The Bible means that God placed the sun, moon, and stars in the firmament to give light on the earth and to rule the day and night.
In Genesis 1:14-18, the making of the lights is presented as an act of setting them in the sky with specific functions: giving light on the earth, ruling the day and the night, and separating light from darkness. Les Feldick teaches that this took place as God was dealing with an earth that had become dark and covered with water after a prior judgment, and was now preparing it for human habitation. The provided clips do not include Les's detailed comments on the Hebrew word behind 'made.'
Genesis 1:14-18 — This is the direct account in which God says He made the lights and set them in the firmament, giving them their purpose.
In Genesis 1:14-18, the Bible says God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night, and He made the stars also. He set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. The account begins in Genesis 1:1 with God creating the heaven and the earth; Genesis 1:2 describes the earth as without form and void, with darkness upon the face of the deep. In Genesis 1:6-7, God makes the firmament, and then in verses 14-18 He makes the lights and sets them in that firmament.
Les Feldick teaches that Genesis 1:1 describes God creating all things out of nothing, using the Hebrew word bara. He points out that by Genesis 1:2 the earth was not in that original perfect state — it was dark, void, and under water, the result of a judgment on an angelic kingdom. Les says God is now getting the earth ready for human habitation. In the segments examined, he does not directly comment on the word 'made' in Genesis 1:16, but his teaching establishes the context of a dark, flooded earth being prepared by the Creator.
Les Feldick explains that at Genesis 1:2 the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. He states that God did not create the earth in that messy state — His original creation was perfect. The earth had been flooded under a previous judgment on an angelic kingdom, and God was now getting it ready for human inhabitation. This is the background against which the making of the lights in the firmament is recorded.
Les teaches that the Hebrew word bara means 'called out of nothing.' God started with absolutely nothing but Himself and called the universe into being. In the clips, Les also cites Romans 4:17, where Paul speaks of God 'calleth those things which be not as though they were,' connecting that to the work of creation. The transcripts do not record Les applying a different Hebrew word to 'made' in Genesis 1:16.
In Genesis 1:6-7, God made the firmament and divided the waters under the firmament from the waters above it. Then in Genesis 1:16-18, He made the two great lights and the stars and set them in the firmament of heaven to give light on the earth and to rule the day and night. Scripture itself describes these purposes. Les's teaching about the earth being under water and darkness sets the scene for the creation week, though the provided clips do not expand further on the specific events of day four.
Genesis 1:26 Explained: The Trinity & The Creation of Man
thought it was good." Now, of course, this all flies in the face of evolution, doesn't it? And that's why there's that constant argument between the adherents of the Genesis account and the evolutionists, because God emphasizes over and over in these early verses of Genesis that everything was created in its own kind.
Earth Flooded and Being Prepared
Les explains that the present earth had been flooded under a previous judgment and was covered with water; God was getting it ready for human habitation. This is the context in which Genesis 1 records God's work on the earth.
Bara and the Dark, Void Earth
Les teaches that the Hebrew word bara means 'perfect creation' and that God did not create the earth in the formless, void, dark state described in Genesis 1:2. He says the earth was under flood water and void of use.
God Created Out of Nothing
Les says Genesis 1:1 teaches that God created the universe out of nothing, and he connects the original source of all light to God Himself.
God Calls Things That Are Not
Les uses Romans 4:17 to show that God creates everything out of nothing and can make something from nothing, a principle that goes back to the work of creation.
Bara Means Called Out of Nothing
Les defines the Hebrew word bara as 'called out of nothing,' emphasizing that God didn't start with something and rearrange it, but started with nothing but Himself.
What the Bible Really Says About the Old Sin Nature
Back in Genesis chapter 1, verse 26, a verse you all know very well, and God said, "...let us," that's a plurality word, it's a plural pronoun, as it should be, "...Elohim said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them," that is created being man, "...have dominion over the fish, the sea, the cattle, the earth, and so on and so forth." Now verse 27, "...
Triune God Created All Things
Les states that as the triune God, God spoke the Word and out of nothing created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Establishes that God is the Creator of all things out of nothing.
Genesis 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.
Shows the dark, watery condition of the earth before God makes the lights.
Genesis 1:6-7: And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 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.
Records God making the firmament, the place where the lights will be set.
Genesis 1:14-15: 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: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
God declares the purpose of the lights before making them.
Genesis 1:16-18: 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. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 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.
This is the direct statement of God making the lights and setting them in the firmament.
Romans 4:17: As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations, before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Paul connects God's creative work to His calling things that are not as though they were, which Les links to the creation out of nothing.
The Bible says God made the two great lights and the stars and set them in the firmament. Les teaches that God's original creation in Genesis 1:1 was out of nothing, using the word bara. The provided clips don't specifically discuss whether 'made' in Genesis 1:16 refers to creation out of nothing or to making operational things that already existed.
At Genesis 1:2, the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. Les explains that this was not the original creation but a covered, flooded condition resulting from a prior judgment, and God was preparing the earth for human inhabitation.
In the provided clips, Les teaches that the Hebrew word bara in Genesis 1:1 means 'called out of nothing.' He does not comment on the specific Hebrew word for 'made' in Genesis 1:16 in these segments.
Watch the Teaching: Genesis 1:26 Explained: The Trinity & The Creation of Man