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.

5. First Corinthians 15

(This is the sixth in a series of ten posts counting down my ten favorite chapters in the New Testament. My friend David is also counting down his ten favorite chapters in the New Testament. You can find the corresponding post on his blog by clicking here.)
 
On to the hallowed top five...

Following chapter 13 about agape (the Greek word for unconditional love) and chapter 14 about prophesying (speaking Christ for building up), the penultimate chapter of Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians is easily one of my favorites. Most of First Corinthians focuses on the cross of Christ as the solution to all problems in the church, such as divisions, lawsuits, and idol worship. However, chapter 15 goes a step further than Christ's death on the cross by focusing on the importance of resurrection. Resurrection is crucial to the Christian faith because it overcomes Satan's strongest attack - death.

Paul starts the chapter by placing Christ's resurrection with His death and burial as the essential items of the gospel (v. 3-4). Paul then uses Christ's resurrection to dispel the Corinthians' disbelief in the resurrection of all men. In verse 22, we see that all men will be made alive in Christ. In verse 19, we see that our experience of Christ in this life is but a foretaste of the experience of Christ in resurrection:

"If it is only that we have hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most miserable."

Without resurrection, we have no eternal hope! Paul then continues by explaining how the body of resurrection is a spiritual body, not a soulish body, with Christ Himself as an example in verse 45:

"The first man, Adam, became a living soul; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit."

Christ was the last of the soulish race descended from Adam and through resurrection, He became a life-giving Spirit. What's more, First Peter 1:3 tells us that all the believers were regenerated through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We received a spiritual life, and when we are resurrected we will also receive a spiritual body. What was corrupted by the fall of Adam will be raised in incorruption!

I'll let Paul give you the details of the victory of resurrection over death and corruption (verses 52-57):

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this corruption must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality...then the word which is written will come to pass, 'Death has been swallowed up unto victory.' Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

What can you say to that? Nothing but "Amen" and "Praise the Lord" for the victory of resurrection!

First Corinthians 15 also contains two precious verses about our labor in the Lord. Verse 58 encourages that our labor is not in vain in the Lord (no matter how little fruit appears outwardly). After all, according to verse 10, we really aren't the ones laboring, but the grace of God is laboring in us.

Finally, verse 33 is a hidden gem that would almost seem more appropriate in Proverbs:

"Do not be deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals."