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Temple

The biblical authors describe Israel’s temple as the place where God’s space and human space overlap. In fact, the whole biblical drama can be told as a story about God’s temple: God creates a cosmic temple and, in Jesus, takes up residence in his temple-world. By the end of the biblical story, all of creation has become God’s sacred temple.

Reflect

Compare and discuss the three-tiered design of creation (sky, land, and sea) that God completes on the seventh day (Genesis 1:1-2:2) with the three-part design of Solomon’s temple (holy of holies, holy place, and courtyard) completed after seven years (1 Kings 6). What similarities and differences stand out to you?
How do human beings fail to trust God as they work in the cosmic garden temple (Genesis 3:1-6) and Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 9:1-9 and 11:1-13)? What happens as a result (see Genesis 3:7-24; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21)?
What do you observe as you compare the dedication of Solomon’s temple (2 Chronicles 7:1-3) with the inauguration of Jesus’ new human temples (Acts 2:1-4)?
Discuss how New Testament authors describe the Church as God’s new temple (see Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-5).

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Video Study Notes

Biblical Themes

The Mountain

Watch a short video that explains what mountains represent in the Bible. Learn the key role mountains play throughout the unified story that leads to Jesus.

Heaven & Earth

What does the Bible really teach about Heaven, and what is Heaven’s relationship to Earth? In this video, we explore the surprising biblical viewpoint that Heaven and Earth were meant to overlap and how Jesus is on a mission to bring them together once and for all.

The Messiah

Explore the mysterious promise on page three of the Bible, that a promised deliverer would one day come to confront evil and rescue humanity. We trace this theme through the family of Abraham, the messianic lineage of David, and ultimately to Jesus who defeated evil by letting it defeat him.

The Covenants

Despite human rebellion, God continues to make covenant promises to restore humanity to the role they were created for: to be partners with God in ruling creation. Though humans repeatedly fail, Jesus fulfills humanity’s side of the partnership, making right the relationship between God and humankind.

Holiness

God’s holiness presents a paradox to human beings. God is the unique and set-apart Creator of all reality and the author of all goodness. However, that goodness can become dangerous to humans who are morally corrupt. Ultimately, this paradox is resolved by Jesus, who embodies God’s holiness that came to heal his creation.

Sacrifice and Atonement

God is on a mission to remove evil from his good world, along with all of its corrosive effects. However, he wants to do it in a way that doesn’t involve removing humans. In this video, we trace the theme of God’s “covering” over human evil through animal sacrifices that ultimately point to Jesus and his death and resurrection.

The Law

What is the importance of the ancient laws in the Hebrew Bible? Are they even relevant for Jesus followers? Explore how much the laws can teach us about God’s character and the significance of Jesus’ ministry on Earth.

Gospel of the Kingdom

Gospel is a word that means “good news,” but it’s more than that. It’s a royal announcement, and its use in the New Testament points to the radical announcement of God’s Kingdom coming to Earth through Jesus. The Gospel fulfills the promises of the Hebrew Bible, as we see Jesus bring God’s reign and rule in a way no one expected.

Image of God

What does it mean for humans to be made in God’s image? In the opening pages of Genesis, we see God create humanity as his co-rulers of creation, but things quickly go wrong when humans rebel and forfeit their role. Jesus comes to set right humanity’s rebellion, opening up a new way of being human through his life, death, and resurrection.

Day of the Lord

Does God still care about the destruction humans have caused in his good world? The story of the Bible shows us how God confronts human evil, as well as the deeper spiritual evil that is at work on Earth. Ultimately, we see how Jesus responds to the problem of evil by allowing his death on the cross.