I recently read "The Unseen Realm" by Michael Heiser. I was prepared to like the book, but unfortunately I found a lot to disagree with. Those points of disagreement can be found in other articles on this blog. This is an area where there is only "disagreement by omission." That is, he doesn't tell the other, very relevant, side of things. This is on the issue of geography and places.
On page 284 of the Kindle edition he makes the claim that when Christ says "on this rock I will build my church" He is talking in part about the physical rock of Mount Herman. He further claims that this was believed to be the "gates of Hell" in that culture. He attaches great importance to places and weaves place-significance into the meaning of numerous passages.
He doesn't have to be wrong about what he is saying in some of these places, but 1) it is majoring in the minors and 2) he leaves off something very important- how our view of place-significance should change in the light of Christ.
In Galatians 4 we read:
" Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
So then when Paul assigns significance to place names, he does it in terms of what it says about the work of Christ. And he doesn't even identify us with the earthly Jerusalem, the holiest city in Judasim. Rather he associated believers with "the Jerusalem which is above."
Jesus Himself makes this plain in John chapter four:
20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
21Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
The place you worship doesn't matter. How you worship matters. The obsession with worshipping in places was part of the old way. The new way is worshipping in correct spirit and truth rather than geography. The places and days and ceremonies and even events were all to point to Christ and His work. Since He has come, they don't have their former significance.
Hebrews chapter nine speaks of things on earth being a mere pattern of the true things in heaven, and that Christ entered a Holy Place "made without hands", the true one in heaven. Further on, in 11:16 it reads "they that say such things declare that they seek a better country, that is, a heavenly..."
Time after time, place after place, this world is declared to be just the pattern. One day, there will be a new heaven and a new earth for us to dwell. The pre-occupation with religious acts and ordinances in specific places on this earth is out of balance with the real message of scripture. This world is not our home, and that's OK, because this life is merely the test.
Surely we are to "go to all the world to preach the gospel" and 1 Tim. 2:8 "I want the men to pray in every place", but these instructions don't point to a pre-occupation with particular places. Rather all places are equally to be prayed in, and preached in. God isn't as interested in the dirt in this fading material realm as He is the souls of the eternal beings within it.
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