1;2
AV: formless and void
NASB: formless and void
NKJV: without form and void
ESV: without form and void
NIV: formless and empty
NLT: formless and empty
NRSV: a formless void
NJPS: Unformed and void
NET: Without shape and empty
NCV: Empty and had no form
Young's: waste and void

Isaiah 34:11
AV: confusion, emptiness
NASB: desolation, emptiness
NKJV: confusion, emptiness
ESV: confusion, emptiness
NIV: chaos, desolation
NLT: chaos, destruction
NRSV: confusion, chaos
NJPS: chaos, emptiness
NET: ruin, destruction
NCV: empty, nothing left
Young's: vacancy, emptiness​

The emphasis in Western culture is on material objects:

What was made and how was it done?​

But Genesis 1 is more concerned with function:

the heaven and earth were unproductive and nonfunctional.​

In Genesis 1 God assigned the components of heaven and earth a purpose and started his plan.
Before then the heaven and earth was without purpose and function
In Genesis 1 the H&E became functional.

Any time before that was uncounted.

Rob

 

1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.


Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Why was there darkness on the earth, on the face of the deep?

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[fn] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Eph 6:11,12

in whom the god of this age did blind the minds of the unbelieving, that there doth not shine forth to them the enlightening of the good news of the glory of the Christ, who is the image of God; for not ourselves do we preach, but Christ Jesus -- Lord, and ourselves your servants because of Jesus; because it is God who said, Out of darkness light to shine, who did shine in our hearts, for the enlightening of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Gen 1:2 ???

Is God about to put into motion the means for the Son of God to be manifested as flesh and blood to destroy the god of this age and his works? 1 John 3:8 Rom 5:13 Heb 2:14

What was the beginning of the darkness of this age and the god of this age?

 

And yet darkness existed prior to light.

"Let there be light." (Ge 1.3)

...there was evening and there was morning...
​

~~~~~~~~~~~~

So days four through six parallel days one through three: each function was filled by the corresponding days work.

This can be illustrated by lining them up in parallel:

Day One: Darkness and Light (FUNCTION-TIME) - Day Four: Sun, Moon and stars

Day Two: Separation of the Land and Waters (FUNCTION-WEATHER) - Day Five: Living Creatures

Day Three: Vegetation: Seed and Fruit (FUNCTION-SUSTENANCE) - Day Six: Mankind

Day Seven: Divine Enthronement​

And to finally answer the opening posts question,

on Day Four the sun, moon and stars were provided to give us the basis for time.​

Rob

 

I've always understood the "Light" of Day 1 to be the founding of God's plan. Was it not?

 

Kind of hard to just create two lights that is to serve as signs, but with seasons, days and years, I can see how the sun & the moon can serve for seasons, days and years, but for signs? And so that scripture "he made the stars also" has to be applied as well for when God created the heavens and that was the fourth day.

That means the heavens did not exist before day 4 for how all those other stars are to serves as signs to the earth that 4th 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:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

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.

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

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.

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

 

In the context of the message of Genesis 1:1 which ended in Genesis 2:3 , Genesis 1:2 is just testifying that the earth was not there yet in day one.

In the context of the message of Isaiah 34:1-17, Isaiah 34:11 is testifying to how the land was emptied out of good things of God due to the sins of the nations.

Words has to be defined by the context of the message. Like "pneuma" in Greek does not always mean the Holy Spirit. it can be defined as "a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit:-............" you get the picture anyway for how one word has to be defined by the context of the message.

And so His discernment is needed to see that Genesis 1:2 is nothing like Isaiah 34:11.

The earth was not there the first day but what was created that first day by that light was "the beginning".

The 2nd day, God created gravity in separating the water from the water and thereby creating a water planet from the upper atmosphere which is the sky.

Did you note that God did not say it was good that 2nd day? That is because He was not done creating the earth until day 3.

 

I would say Day One was the establishment of time by that light that was created for day one as there was evening and morning each day since.

The 4th day was when the heavens were created for signs, seasons, days and years as God commanded her lights, even from the farthest distant star to shine on the earth that 4th day.

And so no one can us ethe speed of light to tell us how old the universe is when God created the heavens that 4th day to provide her lights for that purpose.

So apply Genesis 1:1 as the topic of God creating the heavens and the earth and the following verses all the way to Genesis 2:3 on how God did it all in 6 days to rest on the 7th day.

 

I understood it as establishing the very beginning of "the beginning" as that light was how there was evening and morning that first day. Genesis 1:1 is the topic and the following verses all the way to Genesis 2:3 was how God created everything in 6 days for Him to rest on the 7th day.

That means on day one, according to Genesis 1:2, the earth did not exists yet. All that was there was water. God began to create the earth on day 2 by creating gravity ( that firmament) to divide the water from the water, thereby creating a water planet ( one firmament ) with an upper atmosphere aka the sky ( the other firmament ).

Do note that God never said it was good that 2nd day? That is because He was not done creating the earth until Day 3.

That also means the heavens was not there yet in Day One because the heavens was created on that 4th day.

 

To be precise, earth was not there nor the heavens on Day One.

I understood that first day as establishing the very beginning of "the beginning" as that light was how there was evening and morning that first day. Genesis 1:1 is the topic and the following verses all the way to Genesis 2:3 was how God created everything in 6 days for Him to rest on the 7th day.

That means on day one, according to Genesis 1:2, the earth did not exists yet. All that was there was water. God began to create the earth on day 2 by creating gravity ( that firmament) to divide the water from the water, thereby creating a water planet ( one firmament ) with an upper atmosphere aka the sky ( the other firmament ).

Do note that God never said it was good that 2nd day? That is because He was not done creating the earth until Day 3.

That also means the heavens was not there yet in Day One because the heavens was created on that 4th day.

Since scriptures was not originally divided by numbered chapters and numbered verses, the first creation account has to be read all the way to genesis 2:3 to get the full picture.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 2:1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

So the heavens and the earth was not created that first day but that light was created to establish the "beginning" as there was evening and morning that first day.

That means for God to rest on the 7th day from all His creation, then He created everything in the literal 6 days as we know it.

 

Actually, you are reading a false narrative into the text.

Genesis 1:1 is the topic and the following verses was how God did that in verse 1 for how and why it ended in Genesis 2:1-3 as having created the heavens the earth in 6 days for Him to rest on the 7th day.

Otherwise, you have to explain what God exactly did on the 2nd day if the earth was already there since the first day?

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.

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.

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

What was the firmament in the midst of the waters that divided the waters from the waters? Can you explain that?

I see that firmament in the midst of the water as gravity since it was gravity that divided the waters ( the water planet ) from the waters ( the upper atmosphere aka the sky.

And I see why God did not say it was good that 2nd day because He was not done creating the earth until the third day.

God did not command the waters to recede to make the dry land appear like after the Biblical global flood. God laid the foundations of the earth by His word and thus that land wasn't there and neither the earth that first day.

Job 38:4Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Psalm 102;25Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.

Psalm 104:5Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

Isaiah 48:13Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.

Isaiah 51:13And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?

Hebrews 1:10And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

Now if you apply your narrative of Genesis 1:1 to Hebrews 1:10, then where is the land in day 1 or day 2?

So you cannot apply Genesis 1:1 as an event that has already occurred.

Look at Genesis 2:4 about the next topic on where the generations of mankind had come from as it is a re-enactment of the 6th day of creation by how verse 5 reports there was not a man yet to till the ground.

Genesis 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

So Genesis 2:4 starts the topic as the following verses is about that topic in verse 4 just as Genesis 1:1 is the topic and the following verses is about how God did that in verse 1 which ended in Genesis 2:3 in doing Genesis 1;1 all in 6 days to rest in the 7th day.

Otherwise, if it took longer than 6 days for God to created everything, then it is not the truth that He rested on the 7th day from all He has made.

But it is the truth and that is why you are reading a false narrative as if Genesis 1:1 has already happened and the following verses is a separate creation event, as if day one was not the actual beginning after all..

 

One has to read the first creation account from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3 to understand what is being conveyed.

There are too many erroneous commentaries and false teachings out there trying to align His words with the false science of the evolution theory for why believers need His wisdom and discernment to read it without those false narratives.

I cannot help you see that truth in His words, Only Jesus can do that.

 

There is rightly dividing the word of truth and then there is not.

2 Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Now I ask you to explain what God exactly did on Day 2 by applying ALL the scriptures about that 2nd day.

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.

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.

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

What was the firmament in the midst of the waters that divided the waters from the waters? Can you explain that?

I see that firmament in the midst of the water as gravity since it was gravity that divided the waters ( the water planet ) from the waters ( the upper atmosphere aka the sky. )

And I see why God did not say it was good that 2nd day because He was not done creating the earth until the third day.

Now if you disagree, address & apply all the firmaments mentioned in Day 2 in rightly dividing the word of truth.

If you can't, then this is why I do not see earth existing in day one for why Genesis 1:2 is God's way of saying that it did not exists as there was only water that first day when He created the light to establish the "beginning" by its evening and morning that first day.

 

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?