Chapters 21 and 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The plan of salvation for human kind is OVER! It is all
finally finished. Satan the Devil and all his host of demons are
cast away. No sin, no evil, no wickedness, no impurity, no
deception, no falsehoods, no death, will ever be. It is all
finished and glorious eternity lies ahead for the Family of God
and the righteous angels.
John sees a NEW heaven and a NEW earth, and there is no more
sea.
And why should there be any more sea. Stop and think, what
do we humans see inside the sea, just about nothing, unless you
dive down into it with some fancy man-made under water suits to
keep you alive. For most of us we would not really miss having
the sea. And when we are all in the eternal Family of God, we
would miss it even less. For now, in the present, God created
THIS earth as it is to NEED the sea. But when this age of
physical mankind is gone, then there really is no need for the
sea. The NEW earth that the Lord will make, will not require the
sea. So there just will not be one (verse 1).
Here is what John sees:
"And I John saw the HOLY CITY, NEW JERUSALEM, coming DOWN from
God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying: Behold the
TABERNACLE OF GOD is WITH MEN, and HE will DWELL with THEM, and
they shall be His people, and GOD HIMSELF shall be WITH THEM, and
shall be their God." (verses 2,3).
Now, how about that! You've probably been told all your life
that it is YOU who will GO to be with God in heaven. The truth
of the matter, from all the evidence of the WHOLE Bible is just
the OPPOSITE! When anyone dies they go into the ground, they
return to dust, for from dust they are made. It is true, the
"spirit in man" goes to God in heaven (Eccl.12:7) but the spirit
in man does not see, hear, talk, think, walk, play on a harp, or
DO ANYTHING, by its self, without a body. This is proved very
simply by human experience. If your physical eyes go blind, the
"spirit in man" does not take over and see for you. The spirit in
man is the CD, it records your personality and your character,
but is not functional without the rest of you. God does take your
DNA CD character/personality disc on your death, and does bring
it up to heaven for the future RESURRECTION, when you will also
have a NEW GLORIFIED "spirit" body, and so we are back in Paul's
famous resurrection chapter of 1 Corinthians 15.
The truth is WE are NOT going to heaven, heaven and God ARE
COMING TO US!
How Satan has twisted things up-side-down and in-side-out
through false Babylon Mystery religion dressed in the "Christian"
cloak.
The voice in heaven that John hears goes on to say:
"And God shall wipe away ALL TEARS from their eyes; and there
shall be NO MORE DEATH, neither SORROW, nor CRYING, neither shall
there be ANY MORE PAIN: for the former things are passed away"
(verse 4).
What a GLORIOUS TIME, what a WONDERFUL eternity for us
humans who were once subject to all the above. It is ALL FINALLY
GONE! All that has been so many times our enemy, is vanquished,
and destroyed, never to be again.
The HE that sits on the throne says:
"Behold I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW" And He tells John to "Write, for
these words ARE TRUE and FAITHFUL" (verse 5). And He further
said, "It IS DONE! I Am Alpha and Omega, the BEGINNING and the
END (eternal). I will give unto him that is athirst of the
fountain of the water of life FREELY. He that overcometh shall
inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my
SON!" (verses 5-7).
Do you REALLY UNDERSTAND that, do you really BELIEVE it? The
purpose you were created for, that God created mankind, was not
to make them into the "angel" kind - NO, it was to make them into
the God kind! Into the very SONS and DAUGHTERS of God the Father.
Popular Christianity talks about being sons and daughters of God,
but with such phrases, do they REALLY understand what it means.
If they do, they do not tell their audience. But the truth of it
all IS found in your Bible. God the Father and Jesus your Elder
Brother, WANT YOU TO KNOW THIS TRUTH! It's all over the New
Testament Story. If you have not yet discovered it by reading the
New Testament, then you can see it all expounded for you in my
study called "A Christian's Destiny."
The One sitting on the throne, goes on to say:
"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and
all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with
fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (verse 8).
In other language from the New Testament, God is saying
UNREPENTANT SINNERS shall be destroyed in the lake of fire, they
shall not have eternal life.
THE NEW JERUSALEM
And there came one of the angels who had the seven vials of
the seven last plagues, and said to John, "Come with me, and I
will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife. John is carried away to
a high mountain and is shown the HOLY JERUSALEM, DESCENDING OUT
OF HEAVEN FROM GOD (verses 9 and 10).
The Holy City with is PURE GLORIOUS SPENDER, is
representative of the pure, clean, glorious righteousness, of the
saints, who are the Lamb's wife, as we had seen back in chapter
19:7,8.
The city has the glory of God, I guess so, for God has lived
in it for .... the eternity past? We are not told. It has a clear
as crystal, stone most precious, look.
It has a wall, great and high, with TWELVE gates, and at the
gates, twelve angels, and names on the gates, the names each of
the TWELVE tribes of Israel. Three gates to each side, north,
south, east, and west.
The wall foundations were TWELVE, in each foundation, the
name of one of the TWELVE apostles of the Lamb (verses 11-14).
Does God use NUMBERS? I think He does! We have a study of
God's use of numbers on this Website. I will add more to it when
I can.
Think about how important God's plan was to Him, for the
TWELVE TRIBES of Israel (what He would do through them) and the
TWELVE APOSTLES (the work through them also) - they will be
imprinted on the Holy City for ALL eternity!
The angel that talks with John, had a golden reed to measure
the city, the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. The city lies
FOUR SQUARE. The length and the breadth and the height are EQUAL.
It is an astounding 1,500 miles. Each side then was 1,500 miles
and the height was also 1,500 miles. An AMAZING CITY, but can we
expect less from a God that is also AMAZING? No, we can not. It
is fitting that our heavenly Father would have such a MAGNIFICENT
CITY to live in, we should expect no less. The wall is 144
cubits, as man measure a cubit. We can not be exactly sure of
that height, for cubits were different in different ages. No big
deal, after being told the city is 1,500 miles in any direction,
what's a wall height, we can wait to see that.
John has to put what he sees in human terms so we can have
some idea in our minds-eye. The wall was like jasper; the city
like pure gold, like unto clear glass. The foundations of the
wall filled or decorated with all kinds of precious stones.
We are told what structure likeness were the TWELVE
foundations. I leave that for the reader to look up, if they
desire in a good Bible Dictionary. Needless to say it would be
"out of this world" - the pun is of course quite real.
The TWELVE GATES were twelve Pearls. Each gate one whole
pearl: and the streets of the city - pure gold, again as
transparent glass (verses 15-21).
This is SOME CITY, the like of course has never been seen on
earth before. It is the city headquarters of the Great Eternal
God.
This section of Revelation is to be taken literally, there
is nothing wrong with God living in such a GLORIOUS CITY, and
wanting to bring it to the NEW earth. Those who try to teach and
say that God cannot be defined in such a natural way, as indeed
having form and shape, a spirit body, who can live in a spirit
city ... well are they going to be in for a shock, when they see
their "spiritual NOTHING God" shows Himself to be SOMETHING, not
NOTHING.
Ah, yes, could it be anything else, the City has NO temple,
FOR the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb (Jesus) ARE THE TEMPLE of
the city! There was at one time a Temple in that City, for Moses
was told to build the Tabernacle according to what was in heaven.
But NOW, all has been completed for salvation, and the Temple of
heaven is needed no more (verse 22).
This heavenly city has no need of the sun, neither of the
moon, to shine in it; for the GLORY of God did lighten it, and
the Lamb is the light thereof (verse 23). Oh, I guess so, what
more light could there be than God the Father and Jesus His Son,
they are PERFECT GLORIOUS LIGHT!
Verse 24 is very interesting. The nations (Greek can be
"peoples") of them who are saved walk in the light of the city,
and "kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it."
It would seem from this verse, that the sons of God will
inhabit all over, this new earth, and will from time to time come
with their glory (resurrection chapter of 1 Corinthians 15) into
the city. Not all of God's children will live inside the city. We
get a small glimpse into that new age, by this verse. The whole
universe is out there, trillions of light years in distance.
God's children will explore it, maybe watch over it, keep it, and
so be living in different parts of the universe, and certainly,
in different parts of this earth. For as we have seen, God's
people of various glory and positions of responsibility, shall
come to the city and walk in its light. Eternity is not going to
be "playing a harp and gazing on Jesus' face all the time."
Eternity will be INTERESTING and FUN, and we just do not know a
millionth of what it will all be, only this verses gives us a
little clue.
The GATES of this city will not be shut at all. There will
be NO NIGHT there. And again we are told the peoples (God's
children) will bring their glory and honor into it.
We are told (telling us if we want to be there to come into
this city) that no one can be there who is defiled, or works
abominations, or is a liar, but only they whose names are written
in the book of life (verses 26,27).
We saw in the epistles of John who was a liar. He who says
"I know Him, and KEEPETH NOT HIS COMMANDMENTS, is a liar, and the
TRUTH is NOT in him" (1 John 2:4). Pretty simple indeed, the
simplicity that is in Christ, is that simple, a child can
understand it. It is not the PhDs of theology, it is not all
those who are super good at English prose and write all those
"Christian books" by the dozens out there. It is THOSE who KEEP
the COMMANDMENTS of God, are yes, saved by grace, but still have
the mind-set, the attitude, to OBEY God, who want to do His will,
follow His way of life, and I will say it once more, for you
Roman Catholic, and all you Protestant people in the world,
serving God, includes the FOURTH commandment of the big Ten!
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
John sees a wonderful pure river, as clear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb. In the midst of
the street of it, on either side of the river there was the tree
of life. Trees that bare TWELVE fruits, and yielded her fruit by
the month; and the leaves of the trees were for the healing of
the peoples. This is I'm sure very real! Do you get the picture
of the world that God lives in? It is not drab, just a kind of
"nothing." It is in God's realm of living, just as diverse and
interesting, just as much pleasing and fun, as ours is. Why our
physical world and things in it, were created very much after the
type of world God lives in. These trees represent "LIFE" and
"HEALING" - they will always REMIND us through eternity what the
Father did with physical human kind - He gave them LIFE and
HEALING - salvation - GLORY as He has, but not as BRIGHT as He
and Jesus His first born Son have (read carefully 1 Corinthians
15 - there will be different glory and brightness, as pleases the
Father, when we are resurrected or changed from mortal to
immortal). (verses 1-2).
There will never be any more curse of any kind. The THRONE
of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and God's children, shall
serve Him. They SHALL SEE HIS FACE, and His name shall be in
their foreheads (verse 3,4).
We as His children shall always look up to the Father, He
will always be the one we serve and respect, just as the Son
Jesus does, did respect and follow when on earth and still
respects and follows today and forever more. It will be a
WONDERFUL FAMILY relationship for all eternity. And we are given
the absolute PROMISE that when this time of Revelation 21 and 22
is here, we SHALL SEE THE FATHER'S FACE!
This is not a God of NOTHINGNESS, as some deceived nutty
minded "teachers of theology" preach. God the Father is a REAL
PERSON, with FORM AND SHAPE, and one day His true faithful
children WILL SEE HIS FACE. Moses asked God to show Himself to
him, in the glory form. God replied to Moses, that he would show
Himself, but Moses could only see God's back-parts, as no
physical human man could look upon God and live. This HAPPENED,
this took place my friends, it was a REALITY. When we are
glorified we SHALL be able to look upon the face of God. Oh, what
wonderful reality, you just have to read it and as a child,
BELIEVE IT! Yes children can understand the clear things of God,
the simple to understand things, are written just that simply, so
children can read the Bible and understand some of the very
basics of what the Father WANTS you to understand! Let the "wise"
in their own minds, get confused, get mixed up, come up with all
kinds of silly and crazy doctrines about the Bible and God, let
them alone, they are BLIND LEADERS OF THE BLIND, as Jesus cried
out to them in His time on earth.
ONE DAY, if you are faithful to God, if you love Him with
all your heart, mind, and life, if you will but DO HIS WILL,
humble yourself, hunger and thirst for righteousness, YOU WILL
SEE THE VERY FACE OF GOD. Do tears of joy fill your eyes as you
read these words in this chapter? They do mine! Here we are, us
physical weak in the flesh, sinners, saved only by the love and
grace of God, through the love and service of Jesus the Christ,
and we can be one day given the HONOR to look upon the very face
of the MOST HOLY AND PERFECT ONE, the One we can even now call
FATHER. This should make us willing to GIVE UP ANYTHING we need
to give up, to be the true children of God. Jesus did say that to
LOVE HIM, we must be willing to give up, if we have too, our
mother, our father, our brothers, our sisters, our job, our
friends, our .... WHATEVER, to serve Him in spirit and in truth.
If we are willing to present our bodies as a living
sacrifice to God, holy, acceptable unto Him (Romans 12:1) we
shall LIVE WITH HIM AND SEE HIS FACE!!
Also, do not miss it, we shall HAVE GOD'S VERY NAME in our
foreheads, in our VERY BEING! There literally will be called
Enoch God, Abraham God, Moses God, David God, Paul God, Peter
God, John God and whatever our first name is now. We shall have
God's name, it will be our sir-name. If you have not done so,
please read my study "A Christian's Destiny" and learn the
wonderful truth of why God created human beings.
There will BE NO NIGHT THERE in that great heavenly city. No
need for candles, neither the sun, FOR THE LORD GOD GIVES THE
LIGHT, and we shall reign WITH Him for ever and ever (verses
3-5).
The angel told John that all these things ARE FAITHFUL AND
ARE TRUE.
The Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to John to
show him and us the things which "must shortly be." Obviously
such phrases as "must shortly be" does not mean to God what to us
in our time frame, means to us. As I've said, two thousand years
to God, in the frame of eternity past and eternity future, is but
the millionth of the blink of an eye, to try and put it in some
kind of language that our minds can imperfectly recognize (verse
6).
Jesus cries out to us of any age since this book was written
down by John, "BEHOLD I COME QUICKLY: BLESSED IS HE THAT KEEPS
THE SAYING OF THE PROPHECY OF THIS BOOK" (verse 7).
There are SAYINGS, there are sentences, in this book, that
we need to KEEP! Have you seen some of them? Let me give you one
- Chapter 14:12. and we'll be given it again in a few verses from
this one.
When John heard all these things, his reaction was to fall
down and worship at the angels' feet. He was told NOT to do so,
because the angel was but a servant of the Lord, just as John was
and all children of the Most High. John was to WORSHIP GOD! That
is our calling also, it has never changed since man was upon this
earth (verses 8,9).
The angel said to John, SEAL NOT THE SAYINGS OF THIS
PROPHECY OF THIS BOOK: FOR THE TIME IS AT HAND. He that is
unjust, let him be unjust still; he that is filthy, let him be
filthy still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still (verse
10,11).
The time is short brethren, the prophecy of this book of the
Revelation of Jesus Christ CAN BE UNDERSTOOD. I understand it!
And I have expounded its truth to YOU, SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND IT!
When all these things come to pass, as they will, whoever is
alive when they do, will have A VERY SHORT TIME, before Jesus
comes in glory to reign on earth. He that is HOLY at that time,
when this prophecy is taking place, had better continue to be
HOLY.
Jesus again cries out: "Behold, I COME QUICKLY; and my
reward is with Me, to give every man according to as his work
shall be. I Am the Alpha and Omega, the BEGINNING and the END,
the FIRST and the LAST (the Eternal One). BLESSED ARE THEY WHICH
DO HIS COMMANDMENTS, THAT THEY MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO THE TREE OF
LIFE, AND MAY ENTER IN THROUGH THE GATES INTO THE CITY. The ones
who will not make it to enter the city, will be sinners who will
not REPENT and the LIARS (verses 12-15 - my paraphrase).
Jesus continues: "I Jesus have sent my angel to testify unto
you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring
of David, the BRIGHT and MORNING STAR. The spirit and bride say,
Come, and let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is
athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the WATER OF
LIFE FREELY" (verses 16,17).
Yes, salvation is yours my friend, it is FREE! You are saved
by GRACE, but that does not mean, as Jesus has just stated, that
you DO NOT have to keep God's commandments. The teaching that
tells you that grace ABOLISHES the commandments of God, is a LIE,
it is a cunning DECEPTION of Satan the Devil who would like to
see YOU killed in the lake of fire which is the second death.
Jesus continues: "For I testify unto every person that hears
the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall ADD unto
these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written
in this book. and if any person shall TAKE AWAY from the words of
the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of
the book of LIFE, and out of the HOLY CITY, and from the things
which are written in this book. HE that testifies to these things
says, SURELY I COME QUICKLY" (verses 18-20).
The above words are all the words that Jesus concluded with
in this book of this prophecy. John after hearing them said:
"AMEN - so be it. Even so come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (verses 20,21).
It's impossible to get around it. The last words of Jesus in
this book, at the time of the close of the first century A.D.
when false teachers had already come into the Church of God, and
were perverting the Gospel of Christ. They were turning the grace
of God into a license to sin! They were already leaving the faith
once delivered to the saints. They were already wanting to get
away from being called or being associated with the Jews. Just
about anything that was thought of as "Jewish" like the 7th day
weekly Sabbath, and the Festivals of Leviticus 23, was being
changed or "done away with" in the theology of these new false
teachers. It was already under way to adopt Easter instead of
Passover in the church at Rome. By the end of the second century
A.D. Easter had come to stay. Sunday observance was being kept
more and more in the Christian world, it would finally be
officially law by the time of Constantine in 321 A.D. The
observance of Christ-mass would soon be adopted by the growing
powerful Roman church, and so faster and faster was the rise of
MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT. And so it is that through that MOTHER
of HARLOTS, Satan has DECEIVED THE WHOLE CHRISTIAN WORLD (and
many other deceptions for the other parts of the world), only the
very ELECT will not be deceived!
WHAT A BIBLE STORY IS THE NEW TESTAMENT. I had no time limit
on doing all of this study on the New Testament. It was not until
November of 2007 that I decided to look back and see when I
started this study. I was surprised to see I started it in
November of 2000. It has taken me SEVEN years to the month to
bring it to completion. Interesting when you know how God uses
numbers, and how number SEVEN is completion.
But numbers aside, the main thing is that all of this study
has HELPED, INSPIRED, EDIFIED, ENCOURAGED, CORRECTED, and brought
YOU personally to a CLOSER WALK WITH GOD.
It has been a wonderful experience for me. I thank the Lord
for giving me the INSPIRATION I needed and the TIME I needed to
finish this work of the New Testament Bible Story. I pray the
Lord will give me the time to now start and finish expounding to
you all the prophetic books of the Old Testament, as they relate
to today and beyond, for the nations of Israel, Judah, and the
whole world.
As the apostle John finished so I use his words:
"THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST BE WITH YOU ALL. AMEN.
.....................
Revelation chapters 21 and 22 written November 2007
The New Testament Bible Story started November 2000 and completed
November 2007
|
