In this session, the focus transitions from the nature of the resurrected body to the actual location of our eternal existence. Garrett Bookout presents the biblical case that heaven will not be a purely non-physical spiritual realm, but rather a renewed, physical earth completely cleansed of its curse. Drawing from Genesis, Acts 1, and Acts 3, the lesson highlights how the biblical theme of redemption is not about throwing creation away, but fixing it. The class culminates in a comparative analysis of major Bible translations to show that God’s ultimate goal is a universal restoration of everything broken by sin.

This lesson walks through the structural narrative of God's plan for creation using a timeline spanning from Genesis to Revelation. Garrett charts the course of the earth from its ideal setup in the Garden of Eden—where God dwelt directly with man—to its current cursed state resulting from human rebellion.

The core of the class dives into the New Testament fulfillment of this narrative. By looking closely at the beginning of Acts, the teacher corrects a common misconception about the kingdom. While the apostles were narrowly focused on a political restoration of the nation of Israel, Jesus and the Holy Spirit reveal a much grander scale of redemption. Evaluating the linguistic differences between the ESV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, and NRSV translations of Acts 3:21, the class demonstrates a unified scriptural promise: Christ will remain in heaven until the arrival of a total, universal restoration of the universe.

I. Introduction to "Where Will We Be?"
**A New Phase of Study:** Transitioning from a month and a half of studying *what* our resurrected bodies will be to *where* our eternal existence will take place.
* **The Pattern of Fixing, Not Destroying:** A foundational look at Jesus’ operating method—He does not throw his creation away because of sin; He fixes and transforms it.
**An Earth Made New:** Introducing the concept that our final home is a literal, renewed earth rather than an abstract, disembodied spiritual realm.
**Personal Journey with the Text:** The teacher shares his own initial skepticism when first learning this doctrine at Bear Valley, noting how continuous scriptural study (such as the meek inheriting the earth in Matthew 5:5) made it undeniable.

II. The Creation, Curse, and Recreation Framework
**The Original Eden Landscape:** Looking at the initial design where God, human beings, and the Tree of Life shared open communion in a physical garden.
**The Separation and the Curse:** How human sin brought a physical curse upon the ground and caused God to spatially separate the realm of Eden from the accessible earth.
**The Future Reunion:** Explaining how at the end of time, God will purge the cursed earth and rebuild a new heaven and new earth unified together as the New Jerusalem.

III. Acts 1: The Scope of the Kingdom
**Luke's Two-Part Story:** Understanding the Book of Acts as a direct "previously on" continuation of the Gospel of Luke.
**The Apostles' Narrow Question:** Analyzing the request in Acts 1:6 regarding whether Jesus would restore the political kingdom to Israel at that time.
**Jesus' Delayed Timeline:** Noting that Jesus does not tell them their concept of restoration is wrong; he simply states that the timing rests solely under God's authority.
**The Witness Mandate:** Shifting their focus from predicting the restoration to actively proclaiming the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.
**The Literal Return:** Pointing out the angels' promise that Jesus will return from the clouds back to the earth in the exact same physical manner that he left it.

IV. Acts 3 and the Translation Breakdown
**The Context of Peter's Sermon:** Speaking to the crowds in the temple after the miraculous healing of the lame beggar.
**The Mandate of Acts 3:21:** Identifying the declaration that Jesus must remain in heaven until the designated time of restoration.

**Comparative Translation Analysis:**
*English Standard Version (ESV):* Translates the phrase as "restoring all the things," uniquely adding an article not explicitly present in the Greek text.
*New King James Version (NKJV) & New American Standard Bible (NASB):* Render the phrase as the "restoration of all things," showing a macro-restoration rather than just a national one.
*New International Version (NIV):* Uses dynamic equivalence to state that God will "restore everything" promised through the prophets.
*New Revised Standard Version (NRSV):* Utilizes an ecumenical academic approach to translate the event as a "universal restoration".

V. Conclusion and Dismissal
**The Ultimate Revelation:** Concluding that the Holy Spirit expanded Peter’s understanding from fixing one broken nation (Israel) to completely restoring the entire broken universe.
**Closing Prayer:** Commending the church's ongoing study, peace, and hope to God.