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Session 24 from the Bible Project class: Heaven and Earth. Dr. Tim Mackie breaks down the biblical history and occurrences of when heaven and earth intersect, and how it relates to the temple.
Recommended: Session 25 is the class discussion of what was presented in Session 24 above.
From the course: Heaven
Eden
The Bible is filled with stories that describe the blessings that come with His presence and the horrors that accompany His rejection. God’s presence with people is a central theme of the Scriptures.
In the perfect world that God created, humanity lived in the presence of God. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve could interact with God without the division that comes through sin. They lived in peace with God, His creation, and one another.
When Adam and Eve rebelled against God, their fellowship with Him was destroyed. First Adam and Eve broke the relationship by sinning, then they tried to hide from God’s presence when He entered the garden. This separation was only intensified when God expelled them from the garden and placed an armed angelic guard at its entrance.
Since then, nothing has been more important for humanity than regaining God’s presence.
Q1
Why is the presence of God so important for humanity?
Eden in the Tabernacle
This sacrificial system centered on a specific location: the tabernacle. The tabernacle was essentially a tent where God’s presence would dwell on earth. The centerpiece of the tabernacle was the ark of the covenant.
It was a glimpse of the kingdom of God in the midst of the kingdoms of this world. It was a taste of the garden of Eden that went with them from place to place.
Q2
Read Exodus 25:8–9 and 17–22. What is so significant about the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant?
As soon as God delivered the covenant to Moses on Mount Sinai, Moses walked down the mountain to convey it to the people. But what Moses encountered was shocking. He left a discussion with God Himself only to find the people of Israel dancing and worshipping a golden calf that they had created.
At this point, Israel was facing life without God. As terrible as that sounds, think about what God was really offering here. God was offering to bless the Israelites apart from a relationship with Him.
And sadly, isn’t this exactly what most people today really want?
God’s presence is nice, but what we really want is what He can give us.
Q3
Read Exodus 33:1–6. What makes this such a devastating pronouncement for the Israelites?
Q4
Consider God’s presence in your own life. How would you respond to the prospect of God’s blessing apart from God’s presence? Forget about how you “ought” to answer this, try to answer honestly.
Q5
Read Exodus 33:7–23. What stands out to you about Moses’s response?
Q6
As you think of the experiences Moses and Israel had with God, how might it affect the way you interact with God?
Q7
Read 1 Kings 8:1–13 and 27–30. What does this passage reveal about God’s glory and the significance of God’s dwelling among His people?
Q8
Read 1 Kings 9:1–9. What does God’s warning to Solomon teach us about what it means for God’s presence to dwell in the midst of His people?
Q9
How does what you have studied thus far help you understand the significance of God becoming man in Jesus and of the church being identified as a dwelling place for God?