Heaven and Earth

Consider the importance of acknowledging our modern experience of the cosmos as the first step to reading the opening pages of the Bible well.

Explore how the biblical authors understood two key words in the first sentence of the Bible, “heavens” and “earth.”

Examine several passages in the New Testament that bring clarity to Jesus’ message when viewed in light of a three-tiered cosmos.

Listen in on a discussion of the New Testament view of Heaven and Earth. Are there any questions you have on this topic?

Follow along as we wrap up several key points and prepare to enter the text of Genesis 1.

Dive into Genesis 1 and explore two Hebrew words (‘erets and raqia’) that will help us see the important theological claim being made through this cosmology picture.

Explore Genesis 1:2-3 and the creation of light to find out what the biblical authors intended with this ordering of the cosmos.

Examine the major themes of ancient Egyptian cosmology in contrast with the biblical account.

Explore the cosmology of another one of Israel’s neighbors to the east, Babylon.

Did God create something from nothing? What did “in the beginning” mean to the biblical authors? Delve into these questions in this session.

Take a closer look at how Jeremiah 4 uses ideas and words from Genesis 1 to explore the concept of tohu va-vohu (wild and waste).

Explore how the psalmist uses ideas and words from Genesis 1 in Psalm 104.

Examine the literary structure of Genesis 1 and the message the structure conveys.

Practice looking at the repeated words in Genesis 1 as a tool for discerning the literary design.

Take a closer look at how the days relate to one another and how they address the problems to cosmic order presented in Genesis 1:2.

Explore the meaning of biblical concepts like “the waters above” and “the deep.”

Explore the tannin, the mythical sea dragon found throughout the Bible.

Venture further into the biblical cosmos by exploring the meaning of the dry land.

Engage with questions prompted by the class so far.

Dive into the imagery and meaning surrounding rivers and springs in the biblical text.

Jump ahead in the biblical story to the Gospel of John and explore how Jesus is the true source of life, the garden with rivers flowing out of him.

Examine the psalmist’s use of ancient cosmology to expose the tensions between God’s love and God’s justice.

In many modern cultures, Heaven signifies a place you go when you die rather than a present reality. But what is the biblical view of Heaven? Take a look!

The two realities of Heaven and Earth merge in various places in the biblical story. Where are those places? Take a closer look.

Reflect on the way garden imagery and the biblical cosmos shape our understanding of God’s plan for creation.

Angels? The sons of God? The hosts of heaven? Who are the rulers above? Let’s take a closer look at heavenly beings in the Bible.

Explore the title “rulers below” and the particular identity and role of humanity.

What does it mean that humanity is created in the image of God? Take a deeper dive into the meaning of humanity’s appointment as the divine image.

See the biblical story as a meditation on distorted human images and what humans become when they don’t acknowledge power or wisdom higher than their own.

Genesis 1 is replete with sevens. Why all of the sevens? And why is it significant that God rests on the seventh day? Take a look!

See how Jesus inaugurates God’s ultimate Sabbath rest and invites us to experience a taste of real rest now by following him.