Category: Biblical Cosmology

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.

Stars should cause wonderment, just like the rest of creation. All of it was designed by God to reveal his glory and power to us. King David wrote the following song of praise long ago.

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, Psalm 19:1–4 (NKJV)

The apostle Paul echoed these words in his letter to the church in Rome.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:20 (NASB95)

Shhh! Don’t tell anyone, or they will think you are crazy, but Paul was right. There is a conspiracy to hide God’s glory from everyone who lives on the earth. Knowing that a true knowledge of creation will lead people to God, powerful people have conspired to obscure that knowledge in order to bring God’s wrath on humanity.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. Romans 1:18–19 (NASB95)

Governments, scientists, educators, and even religious powers decided long ago that they would embrace an anti-biblical explanation of creation in order to hide God’s glory. This is rooted in a web of deceit derived from the false doctrine called evolution. What began as an explanation of how living things came to be has “evolved” and spread into almost every “scientific” discipline. Now we have evolutionary sociology, astrophysics (otherwise known as the Big Bang), politics (the Constitution is a living, evolving thing), philosophy (existentialism), and morality. Once God is hidden from our sight by a false interpretation or explanation of creation, anything goes.

People don’t wonder what stars are anymore. Now we “know” they are gigantic balls of gas at incalculable distances from us. But are they? Not if we believe the Bible and actual photographs.

The Bible says that stars are not so far away at all and are not suns, but “lights” in the dome of the firmament.

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 1:16–19 (NKJV)

Anyone who believes the above words understands that they destroy any definition of stars proposed by modern astronomers. These amazing creations only came into existence after God had already created the earth and light itself. Actual photographs of stars and planets (“wandering stars”) look like lights shining through water, which is exactly what God says exists above and below the solid dome of the firmament.

The inverse square law of light is a physics law that states that light diminishes in intensity as a square of the distance we are from the source. If stars were as far away as modern astrophysicists say, we could not see them unless they were indescribably huge and bright.

However, Jesus said that the stars will fall to the earth.

But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, 25 AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. 26 “Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory. Mark 13:24–26 (NASB95)

Either NASA is wrong or the Bible is. Such huge things could not fall to the earth. You choose for yourself, but I am siding with Jesus. He created it all.

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It’s Greek to Me

Sometimes I tell a joke that goes like this.

Me: I can say at least one phrase in every known language, except for Greek.

Other Person: Okay, say something in Swahili?

Me: It’s Greek to me.

When my kids were small, sometimes we would play cops and robbers. They pretended to shoot me, but no matter how close they were, I would move my eyes as if following their bullet right around me. They could never hit me. That may be humorous in such situations, but when we do the same thing as adults when confronted by unwelcome truth, it is not funny at all.

In my previous article, I introduced the idea of a “black swan,” which represents contradictory evidence to a stated truth. But what if a person with whom I am talking says every time that the black swan is not really black. It’s just covered with oil. No matter how many black swans I may present, each time I am rebutted with the same argument. They are all covered with oil. Even if I closely examine the black swan to show that it has no oil on it, my friend may say, “Well, it was covered with oil, which dyed its feathers black. There are no black swans.” One would soon realize that there is no point discussing the matter any further.

This has been my experience when I share flat earth evidence. No matter how convincing my proof, it is always dismissed as being “doctored” video or, in the case of seeing farther than the globe model would allow, refraction or lensing. The refraction argument has been used ad infinitum to try to explain away everything from seeing the Chicago skyline from 65 miles away to selenelion eclipses.

Refraction is a real thing, but it does not explain away flat earth evidence, as so often claimed. Below is an excellent video on the subject by Ben at Taboo Conspiracy.

When we dismiss clear evidence that refutes a previously believed position, it shows that we are brainwashed.

Part of the reason we have such difficulty accepting that the earth is not a globe is because we cannot believe that institutions and people we trust could be actively deceiving us, especially on such a grand scale. We think that surely the truth would have been “outed” by now. Let me assure you that deception on a grand scale exists everywhere, but the whistleblowers are either eliminated, isolated, ridiculed, or dismissed.

Most people are more comfortable believing a lie that confronting one.

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Have you ever seen a black swan?

If someone makes a claim that all swans are white, finding a black one would disprove the statement. I well remember my “black swan” moment. It came in a flash, a moment of realization that all my life the “establishment” had been lying to me!

From childhood I believed what was was taught and reinforced almost daily – that the earth is a rotating sphere that revolves around the sun and hurtles through space at incomprehensible and complex speeds under the control of the pull of “gravity” from multiple sources. We are rotating at around 1000 mph at the equator, traveling at 66,600 mph around the sun, moving at around half a million mph along with our solar system through the galaxy, and flying at an even faster speed through the larger universe due to residual expansion from the “Big Bang.” I likewise accepted that gravity, which is weak enough to allow me to move about freely on the earth, is also strong enough to hold trillions of gallons of water to the surface of our sphere, which is rotating so amazingly fast. 

I did not really think too much about the fact that no one is aware of this supposed motion. Nor did I consider that, if this rotational speed is true, airplanes must fly with reference to that rotational speed and calculate it when landing, taking off, and navigating. I also did not consider what is the supposed curvature of the earth. In fact, it had never occurred to me to test it. And this brings me to the black swan moment.

I do not think I will ever forget watching a clear demonstration that we can see much, much farther than we are supposed to see if the globe theory of the earth’s shape were actually true.

Earth Curvature Formula

Most people do not know how much the earth’s surface is supposed to curve. There are websites that calculate the required amount of curvature over distance using spherical trigonometry, such as the Earth Curvature Calculator. For simplicity’s sake, the following parabolic formula works well up to a distance of about 2000 miles. After that, there will be some slight discrepancies from the trig formula, but not enough to cause concern.

Easy Formula: The Earth's Predicted Curvature = 8 inches times the distance in mileage squared.

Here are some sample distances with the calculated required curvature, if the earth were indeed a globe. 8 inches equals .66 feet.

Distance Formula
 Expected Curvature
1 mile 8″X1X1 8 inches
2 miles 8″X2X2 32 inches
3 miles 8″X3X3 72 inches
4 miles 8’X4X4 10.66 feet
5 miles 8″X5X5 16.66 feet
10 miles 8″X10X10 66 feet
20 miles 8″X20X20 264 feet
100 miles 8″X100X100 6600 feet
Perspective vs Curvature

When objects move away from us, because of optical perspective related to shape of our eyes, they appear to disappear from their base up. Aristotle believed this was proof of the earth’s curvature. Bill Nye the Science Guy says the same thing, much to his shame, because he knows better. Thanks to the power of telescopes and zoom cameras, we can bring objects back into view that have disappeared due to perspective, all the way down to the hull in the water for boats. Of course, eventually everything disappears when moved far enough away, due to limitations of vision, air quality issues, and perspective.

There are many different empirical proofs that the earth does not curve, and I have placed several of them on the Resource Page connected to this series. I encourage you to check them out.  Below is a very short video demonstration to whet your curiosity. Below is some information about the author of the video.

Taboo Conspiracy (aka Ben) is happily married and a homeschooling father of four children (one more is on the way). He is currently a lawyer and an entrepreneur setting up a remarkable business in Las Vegas, Nevada where he currently resides. Ben has a bachelors degree, a Juris Doctorate, and a Masters…

In March 2015, Ben began his new life as a flat earther when he, with his Nikon P900, filmed his wife across a bay holding a mirror reflecting the sunlight at 6.3 miles distance (globe model “hidden” height of 12 feet). Defying the globe model, Ben’s wife placed the mirror into the water and Ben filmed the entire event 6.3 miles away. Since then, Ben and his patient wife have conducted many tests to demonstrate the flat and stationary earth and his YouTube channel (now called “Taboo Conspiracy ii”) has thereafter been devoted to sharing these and many more flat earth proofs with everyone.

Although a Bible-loving Christian, Ben’s flat earth conversion was based only on the substantial scientific, observable and repeatable, evidence of the flat earth. Ben only asks that you objectively test the flat earth and weigh the evidence yourself with an open mind – only then will you learn the hard truth – that we were all lied to and only together can humanity throw off this mental and physical tyranny.1

When I saw that it can be demonstrated that the formula for calculating the curve of the earth is wrong, it was my black swan moment. Instead of curving like a sphere, it is flat!

What a moment that was. I did not want to be a “flat earther,” but there it was. My life forever changed that day. My big mistake was assuming that, if I showed people this information, they would immediately arrive at the same conclusion as I. Was I ever wrong!

In my next article, I will share about my amazing knowledge of languages. I can speak at least one phrase in every known language, except Greek. Perhaps you would like to test me?

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Footnote
1 https://flatearthconference.com/speakers/taboo-conspiracy/
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Introduction to Snippets of Truth

At the time of this writing, for about a year I have held a view of the earth and heavens that I believe corresponds to Genesis, rather than to the generally accepted position of modern astrophysics. This means that I am no longer a heliocentrist or believe that the earth is a rotating globe hurtling through space at enormous speeds in compound directions.

Some of my friends and family have come to believe as I, but others think I am “crazy” or deceived. Perhaps I have become an embarrassment to some. I have been mocked and a recipient of angry rebuttals and sly smiles. I mistakenly thought that my years as a Bible teacher would give me some credence, but I discovered that is often not true. It appears that this issue is a “sacred cow” that is best left undisturbed.

I began to wonder if this is a hill to die on or something to be left alone for a while. My relative silence may have been misinterpreted as a surrender to heliocentric “orthodoxy,” especially after what has been labeled “The Final Experiment,” but I have not changed my stance. I still hold firmly to what I believe the Bible teaches and have observed mountains of evidence to support my faith. Perhaps my stand will help others think again about what they believe and come to a knowledge of the truth.

I have come to believe that it is quite impossible to be a heliocentrist and accept the clear teachings about where we live that are found in Genesis and elsewhere in the Bible.

We must choose whether we will make the Biblical position our starting point in our quest for truth. If we begin with the generally accepted heliocentric model, as do most Christians, we will discover that we must reject a literal rendering of Genesis. Most do this in a way that might seem plausible but is nothing more than self-deception. I should know. I unwittingly did it for years. 

We make an end run around the truth by claiming that Genesis is not intended to be accepted as literally true. In other words, God told us a lie because he figured we were too ignorant to comprehend the truth. If this is so, it means that nothing in the Bible can be regarded as absolutely true, which is exactly what the devil wants us to conclude. We cannot have it both ways. The Bible cannot be true, but Genesis be untrue.

Nevertheless, most Christians seem to feel quite comfortable in doing this, while at the same time affirming that they believe that every word of the Bible is infallibly true. The devil must be laughing at our duplicity. How easy we are to fool.

If we decide that the Word of God the sole arbiter of truth, we will end up in an entirely different place.

We will question what is called “science” instead of the Bible. We will believe that the Bible means what it says and says what it means. If the sun was created on the fourth day, we understand that the Big Bang and heliocentrism is a lie. It really is that simple.

The reason that so many Christians have great difficulty accepting the biblical position is because we have been brainwashed since infancy to believe the heliocentric model. It takes great courage to go against what the masses accept as obviously true and settled science. No other stand for truth has cost me as much as this one, which indicates to me how important this truth is.

Many say that it makes no difference whether we believe in heliocentrism and the globe or in the biblical model. The only reason a person would say that is because they believe the biblical model is false. Once a person sees through the lie, it becomes clear how important this truth is.

One has to ask why this deception has been propagated for the last five hundred years. It is because it is a lie upon which hinges so many other deceptions. It hides the Creator who can more perfectly be known by comprehending his actual creation, not some imaginary distortion. It breeds other lies such as our relative insignificance in the vast universe. It makes man and the earth seem almost inconsequential, when the truth is that we are the center of God’s creation and purposes. It has led to many rejecting God’s existence altogether. It also sets the stage for us to believe that we are in constant danger from being obliterated by a random comet or asteroid, or of being invaded by aliens from “deep space.” Those who seek to enslave us want us to be afraid so they can convince us to surrender our freedoms to them.

Once we understand that we are in an enclosed environment overseen by the Most High God, the Creator, these fears disappear. Those who see the Creator in his creation are encouraged to know him, love him, and serve him. 

Adopting a biblical cosmology is perhaps one of the most important things we will ever do, aside from putting our faith and allegiance in Christ.

I encourage you to be willing to lay aside your long held presuppositions about the nature of the earth and heavens and open your heart to receive what the Bible teaches, even if it contradicts what we previously believed – especially if it does. If we ask the Holy Spirit to instruct us, I am sure he will. He promises to guide us into all truth.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, I ask you to guide me into the truth regarding the earth and the heavens. Amen.

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Is Heaven a Real Place?

Is heaven a real physical place? It may depend on which version of the cosmos we accept.

The Hebrew account of creation found in Genesis provides us with a literal, physical location for heaven.

Three important principles for interpreting the Bible are, firstly, the Bible is the Word of God and does not merely contain the Word of God. In other words, all the words in the Bible are true. Secondly, we should interpret texts in a literal sense unless it is clear from the context that we should not. Thirdly, we should strive to discover the author’s original intent and interpret the passage accordingly. It must at least mean what the author intended it to mean; although, it may have additional meaning as well.

If we accept that Genesis is God’s Word and a true account of the history of our origins, we know a great deal about the heavens and the earth.

God is a spirit, but he created a physical earth for us to inhabit. During the same six-day period he created a physical heaven.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 (NKJV)

The Hebrews believed the earth was constructed exactly as described in Genesis. The following diagram is a depiction that scholars agree shows the Hebrew conception of the cosmos. This view of the heavens and earth held up for centuries until the introduction of the pagan heliocentric model. I wrote about the occult origins of heliocentrism in a previous article.

As far as I can tell, all the Bible authors viewed creation in this manner. If we are to adhere to the basic hermeneutical principles outlined above, we must conclude that this is a true depiction of the heavens and earth,. Otherwise, we find ourselves in the precarious position of saying we believe the Bible contains truth, but not every word is true.

Paul wrote that there are three heavens.(2 Corinthians 12:2) He said that God took him to the third heaven, a place he called Paradise, but he was not sure if he went bodily or not. This supports the conclusion that heaven is a physical location which a body can visit. This conforms with the descriptions we have of Jesus sitting upon God’s throne in bodily form, his resurrected state. (Revelation 3:21)

It is generally accepted that the first heaven is the air above us in which the birds fly. The second heaven is the firmament, a physical barrier between the earth and the third heaven in which God placed the sun, moon, and stars. I have written about the firmament in greater detail in a previous article. The third heaven sits atop the firmament and is the location of God’s throne, upon which Jesus, in bodily form, now sits as King of the Universe, waiting for his enemies to be made his footstool. I wrote about God’s throne in the firmament in a previous article.

Genesis, Exodus, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation provide descriptions of the third heaven located atop the firmament. In Exodus, Moses and the elders of Israel are taken to the third heaven where they enjoy a physical meal in God’s presence!

Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. 11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank. Exodus 24:9–11 (NKJV)

This mysterious passage conforms exactly to other descriptions of the physical heaven. Ezekiel was also taken there when God called him to prophetic ministry.

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 1:26–28 (NKJV)

The word appearance means that it was what Ezekiel saw. There is no indication that this vision was not real. The fact that the same vision was given several times to different people at different times confirms the reality of a physical heaven. (Deuteronomy 19:15)

Daniel also saw Christ, the Son of Man, enthroned in heaven.

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)

Jesus applied this passage to himself during his mock trial before the Sanhedrin. (Matthew 26:64) Jesus will return in the clouds of heaven when God “rolls back” or dissolves the firmament, revealing his glorious throne.

looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:12–13 (NKJV)

The Book of Revelation also gives us a view into heaven.

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. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” Revelation 4:2–8 (NKJV)

If we do not accept the biblical model of the cosmos, we may be tempted to reduce all of these visions to a mere visionary experience that has no basis in any sort of concrete reality.

If, on the other hand, we adhere to the Hebraic model, we see clearly that heaven is very real and very near, sitting atop the firmament.

From his position above the vault of the firmament, God observes everything that happens on the earth.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is He who sits above the circle [a plane, not a ball - Isaiah 22:18] 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 40:21–22 (NKJV)

Yes, heaven is a very real place. Jesus told us that God prepared a place there for us who believe.

In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:2–3 (NASB95)

Heaven is where Jesus now dwells in bodily form. One day he will receive us into that glorious physical reality, “where” we will abide with him.

We should not allow a pagan conception of the universe rob us of the very real and near presence of heaven and God’s throne. All we have to do is look up.

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:9–11 (NKJV)
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The Firmament, the Throne, and the Apocalypse

In my previous article, I described the firmament and what it contains – the sun, moon, and stars. God’s throne is situated above the firmament.

From his lofty position above the earth, he watches and sovereignly rules over all things as the Creator, Sustainer, and Lord.

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 brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless. Isaiah 40:22–23 (NKJV)
The Throne

The Bible has some amazing revelations about the firmament that pertain to God’s throne. God’s habitation is mentioned in Exodus when God invited Moses and the elders of Israel to dine with him.

Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity.  Exodus 24:9–10 (NKJV)

Obviously they were no longer on Mt. Sinai! God lifted them into heaven, above the firmament, as he did with Ezekiel and John the Revelator later. The description of the pavement agrees with other descriptions of the firmament, above which is God’s throne.

Below are verses that describe those later descriptions of the firmament as the location of God’s throne. The first is at the beginning of Ezekiel’s ministry. God revealed himself to that prophet before sending him to fearlessly speak to a rebellious nation who would not heed his words. The second passage is taken from Revelation near the beginning of what God would unfold to John.

It seems that God reveals the firmament in greater clarity before he is going to provide us with even more revelation and call us to be his fearless witnesses.

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)


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)

The descriptions of the firmament agree – pavement as clear as the sky, crystal, and glass. Ezekiel 1:22 says the firmament is like “awesome crystal,” which literally means frost or ice. It is really high above the earth and may indeed be some sort of ice. Incidentally, frozen oxygen is sky blue in color. Just a thought…

If you are like me, I tended not to pay great attention to these verses before believing in a literal firmament because they seemed so otherworldly and loaded with almost unfathomable symbolism.

Once I started taking the existence of the firmament seriously, however, I began to see that these verses describe a heavenly reality.

Below are some significant insights they give us.

  • God inhabits a place where the hard “pavement” has a clarity like the sky.
  • From below the firmament looks like crystal. The Hebrew word here is qerach, which literally means frost or ice. The word for crystal from Revelation 5:6 uses the Greek word krustallos, which means congealed or transparent and is derived from a root word for frost. (You may wish to go back to the previous article and look at how lightning sprites illumine what looks like a crystalline firmament above them.)
  • God’s throne rests on this glass-like pavement of the firmament and is the color of sapphire, very much like the color of the sky itself.
  • The one who sits on the throne must be our Lord Jesus himself. In Exodus and Ezekiel this would have been a pre-incarnate theophany of the eternal Logos. We know from the words of our Lord Jesus that the triune God is a spirit (John 4:24) whom heaven cannot contain, but Jesus acquired a human body (John 1:14) and has been given authority to judge. It is he who sits on the throne as the glorious son of man prophesied by Daniel. (Daniel 7:13-14)
  • The rainbow appears around God’s throne, which testifies to what an abomination it is that it has been subverted to represent something anti-God. John the Revelator describes the light as emerald green in nature, which is the main color of the aurora borealis, located at the north pole, which is directly below the apex of the firmament. Could it be that the northern lights are expressions of God’s glory above the firmament? One day we will find out for sure!

God told us that every matter or word will be confirmed out of the mouths of two or three witnesses. (Matthew 18:16).

Therefore, since we have three verses describing the firmament, I believe God wants us to accept these verses as describing reality, not some vague symbolism. If we do this, we will see other verses in a new light.

The Apocalypse

The apocalypse or revelation of Jesus Christ on the last day can be understood best when we accept the reality of the firmament as the location of God’s throne and the barrier that separates us from God’s realm.

God is called the Most High because he literally occupies the highest place in creation. When God told John the Revelator to “Come up here,” (Revelation 4:1) “up” had meaning, which it does not on a globe, since all positions are relative. (This should be a red flag in itself. Satan desires to make all truth relative and malleable.) Heaven is above. Sheol is below. Earth is in between. Jesus told us to “look up” as end time signs appear.

Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Luke 21:28 (NKJV)

The reason we are to look up is because that is where God’s throne is and from where the Lord Jesus will appear when God rolls back the firmament like a scroll, dissolving the heavens.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:10–13 (NKJV)

Jesus said the the sun will stop shining, the moon will go dark, and the stars will fall to the earth.

But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, 25 AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. 26 “Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory. Mark 13:24–26 (NASB95)

If the stars were distant suns larger than our sun, this could not happen. Because the stars are simply luminaries, not “suns,” in the firmament, when their habitation is dissolved, they will fall to the earth. To me, at this point, it is not clear exactly what stars are. Sometimes they seem to be living beings or angels. At other times, simply lights. One day we will know. For know we must be content with what God allows us to know. Going beyond that is what got humanity in trouble in the first place!

When the firmament is dissolved, the stars fall, and the sun and moon cease to give their light, it will be a day like no other.

For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. Luke 17:24 (NKJV)

...Thus the LORD my God will come, And all the saints with You. 6 It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish. 7 It shall be one day Which is known to the LORD Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light. 8 And in that day it shall be— That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur. 9 And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be “The LORD is one,” And His name one. Zechariah 14:5–9 (NKJV)

What will that be like? It shall be both wonderful and terrible, glorious and fearful.

When God says he will roll up or split apart the heavens like a scroll, he means he will peel back the firmament to reveal the glorious one who sits on the throne.

The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:14–17 (NASB95)

At that point in history, every eye shall see him. His throne is so high, higher than the North Star, and his being is so gloriously bright that he will be seen by all those who dwell on the earth plane.

...when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10 (NKJV)

The one who ascended through the heavens after his resurrection (Ephesians 4:10) will be revealed in flaming fire when the heavens are dissolved. Afterward God will create a new haven and a new earth (2 Peter 3:13). Glory to God. What a day that will be!

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