19/07/2021

What is the 'Expanse of the Sky' (Firmament) in Genesis 1:6?

📰The Bible is one of the best-selling and most widely distributed books in history, yet it is also considered to be among the least understood. The Bible, which is referred to as the New Covenant and Promise of God, in which 'the way to heaven and salvation' is presented, differs in theologians' interpretations that make it difficult to understand. These differing interpretations have been the cause of the rise of denominations with each one establishing their own doctrine. With the increase in online church services and gatherings resulting from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, there has been growing interest in the comparison of various church doctrine. This paper, therefore, attempts to provide readers with the opportunity to compare differing Biblical teachings without interpretation. Among a host of online sermons and Bible-based teachings, the contrasting doctrine between the established Church and Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which has drawn public interest throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, is hereby compared and summarised. Best efforts have been made to provide a summary of Shincheonji Church of Jesus' understanding of the Bible. Judgment as to what is right or wrong is left to the reader’s discernment.

 

"The 'expanse of the sky' is a new tabernacle created amidst the world, upon which God and Heaven in the spiritual realm descend"
Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony
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The sky in the natural world is so high that it is unreachable, not to mention the sun, moon and stars. The Bible describes heaven by using the characteristics of the natural world to describe the world of the spirit where God, the Most High Creator of heaven and earth, dwells, and the chosen tabernacle on this earth, where the world of the spirit dwells. Moreover, in Genesis 37:9~11, the sun, moon and stars are called Jacob's family, God's chosen people. The sky where the sun, moon and stars are is the tabernacle of the chosen people.

What is the firmament, or 'expanse of the sky', of the second day? In Genesis 1, there are two heavens and earths, which are the former heaven and earth that fades away and the newly created heaven and earth. Genesis 1 is the blueprint for the work of re-creation, so the 'expanse of the sky' in the main reference refers to the new heaven that is created after God finds a light as He hovered over the surface of the deep on day one.

To say that darkness is 'over the deep' means that the heavens have darkened, which means that God, who is light, has departed from the tabernacle of God and there is no longer the word of truth. The surface of the deep waters, over which the spirit of God hovers, refers to the sea, which is the world. Furthermore, the light that God seeks and finds in the world refers to a pastor who has the word of truth and is in accord with God's heart.

In every era, God's work of creation has taken place according to the order recorded in Genesis 1. God's work of creation, which started from the beginning, is a repeated sequence, as recorded in Genesis 1, that occurs in every era due to the corruption and betrayal of the people. This work of re-creation is finally completed at the time of the fulfilment of Revelation chapter 21.

After establishing Adam, God created the Garden of Eden, but when Adam's world was judged because of their corruption and betrayal, God chose Noah and had him build an ark. When Noah's world also became corrupt, God chose Moses to create physical Israel, and showed him the things of heaven so he could build a tabernacle on earth.

Moreover, when physical Israel became corrupt and was brought to an end, God chose Jesus as the light to preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven in order to create a new tabernacle, which was spiritual Israel.

According to this logic and order, God has established a new tabernacle today, where He can dwell, having chosen a pastor who comes as the light after the former world became corrupt, was judged and passed away, as has happened in every era.

Even today, at the time of the Second Coming of the Lord, we see the new heaven and new earth as promised in Revelation 21:1. What is the first heaven and first earth that passes away, and what is the new heaven and new earth that is newly created?

Today, at the time of the fulfilment of Revelation, and as seen in Revelation 1:20, the tabernacle of the seven stars and the seven golden lampstands - that is, the tabernacle of heaven - appears. However, as seen in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, they were deceived by Satan's Nicolaitans, ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality, but did not repent. They were then brought to an end by this group of destroyers. As a result, the sun, moon and stars darkened and fell, and the heaven left this earth. This signalled the end of the corrupt traditional church - that is, the world of spiritual Israel and Christianity. This is the event in which the first heaven and the first earth disappears.

At this time, a pastor of light chosen by Jesus received the word of revelation, as shown in Revelation 10, fought and overcame the group of the dragon, and created the 12 tribes of new spiritual Israel by harvesting and sealing these people, as shown in Revelation 7 and 14. The kingdom and priests are purchased by the blood of Jesus, and the multitude in white have their sins forgiven by the blood of Jesus. These people gather at The Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony in Revelation 15 and are the new heaven and new earth in Revelation 21. Heaven in God's spiritual realm will come to this place and God will forever dwell with these people.

"The 'expanse of the sky' is the wide, open expanse of the skies above that points to space and heaven"
Korean Church

Pastor A of the Presbyterian Church
"In today's text (Genesis 1:8), this person is expressed as 'heaven'. However, heaven is not an appropriate translation. Today, we would like to take a look at what this expanse means to us.

What exactly is this place? The Hebrew for firmament is 'rakia', which refers to a vast expanse of space or a 'broad sky' in the word 'expanse' in the NIV Bible.

However, the more appropriate meaning is that it is a very wide, open expanse of the skies above. To be more precise, we describe this space as the atmosphere."


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