Recently, I have had a realization about the book of Genesis and the universe. I wanted to break down a few things from it.
"In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth."
The earth is so unique that God focuses on it solely, as it is one of the only two things in existence at the beginning of time. The finely tuned environment for life to reside on a planet like Earth is almost impossible probability-wise. It takes a creator to do such a thing.
"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep."
Scientists believe that Earth was formed over millions of years from asteroids and debris constantly crashing into the planet, eventually forming water, then life. The time conundrum can be explained simply by suggesting that time for God is outside our normal span. A day for Him may be a million years for us. The void described in the text was space without stars or light. Earth being without form is precisely what science tells us happened. The Earth was truly without form but was eventually crafted by God through his actions.
"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 called the firmament Heaven-----And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night----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."
So, there is a lot to unpack here. First of all, God created a firmament (a dome, arch, or separation of some sort). God called the firmament Heaven which separates our waters from His waters in Heaven. But there is also a firmament of Heaven. This is where the sun and moon reside. The stars are also in this firmament. Now, from hindsight, it is obvious that the firmament of Heaven is outer space. Since all stars and the sun and soon can be found there. So, that means that Heaven must lie beyond space. The observable universe is greater beyond comprehension. But what is past the observable universe? Science does not know. I believe that is Heaven. Space is the layer that separates our world from Heaven. It prevents us from traveling there as living humans. Only after death, may our spirit be able to travel such a distance. Space simply signifies God's creativity, beauty, and power. By looking at the stars, we look at Heaven, we just are not able to see it yet.