The time has come to dive completely into Biblical cosmology and let me tell you when I learned the truth about the earth, it sent me sprinting to know more about Biblical truths and what else the world had lied about. No longer was YHWH trillions upon trillions of miles away or in a different dimension, but close to His creation and that brought so much joy to my heart!
The Firmament in Creation
I have heard many theologians and preachers say that the firmament is nothing more than the sky or is space itself, I’ve even heard one pastor say there’s nothing “firm” about the firmament. Let’s start at the beginning and see for ourselves what the creator has to say about His creation.
“And Elohim said, “Let an expanse come to be in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And Elohim made the expanse and separated the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse. And it came to be so. And Elohim called the expanse ‘heavens.’ And there came to be evening and there came to be morning, the second day. And Elohim said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it came to be so. And Elohim called the dry land ‘earth,’ and the collection of the waters He called ‘seas.’ And Elohim saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:6-10)
The big takeaway here is that the firmament or expanse as this translation calls it, is used to separate the two waters, indicating that it has physical properties. Some may claim that the divided waters are the rain and the bodies of water on earth, but this is not true.
“Now no shrub of the field was yet on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for יהוה Elohim had not sent rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground, but a mist went up from the earth and watered the entire surface of the ground.” (Genesis 2:5-6)
It didn’t rain till after man had been created, in addition, there hadn’t been dry land yet. The waters were divided before the earth was formed. When the firmament was created all that existed was Elohim (YHWH), the waters, and light and darkness. Not the sun or the moon, not the stars, and certainly not land and clouds.
Physical Characteristics of the Firmament
To further support that the firmament is firm we’ll look at what Job had to say about it.
“Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror?” (Job 37:18)
Turns out the firmament is actually firm and it's as hard as a cast metal mirror. It’s a solid object that is also transparent,
“And above the expanse over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone. And on the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man high above it.” (Ezekiel 1:26)
What’s Above the Firmament?
Some prophets were given the special privilege to be able to look up and see some of the things that exist in Heaven. I remember how awe-inspiring it was for me when I first realized that the sky is blue not because of the water down here, but possibly because of the water up there.
“Praise Him, heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens!” (Psalms 148:4)
You might be a tad bit confused about the waters above the heavens, but the firmament is also called heaven and so is the sky. That makes two heavens that are under the waters, with the third being the heaven we traditionally think about.
“I know a man in Messiah who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, Elohim knows – such a one was caught up to the third heaven.” (2 Corinthians 12:2)
I hope this post excites you for what is to come and brings understanding to the word of YHWH, as always don’t believe a word I say and research this yourself. In this post, I go over secular sources that support the firmament. Till next time may the Holy Spirit guide you on your journeys.
P.S.
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