"... therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life."
Gen 3:23-24

Cherubim?

Cherubim!

After the Fall, paradise "is now defended against Adam's race by means of a cherubim. The city of man and the kingdom of God are now separated. Adam and Eve now live in exile of their heavenly father." (p. 119)

"And have them make me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them."
Gen 25:8

Where are the cherubim?

Where is God?

Phoenician King Ahiram's Sarcopagus

"Then you shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its width. You shall make two cherubim of gold; you shall make them of hammered work, at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other; of one piece with the mercy seat you shall make the cherubim at its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above,

overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings. They shall face one to another; the faces of the cherubim shall be turned toward the mercy seat. You shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark; and in the ark you shall put the covenant that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the covenant, I will deliver to you all my commands for the Israelites."
Gen 25:22

Where is God?

Yahweh is utilizing "his throne room as an audience with his people... [T]he distinction between Eden and the Holy of Holies is that whereas Adam was driven from Eden with no hope of reentry, the Holy of Holies is designed to function as God's outpost in Adam's world..... God once again dwells among his people." (p. 124)

1 Kings 6:29-35

The Temple Design

Vision of Restored Temple

So What Shape is the Temple?

"While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me out of the temple. He said to me: Mortal, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will reside among the people of Israel forever."
Ezekiel 43:6-7

The Icing on the Cake

Next NLC

God's Original Intent

God's Final Intent

The New Jerusalem

Re-enter: God's Presence

Exit: Cherubim and Temple

God's Rescue Plan

God's Rescue Plan: The Covenants

• Noah: re-creation
• Abraham: God's own people
• Moses: Presence restored
• David: leader prototyped
• Jesus: already/not yet

Figure 5.7

1 Corinthians 15:22

Romans 5:12-19

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