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Podcast Episode

Rivers Flowing Upward

What does it mean that the biblical authors expected the return of Eden? The prophets anticipated waters of life from God would do miraculous things like restore the barren Dead Sea region to its former lush state and unite all humanity. In this episode, join Tim and Jon as they follow the waters of life from Genesis 1-2 throughout time, in anticipation of the coming Day of the Lord.

Episode 5
46m
Jun 14, 2021
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Show Notes
Episodes

QUOTE

[Isaiah’s talking about] the mountain of the house of Yahweh. The mountain is Jerusalem and the house is the new temple. The new Jerusalem, the establishment of the new temple, will be the head of all mountains. … It’s very clearly not the tallest mountain, so the idea is it will be elevated in cosmic significance. Now if you have water and a hillside, obviously water’s going to flow where gravity pulls it. But here gravity will be reversed, and there will be streams going up to the new temple in the new Jerusalem. But what are the streams? They are the nations. The nations will stream into it. It’s this wonderful depiction of a reverse Eden. Instead of one river going out and splitting and becoming many, the many rivers that are humanity––humans are rivers in this metaphor, divided rivers––will all become one and return to the new Eden.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • After the creation narrative in Genesis 1-2, springs and wells represent the blessings of Eden throughout the Hebrew Bible.
  • The biblical authors expected the re-creation of Eden on earth––that God and humans of all nations would one day dwell again in unity in gardens of beauty and flourishing.
  • Joel and Zechariah prophesied the Day of the Lord, when humanity will be plunged back into the Genesis 1, pre-creation condition of chaos and darkness, all in preparation for God’s coming Eden-renewal of the cosmos.

A Little Taste of Eden

In part one (0-11:15), Tim and Jon recap previous episodes in our Ancient Cosmology series and discuss God’s transformation of the chaos waters in Genesis 1-2 into waters full of the potential for life.

After the creation narrative in Genesis 1-2, springs and wells represent the blessings of Eden throughout the Hebrew Bible. Exodus 15 exemplifies this theme. God has just led the Israelites to victory over Pharaoh by parting the Red Sea. Exodus 15 opens with a song praising Yahweh for his deliverance through the waters and ends with the children of Israel complaining of their lack of water in the desert.

Exodus 15:23-25
When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. And he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.

God transforms the bitter waters of the wilderness into sweet, drinkable waters––a little taste of Eden.

Waters of Life

In part two (11:15-28:30), the team explores how the waters of Eden can transform even places of exile and hardship into places of Edenic beauty.

Genesis 2:10-14 names four rivers that flow from Eden. (This section of verses represents an important detail when it comes to how to read the Bible: places in the Bible aren’t just listed to make an archive; they catalog meaning.)

The theme of Eden then progresses through the biblical narrative. Waters flow out of Eden to bless the earth. Similarly, God sends Israel into the Promised Land, described as a new Eden, and commands them to be a blessing to all nations. Solomon is a new Adam in the “garden” of Jerusalem, requesting divine wisdom to discern between good and evil. His downfall leads the nation on an inevitable trajectory back to exile in Babylon, just as humanity was first exiled from the garden. Still, the biblical authors continued to expect the re-creation of Eden.

Isaiah 2:2
Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it.

Here Isaiah depicts a reverse Eden. Instead of one river (Abraham’s family) flowing out from Eden to bless the nations, many divided rivers (the nations) will become one as they defy gravity to flow back into the cosmic mountain, Eden.

Gardens in the Wasteland

In part three (28:30-35:45), Tim and Jon discuss God’s judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah. This pair of towns was once called the “Garden of God” (Genesis 13:10) but is now the location of the Dead Sea, a region so dry and heavily laced with salt that almost nothing grows.

Interestingly, recent research indicates a meteor probably struck this region, “not only wiping out 100% of the Middle Bronze Age cities and towns, but also stripping agricultural soils from once-fertile fields” (cited in “New Science Suggests Biblical City of Sodom Was Smote by an Exploding Meteor,” Forbes).

God spared Abraham’s family from this destruction, his divine judgment of Sodom for its injustice to the poor (Ezekiel 16:49-50).

In Ezekiel’s visions, the divine life of the coming Eden will heal the waters of the Dead Sea and restore even this region that has been barren for millennia.

The Day of the Lord

In part four (35:45-end), Tim and Jon examine the writings of two other prophets, Joel and Zechariah, for their take on the cosmic mountain garden.

Joel 3 and Zechariah 12-14 describe the Day of the Lord, when humanity will be plunged back into the Genesis 1, pre-creation condition of chaos and darkness. It is all in preparation for God’s coming Eden-renewal of the cosmos.

Zechariah 14:8a
And on that day waters of life will flow out of Jerusalem.

Referenced Resources

Show Music

  • “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS
  • “Solar Cove” by Mama Aiuto
  • Chillhop Essential Summer 2021 EP
  • “Imagination” by Montell Fish

Show produced by Dan Gummel, Zack McKinley, and Cooper Peltz. Show notes by Lindsey Ponder.

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Scripture References
Exodus 15:22-25
Isaiah 2:2
Jeremiah 29:5-7
1 Kings 4:33
Ezekiel 40:1-2
Ezekiel 47:1-8
Genesis 13:10
Joel 3:18
Zechariah 14:6
Zechariah 14:7
Zechariah 14:8-9

8 Episodes

Episode 8
Timelines, Dinosaurs, and the Purpose of Creation
Are Genesis 1 and 2 literal? What’s up with the differing timelines in those chapters? Where are the dinosaurs in the Bible? How do you know what ancient Hebrew words really meant? In this episode, Tim and Jon tackle your questions from the Ancient Cosmology series. Thanks to our audience for all your incredible questions!
59m • Jul 12, 2021
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Episode 7
The Genealogical Adam and Eve
Did humans originate by intelligent design or the process of evolution? This question has been debated by the scientific community and readers of Genesis for almost 200 years. In this episode, join Tim, Jon, and special guest Dr. S. Joshua Swamidass as they discuss human origins and a way to bridge the gap across such a significant debate.
1hr 11m • Jul 5, 2021
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Episode 6
Genesis 1-2: Origins or Identity?
How compatible is the Bible with science? And why does the creation story look different between Genesis 1 and 2? In this episode, join Tim, Jon, and special guest Dr. John Walton as they discuss these questions and the necessity of studying ancient culture and cosmology to truly understand our Bibles today.
1hr • Jun 21, 2021
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Episode 5
Rivers Flowing Upward
What does it mean that the biblical authors expected the return of Eden? The prophets anticipated waters of life from God would do miraculous things like restore the barren Dead Sea region to its former lush state and unite all humanity. In this episode, join Tim and Jon as they follow the waters of life from Genesis 1-2 throughout time, in anticipation of the coming Day of the Lord.
46m • Jun 14, 2021
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Episode 4
One Creation Story or Two?
Are there two creation stories in Genesis? How do Genesis 1 and 2 fit together and into the rest of the biblical story? In this episode, Tim and Jon explore these questions and the theme of water in the opening chapters of the Bible. Yahweh's transformation of the chaos waters into waters of life sets the stage for his calling upon his people and for an important theme that will carry us from Genesis to Revelation.
41m • Jun 7, 2021
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Episode 3
The Greatest Elohim
The biblical authors often use creation imagery that clearly didn’t come from Genesis 1. Did they borrow from the creation accounts of other cultures? In this episode, join Tim and Jon for a deep dive into Genesis 1:1-2 and discover its similarity to other ancient cosmologies, plus one key difference: Yahweh is infinitely greater than all other gods.
1hr 8m • May 31, 2021
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Episode 2
Does the Bible Borrow From Other Creation Stories?
What is existence? What existed before humans did? Ancient people groups asked the same questions we do today with totally different answers. In this episode, Tim and Jon survey the cosmologies of Israel’s neighbors, ancient Egypt, Canaan, and Babylon—people groups the biblical authors shared more in common with than modern readers—to shed light on the Bible’s creation account.
1hr 21m • May 24, 2021
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Episode 1
Genesis 1 and the Origins of the Universe
What does the Bible really say about the origins of the universe? The biblical authors had a completely different framework for this question than we do. When we expect the Bible to settle our debates, we close ourselves off from understanding the text as they intended it. In this episode, join Tim and Jon as they kick off a new series on Genesis 1-3, beginning with a look at ancient cosmologies.
35m • May 17, 2021
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