The Marriage Of Heaven And Earth
God’s vision for the whole cosmos — Part 1
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
The creation passages are a beautifully crafted literature of God’s handiwork and his purposes for all creation. It is a blueprint for the rest of the Bible. What an incredible revelation it is for us to study and believe. It demands our reverence and awe. Dare we reduce them to materialistic explanations?
Unlike modern scientific thinking, traditional cosmology did not attempt to describe reality in material terms but instead in terms of higher spiritual truth. It did not try to explain how and what the world is made of, but instead, what it means and what truth it embodies. Unfortunately, we misread it as a scientific explanation of our visible planet.
Heavens and earth are not just two material realities, they are different realities of one creation, created to be in union. God intends physical reality (earth) as the expression or image of the metaphysical truth that we call heaven.
God intends physical reality (earth) as the expression or image of the metaphysical truth that we call heaven.
This first line of the Bible, which comprises seven Hebrew words summarises what will happen in the rest of the passage which symbolically is divided into seven days. Each day is described in material terms which point to the higher spiritual meaning.
Heavens and earth in Hebrew simply mean skies above and the land below. However, the author is not merely describing the material reality. For example, in the following verse, the land is described as something without form, void and empty. This description does not add up to any material property, instead, it describes something without purpose or meaning.
We see this pattern across the Bible. For example, in the creation of Man, God formed man from the dust of the ground (earth) and breathed in him the breath of life (heaven). Therefore, humanity is described as a microcosm of creation. This symbol emerges with Christ and the Church where Christ is the head (metaphysical truth) and we are his body (material expression).
Heaven and earth are meant to be in such a union. But Man did not want to rule the earth under heaven’s rule, leading to the great divorce. Christ came to unite heaven and earth in him. In doing/expressing the will of the Father we take part in this mission. “Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.”
In Christ’s new creation, his seventh day of rest, new heavens and new earth symbolically unite once again as the union of husband and wife. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.’” The gospel of the kingdom of heaven is an invitation to this union.
In the following parts, let us learn what the Spirit creates.
For further study
Video: Bible Project — Genesis 1 (Notes)
Video: Bible Project — John 1
Book: Creator — The theological interpretation of Genesis 1 by Peter J Leithard
Book: The language of creation by Matthieu Pageau
Article: Creation through the lens of ancient cosmology
