WATERS FROM ABOVE

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p_rehbein

p_rehbein

Senior Member
#1
Sep 4, 2013
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#1
This has always drawn my interest......anyone got a really good explanation?

Genesis 1:6) 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. 9) And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

Psalms 148:4) Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.


What are the "waters from above?"

 
HeRoseFromTheDead

HeRoseFromTheDead

Senior Member
#2
Sep 4, 2012
14,424
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#2
I think it was a thick water vapor layer. I speculate that the earth's rotational axis in relation to its orbital axis was 0* instead of 23* like it is now. The tilt is what gives us seasons and weather. I suppose without the tilt the atmosphere would be more stratified allowing for a water vapor layer high up instead of the convection/rain weather system we have now.
 
Locutus

Locutus

Senior Member
#3
Feb 10, 2017
5,928
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#3
Adam Clarke's commentary

Verse 6

And God said, Let there be a firmament - Our translators, by following the firmamentum of the Vulgate, which is a translation of the στερεωμα of the Septuagint, have deprived this passage of all sense and meaning.

The Hebrew word רקיע rakia, from רקע raka, to spread out as the curtains of a tent or pavilion, simply signifies an expanse or space, and consequently that circumambient space or expansion separating the clouds, which are in the higher regions of it, from the seas, etc., which are below it.

This we call the atmosphere, the orb of atoms or inconceivably small particles; but the word appears to have been used by Moses in a more extensive sense, and to include the whole of the planetary vortex, or the space which is occupied by the whole solar system.

[HR][/HR]
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
#4
#4
It is the water belief the land being seperated from the waters above the land. Most of the waters above consists of the oceans. The waters below (2 deep drilling projects found what they call “heavy water” far below the earths surface.)

Many believe this is the water which came out during the flood when the bible says “the fountains of the great deep broke up” and is what caused the massive flood which covered the earth.
 
trofimus

trofimus

Senior Member
#5
Aug 17, 2015
10,684
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#5
Ancient people did not understand how rains work.

They saw water falling down from the sky so they thought there are waters above and some holes in a solid firmanent so that the waters can fall down.

So, the Psalm should be understood in the meaning of clouds or of water circulation, IMHO.
 
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eternally-gratefull

Guest
#6
#6
The CHALOT interprets the word to be a plate (beaten medal) which would be a great representative of the crust of the earth.
 
mailmandan

mailmandan

Senior Member
#7
Apr 7, 2014
25,032
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#7
One interesting theory is that before the flood, there was a canopy of water that surrounded the earth, which came down when God flooded the earth for 40 days and 40 nights yet prior to that, it did not rain on the earth, but mist went up from the earth and watered the face of the ground.

Genesis 2:5 - before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.
 
J

Justshalllivebyfaith

Member
#8
Oct 11, 2017
82
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6
#8
The firmament is the open space between the clouds and the earth. The base of the water above the firmament is where the clouds float and where we get rain.
 
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eternally-gratefull

Guest
#9
#9
mailmandan said:
One interesting theory is that before the flood, there was a canopy of water that surrounded the earth, which came down when God flooded the earth for 40 days and 40 nights yet prior to that, it did not rain on the earth, but mist went up from the earth and watered the face of the ground.

Genesis 2:5 - before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.
Click to expand...

I am not sure there would not be enough water to flood the earth from that alone, although I think there was more water in trhe expamnse than their was after the flood (thus change in conditions) . I believe the water came from many areas. At the surfacek, above the surface and below.
 
mailmandan

mailmandan

Senior Member
#10
Apr 7, 2014
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#10
eternally-gratefull said:
I am not sure there would not be enough water to flood the earth from that alone, although I think there was more water in trhe expamnse than their was after the flood (thus change in conditions) . I believe the water came from many areas. At the surfacek, above the surface and below.
Click to expand...
Yes, those who hold to the canopy of water that surrounded the earth and came down as rain during the flood theory also say that springs below the surface of the earth burst and contributed to flooding the earth as well. Interesting topic! :)
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
#11
#11
mailmandan said:
Yes, those who hold to the canopy of water that surrounded the earth and came down as rain during the flood theory also say that springs below the surface of the earth burst and contributed to flooding the earth as well. Interesting topic! :)
Click to expand...

I have been studying a new theory. Has alot of promise.. I still. Like the plate techntomics whole earth flood theory. But I am intrigued by this other one..
 
notuptome

notuptome

Senior Member
#12
May 17, 2013
15,050
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#12
I heard in an apologetics seminar that the earth had protective layer of water several inches thick surrounding it in the upper atmosphere. The atmospheric pressure was about double what we have now. Oxygen levels were about double as well. UV levels were very low. It is speculated that this is why men lived much longer than they do today. As well it may have contributed to the dinosaurs and other creatures growing to such immense size.

The Lord will reveal it all when we stand in His presence.

For the cause of Christ
Roger
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
#13
#13
notuptome said:
I heard in an apologetics seminar that the earth had protective layer of water several inches thick surrounding it in the upper atmosphere. The atmospheric pressure was about double what we have now. Oxygen levels were about double as well. UV levels were very low. It is speculated that this is why men lived much longer than they do today. As well it may have contributed to the dinosaurs and other creatures growing to such immense size.

The Lord will reveal it all when we stand in His presence.

For the cause of Christ
Roger
Click to expand...
there is no doubt the world after is not the same as the worlds before. I think peter hints at this when he says in the last days men will be scoffers, who think all has been the same since the beginniing of creation. I think we saee this today with carbon dating and other dating techniques which force us to use the theory the things today have always been the same, And who are those who use these methods the most? Scoffers, trying to disprove God.
 
mailmandan

mailmandan

Senior Member
#14
Apr 7, 2014
25,032
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#14
notuptome said:
I heard in an apologetics seminar that the earth had protective layer of water several inches thick surrounding it in the upper atmosphere. The atmospheric pressure was about double what we have now. Oxygen levels were about double as well. UV levels were very low. It is speculated that this is why men lived much longer than they do today. As well it may have contributed to the dinosaurs and other creatures growing to such immense size.

The Lord will reveal it all when we stand in His presence.

For the cause of Christ
Roger
Click to expand...
I heard that as well. Men lived longer and grew larger, up to 10 feet + in height. I heard that reptiles never stop growing, which would explain why dinosaurs grew so large, since they lived so long because of the earth's atmosphere, due to the protective layer of water and increased oxygen levels. They have found human footprints with dinosaur footprints in river beds and they said the human footprints ranged from size 24-37 with a stride of 6 feet, which would mean 10 foot tall.

I read where a creationist took a cherry tomato plant and placed it in a container, then reproduced the earth's atmosphere before the flood with increased oxygen levels and the cherry tomato plant grew into a tomato tree, producing tomatoes that were baseball size.
 
trofimus

trofimus

Senior Member
#15
Aug 17, 2015
10,684
794
113
#15
notuptome said:
I heard in an apologetics seminar that the earth had protective layer of water several inches thick surrounding it in the upper atmosphere. The atmospheric pressure was about double what we have now. Oxygen levels were about double as well. UV levels were very low. It is speculated that this is why men lived much longer than they do today. As well it may have contributed to the dinosaurs and other creatures growing to such immense size.

The Lord will reveal it all when we stand in His presence.

For the cause of Christ
Roger
Click to expand...
Pure speculation without any evidence cannot be taken as apologetics, IMHO.
 
I

Icetech

Banned
#17
Mar 19, 2018
108
2
0
#17
trofimus said:
Ancient people did not understand how rains work.

They saw water falling down from the sky so they thought there are waters above and some holes in a solid firmanent so that the waters can fall down.

So, the Psalm should be understood in the meaning of clouds or of water circulation, IMHO.
Click to expand...
"All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again." Ecclesiastes 1:7

Solomon seemed to have knowledge of the water cycle. Furthermore the ancients knew it rained when it was cloudy so surely they would have concluded that the clouds were the source of the rain. I think the ancient people understood a lot more than we like to give them credit for.
 
L

LPT

Guest
#18
#18
Ahhh the Milky Way,
 
R

reneweddaybyday

Senior Member
#19
Mar 23, 2016
6,787
1,633
113
#19
p_rehbein said:
This has always drawn my interest......anyone got a really good explanation?

Genesis 1:6) 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. 9) And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

Psalms 148:4) Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.


What are the "waters from above?"
Click to expand...
found this image online:

​
 
R

reneweddaybyday

Senior Member
#20
Mar 23, 2016
6,787
1,633
113
#20
mailmandan said:
One interesting theory is that before the flood, there was a canopy of water that surrounded the earth, which came down when God flooded the earth for 40 days and 40 nights yet prior to that, it did not rain on the earth, but mist went up from the earth and watered the face of the ground.

Genesis 2:5 - before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.
Click to expand...
I believe that there was a water canopy which was dissipated at the time of the Gen flood:

Genesis

7:11 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.

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


My understanding is that the fountains of the great deep are waters under the earth and the windows of heaven are the water canopy surrounding the earth.


According to Gen 8:3, it took 150 days for the waters to abate and the ark came to rest (7th month, 17th day). Then another 3 months for the tops of the mountains to appear (Gen 8:5 – 10th month, 1st day).

It wasn't until the following year in the 2nd month, 27th day that the earth dried (Gen 8:14).

That is a lot of water!!!


 
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