THE L.I.F.E. PLAN CREATION DAY 2 BLOCK 1 THEME 2 - CREATION - PART 1 LESSON 3 (7 of 216)
BLOCK 1 THEME 2: CREATION - PART 1 LESSON 3 (7 OF 216): CREATION DAY 2 LESSON AIM: Show that which God created on the second day of creation. SCRIPTURE: (Genesis 1:6-8) If man were to never know anything about the universe beyond what he can physically see with his naked eye, he would know of the two realms the Bible mentions in its very first verse; the heaven and the earth. The earth is the land on which we live, and the heaven is the sky above the earth. If this were all we ever knew, we would have enough physical evidence to substantiate the creative work of God as stated in the Bible. As God began to prepare the earth as a place where man could live, on the second day, he made the heaven, or the sky above the earth. God made the sky to be a divider between the waters above the earth and the waters upon the earth. Then, he named the sky heaven. Although the Bible speaks of three heavens, the heaven mentioned in Genesis 1 is the sky, or the first heaven. The second heaven is the expanse of the universe beyond the earth s atmosphere known as outer space, the abode of the galaxies and stars and planets. And, the third heaven is the place where God lives. Man is ever on a search to discover all he can about each of these three heavens. What we know of the third heaven is only what God has revealed about it in the Bible. Paul went there and heard and saw things of which he was not allowed to speak. The spirits of our departed loved ones in Christ go to this heaven to await the return of Christ for the church, but we get no reports from them as to what they experience of heaven. The Bible tells us that God is preparing a place for us where we will live with him forever. We refer to this place as heaven. There is other information the Bible gives us about the third heaven which can be accumulated into a fairly large collection of revelation about this place where believers will live eternally in the presence of God. We know much more about the second heaven by experience than we know of the third. Of course, we are unable to explore the third heaven, but man has made observations about the second heaven for centuries. Some of the bodies in outer space are within view from the earth. We can see the sun, the moon, and stars and certain planets from where we are and without the aid of magnification. Ancient peoples observed the movement of heavenly bodies, connecting this with the seasons of the year, and as a means of accounting for time. With the development of telescopes, space crafts and satellites, man has been able to see farther and learn more about outer space than ever before. Plus, man has been able to actually go into outer space, visit the moon, and return safely to the earth. We have landed space vehicles on other planets, and we receive data about their makeup and environment. We have been able to measure the vast regions of the deep space above and beyond
our skies of blue. We know much about the second heaven just beyond the atmosphere around the earth. We also know many things about the heaven, the sky that we see every day. From it, we have experimented with and discovered some of the things we had to know in order to leave the first heaven and go to the second heaven. We watched the birds fly in the sky, and it made us want to fly. So, we studied what it would take to be able to travel around in the heaven, first in hot air balloons, and next in air planes. This knowledge allowed us to build crafts for space travel, allowing us to go outside of the earth s atmosphere. We have placed satellites many miles above the earth that can take pictures of things on the ground, carry our cell phone messages almost anywhere on the planet, and pin point our location on the globe with amazing accuracy. We have learned to observe the tracks along which air masses travel around the world, and we have learned to predict the weather days in advance. We know whether we need to take a jacket or an umbrella with us to the mall or if we do not need them at all. All of these things we are able to do as a result of this one act of creation from our God. On the second day, he created the sky around the earth. Every day of our life, we interact with the sky that God has made. We would not be able to breathe if the sky did not exist. It contains the oxygen that we need to be able to live on the earth. We are able to see because of the light we have from the sky. We make our plans for the day, many times, based upon the weather elements we receive from the sky. The sky enables us to grow our food by providing a highway for light and warmth and water needed to do such an activity. We turn on the radio and listen to our favorite songs because those electronic waves are able to pass through the air from transmitter to receiver. We open our window on a warm evening to feel a cool evening breeze that comes to refresh us after a long, hot day. Some of us may even receive some of our food from the sky as we enjoy hunting and harvesting certain fowl of the air. All these things and more that we do every day without a thought are activities which bring each one of us into direct contact and interaction with this creative act of God. One of the things which we should already be able to see is how God s acts of creation are not ends in themselves, but they actually open the door for much more development later on. In the previous paragraphs, we have noted some of the things which man has developed or which man does because God created the sky. Over the next few days of creation, we will also see how God also expanded on this act of creation. This should teach us that when we build something, or create something, we should not merely think of what our creation can be used for right now. We should be thinking ahead to how our creation can develop into something more, or how it may open the door for something else which would not have been possible if we had not done this work of creation. Not only can we learn the historical facts about God creating the world, but we can learn lessons like this which help us to function in a greater way as a part of the creation which God has made. The next time you look up into the sky, think of how God made it, and of all the many blessings we enjoy because of it.
LESSON OUTLINE BLOCK 1 THEME 2: CREATION - PART 1 LESSON 3 (7 OF 216): CREATION DAY 2 LESSON AIM: Show that which God created on the second day of creation. I GOD MADE THE SKY The sky was called heaven. II THE SKY DIVIDED THE WATERS Upon the earth from above the earth III THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF THREE HEAVENS A. The third heaven Where God lives B. The second heaven Outer space C. The first heaven The sky above the earth SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING 1. God has revealed himself to man through nature Romans 1:18-20 2. Paul went to the third heaven 2 Corinthians 12:1-5 3. Jesus is preparing a place for us in heaven John 14:1-3 4. Believers go to heaven when they die Luke 16:19-31 2 Corinthians 5:8 5. Celestial bodies mentioned in Scripture 1 Corinthians 15:40 Job 9:8-9 Job 38:24-35 Amos 5:8
LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. THE DOCTRINE OF GOD God is the Creator 2. ESCHATOLOGY Heaven LESSON GLOSSARY 1. Celestial Referring to the heavens 2. Astronomy The study of the celestial bodies QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. What are the two realms of creation mentioned in Genesis 1:1? Heaven and earth 2. What was God s purpose for the sky? To divide the waters above the earth from those on the earth 3. What is God s name for the sky? Heaven 4. Name the three heavens in Scripture. First heaven - the sky above the earth Second heaven - the atmosphere around the earth Third heaven - The place where God is 5. Use your concordance to explore the celestial bodies mentioned in Scripture. Note how vast is the study of astronomy just from a few mentions of these bodies in Scripture. 6. Google the Hubble Space Telescope and look at photographs from outer space showing some of the wonders of God s creation in the heavens.
BLOCK 1 THEME 2: CREATION - PART 1 LESSON 3 (7 OF 216): CREATION DAY 2 QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. What are the two realms of creation mentioned in Genesis 1:1? 2. What was God s purpose for the sky? 3. What is God s name for the sky? 4. Name the three heavens in Scripture. 5. Use your concordance to explore the celestial bodies mentioned in Scripture. Note how vast is the study of astronomy just from a few mentions of these bodies in Scripture. 6. Google the Hubble Space Telescope and look at photographs from outer space showing some of the wonders of God s creation in the heavens.