THE NEW JERUSALEM
P A R T V I
THE NEW JERUSALEM
PART VI
JAN LILLEBY
This Part VI, on the topic of the New Jerusalem, will for the most be a theoretical and speculative writing. But yet, there are certain Bible passages which point us to a certain view of it all….not the least we have Paul’s words from Eph. 1:9-11,NASB,
“9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him
10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him
11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,….”
We learned from my five first articles in this series on the New Jerusalem, that it shall come down from heaven and be placed upon the earth – and I took the liberty to point out my private idea of the New Jerusalem being settled right in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, as we find a statement for this in Scripture: The Sea is no more. Meaning, the Mediterranean will be taken away as the Lord shall perform several so-called ‘Pole Shifts’ so the sea floor will be elevated accordingly!
I also wrote, that Jesus Christ, ruling from Jerusalem in the millennial kingdom, will teach the peoples about these coming changes upon earth. He will prepare humankind for a substantial change of all things concerning our planet and (maybe) also the orbital system (?)
So, where do we begin – going further into this vast subject?
MY THEORETICAL IDEAS
I already quoted Eph. 1 and how Christ are actually going to unite the heavens and the earth in a certain order, bringing certain changes which have never before been shown to any human being.
Paul pointing NOT to the present (dispensation of the church, the one new man) but rather to the future dispensations, households, administrations after the church has been taken into the heavens. Verse 10 has been emphasized by me, for this purpose.
We cannot say that (‘things in heaven’) heaven and earth was united when God and Christ revealed the Mystery – the dispensation of the church – according to Eph. 1-3 chapters. And so established the present dispensation, the Mystery body – the ‘One new Man’, Eph. 2:15.
The earth today is filled with unbelievers and atheists, rather than Christian believers; and a host of false religions. We, the Christians, are to be considered as a MINORITY. Of a population of 8-9 billion people, we are about 1 billion…maybe 1, 5 billion believers 2025.
To my understanding, Paul is definitely pointing to a future dispensation when ‘heaven and earth’ will be united: The New Jerusalem descending from heaven. He wrote: WITH A VIEW TO…which cannot be the same as the present one. A view, a sight focusing ones attention on a thing in a future change of things: Christ uniting heaven and earth, by sending down the New Jerusalem. This marvelous shining huge city of God, may very well be the fulfillment of Paul’s phrase in verse 10…THINGS in heaven. This can also mean more than just the city itself, such as every kind of divine support-systems and logistics to make this created city work and function in a proper manner. And not to forget: The Mystery body of saved saints in heaven, seeing this city in construction maybe, yes, even participate in its preparation (God only knows)? Shall it stay on earth in eon times (Greek aionos, which means a timespan or epoch, and NOT for ever) – or is it forever ? We can only speculate in this matter.
HOW ABOUT THE ANCIENT ORIGINAL JERUSALEM?
At the ending of the millennial Messianic kingdom of Jesus Christ, we read in Revelation that the city and the nation will be attacked by evil alien forces fired up by Satan (NASB use also the word devil) himself, Rev. 20:7-10, NASB,
“7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison,
8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.
9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
Reading this passage tells us nothing of any eventual destruction or damage of Jerusalem and the temple, where Jesus has ruled for one thousand years in this narrative.
I think it is safe to conclude that thus it will be TWO Jerusalem’s on earth after the ending of the millennial kingdom in Israel. The old Jerusalem and that fabulous, mighty, and shining New Jerusalem of God, descending from heaven.
WHAT ELSE CAN WE MAKE OF THIS?
It may be that we, the Mystery body, the ‘One new Man’ in Christ shall be present both in the heavens above as well as on the changed renovated earth with its New Jerusalem on it. We cannot know for certain, but I think we can be anywhere God and Christ may see fit to send us, for a reason or a ministry task. Heaven is not a place of inactivity…and where saved believers does nothing but just being on a heavenly gorgeous holiday lasting forever. As tourists and spectators. No, I think it goes without saying, that we shall be put in some sort of heavenly ministry as the Lord sees fit to do things. We shall co-operate with mighty angels, for all what I might think!
Rev. 21:22-27, NASB, has been quoted in previous articles in this series, but I like to once again remind us of this,
“22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there ) its gates will never be closed;
26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;
27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.”
This is definitely post-Church time. This is a dispensation coming after the millennial kingdom, and shall include gigantic change and regulation of not only this earth, but maybe (?)much of its orbital planetary position. The latter is not definite. It may be that orbital positions will be kept unchanged. We cannot possibly know this beforehand, humanly speaking. But verse 23 gives us a clue….
Verse 23 says nothing of God having removed the sun or the moon, but He say that IT IS NO NEED FOR THESE – for God and the Lamb makes up for all the light there. This means that these planets may stay in orbit as it is, but an additional lighting comes to use: The divine power of God and Christ. It can mean both spiritual as well as physical in this case.
As with verse 22, when it says that God and the Lamb (Jesus) are the temple. No physical temple is found in the New Jerusalem, but there is NO NEED for such a temple anymore. God and His Son Jesus Christ make up for any lack of a temple, in that they actually ARE that temple! And what a temple!!
Verse 24 on the nations to walk in the light of this city, is both a spiritual and a physical thing. And the leaders of the nations on earth, as they walk in this light, shall bring their glory (riches) into it…they gladly pay taxes to the Lord’s mighty city. This is ON EARTH, and not in heaven….if anybody out there have doubts. The vision in Rev. 21 of the New Jerusalem coming down, is a vision of what shall take place in the future UPON THAT RENOVATED NEW EARTH. The Greek text on the new earth and the new heaven, means new BY QUALITY, and not by time! It will be the same earth, but including vast gigantic changes in topography and climate, etcetera.
These changes will be – during the thousand year of Jesus’ kingdom – taught and explained by Him. The whole world shall be efficiently informed by Christ and His fellow Ministers for the Kingdom, so that the world shall not be taken with despair and fear over such changes to come.
THE NEW JERUSALEM OFFERS HEALING
TO ALL NATIONS
We are in need to learn how the effect of this New Jerusalem will be on earth.
Rev. 22:1-5, NASB, is essential to understand that this is on earth, - and it is read as a conclusive teaching,
“1 Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;
4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.
5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.”
The river flowed in …the middle of the street…this is inside that golden New Jerusalem, which has streets of super-pure clear gold, verse 2.
It comes from the THRONE OF GOD it says in verse 1 – and who is sitting there? Jesus Christ, He is the One…and still He is by His Father’s side – now on earth, like it once was up in heaven.
On both sides there are the trees of life, and it was bearing twelve kinds of fruit: Giving fruit EACH OF THE TWELVE MONTHS OF THE YEAR, and the leaves of the tree WAS FOR THE HEALING OF THE NATIONS. This is sensational, for this has not ever happened in earlier times on earth.
In N.T. we find divine healing from sicknesses with the apostles, because these healings were for SIGNS before Israel so they should believe on Jesus. These signs never were meant for Gentiles (the nations). But on the New Earth with its New Jerusalem, healing will for the very first time be given all nations to take sickness away. Regarding the millennial kingdom, we cannot find any sure word that eventually Jesus would heal all sicknesses on earth. He will do this for Israel, as their Messiah King. But the nations are not mentioned like it is with the New Jerusalem in Rev. 21. This is a real proof that we are on earth here. Only on earth can there be sickness. In heaven up above, we can find no such sickness or any fault at all with believers. In heaven all is perfect and all need is filled, and no one has any need of anything. Heaven is heaven! The church shall be revealed with Christ in GLORY, Paul wrote – Col. 3:1-4.
THE ETERNITY OR NOT?
Verse 5 is the only verse regarding mention of a timeline for the New Jerusalem,
“And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.”
Strongs Lexicon with Greek, on “forever and ever” – number 165 in the numerical notes, are explained to be aionas, an age, also a ‘space of time’. Thus I cannot say for certain that this New Jerusalem will be on earth always…in the sense, unabrubted eternal lasting time. The Bible implies this narrative from Revelation as one of the dispensations, and not as a final one.
And still: We cannot find one single word in the Bible which says that earth and the planets one day shall be destroyed or obliterated!
It will probably stay forever in the utmost sense of this word: Never-ending! As will the entire universe, - mind you.
But again, God only knows.
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