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When Heaven Meets Earth: A 12 Part Biblical Study on Heaven
Two domains.
One story.
The Bible is daunting. It's full of puzzling metaphors, tricky translations, and characters who saw the world very differently than we do today. Its sixty-six books can feel cryptic and disjointed.
Yet the Scriptures have been crafted as one unified story. Understanding that story is foundational for knowing Jesus and participating in the movement he started. It's the redemptive story of God's mission to reunite those two domains once again.
In this twelve-week study guide, you'll walk through the biblical story focusing on the concepts of heaven and earth. And be warned! It might totally change the way you think about the Bible and about what God is up to in this world through Jesus.
One story.
The Bible is daunting. It's full of puzzling metaphors, tricky translations, and characters who saw the world very differently than we do today. Its sixty-six books can feel cryptic and disjointed.
Yet the Scriptures have been crafted as one unified story. Understanding that story is foundational for knowing Jesus and participating in the movement he started. It's the redemptive story of God's mission to reunite those two domains once again.
In this twelve-week study guide, you'll walk through the biblical story focusing on the concepts of heaven and earth. And be warned! It might totally change the way you think about the Bible and about what God is up to in this world through Jesus.
146 pages, Paperback
Published April 18, 2017
6 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 23, 2024
This is a great book, or more devotional study really. The book is under 150 pages but each chapter and question section assigns large chunks of scripture to work through and process.
When heaven meets earth illuminates the cultural and biblical temple imagery and symbology from Eden to Zion in order to draw attention to the big story of the Bible, the tragic story of heaven and earths separation and Gods redemptive work to reunite the two domains back together again.
Readable and conversational, but also insightful and scholarly (pointed out things never learned in 7 years of bible school). The discussion questions really push the reader to reflect and apply the truths in each chapter.
I’d recommend going through it, and if you can find someone to read it with and discuss, even better.
When heaven meets earth illuminates the cultural and biblical temple imagery and symbology from Eden to Zion in order to draw attention to the big story of the Bible, the tragic story of heaven and earths separation and Gods redemptive work to reunite the two domains back together again.
Readable and conversational, but also insightful and scholarly (pointed out things never learned in 7 years of bible school). The discussion questions really push the reader to reflect and apply the truths in each chapter.
I’d recommend going through it, and if you can find someone to read it with and discuss, even better.
February 8, 2025
Love the invitation to dig deeper and really analyze scripture at the end of each lesson. Like a cool drink of water in a hot, weary world to learn more about God’s presence and living in it, hence “when heaven meets earth.” Learned so much I should probably read it all over again!
September 29, 2024
This is not a study of heaven. Mostly, it is a study of the redemptive cycle found in the Bible. Beginning with Eden, touching down with Abraham, Jacob, and Jesus, and briefly looking at revelation, the narrative shows how "heaven" meets Earth when God encounters man. I think for many of us that it is a huge leap from what we understand as Heaven, not least because that would mean Heaven and sin can easily co-exist, begging the question, why then hell?
I wish I had more time to go over the book point by point, but the gist of my complaint is that it overlooks key verses such as Matthew 6:9 Our Father in heaven ; John 14:2-3 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. I won't argue that heaven looks exactly like what the Bible describes (these are visions, and visions can't always be taken literally). Still, I would argue that many theologians have good reason to say heaven is a place.
I would also add that the material covering Christ's death and resurrection was very sparse, given that the whole point of the book was that Jesus ushered in the kingdom of heaven with His presence and that His death plays a pivotal role in the believer's eternal life.
Overall, the main point seems to be that God will someday put us back in a new Eden (because that worked so well the first time He just can't wait to try it again!)
In conclusion:
The Jewish people did not recognize Jesus as Messiah despite having lots of literature about Him, studying the literature, and longing for Him because He was not what they expected or wanted. The Messiah was meant to be a beacon of hope, the assurance that God had a plan to save His people once and for all and to set all things right, but their ideas of right and God's differed. It would be easy for us to miss things, too. For example, when we get too caught up in our own ideas of the afterlife, we miss God's main point for us: This Life. He did not leave too many clear references to heaven and hell because those are not our domains. This world is, and He left us plenty of information on how to live this life so that we might spend the next with Him. So my advice, don't get too attached to what you hope heaven and hell to be. I try not to. For myself, I read this study because a friend wants to look at the subject, and honestly, among the books I'm looking at, this was the most poorly constructed and argued.
I wish I had more time to go over the book point by point, but the gist of my complaint is that it overlooks key verses such as Matthew 6:9 Our Father in heaven ; John 14:2-3 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. I won't argue that heaven looks exactly like what the Bible describes (these are visions, and visions can't always be taken literally). Still, I would argue that many theologians have good reason to say heaven is a place.
I would also add that the material covering Christ's death and resurrection was very sparse, given that the whole point of the book was that Jesus ushered in the kingdom of heaven with His presence and that His death plays a pivotal role in the believer's eternal life.
Overall, the main point seems to be that God will someday put us back in a new Eden (because that worked so well the first time He just can't wait to try it again!)
In conclusion:
The Jewish people did not recognize Jesus as Messiah despite having lots of literature about Him, studying the literature, and longing for Him because He was not what they expected or wanted. The Messiah was meant to be a beacon of hope, the assurance that God had a plan to save His people once and for all and to set all things right, but their ideas of right and God's differed. It would be easy for us to miss things, too. For example, when we get too caught up in our own ideas of the afterlife, we miss God's main point for us: This Life. He did not leave too many clear references to heaven and hell because those are not our domains. This world is, and He left us plenty of information on how to live this life so that we might spend the next with Him. So my advice, don't get too attached to what you hope heaven and hell to be. I try not to. For myself, I read this study because a friend wants to look at the subject, and honestly, among the books I'm looking at, this was the most poorly constructed and argued.
May 13, 2019
Really insightful and interesting. It helps give you another perspective of the Bible as a whole and our role as children of God. It gave me a new different understanding of the connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament and of course as it’s titled - the meeting of Heaven ON Earth through Jesus and through us.
I loved the little ‘Geek Out’ sections and I even learnt a few Hebrew words and their meanings. As I am currently learning to speak Hebrew, this was a lovely addition! I recommend this book and definitely check out The Bible Project’s videos on YouTube as well.
I loved the little ‘Geek Out’ sections and I even learnt a few Hebrew words and their meanings. As I am currently learning to speak Hebrew, this was a lovely addition! I recommend this book and definitely check out The Bible Project’s videos on YouTube as well.
December 19, 2020
I got this book to go through with my young adults bible study group and couldn't help but read ahead. Tim Mackie and Jon Collins provide an excellent break down of how they interpret what the Bible says about heaven, beginning in Genesis 1 and ending in Revelation 21. Each of the 12 sessions was brief enough to go through in one evening comfortably, but went deep enough to enable real learnings with tangible takeaways.
May 18, 2017
As with their videos, the Bible Project does a great job of communicating solid, deep knowledge of the Bible in a short and easy to understand way.
August 5, 2018
Loved it. Fresh, simple and straight forward.
July 14, 2025
Excellent small Bible study. New perspectives and love the use of old and new testaments. Some thought provoking points. Highly recommend
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews