Kingdom Come

 Evening – Beginning of Day 2

The Firmament

“And God made the firmament…And God called the firmament Heaven.” (Genesis 1:4-5

This word means simply “expansion.” It denotes the space or expanse like an arch appearing immediately above us. They who rendered raki’a by firmamentum regarded it as a solid body. The language of Scripture is not scientific but popular…

This explanation by Bible Study Tools dictionary is simply appalling.

What did we just read in the preceding three verses?

Focus! What just happened?!

“God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was formless / wasted and void / empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” (Genesis 1:1-2)

As detailed in the post Days Of Thunder, there are two ways to understand these two sentences. The first is “God create the heaven and the earth formless and void and dark.” But this is inconsistent with “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all”, (I John 1:5)

So the alternative understanding – supported grammatically by reporting in two sentences instead of one – is that the second sentence doesn’t describe a created condition but a sequence of events.

This understanding is validated by the statement God makes about Lucifer that “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God…in the day that thou wast created” (Ezekiel 28:13) which we know happened before humanity was put in that same garden. Lucifer got mad and trashed the place – “made the world a wilderness” – once he found out it wasn’t created for him.

It is also validated by the documentation, virtually identical, that “God looked upon the earth, and it / the earth was corrupt / wasted.”…and God said, I will destroy / same Hebrew word as corrupt / wasted THEM [along] with the earth…I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, (Genesis 6:11, 17)

Get it?

• In Genesis 1 the Adversary destroys the earth and empties it of its inhabitants,
  • and God retaliates by re-imposing his productive light and in a sequence of events re-establishing order.
• In Genesis 6 the Adversary uses humanity to do the dirty work for him of destroying the earth,
  • and God retaliates – retaliates, get it! – on the principle of Action – Equal and Opposite Reaction by destroying the corruption with a flood.

The context is war! God’s next action MUST be interpreted in this context. This is just basic 5th grade book reporting on themes running through the story.

And the biggest theme is God’s restoration of his perfect creation, most especially in human beings likeness as status as sons of God, but over all of creation as well.

”Dead things [disconnected from life but not inactive, like vampires and zombies] are formed from under the waters [Tiamat, chaotic energy / sea of outer space], and the inhabitants thereof…He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud. By his spirit [energy] he hath garnished the heavens;” (Job 26:5-13)

This word “garnish” means both to add something, like parsley to plated food, and to take away something, like money from wages. This seemingly contradictory use of a word is common, and understandable when we recognize the two sides to an action. For example, garnished wages take away money from one person in order to add money to another person.

From the Online Etymology Dictionary

garnish (v.)

late 14c., “to decorate, adorn, beautify,” also in Middle English “equip (a place) for defense; arm (oneself) for battle; prepare to defend,“…

Major impact events have significantly shaped Earth’s history…

An impact event is commonly seen as a scenario that would bring about the end of civilization. In 2000, Discover Magazine published a list of 20 possible sudden doomsday scenarios with an impact event listed as the most likely to occur…

In the early history of the Earth…Such impacts could have included strikes by asteroids hundreds of kilometers in diameter, with explosions so powerful that they vaporized all the Earth’s oceans.

Different catastrophic/emergency and disaster events…all share a single concept.

Security. 

The best paradigm for survival perimeter combat preparedness comes from the Vietnam war…

Obviously the scale of enhanced force would be somehow different but the essential principles of applied dynamics and what works best are the same…

The firmament is God’s survival perimeter combat preparedness over the earth.

The Hebrew noun for firm-ament, raqia רָקִיעַ, comes from the root verb raqa רָקַע which means “to stamp, hammer or beat out, indicating a solid, or at least impenetrable, vault over the earth.

Job’s account of creation, which gives us much more detail, solidifies (that’s a pun) this interpretation of a hard firmament.

“Has thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten [metalic] looking glass?” (Job 37:18)

Even modern glass mirrors reflect via a coating of elemental silver.

The account of Samson’s destruction of his enemy – at the price of the destruction of himself and everyone around him – provides a concrete (ha ha) example of the form and function of the firmament as a roof forming a protective barrier from incoming elements that would harm anyone on the ground. 

The discovery of the oldest flat roof construction dates back between 7100 BC to 5700 BC in the middle east in an ancient settlement called Çatalhöyük in modern-day Turkey.

In arid climates that don’t need protection against snow nor even much against rain, flat roofs are the most popular for providing essentially another story to the house.

“Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice…the house was full of men and women…and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women…

for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand…and they set him between the pillars…And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O LORD God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines…

And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up…And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein.” (Judges 16)

The Bible reports ongoing battles between evil adversaries of humanity and righteous hyper dimensional beings protecting earth’s inhabitants, not only on earth itself but in orbit above earth. 

And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire…and he set his right foot upon [all creation consisting of] the sea [the outer space deep separated from the earth by the firmament], and his left foot on the earth [under the firmament]…in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets [the first heaven and the first earth passed away; and no more sea.].” (Revelation 10:1-7, 21:1)

“a great red dragon…drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth…And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon…and his angels…And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him…Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!” “For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity…and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.” (Revelation 12, Isaiah 26:20-27:1)

Piercing this barrier spells earth’s doom.

Science validates the ancient record of an impenetrable barrier over earth, its purpose to protect earth, and the extinction of life on earth if it is breached.

James Van Allen is called the “Father of Space Science”.

• He received a Ph.D. in Physics in 1939 while studying cosmic rays on earth.
• He served on the post-World War II V2-Rocket Panel, using scavenged German V2 rockets to jumpstart American rocket technology.
• He pioneered the development of Geiger tube instrumentation for rocket flight to measure high altitude cosmic rays.

In 1958 the United States launched its first satellite 1,563 miles high for the express goal of investigating cosmic rays recorded by Van Allen on earth. They found radiation so intense – a thousand times greater than anyone expected – that at first scientists thought they might be recording a Soviet nuclear test.

The radiation far outpaced the levels of radiation that would be expected from cosmic rays alone. It wasn’t of earthly origin, and it occupied an area scientists had considered a void in two donut-shaped rings of seething radiation encircling the earth.

The outer belt is made up of billions of high-energy particles that originate from the Sun and become trapped in Earth’s magnetic field, an area known as the magnetosphere. The inner belt results from interactions of cosmic rays with Earth’s atmosphere.

One key finding was data showing that the inner edge of the outer belt is…[an] impenetrable barrier…

Generated as it is by solar radiation wind, this impenetrable barrier matches the description of wind that separated the sea to allow his people to escape the pursuing Egyptian army, then reverse the direction to destroy the enemy.

“the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left…The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” (Exodus 14:21-22, 15:9-11)

The particles that form the Van Allen radiation belts are thought to “come from” cosmic rays, but there is nothing to preclude the Van Allen Belts being themselves the solar radiation and rays, as reported in the Bible.

“the LORD God is [both] a sun AND shield” (Psalm 84:11)

The inner Van Allen Belt fills up most of earth’s atmosphere, from 400 to 6,000 miles above Earth’s surface. 

“And God said, Let…fowl…fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.” (Genesis 1:20)

The Hebrew word translated here “open” is the same word translated “face”, “surface”, “in the presence of ” or “in front of”. It is still in common use for denoting open access, as in open faced sandwich, or open face exhibiting one’s inner thoughts.

Astronomically, this open space is called the first of 5 levels of earth’s atmosphere, and is distinctly different from the upper 4 levels. I have to smile at NASA’s anthropomorphic attribution of a creator through the imagery of “tasked with”.

The…exact altitude where space begins is something scientists have been debating since before we even sent the first spacecraft into orbit. The true outer edge to the Earth’s atmosphere, or a reasonable candidate for it, is the magnetic shock front with the solar wind…earth’s topmost layer of atmosphere – somewhere between 62,000 miles and 120,000 miles above the surface of Earth.

That would be the outer edge of the outer Van Allen Belt.But this “true” altitude where space begins is not used by astronomists.

The Kármán line is a generally accepted defined beginning of space, some 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth’s surface.

Sixty two miles up isn’t at all what I envision whenever I hear the news of “outer space”.  That’s a thousand times lower than true space! Why so very low so close to earth?

“To answer questions such as ‘how many astronauts have flown in space?’ or ‘how many European Space Agency rockets have reached space?’, we need to adopt a definition of space…”

Ahh! So it’s completely artificial! It’s designed to enhance the reputation of the nations who can claim they’ve gone into “outer” space!

Life Magazine (Aug 3 1962): “the USAF considered all X-15 flights above 80 km [50 miles] as astronautical flights and gave those pilots astronaut wings.”

“Major Bob White of the US Air Force is the nation’s newest space hero. […] He has…a special set of pilot’s wings that signified he had flown higher than 50 miles above the earth and thereby had qualified as a spaceman.“

The 100 km Karman line has gained ascendancy as the most commonly used boundary. The bar was set to this height by the private enterprise winner of the $10 million Ansari X-Prize SpaceShipOne,

Launched from its White Knight mothership, the rocket-powered SpaceShipOne and its pilot ascended just beyond the atmosphere, arced through space (but not into orbit), then glided safely back to Earth. The flight lasted 24 minutes, with 3 minutes of weightlessness. Its three record-setting flights were:

* 100 kilometers (62 miles) altitude*; Mike Melvill, pilot; June 21, 2004

* 102 kilometers (64 miles) altitude; Mike Melvill, pilot: September 29, 2004

* 112 kilometers (70 miles) altitude; Brian Binnie, pilot; October 4, 2004

With SpaceShipOne, private enterprise crossed the threshold into human spaceflight, previously the domain of government programs. The SpaceShipOne team aimed for a simple, robust, and reliable vehicle design that could make affordable space travel and tourism possible.

SpaceShipOne won the $10 million Ansari X Prize for repeated flights in a privately developed reusable spacecraft, the Collier Trophy for greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in 2004, and the National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Current Achievement.

And how does this meet any criteria for a “Space Ship”? The public is being suckered.

As detailed in later posts, breaching the barrier to the sea / chaos of outer space releases the forces of destruction on earth.

“And I stood upon the sand / boundary / barrier of the sea, and saw a beast / alien of unknown species rise up out of the sea…and all the world…worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?…And I saw heaven [above the sea of outer space] opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war…And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords…And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him… These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (Revelation 13, 19)