Part 3 of 3 – The ‘Sea Above’ and The Highest Heaven

This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called The Pre-Adamite World.

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.” (Gen. 1:14-16 KJV)  

“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 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. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.” (Genesis 1:6-8 (KJV)

This verse above is saying that the Sun, Moon, and Stars are “IN the firmament.” Therefore, applying the rules of grammar and logic, those waters that are “above the firmament” (Gen. 1:6-8) must therefore be above the Sun, Moon and Stars. In other words, those particular “waters that [be] ABOVE the heavens” are above the visible 1st and 2nd heavens. For some, is a hard pill to swallow, but that’s exactly what the Bible is saying right here.

“Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that [be] Above the Heavens.” (Psalms 148:4 KJV)

The ‘firmament’ deals with the structure of the present “heaven and Earth” (Gen. 2:1), as opposed to the structure of the original “heaven and Earth” of Gen. 1:1. The present “heavens and Earth” has three heavens

“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And

Thus, on the second day of the regeneration, the Lord God “divided” the waters (plural) of the great “deep” into two (2) parts, with a “firmament” in the midst. According to Gen. 1:10, there were the waters that were UPON the face of the Earth and the waters which He placed ABOVE the firmament, which He called “Seas.”

“And God called the dry [land] Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called the Seas [plural]: and God saw that [it was] good.” (Gen. 1:10 KJV)

We know that the waters on the Earth are called “Seas” in the Bible, but there is also another “Sea” that is spoken of in the Scriptures, one that is above the firmament. But, exactly where is “ABOVE” the firmament? During the seven-days of the Genesis regeneration the Lord God defined the Three (3) heavens.

  1. The first heaven is the Earth’s atmosphere, called the “OPEN firmament” – open to us.

“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl [that] may fly above the earth in the Open Firmament of Heaven.” (Gen. 1:20 KJV)

  1. The second heaven is the vast expanse of the physical universe – ‘outer space’ as we call it.

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:” (Gen. 1:14)

Together, these two (above) are the Two Lower Heavens which constitute a continuum called the

  • and this firmament is collectively called “Heaven.”
    1. “God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.” (Gen. 1:8)
  1. The Third Heaven is above an upper “Sea,” and this higher Sea is just below the Throne of God.

“And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.” (Revelation 4:6 KJV)

This highest “Sea” is above the “firmament” commonly known as the physical universe. It represents a Firm and Impassable Barrier between the world of man below and the realm of God that is above.

“Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. And he said unto them, Ye Are from Beneath; I Am from Above: ye are of this world; I am NOT of this world [cosmos].” (Jn 8:22-23)

As said earlier, this “Sea” of separation is a FIRM and impassable barrier between the world of man below and the world of God above. The only WAY through this firm upper sea is to be in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ alone is “the way the truth and the life.”

We can see the tripart heaven metaphorically in the tripart design of the Tabernacle and the Temple. The “firmament” is represented by the “Veil” that divided “the Holy Place,” where the Priest served daily in “the Holy of Holies” and God’s presence in “the Holiest of all.” (Heb. 9:3).

Most Christians are familiar with a diagram of Moses’ O.T. Tabernacle, its structure and layout, which is the same basic arrangement used in the layouts of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. It had an outer court with the laver and altar, the “Holy Place” with its Menorah (Lampstand) and table of shewbread, altar of incense. Only after the 2nd “Veil” was “the Holy of Holies,” which had God’s presence seen by ‘smoke and fire’ above the “Ark of the Covenant” located in “the Holy of Holies” - “For, Our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb. 12:29). Recall the burning bush Moses saw that was never consumed (Exo. 3:2)

The “Sea” under discussion is a barrier between the Second and Third heavens, represented by the Temple’s 2nd “Veil” between the “Holy Place” and “Holiest of All.” The ‘Brazen Alter’ of sacrifice was outside the Temple’s “Holy Place,” just as Jesus was crucified “outside the camp” of Jerusalem, meaning outside of religious apostate Israel.

“For the bodies of those beasts [sacrificed], whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without [outside] the gate. Hebrews 13:11-12 (KJV)

The ‘Laver’ of water in Moses’ Tabernacle, called the “Molten [melted] Sea” (1Kings 7:23) in Solomon’s Temple, were outside the “Holy Place” placed for the priests to wash themselves before entering the “Holy Place.”  This speaks of the need to be washed in “the Blood of the Lamb” of God to enter fellowship with God (cf. Titus 3:5)

This now gives us a better understanding of what the Apostle Paul was talking about in 2 Cor. 12:2, where he speaks of a place called the “third heaven.”

“I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.” (2 Cor. 12:2 KJV)

Although the “third heaven” is not directly mentioned in the Genesis narrative, the established structure of all things are defined in Genesis 1 and, when understood, it allows us to comprehend exactly where and what Paul was talking about when he mentions being caught up to the “third heaven.” He passed through the “sea” above.

This also gives the reader a better understanding of John’s vision in Rev. 4:6. Again, when the Lord God divided the waters He created a boundary which presently exists between the two lower heavens, which constitute the firmament, and “the third heaven” (where the throne of God is). That boundary is that “Sea” above and it is also likened in places to crystal or smooth glass:

“And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature [spirits in the lower heavens, v21] was as the colour of the terrible [inciting reverence] crystal, stretched forth over their heads ABOVE.” (Ezekiel 1:22 KJV)  

The reason the “sea” above appears like a smooth, crystal surface is because it is frozen. “The waters are hid as [with] a [precious] stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.” (Job 38:30 KJV)

“And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.” (Exo. 24:10 KJV)

Thus the “Sea” is also likened to a “sea of [clear] glass.”

“And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them [tribulation martyrs] that had gotten the victory over the beast [Antichrist], and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps [i.e., the peace and tranquility] of God.” (Rev. 15:2 KJV)

With this understanding of what exactly “the Firmament” is and the structure of all things that God made during the seven days, the many things that were obscure suddenly take on real meaning, enriching our understanding.

In summary, here is the structure of the physical world as it now exists from the face of the Earth upwards:

  • The lower sea of physical waters (the earthly seas, oceans, and lakes)
  • The first heaven (the ‘atmosphere’ where the birds fly)
  • The second heaven (‘outer space’ with its galaxies, planets, moons, and stars)
  • The Sea Above outer space and Below the third heaven is a “Sea” of separation.
  • And above it all, there is the “Third Heaven” and the “Throne of God.”

At the end of all ages there will be “no more Sea” (Rev. 21:1), which I assume to be the barrier of the “Sea” that is currently “above”. To me this means ALL men as believers in union with Christ will have ACCESS to God.

The tripart structure of the heavens is a recurring theme throughout the Bible. It is reinforced (in typology) throughout the Bible. For example, it is likened to the floors of a building, which we call “stories” and, sure enough, the same word is even used in the KJV Bible. It is used to describe the design of the heavens:

“[It is] he [THE LORD]  that buildeth his STORIES in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD [is] his name.” (Amos 9:6 KJV)

The pattern of three (3) “stories” is also found in some other important things in the Bible, an example being the description of the design of Noah’s Ark:

“A window shalt thou [Noah] make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; [with] lower, second, and third [stories] shalt thou make it.” (Genesis 6:16 KJV)

Three parts are used to describe the construction of the Temple:  “The door posts, and the narrow windows, and the galleries round about on their three stories, over against the door, ceiled with wood round about, and from the ground up to the windows, and the windows [were] covered;” (Ezekiel 41:16 KJV)

In the construction of Moses’ Tabernacle in the wilderness there were three (3) main parts:

1) The outer court, where the brazen altar of sacrifice was.

2) The Holy Place, where were the candlestick [Menorah], table of shewbread, and golden altar of incense.

3) The Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was containing these three elements; The Tablets of the Law, Pot of Manna, Aaron’s rod. Again, note that between parts two and three was a 2nd curtain (veil) for a partition, which symbolizes the “Sea” above the firmament (in type) in the structure of the Three Heavens. It is no coincidence that all these Biblical things have a similar three-tiered structure. There is much spiritual insight to be gained in further study of those tri-part things;

 

  • God is Triune and we are Tri-part
  • Three Heavens
  • Three levels inside Noah’s Ark
  • Three floors in the main section of the Temple
  • Three sections to Moses’ Tabernacle

 

 

 

 

Concerning the design of the Temple, keep in mind that Moses’ tent Tabernacle and Solomon’s Temple also had three (3) main parts: The outer court, The holy place (where the table, lamp and incense alter was, outside the veil) and The Most Holy Place (where the Ark was, behind the “veil”).

As you can see, this theme of structure based on threes is consistent throughout the Bible. Even the basic structure of the Earth has three (3) main divisions: the core, the mantle, and the crust.

Does the Universe really have a structure? When you go into outer space is there really any such thing as up and down, is there a top and bottom?

Does the cosmos have a definite shape? We cannot observe such a thing in our three-dimensional view of the universe, but is that all that is really out there? Not according to the Bible! In the words of Lord Himself there is a world above the one we live in, and can observe. Just because we cannot observe or understand something does not disprove its existence. Note John 8:23 KJV;

“And he [Jesus] said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.”

Having demonstrated that the Ruin and Reconstruction, the Gap Theory, the “Katabole” interpretation provides us the superior, biblically credible, solution between what the Bible says and what the Earth’s geology reveals; we must now tackle an elusive issue in the ‘reconciliation process.’

God Made the Sun, Moon and Stars, the 4th Day Lights of the Genesis narrative:

And God said, LET There Be Lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God MADE two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he MADE the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 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. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. (Genesis 1:14-19 KJV)

The Non-Gap, ‘Young Earth Creationists,’ as we may call them, claim that the Sun and Stars were first “created” about 6,000 years ago on the 4th Day of Genesis, a claim that runs counter to empirical observations and the Biblical text. In fact, the word “create” is nowhere found in the above passage. The words “LET THERE BE LIGHTS” and “made” do not equal “create.” ‘Create’ comes from a different Hebrew word with a different meaning. Arguments that “create” and “made” mean the same thing are foolish, they are different words in English and Hebrew. They are not interchangeable. The word “made” is correct, meaning something made of something else. The seven-day account of Gen. 1:3-31 describes a Divine RESTRUCTURING of a previously existing ‘heaven and Earth’ by a process the Scriptures defined as “katabole” (catabolism), this is the regeneration by ‘ruin’ and regeneration.

The constant of the speed of light and observations of our universe suggest that the stars we see up in the sky are old, very old - much older than just 6,000 years. Therefore, in order to defend their ‘Young Earth Creationist’s’ theoretical doctrine against this widely accepted scientific observation, ‘Young Earth Creationists’ have proposed every counter-argument imaginable. These arguments range from changes in the speed of light, to time-dilation, to God deliberately making everything appear old just to trick all the ‘evil evolutionists’ into believing what they call the “lies of science” and receiving damnation for their unbelief. Of course, that latter explanation would also make God a liar and a deceiver, which He is not (Titus 1:2).

In the Genesis Gap Doctrine of Old (original) Earth Creation there was a previous world on the ancient Earth long Before the world of Adam. Of course, such an ancient world had to have a Sun, a Moon and Stars shining up in the sky from ancient times, else the life that then existed wouldn’t have been possible.

The Bible says there was a heaven “of old” (2 Peter 3:5-7), so the stars of that heaven had to exist before the seven days of Genesis 1:3-31, otherwise why the requirement for the sun and stars to be REgenerated (“made” not created) on the 4th Day? Of course, if we accept that the Lord God “made” the present sun, moon and stars from the remnants of the heavenly bodies that were previously here, then there is an element of truth to the argument that what we Now See in the sky is not really as old as scientific theory would have us believe.

These mistaken ‘scientific observations’ are based upon the assumption of an uninterrupted continuity of all things since the beginning of time. The Bible, however, tells the reader there was indeed an interruption in that continuity. Does that make God a liar? No, not when He clearly tells you in his Word that such an interruption of continuity did in fact occur. Scientific theory tells us that that when we look up into the sky at any distant star, we are in effect looking backwards into historical time. In theory, when you look at a star that one-million light years away, you are seeing what that star looked like one-million years ago in time. In reality, that star may no longer be there. It could have exploded 500,000 years ago and you would not see that from Earth for another 500,000 years from today. Light travels at a velocity of 299,792,458 m/s and the distances between the Earth and the stars is measured in light-years.

In several places within this website (www.kjvbible.org) are presented the evidence that indicates the old Earth and heavens perished when they passed into a state of coldness and ruin about 13,000-10,000 radio carbon years ago. This is at a geological marker termed the Younger-Dryas cooling event that occurred at the end of the Pleistocene Ice Age. The Earth Went Cold When The Stars In The Heavens Went Dark And Cold. In the process, the hydrogen gas of the stars would have been converted to vast quantities of water. That is believed to be the source of the waters of the “deep” (the abyss) that overflowed the Earth (Gen. 1:2). Such an event would have produced a spectacular light show across the heavens (stars expanding into Red Giants and imploding into White Dwarfs, etc.) before the darkness and cold settled in and eventually killed everything on the Earth.

This brings us to the Paradox: When we look up into the heavens today everything appears normal, as if nothing of the sort even happened. Why is that?

It is because of a Divine intervention into the workings of ‘the cosmos, the arrangement of the heaven and the earth,’ about 6,000 years ago. The Bible Student should keep firmly in mind that the Lord God who established the observed physical laws of nature is not Himself in subjection to those laws. Our Bible is replete with instances where the Lord God supernaturally intervened against the laws of physics and nature. Examples are the parting of the Red Sea (Exo. 14:21), the turning back of the shadow of the sundial (2 Kings 20:9), the stopping of the earth’s rotation for about 24 hours (Josh. 10:12-14), the virgin birth of the God-Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. And then, of course, there is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead.

Do you believe that God did all these things?

Then why should we find it incredible that the Lord God could resurrect an entire dead universe and give it REnewed life? The evidence of the global destruction and death of things, in the old (original) world that was here before the seven-days of REgeneration seen in the account of Genesis chapter 1 can be found today in the Earth’s geologic record.