DAY #2 OF CREATION: The Firmament of Heaven

4/24/2025

Article #2 on Creation & Science

The creation of the firmament on Day #2 was simply called “Heaven” in Genesis 1:8. Heaven in this case is referring to both outer space and the atmosphere of earth.

“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.” – Gen. 1:6-8

Scripture will eventually distinguish between the different Heavens of the firmament. Some basic observations in Genesis are as follows: the sun, moon, and stars of Day #4 were placed in “the firmament of the Heaven” (Gen. 1:14, 17), and the birds of Day #5 fly in “the open firmament of Heaven” (Gen. 1:20). The open firmament of Heaven refers to the atmosphere of the earth. Therefore, the closed firmament of Heaven is outer space. Both places together are the Heavens of the firmament.

There is much to learn about “the firmament of the Heaven” from the whole counsel of God in Scripture. If God created the sun, moon, and stars and placed them in “the firmament of Heaven” on Day #4, then it must be an extremely large domain of great power (Gen. 1:14-19). If the birds are flying in “the open firmament of Heaven”, then this part of the firmament contains air. Using this terminology, the birds could be called the birds of Heaven. This aligns with Genesis 1:26 because here the birds are called, “the fowl of the air”, and the Hebrew word for “air” is the same word that is translated to “Heaven” elsewhere in the Bible. Shamaim (שָׁמַיִם, H8064) is translated Heaven 289 times, Heavens 109 times, and Air 21 times.

All these observations are important. However, if we allow Genesis 1:6-8 to be our guide, readers are made to look upon how the firmament of Heaven divided the waters. Therefore, any definitive understanding of Heaven will shed light on this divine exploit.

Dividing the Waters

Remember, according to Genesis 1:1-2, water was created by God before Day #1. The earth was without form and completely covered by a deep ocean of water. The Spirit of God was then moving upon “the face” of liquid water just before the Word was spoken in the creation light for the making of Day #1 (Gen. 1:2). However, we are not informed how the light was impacting the water worldwide over the next 24 hours. Given the circumstances, we can be sure that there was something imperfect about the situation, and therefore the LORD acted to make it “good”. This was God’s motivation in every act of creation

“good” – Gen. 1:4, 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31, 2:9, 12, 18

Furthermore, we can assume that the light that was coming from the Presence of God, the same light that was then called “Day” (Gen. 1:5), functioned the same way that normal sunlight does in our world. The divine light was literally replaced by the Sun on Day #4. Certainly, the light of Day was having some impact upon the liquid water of earth! Hence, the creation of Heaven was for good cause.

“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.” – Gen. 1:6-7

A careful reading of Genesis 1:6-7 shows what the firmament of Heaven accomplished with respect to the dividing of the waters. The firmament of Heaven existed “under”, “in the midst”, and “above” the waters. The water “under” the firmament was the ocean of liquid water that covered the face of the world (Gen. 1:7). The water “in the midst” of the firmament was invisible water vapor being suspended in the air of earth’s atmosphere. Our atmosphere currently has a capacity to hold around 37.5 million-billion gallons of water vapor! The water “above” the firmament was visible water vapor in the form of clouds being suspended high in the sky.

“Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out Heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?” – Isa. 40:12

Amazingly, the water “above” the firmament was also referring to the water vapor of outer space. The largest known reservoir of water anywhere in the universe was found in outer space 12 billion light-years away. This is a recent discovery of modern science! This reservoir of water vapor contains enough H2O to fill trillions of earth-sized oceans (earth.com).

Apparently, in the process of things, a huge amount of water vapor was kicked up into outer space. Logically, this could have happened as a result of divine light impacting the liquid water on the face of the deep during Day #1. Or maybe a gaseous form of water was already floating around planet earth in the beginning, like it is now floating deep in the vacuum of outer space, and when the firmament of Heaven was created the waters were then fixed in their places and stretched apart by air and outer space.

Matter of fact, the word “Heaven” in Hebrew is Shamaim, and it is a combination of the words “Sham” (There) and “Maim” (Water). These two words spoken together, as “Sham-Maim”, literally means “Water is There”. Amazingly, the same story is told by our English word, Atmosphere. Atmosphere is a combination of “Atmos” (Vapor) and “Sphaira” (Ball / Globe / Sphere). These two words were combined to form Atmosphoera in Latin and Atmosphere in English. Literally, these two words spoken together, as Atmos-Sphaira, communicates to us the essential message of Genesis 1:6-8 by calling the first Heaven a vaporous sphere that envelopes the earth.

The Atmosphere Encircling & Encompassing the Earth Acts to Contain, Suspend, Stretch Out, & Elevate the Waters

For thousands of years, the Prophets looked back on the events of Genesis 1:6-8 with marvel and amazement at the power, wisdom, and glory of God. There is much to be seen here! All this scriptural attention has amplified the meaning of Genesis 1:6-8. A good place for us to start is Proverbs 8:27-28 and Isaiah 40:22.

“When He prepared the Heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:” – Prov. 8:27-28

Both Proverbs 8:27-28 and Isaiah 40:22 use the Hebrew word, chûg (חוּג), when speaking about the creation of the Heavens on Day #2. Under inspiration, Solomon said this was “when [God] set a compass upon the face of the depth: when he established the clouds above:” (Prov. 8:27-28). Remember, the atmosphere was created to perform a needed work in respect to the waters, and here the liquid water is called “the face of the depth” and the gaseous water is called “the clouds”. The firmament of Heaven encompasses the face of the depth to contain it while suspending the water vapor in the air, effectively dividing and stretching out the two different kinds of water. Modern scientists prefer the term envelope when describing how the atmosphere of the earth surrounds our world, while the translators of the Bible preferred the words, “compass” or “circle” (Prov. 8:27, Isa. 40:22), but these words essentially mean the same thing.

“It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:” – Isa. 40:22

The “circle” of the earth is speaking about the atmosphere encircling, encompassing, or enveloping our world. Furthermore, this verse bears witness to the shape of our world as a globe or sphere during a time when modern science erroneously thought the Earth was flat. The encircling atmosphere was stretched out and spread out to great heights! Insomuch that the inhabitants of the earth are made to appear like grasshoppers from the height of the clouds.

The atmosphere was made to act as a celestial “curtain” or “tent” for the inhabitants of the world. Tents in ancient times were made up of curtains. Essentially, these were manmade habitations for survival. They were built to provide shelter, protection, warmth, and comfort. Isaiah 40:22 teaches us how the atmosphere acts as a divinely constructed habitation for survival. Each gas molecule of the atmosphere plays a unique part in providing a shelter that protects, warms, sustains, and comforts the inhabitants of the world.

Water Vapor (H2O): Water vapor is essential for maintaining a habitable temperature on earth. “Water vapor is Earth’s most abundant greenhouse gas. It’s responsible for about half of Earth’s greenhouse effect — the process that occurs when gases in Earth’s atmosphere trap the sun’s heat. Greenhouse gases keep our planet livable.” (NASA). “As sunlight reaches the earth, some of its energy is reflected back into outer space, some of its energy is absorbed and re-radiated as heat, and most of the heat is absorbed by greenhouse gases and then radiated in all directions, warming the Earth.” (NASA). Gaseous water in the atmosphere makes our sky act as a curtain of insulation in a divinely constructed habitation of warmth.

Oxygen (O2): “Oxygen is used by all living things and is essential for respiration. It is also necessary for combustion (burning).” (NOAA).
Carbon Dioxide (CO2): A certain amount of carbon dioxide is needed in the atmosphere for life to exist on earth. It contributes to the natural greenhouse effect that keeps the planet warm enough to support life. As a major greenhouse gas, “carbon dioxide acts as a blanket that prevents the escape of heat into outer space.” (NOAA). Also, plants essentially breathe carbon dioxide; they inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. They need it to survive, and without plants we would all die.

Nitrogen (N2): “Nitrogen dilutes oxygen and prevents rapid burning at the Earth's surface. Living things need it to make proteins.” (NOAA).

Ozone (O3): “The ozone layer filters out ultra-violet (UV) rays from the sun and protects life on Earth.” (NOAA).

As we explore the molecular working of the atmosphere, we should follow the lead of Genesis 1:6-8 and thus give special attention to the suspended presence of water vapor. The work of the atmosphere is visible to mankind as we behold how sunlight interacts with the sky in a staggering show of glory and beauty. Meanwhile, the science of scattering and absorption is equally as amazing.

“The Heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork.” - Psalm 19:1

“Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in His sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of His power.” - Psalm 150:1

“Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?” - Job 37:18

The sky glorious in beauty, and yet it also serves as a “strong” roof over our heads protecting us from the dangerous hazards of outer space. Meteoroids travelling up to 64,000 mph explode and burn up upon striking the atmosphere, and by the time that they hit the earth as meteors they are relatively harmless. The face of our world would be scarred with craters like the moon if it had no sky as a “strong” barrier of protection. Each atom and molecule of gas in the atmosphere has a density. Most people comprehend how this makes sense of atmospheric pressure in our world. Similarly, the combined presence of these atoms and molecules in the atmosphere forms a global force field in the opposite direction, toward outer space, in how these particles exert a force against incoming meteoroids.

Stretching Out of the Heavens

There is much to learn about the glory, power, and strength of the Heavens, especially when the handywork of Day #4 is brought into full view, but right now we need to focus on the unique accomplishments of Day #2. Namely, how God created the Heavens by stretching them out!

“…I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the Heavens alone;” – Isa. 44:24

“…He that created the Heavens, and stretched them out;” – Isa. 42:5

“…the LORD thy Maker, that hath stretched forth the Heavens” – Isa. 51:13

“…the LORD, which stretcheth forth the Heavens” – Zech. 12:1

“Which alone spreadeth out the Heavens...” - Job 9:8

“I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens” – Isa. 45:12

“…My right hand hath spanned the Heavens:” – Isa. 48:13

Divine genius is the architect who stretched out the Heavens as an act of construction! Scripture refers to this genius as “discretion” and “understanding” (Jer. 10:12, 51:15). We have already observed some aspects of divine wisdom in the creation of the atmosphere through the suspension of gas and water vapor in the sky. Now, we need to put our focus on the stretching out of the second Heaven.

“He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the Earth upon nothing.” - Job 26:7

The testimony of Scripture brings our attention to the nothingness and emptiness of outer space. Modern science prefers the term vacuum to describe how outer space is void of matter. However, even a domain of nothingness is somehow “strong” enough to hold “the Earth” in a hanging position according to Job 26:7. Things that are stretched seldom retain the integrity of their strength. Nevertheless, true to its name, the second Heaven remains firm. It is a created thing, and it holds the Earth firmly in place, along with all “the worlds” of the universe (Heb. 11:3), even while the Earth weighs 13 thousand, 170 billion trillion pounds, as it is rotating on its axis at 1,000 mph, and revolving around the sun at 67,000 mph.

Credit should be given to the wisdom and discretion of God in creating the Firmament (Jer. 10:12, 51:15). The word Firmament in English comes from the Latin word, Firmamentum, which basically means a firm object. In this case, the firm object in reference is a stretched out heavenly tapestry of space that is mysteriously holding everything in place. A more common definition for Firmament comes from the Hebrew word, Râqı̂ya‛ (רָקִיעַ), which being interpreted means a strong expanse.

Expanded things seldom retain their strength. Nevertheless, outer space is a vast domain of incomprehensible greatness and strength! Literally, through divine stretching its bounds are unsearchable! Its height is immeasurable! Its stars are innumerable! And yet it is a strong and durable habitation for all the planets and stars of every galaxy in the universe. Its strength is therefore incompressible, like the strength and durability of the Throne of God in Heaven. Literally, the size and strength of this domain makes it the preferred seat of the LORD, while the Earth is merely a footstool. Think of the Heavens as a building of elevated “stories” and “chambers” that stretch and ascend to the height of the third Heaven in eternity (Amos 9:6, Job 9:8-10)! And picture the LORD filling this vast domain with the infinity of the Godhead as the LORD sits upon the circle of the Earth (Isa. 40:22).

“It is He that buildeth His stories in the Heaven, and hath founded His troop in the earth…The LORD is His name.” – Amos 9:6

“Which alone spreadeth out the Heavens…Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south. Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.” - Job 9:8-10

“It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth…” – Isa. 40:22

Are you getting the message? Something is written across the face of the sky! In other words, we need to understand the speech of the Heavens from our vantage point on Earth (Ps. 19:1-6). Earthlings view the second Heaven in all its glory through the first Heaven. The encircling atmosphere serves “as a molten looking glass” to the people who gaze upwards (Job 37:18). We are forced to look through the stories to behold the chambers. The sun, moon, and stars are projected upon “the circle” as they move about the vault of the sky in an arch of visible circuits (Isa. 40:22, Job 22:14). Therefore, looking up into the mighty spread of the Heavens is a humiliating experience.

“Look unto the Heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou.” - Job 35:5

“Is not God in the height of Heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!” - Job 22:12

Evidently, there is something to be known about God in beholding the Highness. The LORD is in the Heavens! And redeemed men and women are humbled at the sight of it. What about you? For this reason, the Prophets boldly declared to unbelievers the name of God, El-Elyon, which means the Most High God (Dan. 3:26, 4:2, 17, 24, 25, 32, 34, 5:18, 21, 7:18, 22, 25, 27).

“Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the Heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” – Ps. 115:2-3 (Rev. 4:11, Ps. 33:11, 135:6, Isa. 46:10)

“The Heaven, even the Heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.” – Ps. 115:16

God alone is the possessor of the Heavens. It is not our property! Sinners cannot take possession of it. Any attempt to ascend into this forbidden territory will prove to be dangerous and deadly, if not totally impossible. Nevertheless, filthy dreamers will make this the goal of their lifetime. Sinners will continue to gaze upon the majestic stories of Heaven in a race for cosmic glory. Meanwhile, one look at the height of the stars is enough to instruct the heart of the humble. Apparently, outer space is an unforgiving and uninhabitable wilderness of darkness! And seeing that this place is the seat and dwelling place of God, something should be enforced upon the conscience of mankind as they spend time looking up.

“Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,” – Rom. 1:19-22

We are given a glimpse into the highness and holiness of Almighty God! The highness of God bears witness to the authority and rule of the Godhead (Rom. 1:20). This is why the seers declared that God is in the Heavens! Prophetically, the eyes of their hearts were discerning that God’s Throne is in the Heavens, which means that divine rule is imposed upon Earth from on high.

“Thus saith the LORD, The Heaven is My throne, and the Earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” – Isa. 66:1-2 (Ps. 11:4; Matt. 5:34-35)

“Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.” – Eccl. 5:2

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” – Isa. 57:15

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the Heavens are higher than the Earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isa. 55:8-9

The Highness of God should make men feel that our LORD is unreachable by our own methods and unapproachable in our own strength and ability, and thus God is unimpressed by our own thoughts and inventions (Eccl. 5:2, Isa. 66:1). Men should conclude that God is unreachable if we are going to try to ascend to meet the LORD in His dwelling place. The only way to find audience with God is if the LORD humbles himself by coming down from the height of Eternity.

“From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD'S name is to be praised. The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.” - Psalm 113:3-8

Believers should keep this in mind as they enter manmade houses of worship of Sunday (Ps. 132:7). The incomprehensible greatness of God will bow the soul in a posture of worship. “Do not I fill Heaven and Earth? Saith the LORD.” (Jer. 23:24). The infinity of God will make us marvel at divine love (Ps. 8:3-4). Just to find audience with God is a miracle of grace and glory! At least, these were the sentiments of Solomon the wise (2 Chron. 6:18).