Inner Rooms in Outer Space

 

When I observe telescopic images of deep space, the immeasurable number of galaxies, nebulae, and stars, I think about God’s overall purpose and if a redeemed humanity on earth somehow factors into the future exploration of these heavenly wonders.

There is a universal fascination with exploring and discovering what is often referred to as “outer space,” and ever since the Fall, there has been an enduring desire within humanity to “look up” and “reach for the stars.” In the 21st century, billions of dollars are spent every year launching rockets, satellites, and spacecraft into the heavens above. As we get closer to the end of the age and Christ’s return, it makes perfect sense why we are witnessing all sorts of heavenly phenomena, greater openness toward accepting “extraterrestrial life,” and biblical signs in the sky.

In this post I want to explore a few passages (a constellation of texts, if you will) that relate to God’s throne, the zodiac + associated star clusters, and the “rooms” or dwelling places in heaven reserved for the Body of Christ.

To kick things off, here are some verses of Scripture that connect God’s place of residence (“His throne”) with the heavens (sometimes translated as “heaven” or “sky”):

Thus said YHWH: The heavens [are] My throne, And the earth My footstool. Where [is] this—the house that you build for Me? And where [is] this—the place—My rest? (Isaiah 66:1, LSV)

“The heavens” = God’s throne. The word translated as “heavens” is shamayim (Strong’s 8064); this is the same term used in the creation account of Genesis 1 (“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”). Note also that “the heavens” are the location or domain of the sun, moon, and stars (Gen. 1:16–17).

And the priests, the Levites, rise and bless the people, and their voice is heard, and their prayer comes into His holy habitation in the heavens. (2 Chronicles 30:27, LSV)

God’s “holy habitation” or dwelling place is “in the heavens” (Heb. shamayim). See also Deut. 26:15.

And she brought forth a male son, who is about to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, and her child was snatched up to God and to His throne . . . And there came war in Heaven: Michael and his messengers warred against the dragon, and the dragon and his messengers warred, and they did not prevail, nor was their place found anymore in Heaven . . . because of this be glad, you heavens, and those who dwell in them; woe to those inhabiting the earth and the sea, because the Devil went down to you, having great wrath, having known that he has [a] short time. (Revelation 12:5, 7–8, 12, LSV)

In this climactic narrative sequence, the Body of Christ is glorified and “raptured” up to “God’s throne” (i.e. Heaven/the heavens). As an immediate consequence of these new residents being brought into God’s house, there is no longer a place for the Devil and his angels, and so they are eternally evicted and thrown down to the place where the Church formerly inhabited (“the earth and the sea”; cf. Rev. 3:10). Note the subsequent victory celebration in Rev. 12:12 after the Rapture of the Church and removal of Satan from the heavenly realm, “. . . because of this be glad, you heavens, and those who dwell in them. . .”

Now that we’ve dipped our collective toe into “the waters above” by viewing these passages about “heaven” and “outer space,” let’s try to connect some more dots in the hopes that terms and phrases like “God’s throne,” “Heaven,” and/or “the heavens” can become more tangible and less nebulous.

Circle It, Star It...

A parallel passage to Isaiah 66:1 is the oft-misunderstood Isaiah 40:22. In this text the same imagery is conveyed: God’s throne = the heavens, which is far above the “footstool” of the earth, whose inhabitants are like grasshoppers.

He who is sitting on the circle of the earth, || And its inhabitants [are] as grasshoppers, || He who is stretching out the heavens as a thin thing, || And spreads them as a tent to dwell in. (Isaiah 40:22, LSV)

Look at it closely: the phrase “the circle of the earth” is parallel to “the heavens” and “a tent to dwell in.” YHWH’s actions in the verse tie this connection together: He sits on the circle (like a throne). . .He stretches it out (emphasizing the vastness of the expanse) . . . He spreads it (like a tent/tabernacle for His dwelling place).

Recall Isa. 66:1: the heavens are His throne; therefore, to maintain consistency with Isaiah’s metaphor, He sits on “the circle” (which cannot be the earth itself). God does not sit on the “footstool” (earth); this would be logically incoherent (footstools are for feet, not fannies) and inconsistent with the imagery conveyed by Isaiah throughout his book. Contrary to some Christian apologetic assertions, the phrase “the circle of the earth” does not refer to the shape of the earth (as a sphere or globe); it refers to the circuit or perpetual rotation of the sun, moon, and stars in relation to earth’s vantage point.

Here are few more pieces of evidence to support this interpretation of “the circle of the earth”:

• The Hebrew term chug, “circle, circuit, compass” (Strong’s 2329), is used two other times in the Hebrew Old Testament: Proverbs 8:27 and Job 22:14. Both of these texts intricately link the words, chug (“circle”) and shamayim (“the heavens”):

In His preparing the heavens I [am] there, || In His decreeing a circle on the face of the deep. (Proverbs 8:27, LSV)

Thick clouds [are] a secret place to Him, | And He does not see, | And He habitually walks [above] the circle of the heavens. (Job 22:14, LSV).

• The Aramaic targum of Isaiah translates Isaiah 40:22 as follows:

Who caused the Shekinah of his glory to dwell in the mighty height, and all the inhabitants of the earth are counted as grasshoppers before him; who stretched out the heavens as a small thing, and spread them out like a glorious tent for the house of his Shekinah.

Instead of “the circle of the earth,” the Jewish scribe conveyed the author’s intended meaning through the synonymous phrase “the mighty height” (i.e. the heavens). For a more in-depth comparison of other sources, see this website: Institute for Biblical & Scientific Studies.

• The nearby context of Isaiah 40:26 adds an additional layer to “the circle of the earth” and “the heavens” and further develops the stellar imagery from 40:22:

Lift up your eyes on high, || And see—who has created these? He who is bringing out their host by number, || He calls to all of them by name, || By the abundance of His strength || And mighty power, || Not one is lacking. (Isaiah 40:26, LSV)

• Additionally, Psalm 19 affirms the biblical significance of the “circle” or circuit of the earth, which God uses to perpetually communicate to generations of “grasshoppers” below:

The heavens tell of the glory of God;

And their expanse declares the work of His hands.

Day to day pours forth speech,

And night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words;

Their voice is not heard.

Their line has gone out into all the earth,

And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has placed a tent for the sun,

Which is like a groom coming out of his chamber;

It rejoices like a strong person to run his course.

Its rising is from one end of the heavens,

And its circuit to the other end of them;

And there is nothing hidden from its heat (Psalm 19:1–6, NASB)

Psalm 19:1–6, a text that the apostle Paul references in Romans 10:18, is all about “the circle of the earth.” Thus, the unusual phrasing used by the prophet in Isa. 40:22 is none other than the circuitous pattern or gyroscopic path of “the heavens” as viewed from earth’s inhabitants. Biblically speaking, the heavens are the physical creation of God that He “sits on” (rules from) and “dwells in” (like a big tent, tabernacle, or temple). Standing on the earth and looking up, day after day, night after night, mankind can observe and infer the circular path and rotation of the sun, moon, visible planets, and fixed constellations. 

Plenty of Room(s) in God’s House

At this point in the study, hopefully your horizons are being expanded and you are thinking more deeply about “the heavens” (shamayim) and “the sun, moon, and stars” that fill them (Gen. 1:14). When we read commonly-used terms like “the heavens” and “God’s throne” in Scripture, we should consider all the implications of the vastness of “outer space” and the many stellar worlds yet to be explored in this “heavenly” sphere of creation.

The annual parade of the 12 houses (i.e. zodiac) and the various clusters of associated constellations on the ecliptic are referenced throughout the Bible, including a cameo appearance of the heavenly “circle” in the frequently misunderstood and misapplied text of Isaiah 40:22.

Side note: The “molten sea” or “bronze sea” mentioned in 1 Kings 7:23–26 also visually represents “the circle of the earth.” The 12 oxen stationed at the four winds of heaven (north, south, east, west) represent the 12 houses of the zodiac upholding the circular “Sea” (i.e. the sky/heaven; see also Gen. 1:7, “the waters above”). Jewish commentary or midrash on this passage confirms this symbolic interpretation:

The two rows of colocynths (knops) below the rim were symbolic of the sun and the moon, while the twelve oxen on which the sea rested represented the zodiac. . . (Midrash Tadshe; Jewish Encyclopedia)

In this section of our study, let’s dive into the implications of what Scripture refers to as “chambers” or “rooms” in the heavens. We’ll start by analyzing a well-known passage, especially for the online community of seasoned stargazers:

Stretching out the heavens by Himself, || And treading on the heights of the sea, || Making the Great Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, || And the inner chambers of the south. Doing great things until there is no searching, || And wonderful, until there is no numbering." (Job 9:8–10, LSV)

First of all, note that “the heavens” are in parallel with “the heights of the sea.” Most English versions translate the Hebrew word, bamah, as “the waves” (of the sea). However, if this understanding of “waves” is accurate, it would be the one and only instance out of 102 total occurrences of bamah in the Old Testament where it doesn’t plainly translate as “high place” (see Strong’s 1116). In short, a translation such as “the waves of the sea” does not help the English reader grasp the intended idea that “the heavens” are the place where God treads or walks on (note again, Job 22:14)!

Now looking closely at Job 9:9, “the Great Bear,” “Orion,” “the Pleiades,” and “the inner chambers” all refer to specific places in “the heavens” and “the heights of the sea.” Then, in the same vein as Isaiah 40:26, the vast number of these constellations and stellar “chambers” is emphasized in Job 9:10.

The phrase “inner chambers” is a single word in the Hebrew, cheder (Strong’s 2315), a term often translated in other contexts as an inner “room” or “chamber” of a person’s house, the king’s palace, and the temple (Gen. 43:30; Ex. 8:3; 1 Chron. 28:11; Song of Sol. 1:4).

As it concerns the Body of Christ, there are a couple of significant passages that use the same term (cheder, “inner room/chamber”). Take a look at these!

Come, My people, enter into your inner chambers, || And shut your doors behind you, || Hide yourself shortly [for] a moment until the indignation passes over. For behold, YHWH is coming out of His place, || To charge the iniquity of the inhabitant of the earth on him, || And the earth has revealed her blood, || Nor does she cover her slain anymore! (Isaiah 26:20–21, LSV)

When seen in light of the stellar chambers and rooms mentioned in Job 9:9, this text takes on a whole new meaning. Recall that God’s throne is “the heavens,” and the heavens are His place, where the “circle” or circuit of the stars above is viewed by the grasshopper inhabitants below on the earth.

Blow a horn in Zion, Sanctify a fast—proclaim a restraint. Gather the people, sanctify an assembly, || Assemble the aged, || Gather infants and sucklings of the breasts, || Let a bridegroom go out from his inner chamber, || And a bride out of her closet. (Joel 2:15–16, LSV)

Similar to the portrayal of the sun racing through the 12 stellar chambers on the ecliptic in Psalm 19:5, this end-times’ passage in Joel shows a “bridegroom” going out from his cheder (“chamber, room”) at the sound of the trumpet on the Day of YHWH. In other texts of Scripture, Jesus, the Bright Morning Star and Bridegroom par-excellence, also comes out of His place in heaven to get His bride and prepare for battle (Isa. 18:4–5; 26:20–21; Hos. 5:14–15; Matt. 25:1).

Aside from the word, cheder, there is another Hebrew term that also translates as “room” or “chamber.” The synonymous term, aguddah, “band, bundle, troop” (Strong's 92), is found within another context that shows God rising up from heaven to judge Israel and the inhabitants of the earth at the end of the age:

He builds His upper rooms in the heavens and founds His vault upon the earth. He summons the waters of the sea and pours them over the face of the earth. The LORD is His name. (Amos 9:6, Berean Standard Bible).

In the above passage, there is a synchronous pattern shared with Isaiah 40:22 and Job 9:9; namely, the LORD’s “vault” (Heb. aguddah) in “the heavens” is also the “circle” of constellations witnessed day after day, night after night from earth’s viewpoint. Note that in Amos 9:6, the “waters of the sea” are a reference to the sky or heaven (recall Job 9:9, “the heights of the sea”). Additionally, “vault” may not be the best translation for aguddah, which literally refers to a cluster, band, or group in other contexts. Therefore, the root meaning of the word informs us that God’s “upper rooms” are a cluster or band of something in the heavens—the precise definition of a constellation!

Side note: In regard to heavenly “chambers” or “rooms,” so far we’ve focused on the words cheder and aguddah. Somebody tell Bro Chooch that we’ve got strong hints of divine cheese options to go with his lobsterfest!

For the grand finale, let’s go to another well-known passage of Scripture for those watching and longing for Jesus’ return:

Do not let your heart be troubled, believe in God, believe also in Me; in the house of My Father are many rooms; and if not, I would have told you; I go on to prepare a place for you; and if I go on and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you to Myself, that where I am you also may be. (John 14:1–3, LSV)

Now then, after doing a little bit of digging in the Old Testament, analyzing passages such as Job 9:9; Ps. 19:1–6; Isa. 26:20–21; 40:22, 26; Amos 9:6; and Joel 2:15–16, we have some reference points and contextual background to understand more fully what the Lord has in mind when He says, “. . . in my Father’s house are many rooms. . .”

The Greek word, monai, literally “dwellings, abodes” (Strong’s 3438), translated as “rooms” is used twice in the NT: John 14:2, and John 14:23 (in this text, it is often translated as “home”).

Outside of the canon of Scripture, in the last chapter of an ancient text called the “Testament of Abraham” (1st/2nd century; originally written in Greek), we can see the same word from John 14:2 in a similar context:

And after great praise and glory had been given to the Lord, and Abraham bowed down to worship, there came the undefiled voice of the God and Father saying thus, Take therefore my friend Abraham into Paradise, where are the tabernacles of my righteous ones, and the abodes (Grk. monai) of my saints Isaac and Jacob in his bosom, where there is no trouble, nor grief, nor sighing, but peace and rejoicing and life unending. (source; for a KJV-style publication that translates monai as “mansions,” see this version: page 895, chapter 20:14, footnote “k”).

In the book of Revelation, “paradise” is also promised to the Body of Christ (Rev. 2:7). And after the Resurrection and Rapture of the Church, the “door” to God’s house opens in heaven/the sky (Rev. 4:1), and the newborn “child” is taken up to prepared dwellings (monai, “rooms”) to hide out for a while (Rev. 12:5–6). Also recall Rev. 12:12—the welcome celebration for Heaven’s new tenants and tabernaclers (is that a word?) as well as the woe, woe, woe announced to those left below.

Prepare for Lift-Off

Thank you for taking the time to read through this article. As we approach our launch date, I hope that this study will provide some food for thought as you dwell on the place God has prepared for you. Far too many Christians settle for low-hanging fruit, and they overlook the Bible’s overall context and background (i.e. “the bigger picture”).

A great number of believers have memorized 1 Corinthians 2:9:

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (KJV)

This verse is memorable and inspiring by itself. Has a nice, poetic ring to it, especially in King James English. However, it’s still incomplete. God has revealed the things that He’s prepared for His children:

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10, KJV)

And so, in honor of the “deep things” God has already revealed to us, I’ll leave you with a few more thoughts to ponder from Randy Alcorn’s book entitled “Heaven” (I highly recommend it). This quotation comes from a subsection entitled, “Will We Travel and Explore in Space?”:

God promises to make not only a New Earth but also “new heavens” (Isa. 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13). The Greek and Hebrew words translated “heavens” include the stars and planets and what we call outer space. Since God will resurrect the old Earth and the old Jerusalem, transforming both into the new, shouldn’t we understand “new heavens” as an expression of his intention to resurrect galaxies, nebulae, stars, planets, and moons in a form as close to their original form as the earth will be to its original form and we will be to ours? . . . If the heavens declare God’s glory now, and if we will spend eternity proclaiming God’s glory, don’t you think exploring the new heavens, and exercising dominion over them, will likely be part of God’s plan? . . . It’s hard for me to believe God made countless cosmic wonders intending that no human eye would ever behold them and that no human should ever set foot on them. The biblical accounts link mankind so closely with the physical universe and link God’s celestial heavens so closely with the manifestation of his glory that I believe he intends us to explore the new universe. The universe will be our backyard, a playground and university always beckoning us to come explore the wealth of our Lord—as one song puts it, the God of wonders beyond our galaxy. (pg. 447–48)

Lord of all creation

Lord of water, earth and sky

The heavens are your Tabernacle

Glory to the Lord on high

And God of wonders beyond our galaxy

You are holy, holy

The universe declares Your majesty

You are holy, holy

Lord of heaven and earth

Lord of heaven and earth

Further Reading:

The Good News (and how the basic precept of Christianity is often misunderstood)

What Is Heaven? An In-Depth Biblical Study

Escape to a Place Prepared

Prooftexting and the Post-Tribulation Rapture

The Central Framework of Bible Prophecy

The Blessed Hope

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