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I would like to suggest for our readings the brethren are happy with it and feel it's of the Lord.
21St chapter of the Book of Revelation and the 1St 7 verses of the 22nd chapter. Not so much to take it up from an intellectual standpoint and all the symbolism, but just to encourage our hearts, brethren, as to what is ahead in a future day of glory for cry of the glory, glorification of Christ and glory not only in heaven but on earth. And then what we're going to experience in.
The coming day of the Kingdom and the eternal state as well. So I suggest that if the brethren are happy with that.
Jim, would you like all of that red at this first meeting?
I It never hurts to read Scripture, and I think it ties it together. So for the extra moments it would take, perhaps to the end of the seventh verse of the 22nd chapter.
Revelation chapter 21.
I saw new heaven and a new earth, and the 1St heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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.
God Himself shall be with them and be their God, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. There should be no more death, either sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away.
He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me.
Right where these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega beginning and the end I will give unto him. That is the thirst of the fountain of the water of life relay. He did overcome the show and hear it all things, and I will be his God, and he should be my son. But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable.
And murderers and ************ 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.
There came unto me one of the seven angels, which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come here, there, I will show thee the bride, the lambs white. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.
Having the glory of God and her light was like unto a stone most precious.
Even like unto a Jasper stone, clear as crystal, and had a wall great and high, and had 12 gates, and had the gates 12 angels and names written thereon, which are the names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel on the east.
3 gates, in the north 3 gates, on the South 3 gates, and on the West 3 gates. The wall of the city had 12 foundations, and in them the names of the 12 Apostles of the Lamb.
He had talked with me. He had a golden Reed to measure the city and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof, and the city lieth 4 square.
And the length is as large as the breadth you measure the city with the Reed 12,000 furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
And he measured the wall thereof and 140 and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the Angel in the building of the wall of it was of Jasper.
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And the city was pure gold, like on the clear glass.
And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones.
The first foundation was Jasper, the second, Sapphire the third of Keller, Stony the 4th and Emerald the 5th, Stardom the 6th, Sardius the 7th Crystallite the 8th Borough the 9th of Topaz, the 10th of Crystal Grasses, the 11Th, adjacent the 12Th Amnesty.
And the 12 gates were 12 Pearls, every several gate was of 1 Pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple there in where the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had 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. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth to bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day, or there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.
And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defile it, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. And he showed me a pure river of water of life.
Where is Crystal proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb? In the midst of the street of it.
And on either side of the river there was there the tree of life, which bare 12 manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servant shall serve him.
And they shall see his face, and their name shall be in their foreheads, and there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun or the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever.
And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true.
And the Lord God of the holy prophets, and his angels to show unto his servants.
The things which must surely be done. Behold, I come quickly.
Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Well, as I said, not so much to get into all the symbolism of what we have here. We don't have time in these readings and time allotted to us, but rather just to read this portion and realize that this is what is ahead in that coming day of glory that we're going to share in with the Lord Jesus Christ ought to lift our hearts and our spirits above this sad world. The many circumstances that were each going through and the Lord's people are going through.
And to encourage us to press on the little time that remains. When we read this, I think of that verse in Romans 5 that speaks of the hope of the glory of God.
And brethren, this is going to all be a reality someday, and perhaps we're closer than we really realized. I can't tell you when the Lord is coming, but one thing I know for sure is that as we sit in these seats this morning, we're closer to the Lord's coming and that day of glory than we have ever been before. And that ought to really encourage our hearts, brethren, and to see not only what we are going to experience in that day, but to see the full exaltation of Christ when He has His rightful place.
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Not just in heaven, He has that now crowned with a crown of glory and honor in heaven, but when he comes forth and he has his rightful place universally, brethren, doesn't that thrill our hearts to think of it ought to, if it doesn't thrill our hearts, I wonder what goes on within our hearts. But my exercise, as I say in suggesting this, is that we get a little glimpse of things from a heavenly perspective and maybe just by introduction say this too, that there is much Scripture taken up with the Kingdom of.
The coming Kingdom.
And its glory from an earthly perspective and what it will be on earth in the Old Testament and in some of the New Testament as well. But brethren, what we have here is from a heavenly perspective. Here we have our spirits and our gaze lifted up above as I say this earth to see the experiences of the heavenly company. And as we get into this, the eternal state, 1St and then the Millennium.
This is not from Earth's perspective, this is from Heaven's perspective. We sang that hymn 40 in the appendix at the previous meeting.
That looked at things more from Earth's perspective, he'll come down like showers upon the new moon grass and and hope like flowers spring up where he passes and so on. Wonderful study that is. But oh, it's how wonderful it is too, to see it from a heavenly perspective. And that's what we have here in the portion that we have read together.
Something that far supersedes anything of earthly glory. We sometimes witness things that are extremely beautiful in God's creation in this world, but rather than we're called to another sphere of heavenly glory. And it's going to be wonderful in that day because, uh, in verse 24 of chapter 21, it says the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it, in the light of that heavenly city. So it will be in the millennial day.
Visible from earth that heavenly city, but our portion is heavenly as the bride of Christ. Perhaps it's good to say that really. Eternity starts in verse 11 of the previous chapter where you have the great white throne and the heaven and the earth fled away and there was found no more place for them. Time is measured by the movement of.
Uh, created bodies in space. And when that's all gone, there will be no more reference point to time. So we're in eternity. And then in verse one of this 21St chapter, you have new creation in its full development. I think it's so extremely beautiful. And to see a new heavens and a new earth for the 1St heaven and the first earth.
Were passed away and there was no more sea. So much of our time and our energies we spend on things related to this earth. It's going to all pass away, brother, and so we need to have our sights set beyond it.
So someone has said that the reason you have the Great White Throne Judgment and then immediately the eternal state is, as Bob has said, because the Great White Throne Judgment is the last great act of time and the first great act of eternity. And it's a very solemn thing to think that when the wicked dead stand before the Great White Throne and the books are open and there's the judge on the throne, nothing will, no case will be rushed through in that day.
There will be plenty of time, so to speak, to go over everything and no one will escape having their case reviewed. And the sad end of those, of course, is that they are taken and cast into the lake of fire for all eternity. So having taken that up, then He immediately takes up the eternal state. And then we find from the eighth verse on that are perhaps from the ninth verse. Then he goes back and he fills in details as to the glory of the millennial reign of Christ with His church.
Over the earth. And remember in Revelation things are not chronological. And so you have to understand and take things up in their context. And God has a moral way of presenting things in all of Scripture that isn't always chronological chronological. So what we have in these first few verses, as Bob has said, is the eternal state. And I'd like to go back. There's very little told us about the eternal state. I'd like to go back to first Corinthians 15 because.
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There we have what takes place at the end of time and the end of the Kingdom.
There is a sense in which he's going to reign forever and ever, but there is a time too, when the Kingdom as such as to that which needs to be ruled over, brought into check and suppressed and brought into order, is done away with. And we have it here in First Corinthians chapter 15.
Uh, verse 25.
Well, let me read, I'm sorry. Verse 24 then 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, for He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. And now, as I say, there's nothing more to be ruled, to be brought into order. Everything has been brought into complete order. That's the thought in a Kingdom. Now notice verse 27, where He has put all things under His feet, but when He set, all things are put under Him.
It is manifest that He is accepted which did put all things under Him.
And then to me this is one of the most tremendous verses in Scripture. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be All in all. Tremendous truth to consider. So the Lord Jesus is going to reign over the earth for 1000 years. We're going to reign with him as the Lamb's wife and as his bride and.
We'll, we'll get that as we get into these verses later on. But brethren, when that when the Kingdom is completed, when the thousand year reign is completed and everything has been brought into conformity and order according to God's purposes, the Lord Jesus as a man is going to turn over the Kingdom to the Father that God may be All in all. And why is he going to do it? Well, one reason is at least so he can devote eternity to his bride.
That's tremendous to think about.
Brother, we're gonna be that bride of Christ. We're gonna be the bride of Christ for all eternity. As we get in these these opening verses again, let's get a hold of this in our soul. This is a reality. This is not just theology or some applications we're making. This is a reality. Are you going through a struggle today? Problems in your personal life, problems in the home? The little assemblies we come from, they're real, brother. And we don't wanna underestimate that they're very real, but rather this is what we're gonna go on to and we're going on to a scene, the eternal state where sin.
Will never penetrate again. Sin will never penetrate that scene again, both on heaven and heaven and earth. A new in the heavenly scene and in the new heaven and the new earth, that which is that which is tainted with sin now as to God's creation is going to be completely dissolved and done away with. You get that in Peter and we're going to be part of the scene from a heavenly standpoint, of course, but a scene where in both spheres sin will never penetrate again. What a tremendous scene it's going to be.
Jeremiah chapter 49. The end of verse 23.
Says there is distress on the sea, it cannot be quiet. That's Mr. Darby's translation. For there is sorrow on the sea, it cannot be quiet. And here we get in our verse.
Interesting that verse in First Corinthians 15 you mentioned Brother Jim. It's a man.
Who brings it all into conformity to God's purposes at the end of time?
At the beginning, in first creation, it was committed to a man who dominated and to direct it, and that man failed and fell into sin. But it's a man that brings it into conformity to God's purposes and vindicates God's name in the whole question of sin, and then he remains a man. But it says that God may be All in all it means.
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Father, Son and Holy Spirit, because the Lord Jesus is God the Son, but at the same time He is a man and He remains a man forever. That is tremendously beautiful.
So again, it might be good to go to second Peter and just read those verses that introduced to us what's going to take place at the introduction of what's going to usher in the eternal state.
In second Peter chapter 3.
I read from verse 10. But 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, seeing them that all these things shall be dissolved. What manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening under the coming of the day of God?
Where in the heavens shall heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved?
And the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. And so, as we said earlier, at the end of the Millennium, everything that has been tainted by sin is going to be completely dissolved and burnt up and done away with. Not just this planet earth as we know it, but all create all the creation that's been tainted with sin. When Satan was cast out of heaven, he was the became the Prince of the power of the air.
And so the whole universe, the whole created universe, is tainted with sin. Man has sent his rockets and his probes up into space. Anything that man touches is tainted with sin. And so at the end of the Millennium, and the Millennium will prove.
That even under the best of circumstances, this earth is tainted, this creation is tainted with sin. The Millennium will not be a perfect state of things. The serpent will still eat dust. Sin will be judged every morning. There's still labor and work on the earth during the Millennium. All those things that are result of sin, those that will be completely dissolved and done away with, and a new heaven and a new earth. Now when it says a new heaven, it's not the eternal dwelling place of God.
Scripture speaks of three heavens. In Scripture, there's the atmosphere in which the birds operate. We talk about the birds of the heaven. There's the starry heavens and the universe. And then in Second Corinthians chapter 12, Paul was caught up to the 3rd heaven. That's the eternal dwelling place of God that's beyond creation, that is not tainted in any way. That's where we're going to dwell with the Lord Jesus for all eternity.
But when it speaks of a new heavens, it's that which again, it's been the created heavens that have been tainted, uh, and affected by sin. So this is going to introduce this sphere of things that we then have described to us here in our chapter.
That's why the scripture is so specific. In our first verse it says for the 1St heaven.
I like to think of it as the full development of new creation in 2nd Corinthians 5 and verse 17 says therefore if any man be in Christ, he is. You could read there is a new creation, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. And then notice the first line of verse 18. All things are of God.
So all things are of God in that new creation and the full development is what we have in these first 7 verses of chapter 21 and.
You know it doesn't refer to new creation as the second creation.
It's new creation because it is characteristically new. It will never be anything but new. We're so used to getting things that are new and they wear out, but that is not the case in new creation. We are already part of new creation, and our bodies connect us with the first creation, and so we're made conscious of sickness and death in the first creation. But this is new creation, and I love to think of it as the full development.
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Of new creation.
It's helpful too to see, and sometimes people say, how do you know from verse 9 on that it's millennial?
It talks about nations in the Millennium.
And in verse two of chapter 22, the end, it says the leaves of the tree of life were for the healing of the nation, so that there's need of healing in the millennial day. And you have walls of the city. Why do you have walls? Because there's things that need to be kept out. And so it's still a scene where there is sin under control.
Definitely by the righteous reign of the Lord Jesus, because righteousness will reign, but it is.
A millennial scene that we have.
We're.
It's not an orderly either. There is very distinct orders through it and you know it it. It's just the difficulty we have in presenting in linear pages things that are umm, multi dimensional, if I can put it that way. To simplify. When we read books about individuals lives, we, we, we encounter this all the time. Particular threat of a person's life might be followed through. Then we have to backtrack and cover another aspect of their life, maybe their wife and their family and their children and so.
This is not uncommon, and so a threat is being followed through in these later chapters that continues on chronologically into the eternal state, as we've already had brought out in the 21St verse, and it ends very distinctly in verse five. Write these words. Write for these words the true and faithful. And he said unto me, it is done. I am Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end. And then at that point, wherever you want to make the division, the chapter we have I will give unto, and so on. There's a new thought developed here. And then he says very distinctly.
Umm, in verse nine, come hit her or show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. We've had something else introduced here that again, distinct, but just in connection with the eternal state. There is there are, it is not.
We may not be told very much about it, but there is still some distinctive features. So there's still a heaven and an earth and the bride is still distinct in the eternal state. So it says I John. So the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, repaired as a bride had gone for a husband. Well, that's not the marriage supper of the Lamb. We had that earlier. But she is ever presented as the bride and speaking very earthly and my wife will probably give me a hard time afterwards. But who, what husband here doesn't wouldn't like to see his wife as the bride that he saw on her wedding day perpetually.
Uh, very natural thought, but that's the picture presented here. She is the bride perpetually, that freshness of that first love forever expressed in the bride.
Just one other comment I wanted to make.
To make this practical to us, it just reminded me of an incident that occurred perhaps 2324 years ago. Uh, I had taken my family back to Australia. I had probably paid quite a lot of money to do so. And we're visiting my aunt in the city of Sydney and, uh, no doubt my children being given some nice toys and things to play with because my aunt always took good care of us There they were out in the back playing in the dirt.
And playing with sticks and uh.
That's exactly like what we are by nature. We have been given things that and we have things to look forward to that cost a lot. And, uh, we're happy by nature to be playing in the dirt and.
Yeah. So just remember that the things that we put such value on in this, uh, are soon to be burnt up, destroyed.
I think it's helpful what you say, Brother Nick, in connection with there still being two distinct companies in the eternal state, because the eternal state is not a melting pot. There's going to be a great company on the new earth that are brought into blessing and it will be a fixed state of things again. Sin will never penetrate there again. And all the things that sin has brought in age and and there's no thought of work and labor and and so on in the eternal state on earth.
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But the heavenly company and the earthly company do not meld together in the eternal state.
I'll try to use an illustration. I don't have an object lesson with me. But if you can picture, and this is not original, it's been used in the past, But if you can picture a cup and saucer in my hands this morning and we'll say that the saucer represents earth and the cup represents heaven. And those of us who are Canadian or been British, we appreciate a good cup and saucer when we have a a cup of tea. Nothing worse than a cup of tea in a mug. But anyway, that's beside the point.
And so we have a China cup and saucer in our hands and we're going to, I'll put the saucer behind my back and it's hidden from the cup, which represents heaven. That's what we have now. There's a distance denoted. We can't physically see what's going on in heaven today. We have a link through the Spirit of God with our head, the Lord Jesus and so on. But that's illustrates what we, the situation we're in today. Now I bring the saucer and I hover the cup over it. That's the Millennium.
It's like Jacob's ladder. There's the angels ascending and descending, and we're going to reign over the earth with Christ. Heaven and earth in that sense are going to be brought much closer together. But now I put the cup on the saucer. That's a feeble picture of the eternal state. There's no distance denoted, but there's still a cup and saucer. There's still 2 distinct entities even though one is sitting on the other. And so I know that's a little bit feeble, but.
When we talk about it, talks about no more C has been already pointed out, no more C speaks of their fact that there's no more sorrow. The sea in its wave speaks of the masses going to and fro like we have today. There's no more of that. The fixed state of things, but I believe sees also in Scripture denote distance. And so in the eternal state, I don't believe distance and time are measured in the same way. Now you and I can't enter into that.
God thankfully, has put us in the realm of time and distance so we can operate. But in that day, time and distance are done away with. Some of us have just come back from long trips and we know that you have to traverse over the Atlantic or the Caribbean or what. Whatever sea it it, it is Those seas denote distance, but time and distance are not measured in the same way. So perhaps that cup and saucer is perhaps helps us to understand what you were saying, Nick that.
Things are brought much closer together.
But they are still 2 distinct companies. And brethren, as Nick has said, we are going to be the bride of Christ for all eternity. We're never gonna lose that freshness and loveliness to his heart. You know, we see the marriage tie breakdown on every hand around us, even in Christian circles today. As you say, if we were to pull out our wedding pictures, we'd have to admit time brings its change. But in that day after 1000 years after.
The eternity has rolled on and on and on and on.
We're still the bride of Christ, fresh and lovely to his heart. No deterioration there.
And the part that speaks about the Millennium, the last, uh, from verse 9 on, it mentions nations a number, number of times, but in the part that speaks of eternity, there's no mention of nations.
That is a division. You are of one nation, I am of another. But there will be no longer any of that distinction. The only distinction there is it says in verse 3, behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men. So they're men in that eternal day.
But the Tabernacle of God is a beautiful expression and I remember this chapter being taken up at a New Year's conference in Denver one time where Brother Clarence London and Gordon Hayle were there and never forgotten the explanation. Our brother Gordon gave verse three about the Tabernacle of God and he said, what is that? And he turned back to.
John chapter one if you want to go back there and verse, uh.
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14.
And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. That word dwelt is the same word as Tabernacle.
Abernacled amongst us, there it is in reference to the Lord Jesus.
He as God, that word, that eternal word, tabernacled among us.
But he suggested in verse three of this chapter that the Tabernacle of God is Christ and His Church united together forever.
So there will be the heavenly and there will be the earthly, but it will be together.
Beautiful.
So there will be no need for an intermediary in that day, will there be? And that again shows the it's the eternal state. I just say this because you never have the eternal state in the Old Testament.
That's, that's, that's something to keep in mind. Now, I realize when you go back and read the last two chapters of Isaiah, he uses the expression a new heaven and a new earth both in the 65th and the 66th chapters. But when you read the context, you realize it can't be the eternal state. He's talking about the Millennium there. And the reason being is when you read the context, there's still a priesthood. They're still in it. There's still intercession needed through an earthly priesthood.
They still talks about labor. It's they're still.
The nations there's still night and day and new moon and Sabbath and so on, and all those things that are connected with time are still there. So he's talking about the Millennium there. In those last two chapters. He uses that expression, a new heaven and a new earth. But again, it shows that it's not a perfect state of things. So you never have the eternal state in the Old Testament, It is only in the.
Scriptures we've read together perhaps alluded to at the end of Ephesians chapter 3 where he speaks of the ages of ages. But though these references, First Corinthians 15, second Peter 3, the end of Ephesians 3, and what we have here are perhaps the only, I wouldn't say definitely, but perhaps the only references we have to the eternal state.
I suggest Jim and Isaiah 5715. It speaks of God who inhabits eternity, that that is eternity, but it's not doesn't include the perspective that we have in these verses. That's true because that includes now the redeem. That's what you're referring to, I think.
But God, that's God's dwelling place, Eternity. And I sometimes like to challenge young people. What is eternity?
And they say millions and millions and millions of years. Really, eternity is not millions and millions and millions of years.
Maternity is an ever present now.
It's the dwelling place of God. Wonderful brother.
Do you agree with that, Brother Jim? Yes, very much, yeah. And when in verse four of our chapter, we sometimes apply this to ourselves and it will be true of us in heaven, but it's including here on earth, isn't it? That's tremendous to think about. A lot of tears shed on this old creation today. A lot of sorrow and creation today. But let's just read this verse four and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
You know, they, they, the, the eye is the fountain of sorrow, they say. But all tears are gonna be wiped away. For us, yes, but also for those who inherit the, the new earth. And there shall be no more death. It's a fixed state of things. Neither shall there be any more, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. For the former things are passed away. So everything that's experienced here on earth today.
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As a result of sin is going to be completely eradicated and done away not just for us in the heavenly sphere but for those on the new earth. What a sphere of things it's going to be and think of how it's going to thrill the heart of God and another key to understanding this time frame here that we're talking about it's the day of God. You see the Lord has delivered up the Kingdom to the Father that.
God may be All in all, that's the key as we read in First Corinthians 15. So it's not the day of the Lord when he's ruling and his rights are asserted on earth and universally, that's the day of the Lord, but this is the day of God when God is All in all. So again, that's another little key to understanding that this is not the Millennium. This is the eternal state. It's God with man. Yes, it's the person of Christ, of course. And I appreciated Bob connecting it with with John chapter one and so on, but he used it.
It's God tabernacling with man, it's God with them, God with them, God shall wipe away their tears, and so on. So just these are little helpful keys in keeping things in their proper perspective.
Good for us, real.
Alright.
Brethren, we, we are living in a world that's polluted and it's difficult to go through life and all the things, but I believe this thought of God's desire to dwell with that with his people.
Uh, reference was made to John chapter one and uh, just to carry it a step farther, the practical side of it, those disciples who.
Witness the Lord Jesus here on earth. They were attracted to Him and uh.
When John the Baptist said, Behold the Lamb of God.
Two disciples heard it, and they started following him, and then when the Lord spoke to them, they said, Master, where wellest thou?
Not wonderful. The desire prompted in their hearts to be where he was wasn't just to travel with him, it was to dwell with him.
I believe that dwelling starts now here in life. We we can have a sense of God dwelling with us. We are in new creation. We've been born again. We have that relationship that understands and appreciates these things. We don't understand the the, the, the outward circumstances of what heaven will be like and not very many are given of eternity.
But I believe in the measure that we walk close with the Lord, we're going to learn. We can learn what heaven is like right now, and the experiences of life can be lessons to teach us that.
When we meet together to remember the Lord, for example, do we see the Lord there, or is it just meeting? And so on. These are just practical little issues.
I I just a few weeks ago was with some new believers that came to meeting the first time.
And, umm, having.
Gone church hopping for many years searching for what they, uh, saw in scripture as a biblical church and didn't find it and couldn't find it until they came to the real small little group of people that didn't have many accessories to make the place look nice.
But when they got a sense that the Lord was there.
They asked for their place the very next Lord's Day. They it wasn't. It wasn't the atmosphere. It wasn't how the word was taught.
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They realized the Lord was there.
That's what's gonna make heaven too, isn't it? Not all the wonderful things we think about, the wonderful things that no doubt we'll see and the interaction with one another in in the coming day. But brethren, what is going to make heaven? What's going to make the Father's house the presence of the Lord Jesus and he is going to be our focus for all eternity and whatever interact other interaction we have with one another.
And when we come back to reign with Him over the earth, everything is going to be Christ centered and Christ focused.
We often say 4 walls and fine furniture don't make a home, it's the presence of those that dwell there. And brethren, I believe when we get one look at his lovely face, it's going to eclipse everything else for all eternity. And brethren, as Doug says, I think it's worth reiterating if we could get one look in his lovely face now, both in our personal lives and our family lives and when we come together for collective meetings.
That's what's going to preserve us. That's what's going to encourage us to think of that little expression. Is it in the end of Ezekiel? The Lord is there.
When we come on Lord's Day morning, and not just Lord's Day morning, but when we come to prayer meeting or meetings for ministry to say the Lord is there, wouldn't we want to be there just as much on meet weeknight meeting as on Lord's Day morning if we could say the Lord is there and that's why we really came? And brethren, what He wants from us to in connection with heaven and eternity is a heart that's so longing to be with Himself that we want nothing less than to be physically and unhinderedly in His presence.
And say Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus, that's what he wants. I know he uses other things to stir us up, and that's OK.
And we're looking for the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life and so on. But the purest motive for looking ahead and desiring to be there, I say again, is a heart so longing for Himself that we want nothing less than to be physically unhinderedly in His presence for all eternity. And we're going to be ever with the Lord when He's in heaven, we're going to be with Him. When He comes back to reign on the earth, over the earth, we're going to be with him. We're never going to leave His side again. What a thought.
Exodus, God's desire to dwell with men and he made a way for Israel to do that while they were in the wilderness. And it started with the building of the Tabernacle. And so there the workers worked to build it. I was we just read this morning about the Candlestick that the light, the seven lamps that was beat out of one piece of gold.
A talent's weight into the form of a Candlestick all, uh, that work. I somebody here that likes technology, tell me an estimate of how many blows of a hammer it would take to beat out a Candlestick. I would be curious to know the thought is this the.
God wanted his people to share and building that dwelling place.
And so they built the Tabernacle, and then God came down and dwelt there. Our chapter is the end of the story where that dwelling place is the real, the final dwelling place. But right now it's being built. In a sense, the church, the bride of Christ, is being formed. It's a wonderful thing to to be a Goldsmith or a Carpenter, to cut the boards or whatever the Lord gives us to do in life.
It's a wonderful thing to go through life with the sense that where this is all going to end up, brethren, it's not just going to end up with a conference in Lawrenceville or Vincennes. It's going to end up in glory and God is going to dwell. It cost a lot to build this dwelling place. It cost the Lord Jesus a lot, and He wants to us to share with Him in the building process.
Until we all get home, let's look at life as a part of this building process.
00:50:00
Things that have been said. So going back a little in Revelation 7, verse 15 in the new translation, it reads therefore, are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple, and he that sits upon the throne shall spread his Tabernacle over them. That describes the millennial state. The Tabernacle is spread over them, but here God is tabernacling with men and then also.
Just in connection with what's being said, I don't believe that we have a physical description.
Uh, by a few essential elements of the eternal state. Nor do we have a physical description. I don't believe we're ever given of heaven. And so there are songs that speak of the streets of gold and so on. But I hate to tell you, but that's actually not true. In the last half of this chapter, which we, Lord willing will get to, we don't have a physical description of heaven. It's actually a description of us.
The the the the lambs wife, the the bride of Christ is presented in two characters, not to jump ahead both as a woman, as a bride, and also as a city. We can look at that more later, but it's not a physical description. So just to reemphasize, the description we get is rather a description of a relationship into which we've been brought. We don't, I'm afraid, have a mansion in heaven being prepared for us. It's an abode, a dwelling place where we'll be forever.
With our Savior.
I make all things new. In other words, it's so beyond anything that we could express that, you know, the Apostle Paul was caught up into the 3rd heaven and it gives us to understand that he saw things. He says I will come to the visions and revelations of the Lord and a vision is something you see and he also heard things. He says nothing about what he saw.
He says only something about what he heard.
He heard unspeakable words because it's completely made new, rather than in a way that if he would speak to us of it, we wouldn't be able to understand it. It's it's completely new.
Of course that's wonderful. No more death, wonderful. Neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. And the thought comes to me just now that perhaps it doesn't talk about anything positive is because everything in this life we think of as positive still has some pain in it. For instance, even you do your gardening, you do your farming, we read in Genesis that there be thorns and thistles to grow up amongst in it. So everything in this life has some sort of pain. And that's why.
As Bob is saying it, it's it's all new, it can't be explained. It's so wonderful. And so that's why verse 4 just depicts it in a negative way. The the evil things that will not be there, the positive things are beyond our imagination as we try to imagine them. It would still be with this sort of earthly perspective that fall short.
It's interesting that when Paul was caught up, there been mentioned it was a scene so foreign to anything he was used to on Earth that he didn't even talk about it for 14 years. No, you have a experience and you can't wait to tell somebody about some great experience you had and and so on. And sometimes we embellish that experience as time goes on and so on, as my wife often accuses me of. But Paul didn't speak about it for 14 years.
And even when he did speak about it, he speaks about it in the third person. And if I can put it this way, he's forced by divine inspiration to write about it to the Corinthians to confirm his authority as an apostle. But it was really completely out of character of anything that Paul really wanted to boast in. And so he speaks of it in that way. But isn't it interesting to follow that up when you go to another portion and he says to depart and be with Christ is far better?
Now, if John had written that or Peter had written that, or any other of the New Testament writers or you and I say that, we say, well, yes, we know that, that it will be far better, but who better to write that than the Apostle Paul? When Paul said it's far better, he knew exactly what he was talking about. He'd been up there temporarily in the eternal dwelling place of God. He knew it gave real moral weight and import for Paul to write that expression.
00:55:09
With Christ is is far better. Oh brethren, if you and I could just get a hold of this in our soul and I believe that's why he speaks of it in verse seven of our chapter in this way he that overcometh shall inherit. If you notice Mr. Darby's translation these things, what things the things we've been Speaking of the things he's just talked about. We're going to inherit these things and rather with this before our souls. This is going to give us.
The spiritual fortitude encouraged to overcome what's going to keep us going from day-to-day.
Is there anything on this earth to keep us going, anything apart from what we have in Christ and his word to encourage us? No, you look at the horizons of this world. You see the breakdown of everything in government and the family in the world. Everything is breaking down. There's nothing to encourage apart from Christ. But he says if you have this before you, remember this is going to be your portion. This is you're going to have part in this in in that coming day of eternity.
And if you have this before you, these things that you're going to inherit and be part of, you will indeed be an overcomer.
That's the characteristic of faith, isn't it? This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. And so every true believer has that faith and in that sense is an overcomer. So he that overcometh shall inherit all things like dimension. In verse 6, before we leave it at the end of the verse, he says, I will give unto him that is a thirst.
Of the fountain of the water of life freely.
I puzzled over that quite a while.
First, why does it talk about thirst and the eternal day?
And it's come to me this way rather than that. I have enjoyed that even in that eternal day, when all things are of God, we will not be sufficient in ourselves. We will be satisfied fully from Him. That is the fountain of the water of life. Wonderful to think about it. For that eternal day He will be.
Ministering satisfaction to our hearts.
Another thing in connection with all things new, it's not improvement. So during the Millennium this earth will be healed, but not completely even.
Umm, but by saying the whole things will be new, it's it is indeed new, not improvement on that which is old.
And that's a newness that can never be corrupted. It will always be new.
That's one characteristic of eternity. That is a fixed state. Everything connected with time changes. Everything connected with eternity is fixed.
There's a verse that I have long enjoyed in this way in the end of the.
First Thessalonians chapter 4 and the end of verse 17 often speak of it. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. I have taken that as the very best description in the whole Bible of heaven. We're going to be with the Lord, and that's the essence of heaven and the full scope of heaven.
That's why the Lord said in John 14, I will come again and receive you. Not to heaven, that's true. Not to the Father's house, that's true, but I will receive you unto myself. Why? So we can enjoy heaven, that where I am, there you may be also. And brethren, we often think of our desire to be there. And I trust that at the end of this reading meeting, there's more of a desire in our hearts to be there than there was at the beginning. But if there's any desire, by the grace of God.
And any looking up and saying, Even so, come Lord Jesus, his desire far outweighs our desire. How long has he been waiting for his bride? He's been waiting for 2000 years plus since the work of redemption. And he's a man of patience. You know, when I was engaged to the one who later became my wife, there was the great distance between us and there were several months between the engagement and the wedding.
01:00:17
I thought it was a long time and a great deal of distance, but what about the Lord Jesus? Think of Him anticipating that moment. What's He waiting for? He's waiting for a word from the Father. Then he's going to come and fetch His bride. That's the desire. And I think so often we get so occupied with what things mean to us and what our desire is. I trust things mean everything to us. I trust our desire is burning this morning, but His desire and what things mean to Him?
Is far, far greater than what what it means to us. But our time is almost gone and I think we would be amiss if we didn't just mention what he has at the end of this section in verse 8. There's a a warning here.
Interesting that even at when he's describing the eternal state now, he's going to go on to describe the Millennium. Go back and fill in some details concerning the Millennium. He stops for a moment. Another warning if there's someone.
Sitting in these seats this morning and you don't look forward to being part of this scene of glory that we've been Speaking of. There's a warning here. Let me just read it. But the fearful and unbelieving and abominable and murders and ************ and sorcerers and idolaters and all lawyers shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. You know, there's five times. You have a sample list.
Of sin. Sin. What characterizes sinners in the Book of Revelation?
And this is one of those five times. And there's 8 characteristics of sinners here. And the lists are a little different and they're sample lists, but they're very solemn warnings. And why does he refer to being cast into the lake of fire here at the second death? It's in contrast to what we've just had before us. We've just spoken of God tabernacling with man and no separation again, and no need even for an intermediary in the eternal state.
Wonderful closeness and nearness that we're going to enjoy. But for those who reject God's offer of salvation through His Son the Lord Jesus, it will be the second death. Why? Because the second death will be eternal separation from God. Just the contrast, the opposite of what we've had, eternal separation from God in the lake of fire for all eternity. We're going to have an eternal dwelling place.
With God, he's going to dwell with us for eternity. But isn't it solemn to think of those who are going to be cast out for eternity from God forever? Eternal separation? And that to me is going to be one of the most awful things about a lost eternity, is eternal separation from the God and Christ who loves you now and desires your eternal blessings.
Just a comment on the first thing here, but the fearful as we look at the others and we can say, well, I understand unbelieving, abominable murders and so on. But why the fearful? Because I'm often fearful. But just to assure our hearts, the thought is really of not trusting. And so in Matthew 25, the terrible, the talents, and the 25th book speaks of the one that said I was afraid and went and hit vital on the earth. And lo, here is that which is lying. He gives back.
And then in verse 30, in Cassie the unprofitable servant and out of darkness there should be weeping and gnashing of teeth. So it's not talking about the natural fears that we have as failing.
Humans, umm and I'll, you know, walk down here but not trusting God.
330.
01:05:12
Online Vinyl.
Three.
Restart.
Nsnoise.