One of the most important truths in all of Scripture is this: we live in two realms at the same time. We live in the natural world what we can see, touch, measure, and prove. But we are also connected to the spiritual world what we cannot see, yet it influences everything we experience.
The Bible never teaches us to be “super spiritual” and ignore the real world, and it also never teaches us to be “material only” and ignore the unseen. Instead, Scripture shows us a consistent pattern:
The natural and the spiritual run in parallel.
Earth reflects heaven.
What happens in the visible is often a replica of what exists in the invisible.
This is why people who focus on the Old Testament only, but deny the immaterial realm, often miss the fullness of what God was doing. The Old Testament is not just history it is revelation. It contains patterns, shadows, and divine previews of eternal realities.
Genesis Shows Us Two Realms from the Beginning
The Bible begins by establishing both realms immediately.
Genesis 1:1 (OT)
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Notice the order: heavens first, earth second.
The invisible realm is not fake or imaginary it is foundational. The spiritual is not “less real.” It is the original realm.
Then God creates man with both realities inside him:
Genesis 2:7 (OT)
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Man is dust and breath.
Material and spiritual.
Earth and eternity.
Later, Genesis also shows us something powerful God can step into the natural world in visible form:
Genesis 18:1–2 (OT)
“Then the Lord appeared to him… and behold, three men were standing by him…”
This means the spiritual realm is not distant. God is able to manifest, speak, lead, and interact with mankind in ways that are both spiritual and physical.
The New Testament Confirms That the Seen Came from the Unseen
The New Testament explains what Genesis was showing all along.
Hebrews 11:3 (NT)
“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”
So the visible world came out of an invisible source.
What we see came from what we do not see.
That’s why believers are commanded to live with spiritual vision, not just physical sight:
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NT)
“While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen… the things which are not seen are eternal.”
The visible realm is temporary.
The invisible realm is eternal.
The Earthly Is Often a Copy of the Heavenly
One reason the Old Testament is so important is because it reveals that God uses earthly things to teach heavenly truth.
When God instructed Moses to build the tabernacle, He did not tell him to “make up something beautiful.” God gave Moses a pattern.
Exodus 25:40 (OT)
“And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.”
The tabernacle on earth was not random it was a replica.
It was a visible model of spiritual reality.
The New Testament confirms this directly:
Hebrews 8:5 (NT)
“Who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things…”
This means what happens on earth is often a shadow of something deeper happening in heaven. Earth reflects eternity.
God Has Dominion in Eternity, Man Has Dominion on Earth,
The order of authority is also clearly established in Scripture.
Psalm 115:16 (OT)
“The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men.”
God rules in eternity.
Man carries responsibility on earth.
That’s why spiritual realities are meant to be enforced through natural obedience. Heaven’s will is not automatic on earth it must be expressed through people who walk in faith, alignment, and submission.
Sin Is Both Physical and Spiritual
Sin is not only something we do outwardly it is something that affects the unseen realm inwardly. It has consequences in both realms.
Genesis 2:17 (OT)
“…for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Adam didn’t only experience physical consequences spiritual death entered first. Separation happened first in the unseen.
The New Testament confirms this truth:
Romans 6:23 (NT)
“For the wages of sin is death…”
Sin produces death spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and eventually physically. It has layers. It affects both worlds.
A Lamb Was Needed: The Physical Required a Sacrifice,
The Old Testament shows us that atonement requires sacrifice.
Leviticus 17:11 (OT)
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood… it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”
Blood had to be shed because sin is serious.
The physical realm required a physical payment.
And this is why Abraham’s story is so prophetic. When he was commanded to offer Isaac, it revealed the principle that God would provide a substitute.
Genesis 22:8 (OT)
“My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb…”
The sacrifice was not just about Abraham—it was a spiritual pattern being revealed in the natural world.
Yeshua Entered Eternity to Deal With Sin Completely
The physical required a sacrifice, but the spiritual required an eternal sacrifice.
The New Testament reveals that Yeshua did not just die a natural death His sacrifice reached into eternity to secure redemption.
Hebrews 9:12 (NT)
“Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”
The Old Testament sacrifices were repeated.
But Yeshua’s offering was eternal.
The visible cross was the earthly event.
The eternal redemption was the heavenly accomplishment.
15 Verses (Old and New) Showing Natural and Spiritual Parallels
Old Testament (Tanakh):
Genesis 1:1
Genesis 2:7
Genesis 2:17
Genesis 18:1–2
Genesis 22:2
Genesis 22:8
Exodus 25:40
Leviticus 17:11
Deuteronomy 29:29
Psalm 115:16
Psalm 110:1
Isaiah 53:5
Isaiah 6:1
Ezekiel 1:1
Daniel 7:13–14
New Testament:
Hebrews 11:3
2 Corinthians 4:18
John 1:14
Romans 6:23
Colossians 1:16
Hebrews 8:5
Hebrews 9:12
Hebrews 10:1
1 Peter 3:18
Ephesians 6:12
Matthew 6:10
John 4:24
Luke 17:21
Revelation 4:1–2
Revelation 5:6
A Pastor Story to Close (Abraham and Moses)
I’ll never forget something the Lord showed me when I was reading about Abraham and Moses. I realized God was teaching the same message through two different lives.
Abraham was walking with God, learning trust step by step. And then one day, God asked him for what was most precious Isaac. Abraham didn’t fully understand everything, but he obeyed. He climbed that mountain with faith, and when Isaac asked, “Where is the lamb?” Abraham spoke a prophetic sentence without even realizing how deep it was: “God will provide.”
Then I thought about Moses. Moses climbed mountains too. But Moses wasn’t carrying wood, he was carrying responsibility. God showed him the tabernacle pattern and said, “Build it exactly like what I showed you.” That means Moses was building something on earth that already existed in heaven.
And that’s when it clicked for me:
Abraham showed us God provides the sacrifice.
Moses showed us God provides the pattern.
In other words, God doesn’t just fix your problem, He reveals His world to you. He teaches you that what’s happening in your life is not random. There is a heavenly blueprint behind earthly moments.
So when you’re walking through pressure, don’t just ask, “What is happening to me?”
Ask, “Lord, what are You showing me about You?”
Because earth is the classroom… but heaven is the truth.
Small Prayer
Father, open our eyes to see both realms clearly. Teach us not to live only by what we can see, but to walk by faith and spiritual understanding. Help us recognize Your patterns, Your purposes, and Your eternal truth working through temporary situations. Strengthen our obedience, deepen our trust, and align our lives with heaven. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Old Testament and New Testament Duality of Existence (Natural and Spiritual Parallels)
