fuchsiastar
Well-Known Member
Since I know there are some very knowledgeable ladies here, I wanted to pose to you some questions as I am going through the 90 Day Challenge. I am reading the New King James Version, and when things are unclear I go online to BibleGateway (thanks nakialovesshoes!) and read the New International Version. However sometimes reading the other versions just bring up more questions, and I know some of the more studied women may have the answers for me. I’m having some questions about Heaven, and I hope to get some answers, references, or just conversation about it here. I hope SistaCNN works for Bible Study also!
Genesis 1:6-8
New International Version
6</SPAN> And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
This is the first reference to Heaven, and reading it I feel like there is a deeper meaning here that is lost in translation. I recognize the literal translation to the sky being referred to as Heaven, but there is something else drawing my attention…..and I’m having a hard time articulating it! We are always taught that we need to stay on the right path to get to this place called Heaven, but is that firmament dividing more than just earth and blue sky? More than just the green grass and the stars? When I went skydiving did I make it into heaven…..I hope NOT! And then in 1:14 when the “lights” are added to the Heavens, it flies in the face of all of the scientific big bang stuff I was taught about the planets. Those planets and entire solar system was created by God also…but here’s the thing….they were created in the Heavens.
So my question to you all is: What exactly is Heaven? How do the biblical scholars define it? Are our physical bodies really going to walk a better replica of earth, or are our spirits going to be floating around like spaceships in the universe? A universe that was clearly created by our God.
Man, I hope there is just a simple explanation to this, like maybe that there are two Hebrew words for “sky” and “Heaven” and they were used interchangeably or incorrectly when the Bible books were translated to English. I really don’t want to think that when I look at the sky I am looking at the Heaven that I am working so hard to get to….theres gotta be more that I am trying to live Holy for!
And here’s a bonus question: If Jesus went to be with the Father, and God created Heaven, where did God reside when Heaven was created? Where is it that God is doing this creation from….and when Jesus joined God, where did he go? Which leads into the question of where are we going? Which leads back to the original question of what exactly is Heaven?
Genesis 1:6-8
King James Version
6 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.
6 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.
New International Version
6</SPAN> And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
This is the first reference to Heaven, and reading it I feel like there is a deeper meaning here that is lost in translation. I recognize the literal translation to the sky being referred to as Heaven, but there is something else drawing my attention…..and I’m having a hard time articulating it! We are always taught that we need to stay on the right path to get to this place called Heaven, but is that firmament dividing more than just earth and blue sky? More than just the green grass and the stars? When I went skydiving did I make it into heaven…..I hope NOT! And then in 1:14 when the “lights” are added to the Heavens, it flies in the face of all of the scientific big bang stuff I was taught about the planets. Those planets and entire solar system was created by God also…but here’s the thing….they were created in the Heavens.
So my question to you all is: What exactly is Heaven? How do the biblical scholars define it? Are our physical bodies really going to walk a better replica of earth, or are our spirits going to be floating around like spaceships in the universe? A universe that was clearly created by our God.
Man, I hope there is just a simple explanation to this, like maybe that there are two Hebrew words for “sky” and “Heaven” and they were used interchangeably or incorrectly when the Bible books were translated to English. I really don’t want to think that when I look at the sky I am looking at the Heaven that I am working so hard to get to….theres gotta be more that I am trying to live Holy for!
And here’s a bonus question: If Jesus went to be with the Father, and God created Heaven, where did God reside when Heaven was created? Where is it that God is doing this creation from….and when Jesus joined God, where did he go? Which leads into the question of where are we going? Which leads back to the original question of what exactly is Heaven?
