The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible

by Michael S. Heiser

The New Testament portrays the Christian life—even the very Christian existence​—as prompting a spiritual turf war. But we often don’t pick up on the messaging. Sacred space and realm distinction are not just Old Testament concepts. We talked at length about these two concepts in earlier chapters in regard to the Israelite tabernacle and the temple. But New Testament language about them takes the reader in fascinating directions. Believe it or not, you are sacred space. Paul in particular refers to the believer as the place where God now tabernacles—we are the temple of God, both individually and corporately. This is most transparently seen in English translations in two passages where Paul tells the Corinthians, “You are God’s temple” (1 Cor 3:16), and, “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 6:19). The former speaks of the church corporately as the temple; the latter focuses on each believer individually.