Genesis 5 Part 9: The Creation of the Heavens

In Genesis 1, we read of the creation of the Heavens and the Earth.

Genesis 1 v 1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

But we then read in Genesis 2 v 4:

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made them.

Are these two contradictory stories? No.

The Bible contains over 20 creation stories. They are written for different purposes and perspectives. For example, Genesis 1 is about how God made Creation like a temple, while Genesis 2 is about the fall of humanity and the events leading up to the flood.

These are separate narratives, but cover the same event. Like if two people saw a car accident, the witness accounts might overlap, but there would also be elements of their stories which may be left out in the others retelling.

Creation of the Heavens

In Genesis 1, we see a detailed account of how the Earth was created. But not so much about the creation of the Heavens.

We see a mention in Genesis 1 v 14-16:

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years. And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well. God set these lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

But this doesn’t give the same level of detail as the account of Earth’s creation. Where are the angels? When were they created?

What are the Heavens?

The Biblical view of the Heavens consists of three separate areas (or sometimes nine).

The First Heaven was from the air around the Earth up to the Sun or Moon. The Second Heaven was where the planets resided. And then the Third Heaven was above the ‘firmament’ and consisted of the stars, the wider cosmos and God’s throne. The image below gives a visual representation of this.

Celestial Spheres

Each dome was a celestial sphere. Prior to the Copernicus Revolution, it was believed the Celestial Spheres hung above the Earth, turning round a point.

The planets and stars were attached to these spheres. They moved around the Earth in a circular motion. This is what is called the geocentric model of the cosmos. Copernicus in the 1400s developed the heliocentric model, which is closer to how the solar system is actually laid out.

All in the Stars

The genealogy of Genesis 5 records the names of 13 patriarchs from Adam to Noah’s three sons. Though only ten have their ages recorded.

Notice how many spheres there are in the above diagram, including the Earth. There are ten. Ten spheres and ten patriarchs with ages.

This is how the Genesis 5 genealogy could be mapped onto the ancient celestial map.

We can see the correlation between the two models of Creation. I will go further into how the numbers line up in a later post. But first, let’s see how Genesis 5 can help us understand how God made the Heavens and His angelic host.

ADDITIONAL NOTE:

Neolithic Art

We see many concentric circles in Neolithic Art. This image has ten rings. Maybe this connects with the celestial spheres?