Heaven and Earth Q+R

Foreign [Music] At the Bible project and today on this Podcast episode we're going to do Something a little bit different About a year ago Tim and I recorded a Live question and response on YouTube we Were answering your questions about Heaven and earth a video that we did Actually the first video that we Released on our YouTube channel many of You have asked for that q and R to be Posted on our podcast so that you can Just listen to it instead of have to Watch it on YouTube some of the Questions are why do we talk about Heaven and earth and not hell could People have gotten injured in the garden Before the fall what's the deal with Hebrew temples versus other temples in The ancient world and many other Questions so we're going to dig into all Of that thanks for joining us here we go Foreign There's a video that we did on Heaven And Earth yep I picked uh from among Your questions you guys were sending in Sean Horton you asked a good question That we've been asked many times so it's A good chance to address it Um Sean's question is about it says my Question is the video talks about heaven And Earth but hell is never mentioned Was that intentional and if so will hell

Be covered at some point yeah great Question Sean Um it was intentional that we didn't Talk about hell because we felt like we Had enough ground to cover just in Reframing the concept of Heaven and Earth just by itself that's a topic That's really important And what hell is and how it fits into The story of the Bible is itself complex And needs a lot of reframing from our Modern distortions of it so we just Decided to separate those to separate Those out Um here's but an interesting fact about That though Um when if you ask most modern people Um in the Bible when you think of a word Pair if I say heaven you say and most People would say hell heaven and hell What's interesting is you will never Find anywhere in the Bible Heaven and Hell in the same sentence And that's because in the Bible hell is Not the opposite pair of Heaven Earth is The opposite pair of heaven and that Heaven and earth appears as a key Unified idea all over the Bible And if you type in Heaven and Hell into Bible Gateway with quotes around it That's right you won't find it you won't Find but if you type in quote Heaven and Earth yes unquote yeah you'll find that All over you'll get a ton of hits in the

Bible and that's because and it's what We explored in the video that the vision Of reality in the scriptures is not even Of Heaven and Earth as separate spaces But uh as as overlapping spaces Um and the main storyline of the Bible Is about having a nurse interaction with Each other Um and that's just that's not on most People's radar and this strange because It's actually what the story of the Bible is about Um so we left hell out because once you Have this reframed story of what the Bible is actually about heaven and earth Then hell uh is fits as one piece in That larger story so we got we don't Have a theme video on Hell planned but We are going to tackle it in some ways Yeah yeah we're gonna do a theme video On the uh the theme of the day of the Lord in the prophets which will be about God's justice Um in the in the prophets and in Israel's history leading up to the Kingdom of God coming on Earth Um and then we are going to do a video On some kind of final judgment in some Way uh Jeff Pace uh you had a really Interesting question about Uh did Eden allow for the possibility of Painful injury prior to Adam and Eve Eating the fruit wondering if this is Any different than from how it will be

In the new Heavens in the new Earth yeah Um that's really that's a really great Question Um the the Eden story Depicts the commission and the task of Humans in the world and in the garden as Work Gardening Like cultivating and gardening which is Really hard work It's like instead of your toes it's the Hardest work yeah it's like farming yeah It's immensely the hardest workers I've Ever met in my life are farmers and they Have the scars to prove it so in that Sense that work requires Resistance and your overcoming conflict With something you know whether it's Dirt or weeds so yeah work What in the Eden narrative the the curse In Genesis 3 after human sin is that the Environment in which humans Now operate Because of their sin and selfishness is Going to be more difficult and so and And that their relationship to Creation Itself will be one of adversity or Hostility and that's Depicted in this image of thorns and Thistles And I don't think we should push that to Me and therefore there were no weeds Before the fall Just like there were probably mosquitoes And other types of annoying pests you

Know but it's that the environment is Now complicated and fraught with Hostility because of sin and one of that Will be even our relationship to Creation itself Um so I do think that has implications For how we think about the new creation That we're going to have meaningful work It's going to be the work it's going to Be redeemed healed version of how we Experience the world now but we had this Conversation before about this Perspective of Eden being where there Was no pain right right like no Mosquitoes right a garden with no Mosquitoes yeah a place where you Couldn't uh scratch yourself sure you Wouldn't feel pain Um is that inherently in the Genesis Story yeah I uh it's not just my Conviction but it's my conviction that We have read most of those ideas into The story there's no indication that you Couldn't like chop off your thumb with Your sickle or you know like there's Just no indication what there is an Indication of is that human beings Because of their closeness and proximity To God's presence and with the tree of Life symbolizes as God's Gift of the Eternal life that that was possible and Accessible but ultimately that it was Lost so it's it wasn't the tree of You'll never cut your finger off it was

The tree of eternal life because you're In God's presence So we don't really have any I think we Just have to Humble ourselves and say we Don't know the point of the story is to Say that things were set up to be as Good as they possibly could have been But we ruined it yeah that's the point Of the goodness of the garden and it's So hard like I racked my brain to try to Have categories for what that means and I keep I want to know like well You know what does it mean that we won't Die and what's that really going to be Like and what will pain be then and how We'll deal with all this but there's a Certain amount of just mystery to that Um yeah and and the Bible's purpose Isn't to answer all of our questions About those kinds of things is to tell Us about what God has done in the story Through Israel and Jesus to redeem Heaven and Earth and to bring them back Together again which which leaves all Kinds of things unanswered and that's we Just are going to have to deal with that One uh Ben Brown you had a good question About Um how does the Israelite view of Heaven And Earth compare to other ancient near Eastern perspectives of God's space and Human space So what we talked about in in the video And what Ben's keying into is that in

The in the Israelite worldview the place Where Heaven and Earth God's space and Human space overlap is in temples And that idea is not unique to the Israelites that was a shared idea among The Canaanites the Egyptians and the Babylonians so that that is in common Like if you wanted to go the Divine Space where God was you go to a temple Yeah that's where that sorry go ahead Yeah that's the overlap that's the Overlap so what makes the the Israelite And the biblical Vision unique is that The god whose presence whose Heaven You're entering when you go into the Temple isn't just a local tribal God but That the god the confession of the Old Testament is that the god of Israel is Also the creator of Heaven and Earth And so the idea that Um the god space in human space used to Be completely United that that was lost That human beings have done something Really wrong to each other and to God's World and that God's on a mission to Heal that Rift and bring Heaven and Earth back together now we're getting Uniquely Israelite that's a unique to The biblical story and world view Um the Egyptians and most Babylonians Had more of a pantheistic or a Pan-entheistic what that's a rabbit hole We don't have to go down but they had a Different view the nature of time is

Totally different so the Israelite view Is unique in that God's on a mission to Bring Heaven and Earth back together Again that's all creation coming back Together yeah all of creation being a Unity of Heaven and Earth that's a Uniquely Israelite Jewish Christian Bible idea Cool yeah good question Ben that was Insightful See Alan he asked a question about uh What he called the intermediate period Between death and final Resurrection is There any indication in Scripture that Alludes to Heaven's absence of time or Adherence to time yeah so Uh so one of the most common stories Used to unpack this is like what's Happening to someone uh let's just say a Christian after they die but before the Resurrection into the new creation Because Jesus for example as he's Hanging on the cross and the criminal Hanging next to Jesus says remember me When you come in your kingdom and Jesus Says today You'll be with me in in Paradise it's One of only three clear passages in the Bible that even talk about what is what Happened in between right after death So and so the question is is that does That today refer to some disembodied State Um or does that today refer to

Resurrection into the New Creation in Which case What Alan you're calling the Intermediate state is just however long Yeah it is after you die and Um so Paul in his letter the first Thessalonians uses the metaphor of sleep That Believers go to sleep when they die Awaiting the resurrection and New Creation so this is what Paul also talks About it as being with God right that's Right well asleep yes and then and then In two places it's first his letter to The Philippians and then in second Corinthians he just describes it as if a Believer is not alive in their body Anymore they are with Jesus with Jesus So with me in Paradise From Jesus with Jesus Paul says that Twice that's all the information we have About what happens after we die Um so it's good to it's good to just say We don't know the answer to most of our Questions about what that's like the Bible just doesn't talk about it yeah so As far as our relationship to time You know time I don't understand quantum Physics really at all I think a lot of I Think physicists are now starting to Wonder if time is real like like Literally like they're actually Legitimately questioning whether time Even exists they don't have they can't Prove it anyways I don't understand it

Either no but it means to ask that Question yeah I honestly don't worry I Mean I I'm I'm to the point where I can Grasp that time is if is a dimension It's a it's called the fourth dimension Right there's Heights width depth and Then we experience the three dimensions As we go through time yeah and so time Is a feature of living in a material World As far as I understand it right and so To the degree that the whole storyline Of the Bible is not about escaping the Material world and going to a spiritual Non-material world that's not the Bible Or Christianity at all The hope is of Resurrection into a new Physical world and so unless there's Some property of that physical world you Know that that makes it so that it Doesn't experience time the Bible just Doesn't talk about that at all but my Hunt is that we would experience Continuity Yeah through time the same way we do now Because of our nature just as creatures That's how we experience reality weeks Is in time is in an in physical space In time but uh yeah the Bible just Doesn't go there this is going to be a Repeated theme but the Bible doesn't go For the rest of the live stream about Heaven is that the Bible just doesn't Answer most of our questions uh but it's

Good it's good to develop the skill of Knowing what the Bible does speak to and What the Bible doesn't speak to when it Comes to these kinds of questions so Alan thank you for that great question This one was from Austin Austin house And um this might be a hobby horse for Some people when they think about the Heaven and Earth and this kind of thing Or maybe not I don't know but it's a Question about The thousand year reign of Jesus In relationship to actual heaven what's The relationship between those two Um good question Austin so what you're Asking about is in the Book of Revelation Um the way John unpacks the storyline of How Heaven and Earth come together uh There's this idea that there's the final Battle and a a conquering of evil in the World and that what Jesus does is set up A Thousand-Year reign Um to so that the martyrs John this is In Revelation chapter 20 that the Martyrs people have had their heads cut Off is actually who he specifies uh for Jesus have a chance to Reign Over God's World and Vindicated from their Suffering and and John distinguishes That from then the final return of Jesus And the merging of Heaven and Earth Um and what's interesting about that Passage is it's the only thing like it

In the New Testament every other place In the New Testament that talks about The return of Jesus or the New Creation It just has Jesus returns Sets up his kingdom defeats evil forever And ever and then it's the new creation So once again I think we have to we have To be humble and say what John's doing In Revelation 20 is it's the only thing Like it in the whole Bible so we should Acknowledge there's probably going to be A diversity of views and there are Some people think that that is a Metaphorical way to talk about the Vindicated suffering believers who Follow Jesus who are reigning in God's Kingdom and it refers to the period We're in now but even though they might Be killed or martyred think of the Martyred Egyptian Christians who had Their heads cut off on the Libyan Coast You know last year I mean it's a live Issue still today and it was 2 000 years Ago So some people think Revelation 20 is Giving a special place of honor to the Mark Christian Martyrs in God's Kingdom Period right now and that even though They die they are reigning just like Jesus His death was his and Throne as a king There are some people who don't hold That view they think that the Thousand-Year Reign is referring to some

Kind of Earthly Kingdom that Jesus will Set up here on Earth home based in Jerusalem for a thousand years is this Intermediate Kingdom and then he'll Bring the whole Heaven and Earth Um if I'm if you're asking for my Opinion between those two Um my hunch my strong hunch I could be Wrong but my strong hunch is at the First view that it's a way of talking About the Kingdom Period now where the Martyrs receive a place of honor and That even though they've been killed Actually they're reigning with With Jesus himself So I could be wrong about that but uh That gets into a whole other set of set Of questions Josh Huss I'm looking at it On the live feed Um Josh you ask so in regards to the end Of the world Is Jesus excuse me is heaven coming here Or does Jesus take us then bring Heaven To Earth Um that's a good that's a good question Um there's differing views on that as There are on almost everything Um But uh In my humble opinion and I could be Wrong about this but I don't think I am Um I think the New Testament gives a Pretty Clear Vision that when Jesus Returns he will bring his Heavenly

Kingdom to Earth and that God's kingdom Will come and his will will be done here On Earth fully as it is in heaven Um there is one passage in the New Testament in Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians chapter 4 where Paul uses An image of Jesus arriving and then of Believers coming up to meet Jesus in the Air when he returns And that has been unfortunately Misunderstood in the last 150 200 years Or so to refer to Believers getting like Raptured or evacuated off of planet Earth for some period of time and then God Reigns you know hell and brimstone Down on on Earth than What's called the Tribulation and then Jesus comes back And sets up his kingdom and Um that used to be the view that I held Until I just started reading these Passages and realizing like I evidence For that view what I'm calling the Rapture view is zero there's just zero Evidence for it in the New Testament and Um and this actually isn't That controversial anymore but it was a Really widely held belief and still has And especially American Christianity so Anyway first Thessalonians 4 is the only Place that you could get that Jesus Zapped a bunch of people up and then Brings them back down again when he Returns but um for a number of reasons I Think that is just a fundamental

Misunderstanding of what Paul's trying To say in first Thessalonians chapter Four uh what do you use sorry just to Clarify what he means in first Thessalonians 4 is that he uses a word Says the meeting the Believers come to Meet Jesus and a much better translation Would be to greet Jesus or welcome Jesus It's great Paul uses a word there to Describe the arrival what how how Romans Would describe the arrival of the Emperor to their city is how Jesus is How Paul describes the arrival of Jesus In the Kingdom and um when he talks About Believers meeting Jesus in the air It's not so that they go away with him It's actually that they greet him and Welcome him as Heaven and Earth reunite Here fully so anyway first Thessalonians 4 is awesome uh but it doesn't have Anything to do with the rapture Can I choose the next question yes you Should John Um Yeah Rachel use Rachel Kovac you sent in A great question earlier today it's a Little bit different Yeah so she asks Um in the Old Testament God says if you Can just be a good person here on Earth All is well so in the Old Testament Basically it's really focused on what You're doing here on Earth now Justice Taking care of the poor that kind of

Stuff Um in the New Testament God wants to Save your soul quote save your soul from Hell unquote so The question is why the change is there A difference between the perspective and The Old Testament which doesn't really Talk about the afterlife very much Um if at all and then so talk about that And in the New Testament all of a sudden It seems like it's a lot more about this Idea of Salvation being this just Getting to Heaven one day when you die Saving your soul from the possibility of Eternal torment in hell Yep yeah Rachel Really good question yeah and by the way You're awesome Um So the The first part is I would actually when It comes to the New Testament Uh in the New Testament God wants to Save your soul from hell Um I I would say that that's a that's a That's a real misunderstanding of what The New Testament is actually trying to Say Um I would say if you read the New Testament you would only get that idea God wants to save you from hell Um if somebody told you that that's what The New Testament is supposed to be

About and then you go read it but that Idea of summarizing the New Testament With God wants to save us from hell you Wouldn't get that idea just reading the New Testament by yourself for the first Time so I read about hell and you would Read about God wanting to save you Uh Salvation oh yes oh yeah totally Salvation loads of Salvation in the New Testament salvation from hell is I'm Trying to think I can only think of one Text off the top of my head That could be understood to talk about Being saved from hell and part of it is Just What there's this there's a storyline Assumed there namely that the story of The Bible is about individuals going Throughout life And then at the moment of their death There's a moment of final judgment and You either go to the good place or the Bad place after you die And that way of thinking about the Bible Just isn't true to what the story of the Bible is actually trying to say it's a It's so full of half-truths and Simplifications it's just we need to Scrap it it starts it's taking a Different more modern Paradigm and then Placing that back over the story of the Bible and finding it in there yeah but If you approach the Bible for what it's

Actually saying it's not Necessarily there yeah or it's just the Idea of what salvation is and the idea Of what hell is has a totally different Kind of meaning when you actually see it In the framework of the biblical story Line it's not that it isn't real it just Has a different meaning And ultimately I think what modern Christianity has done is piecemeal bits And words and images out of the Bible And made up a new narrative That's kind of bible-ish but that isn't Actually true to the biblical now that's All kind of theoretical Um yeah so here's how I but can I say Really quick about that a lot of people Get nervous when you say that because If you are dismissing hell it sounds a Little dismissive of hell and there's This fear that What is true is that there's going to be An accounting for what you do That God's going to come and judge the World there's going to be Justice on the World and Um uh and so I guess there's a sphere of If you're dismissing the idea of hell Then people aren't going to have Motivation To do the right thing yeah yeah yeah Um so you're taking the teeth out of of This message yeah and I agree with that That's why I would never never dismiss

The idea of Hell or final judgment okay What I'm saying is that the common Popular understandings of what hell is Are so distorted and actually not true To what the Bible is trying to tell us That we need to Rebuild from the ground up again Apparently we need to do we need to do a Video a theme video on Final Jets yeah Um but but you can't start there where You start is with the story of Heaven And Earth and so in the Old Testament The Old Testament Story begins with Heaven on Earth United and then Humanity Through rebellion and giving God the F-bomb which I'm still quite proud of That moment about the video though we've Gotten a lot of a lot of flack a lot of Flack for that one but I mean I it was Very inappropriate which is why we tried To censor out Adam's middle finger but That's the best we could do anyhow so That's how the story begins and so the Old Testament storyline is then about God selecting one family out of the Nations And what he wants to do is at least Restore Heaven and Earth as closely as Possible in and through this one family And so Israel is that family and so Israel was called to be a nation of Generosity and justice Um and within themselves as a little Picture of Heaven and Earth more united

Than it is anywhere else and so Rachel To your question that's why to be a good Person here on Earth is a focus so much Of the laws but it's not just about Being a good person here on Earth it's That's what humans are for we're made For justice and honesty and integrity And healthy relationships that's like What we're that's what we're for And so Um that but Israel it turns out has a Rift Between Heaven and Earth in their In themselves just as much as anywhere Else and so the story of the New Testament is the story of Jesus coming As the one person in whom heaven on Earth completely overlap and he comes Through his kingdom to begin to do Something for humans that they couldn't Do for themselves Uh through his life and death and and Resurrection and then to begin through His kingdom movement and the coming of His Spirit to begin a people movement in Whom Heaven and Earth is overlapping More and more inside themselves and also In our communities pointing forward to The complete reunion of Heaven and Earth And I love the part of the video where We show that the The Lord's Prayer is Yes the Lord's Prayer Father Who Art in Heaven yes may your Kingdom Come On Earth as it is in heaven yeah so may Your Reign happen here on Earth as it is

Yeah as you reign in heaven yeah so I'd Reframe the question to say the Old Testament is about God's kingdom and Heavenly presence invading more and more Of Earth culminating in Jesus in the New Testament where Heaven and Earth locked Together forever in the person of Jesus And then through Jesus and his kingdom Movement more of Heaven is invading Earth and that will culminate in his Return and so what God is saving people From Um is themselves is from Evil and the The grip that evil and selfishness has On all us from dark spiritual powers of Evil that work on humans and really Mysterious and odd ways And the way that the story ends and we Didn't again this gets to the question Earlier Um about where does Hell fit within this Story Um Health that's within the Heaven and Earth story as a place Um where God allows people to exist in Their rebellion and in their resistance If they don't want to Humble themselves Before Jesus and be a part of his Kingdom But hell in that word and what that Refers to is its own rabbit hole and and Worth exploring in its own right but It's not someplace other than Heaven and Earth

Um it's a it's a place where people are Sustained by God's mercy and care but God allows them the Dignity of not being In a relationship with him if they don't Want that's why it's really important That our language about hell is actually True to the Bible's descriptions of it And there's lots of different images for That Um Paul the apostles Most profound one I think in this letter That first Thessalonians is that It's about exclusion from the presence It's about people who don't want to be a Part of the reunited Heaven and Earth And God Honors that decision so a lot More to be said there but Rachel it's a Good question I think it it really Involves reframing our vision of what The story of the Bible is actually about I don't know how to say your name sagota Berry sagata berry Anyway you have a great question Uh it says what was the knowledge of the People in the time of the book of Kings Hezekiah when he learned that he had to Die he wept bitterly and in Isaiah Chapter 38 says She all does not thank you or praise you Did Hezekiah not know about heaven Um that's a great question That's a great question Um there's a couple of things going on There I would say in one sense

If you if by heaven we mean a place of Disembodied non-material existence where People float on clouds and worship God Forever and ever then I would say yeah Hezekiah does not have that as any part Of his imagination nor did any of the Prophets in the Old Testament right yeah So and part of that is due to even the Concept itself of resurrection and of Some kind of continued physical Existence After death uh that is an idea that Emerges Um through the storyline of the Old Testament and actually doesn't come to Be talked about explicitly until pretty Late in the Old Testament period Um so you have Psalms for example that Come from early in Israel's history Where the poet will he's praising he's Thanking God for rescuing him from some Disaster and then he says you know God Is so faithful God of Israel so faithful He's certain even death can't keep you From your loving commitment to our People and to us and so on and so you Have these poems like Psalm 73 is a Beautiful expression where he says There's no way that death can be Stronger than God's loving commitment to Me in this world So right there you haven't the seed bed Of the idea that and it's not a Speculation about life after death it's

Staying God's character he made this World good And that Death at a real level is a is a Violation of the Beauty and the in the Goodness in some part it's in some ways It's woven into the natural process of The world but in other ways it seems Like a violation and so the idea of Resurrection and life after death is Born out of a conviction about God's Goodness and his character and his Commitment to this world And so that's why Hezekiah is so bummed Because the predominant view in the Old Testament is that once you die you go to The Grave Sometimes translate as she all Um and the whole the uniform conviction In the Old Testament is yeah and the Grave nobody's worshiping God because They're dead They're dead Um and so there but there emerges this Hope of is it possible that the grave Is less powerful than God's love for his World and the Psalms and then the Prophets land on the side of saying yes God's love is more powerful so Ezekiel Has a vision that God is going to Recreate his peoples someday in a Profound way and then the Book of Daniel Is where it comes together of a Resurrection a recreation of Humanity's Physical existence

And then that is what um is assumed that Idea is assumed all over the New Testament so that's a long answer to the But it's an important one to say the Idea of even resurrection and new Creation is one that emerged through Time in the Old Testament story isn't That interesting that actually really Bothered me for a long time when I first Learned that and there's no way around It it's that's clearly how the idea Developed But over time I actually came really to See it as beautiful part of the way that The the Israel and the and the biblical Authors were waking up to The far-reaching consequences of God's Covenant love for the whole world and For creation Anyway sorry I could go on but That's a good question yeah that's a Good question So a lot of people are asking about Um I think marriage came up a couple of Times Um yeah because Jesus says there won't Be marriage in heaven but when but What's kind of cool about thinking about Heaven and earth uniting is it stops Becoming this very mystical Place that's hard to imagine and who Knows we're just floating around Something very concrete yes because we Know what this existence is like so we

Can start to imagine oh so in heaven I Can still work I could still do projects I could still hang out with people have Conversations like it just gets more There's there's a continuity between our Existence in a heaven and earth now yeah And the existence of a renewed healed Heaven and Earth in the future but There's some sense that that continuity Is going to be A bit different a lot different I mean I Wouldn't even say a bit you wouldn't say A bit a lot well I'd say Jesus New Testament authors would say It's similar okay but it's different It's a lot different and one thing is Jesus says you're not gonna get married Uh you can speak to that maybe a little Bit but then also speak to other ways That we see that it's different yeah Well I Um the most helpful analogy is to think About what Has any part of the universe undergone This new birth or transformation into The new creation we're having an earth Overlap And Um the answer of the New Testament to That is yes Um it happened in the person of Jesus That his resurrection existence Is a little bit of new creation and so The resurrection stories in Matthew

Uh Luke and John to give us this Portrait of the new creation But here in in the old creation and so Think about how the disciples Encountered Jesus they re they Recognized him And it was still Jesus's physical body But and it was a body that had Continuity with his body from before Because it still had the scars and the Marks in it of the nails and so on but Yet at the same time Sometimes they didn't recognize him He was he was the same yet different and His body had properties that made it so That if the door was locked he could be In the room all of a sudden and then Jesus would be gone from the room which Is something that that's what you can't Do remarkable I've walked on the walls Yeah so I think that's we just have to Say the only concrete experience that The apostles ever had of the new Creation was that those experiences with The Risen Jesus so whatever the guy that Didn't seem to adhere to the rules of Physics as they understood them yes but It was Jesus and he had it he ate a meal With them it was so it was this world But it was fundamentally different from This world too and so that's the analogy I think so That we are to at least take up and and To explore

Um is that the new creation is similar Yet different And we just have to say we we don't know What we don't know yeah Um and be and be okay with that when it Comes to marriage it is interesting Jesus got asked a question about Marriage and the resurrection and so on Um and it's in Matthew I think it's 19 Or 21. Might be 22. anyway I taught on it ah um I uh teach sermons regularly at uh my Church Door of Hope and I have a whole 45-minute sermon on it if you go to Door Of Hope's website and look in the series On Matthew I have a whole teaching on the what Jesus talked about the resurrection There but in a in a nut in a nutshell Should I do it in a nutshell in a Nutshell The biblical vision of marriage is Closely tied to gender and closely tied To procreation And so the whole idea of the new Creation which opens up more and Answered questions Um is that new life won't need to be Generated From out of sexual intercourse from Making babies it's not it's about Um which I mean that raises so many Interesting questions that we don't have Answers to yeah but that's the idea is

Is that that won't be necessary in the New creation and some marriage in the in The Bible is intimately tied together With with procreation And the idea is that Human communities and lives are being Sustained through healthy loving Relationships and in proximity to God The source of all life And that's essentially what's underneath Jesus's answer to that question there's Way more to it so feel free to go to the Sermon if you want but um great question Cool last question tie this up when we Talk about heaven I get concerned that We get so obsessed about heaven and we Have no idea what it's actually going to Be like Uh you've heard the phrase so Heavenly Minded that you're no earthly good yeah Um and I remember one thing that you Said uh we were talking about Paul's Statement where he said you know there's Faith hope and love but the greatest of These is love yes yeah and maybe speak To that a little bit where it's like Because because hope is his hope in Heaven And it's the hope of Heaven and Earth Reunited yeah Yeah I'm already like I'm talking about You're in the old Story You're the old Story of like we're going to the sky I Guess so the biblical story The Hope Is

Heaven and Earth coming here yeah Um and one day we won't need that hope Faith is where we have to live in this Time where it's still coming together And we have to have faith when it's not Apparent yep and and one and one point We won't need that Faith anymore yes and So all that we'll have left between Those three things is love that makes Love the most important thing yes it Makes love the meaning of the universe Sounds very hippie yeah or the hippies Sound very much like the Bible yeah so You know as we get as we get excited About heaven we really should just be Getting excited about love Uh and and yeah I think it's that Jesus Boiled down the meaning of human Existence to loving God Which means honoring God and about Allegiance and devotion And Trust And then loving your neighbor as Yourself for Jesus that's the meaning of Life And so doing that living as if the Kingdom of God is really here through Jesus and his presence through the Spirit living as If Heaven and Earth Have already reunited through Jesus that Takes an immense amount of Hope An immense amount of faith And an immense amount of love that I Don't always feel like I have resources

For right but Um we hope that our hope will become Reality one day and let our faith will Will be a posture that comes true but Love is the point of the whole deal And so that's why Paul says at the end Of first Corinthians 13 that that love Endures it never fails Um so whatever yeah the renewed Heaven And Earth are all about it's a place of Healthy loving relationships That's safe where everyone can can Flourish And the whole point of having that Vision of Hope isn't that you sit around And wait for it it's that we experience It and participate it participate in it Now That's why we pray the Lord's Prayer Every day at least Jesus expected that We would pray it every day is because That's such a strange idea to have to Every day to like re-center yourself and Say okay yeah I want God's Reign his Kingdom to be here In my life yeah on here on this Bit of Earth as as it is in heaven Thanks for listening to this question Response episode of The Bible project it Came from our YouTube channel we have a Few YouTube q and ours that we did live With people who showed up and asked us Questions and you can see those on our YouTube channel youtube.com the Bible

Project You can watch the other videos we have Up there we can make these videos for Free because of your generous support to This project so thank you so much for Being a part of it with us [Music] [Music] [Music] Foreign [Music]