Day 5 Devotion – The Firmament

Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Thus 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. Genesis 1:6-7


On day two God created the firmament. This is also translated as sky but really refers to our atmosphere. It then says that God divided water above from the water below. Young Earth creationists teach what is called the “Canopy” theory. They believe that there was a humungous, dense layer of water vapor on the outside of our atmosphere and that this water would later be the major source for Noah’s flood. They say that this layer would have made the earth like a geranium and that the whole earth was like a tropical paradise. This led to high oxygen concentrations and allowed animals and humans to live long lives (oxygen has healing powers, hyperbaric therapy) and grow to abnormally large sizes. This is how they explain the Biblical references to giants. After the flood you see the age of man dropping to a modern day maximum of about 120 years. Young earthers say this is because of the removal of the canopy and increased radiation exposure.
One big problem with this canopy scenario is that water vapor is a greenhouse gas. All we have to do is look at our neighboring planet, Venus, to see its runaway global warming is inhospitable for life. Even though Venus is farther away from the sun than mercury, it is hotter because of the water vapor in its atmosphere. If there was a canopy, our oceans would be boiling from the trapped heat and an oxygen level much higher than what we have now would make our atmosphere an explosion hazard every time lightning struck. Our atmospheric oxygen is at just the right concentration that it is not hazardous but high enough that the pressure forces oxygen into our lungs and blood stream every time we take a breath. If it were lower, animal life would not be possible. The Bible is probably just painting a picture here of the water cycle with water existing in two states, liquid and vapor; amazing for such an ancient text.