The Windows of Heaven

Article #2 on Noah's Flood & Science 

A meteorological event called the opening of the windows of heaven played a major part in bringing about the flood in the days of Noah. This language is used at the beginning and end of the flood in Genesis 7:11 and Genesis 8:2. 

“In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.” – Gen. 7:11-12

“The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;” – Gen. 8:2

What is the opening and closing of the windows of heaven? Ask your neighbor and he will tell you it’s controversial. Some people theorize that there was a canopy of water that was suspended above the atmosphere in the preflood world. Naturally, they think that the windows were opened in the canopy and then the water fell down to the earth, and thus the canopy of waters doesn’t exist anymore in the postflood world. Proponents of this view cite Genesis 1:6-8 and Psalm 148:8 as evidence. 

“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

“Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.” - Psalm 148:4

Interpreters get confused with the wording in this ancient manner of speech. When we face such difficulties in the interpretation of the Bible, a more thorough study is warranted. Literally, every Scripture in the Bible on the atmosphere, water, water vapor, the windows of heaven, and rain needs to be collected and understood in context. Only then will we correctly interpret what happened on Day #2 of creation in Genesis. 

A basic study on “the windows of heaven” in the Bible will reveal that this meteorological event is referring to rain. The manner of speech used in Gen. 7:11 & 8:2 is then quoted in 2 Kings 7:1-2, 18-20, & Mal. 3:10-12, providing multiple witnesses of biblical context. First, in 2 Kings 7:1-2 & 2 Kings 7:18-20, a prince of Samaria mocked the prophet Elisha with the following words and was put to death. 

“Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be?” – 2 Kings 7:2 

These words were especially provocative because in the same generation, Elisha’s predecessor, Elijah, was famous for prophesying of a coming famine through drought. Elijah said to Ahab, the King of Samaria, “As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” (1 Kings 17:1). Similarly, when there was a great “famine” in Samaria, Elijah went to Ahab, and prophesied, “I will send rain upon the earth” (1 Kings 18:1-2). Hereby, the people of Israel came to know that the Lord gives or withholds rain through the opening and closing of the windows of heaven.

However, when a great “famine” was upon Samaria in the days of Joram, the King of Israel, only this time the famine was caused by the siege of Benhadad, King of Syria, Elisha’s prophecy was mocked. Essentially, the prince was acknowledging the miracle of Elijah while scorning the miracle of Elisha. 

“Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.” – 2 Kings 7:1-2

“And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria: And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.” – 2 Kings 7:18-20

God will not let divine power be mocked by noblemen, especially in the presence of prophets who are delivering the word of salvation to the common people. The Law had already clearly established the fact that God gives or withholds rain as a blessing or curse to the people of Israel (Lev. 26:4-5, 19-20, Deut. 11:13-14, 28:12, 23-24). Drought and famine were a common occurrence generationally because God, the Father, was purposed to chastise His children betimes as the need required. The prophets arose to plead with the people about the same thing for thousands of years (Amos 4:7, Jer. 3:3, 5:24, 14:22)! This brings us to the prophet Malachi. 

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.” – Mal. 3:10-12

God is not speaking hypothetically or poetically. The LORD said that He would “open” up to the people “the windows of heaven” if only they obeyed Him in this one thing (Mal. 3:10). By interpretation, this means that God would pour out the blessing of rain, which would then cause the land to be fruitful. Malachi 3:10 is the case and point of the argument. This manner of speech is used to describe the ordinary giving or withholding of rain, speaking of it as opening and closing the windows of heaven. Now, we can reread Genesis 7:11-12 and Genesis 8:2 with dogmatic certainty that this manner of speech is referring to rain.

Matter of fact, a similar manner of speech was used in the giving of rain in the Exodus Generation. However, this time the LORD said that He “opened the doors of heaven” for the raining of manna upon the people in the wilderness (Ps. 78:24). 

“Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation: Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.” - Psalm 78:22-25

Evidently, as manners of speech, the opening of the windows of heaven and the opening of the doors of heaven are both used synonymously by God in Holy Scripture. Both of these statements are referring to rain coming from the “the clouds” of the sky (Ps. 78:23)! This is undeniable. Therefore, in conclusion, we can be sure that it is unbiblical to read Genesis 7:11-12 and Genesis 8:2 and propose that something else is happening there besides the clouds of the sky giving or withholding rain at God’s command.