Read: Genesis 2:1-9
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished. (v. 1)
One of the Bible’s best-known sentences is, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Biblical language scholars point out that the Hebrew word for “heavens” can be translated “sky.” One might read the Genesis creation accounts and conclude that they describe the origins of the material universe: earth, sky, and everything in between.
But a careful reading of Genesis—and the rest of the Bible—alerts us to the fact that God’s creation encompasses more than the material. Our world intersects with an additional realm: a spiritual realm. It was not always this way. In the beginning, there was no dividing line between earth (the material realm) and heaven (the spiritual realm). Adam and Eve enjoyed God’s direct presence with them in the garden, totally unlike what we experience now.
Human beings are unique in that we were made for both realms. To be fully human is to have what we had in the beginning: heaven and earth. Neither a purely material present nor a purely spiritual future can satisfy our longing. Our true home is both at once. The Bible chronicles the deadly homesickness of humanity separated from heaven; and heaven’s persistent, inbreaking healing of that sickness. The Christian life involves identifying and cultivating the stuff of heaven on earth, while looking forward to their ultimate reconciliation.
As you pray, ask God to reveal signs of heaven: in the Word and in the world.
About the Author
Ben Van Arragon
Ben Van Arragon is a preacher and writer based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He preaches and teaches the Bible in church, online, and anywhere else he has the opportunity.
