The waters above the firmament are not clouds in the sky or a water canopy.
Neither are they a boundary that separates the earth from the highest heaven.
This article shows that the waters above the firmament are the water of life in Revelations 22:1.
By understanding the role of the waters above the firmament, you will see the Bible more holistically and connect between Genesis and Revelation.
Let’s start our study by reviewing the topic’s key Bible verses.
Contents
7 key Bible verses about the waters above the firmament
Below is a list of Bible verses about the waters above the firmament used in the article.
Genesis 1:6-7
God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.
Exodus 24:10
They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was like a paved work of sapphire[a] stone, like the skies for clearness.
Psalms 148:4
Praise him, you heavens of heavens,
you waters that are above the heavens.
Revelations 4:6
Before the throne was something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal. In the middle of the throne, and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes before and behind.
Revelation 15:2
I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who overcame the beast, his image, and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.
Revelation 22:1 (ESV)
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
The waters above the firmament in Genesis 1
The text below is from our 7 days of creation article and describes the second creation day in Genesis 1.
On day 2, God spoke into being a firmament between the waters in the heavens and the waters on the earth.
The waters below the expanse are the deep waters mentioned in Genesis 1:2. The waters above the expanse are the heavenly waters in the highest heaven (Psalm 148:4), where God is enthroned (Psalm 113:4-6, Psalm 11:4).
The firmament, which God called “heaven,” separates the two waters.
God called the firmament heaven because it is a symbol of the heavens of heaven.
God didn’t call the firmament good. Therefore, it is something that He doesn’t want to have between the waters. It is a bridal veil to be removed when the creation is mature enough. The Temple veil acted similarly and was removed in Jesus’ death and resurrection, anticipating the firmament’s removal in the New Heavens and The New Earth (Revelation 21:1).
We see from day 2 of Creation Week that it isn’t the waters above that separate earth from the highest heaven. The firmament separates the earth and the waters above.
The waters above are symbolized by the sky
The firmament, that God called the sky, represents the highest heaven where God is enthroned with His angelic host, symbolized by the stars in the sky, around Him.
The sky’s blue refers to the heavenly sea before God’s throne, as if under His feet. Presumably, this is what Moses and the elders saw at Sinai when they saw God in Exodus 24:10.
Thus, it’s not surprising that the Bible speaks of heaven being God’s throne and earth His footstool (Isaiah 66:1). His feet are resting on the firmament, the blue sky, as His feet are resting on the sea of glass in the highest heaven.
This is why the Bible describes the firmament with the exact words as the heavenly sea.
- In Ezekiel 1:22, the firmament is like a crystal.
- In Revelation 4:6, the sea of glass is similar to crystal.
- In Revelation 22:1, the water of life is like a crystal. However, in Rev 22:1, the river is bright as crystal since the water is not solid anymore.
Ezekiel 1:22
Over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of an expanse, like an awesome crystal to look at, stretched out over their heads above.
In Daniel 12:3, the firmament is bright (clear in some translations), like the water of life (bright or clear) in Revelation 22:1.
Daniel 12:3
Those who are wise will shine as the brightness of the expanse. Those who turn many to righteousness will shine as the stars forever and ever.
The waters above the firmament are established forever
According to Psalm 148, God has established the waters above the heavens “forever and ever.”
Psalm 148 is divided into two sections. Verses 1-6 mention things in the highest heaven, and verses 7-14 mention things on earth. The things in the highest heaven are said to be forever. The sun, moon, and stars in verse 3 symbolize things in the highest heaven.
“The heavens” in verse 4 are the two heavens on earth because the waters above are in the highest heaven, and there is nothing higher than the highest heaven, the throne room of God.
Psalms 148:1-6
Praise Yah!
Praise Yahweh from the heavens!
Praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all his army!
Praise him, sun and moon!
Praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you heavens of heavens,
you waters that are above the heavens.
Let them praise Yahweh’s name,
for he commanded, and they were created.
He has also established them forever and ever.
He has made a decree which will not pass away.
The waters above the firmament appear solid and clear
When the Bible describes the heavenly sea, it depicts the sea as solid and clear.
In Revelations 4:6, the waters above the firmament are “like a sea of glass,” as in Revelations 15:2, too, but this time the sea of glass is “mixed with fire.”
During the Exodus, Moses and the elders saw God at Mt Sinai, and under God’s feet was “like a paved work of sapphire stone.” The sapphire stone is so clear they can see God’s feet through it.
Saints standing on the waters above the firmament
The previous section briefly mentions Revelation 15:2, where the sea of glass in front of God’s throne is mixed with fire.
The verse describes events after Jesus’ resurrection (see Revelation 14:13) but before the Final Judgment. In the verse, the saints are standing on the sea of glass, which is, as we have learned, in front of God’s throne.
In Exodus 24 and Ezekiel 1, God’s people see God’s throne from below, but in Revelation 15:2, the saints are on the same level with God’s throne.
Are the waters above the firmament part of God’s throne?
In his vision of God’s glory, Ezekiel saw the throne of God above the firmament. His description of the throne had “the appearance of a sapphire stone.”
The Bible uses “sapphire stone” when the elders saw God at Mt Sinai. In Exodus 24:10, the sapphire is under God’s feet, but in Ezekiel’s vision (verses below), the sapphire is part of God’s throne.
Ezekiel 1:25-28
There was a voice above the expanse that was over their heads. When they stood, they let down their wings. Above the expanse that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone. On the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man on it above. I saw as it were glowing metal, as the appearance of fire within it all around, from the appearance of his waist and upward; and from the appearance of his waist and downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. As the appearance of the rainbow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.
This was the appearance of the likeness of Yahweh’s glory. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.
Although the verses in Ezekiel 1:25-28 don’t mention the waters above, they mention God’s throne being above the firmament. We know from elsewhere in the Bible that the heavenly sea is before God’s throne as if under His feet.
Note also that the sapphire stone in Exodus 24 seems to be part of the waters above, as both are depicted as being in front of God’s throne. In Ezekiel 1, the sapphire stone is part of God’s throne.
Add the above to Revelation 22:1, where the river of water of life flows from the throne of God, and we can conclude that the waters above the firmament are closely associated with God’s throne if not a part of it.
Waters above the firmament are the water of life
In Revelation 22:1, we see an image of the City of God when the old world has passed away.
Earlier, the Bible describes the sea before God’s throne as glass. It seems to be solid. Here, the crystal clear river of water of life comes from the throne of God and flows through the city.
Revelation 22:1 (ESV)
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
The water of life flows from God’s throne to the City of God, where we find the Tree of Life. The image is the same as in the very beginning in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2. There is a place in the land of Eden above the Garden of Eden from where a river flows to the Garden where the Tree of Life originally was.
Genesis 2:10
A river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became the source of four rivers.
The above two scenes from the first and last chapters of the Bible show us how God ends His salvation plan on the same note as He wanted in the first place. Yet, the ending is elevated. The garden is now a city, and the water flows from God’s throne, which is in the city and not an unknown high place.
Read more about patterns in Biblical cosmology.
The summary of the waters above the firmament
In this article we aimed to show that the waters above the firmament are the waters of life in Revelations 22.
Our argument gains strength from the parallelism we draw between the waters above and the water of life. Both proceed from God’s throne and are described in the Bible as crystal-like.
Like many other Biblical themes mentioned in Creation Week, the waters above the firmament become eschatological. The image of a river flowing to the Garden of Eden repeats at the end of the Bible in the City of God watering the Tree of Life.