Documentaries
Category: Biblical Cosmology
Recommended Video Series
Does Calling God a Liar Make the Truth More Acceptable?
A great many Christians believe it is necessary to call God a liar to make the gospel more acceptable. We claim to believe every word of the Bible, while at the same time refusing to accept the biblical cosmology stated in Genesis Chapter One. Why do we reject so many errors that are commonly accepted by the world, such as biological evolution and transgenderism, but cling to heliocentrism, when Genesis Chapter One eliminates that as a possibility?
One criticism that has been leveled against me for embracing a biblical cosmology is that it undermines our efforts to win the lost by making us look foolish in the world’s eyes. Is this a valid criticism or an accommodation the world? Can we make the gospel more palatable by calling God a liar?
What would Jesus do? Would he lie to make us believe in him?
It is evident that Jesus believed in the literal truth of Genesis. It was not an issue in his day. Today, however, what is called “science” claims to have disproved the Bible. Now we “know” that the earth revolves around the sun, not the other way around as the Bible teaches. Most Christians believe that such “science” is unassailable and reinterpret Genesis accordingly. This is in spite of the admission that geocentrism provides an accurate way to account for the movement of the heavenly bodies.
“So which is real, the Ptolemaic or Copernican system? Although it is not uncommon for people to say that Copernicus proved Ptolemy wrong, that is not true…one can use either picture as a model of the universe, for our observations of the heavens can be explained by assuming either the earth or the sun to be at rest.”- Physicist, Stephen Hawking
Does mixing in a cosmological lie make the gospel more believable, or does it undermine its message at the core?
Blending a lie with the truth is comparable to putting a little bit of poop in an otherwise delicious dessert. It may not ruin its taste, but, to those who understand, it is disgusting. Below is a scene in the movie, The Help, that gives us an example of this. (If a bit of vulgar language offends you, you might not want to watch.)
The devil doesn’t seem to mind if we take a stand against other lies as long as we bow the knee to heliocentrism. He knows that this little bit of poop disgusts God and undermines the entire Bible. We do not understand that it is a form of idolatry and blasphemy because it calls God a liar and elevates the false god, Helios, to center stage. This little bit of poop should disgust us, too.
If Genesis Chapter One cannot be taken literally, when does the Bible become factually true? Chapter 2, 3,4, 5, 6… or maybe 12 when Abraham’s story becomes the focus? Or perhaps we need to wait until Exodus? Joshua? No, that is where he commands the sun to stand still! Judges? Samuel? Kings? No that is where God gave Hezekiah the sign of the shadow on the sundial going backward ten degrees! (2 Kings 20:9-11)
Exactly what parts of the Bible do we have to throw out to make the gospel more acceptable?
Are Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into heaven more believable than Genesis Chapter One? How foolish we are to think we have to lie to get people to accept the truth!
Would it not rather make our gospel message more attractive if we boldly declare that we believe every single word of the Bible is true, not just the parts we think are acceptable?
Does not the world laugh at our duplicity when we proclaim the resurrection is literally true, but not Genesis?
If Jesus wrote a letter to the church today, might not it say something like the following?
I applaud your stand against evolution and sexual perversion, but I have this against you. You tolerate heliocentrism, which teaches people not to take my words seriously. Repent, therefore, and cease to be ashamed of my words. Don’t be afraid of looking foolish to the world. Be afraid of calling me a liar! Be strong and proclaim the whole truth!
The New Covenant Tabernacle
The New Covenant tabernacle is dramatically and fundamentally different from all that preceded it. The old covenant of law was rendered obsolete due to its inherent flaw: it depended on our ability to keep God’s commandments.
Since we are fatally flawed by sin, God provided a brand new way to relate to him that depends on the performance of his only begotten Son, not ours.
But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. 8 For finding fault with them, He says, “BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH; 9 NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD. 10 “FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 11 “AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’ FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM. 12 “FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE.” Hebrews 8:6–12 (NASB95)
The eternal Word of God, the Logos who became a human (John 1:14), offered himself as a perfect sacrifice for our sins as the Lamb of God. He rose again as the Lord of Lords and now sits in heaven ruling at the Father’s right hand, waiting for his enemies to be completely destroyed. (Acts 2:35)
I have written numerous articles on the amazing New Covenant, which you can access by clicking here.
Just as the old covenant had to be replaced, all that pertained to the old covenant, including the physical temple, became obsolete and no longer necessary. (Hebrews 8:13) Jesus prophesied the destruction of the earthly temple (Matthew 24:2), which took place in 70 AD at the hands of the Roman army. With that event, the sacrificial system officially ended, signifying the termination of all that pertained to the old covenant. The new covenant, which was inaugurated by our Lord’s death, resurrection, ascension, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, was now in full effect, which was plain for all to see. God officially judged the Jewish nation that rejected and murdered its Messiah and turned the kingdom over to a new generation of humanity, a people who would bear its fruit as born-again children of God.
Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. Matthew 21:43 (NASB95)
From that time to this, physical descent is of no significance, only the new birth.
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. Galatians 3:29 (NASB95)
Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that a time was coming when people would no longer worship at the temple in Jerusalem but would instead worship in “spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24) Of all the people in the world with whom to share this important truth, it is instructive that he chose a Samaritan and a woman, both of whom were held in relatively poor esteem in that day. This was another sign of how radically different the New Covenant would be. The apostle Paul later wrote that in God’s New Covenant kingdom…
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. Galatians 3:28–29 (NASB95)
The old covenant temple, like the temple of the earth, had been defiled. The new covenant came with the advent of the Messiah, whom the Bible says came to earth and “tabernacled” among us.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt (Greek: fixed one's tent or tabernacle) among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (NASB95)
Our Father’s desire has always been to dwell with his people. That is why he made his first tabernacle, the earth. Satan, however, successfully deceived and seduced Adam and Eve to betray the Creator, thus defiling and corrupting the earth.
God’s ingenious plan was to send his own son to be his living tabernacle on the earth.
Jesus carried about God’s Spirit wherever he went.
“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, 19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” Luke 4:18–19 (NASB95)
When Jesus crucifixion was near, he told his disciples that it was good for them that he would soon return to his Father in heaven. They could not comprehend how that could be a good thing, but our Lord’s plan was for every born-again child of God to carry about in his or her person the same Holy Spirit who fills us.
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. John 14:16–17 (NASB95)
Part of the genius of the New Covenant is the presence of God’s Spirit within each child of God. Each of us becomes a miniature temple of the Holy Spirit when we are born again.
But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:17–20 (NASB95)
The church as a whole forms the New Covenant temple made with what the apostle Peter called “living stones.”
And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:4–5 (NASB95)
The New Covenant accomplishes God’s purpose to inhabit his people. All who have the Holy Spirit within experience what God wanted all along – for us to experience fullness of life by being connected to and dependent upon him.
The New Covenant tabernacle is God’s church, a building made without hands, a proper dwelling for God’s Spirit, a fulfillment of God’s plan to restore and tabernacle with his people.
But this did not complete God’s plan. He will eventually restore the first tabernacle, the earth. That is the topic of the final article in this series, The New Heaven and Earth.
The New Heaven and Earth
The Bible begins with God’s creation of the heavens and earth and ends with the creation of a new heaven and earth.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” 5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Revelation 21:1–5 (NASB95)
The latter version is far superior to the first, just the New Covenant is far better than the old. Adam and Eve followed the Deceiver into sin and corruption, thus defiling God’s creation. Foreseeing all this, God constructed the initial heavens and earth with a solid firmament, which separates God’s 
domain from ours. This amazing structure restricts access to the third heaven, the location of God’s throne. It is only via the New Covenant that we gain access to God’s heavenly throne and presence (Hebrews 4:16), where one day we will go bodily after the resurrection.
The new heavens and earth does not seem to have a firmament or separator. The Bible says it will not even have a sun because God’s light and glory, now concealed by the firmament, will provide all the illumination we need. The New Jerusalem will be part of this new creation, but it will not be part of the old order of things. It is not going to be a restoration of the physical Jewish kingdom. That has long since ceased to be significant. The New Jerusalem will be made up of born-again believers, the true Israel of God.
I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. Revelation 21:22–23 (NASB95)
The purpose of the new heaven and earth will be to provide a perfect habitation for God’s people, one in which God manifestly dwells with us continually.
God’s purpose from the beginning will be finally fulfilled. He will dwell among his people.
The Temple
The temple constructed by Solomon was made of stone, a departure from God’s heaven-earth complex that was fashioned like a tent. If Andy Hoy is correct, the tabernacle in the wilderness was a very good likeness of what God made in the beginning. He believes it was a dome-type tent, similar to a yurt. According to his research, it is the only model that works without making adjustments to the exact materials spelled out in the biblical text.
The temple, however, conforms to the rectangular design most people have always assumed for the tent in the wilderness. The first stone temple was indeed glorious, as no doubt heaven is. Like the tabernacle in the wilderness, it also had the dividing veil or curtain decorated with cherubim and the other furniture in the inner court. The Ark of God’s presence was in the Holy of Holies.
The Jews defiled this stone temple, just as Adam and Eve defiled God’s first temple, the earth.
The temple of Solomon started well, as did that great king. However, just as King Solomon soon became corrupt and began worshiping other gods, God’s temple eventually was corrupted as well. As Israel and Judah sank deeper into idolatry, pagan idols were brought into the temple itself.
He built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My name.” 5 For he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6 He made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and used divination, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD provoking Him to anger. 7 Then he set the carved image of Asherah that he had made, in the house of which the LORD said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever. 2 Kings 21:4–7 (NASB95)
Ezekiel saw in a vision the extent of this corruption and the impending destruction of the first temple.
Then He said to me, “Son of man, raise your eyes now toward the north.” So I raised my eyes toward the north, and behold, to the north of the altar gate was this idol of jealousy at the entrance. 6 And He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations which the house of Israel are committing here, so that I would be far from My sanctuary? But yet you will see still greater abominations.” 7 Then He brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall. 8 He said to me, “Son of man, now dig through the wall.” So I dug through the wall, and behold, an entrance. 9 And He said to me, “Go in and see the wicked abominations that they are committing here.” 10 So I entered and looked, and behold, every form of creeping things and beasts and detestable things, with all the idols of the house of Israel, were carved on the wall all around. 11 Standing in front of them were seventy elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them, each man with his censer in his hand and the fragrance of the cloud of incense rising. 12 Then He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are committing in the dark, each man in the room of his carved images? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’ ” 13 And He said to me, “Yet you will see still greater abominations which they are committing.” 14 Then He brought me to the entrance of the gate of the LORD’S house which was toward the north; and behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz. 15 He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Yet you will see still greater abominations than these.” 16 Then He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun. 17 He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they have committed here, that they have filled the land with violence and provoked Me repeatedly? For behold, they are putting the twig to their nose. 18 “Therefore, I indeed will deal in wrath. My eye will have no pity nor will I spare; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, yet I will not listen to them.” Ezekiel 8:5–18 (NASB95)
Eventually God used the Babylonian army to destroy Jerusalem and the temple and take a large number of the remaining people into captivity. After seventy years, the temple was rebuilt at the command of King Cyrus of Persia.
The most detailed contemporary description of this second temple comes from the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (a priest who knew the Temple firsthand) in The Jewish War (5.5.4 §§212–214):
“It was a Babylonian curtain [or tapestry], embroidered with blue, and fine linen, and scarlet, and purple, and of a contexture that was truly wonderful. Nor was this mixture of materials without its mystic meaning… Portrayed on it was a panorama of the heavens [or entire heavens], except for the signs of the zodiac.”
It continued to represent the firmament, but it is notable that it was a “Babylonian” curtain. The Babylonian Talmud, which made up a great deal of the teachings of the Pharisees, led to the Jewish people departing from the faith of Abraham and embracing a works-based religion which Jesus condemned.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. Matthew 23:15 (NASB95)
Jesus, the long-promised Messianic King, brought the reality of the kingdom of God to the earth.
He told the Samaritan woman at the well that the day was fast approaching when the temple would no longer be significant. He told his disciples that no stone would remain intact after the coming destruction. This was inconceivable to his followers, but necessary. In 70 AD, the Roman army completely destroyed that temple, which has never been rebuilt. The old order of things, including the temple and its sacrifices, were coming to an end. Something brand new was coming. That will be the subject of the next article.
The Tabernacle in the Wilderness
The tabernacle in the wilderness was both a recollection of what God originally created and a foreshadowing of what is to come. 
It reminded the Israelites of the original earth tabernacle with its tent-like firmament overarching it. This is especially true if Andy Hoy’s theory is correct that the tent of meeting was actually dome-shaped. The wilderness tabernacle consisted of an altar, a basin, an 
outer court, and inner court, and a Holy of Holies which housed the Ark, symbolic of God’s manifest presence. The top diagram above is a rendering based on the common conception of how this tabernacle appeared. The dome structure is Hoy’s model. Hoy’s dome structure would have contained what is pictured above in the first tabernacle diagram.
A model of the Hebrew (biblical) conception of the earth shows a similar construction.
The earth would be the outer court. Just beneath the firmament represented the inner court, and atop the firmament was God’s throne, the Holy of Holies. The solid firmament is the separator, represented by the curtain in the tabernacle.
This curtain in the tabernacle in the wilderness was decorated with winged cherubim.
You shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. Exodus 26:31 (NASB95)
Cherubim were also next to the firmament in Ezekiel’s vision from beneath looking upward toward God’s throne.
And I looked, and there in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubim, there appeared something like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of the likeness of a throne. Ezekiel 10:1 (NKJV)
The veil in the tabernacle was supported by pillars, as is the firmament.
You shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. 32 “You shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks also being of gold, on four sockets of silver. Exodus 26:31–32 (NASB95) The pillars of heaven tremble And are amazed at His rebuke. Job 26:11 (NASB95) Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. 2 Samuel 22:8 (NKJV)
A candelabrum lighted the inner court, just as stars light the firmament. The bread of the presence in the same area perhaps signified the manna that fell from heaven (Psalm 78:24) for the sustenance of the Israelites on the desert journey. The true bread, of course, is our Lord Jesus (John 6:51). The altar of incense represented the prayers of God’s people (Revelation 5:8) that penetrate the firmament and come into God’s presence. The Ark represented God’s throne in heaven, the mercy seat where all those who put their faith and allegiance in Christ have the privilege of complete access.
Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, Hebrews 10:19–21 (NKJV)
Through his death, resurrection, and ascension, our high priest, Jesus, entered through the veil into God’s presence once for all giving us access to God.
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. Hebrews 9:11–15 (NASB95)
It is important to understand that the heavens and earth are one unit.
The earth serves as a foundation for heaven. What happens on earth affects heaven, and vice versa. Both have been defiled to some degree by Satan, who has now been cast down to the earth (Revelation 12:9, Luke 10:18), and both will be destroyed and replaced at the end.
Just as the curtain prevented anyone but the high priest from entering once a year, the firmament acts as a separator between the third heaven and the earth. The people alive at the time of the tower of Babel tried to penetrate the firmament into God’s realm. Tradition says that Nimrod wished to ascend into heaven and shoot God with his arrows, but just as God thwarted Satan’s coup attempt, he crushed the Babelic one, too.
Man continues his quest to leave our assigned earthly habitation and pierce the realm reserved by God.
Now we do it by launching rockets to try to penetrate the firmament. In 1962, the US was audacious enough to launch and detonate atomic bombs in the heavens, apparently to test the strength of the firmament.
Those that go straight up invariably strike the firmament.
Most however appear to take a curved arc into the ocean. The Bermuda Triangle mystery began about the same time we began our missile launches. If the Bible is correct, and it is, what is called outer space is imaginary. The only 
thing comparable in Scripture is “outer darkness,” a place of judgment.
My opinion is that Satan has so duped mankind that we have joined him in his rebellion against the true God and wish to go with him to the place of judgment.
The complete irony of it all is that so many Christians passionately defend the heliocentric deception rather than believe the clear words of the Bible. We have been programmed from early childhood to believe that the earth is a “planet,” which in Greek means wanderer or deceiver. All the other so-called planets or wandering stars, as the Bible calls them, are named after pagan gods, which is no accident, as are NASA’s space missions. We have been taught to believe that the earth, the stable, motionless habitation created by God for man, is now wandering in outer space at incredible speeds toward an unknown destination.
We have joined Satan’s fallen angels in wandering away from God and his plan for us.
...wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Jude 13 (NKJV)
My prayer is that the church will awaken to this blasphemy and repent for believing the occult religion of heliocentrism that teaches us that mankind and the earth are nothing special.
After Jesus arose from the dead, he ascended into heaven, passing through the firmament into God’s presence where he is now enthroned at God’s right hand. Heaven is a real, physical location where Jesus’ resurrected body dwells. Occasionally God opens the heavens and gives people a glimpse of this glorious scene. The Book of Acts records the following as Stephen preached his last sermon just prior to being stoned to death at the hands of the Jews.
But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. Acts 7:55–57 (NASB95)
Heaven is a real place created along with the earth during those six days recorded in Genesis Chapter One. It is separated from earth by the firmament, above which sits God’s throne. The tabernacle in the wilderness modeled this reality. God foresaw man’s fall and constructed the original tabernacle of the heaven and earth with this dividing barrier. That was never God’s final intent, as we shall see at the end of this series.
God’s Reclamation Project
After the Fall of man in the garden, the Lord immediately announced his reclamation project, which began with a promise.
God informed the serpent, the defiler, that one of Eve’s descendants would crush his head.
And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NASB95)
Today we might say that God “trolled” Satan. How disappointed this fallen angel must have been after hearing that announcement! The Lord understood that he would insanely determine then and there to do everything within his power to defeat this purpose. We see this played out over the centuries in the devil’s doomed attempts to thwart God’s promise of a coming Messiah.
God chose Abraham as the man through whose progeny he would eventually birth this Savior into the world.
And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed [singular] all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; Genesis 26:4 (NKJV)
Paul let us know that this singular “seed” is none other than our Lord Jesus.
Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ. Galatians 3:16 (NASB95)
Abraham’s biological progeny grew to a large number but were eventually enslaved in Egypt, a picture of the condition of all humanity under the tyrannical rule of Satan.
After 400 years, the Lord raised up Moses to confront and defeat the power of Pharaoh (a picture of Satan) and lead Abraham’s descendants out of bondage. In the process of leading them to the land God promised to give to Abraham and his descendants, God took Moses to the top of Mt. Sinai where he was given a heavenly vision of how to build a temporary tabernacle for God that would accompany the Israelites on the their journeys. God promised to dwell in the tabernacle which was called a “tent of meeting.” God’s manifest presence filled this tent, which Moses and Aaron were able to enjoy while the rest of the nation looked on from afar.
And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. 9 Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the LORD would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. 11 Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. Exodus 33:8–11 (NASB95)
This must have been much like it was when God spent time with Adam and Eve in the Garden before the Fall. What a privileged access they enjoyed! It presaged the New Covenant access given to every born-again believer!
Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. Ephesians 3:12 (NLT)
The tabernacle in the wilderness was a picture of what God planned to do to restore the earth as a fit tabernacle for him and his people.
I will have more to say about this tabernacle in the next article.
After entering and conquering much of Canaan, eventually God established Saul as king. At one point, at the end of King Saul’s corrupt reign, upon his defeat at the hands of the Philistine army, the Ark of God’s presence was captured and placed in the pagan temple of Dagon. This defeat seemed to mirror what happened in the Garden. Perhaps Satan rejoiced, thinking he had once again turned away God’s purpose. However, God demonstrated his superiority and power over that false god and Satan’s power by knocking the Dagon idol to the ground and shattering it.
But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 1 Samuel 5:4 (NASB95)
This showed that God has the power single-handedly to defeat Satan, no matter how things might appear.
Eventually, after many years, David desired to construct what he considered would be a proper dwelling place for his God, perhaps not completely understanding that no structure formed by a human could contain his glory. Nevertheless, God used this as an opportunity to promise David that he would raise up one of his descendants to rule on God’s throne perpetually. (2 Samuel 7:12-13) The promised one would end up being the very same person that God promised Abraham would be a blessing to the entire earth – Jesus!
David’s son, Solomon, eventually constructed the temple. It was glorious by man’s standards, but nothing compared to the one God made at creation. It was not very long by God’s standards before this sanctuary or tabernacle was defiled utterly and destroyed by the Babylonians as a judgment for Israel’s infidelity. It was rebuilt during the times of Ezra and Nehemiah, but once again it was defiled and later destroyed by the Romans, never to be rebuilt. This destruction was a picture of what is coming to the entire heavens and earth. (2 Peter 3:10-12)
Eventually the promised one arrived. John the apostle wrote that he was and is the eternal Word or Logos who became a human and “tabernacled” among us.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt [literally: tabernacled] among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (NKJV)
The English word “dwelt” is the translation of the Greek word skenosen, which means to pitch or spread one’s tent. It is reminiscent of God’s pitching his tent with regard to creating the heavens, including the firmament.
Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain. 3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind; 4 He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers. 5 He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not totter forever and ever. Psalm 104:2–5 (NASB95)
God’s reclamation of humanity and his tabernacle went into overdrive when the Word become flesh arrived on the fallen and corrupted earth.
Eventually, after Jesus died on the cross as his Father’s obedient Son and servant – the Lamb of God, God raised him from the dead and elevated him, as a resurrected man and the governmental head of a new humanity. He rose in power as the Lord of Lords, who will bring God’s elect into obedience and establish God’s rule. Eventually this glorious Jesus will return as the Son of Man to crush Satan completely and replace the corrupted tabernacle of the earth with a brand new version. At that point, God’s reclamation project will be complete.
The Defilement of the Earth
As I covered in the first article in this series, God created the earth and enclosed it with the firmament like a tent to create a tabernacle in which to fellowship with his people. It served God’s purpose at the beginning when the Lord met with Adam and Eve and walked with them in the cool of the day. This is recorded in Genesis.
They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:8–9 (NASB95)
More than likely this was in the evening when breezes would cool the temperatures. It is likely that God regularly strolled with Adam and Eve at this time of day. They were familiar with the sound he made as he moved through the garden. Sadly, by the third chapter of Genesis, the earthly tabernacle had already been defiled by sin and betrayal.
Adam’s sin not only brought death and loss to him and Eve and all future descendants, but it also subjected the entire creation to satanic bondage and disfigurement.
Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. 18 “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; 19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:17–19 (NASB95)
Contrary to the Copernican Principle affirmed by modern astrophysics, the earth is central in God’s creation and was created for mankind. According to Scripture, everything in the heavens revolves around this earthly tabernacle, just as Genesis tells us. When man sinned, it negatively impacted the earthly dwelling or tabernacle, our general well-being, our ability to reason, and our spiritual capacities.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. Romans 8:20–22 (NASB95)
Isaiah recorded that Satan desired to ascend all the way past the firmament into the third heaven and usurp God’s throne (Isaiah 14:12-18). He failed and apparently thought it second best to defile God’s creation below the firmament.
God’s beautiful tent of meeting or tabernacle called the earth was defiled by mankind’s agreement with and surrender to Satan, making it unfit for God and man.
After the crown of creation, the man and woman, sold themselves into bondage and death in their misguided quest for godhood, the wonder of God’s magnificent creation was marred and corrupted to the point that it no longer properly represented the glory and the genius of its Creator. To Satan, the victory must have seemed complete, but God, the ultimate Creative, had a plan that no one ever would have imagined.
God’s First Tabernacle
God instructed Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle or “tent of meeting” in the wilderness using a heavenly pattern God revealed to him.
See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain. Exodus 25:40 (NASB95)
The author of Hebrews reveals that during Moses’ mountain top experience he was shown things that exist in heaven of which God told him to make a copy on the earth.
...who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “SEE,” He says, “THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.” Hebrews 8:5 (NASB95)
Is there an actual ark and tabernacle or temple in heaven? The Book of Revelation speaks of a temple and ark in heaven, but we know from other scriptures that the New Covenant temple is composed of people, whom Peter calls “living stones (1 Peter 2:5),” in whom dwells God’s Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22). Therefore, it is my opinion that what John saw in his heavenly vision was a visionary representation of this New Covenant reality. Interpreting such books as Revelation is a challenge because it is composed of visions which often represent other things. Visions communicate a great deal very quickly but sometimes are difficult to understand in detail. However we come to interpret this passage, I am not sure it is what Moses saw originally when he spent those forty days with God. Of course, I was not there, but I think perhaps that God showed him something far more significant.
If we accept, as did the authors of Scripture and our Lord Jesus himself, that the Genesis account of creation is literally true, it seems reasonable that God showed Moses his original tent of meeting or tabernacle, the earth itself, from a heavenly perspective. The image above is an artist’s representation of what the early Hebrews believed to be the shape and nature of the heavens and earth. This tiered conception of the heavens, earth, and underworld surrounded by water is repeated throughout the Bible.
I recommend Brandon Ezzo's YouTube series on the Firmament, if you wish to verify my last statement.
When God created the heavens and the earth, he constructed or “pitched” his tent or tabernacle, a place where he intended to meet and fellowship with the humans he created.
In Genesis Chapter One, the Bible says that God founded the earth upon the seas and erected a domed vault called the firmament over it. He “spread” or “stretched out” the firmament like a tent over the earth.
It is He who sits above the circle (inscribed as with a compass, not a "ball" or sphere) of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. Isaiah 40:22 (NASB95)
Tents are erected over level and stable surfaces, which serves as their foundation.
The burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel. Thus declares the LORD who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him, Zechariah 12:1 (NASB95)
The ninth video in Brandon Ezzo's YouTube series specifically focuses on how the firmament and the tabernacle in the wilderness relate.
The firmament God erected over the earth is a crystalline-like vault or dome that covers the entire earth.
Thus 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. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. Genesis 1:7–8 (NKJV)
Below the firmament, two heavens exist. The first one consists of the air we breathe below the crystalline dome. It is where birds fly and clouds exist.
Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” Genesis 1:20 (NKJV)
The second heaven appears to be actual vault of the firmament, where God put the sun, moon, and stars. Obviously there remains a great deal of intended mystery as to how all this works. God said that we will never be able to measure the heights of the heavens or the depths of the earth. (Jeremiah 31:37)
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then 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. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Genesis 1:14–19 (NKJV)
God keeps some things from our being able to thoroughly understand them as a test regarding whether we will believe his words just because he said them. Adam and Eve failed this test, preferring to rely on their own wits. Most modern Christians have similarly failed to take God at his Word, believing that the above passage cannot be regarded as factual. We must ask ourselves: do we put our faith in God’s Word or man’s? We dare not fail God in this area, as did Adam and Eve.
The human mind is not the measure of truth. God designed us to believe him and his words. If we believe, understanding may follow.
Above the vault of the firmament is what Paul called the “third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2-4) where God’s throne sits. The Lord graciously gave Moses and his elders, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Paul, and John the Revelator glimpses of this glorious place.
Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. 11 Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank. Exodus 24:9–11 (NASB95)
It stands to reason that, in this instance, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders saw something that Moses saw at other times – the glory of God in heaven itself. Based on what God showed Ezekiel, this scene must have been atop the firmament in the third heaven.
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” Isaiah 6:1–3 (NKJV)
We are not told exactly where this scene took place. It seems that Isaiah saw God in heaven and the vision included the temple. I suppose the temple could have represented the entire earth, since “the whole earth is full of his glory.” That would certainly fit with the theme of this article. Another possibility is that the heavenly reality reached down to the earthly temple that still existed in Isaiah’s day.
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 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 out like a tent to dwell in. 23 He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Isaiah 40:21–23 (NASB95)
Here Isaiah sees the Creator and Judge sitting atop the firmament on his throne observing his creation, which he has enclosed under this heavenly tent.
Ezekiel was uniquely offered one view from beneath the firmament and another from above it.
The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creatures was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads. 23 And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other side of the body. 24 When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings. 26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. 27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking. Ezekiel 1:22–28 (NKJV)
The Holy Spirit also privileged Daniel to glimpse the heavenly scene when Jesus as the glorious Son of Man is being given everlasting dominion.
I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13–14 (NKJV)
Paul likewise was granted access to the third heaven; although, he was not permitted to say much about it.
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 2 Corinthians 12:2–4 (NKJV)
John the Revelator was granted several visions of the third heaven, which corresponded to what Moses and Ezekiel saw.
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. 6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. Revelation 4:2–6 (NKJV) And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. Revelation 15:2 (NKJV)
Paul wrote that, if something is mentioned two or three times in the Bible, it confirms it as true. This agrees with Jesus’ words (Matthew 18:16) and Moses’ (Deuteronomy 19:15).
...EVERY FACT IS TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES. 2 Corinthians 13:1 (NASB95)
The verses quoted above are witnesses to the reality of the firmament and God’s throne above it. Whether you accept God’s testimony as true is up to you. I conclude that God spread the firmament out over the earth like a tent to create a tabernacle in which to fellowship with his people.