Prayer
Heavenly Father, I praise and thank you for a new day of life. I worship you, O Lord, for your new mercies this morning. I praise you for keeping me through the night, for your patience and sustaining grace. O Lord, as I start out on this new day, I commit the day unto you. I ask, O Lord, that the rule of Christ may be mightily extended in my heart and life today. May Christ rule the movements of my heart, the words of my mouth, and the actions of my hands. Please sustain your people today, and build up the body of Christ. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever, Amen.
Reading
1 Thess 4 & Revelation 21.
Genesis 1:6-8.
“And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7. And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.”
Meditation
We have been exploring the second day of creation, and having learned something of the nature of the heavens God created, we are now in a position to consider the central question: What was God doing on day two? What was it all about? Here is my answer to that question: he was establishing the relationship between earth and heaven. The heavens, being and representing God’s dwelling place, will be above, and the earth will be beneath. God will shine down (the lesson from day one), and graciously shower the earth from heaven. The earth will receive light and glory from heaven. There will be a basic order and distinction between heaven and earth, which is what the expanse represents. That’s what God is showing us on day two – that God has established a relationship between heaven and earth, distinguishing between the two by means of an expanse, and revealing the order that heaven is above, and the earth is beneath.
But there is another significant detail we must notice when it comes to the second day of creation. There is something about day two in the Genesis prologue that sets it apart from all the other days. I wonder if you’ve ever noticed it before? There’s a certain poetic rhythm to Genesis 1, there are patterns in the language. For example, you might have noticed that at the start of each day we find the phrase “And God said…”. It is repeated at the start of the first six days. We find another pattern in the phrase: “And there was evening, and there was morning, the first day” (v5). Another repetition we find is the refrain: “it was good”. But have you ever noticed before that on day two there is no declaration that it is good? Every day God says it is good – except for day two. It sticks out like a sore thumb! The question is why? Why doesn’t God say that it was good to establish an expanse between earth and heaven?
I believe that there are at least two significant answers to that question, one of which is that the expanse is temporary. What I mean is that, in the fullness of time, the separation between heaven and earth will be removed. For this reason, I think that God does not give the commendation on day two, for the expanse or separation is not intended to be permanent. Now, why do I say that? And what does it mean exactly?
Well, we actually see this very clearly in Revelation 21:1, which says: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more”. Note that according to this passage the sea which was created on day two as part of the separation between heaven and earth - is now gone. But there is more! Let’s read on in verse two of Revelation 21: “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Now pay attention to what’s happening here. The New Jerusalem is an image representing the people of God, but something extraordinary is going on! The New Jerusalem doesn’t ascend up from the earth, as you might expect, she descends down from heaven. Why? The reason is that the separation between earth and heaven has been removed! The sea is no more!
Now maybe you’re thinking to yourself: “This sounds nice, and probably there’s a theological truth here, but – it’s a long shot!” Ok, perhaps… well, perhaps if verse three didn’t exist! Revelation 21:3 says: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.” Now, you tell me: Where is the dwelling place of God? It’s heaven! All of scripture makes it clear! And so if God’s dwelling place is with man, heaven and earth – by definition – have finally been united. I believe this is why the new creation is often called “the New Heavens and the New Earth”, because the two are now harmoniously joined into one! This new reality between heaven and earth is most fully realised in the union between Christ, who has come down from heaven, and his bride who has been lifted up to join him. But there are further lines of thought that enrich and establish this point as well.
In Colossians 1:20 we read that God through Christ is reconciling to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, thus seeing that God’s purpose is to unite earth and heaven. Ephesians 1:10 says something similar. God’s plan, in the fullness of time, is to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth. The things in heaven and the things on earth are presently separated, that is what day two teaches us, but in the fullness of time God’s plan is to unite them together in Christ. Most profoundly, this has already occurred in the incarnation itself, where the eternal Son of God became flesh – heaven and earth have been brought mysteriously and wonderfully together in his incarnation.
I believe also that this is why in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says that we shall meet Christ in the air when he returns. In that passage we read: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” God did not chose for us to meet Christ in the air because he couldn’t think of a more convenient meeting place. He chose the clouds and the air, as established on day two, to show us that the union between earth and heaven will be bridged at last. That’s why the bride, the New Jerusalem, will descend from heaven, because she’s already been called to meet her husband in heaven.
Be ye doers of the word…
As you look up to the skies, thinking of heaven, and thinking of the expanse that exists between heaven and earth, consider this also: the creation is pregnant with anticipation. That expanse orders and instructs us in the distance now existing between heaven and earth. But that expanse also instructs us in something else: the day fast approaches when the heavens shall come down, and the glorious union between heaven and earth will be realised. Christ and his bride will be joined fully together, and we will rejoice in the New Heavens and the New Earth.
You will see God. Do you ever feel like God is far away? Have you ever been tempted to think that he isn’t there? God is everywhere, we know that. He is with us, he dwells within us, but there is also a sense in which we are not yet with him fully. There remains for now an expanse between heaven and earth. But that distance that currently exists will not always exist, and that sense of distance with God that we now have will soon be a thing of the past. In Matthew 5:8 we read “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Take heart, because God’s plan is to make his dwelling place with man. The plan is unfolding as we speak, and will be consummated in the fullness of time.
In Revelation 21:3 we read: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.” We are spiritually united with Christ now, but that spiritual union is tainted by our sin, and our physical union has not yet happened because we are not yet in our glorified resurrected bodies. But the day is surely coming when the expanse will be removed, heaven and earth will be finally and fully united together. Be encouraged by that thought. We’re not there yet, but we’re on the road. Stay near to Christ, walk with Christ now, and in the fullness of time, you will see Christ in that day. Look up to the skies and see the glorious reminder of God’s dwelling place, but look up also with expectation at Christ’s return.
Here is a second and briefer application for our consideration: lay up treasure in heaven. The day is soon coming when the expanse between heaven and earth will be no more. We must spend our lives now, as believers, preparing for that day, laying up treasure in heaven. Hold your possessions in this life, all that exists under the sun, lightly – for it is but a vapour. Use those possessions and spend yourself in light of what is coming, for if we spend our lives laying up treasure here it will all pass and be gone as the wind. Consider the eternal value of the things that you are investing your time, money, and energy into. Consider the things that have a grip on your heart. SDG.
Prayer of Confession & Consecration
Lord God, thank you for the constant reminder that your heavens provide constant reminders of your exalted, glorious dwelling place. Thank you also for the frequent reminders of the blessings of light and rain we receive from the heavens – they are constant gifts of your goodness. Thank you for the wonderful promise that – one day – heaven and earth will be united together in Christ. That is a gift far beyond what I could hope or imagine. Please help me to be less and less earthly minded, and more constantly reminded of heavenly mercies, and the promise that one day we will be with you forever, without the hindrances of sin we now have in this earthly life. Lord, please help me never to look to the skies carelessly or thoughtlessly again, but to always pause and consider that it is a constant reminder from you of what lies ahead. All praise be to your name, and please forgive my sins this day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Day 16: The Heavens and the Earth (Gen 1:6-8).