12.2 Heaven and earth
DIGRESSION 12.2 - HEAVEN AND EARTH
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Gen.1:1)
“Thus the heavens and earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all the work which he had made.” (Gen.2:1)
“And I saw a new heaven and earth: for the first heaven and earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” (Rev.21:1)
How are we to understand heaven and earth in Revelation? Various interpretations have been suggested including the political heavens and earth (the world of European politics) as proposed by the continuos historical approach and the equation of heaven with Jerusalem in, ‘Revelation a Biblical approach’,by H.A.W. pg 165. The suggestion by H.A.W. does indeed have some merit, for Jerusalem was the place of the sanctuary and therefore by inference “heaven” is used as Bible idiom for Jerusalem, whereas “earth” is a frequently used Old Testament idiom for the land of Israel.[1]
To apply “heaven” exclusively to Jerusalem is however an oversimplification as Revelation makes apparent that it is the place were John is transported “in the spirit” in order to observe the throne room. (Rev. chpt.4) The earthly Temple and Tabernacle were after all, only shadows and patterns of the heavenly. (Heb.8: 4,5)
Scripture makes it clear that God’s dwelling place cannot be limited to heaven for it is part of our physical world; even the heaven of heavens cannot contain him. (2 Chron.2:6) He is simultaneously far away and very near (Ps 139:7-18, Jer.23:24) in him everything lives and moves and has it’s being (Acts 17:28) and yet he chooses to make his habitation with him that is poor and of a contrite spirit. (Jesus –Isa.57:15) Even heaven itself is therefore only a metaphor for God’s dwelling place, “for all these things hath my hand made.” (Isa.66:1) We have then the unusual circumstance that the Temple (and by association Jerusalem) is used as a metaphor for “heaven” (1 Kings 8: 30 2 Chron.30: 27) which is itself a metaphor for God’s dwelling place.
The heavens were populated with various heavenly bodies, for specific purposes. The sun, moon and stars were for signs and seasons (Gen.1: 14) and these are associated with feast days (see pg. note 2 chpt.11) The stars are often used as idiom for the angels (i.e. the sons of God in Job 38:7 2 and also for the seed of Abraham, who one day, will be like the angels. (Gen.22: 17; 37: 9 Dan.12: 2,3)
Diagrammatically:
CELESTIAL BODY SYMBOL TYPE
Heaven God’s dwelling place
Tabernacle, Temple – Ecclesiastical Israel
Earth God’s footstool
The land of Israel
Sun Greater light
Signs of Messiah
Moon Lesser light
The law and feast days
Stars Angels
Administrators of the law
The epistles of Paul and Peter confirm that this understanding of the symbolism is correct. Paul substitutes sun and moon with “the elements (of the world).”3 In both epistles (Galatians and Colossians) these “elements” are associated with the law and with feast days.
GALATIANS 4 COLOSSIANS 2
Bondage under the elements of the world (v.3)
Tradition of men, elements of the world (v.8)
The law and the
Weak and beggarly elements (v.9,10)
Ordinances (v.20,21)
[see Heb. 9:10]
“Jewish world”
Observe days, months, times years (v.10)
Holy day, new moon, Sabbath (v.16)
Feasts regulated by the moon this
represents the law.
According to Peter it is these elements (R.V.mg. heavenly bodies) that shall, “melt with a great heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10)
[works – those who seek justification by works – same word; Rom.9:23; Gal.3:10; Eph.2:9; described as the works of the law, eg., Gal.2:16; 3:2,5; dead works, Heb.6:1; 9:14]
Peter continues by informing us that the “heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat” (v.12) reminding us of the Old Testament prophecy; “all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll.” (Isa.34: 4 - 8) This can be nothing else but the passing away of the Mosaic order – the moon (law) as administered by the stars (angels). This was predicted by Christ – “the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken” (Mtt.24:29).5 See also Joel 2:31; 3:15.
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Mtt.24: 35). 6
The underlying argument of both Colossians and Galatians is that Christ has triumphed over the “principalities and powers” (angels) that administered the law.(Col 2: 15) The Galatians were warned against “a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels” (v.18)7
This “voluntary humility” combined with the mention of “holy days” (v.16) and “neglecting the body” (v.23) brings to mind the Day of Atonement (ye shall afflict your souls – Lev.16: 29). This feast was no longer of any value and constituted the worshipping of angels (= the law administered by angels) for Christ is now, “the head of all principality and power.” (v.10)
Heaven is the dwelling place of God and the Lamb, but also of the saints (Rev.13:7). It is the place where the women is found, but also the dragon (Rev.12:1–3). It can be dissolved (Isa.34: 4 –8) it’s stars can fall down (Rev.6: 13) and it’s elements can melt (2 Peter 3:12) in fact it can pass away altogether (Mtt.24:35)
Clearly, the meaning of heaven can only be determined by the context. It is both the dwelling place of God and a metaphor for the ‘ecclesiastical heavenly Israel’ (also the dwelling place of God).
A good example of this is the “war in heaven” that happens both in God’s dwelling place (= the heavenly court case) and in the ‘ecclesiastical heavenly Israel’ (the triumph on the cross)
In a similar fashion the seals are opened by the lamb who resides in “heaven” and as a consequence, “the heaven was removed as a scroll.” (Rev.6: 14) This is obviously not the same heaven, but the ‘ecclesiastical heavenly Israel’, represented by the “elements” of the law.
It is notable that the “New heavens and earth” of Revelation do not possess the elements of the “heavens that passed away”, for there is no temple, no sun and no moon present, for it is illuminated by the glory of the lamb.(Rev.21:22)
Thus the primeval condition of Genesis is restored, where light existed before the creation of the sun and the moon, confirming that God is the origin of all light (moral purity) and that the law is an inferior creation, made for the sole purpose of guiding men through their darkness to the source.
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[1]“I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form and void; and the heavens and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heaven were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be made desolate; yet will I not make a full end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.” (Jer.4: 23-28)
God’s message to the ‘earth’ (nation of Israel) through the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah is a complete reversal of the Genesis creative act. The earth (Israel) is to be totally destroyed, it is again without ‘form and void’ (Gen.1:2) there is no man (Adam – Gen. 1:27) no birds (Gen.1: 20) and no fruitful trees (Gen. 1: 11). This is one of the many places were ‘earth’ functions as a metaphor for the land of Israel.
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2 These are the same angels who sang for joy at the new creation, “Jesus Christ” (Lk.2: 13-14).
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3 ta stoicheia (tou kosmou) : the elements (of the world). The word stoicheia (stoiceia) means primarily things placed side by side in a row; it is used of letters of the Alphabet, the ABCs, and then, because the learning of the ABC s is the first lesson in a literary education, it comes to mean ‘rudiments’, or ‘first principles’ (as in Heb.5: 12). Again, since the letters of the Alphabet were regarded as the ‘elements’ of which words and sentences were built up, stoicheia comes to be used of the elements which make up the material world (2 Peter 3:10,12). These ‘elements’ the sun and the moon (= the law) were meant to guide the Jews to Christ. The Law was a schoolmaster (Gal.4:2) teaching the Jews the first principles, or ABC s of the truth. The Dictionary of Paul and his letters (I.V.P. 1993) pg. 231 has the following to say:
“From second temple Judaism there comes ample evidence of speculation about the universe and how the heavenly bodies were related to angels. The book of the Heavenly Luminaries in 1Enoch 72-78, a work dating from perhaps the first century B.C., testifies to Jewish astrological ideas and the association of an angel, Uriel, with the stars. This is set within a context in which particular attention is paid to times and seasons. (my emphasis) It is of some significance that Josephus could say that the woven veil separating the ‘holy place’ from the outer vestibule of the Herodian Temple was ‘a kind of image of the universe.’ It’s four colours symbolised fire, earth, air and sea, and embroidered upon it was a ‘panorama of the heavens’ excepting ‘the signs of the zodiac.’ The latter, however, were represented by the twelve loaves upon the table, while the seven lamps represented the seven planets.(Jos.J.W.5.5.4-5) Thus even at the heart of the Jerusalem Temple cultus there were symbols which suggested a necessity of penetrating the heavens in order to reach the throne of God in the Holy of Holies. The earliest extant extra biblical Jewish evidence for the word stoicheia (elements) being associated with both spirits and stars is later than the first century (second and third centuries A.D.), but is well attested and may very well represent beliefs contemporaneous with Paul.”
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4 In Gal.8: 4, Paul refers to the time when, “Ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.” These are the heathen deities whom the Galatians had formerly served. Jewish bondage to the law, as being bondage to angels (as custodians of the law) and Gentile service of strange gods as being bondage to demons, are alike slavery to the powers of the world.
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5 This quote refers to the passing away of the Mosaic dispensation. The stars (sons of God) that fall from heaven are therefore the earthly counterpart of the angels. It was the duty of the priestly Levitical class to act as custodians and administrators of the law, just as the angels had first given the law to Moses. (Gal.3:19)
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6 This clearly means that Christ’s words did not achieve their complete fulfilment in A.D. 70 – heaven and earth must pass away one more time before these words are accomplished
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7 Worshipping of angels. Is this why Stephen specifically mentions them worshipping the “host of heaven” (Acts 7: 41 – 43) Although the context is the worship of foreign idols, Stephen is no doubt playing on the “angel which spake to him (Moses) in the mount Sinai.” (v.38) Note also the reference to the golden calf incident (v.41). The golden calf was an imitation of the cherubim (ox-lion-man-eagle) and therefore an image of one of the living creatures.
“Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.” (Ps 106:20)“Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature (living creature = cherubim ?) more than the creator.” (Rom 1: 24)
See Bible Studies. H.A.W. pg. 305 for further reading.
