The Great Oxygen Event

[Job 33:6]

Genesis 1:3, 5-6, 8-9, 11, 13 ESV
[3] And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
[5] God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. [6] And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
[8] And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. [9] And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.
[11] And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so.
[13] And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.


If we actually look closely at Genesis, we see that every creation day begins with God speaking.

and God said.
And God said.
And God said etc.

And every creation day ends with evening and morning.

There was evening and there was morning
There was evening and there was morning
There was evening and there was morning

That's how the days are structured and that's how you know when a day has begun and ended.

And if you follow that same pattern through the entire first chapter of Genesis, you'll notice that the first time God speaks on day one is when God says, let there be light.

Light, is the first thing that God creates, by speaking, on day 1. Not the earth. The earth is created on day 3.

Everything was not created in 1 day, rather everything was created in 6 days.

@Doug Brents

 

[Job 33:6]

It does. It says that He made everything "in the beginning" and from the Beginning to the end of the first day was only one morning and one evening.

A good analogy for this would be something like a play.

You go to Broadway in New York. And you're going to see your favorite play.

And there is a question. When did the play begin? And someone could say, well, the play began in 1910 when Andrew Webber sat down and was thinking about the phantom of the Opera and...

Or

Someone could say, well the play began at 9am on Thursday when the curtains opened.

"The beginning" can be understood in different ways. And what way is described in Genesis, is going to come down to what story is important to the author to state. Whomever you understand that author to be or however God interacts with his chosen prophets to share that story, it's their perspective that is going to be shared.

And it's not necessarily wrong to say that the play began when the curtains opened at 9am on thursday, even if ultimately the play also began in 1910 with someone initially speaking the plays script into existence. What is "the" beginning? There is no definite article in Genesis by the way. It doesn't even say "the" beginning. It says, "beginning" and it does not say either way otherwise. In Hebrew it's, "In Beginning of God created". So some translations say "in the beginning when" or simply "When God began".

What is the more important beginning to describe? And for many people, Thursday morning at 9am is a more important event, than whatever happened in 1910 with the original author's development of the script. When your kid is in a school play and they're up on stage in a costume, you're worried about being there on time, and being present at that moment. And while it is important to know who wrote the play long ago (the original beginning), sometimes thats just not the story that people want to tell or hear about.

And someone could say, well you can't have your kids play if someone didn't originally sit down in the 1900s and write the script.

Well that is true. However, that still doesn't mean that that's the most important beginning to talk about. I'm more worried about my kid saying the right lines and being a part of something special on Thursday morning. And the original author may also find value in speaking about that 9am start, rather than his initial writing of the play. Both are important stories.

And Hebrews may reference Genesis. But Hebrews need not tell the same story. Paul references the old testament all the time, but we know that Paul oftentimes tells a unique and different story. Sometimes he changes words or he changes small details and concepts.

All that to say, just because the new testament sometimes might sound similar to the OT, it is not correct to assume that these texts are telling the same story or trying to say the same things. You can't rely on the new testament to understand the old testament. These are very very different texts. The new testament can sometimes give insight into the OT. But it's not a 1-to-1 match.

 

[Diamond72]

the earth is created on day 3.

Correct if "Earth" means ground because day three God created land. On Day Three, the "land" (dry ground) appears, distinguishing it from the waters, creating the familiar separation of land and sea.

 

[Job 33:6]

Correct if "Earth" means ground because day three God created land. On Day Three, the "land" (dry ground) appears, distinguishing it from the waters, creating the familiar separation of land and sea.

Correct. It probably is more appropriate to translate it as "land". And many translations do this.

Genesis 1:9-10 NIV
[9] And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. [10] God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

 

[Diamond72]

God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

The whole point is that God created the first day, most likely the last 24 hours of the first day. I question if the event horizon of a black hole. Because sunrise and sunset begin on the horizon by definition.

Sunrise and sunset indeed occur at the horizon, marking the daily cycle of light and darkness. This natural phenomenon illustrates the transition between day and night, much like the poetic language in Genesis describes the creation of light and its separation from darkness.

The idea of light emerging from the horizon can inspire numerous interpretations, from the literal day-night cycle to more symbolic or philosophical meanings. It's remarkable how these ancient texts continue to resonate with our understanding of the natural world.

 

[Job 33:6]

The whole point is that God created the first day, most likely the last 24 hours of the first day. I question if the event horizon of a black hole. Because sunrise and sunset begin on the horizon by definition.

Sunrise and sunset indeed occur at the horizon, marking the daily cycle of light and darkness. This natural phenomenon illustrates the transition between day and night, much like the poetic language in Genesis describes the creation of light and its separation from darkness.

The idea of light emerging from the horizon can inspire numerous interpretations, from the literal day-night cycle to more symbolic or philosophical meanings. It's remarkable how these ancient texts continue to resonate with our understanding of the natural world.

Just my opinion but I would say that, the text is describing the concept of light, visible in the sky, before the sun (as is the case each morning when the sun rises). We see light breaking through the night before we see the sun rise above the boundary between light and dark.

Job 26:10 ESV
[10] He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness.

Which is why the sun doesn't appear until day 4. And that, God in many texts is described like a master artist or builder or creator. In that, he might tak a compass and inscribed a circle, to create a boundary to hold back the waters. The raqia or firmament.

By wisdom a temple is built,
and by understanding it is established;
by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant riches. (Prov. 24:3-4)

The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew. (Prov. 3
:19-20)

Creation is God's temple. Hence why he "rests" enthroned in the temple throne room.

Isaiah 66:1-2 ESV
[1] Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? [2] All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord.

Heaven and earth is more about God building His temple where He dwells among us. And when he rests on the 7th day, he's taking up the throne in rulership.

Psalm 132:14 ESV
[14] “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
[13] For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling, saying, [14] “This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.

That's what it means when God "rests" on the 7th day.

 

[Diamond72]

Correct. It probably is more appropriate to translate it as "land". And many translations do this.

The Hebrew word יַבָּשָׁה (yabbashah) appears less frequently in the Hebrew Bible compared to other words like אֲדָמָה (adamah) and אֶרֶץ (eretz), which are commonly used to refer to the ground or land.

Meanings and Contexts:​

• יַבָּשָׁה (yabbashah): This word specifically means "dry land" and is often used in contexts where dry land is distinguished from water or seas. For example, in Genesis 1:9-10, where God gathers the waters to let dry land appear.
• אֲדָמָה (adamah): This word refers to the ground or soil and is often used in contexts relating to agriculture, humanity's creation (Genesis 2:7), and the earth's fertility.
• אֶרֶץ (eretz): A more general term for land or earth, used extensively throughout the Bible to refer to the Earth, land of nations, or territories.

 

[Diamond72]

Just my opinion but I would say that, the text is describing the concept of light, visible in the sky, before the sun (as is the case each morning when the sun rises). We see light breaking through the night before we see the sun rise above the boundary between light and dark.

Do we really want to get into a discussion about the Twilight zone?

Twilight in the Bible:​

• 1 Samuel 30:17: "David fought them from twilight until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled."
  • This passage highlights the time of twilight as a significant period during a battle.
• Job 24:15: "The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, 'No eye will see me,' and he keeps his face concealed."
  • This verse uses the concept of twilight to symbolize secrecy and the time when people might hide their actions.
• Proverbs 7:9: "At twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in."
  • This verse describes the setting of twilight in a narrative about the dangers of temptation.

 

[Doug Brents]

Your statement assumes that Hebrews is a retelling of Genesis.

No, there is no assumption there at all. The Hebrew writer is simply stating that God made everything from nothing when He created everything. That is not telling the Genesis story; it is affirming that the Genesis story is true, and affirming that the concept of His having made everything from nothing is true in the Genesis account.

The topic just isn't so simple. And I'll give an example that is a little easier here.

Paul in Ephesians 4 says the following:

Ephesians 4:8 ESV
[8] Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

Psalm 68:18 ESV
[18] You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.

And these texts are similar. It's clear that Paul had the Psalms in mind, even. However, it's not actually correct to say that Paul is attempting to retell the same story. Or that Paul is trying to inform people of what the original narrative is saying. In fact, upon close examination, we see that some of language is adjusted from gifts being received to gifts being given. The context is different, despite the narrative appearing largely the same.

And this is an important topic to understand with respect to hermeneutics. The New Testament is a different collection of books with different authors and different messages. Even if it draws on or sometimes references the OT. These are distinct and separate books. And these books speak to different things.

No, the NT does not have a different author, and it is not completely distinct or separate, any more than book seven of the Chronicles of Narnia is completely separate and distinct from book one. It is a continuation of the same story, different characters and events, but the same story being brought to a conclusion.

Light, is what is created on the first day. Not the earth. Remember, the earth is created on day 3.

Light was indeed created on the first day, after the heavens and the earth were created. You are completely skipping verses 1. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth." He made them, and when He made them they were formless and empty. But that was all made on the first day, even before light was made.

If we actually look closely at Genesis, we see that every creation day begins with God speaking.

and God said.
And God said.
And God said etc.

And every creation day ends with evening and morning.

There was evening and there was morning
There was evening and there was morning
There was evening and there was morning

That's how the days are structured and that's how you know when a day has begun and ended.

And if you follow that same pattern through the entire first chapter of Genesis, you'll notice that the first time God speaks on day one is when God says, let there be light.

Light, is the first thing that God creates, by speaking, on day 1. Not the earth. The earth is created on day 3.

Everything was not created in 1 day, rather everything was created in 6 days.

Land was created on day 3, but "the Earth" (being at that time a formless mass of water) was created at the beginning of day one. We don't have recorded that God spoke it into existence, but He created (made something from nothing) it before He created light.

A good analogy for this would be something like a play.

You go to Broadway in New York. And you're going to see your favorite play.

And there is a question. When did the play begin? And someone could say, well, the play began in 1910 when Andrew Webber sat down and was thinking about the phantom of the Opera and...

Or

Someone could say, well the play began at 9am on Thursday when the curtains opened.

"The beginning" can be understood in different ways. And what way is described in Genesis, is going to come down to what story is important to the author to state. Whomever you understand that author to be or however God interacts with his chosen prophets to share that story, it's their perspective that is going to be shared.

And it's not necessarily wrong to say that the play began when the curtains opened at 9am on thursday, even if ultimately the play also began in 1910 with someone initially speaking the plays script into existence. What is "the" beginning? There is no definite article in Genesis by the way. It doesn't even say "the" beginning. It says, "beginning" and it does not say either way otherwise. In Hebrew it's, "In Beginning of God created". So some translations say "in the beginning when" or simply "When God began".

When God began, He made the heavens and the Earth from nothing, then He made light. It doesn't matter how you phrase it, when everything began, when God exerted His power to cause our physical reality to come into existence, that is the beginning, and that is when God made everything that is.

What is the more important beginning to describe? And for many people, Thursday morning at 9am is a more important event, than whatever happened in 1910 with the original author's development of the script. When your kid is in a school play and they're up on stage in a costume, you're worried about being there on time, and being present at that moment. And while it is important to know who wrote the play long ago (the original beginning), sometimes thats just not the story that people want to tell or hear about.

You are just muddying the waters here. This performance of the play may begin at 9 on Thursday morning, but the play actually began hen it was formed in the author's mind in 1910. The author of Genesis and Hebrews (God) is looking to the beginning (when everything was first being made), and telling us that He made it from nothing and He started at a definite point, the beginning.

All that to say, just because the new testament sometimes might sound similar to the OT, it is not correct to assume that these texts are telling the same story or trying to say the same things. You can't rely on the new testament to understand the old testament. These are very very different texts. The new testament can sometimes give insight into the OT. But it's not a 1-to-1 match.

From your perspective, I can see your point. If you believe that the Scriptures were authored by 40 men over 2500 years then there are bound to be discrepancies, errors, contradictions, omissions, and disjointed meanings between the many works. But when you understand that there is only one author who breathed His Words into the minds of 40 men, and His authorship is perfect, unimpeachable, error and contradiction free, then you understand that you have only one story through the whole of Scripture, and there is a 1 to 1 match all the way through. The most important point in the Creation story, and what the Hebrew writer is pointing out, is that God is in complete control because He made everything from nothing, and put all the rules in place that we are just now coming to understand. So the most important "beginning" is not 9AM on Thursday, but is when the world actually began.

 

[Diamond72]

In that, he might tak a compass and inscribed a circle, to create a boundary to hold back the waters.

I like to balance river rocks and I do a lot of rock art. I esp like rocks that are formed and shaped by water. You can put them in a tumbler to polish them but you have to let it run for a week.

 

[Job 33:6]

No, there is no assumption there at all. The Hebrew writer is simply stating that God made everything from nothing when He created everything. That is not telling the Genesis story; it is affirming that the Genesis story is true, and affirming that the concept of His having made everything from nothing is true in the Genesis account.

Nobody denied that God created everything. But that doesn't automatically mean that Paul is retelling the Genesis narrative or trying to say that that is what Genesis is about. You're indeed making an assumption, imagining something that the text never says.

The rest of your post simply misunderstands the text. Light is the first thing created on day 1. "And God Said", marks God's creative action with the spoken word. That's how every day of Genesis begins.

And the first time God spoke, is in verse 3. With the creation of light. Nothing happens before then.

And the Hebrew words for "earth" and "land" are the same in Genesis. It's eretz. So, it's not correct to treat these as if they are different. The earth is created on day 3, not day 1. And sometimes it's just translated as "land".

 

[Job 33:6]

I like to balance river rocks and I do a lot of rock art. I esp like rocks that are formed and shaped by water. You can put them in a tumbler to polish them but you have to let it run for a week.

View attachment 357635

That's pretty cool! It reminds me of the book cover of "Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks" by Marcia Bjornerud

 

[Job 33:6]

From your perspective, I can see your point. If you believe that the Scriptures were authored by 40 men over 2500 years then there are bound to be discrepancies, errors, contradictions, omissions, and disjointed meanings between the many works.

Paul might reference the old testament. But they are different books with different authors. Both inspired. But different nonetheless.

Ephesians 4:8 ESV
[8] Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

Psalm 68:18 ESV
[18] You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.

And Paul is not "contradicting" the psalmist. He's just telling a different story. And that's ok for him to do that.

It is a perfect example, no honest person can look at these two verses and conclude that they say the same thing, one says that he gave gifts to men, the other says that gifts were received or receiving gifts among men.

It doesn't take a professional of grammar to see that these are different. And yet Paul is drawing from the Old Testament, he's using the same phrases, the same language, explicitly referencing a particular narrative. But he's saying something different.

And that's because Paul is a different author than the psalmist, he's going to talk about different things, the books are about different subjects, they're written from different backgrounds of context and culture and meaning and thought.

Both Paul and the psalmist are inspired, but they are going to say different things, these are two different books.

And it's the same with the book of Hebrews in the New Testament and Genesis, sometimes Hebrews might say things that sound similar to Genesis, but it's just a different book. It's a strange assumption to think that Hebrews is trying to clarify the meaning of Genesis when Hebrews is a completely different book about completely different things.

Unless Paul in the book of Hebrews explicitly said that he was extrapolating or clarifying on the meaning of Genesis, but of course Hebrews says no such thing.

 

[Doug Brents]

Nobody denied that God created everything. But that doesn't automatically mean that Paul is retelling the Genesis narrative or trying to say that that is what Genesis is about. You're indeed making an assumption, imagining something that the text never says.

The rest of your post simply misunderstands the text. Light is the first thing created on day 1. "And God Said", marks God's creative action with the spoken word. That's how every day of Genesis begins.

No, Genesis 1:1 begins God's Creation when He creates the heavens and the Earth, before He created light.

And the first time God spoke, is in verse 3. With the creation of light. Nothing happens before then.

Quit a lot happened before God made light. He made the heavens (all of space) and the Earth. None of that was there before God created it.

And the Hebrew words for "earth" and "land" are the same in Genesis. It's eretz. So, it's not correct to treat these as if they are different. The earth is created on day 3, not day 1. And sometimes it's just translated as "land".

The land was indeed separated from the water on day 3, but the earth was there in the formless mass of water above which the Spirit of God moved that He had created on day one.

Paul might reference the old testament. But they are different books with different authors. Both inspired. But different nonetheless.

Different writers, but same author. Different audience, but same message: God is all powerful and in control.

And it's the same with the book of Hebrews in the New Testament and Genesis, sometimes Hebrews might say things that sound similar to Genesis, but it's just a different book. It's a strange assumption to think that Hebrews is trying to clarify the meaning of Genesis when Hebrews is a completely different book about completely different things.

Hebrews is not "trying to clarify the meaning of Genesis". But the author (God) is referencing the creation of everything that is, just as John did in John 1:1-3, and referencing what is already known (that God created everything from nothing) to emphasize the fact that God is in control.

Unless Paul in the book of Hebrews explicitly said that he was extrapolating or clarifying on the meaning of Genesis, but of course Hebrews says no such thing.

Paul may or may not have been the writer of Hebrews, but that doesn't matter for this discussion. What matters is that the Hebrew writer was inspired by God to reference the creation that happened "in the beginning" where God made everything that is from nothing beyond His own power, to demonstrate that He is in total control of everything including our lives.

 

[Job 33:6]

No, Genesis 1:1 begins God's Creation when He creates the heavens and the Earth, before He created light.

Nope. Light is the first thing that God speaks into existence. "And God said". That's how every creation day begins.

Genesis 1:1-3 NRSVUE
[1] When God began to create the heavens and the earth, [2] the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

[3] Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

(Every day begins with "God said").

Genesis 2:1 NRSVUE
[1] Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all their multitude.

These are bookends. They close in the text.

 

[Doug Brents]

Nope. Light is the first thing that God speaks into existence. "And God said". That's how every creation day begins.

Genesis 1:1-3 NRSVUE
[1] When God began to create the heavens and the earth, [2] the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

[3] Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

(Every day begins with "God said").

Genesis 2:1 NRSVUE
[1] Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all their multitude.

These are bookends. They close in the text.

When God began to create the heavens and the Earth He made the heavens and the earth from nothing, then He made light. The translation you are using is deliberately misleading you from the truth. God did not start with a preexisting world and begin to shape it. He started with nothing but Himself, and then created (made from nothing) the heavens and the earth. He does not need to "say" anything for creation to happen.

 

[Job 33:6]

Paul may or may not have been the writer of Hebrews, but that doesn't matter for this discussion. What matters is that the Hebrew writer was inspired by God to reference the creation that happened "in the beginning" where God made everything that is from nothing beyond His own power, to demonstrate that He is in total control of everything including our lives.

Let's look at the passage again:
Hebrews 11:3 NRSVUE
[3] By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

He doesn't even use the word "Beginning" here. What are you talking about?

 

[Job 33:6]

When God began to create the heavens and the Earth He made the heavens and the earth from nothing, then He made light. The translation you are using is deliberately misleading you from the truth. God did not start with a preexisting world and begin to shape it. He started with nothing but Himself, and then created (made from nothing) the heavens and the earth. He does not need to "say" anything for creation to happen.

That's not what the Bible says. No need to change the text. Just read it:

Genesis 1:1-3 NRSVUE
[1] When God began to create the heavens and the earth, [2] the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. [3] Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

When God began,

The earth was formless,

Then God said, let there be light.

That's it. It doesn't say that the earth didn't exist, and then it came into existence and was then formless, and then God spoke.

When God began, it was formless. That's all there is to it.

 

[Job 33:6]

The translation you are using is deliberately misleading you from the truth.

Ah ok, so now you're better than the Bible. Got it. Lol.

Denial of scripture is not a valid argument. If you have a problem with what the Bible says, that's your own issue. Not anyone else's.

 

[Job 33:6]

He does not need to "say" anything for creation to happen.

In the book of Genesis, every creation day begins with "God said".

God creates through the spoken word, and so when God speaks in Genesis, that's God creating.

And that doesn't happen until verse 3. The very first thing that is created is light.

And I'm sorry if you have a problem with what the Bible says, but that's your own fault. Not mine.

Genesis 1:1-3 NRSVUE
[1] When God began to create the heavens and the earth, [2] the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. [3] Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

When you're ready to come to terms with what the Bible says, I'll be here.