In biblical literature, the concept of "spheres" is not directly mentioned as a physical object or shape, but the term can be explored through various theological and metaphorical lenses. The Bible often uses imagery and symbolism that can be related to the idea of spheres, particularly in the context of creation, the heavens, and divine order.

Creation and the Heavens

The Bible begins with the account of creation in Genesis, where God establishes the heavens and the earth. The heavens are often depicted as a dome or expanse, which can be conceptually related to a sphere. Genesis 1:6-8 states, "And God said, 'Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.' So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so. God called the expanse 'sky.'"

The heavens, as described in biblical texts, are often seen as a realm of divine order and perfection, reflecting the glory and majesty of God. Psalm 19:1 declares, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." This verse suggests a harmonious and ordered creation, akin to the perfection of a sphere.

Divine Order and Authority

The concept of spheres can also be understood in terms of divine order and authority. The Bible presents a structured universe where God reigns supreme, and His authority extends over all creation. Colossians 1:16-17 emphasizes this order: "For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

This passage highlights the comprehensive nature of God's sovereignty, encompassing all realms and spheres of existence, both seen and unseen. The idea of spheres here can be understood as the various domains over which God exercises His authority.

Symbolism and Metaphor

In biblical symbolism, spheres can represent completeness, unity, and eternity. The circle, a two-dimensional representation of a sphere, is often used to symbolize these concepts. Ecclesiastes 3:11 reflects on the eternal nature of God's work: "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work God has done from beginning to end."

The notion of eternity and the divine plan is akin to the endless nature of a sphere, without beginning or end. This symbolism is further echoed in the prophetic visions of Ezekiel, where the wheels within wheels (Ezekiel 1:15-21) suggest a complex and perfect divine order, reminiscent of spherical motion and harmony.

Conclusion

While the Bible does not explicitly mention spheres as a physical form, the concept can be explored through the themes of creation, divine order, and symbolism. The imagery of the heavens, the structure of authority, and the metaphorical use of circles all contribute to a deeper understanding of spheres within a biblical context.

The Spiritual Life
... For there are two opposite spheres that surround man, one from hell, the other from
heaven; from hell a sphere of evil and falsity therefrom, from heaven a ...
/.../swedenborg/spiritual life and the word of god/part firstthe spiritual life.htm

Whether the Lights Ought to have Been Produced on the Fourth Day?
... Reply to Objection 3: According to Ptolemy the heavenly luminaries are not fixed
in the spheres, but have their own movement distinct from the movement of the ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether the lights ought to.htm

Introductory
... thinkers for reconciling these two in the higher unity of the Civitas Dei began
speculations on the relation between the ecclesiastical and the secular spheres ...
//christianbookshelf.org/medley/the church and the empire/introductory.htm

David's Dying Prayer
... If it had no pre-eminence among its sister spheres, certainly it was inferior to
none of them, surrounded with beauty, girt with gladness, and having in it ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/davids dying prayer.htm

The Shameful Sufferer
... Philosophers have probed the earth to its very center, threaded the spheres, measured
the skies, weighed the hills"nay, weighed the world itself; but this is ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the shameful sufferer.htm

Whether There is Only one Heaven?
... crystalline, wholly transparent; and the third is called the starry heaven, in part
transparent, and in part actually luminous, and divided into eight spheres. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether there is only one 4.htm

Whether by Reason of this Subtlety a Glorified Body is Able to be ...
... Objection 3: Further, a heavenly body cannot be severed, at least as regards the
substance of the spheres: hence it is written (Job 37:18) that "the heavens . ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether by reason of this.htm

The Relation Between the Human Will and the Divine Agency.
... While they recognise the two spheres of the human and of the divine agency, they
have left them so shadowy and indistinct, and so distorted from their real ...
/.../chapter v the relation between.htm

Gregory vii and Lay Investiture
... Probably there was not a single prince in Western Europe who pretended to confer
on the new bishop any of his spiritual powers; but the two spheres of the ...
/.../medley/the church and the empire/chapter ii gregory vii and.htm

Elucidations.
... (3) The aplanes chora refers to the old system of astronomy, and its division of
the heavens into an octave of spheres, of which the seven inner spheres are ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/clement/the stromata or miscellanies/elucidations 4.htm

Spheres (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Spheres (1 Occurrence). Psalms 77:18 The voice of
Thy thunder 'is' in the spheres, Lightnings have lightened ...
/s/spheres.htm - 6k

Sphere (3 Occurrences)
... social positions. 8. (n.) An orbit, as of a star; a socket. 9. (vt) To place
in a sphere, or among the spheres; to ensphere. 10. (vt ...
/s/sphere.htm - 8k

Ethics
... Unity of Man 4. The Dynamic Power of the New Life (1) The Dynamic on Its Divine
Side (2) The Dynamic on Its Human Side 5. Virtues, Duties and Spheres of the ...
/e/ethics.htm - 70k

Providence (3 Occurrences)
... prov'-i-dens: I. PROVIDENCE DEFINED II. DIFFERENT SPHERES OF PROVIDENTIAL ACTIVITY
DISTINGUISHED III. ... Different Spheres of Providential Activity Distinguished. ...
/p/providence.htm - 44k

Spice (25 Occurrences)

/s/spice.htm - 18k

Omniscience
... 3. Extends to All Spheres: This absolute universality is affirmed with reference
to the various categories that comprise within themselves all that is possible ...
/o/omniscience.htm - 18k

Uncleanness (56 Occurrences)
... ceremonial, uncleanness. There are four principal spheres of uncleanness in
the Old Testament: (1) Uncleanness in the Matter of Food. The ...
/u/uncleanness.htm - 38k

Firmament (17 Occurrences)
... 2. (v. & a.) The region of the air; the sky or heavens. 3. (v. & a.) The orb of
the fixed stars; the most remote of the celestial spheres. Int. ...
/f/firmament.htm - 13k

Touch (82 Occurrences)
... 19. (vi) To be in contact; to be in a state of junction, so that no space
is between; as, two spheres touch only at points. 20. ...
/t/touch.htm - 35k

Principality (3 Occurrences)
... The higher spheres, which hold the even tenor of their way, were in general regarded
as ruled by good spirits; but in the sublunar sphere, to which the earth ...
/p/principality.htm - 12k

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