The Temple and the Church’s Mission

Description

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. . . . And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem. . . . And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.” (Revelation 21:1-3, ESV).

In this comprehensive study, a New Studies in Biblical Theology volume, G. K. Beale argues that the Old Testament tabernacle and temples were symbolically designed to point to the end-time reality that God’s presence, formerly limited to the Holy of Holies, would be extended throughout the cosmos. Hence, John’s vision in Revelation 21 is best understood as picturing the new heavens and earth as the eschatological temple.

Beale’s stimulating exposition traces the theme of the tabernacle and temple across the Bible’s story-line, illuminating many texts and closely-related themes along the way. He shows how the significance and symbolism of the temple can be better understood in the context of ancient Near Eastern assumptions, and offers new insights into the meaning of the temple in both Old and New Testaments.

CONTENTS

Series Preface
Author’s Preface
Preface by Mary Dorinda Beale
Abbreviations
1. Introduction
2. Cosmic Symbolism of Temples in the Old Testament
3. The Expanding Purpose of Temples in the Old Testament
4. The Expanding End-Time Purpose of Temples in the Old Testament
5. The “Already and Not Yet” Fulfillment of the End-Time Temple in Christ and His People: The Gospels
6. The Inauguration of a New Temple in the Book of Acts
7. The Inauguration of a New Temple in the Epistles of Paul
8. The Temple in 2 Thessalonians 2
9. The Inauguration of a New Temple in Hebrews
10. The World-Encompassing Temple in Revelation
11. The Temple in Ezekiel 40–48 and Its Relationship to the New Testament
12. Theological Conclusions: The Physical Temple as a Foreshadowing of God’s and Christ’s Presence as the True Temple
13. Practical Reflections on Eden and the Temple for the Church in the Twenty-first Century
Bibliography
Index of Modern Authors
Index of Biblical References
Index of Ancient Sources

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