In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Genesis 1:1-5 (ESV)

When God began creating the heavens and the earth the earth was a shapeless, chaotic mass, with the Spirit of God brooding over the dark vapors. Then God said, “Let there be light”. And light appeared. And God was pleased with it and divided the light from the darkness. He called the light “daytime”, and the darkness “nighttime”. Together they formed the first day.

Genesis 1:1-5 (TLB)

Between approximately 4.3 and 3.9 billion years ago, Earth’s atmosphere underwent a profound transformation, shifting from a hot, opaque, impact-dominated envelope to a more stable, ocean-coupled system that allowed more sunlight to reach the surface. This transition was gradual, uneven, and strongly controlled by planetary cooling, volatile cycling, and declining external energy inputs.

These verses then chronicle the original opaque atmosphere that was described in Genesis 1:2  (“the dark vapors” [TLB] or “darkness was over the face of the deep” [ESV]) and the thinning of earth’s opaque cloud cover to the situation where there would have been some diffuse light that appeared through the previously opaque clouds (“Let there be light”).

Probable Time Frame ~4.3 to 3.9 billion years ago

  • Thick, vertically extensive steam clouds (~4.3 to 4.1 billion years ago)
  • High altitude, multilayer clouds (~4.1 to 4.0 billion years ago)
  • Persistent but broken cloud cover (~4.0 to 3.9 billion years ago)

Videos about Day 1 of Creation

Playlist

19 Videos
YouTube TitleDescription
Physics learning_Geologic Time Scale: Major Eons, Eras, Periods and EpochsSimple overview of why the geological time scales were created (eons, eras, periods, epochs). This also covers the names of the major time scales as well.
Geologic Time ScaleTechnical overview of the geological time scales by a professor at Cornell, covering how these time scales evolve over time as we discover more details.
History of the Earth in 9 MinutesThe 4.54 billion years of Earth history in 9 minutes.
The Whole History of the Earth and LifeBirth of the solar system, birth of the Earth, and evolution of life on Earth.
History of the EarthHistory of Earth with temperatures, eons, eras on rolling timeline.
A Brief History of Geologic TimeExplanation of Eons, Eras, etc.
What Was the First Complex Life on Earth?About the history of earliest life forms and the human investigations and discoveries about that history. The life history covers about 4.6 bya to 540 mya.
A Tour of Earth's Ancient SuperoceansCovers the evolution of the earth from the perspective of the oceans from the earth's watery ancient history to speculations about the future.
A Tour of Earth's Ancient SupercontinentsCovers the evolution of the earth from the perspective of the land masses (continents) from the earth's ancient history to speculations about the future.
What Is The Other 99.99% Of Life?Covers the biosphere from the earliest eras of earth up until the present. Mentions the work of the entomologist Edward Wilson and the early microscopist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek.
What is the Oldest Fossil on Earth?Covers the history of investigations and the findings about the earliest fossils.
Where Did Earth's Water Come From?Covers the history of investigations and the findings about the origins of the water on the earth.
The Mystery of the Late Heavy BombardmentCovers the late heavy bombardment of about 4.1 to 3.8 bya (also called the lunar cataclysm). Covers not only the moon but also the earth and its nearest neighbors in space.
What Was Earth Like 4 Billion Years Ago?History of investigations about what the earth was like 4 bya.
How Did The Earth Form?Overview of how the earth is thought to have formed.
History of Earth - How Our Planet FormedFull documentary from National Geographic TV titled Earth - Making of a Planet. It has very professionally produced, detailed visualizations of how the earth formed and its different stages of development.
A Timeline of Life on Earth: The beginning 'til NowSeveral people describing how life developed on the earth. An overview of the different eons and eras.