Then God said,
let there Be lIghts In the fIrMaMent of the heavens to dIvIde the day froM the nIght; and let theM Be for sIgns and seasons, and for days and years; and let theM Be for lIghts In the fIrMaMent of the heavens to gIve lIght on the earth.” he Made the greater lIght to rule the day, and the lesser lIght to rule the nIght. he Made the stars also.
GeNesis 1:14–17 (NKJV)
Once these days or stages were in full swing, the sun and the moon began to play a major role on the earth. Since life (plants) did not exist on earth until the third day, the role of the sun and moon did not play an important role on earth. Reference to the moon (lesser light to rule the night) was not made until the fourth day. This may indicate that the moon did not begin to revolve around the earth until a meteor or asteroid struck it and a piece of the meteor or asteroid got trapped in the orbit of the earth, causing the moon to play an important role on the earth. The moon may have formed also with the creation of the earth, 42
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thus making their age the same as the earth’s. In either case, the age of the moon and the earth should prove to be the same.
Remember that the moon is not necessary to support plant life on earth (although it does produce gamma radiation), meaning that the moon may have played a huge role in the metamorphosis of plant cells and bacterial cells. This would possibly be a key factor in the formation of animal cells and the very beginnings of animal life on earth. This theory would also correspond with the days in the Old Testament, as animals begin to make an appearance on the fifth day shortly after the formation of the moon. It is important to note that there would not be a need to really consider these two phenomena until the stage was set for animal life. Until the dust fully settled and the atmosphere was created, these “lights” would not be able to penetrate or be seen from the earth as they would be blocked by the sun.
The concept of the sun (greater light) and the moon (lesser light) being the factors to determine the seasons, signs, and years has been around as long as man can remember. Since we as a people still keep track of the seasons, years, and time by way of the sun and the moon, this would still be true today. For example, the harvest moon indicates when to reap the crop; the shorter the sunlight gets and the greater the moon gets indicates the changing of the season. How many times the sun rises and the moon rises are the factors that determine our calendar year, and paramount to how we keep track of the days.
Since a full cycle of this rising of the sun and moon are a day, this would enable primitive man to keep track of time, days, and years. This would make this day or stage true, as this cycle is still prevalent and used. The sun and moon exist and are formed today; the sun can be seen as the greater light, and the moon can be seen as the lesser light.
The reasons for these conclusions are obvious as the sun clearly contains and emits more energy than the moon.
The grand significance of Moses mentioning the fourth day was to incorporate the moon into the cycle of life. As stated prior to this, there is no specific reference to the moon before this in any of the days.
Since the moon (lesser light) makes an appearance in the fourth day and is extremely important to animal life on earth, this would indicate that the moon did not form until the fourth day. The concept of the greater light and lesser light is much like the concept of life and death.
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The moon would be insignificant and would not shine without the sun.
Since the sun is the source of the moon’s light, it would therefore be the greater light and the moon the lesser one.