Consider the following:
Gen 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
I would like to show you the definition for the Hebrew word "shamayim" which is translated into English as the plural "heavens."
OT:8064
shamayim (shaw-mah'-yim); dual of an unused singular shameh (shaw-meh'); from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve):
Do you notice that the word is a Dual Hebrew word? Dual means two. That "dual/two" is the reason it is translated as plural "heavens" in the English. Please note the lexicon adding its own allusion as to what the dual may mean. I would like to present to you to weigh in your scales of logic and reason this premise: That the dual here is literal, that God created two heavens in the beginning. Then there were three heavens. This is what the heavens would be;
1. The created "Physical" heavens for the up coming luminaries (Space)
2. The created "Tartarus" heavens for Satan and his demons to be seperated into.
3. There was already a heaven in existence as the eternally existing dwelling place for God and angels.
Can three heavens be supported by other scripture? Yes, I believe it can.
2 Cor. 12:1-5 has the Apostle Paul relating an experience of a "man he knew" (himself in the third person) that was caught up somewhere very interesting;
2 Cor 12:2, "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know-God knows."
Paul is talking about himself in the third person at the point of his conversion...and he went to the "third heaven."
I think there's a slight problem translating a dual Hebrew word as a plural English word, don't you? If I was translating the Bible, I would have it be closer to the Hebrew, and have it read "In the beginning, God created two heavens and the earth."
Comments?
I do have more to support the above premise if anyone is interested.
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pomegranate