The Man in the Glory
The Man in the glory is Jesus the Great Forerunner of the Christian. In Heb. 6:19-2019Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 20Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. (Hebrews 6:19‑20) Paul says "which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters into that within the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus." He is the Forerunner because He is the first Man to run the race from earth to heaven. That race is over for Him, for He is the Man in the glory of God. But not for us. We are to follow our Great Forerunner until we too attain the goal the glory of God.
“And we our great Forerunner see
In His own glory there
Yet not ashamed with such as we
As Firstborn all to share.”
The Christian is a soldier, and must overcome the storms and difficulties of this life, not sinking under them, but enduring hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. So in 1 Tim. 1:1919Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: (1 Timothy 1:19) Paul exhorts Timothy holding faith and a good conscience, which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck. Certainly Paul hadn't, for in Phil. 1:2121For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21) he says "to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." This from a man who had been beaten, chained, imprisoned, and faced death for Christ's sake. Acts 27 recounts how he behaved on a ship during a great storm. He is quiet, in complete confidence in God. Had the ship's leadership listened to him and stayed in harbor, they would have avoided the storm. Now in their hour of trouble his voice alone arises to encourage all on board.
Paul was an overcomer because he had an anchor for his soul. This anchor, this our faith, is the Christ of God who died and rose again, and who ascended to the right hand of God. We cannot find Him here, for He is risen. The message of the angels in Acts 1:1111Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11) is "why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This Same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.”
Apart from divine revelation, it is an impossible thought that a man should sit on God's throne in glory. But God's thoughts are exceedingly rich. This can be seen in the promise of Rev. 3:22Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. (Revelation 3:2)1 That He will even share His throne with those who overcome "to him who overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and sat down with My Father on His throne." So the story of the Man in the glory begins with Christ the Great Overcomer, but does not end until all His redeemed are with Him in the glory.
The Opening of the Heavens
a. The first intimation of a Man in the glory of God The first time the heavens were opened was at the Chebar river, where the prophet Ezekiel was among the captives in a Gentile land. Chebar means as if made clear, and truly the position of God's people at that time, and the means of man's future blessing, were made clear by the visions of God which Ezekiel saw when the heavens were opened.
Since they were opened at Chebar they must have been shut before that. In brief, man's history made that necessary. Driven out of the garden in Eden, he departed from the presence of the Lord and built himself a city where he could forget God. And this he did to such an extent that God sent the flood on the earth, sparing righteous Noah. After the flood, government was instituted, and idolatry sprang up. God called Abraham out of this condition, and an earthly people Israel were separated to Him to preserve the Name of God on the earth. He delivered them out of Egypt by the blood of the Passover Lamb, took them through the Red Sea as on dry land, and then brought them into the desert. Here a tabernacle to the Lord was set up, but they worshipped the golden calf. When they entered the Promised Land, they worshipped Baal. God's purposes in calling out Abraham from idolatry in the first place seemed to have been frustrated. The guilty nation was punished by being taken captive to Babylon. Ezekiel found himself among the captives. The temple was still standing at Jerusalem and Ezekiel was allowed to see, in a vision, the idolatry that was being practiced there, and the departing glory of the God of Israel, reluctant to leave, but compelled to, for God is holy Ezek. Chapters 8 to 11. Eventually God permitted the destruction of the temple. It is most important to understand that when this took place, God removed His throne of government in the world from Israel(1) and transferred earthly power to the Gentiles. Apart from the moral lessons, this is the great thought. Now let us turn to the first chapter of Ezekiel.
It is very easy, in reading the fascinating description of living creatures and wheels in Ezekiel's visions, to overlook the most important part.. "and above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it" Ezek. 1:2626And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. (Ezekiel 1:26)... "this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord" Ezek. 1:2828As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. (Ezekiel 1:28). The language here is deliberately vague "the likeness of a throne" etc. "as the appearance of a man" etc. Yet it tells us that a Man will sit on God's throne incredible thought and not on earth, the place of man's dominion, but in the heavens "a man above." Thus the heavens are opened to let us enter into this great secret that there shall one day be a man in the glory, seated on God's throne, without telling us who this man will be. And so, in the measured language of Scripture, the heavens are not declared to be opened again until they open upon the only Man fit to sit on that throne a Man of a new order-our Lord Jesus Christ.
As we trace the opening of heaven throughout Scripture, an important truth comes to light. This truth is that all is vision whenever heaven is opened except where Christ is seen in Person. At Jordan, the opened heavens gaze at Him on earth; at the martyrdom of Stephen earth gazes at Him in heaven. God wants to impress on us the truth that there is a Man in the glory of God, and to behold Him there as Stephen did. 2 Cor. 3:1818But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18) tells us "but we all, looking on the glory of the Lord, with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory.”
b. The first time the heavens are opened to a man the Jordan: It was at the Chebar river that the heavens were first opened, so that Ezekiel might see the appearance of a man above the throne. Now at another river, the Jordan, the heavens are opened to that Man "and Jesus, having been baptized, went up immediately from the water, and lo, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him" Matt. 3:1111I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: (Matthew 3:11) c.f. also Mark 1:10,10And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: (Mark 1:10) Luke 3:21, 2221Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. (Luke 3:21‑22).
The meaning of the words "the heavens were opened to Him" is that they were opened to behold a perfect Man for the first time. All who ever came before Him were thieves and robbers. The testimony of the Father's voice carries to our ears His great delight in Him the testimony of the Holy Spirit descending on Him as a dove opens our eyes to behold the Lamb of God on whom God is resting. But for Him there could be no return to that bright glory from which He came except by the cross, for in His own words "except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" John 12:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John 12:24). He was the Corn of Wheat, the fruit of that heavenly land. Only a sinless Man can enter the glory of God. To put away our sins, and secure us as His companions in the glory, the True Corn of Wheat chose to fall into the ground and die so that there might be much fruit— a Wheatfield, so to speak, each believer like the Corn of Wheat Himself. So heaven, which was opened to behold Him, is closed again. It must be so, for that blessed One had said at the age of twelve "wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business?" Luke 2:4949And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? (Luke 2:49). His Father's business led Him to the cross to die, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God.
c. The heavens are opened so Stephen can see a glorified Christ: With the Lord's work on earth over, it is fitting that we should look into the Father's estimate of it, for what the world thought of Him is of no account. He finished the work His Father gave Him to do, and as the True Corn of Wheat fell into the ground and died. But He was raised from among the dead by the glory of the Father. Not only that but He was the ascended and glorified man, at the highest pinnacle of glory. So that we may know that, the heavens are opened again. Here we behold the Man whom the King hath delighted to honor.
“The heavens are opened now!
Sound it through earth abroad;
And we, by faith, in heaven behold
Jesus the Christ, our Lord.”
The occasion is the martyrdom of Stephen. Dear Stephen was part of the Wheatfield just like the Corn of Wheat. Firm in his testimony to the Jews, recalling their wicked history, yet he displays Christ in every feature. "All that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel" Acts 6:1515And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. (Acts 6:15). Then when his witness was ended he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus, standing on the right hand of God, and said "behold I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God." Had that blessed Man not once stood at the river Jordan? Yes! He was Israel's servant on earth and remained Israel's servant in the glory. But they would not have Him, so He sat down..."and they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge, and when he had said this, he fell asleep"— Acts 7:55-6055But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 57Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. 59And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:55‑60).
Thus "the servant is not greater than his Lord...if they have kept My saying they will keep yours also" see John 15:2020Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. (John 15:20). Stephen was the first of many who would prove the truth of these words by resisting unto blood, for the Church of God has been a persecuted church from the beginning, though Hades' gates have not prevailed against it see Matt. 16:1818And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18). For the knowledge that there is a Man in the glory is the anchor of the soul. This truth is important. We need an anchor to hold us in the storms of life. That anchor is our great forerunner Heb. 6:1919Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; (Hebrews 6:19). 20. He has trail blazed the path on which we are now walking, and He has entered the glory of God. The great Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering that is, perfected in the glory, "which is what is meant all through here by perfect." (2) He espoused our cause against Satan, our great adversary, entered into death, and was raised out of it by the glory of the Father. That is how He chose to enter the glory and why God now has Him in that bright glory before Him.
Up to this point we have seen that the heavens were opened three times in each case to man. In the Old Testament the heavens were opened in anticipation of a man upon the throne. In the New Testament the heavens were opened first on that Man a Man after a new order. So the heavens were opened to look down and see that Man on earth. Then they were opened again so Stephen, on earth, could see that same Man in heaven. In between the New Testament openings we have the great events that brought that Man from earth to heaven. He smote Satan, of whom Goliath was the type at His temptation and became victor over him with his own sword the power of death at the cross. For this mighty work, God seated Him at the right hand of power in the glory, and the heavens were opened to let Stephen see Him there. This opening of the heavens, then, is to let us, like Stephen, see the Man in the glory the Man who is rightfully entitled to sit on God's throne.
d. The heaven(3) opened in blessing: Peter had gone to pray on the housetop, had fallen in a trance "and saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending to him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners and let down to the earth, wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and birds of the air" Acts 10:11,1211And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: 12Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. (Acts 10:11‑12). Peter was hungry. A voice spoke to him "rise, Peter, kill and eat." Peter insisted that he had never eaten anything common or unclean, and was told that "what God hath cleansed, that call not thou common." This was done thrice, and the vessel was received up again into heaven" Acts 10:1616This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven. (Acts 10:16). The vessel as a great sheet knit at the four corners came from heaven and returned to heaven.
The meaning of Peter's vision? Heaven is the source of blessing for the earth, and this blessing, because the sheet was knit at the four corners, was shown to be universal. (4) The difficulty was that Peter, as a good Jew, would like to confine the blessing to the Jews. But a crisis had arrived for Peter. Gentiles were coming to bring him to Cornelius. This being the case, God had to remind him that what He had cleansed Peter was not to consider common. This was most important for Peter, for he was the one the Lord had entrusted with the keys of the kingdom of the heavens Matt. 16:1919And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19). Peter had no difficulty turning one key, so to speak, to let the Jews in at the day of Pentecost. But without the vision he would have found it hard to turn the other key and let the Gentiles in. Even so, nothing vital is ever committed to man. If the Lord gave Peter the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, He Himself retained the keys of death and hades Rev. 1:1818I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1:18).
e. The heaven is opened in judgment, revealing Christ on a white horse: This scene is in stark contrast to the opening of heaven Peter saw, unfolding God's ways in grace. This opening of the heavens in judgment is due to the world's refusal of the gospel.
What is astonishing about the last time heaven is opened is that Christ is presented, but not, as we might expect, as the First Object to arrest our gaze, but the second. "And I saw the heaven opened, and behold a white horse and One sitting on it (called) Faithful and True" Rev. 19:1111And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (Revelation 19:11). The white horse here precedes the throne Rev. 20:1111And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (Revelation 20:11). John's readers would need no explanation of these symbols as we do. For in the days of the Roman Empire an Emperor returning in triumph from the wars rode on a white horse. By way of contrast the Lord rode on an ass and a colt, the foal of an ass. But when the time comes to assert His rights, He rides a white horse. The white horse is the symbol of crushing, victorious power. White horses belong to Christ and His people. But why, we might ask, does Scripture put the horse before the rider here? We believe it is to arrest our attention to a change in the way God is dealing with man. It is no longer the acceptable year of the Lord when the gospel of forgiveness of sins is preached, but the day of vengeance of our God. Because we believed the gospel we are seen with the Lord on white horses when He Himself comes out of heaven on a white horse.
Heaven opened, never to be closed again: This is the time when the Lord's words in John 2:51 will be fulfilled "hereafter you shall see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." In that day there will be that union of heaven and earth which God had in mind when He created them. Sin had separated them morally, but we have seen how from time to time God opened the heavens, looking on to this time. Now they will remain open.
So we have come to a climax of what Scripture teaches us about Christ as the Man in the glory. It was brought about by Christ appearing out of heaven on a white horse to overthrow man's world and to establish His world wide government in power. This will take the form of a kingdom, of which Christ will be the undisputed Head, as Eph. 1:1010That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:10) makes plain "that in the administration of the fullness of times He might head up in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are in earth..." Christ will rule this earth for a glorious 1000 years from the seat of His administration in heaven. His administration will be characterized by righteousness something unprecedented in the government of the world. Furthermore, once established the kingdom will never be given up, as Heb. 1:88But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. (Hebrews 1:8) teaches us "but to the Son He says Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Thy kingdom.”
Men in the Glory- The Story of the Many Sons Christ Would Have With Him to Share His Glory
Up to this point we have been considering Christ as the only Man in the glory. From this viewpoint He is our goal, and where He is that must be our rest. However the Corn of Wheat who fell into the ground and died would not abide alone. From Heb. 2:1010For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (Hebrews 2:10) we learn that the Captain of our salvation is bringing many sons to glory. That being the case, the Christian's hope must be in heaven. It is. Phil. 3:20, 2120For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:20‑21) tells us that we will receive glorified bodies like Christ's as well "from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to His body of glory." This event is followed by the judgment seat of Christ to deal with our responsible life when we were in the world. We know that this sequence of events is correct because 1 Peter 4:1717For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17) tells us that judgment must begin at the House of God i.e. before God can judge the world.
The rapture of the Church will profoundly affect so many things that we can only touch on two of them as they affect us the past and the future. The past is the review of our past lives on earth at the judgment seat of Christ. The future is the glorified body we receive at the rapture. Without such bodies we cannot inherit the kingdom of God. In view of the importance of this subject we have brought it into focus from Scriptures ranging throughout the New Testament.
a. The Judgment Seat of Christ: We must account for our responsible lives. When our life's work is finished it will be tested by fire at the judgment seat of Christ to see what it is worth. Six materials which are analogous to our life's work are listed in 1 Cor. 3:1212Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; (1 Corinthians 3:12) all of which speak of finished things.
The first three are wood, hay, and stubble, speaking of a harvest of works bearing man's approval and which, due to their size and bulk, are prominent in this world. The wood comes from felling great trees the hay from mowing fields of grass the stubble is what is left in the earth after the harvest. Taken together the character of the work is worldly the tree is vertical the fields of grass horizontal and the stubble what is rooted in the earth after the harvest. When Christian work of this character is finished it will be examined and burned up at the judgment seat of Christ.
Not so with the gold, silver, and precious stones. These things are taken out of the earth and given to God. Silver is central, for throughout Scripture it speaks of redemption. On God's side the Lord's price was thirty pieces of silver. On man's side all the children of Israel had to give half a shekel of silver when they were numbered "the rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel when they give an offering to the Lord to make an atonement for your souls" Ex. 30:12-1512When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. 13This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord. 14Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord. 15The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls. (Exodus 30:12‑15) c.f. also Ex. 38:2525And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: (Exodus 38:25). Gold and precious stones are found in the Holy City Jerusalem. God publicly displays that of which He approved at the judgment seat of Christ. The city is of pure gold, like its street where the righteous walk. There is only one street in the Holy City because everybody will walk the same way according to divine righteousness. That is why the street is pure gold, for gold in Scripture is the symbol of divine righteousness. The gold is pure i.e. not alloyed, but this pure gold is "as transparent glass." Pure gold is not transparent in nature. That is just the point. In the mixed conditions of natural life too many Christians allowed alloys into the gold ulterior motives, hidden thoughts, dislike of some of our fellow believers, resentments and other fleshly springs. These will have been purged out by the fire of the judgment seat of Christ through which the gold must pass. The result of this purification is that everything is transparent. Nothing is hidden any more, and with our fallen nature gone there will be nothing to hide. As for the precious stones, they adorn the foundations of the wall of the Holy City Jerusalem. They speak of God's workmanship in the saints removing them from the mire of this world and breaking and cutting them as a skilled workman would to bring out their beauty. This work is seldom understood or appreciated in this darkened world, but the Holy City is a city of light, and it is this light falling on the precious stones which will bring out their many hued splendor. What hath God wrought indeed!
b. The heavenly saints in glory: In Rev. 4 we are given a picture of the saints in their glorified bodies, following the judgment seat of Christ. They are symbolized in the 24 elders seated on thrones, around the throne of God and the Lamb. They are viewed in two ways. First they are seen before the Lamb begins to judge the world by taking the book sealed with seven seals. They are clothed in white garments, and have crowns of gold on their heads. After the Lamb has taken the book the elders are seen with harps and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of saints.
.. The white garments and golden crowns: These figures both tell us, in different ways, that the judgment seat of Christ is past. The white garments look forward to the marriage of the Lamb in Rev. 19:7,87Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (Revelation 19:7‑8) "for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready" i.e. at the judgment seat "and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. The crowns speak of the Lord's approval of our path at the judgment seat and vary with our circumstances. For example a crown of life will be awarded the martyrs who laid down their lives. Paul looked forward to a crown of righteousness. But all had crowns of some degree, for then shall every man have praise of God. Our crowns are distinct from the Lord's. That is why we cast them before the throne saying "Thou art worthy, O Lord." Man denied Him His crown man awarded Him a crown of thorns, God set a crown of pure gold on His head. He comes out of Heaven at Armageddon to claim His throne and is seen with "many crowns.”
.. The harps and bowls: The harps accompany the new song “Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation" Rev. 5:99And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; (Revelation 5:9). The harps speak of training and rehearsal, for a harpist is a skilled musician. We learned the new song on earth but don't sing it until we are in heaven, and then only when the Lamb who was slain is about to judge the earth. We are happy because the Lamb who was slain is about to claim His kingdom. However our joy is tempered by the admission that we were as wicked as those about to be judged, but the blood of the Lamb redeemed us. This is the teaching of grace. It also shows the wisdom of God. In elevating us to the exalted position seen here God does not want us to forget what we once were. Finally, golden bowls full of incense speak of the prayers of saints, ascending to God as fragrance.
In summary, prayer, song, and praise flow from the crowned saints clothed in priestly garments of spotless white. Sinless perfection then, characterizes the glorified saints. This is the necessary inlet to the understanding of the glorified body. J.G. Deck captured the thought in these lines:
“All taint of sin shall be removed
All evil done away
And we shall dwell with God's beloved
Through God's eternal day.”
c. The spiritual body: "There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body." In these simple words Paul points out the distinction between the bodies we now have and those we will receive at the rapture. The background to his words is death and resurrection building up to the swallowing up of death in victory. So he writes "It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body" 1 Cor. 15:42 44. He also points out that if we are alive when Christ comes we the living shall have our bodies changed too into spiritual bodies 1 Cor. 15:51-5251Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51‑52).
Our natural bodies are inconsistent with the greatness of God's salvation. They display the working of death in sickness, disease, age and infirmity. We are troubled by evil thoughts and the sin which doth so easily beset us," for we still have an old sinful nature inherited from Adam. "For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven" 2 Cor. 5:22For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: (2 Corinthians 5:2). We cannot enter the Holy City in our natural bodies. Their life principle is blood "the life of the flesh is in the blood" and we know that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." So we await the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, "who shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to His body of glory" Phil. 3:20, 2120For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:20‑21). In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, our natural bodies of flesh and blood will be transformed into spiritual bodies of flesh and bone like the Lord's own glorious body. The Scriptures which tell us about our spiritual bodies are diverse, but when brought together give us a picture of "our house which is from heaven.”
.. From division to unity what hath God wrought? Division is a principle God brought into the world either in anticipation of man's sin or as a response to it. God could not tolerate unity in a world of sin. The human body is divided male and female when it is born into the world. Man's world is divided into nations, languages, social and innumerable other distinctions. Finally man himself is divided from his world by death. "The great gulf fixed" the final divisor is death.
The great thought of the spiritual body is that it is deathless. It is deathless because we will be in God's presence, and He cannot tolerate sin, whose wages is death. So the present biological division of the race into male and female will be abolished. The Lord made this clear when He was on earth "the children of this world marry, and are given in marriage. But those who shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage, neither can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels" Luke 20:34-3634And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: 35But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. (Luke 20:34‑36). Paul too insists that in Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female Gal. 3:2828There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28). These distinctions must be abolished because they imply death and the need to replace the wastage of death by birth. In glory the numbers of the redeemed do not change and those who were once male and female are now one in Christ. The saints in Revelation are always seen that way, worshipping around the throne or serving Christ on white horses.
The new song we sing in Rev. 5 tells us many things. God will have ended the present man made divisions of the church. There will be no national or linguistic distinctions in glory. At Babel God scrambled human language at Pentecost He demonstrated how these diverse tongues could speak "the wonderful works of God." In the glory we shall no doubt be programmed to speak one language as Adam was when he was created.
.. Dependence on God our food and drink: Our natural bodies are sustained by food and drink. Eating and drinking are marks of dependency on God, for food and drink come from Him and without them we would die. Do we eat and drink in the glory? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Certainly the spiritual body has that capacity, for the Lord ate a piece of a broiled fish and a honeycomb in resurrection. The scene in Gen. 18 is suggestive also. Other Scriptures have spiritual connotations. The marriage supper of the Lamb speaks of the festivities of grace. Rev. 22 tells us of the water of life and the tree of life with its fruits, reminding us of the Lord's words "He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes on Me shall never thirst." If Christ is our food we are dependent on God as He was, and that is the key to power.
.. The physical and mental powers of the spiritual body: When our bodies are changed we will receive glorified bodies consonant with our new position those who share the rule of the universe with Christ. We enter into the powers of the world to come. The spiritual body is a body of power. It transcends God's original mandate to man over the earth to which it is no longer confined. We rise from the earth at the rapture to meet the Lord in the cloud and after some time in heaven leave it with Christ and go to Armageddon on earth. So the spiritual body clearly has the power to travel through space. Then on the mental plane the scene on the Mount of Transfiguration implies powers of mind exceeding those we now possess. How could Peter identify Moses and Elias? In what tongue did they converse, for ancient Hebrew would be as incomprehensible as Chaucer's English to us?
Some of these powers involve changes to the way human beings live which are completely beyond our understanding. There is little likelihood that we will sleep, for there is no night in the Holy City. Work in the sense of toil will disappear for it was God's sentence on man because of sin. Our occupation then? Won't time hang heavy on our hands? Enough that God has said His servants shall serve Him and given us as much as we can understand of what this might be. The scene in Rev. 4 and 5 is one inlet to our occupation in glory. There we are engaged in worship song and prayer. Later on, when Satan's power is destroyed on the earth, we are awarded administrative positions in the kingdom. So we are given some indication of what we do in glory at least from the rapture to the end of the kingdom.
War in Heaven and Earth Over Christ's Inheritance
We turn now from the scenes in Rev. 4 and 5, to question what it was which prompted this heavenly convocation. Is it not that God's time had come to overthrow man's judgment of Christ and to restore His rights in the world? If that is so, no one can ignore that question. Whether we believe it or not, every human being is born on a battlefield, and must take sides in a war raging between Christ and Satan. In Matt. 12:3030He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. (Matthew 12:30) the Lord made it clear that neutrality is impossible in this war, for He said “he who is not with Me is against Me." In other words every human being must enlist either in the Lord's armies or Satan's. This has been called the conflict of the ages.
What is it about this war which began so long ago, and has engulfed us all? Put simply, it is the rivalry between Christ and Satan for the throne of the universe. Everything belongs to Christ as Creator and Redeemer, but Satan disputes Christ's inheritance. He has opened a two front war in heaven and earth although the earth is the major battlefield.
The Cold War
War seldom begins with outright hostilities. Its roots are subtle, having their origin in the will. Various covert acts and confrontations short of open war generally precede war itself. We have seen this in the so called cold war between the East and the West. Because this term is so familiar we have chosen it to describe Satan's opening gambits and modern moves in the conflict of the ages.
a. Satan's strategy to dethrone man from his lordship over the earth: Although God created both the heavens and the earth, the mandate of the first man was restricted to the earth. Man was to be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the works of God's hands. The heavens were barred to him by God's edict in Psa. 115:1616The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men. (Psalm 115:16) "the heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth has He given to the children of men." Satan has worked unceasingly to make man rebel against God in both spheres earth and heaven.
Man's disobedience on earth: The first man Adam found the earth subject to him. Then came the tempter, Satan, the great enemy of our race. His ways with man were to wean him away from God, introduce sin, shut him out of God's blessing, and topple him from his God given place of dominion in the creation. "Then your eyes shall be opened" he promised our first parents Gen. 3:55For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:5). He did not tell them that one day their eyes would be shut when "the gates of death opened" Job 38:1717Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death? (Job 38:17) and that at the end of time "the books would be opened" Rev. 20:1212And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (Revelation 20:12) when the lost must give an account of themselves to God. Thus the root of sin is exposed— "yea, hath God said?"— that is, believing Satan and distrusting God.
Satan's tactics to entice man into the heavens: Once Satan had engineered the fall of man our race became little more than his tool. He turned from strategy to tactics, implanting in man's mind the germ of a further rebellion if God had held something back from him on earth, then surely He was keeping something back from him in the heavens. However God restrained man from venturing into space until the 20th Century, when the thought of his heart became clear "depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways." The two world wars followed. These wars spurred research and development in aerospace, as governments poured money without restraint into military aviation in the desperate struggle for victory. This paved the way for the Space Age in which we live. It also enabled Satan to deliver on his promise "ye shall be as gods." He is the ruler of the authority of the air space would be a better rendering and the 20th Century is the space age. In seeking to overthrow the verdict of Babel he has knit the communications of the world together through devices which function in space such as radar, radio, T.V. and satellite voice and data communications. He has overthrown the natural barriers separating the nations such as oceans. Jet aircraft have made them highways instead. He has broken the barriers separating man from the planets by linking missiles to computers. The computer amplifies the human mind a transparent attempt to imitate the powers of the spiritual body which does not stand in isolation. The devil wants to demonstrate that if God can give man a spiritual body he can at least imitate some of its powers. But how feeble the effort is when man is forced, in venturing into space, to take his earth environment with him. What a clear admission that he belongs to the earth.
In the early days of space travel, when man was on his way to the moon, some believers thought that God would prevent him from getting there because Psa. 115:1616The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men. (Psalm 115:16) prohibited it. In a booklet I published in those days I pointed out that this Scripture is simply a statement of relative spheres the heavens belonging to the Lord, the earth given to man. It is also an implied prohibition of manned space travel for that very reason. But man has defied God from the beginning, and his ventures into space merely add to his transgressions. The Word of the Lord being ignored, God has permitted man to have his way for now, although the end of that way will be judgment. So it was with the angels who kept not their first estate, and are now in chains of darkness, awaiting the judgment of the great day. They were heavenly beings, and kept not their first estate by coming to earth man is an earthly being and is not keeping his first estate in going into space. In principle there is no difference, and God's wrath against a creature breaking the barriers of a created estate will fall on both the angels and the men who have done it.
But just as Eve could muster convincing reasons for eating the forbidden fruit, modern man can give you equally convincing arguments for space travel. God, on the other hand, does not have to explain the reason for His prohibition. However it is not hard to find it in the influence the old serpent has wielded in the world. Even if you have read very little history, you cannot deny the evidence of this fact left behind in the world in the imposing temples of the gods impressive even in their ruined state. The longing for the pagan past can be seen in the lavish and costly restoration of the shrines of the gods. The justification is their architectural beauty but the real reason is a hankering after the old gods which deified man's lusts and passions and their leader, the old serpent.
If God says yes then man says no
For Him we'll neither stop nor go
If God says no then man says yes
No wonder the world's in such a mess
Man reaches for the stars as Isa. 14:13, 1413For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14:13‑14) suggests "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God...I will be like the Most High." Is he himself exalted when he gets there? Hardly. The Globe and Mail, Toronto, of May 28, 1969 reported that the astronauts broadcast profanity from the moon. Random magazine articles have hinted at seeking lewd pleasures in space, where there will be no police. Money is being poured with abandon into space warfare. Taken together these things reveal the secret of the human heart to export sin throughout the universe. That is why God does not want man in space. It is the will of God that sin be confined as it ultimately will be in the lake of fire.
The Hot War—the Story of the Seven Year War for the 1000 Year Kingdom
The rapture of the Church affects heaven and earth. As we have seen, in heaven it is followed by the judgment seat of Christ on earth by the beast of Rev. 13, Satan's representative, disputing Christ's title to the world. To some extent we must retrace ground partially covered to understand the beast's role in opposing Christ. In a world noted for its cynicism, the beast will not be able to establish his credibility the moment he appears on the world scene. But eventually the world will accept his claims, and when it does heaven acts. Rev. 4 depicts a convocation of the glorified saints to consider the question of Christ's rights to the earth, which the beast is disputing. In the next chapter the Lamb settles this question by opening the book sealed with seven seals. This is a declaration of total war on Satan and the beast. This lasts seven years a period of time known to Bible students as the 70th week of Daniel.(5) It is fought in heaven and earth, and ends in the victory of the Lamb, and the establishment of His 1000 year kingdom on earth.
An overview of the seven year war: The war in the heavens is covered in Rev. 12:7-97And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:7‑9). This is the story of how Michael and his angels expels Satan from his vantage point in heaven, and casts him down to earth "and there was war in heaven— Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Later on the Lord Himself leaves heaven to destroy Satan's rule on earth at Armageddon.
b. Overthrowing Satan's throne at Armageddon the climax of the conflict: What is Satan's throne? The answer to this question is that it is the closest imitation of God's throne that Satan can contrive. He knew that God made Himself known in Christ in Manhood, and sat Him on His throne in glory. So he too would make himself known in a man who would represent him. This man is called the beast in Scripture, and together with his false prophet and Satan, constitute a false trinity, challenging God's throne. Unable to exalt his throne above the stars of God and cast out by Michael from heaven to earth Satan and the beast must settle for a throne on earth. It is on earth, as we learn from Rev. 13:2,2And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. (Revelation 13:2) that the dragon gives the beast his power, and his throne, and great authority.
Satan's throne and his false trinity are dismantled in stages. From Rev. 19:2020And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20) we learn that the beast and his false prophet are seized alive at Armageddon, and thrown into hell. Then from Rev. 20:1 3 we learn that Satan is imprisoned for the duration of Christ's 1000 year kingdom "and I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain in his hand. And he seized the dragon, that old serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled, and after that he must be freed a little season.”
The imprisonment of Satan and the dispatch of the beast and false prophet to the lake of fire ignominiously ends Satan's throne on the earth. He is never able to re establish it, due to the breakup of the false Trinity. The beast and the false prophet are not tried for their crimes at the Great White Throne like other men, but are sent alive to the lake of fire. Satan will join them later also without a trial. This is unnecessary, since all were caught in open insurrection against God.
c. The fruits of victory: When the conflict ends, all believers will share in Christ's reclaimed inheritance. But there is also a commendatory award for those who were faithful in Christ's service during the Church period. This further portion is an award by the Lord of administrative office in His kingdom to those who served Him well. "Well done, good and faithful servant enter into the joy of your Lord" will be cheering words to those who served Him faithfully in the time of His rejection, and are rewarded with rule over five or ten cities in the day of His power, as the case may be. "The joy of your Lord" is the 1000 year kingdom, for the Lord has had no earthly joy before.
Satan Breaks the Armistice at the End of the 1000 Year Kingdom
The end of the kingdom sees man blessed in almost idyllic conditions, almost comparable to the Garden in Eden. But he is not thankful to God for all this, but rather resentful that he must go to Jerusalem to worship God there. As in Eden his heart is ready for the message of the serpent.
How much is conveyed in the simple words of Rev. 20:7, 87And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. (Revelation 20:7‑8) "and when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be released from his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." Satan has apparently learned nothing from his successive defeats. His hatred of God has overridden every other factor. Having lost his own throne at Armageddon, he is revealed as nothing but a rebel against God's throne. His strategy is to assault the throne of God on the earth, which is in the Temple at Jerusalem. His tactics are to inflame the mobs because God forced them to go to Jerusalem to worship Him there. "And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city, and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." Then Satan meets his end "and the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and sulphur.”
The Great White Throne—the Final Triumph of the Throne of God
In John 5:22Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. (John 5:2)2 The Lord said "for neither does the Father judge any one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father." This is a very sweeping statement, for several judgments are mentioned in Scripture. But of the other judgments not a word can be found at the close of the Bible. Instead John tells us only of the Great White Throne set up in space.
The beginning of God's judgments on the world can be traced to the throne John saw when a door was opened in heaven. The Great White Throne is the end of them. It is central in God's ways of dealing with His enemies. This centrality is based on what John saw before and after the Great White Throne. Before John saw the Great White Throne God had overthrown Satan's throne at Armageddon. Then when Satan was released from the abyss he attempted to assault God's throne at Jerusalem. So he joined the beast and the false prophet in the lake of fire, the last of the false trinity. After John saw the Great White Throne Satan's followers those who died in their sins stand before Christ for judgment. Their sins, listed in Rev. 21:88But 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. (Revelation 21:8) begin with "the fearful and unbelieving" making it clear that these are those who obeyed Satan's voice since the Garden in Eden. They are cast into the lake of fire to join the false trinity previously sent there.
Although this closes the scene of judgment, its setting is significant. Rev. 20:1010And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10) tells us it is in space "and I saw a Great White Throne, and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them." The earth was the scene of man's first rebellion against God, and he has desecrated it with his evil works battlefields, temples to the gods, and the artifacts of scientific idolatry. (6) As the world grew old he ventured into space. The Russian astronaut Gherman Titov commented in San Francisco "I didn't see God in space." But he will at this time. Balaam, another false prophet like Titov, predicted this in Num. 24:1717I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. (Numbers 24:17) "I shall see Him" (meaning God) "but not now I shall behold Him but not near." It is sad to think that the last thing man will see before being consigned to outer darkness is the face of the Man who could have saved him from that fate.
In the finality of judgment, man is not only sent to the lake of fire, but his works in heaven and earth are burned up. 2 Peter 3:1010But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10) also predicts this event "the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also and the works in it shall be burned up.”
This closing out of judgment is a final testimony both to how thoroughly Satan deceived the nations, and to the Scripture witness that God is true. In the temptation in Eden, Satan implanted in man's heart the thought that God was holding something back from him on the earth. Man nourished the thought until he believed that God was also holding something back from him in the heavens. In both spheres he transgressed God's commandments and so lost both heaven and earth. Because man rebelled against God by venturing into space, in space he will be judged. It is in that setting that he loses his former home on earth, is banished from the heavens to the lake of fire, and from the presence of God. The end of the lost is confinement; of the saved liberty. It is only at the end that the whole universe will see that God has kept nothing good from man. The rapture sees us leaving the earth for space, as we meet the Lord on the cloud. The Holy City gives us the range of the entire universe, for we come down from heaven to the earth we once left. And we have the fullest enjoyment of God's presence. What blessed confirmation of 2 Cor. 4:1818While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18) "the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
God's Throne Changes Its Character After the Final Judgment
Paul's message in 1 Cor. 15:24-2824Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:24‑28) sheds additional light on God's last acts of judgment. He says "then comes the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when He shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power." He continues "and when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all." Since there will be no insubjection left anywhere, the judgmental character of God's throne passes away. It is replaced by the state of things predicted in 2 Peter 2:1313And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; (2 Peter 2:13) new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. In the eternal state the throne will not have to enforce righteousness. Instead it will dwell, because we have eternal life, one of whose springs is obedience. Thus in a sense the Great White Throne is the gateway to the eternal state.
New Heavens and a New Earth
The new creation began with a New Man. It ends with a new heavens and a new earth. The Son of God is that new man and we are in Him. He is the beginning of the creation of God the new creation and He will be faithful to His word "Behold I make all things new.”
John is the first man to behold all things made new. He records what he saw in these words "and I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no more sea." As in Gen 1 God destroyed His work only to usher in something better. There is no more sea because the sea is a barrier separating people, at least in the days in which these words were written. The sea is singled out as a symbol of division the characteristic of the old creation. The new creation is characterized by union the union of heaven and earth, and of God and His people. So the new heavens and the new earth are the environment, so to speak, of the new body. God had this in mind when He gave us spiritual bodies. This is confirmed by these words "And I John saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Clearly then God has not withheld anything from man even the heavens. The great qualifier of course is that you cannot be in the heavens God's sphere unless you are united to Christ. That is why the great voice out of heaven says "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 their God.”
God's Last Thoughts in the Bible
In John 16:3333These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) the Great Captain of our salvation encourages us to follow Him, promising us His joy if we do so "these things I have spoken to you that in Me ye might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Joy and cheer in a world like this the beauty of the Lord our God upon us, and our spirits free to worship Him in the beauty of holiness. How blessed!
Then He has given us "the revelation of Jesus Christ." The opening and closing of this revelation is full of words of encouragement to the overcomer the one who follows in His path, and so ends where He is in the glory. Consider these words in Rev. 2:28,28And I will give him the morning star. (Revelation 2:28) addressed to the overcomer in Thyatira "and I will give him the morning star." The Lord is speaking to Wisdom's children in a dark time. It certainly was a dark time at His first coming, but that did not prevent the wise men from the East from following His star until they found Him. Before His second coming even wiser men looked for Him as the bright and morning star. Then in Rev. 3:11And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. (Revelation 3:1)2 That Blessed One addresses the overcomer in Philadelphia "him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out, and I will write on him the Name of My God, and the Name of the City of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My New Name." So we see that these messages to the overcomers in these two assemblies range from the expectation of Christ's return to the New Jerusalem in the eternal state.
How blessed the eternal state will be! Rev. 21:4 7 gives us a picture of it "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 have passed away." Instead of these former things we enjoy the fountain of the water of life the revealed Father's heart in all its richness and loveliness. With that the Bible strikes its last new creation note. It is a parting message to the overcomer, complementing and surpassing the messages to the overcomers in the Church at the beginning of Revelation. It is the summation of everything we have been considering in this book but, transcending doctrine, it is written to exhort and comfort us. Consider then these golden words "he who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be to him God, and he shall be to Me son.”