What Was the Firmament That God Created on the Second Day?
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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. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. - Genesis 1:6-8.
On the second day of the Creation described here in Genesis 1, God commanded that there would be a firmament separating the seas and oceans of Earth from the waters above the firmament. Much speculation exists among Christians, Bible scholars, and scientists about the content, shape, and location of the firmament that divides the waters of creation.
The firmament is defined in Merriam-Webster as “the vault or arch of the sky; heaven.” Easton's Bible Dictionary explains that this word is from the latin firmamentum in the Vulgate translation of the Bible, translating the ancient Hebrew word raqiya' which means "expansion." The raqiya' is distinctly different from the Christian concept of heaven promised in the Bible. As described above, it refers to a physical part of God’s creation. The closest we can come to an understanding of it is that it is an arch or vault over the earth and sky that separates the Earth’s atmosphere from what is beyond.
The Genesis account of creation indicates that water in some form pre-existed the firmament. In an article from Crosswalk.com, "Why did God Create the World in 7 Days?", the author cites many scientists’ belief that the firmament, this expanse as it is often called, is the Earth’s atmosphere of water in the form of vapor, liquid, or ice in the clouds. This watery canopy of vapor, liquid, or ice in the upper atmosphere is purported to have collapsed at the onset of Noah’s Flood to produce many days of rain. The canopy theory does not have a clear Biblical basis or a sound scientific model. According to Dr. Terry Mortenson, who researches theological questions with staff scientists of the Answers Research Journal, “…the expanse refers to all of what we would call outer space. The ‘waters under the firmament' refer to the waters on the surface of the Earth, but the waters above the expanse refer to a canopy of water that envelopes our entire universe." Mortenson writes, ‘Regardless of the position you hold, what everyone can agree on is God arranged the space which surrounds the Earth on the second day.’”
What Is the Firmament in the Bible?
The prophets Ezekiel, Daniel, and David had visions of the firmament—the raqiya‘ in ancient Hebrew language—as a solid object.
Two passages in Ezekiel refer to visions of heavenly objects which are not recognized as part of the Earth today. Ezekiel described wings under the raqiya‘ in Ezekiel 1:23 and a throne above the raqiya‘ in Ezekiel 1:26. These visions are much more specific and varied than the description of the raqiya‘ (firmament) in God’s creation narrative of days two, four, and five (Genesis 1:6-8, 14, 15, 17, and Genesis 1:20).
In lovely poetry, Psalm 19:1 reads, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.”The next five verses of Psalm 19 clearly indicate that the raqiya‘ is in outer space, where the sun and stars are located. This Psalmist does not describe Earth’s atmosphere; there are no birds in the air of the raqiya’ of Psalm 19. Psalm 19:4 describes a tabernacle for the sun and Psalm 19:6 says His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
Other Psalms reference the heavens and the firmament as well. Psalm 148:4 announces, Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. The sun, moon, and stars are part of the Psalm 148 description of the heavens. Birds are not mentioned until after the psalmist has moved his attention away from the upper stratosphere back down to the earth in Psalm 148:7. Psalm 148:8 mentions snow and the Earth’s vapors. We can conclude from this Psalm that there are two layers of water, described as separate entities by the Psalmist.
Psalm 150:1 declares, Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. This verse says the firmament is God’s sanctuary without citing the firmament’s location.
Daniel, one of the prophets of the Old Testament, uses the brightness of the firmament as a metaphor for human wisdom and stars for ever and ever as a metaphor for righteousness in Daniel 12:3.
All of these Bible passages suggest that the raqiya‘ is the area of our universe where the sun, moon, and stars abide in outer space. The firmament pre-exists the creation of the sun, moon, and stars.
Is the Firmament the Same Thing as Heaven?
Paul writes to the Corinthians that, There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies, but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another…1 Corinthians 15:40, 54
The firmament and heaven are not the same thing according to the Bible prophets of the Old and New Testaments. Yet in Genesis 1:8, God called the firmament Heaven, giving it a significance beyond being the border between the earth and beyond. It is easy to confuse the two concepts.
Debbie McDaniel writes that John’s vision in the book of Revelation has “glimpses of heaven.” McDaniel points this out in John's description of the city of heaven’s floor: The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass in Revelation 21:19-21. The firmament and its upper tier of waters may be the gateway to heaven.
Peter J. Leithart of the Theopolis Institute, whose mission is to train men and women to lead cultural renewal by renewing the church—interprets the Bible to believe that the firmament is a boundary between earthly and holy places. Leithart cites Psalm 19, which describes a tabernacle for the sun. Moses’ tabernacle separated the common area from the holy of holies area. Psalm 150’s poetry also supports Leithart’s beliefs. These passages of the Bible compare the sanctuary to the firmament. The firmament depicted in these Bible passages is a holy place where God dwells. It is also a future place where there is a direct relationship between God and His people
What Does the Bible Say about the Firmament?
Several Old Testament sources suggest the firmament is a solid object with windows and doors through which rain and snow pour down on Earth. For example, In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened (Genesis 7:11). Malachi 3:10 includes a description of the windows of heaven. Isaiah 24:18 has an apocalyptic view in which the windows from on high are open during frightful cosmic events.
A video from the Theopolis Institute outlines a connection between God's creation of a firmament and the spiritual boundary that goes beyond the physical entity. The narrator of the video compares the firmament created on day two of creation to boundaries in Moses’ tent tabernacle and Solomon’s temple. Moses and Solomon created physical boundaries in their places of worship, separating the secular world from the throne of God.
Jesus crossed the boundary between God and humans by sacrificing His life for our sins. The curtain in the temple in Jerusalem tore at the time of Jesus’ death on the cross, indicating the boundary or barrier between God and His people had been removed and sinners who believed in Christ’s resurrection were forgiven of their sins and welcomed into God’s holy realm.
Other thought-provoking verses in the Bible related to God’s firmament are in his messages to Job and Isaiah. God said to Job, “Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror?" (Job 37:18). He gave Isaiah this prophecy: It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in (Isaiah 40:22).
In the New Testament Revelation of John, he describes a sea of glass like unto crystal (Revelation 4:6). These verses suggest the heavens are a solid object and a place for us in which to dwell. The firmament in these verses is indeed a firm barrier between people below and God above. Again, Jesus leads us across this barrier to God.
Why Should We Know about This?
In John 8:23, it is written, And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. Steven Baker writes in Crosswalk.com that “God created our universe under supernatural conditions which do not reflect its present conditions. The author of Hebrews makes it clear God created everything by the power of His word so that, what is seen was not made out of things which are visible (Hebrews 11:3).” Therefore, considering the firmament, two layers of water in creation, and the literal place of heaven is beyond our comprehension at this time. These are parts of the world where we haven’t yet gone!
Note that day two of creation is the only day God didn’t summarize his work by saying He saw that it was good. God does not condone the creation of the firmament as a permanent arrangement. It is a temporary boundary between His people and God, removed with Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. The separation or buffer zone in Moses’ tabernacle tent and Solomon’s temple are then things of the past. Jesus’ sacrifice allows us to be close children of God in His household. And someday we will understand all of his creation.
Photo credit: © Getty Images/buradaki
