The Bookends of the Bible (2)

(This is the second of two posts on the bookends of the Bible)

In my previous post on the bookends of the Bible, I discussed the dearth of Satan and sin, man having image and dominion, the tree of life, and the river. This time, I want to highlight two more crucial items that tie Genesis 1-2 together with Revelation 21-22, as well as the rest of the Bible.

The first item is the building. The second is the couple.

This is an unfinished building. Kind of like the church. Sorry, no pictures of the couple for now.

The building actually doesn't appear in the first two chapters of the Bible, but the building materials do. In the garden of Eden, there were three valuable building materials: gold, bdellium, and onyx stone (Genesis 2:12). In the New Jerusalem, there are once again three valuable building materials: gold, pearl, and twelve different kinds of precious stones (Revelation 21:18-21). Along the way, Paul also writes about three valuable building materials: gold, silver, and precious stones (1 Corinthians 3:12).

Through careful examination of these verses, you can see a progression. In Genesis, the building materials are scattered throughout the garden of Eden. In 1 Corinthians, the building materials are in the process of being built on the foundation of Christ. Finally, in Revelation, the building materials are fully built into the holy city, the New Jerusalem.

This building process seen throughout the Bible mirrors the building of the church. This desire was on God's heart from the beginning of time. The Lord Jesus promised to build His church in Matthew 16:18. But the building didn't really begin until the Lord had died and resurrected. Then, all the believers could participate with Paul in the building up of the church through their speaking (1 Corinthians 14:26). This building work is still being carried out today, and in the future the New Jerusalem will be the consummation of the building of the church.

But what about the couple in Genesis 2? Everyone has heard of Adam and Eve. Could their story possibly be related to God's desire for the church as well?

The first key is the verb in Genesis 2:22, which says that Eve was built from Adam's rib. Sound familiar? The church is being built just as Eve was built. The story of Eve's creation concludes two verses later in Genesis 2:24, which is quoted directly by Paul in Ephesians 5:31. Then Paul goes on to explain in the next verse that what he's really not speaking about the marriage between a man and a woman, but about the marriage between Christ and the church. Romans 5:14 says that Adam was a type of Christ, which further strengthens the connection between Adam and Eve and Christ and the church.

Fast forward to Revelation. Christ is the Lamb (John 1:29), but He is also the bridegroom (John 3:29) and in Revelation 19:7, the Lamb is the bridegroom, getting married to His wife. In Revelation 21:9, an angel tells John, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." But what is shown in verse 10 is the holy city, the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is the wife because the New Jerusalem is the church and the wife is also church. The story of Christ's romantic love for the church can be seen throughout the entire Bible (if you are a hardcore reader, check out Isaiah 54:5), beginning with the type of Adam and Eve and ending with the marriage of the Lamb with the New Jerusalem.

Note: If you would like to know more about the significance of each of the building materials, find a way to get in contact with this blogger.

The Bookends of the Bible (1)

(This is the first of two posts on the bookends of the Bible)

You can get a pretty good idea about most books simply by reading the beginning and the end of the book. It’s no different with the top-selling book of all time - the Bible.

This isn't the beginning or the end, but I think you get the idea.

The first two chapters in Genesis describe the garden of Eden. The last two chapters in Revelation describe the New Jerusalem. These descriptions contain some striking similarities that relate to themes which persist throughout the entire Bible.

Perhaps most importantly, Satan and sin do not appear in these four chapters. Throughout most of the Bible, Satan lurks like an annoying pest. But in the bookends, he is nowhere to be found! Satan enters the scene in the first verse of Genesis chapter 3. In the following verses, Satan corrupts mankind, starting a downward spiral from God's original intention for man. God has to find ways to deal with the problems Satan creates. However, in Revelation 20:10-15, God permanently eliminates Satan, death, and Hades by casting them into the lake of fire. This is just in time for Revelation 21 and 22, the last two chapters in the Bible.

What is God’s original intention for man?

We have to look no further than the bookends of the Bible for the answer.

Genesis 1:26 reveals that God created man to bear his image and to have dominion over the earth. Though Satan corrupted man, this intention is finally realized in full with the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21 and 22. The New Jerusalem is the consummation of the church, the bride of Christ (v. 9-10). Its appearance is like jasper (v. 11), which is like the appearance of God on the throne (Revelation 4:3). That's God's image! Meanwhile, Revelation 22:5 says that those in the New Jerusalem will reign forever. That's dominion over the earth!

How do we get to the point where we can bear God’s image and rightfully have dominion over the earth?

Once again, back to the bookends! It’s a matter of eating and drinking. Eating and drinking are related to two items that appear in both the garden of Eden and the New Jerusalem.

First, we have the tree of life. The tree of life makes its debut in Genesis 2:9, in which God places the tree of life in the middle of the garden for man to eat. The tree of life makes its final appearance in Revelation 22:2, where it grows on both sides of the river like the vine tree, which signifies Christ (John 15:1). God intends that man would eat the tree of life to be organically constituted with Christ Himself. The idea of eating Christ is also seen prominently in John 6.

The second item is the river. In Genesis 2:10, the river waters the garden of Eden and flows to the four corners of the earth. In Revelation 22:1, this same river proceeds out of the throne of God. This river also surfaces in Psalm 46:4, Ezekiel 47:5-9, and John 7:37-39, where Jesus reveals that the rivers of living water are actually the Spirit. God wants us to eat Christ as the tree of life, and He also wants us to drink the Spirit as the river of life (1 Corinthians 12:13).

Be on the lookout for the next post for more themes that begin in Genesis 1-2, continue to develop throughout the entire Bible, and reach a climax in Revelation 21-22!

The Top Ten Chapters

What are the ten best chapters in the Bible? No doubt that is a subjective question. It's also a question to which there is definitely no wrong answer, and probably no right answer, either, since "all scripture is God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16).

Nevertheless, when this question was raised to me I decided to take a stab at it. Since I could first read and write, I have always loved lists of items, particularly ordered lists or rankings. More recently, I have developed a love for the Bible. A list of my favorite ten Bible chapters meshes these two loves together.

Before I give my list, I would like to present a similar list posted by a friend of mine. I would also like to make a few disclaimers. First of all, this list is my personal opinion. I do not claim that these are God's favorite ten chapters, or that they should be your favorite ten chapters. I also reserve the right to change this list at any time in the future as God reveals more to me in the Bible.

Finally, because I am halfway through a New Testament reading schedule, this list only includes chapters between Matthew 1 and 2 Corinthians 8. I will continue updating or expanding as I finish the New Testament and perhaps even return to add Old Testament chapters. But for now, these are the chapters I feel most comfortable with, so these are the chapters I would like to rank.

Without further ado, the top ten...

1. Romans 8. I once memorized this chapter, so it has a special place in my heart. But objectively speaking, this chapter is loaded with juicy verses about freedom in the Spirit by Christ's indwelling and our inheritance as children of God. Some examples:
- Romans 8:2 - "The law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death."
- Romans 8:11 - "And if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who indwells you."
- Romans 8:16 - "The Spirit himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God."
- Romans 8:28 - "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose."
- Romans 8:31 - "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us."

2. John 1. This chapter takes us from eternity past to eternity future, showing us God as the Word before creation (verse 1), Christ's incarnation (verse 14), Christ as the Lamb of God for our redemption (verse 29), the pouring out of the Spirit (verse 32), the transformation of the believers into stones for God's building (verse 42), and the final consummation of the building in which Christ unites heaven and earth, God and man (verse 51). Verse 51 is a fulfillment of Jacob's dream at Bethel (which means house of God) in Genesis 28. John 1 also includes a key verse about regeneration:
- John 1:12 - "But as many as received him, to them he gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into his name."

3. 1 Corinthians 15. This chapter is a whirlwind of amazing verses about resurrection, starting with the preaching of the gospel of resurrection and finishing with the application to our corrupted flesh of Christ's victory in resurrection. We also find out at the end of the chapter that our labor is not in vain in the Lord. Here's a juicy tidbit:
- 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 - "And when this corruptible will put on incorruption and this mortal will put on immortality, then the word which is written will come to pass, 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

4. 2 Corinthians 3. Short but sweet, we learn in this chapter that we are living letters of Christ inscribed by the Spirit (v. 3) and that we are mirrors beholding and reflecting the glory of the Lord (v. 18). In between, we learn that turning our heart to the Lord removes the veil separating us from the Lord (v. 16), that the Lord is the Spirit (v. 17), that the Spirit gives life (v. 6), and that this life is transforming us (v. 18).

5. John 15. John 14-16 are a breathtaking trio of chapters in which Jesus is speaking intimately with his disciples. I only had room for one on the list, so I chose John 15, in which Jesus talks about the analogy of the vine and the branches. He is the vine and we are the branches, whose purpose is to bear fruit. Interestingly, the topics of love (mentioned 10 times) and separation from the world play a prominent role in this chapter.

6. John 4. The blog's namesake verse comes from this chapter, so it just had to be on the list. Of the many stories in the first part of John, the story of the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 is my favorite. Read more about it in this post. A couple key verses from the story:
- John 4:14 - "But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life."
- John 4:24 - "God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truthfulness."
- John 4:34 - "Jesus said to them, my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work."
In this chapter, Jesus also talks about reaping from the ripe harvest and heals a dying boy.

7. 1 Corinthians 14. Paul speaks strongly in this chapter about prophesying, which is not merely to foretell the future, but to speak on behalf of God. He particularly contrasts prophesying with speaking in tongues. He tells us that we can all prophesy (v. 31) and that prophesying builds up the church (v. 4) and encourages men (v. 3). Verse 26 tells us that when the believers come together, each one has something to give, and verse 14 shows us that a good way to respond to others' giving is to say "the Amen."

8. Acts 9. This chapter, which speaks of Saul's conversion, is my favorite chapter in Acts, given the context of the rest of the New Testament. Saul was an approving witness of Stephen's martyrdom in Acts 7 and the primary persecutor of the believers in Acts 8. Yet, the next fourteen books after Acts are written by the same man, who became Paul, a wise master builder of the church (1 Cor. 3:10). Acts 9 is the bridge between these two realities, which makes it a key chapter for me. Saul particularly sees the matter of the church being the Body of Christ. He thought he was persecuting humans, but the Lord asked him, "Why are you persecuting me?"

9. 1 Corinthians 3. This chapter will probably get axed later, so I won't say too much. It speaks of the church being God's cultivated land and God's building. I love verse 6: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth."

10. Romans 5. Ditto 1 Cor. 3. This chapters drives home the point that just as sin entered through one man (Adam), grace entered through one man (Jesus Christ). Verse 10 shows us two sides of his grace toward us (redemption through his death and salvation through his life).

The Third Day

In my Bible reading today, I read John chapter 2, a chapter that I have probably read at least 10 times in my life. But this time I noticed something new.

The transition between chapters 1 and 2 of John is extremely awkward. Chapter 1 ends with Jesus speaking to Nathanael, a newly met disciple. Chapter 2 begins, "And the third day a wedding took place in Cana..."

The third day of what!?!

John gives no clue what the third day means. The third day of the week? The third day of the month? The third day of his brand new job? He doesn't say. I don't think he cares, because for him the third day had a deeper significance.

Of course, Jesus was resurrected on the third day after his death. In the context of John chapter 2, the third day also signifies resurrection! The next several verses talk about Jesus changing the water into wine, a sign (verse 11) for changing death into life, which is resurrection.

John's gospel is a gospel all about life, and from the first verse of chapter 2, he sets forth this principle of resurrection.