Day Two A Haven for Life 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. Background: Magnetosphere (Source: WIKI) 4/26/2017

Habitable Zone Not habitable without protection due to: • Mass ejections from the Sun • Hard cosmic and solar rays • Bombardment by space debris 4/26/2017

Shields to protect the Earth Solution: Raqia Shields to protect the Earth Separation between inner and outer space … This is the task of Day Two. 4/26/2017

Types of Shields … • Magnetosphere • Gravitational Shields • Ozone Layer • The Atmosphere Itself 4/26/2017 Magnetosphere

What is the Raqia? Septuagint Translation of Hebrew to Greek (200 BC) Hebrew Raqia  Greek Stereoma – A solid dome or cover Reflects the "science" of the day Vulgate Translation of Hebrew/Greek into Latin (400 AD) Greek Stereoma  Latin Firmamentum — Also Solid King James Translation: Latin Firmamentum  English Firmament ( just transliterated the Latin) Some Modern Translations: English Firmament  "Dome" or other word indicating solidity; … or "Expanse" which could go either way. 4/26/2017

PROBLEM: Hebrew Raqia does not necessarily imply solidity. … So this introduces a concept of solidity that is not in the original Hebrew text, and furthermore violates both science and common sense. Walter Mauner, Astronomy and the Bible (1908): "The Hebrew word raqia as already shown, really signifies 'extension', just as the word for heaven, shamayim means the "uplifted". In these two words, therefore, significant respectively of a surface and of height, there is a recognition of the 'three dimensions'—in other words, of Space." … "The Hebrews did not consider the 'firmament' a solid structure." 4/26/2017

Comments on Water "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." - Mauner viewed this as water in clouds and water on earth. I disagree, but this is a minor point. • "Waters above the Raqia" are the nastiness of outer space, collectively described with the term "water" – as in Verse 2, set before the Big Bang. • I see Day Two as a transition between general term "water" as cosmic water in 1:2, and the specific term "water" of normal usage. … St. Augustine in reference to 1:2: "We might say that by the term 'water' the sacred writer wished to designate the whole of material creation." [I.15.30] 4/26/2017

Conclusion • Day Two describes the essential task of protecting the Earth as a haven for life. • The "Firmament" is a series of invisible shields that achieve this purpose. • The word "Firmament" is an error of translation that goes back to the first translation of Hebrew into Greek, and has been carried on from that point. A better term is "expanse" or "shield." • The firmament of Day Two is not solid; it is immaterial, but a real physical necessity for life on earth. The concept of solidity was introduced by the translators of the Septuagint. 4/26/2017