For Dallas Theological Seminary president Mark Yarbrough and bestselling novelist Jerry Jenkins, the opening chapters of Scripture offer an invitation to consider familiar truths with renewed wonder. Their new book, The Battle for Heaven and Earth: A Biblical Novel of Lucifer’s Fall and the Garden of Eden, explores the beginnings of rebellion and redemption through an , explores the beginnings of rebellion and redemption through an imagined account of the world before humanity’s fall.

The novel pairs Yarbrough’s biblical scholarship and leadership of Story of Scripture events with the storytelling experience of Jenkins, known for the Left Behind series and novels based on The Chosen.

“Even the opening words make you marvel,” Jenkins says of Genesis 1:1. “So let’s get at it and imagine how God did it.”

In an interview with Publishers Weekly, Yarbrough recalled initially asking Jenkins to help him think through the possibilities of telling this story before finding the courage to propose coauthoring it. Jenkins responded, “Well, it took you long enough to ask! I’m in.”

In the collaborative process, Yarbrough drafted each chapter, developing the characters and action within the framework of Scripture while imagining details the biblical text leaves untold. Jenkins then helped shape those drafts into a novel for a broad readership.

When readers open the book, they’ll find a surprisingly casual introduction: “Call me Michael. God did. And he still does.”

The novel imagines Michael the archangel confronting the unraveling of a heavenly fellowship once united in worship. As Lucifer’s pride develops into rebellion, Michael, the commander of God’s army, faces conflict with some who once stood alongside him. The narrative extends from that fracture through creation and into the Garden of Eden, where humanity’s choices carry consequences across generations.

For readers, the imaginative retelling raises deeply personal questions about devotion, freedom, and the desire for power. Its portrayal of Eden speaks of the goodness of creation and the weight of its loss. The story also emphasizes humanity’s value as God’s beloved creation and his sovereignty amid the unfolding consequences of sin.

For Yarbrough and Jenkins, fiction offers a way to engage readers’ imaginations and encourage closer attention to Scripture. Jenkins told Publishers Weekly that one of the most meaningful responses to his previous biblical fiction has come from readers who return to regular Bible reading because of it.

That hope gives the novel a purpose beyond its celestial battles. It invites readers to revisit the Bible’s opening story and consider how its account of God, humanity, and redemption continues to speak to their lives today.