I am really into metanarratives of the Bible.
Metanarratives are overarching storylines of the Bible that help show the coherent thread of Scripture, particularly to seekers and newer Christians. Metanarratives give the seeker or new Christian confidence in the integrity of the Scriptures, and help reinforce the idea that it is coherent and the product of one unified Mind.
My focus in Bible study lately has been dominated by a metanarrative related to the dwelling place of God. I have been reading books by GK Beale on this topic.
The basic thesis is this: Adam was given a commission by God to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth with image-bearers of God. This commission was conveyed to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the nation of Israel, and Jesus Christ. The Church, as the body of Christ, has this role to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth with fellow image-bearers of God. This commission is fulfilled, not just with physical reproduction, but with making disciples and reproducing in a spiritual sense. The Church is God's spiritual temple, and stones are being added to it. At the end of this current evil age, this spiritual reality will have a spiritual dimension to it, in the New Heavens and New Earth (which I believe are equivalent to the New Jerusalem).
Anyways, this metanarrative (over-arching storyline) has a lot of explanation power.
In this view, Adam was a priest, who was assigned the duty of keeping the earth, in a similar way that priests kept the tabernacle and temple. The Garden of Eden was his temple, and if he had succeeded, he would have sired descendants who multiplied and filled the earth with image-bearers of God.
He should have guarded the Garden of Eden from any unclean thing, including the serpent. He should have been like the gatekeepers of the Temple of ancient Israel, and kept the serpent out.He failed in this endeavor.
Ezekiel 28 describes an Adam-like figure, a fallen man. This man had clothing that was similar to the clothing of the priests of ancient Israel..the bejeweled clothing. I am not saying Adam had clothing, but I believe this figure was representative of him, and that the bejeweled clothing represented his priesthood role.
I am aware that the popular view is that this figure was Lucifer, but I disagree with it, as does Beale, so I'm in good company. It also calls him the anointed cherub, and I would relate this aspect of Adam to the cherubim who took over guarding the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve were exiled.
The simple version is this, though:
1. The Garden of Eden was a garden-temple, where man met with God.
2. Adam was commissioned to replicate himself, and to create more image-bearers of God.
3. Adam had priest-like duties in regards to the Garden.
4. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob had encounters with God where they were told they would become populous.
5. Ancient Israel was given a similar commission to be a light to the Gentiles (the nations).
6. Imagery regarding the Garden of Eden, including botanical references, applies to the tabernacle. Imagery also
applies to the New Heavens and New Earth/New Jerusalem.
7. Jesus Christ himself was the true Temple and True Tabernacle (see John 1-2, where Jesus "dwelt" or tabernacle
with mankind, and called Himself the Temple).
8. Jesus was the cornerstone of the spiritual temple of God, the Church, where the Holy Spirit resides.
9. Christians are priests in this spiritual temple, and sacrifice to God with their praise, witnessing, and sometimes martyrdom...their objective is to reconcile believers to God, much in the same way that the Levitical priesthood
reconciled sinners to God through animal sacrifices, in a typological fashion.
10. The consummation of the present evil age will witness the creation of a New Jerusalem/New Heavens and New
Earth where the spiritual reality will become a physical reality, and God will dwell with mankind on this new garden-temple-city.
I am not going to provide Scriptures relating to this concept, as they are too numerous. If someone really wants to study it, read these books:
God Dwells Among Us, GK Beale
The Temple and the Church's Mission, GK Beale
One thing that I will point out is that the dimensions of the New Jerusalem are a cube, and the dimensions of the Holy of Holies are also a cube.
I recommend another book by J. Daniel Hays called The Temple and the Tabernacle: A Study of God's Dwelling Places from Genesis to Revelation as well, but I think Beale is the one who has pioneered in developing this metanarrative. NT Wright has also written some similar materials, but I'm not a big fan of his.
Metanarratives are overarching storylines of the Bible that help show the coherent thread of Scripture, particularly to seekers and newer Christians. Metanarratives give the seeker or new Christian confidence in the integrity of the Scriptures, and help reinforce the idea that it is coherent and the product of one unified Mind.
My focus in Bible study lately has been dominated by a metanarrative related to the dwelling place of God. I have been reading books by GK Beale on this topic.
The basic thesis is this: Adam was given a commission by God to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth with image-bearers of God. This commission was conveyed to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the nation of Israel, and Jesus Christ. The Church, as the body of Christ, has this role to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth with fellow image-bearers of God. This commission is fulfilled, not just with physical reproduction, but with making disciples and reproducing in a spiritual sense. The Church is God's spiritual temple, and stones are being added to it. At the end of this current evil age, this spiritual reality will have a spiritual dimension to it, in the New Heavens and New Earth (which I believe are equivalent to the New Jerusalem).
Anyways, this metanarrative (over-arching storyline) has a lot of explanation power.
In this view, Adam was a priest, who was assigned the duty of keeping the earth, in a similar way that priests kept the tabernacle and temple. The Garden of Eden was his temple, and if he had succeeded, he would have sired descendants who multiplied and filled the earth with image-bearers of God.
He should have guarded the Garden of Eden from any unclean thing, including the serpent. He should have been like the gatekeepers of the Temple of ancient Israel, and kept the serpent out.He failed in this endeavor.
Ezekiel 28 describes an Adam-like figure, a fallen man. This man had clothing that was similar to the clothing of the priests of ancient Israel..the bejeweled clothing. I am not saying Adam had clothing, but I believe this figure was representative of him, and that the bejeweled clothing represented his priesthood role.
I am aware that the popular view is that this figure was Lucifer, but I disagree with it, as does Beale, so I'm in good company. It also calls him the anointed cherub, and I would relate this aspect of Adam to the cherubim who took over guarding the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve were exiled.
The simple version is this, though:
1. The Garden of Eden was a garden-temple, where man met with God.
2. Adam was commissioned to replicate himself, and to create more image-bearers of God.
3. Adam had priest-like duties in regards to the Garden.
4. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob had encounters with God where they were told they would become populous.
5. Ancient Israel was given a similar commission to be a light to the Gentiles (the nations).
6. Imagery regarding the Garden of Eden, including botanical references, applies to the tabernacle. Imagery also
applies to the New Heavens and New Earth/New Jerusalem.
7. Jesus Christ himself was the true Temple and True Tabernacle (see John 1-2, where Jesus "dwelt" or tabernacle
with mankind, and called Himself the Temple).
8. Jesus was the cornerstone of the spiritual temple of God, the Church, where the Holy Spirit resides.
9. Christians are priests in this spiritual temple, and sacrifice to God with their praise, witnessing, and sometimes martyrdom...their objective is to reconcile believers to God, much in the same way that the Levitical priesthood
reconciled sinners to God through animal sacrifices, in a typological fashion.
10. The consummation of the present evil age will witness the creation of a New Jerusalem/New Heavens and New
Earth where the spiritual reality will become a physical reality, and God will dwell with mankind on this new garden-temple-city.
I am not going to provide Scriptures relating to this concept, as they are too numerous. If someone really wants to study it, read these books:
God Dwells Among Us, GK Beale
The Temple and the Church's Mission, GK Beale
One thing that I will point out is that the dimensions of the New Jerusalem are a cube, and the dimensions of the Holy of Holies are also a cube.
I recommend another book by J. Daniel Hays called The Temple and the Tabernacle: A Study of God's Dwelling Places from Genesis to Revelation as well, but I think Beale is the one who has pioneered in developing this metanarrative. NT Wright has also written some similar materials, but I'm not a big fan of his.