The Waters Above Are in the Highest Heaven
The waters above the firmament are not just clouds; Scripture places them in the highest heaven, where God dwells.
Scripture shows this in two steps:
On the second day of creation God divided the waters. Some were below, some were above. Many people think the waters above are only clouds and rain. But the Bible tells us where those waters are, and it is much higher than the clouds. It is where God lives.
Genesis 1:6-7
“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 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.”
Genesis 1:6-7
God made a firmament and put it between the waters. Now there are waters under it and waters above it. Genesis does not say how high the waters above are. If we read this verse alone, we might guess they are only the water in the sky. But we should not read it alone. Another verse tells us where they are.
Psalm 148:4
“Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.”
Psalm 148:4
Here the psalm calls on two things to praise God, side by side. The first is the “heavens of heavens.” That means the highest heaven, the place where God Himself dwells. The second is the “waters that be above the heavens.” The psalm puts them together, in the same breath.
So the waters above are not just clouds. They are up at the level of God’s throne, in the highest heaven.
What this means
Two verses, one line. Genesis divides the waters above from the waters below. The psalm places the waters above with the highest heaven, God’s dwelling. So the story of creation is not only about the world down here. From the second day it points up, to where God is.
This also helps me see what it means to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. It is to be covered by the waters from above, from God’s own presence. The Spirit moved upon the waters at the beginning (Genesis 1:2). What comes down from the throne is His Spirit, poured out.
And it works the other way too. God “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). The Spirit comes down to me; in Christ I am brought up. It is like coming up through the water into the throne room of God. Jesus spoke of being “born of water and of the Spirit” (John 3:5).
Once I am through, I do not fall back. I am seated, not swimming. “Your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). There is no trapdoor in the throne room.
Connected chains
This cluster goes hand in hand with Babel Deified the Heavens and It Is Finished: Creation Completed at the Cross.