Today is that 8th day, 22nd Tishri, mentioned
in Lev 23:36,39; Num 29:35-40; Neh 8:18. The largest description gives
us the order of sacrifices: morning and evening burnt offering (2 lambs),
1 bull, 1 ram, 7 lambs, and 1 sin-offering goat (12 animals altogether).
The symbolism of all that would take a sermon.
The only NT reference to today is Jn 7:37-38,
as we have been formerly taught, but is regarded by most scholars as a
reference to the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. The 19th century
scholars, Jamieson, Fausset, Brown, say that it refers to the 8th
day, and note that the LXX uses the term "a going out" (or, 'a time
of release'; Lev 23:36), signifying that things are brought to a close.
The Jewish sage, Rashi (d. 1105), said that the 8th day was set apart for
the exclusive rejoicing of God with Israel, while the first 7 days they
offered sacrifices (70 bulls for the 70 nations of Gn 10) corresponding
to the number of nations in the world.
This seeming lack of information creates
a questioning: Why should the entire people of God stay they extra day
after the Feast of Tabernacles? What does it mean? What is God asking us
to consider?
The Plan of Salvation deals with: [1] the
(Passover) Lamb of God, foreordained before the creation of the universe
(1Pet 18-20; 2Tim 1:9; Tit 1:2; Acts 2:22-3; 15:18); [2] the people
of God accepting the Redeemer, and willingly coming out of sin and Egypt
(the days of Unleavened Bread); [3] the saints receiving the Spirit of
Truth (Acts 2) and the Spirit of Power to overcome (2Tim 1:7; 1Jn 4:13)
(Pentecost); [4] the saints anticipating the Messiah's Coming (symbolized
by the Day of Trumpets); [5] a foretaste of Satan's end (Day of Atonement;
Lev 16); [6] the rule of the Messiah, the Son of God, and His elect on
the earth for 1000 years (Feast of Tabernacles). Admittedly, most scholars
do not believe that there is to be a 1000 years of rule on earth by Jesus
Christ. Nevertheless, we note that in the brief description of the Plan
just given there is an incompleteness. So let us consider, in part, for
we see through a glass darkly, or more accurately translated: we
see in a mirror an enigma (1Cor 13:12).
The NJB has: Now we see only reflections
in a mirror, mere riddles. The NEB has: Now we see only puzzling
reflections in a mirror. Please notice how this chapter, known as the
love chapter, ends: Now we see only puzzling reflections in
a mirror, but then [When?] we shall see face to face [What? Who?]. My knowledge
now is partial; then it will be whole, like God's knowledge of me. In a
word, there are three things that last forever: faith, hope, and love;
but the greatest of them all is love. When we see someone who is rich
in realistic, non-superstitious faith, do we not see great beauty? When
we see someone who is brimming with and motivated by realistic, non-superstitious,
hope, do we hot see someone who is beautiful?
When we see someone who is full of a love
that conquers irrational fears, that overcomes unrealistic inhibitions,
that encompasses only unselfish goodness, do we not see the most awesome
beauty?
The early 19th century English Romantic
poet, John Keats, in his Ode on a Grecian Urn, has this to say in
the last two lines:
The idea of beauty has been much discussed
amidst all the other amazing discussions with regard to the two women who
died just recently: Princess Diana in Paris, and Mother Teresa in Calcutta.
Paris seems to symbolize beauty and glamour; Calcutta pictures poverty
and ugliness. One woman is symbolized, in part, as struggling against human
weaknesses and dying tragically in a somewhat crazy world; the other is
pictured as having conquered this cruel world and died a saint. We may
have seen photographs where the Princess is bowing before the nun during
a visit in Calcutta: we might ask the question, Who is beautiful?
Time magazine of 8th Sept ran an
essay by Roger Rosenblatt, entitled Beauty Dies, with this as the
last paragraph:
What does a beautiful woman see in a
mirror? What would the hunchback of Notre Dame see in a mirror? What do
you see when you look in a mirror? Is what you see beautiful or ugly? Is
it outward appearance you see (2Cor 10:7), or is it the progressive revelation
of the enigma (Eph 3:16ff; Col 1:27; Rom 8:10 2Cor 4:16;
1Pet 3:3-4; Ps 139:23-4).
What is beautiful to us? What is our vision
of what is most precious, most lovely, most beautiful in the highest sense?
Abraham, father of the faithful (Rom 4:16),
and friend of God (Jas 2:23) had a driving vision that went beyond the
grandeur, wonderful hopes, and beauty we imagine in the Millennium (Heb
11:9-10):
The Almighty God, the LORD of hosts, the
God and Father of Jesus Christ:
At Jacob's well, close to Shechem in Samaria,
Christ asked a Samaritan lady for a drink. He tells her that the water
he offers "will become a fountain of water springing up into everlasting
life" (Jn 4:14). This is surely an allusion to Isa 12:3: Therefore
with joy you shall draw water out of the wells of salvation.
Do you see, beloved children of the merciful
God, that we have been famished of real growth in the word of God. My rage
about my folly in tolerating the perversities of the false shepherds is
now constantly reminded and does not abate. How much time have I wasted
in not growing, in grieving and quenching the Spirit? I suppose it could
be no other way. There is so much re-learning to do and growing in the
grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ!
THE GARDEN OF GOD
Our start is in Ezekiel 28!
We should recognize to
this point that the Garden of Eden, Garden of God, Heaven, and the Mountain
of God are somehow equated!
In Isa 2:3 and Mic 4:2 we have the Millennial
setting where the nations of the world send their representatives to Jerusalem
for the Festivals:
Eph 2:19-22 Now, therefore, you
are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints
and members of the Household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Corner
Stone, 21 in whom the whole Building, being joined together, grows into
a Holy Temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together
for a dwelling place for God in the Spirit. (See also 1Cor 3:16-17;
6:19-20; 2 Cor 6:16!)
The battles and warfare foretold in Gen
3, especially vv.-16, carry on with the envy and malice exemplified against
Jesus Christ, and so also directed against those who are really His brothers
and sisters and heirs with Him.
We must therefore ask ourselves, when did
time begin? Can we conclude that time began with the beginning of the creation
of the universe? or, with the beginning of the creation of the angelic
host?
Clues to the mysteries of God are also
hidden in Scriptures such as Heb 8!
Paul's reference to paradise, the third
Heaven, is interesting:
Let's use Revelation to tie this all up
more neatly!
2Pet 3:9-13 The Lord is not slack
concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward
us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night (1Th 5:2-9),
in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise [Like Abraham, Peter goes beyond the Millennium
in his elliptical thinking driven by the goal that offers all of humanity
the free gift of the Paradise of God] and the elements will melt with
fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned
up. 11 Therefore, since all these things
will be dissolved, what kind of people ought we be in holy conduct and
godliness, 12 as we look for and seek the hastening of the coming of the
day of God [this is again an ellipsis that skips the Coming of Jesus
Christ and looks to the finality of the Plan as we can presently comprehend],
and in which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements
will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise,
look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Beauty is truth, truth beauty,
-- that is all
Much better would be:
Ye know on earth, and all ye need
to know.The vision of the beauty of God's
Truth
Is what the world knows not,
But is the beauty all need to know.Yet if people were now asked how they
will remember Diana, what picture among the thousands they will hold in
their mind, it would not be Diana at an official ceremony, or with a boyfriend,
or even with her children. It would be her on the day of her wedding, when
all the world was glad to be her subject and when she gave everyone who
looked at her the improbable idea that life is beautiful.
May I continue and develop the greatest
idea of beauty that I believe there is. Yes, eternal life is the ultimate
vision of beauty! This vision is the driving force and motivation to overcome
all ugliness and to create the most beautiful people imaginable. People,
who exemplify the greatest characteristics as seen in Esther and Mary,
in Ezekiel and the Son of God.
By faith he dwelt in the land of promise
as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs
with him of the same promise [which is expressed here as]; 10 for
he waited [in anticipation] for the city which has foundations,
whose builder and maker is God.
David, King of Israel, and who will also
be a shepherd of Israel in the Millennium, had the same vision, expressed
in Ps 122:1-9:
I was glad when they said to me, "Let
us go into the house of the LORD." 2 Our feet have been standing within
your gates, O Jerusalem! 3 Jerusalem is built as one in fellowship, 4 where
the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as testimony to Israel, in giving
thanks to the Name of the LORD. 5 For thrones are set there for judgment,
the thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May
they prosper who love you. 7 Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within
your palaces"[Jn 14:2]. 8 For the sake of my brethren and companions, I
will now say, "May peace be within you." 9 For of the House of the LORD
our God I will seek your good [Heb. tob: good, lovely, excellent,
beautiful].
So let us look at what this should mean
to us. To get a better vision of the mystery of the Holy City, the New
Jerusalem, which Abraham knew about, we also need to look, summary, at
the nature of God.
Let's look at a vital clue to the meaning
of today in Jn 7:37-38:
Jn 7:37 In the last day, that
great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying: "If any man thirst,
let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He who believes on Me, as the Scripture
says, 'Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.'"
But there is no Scripture in the OT that
gives us these words. there are allusions. And quite obviously, Christ
wants us to look for them and put them together so that the 'quote' He
gives is biblical.
The Garden of God, the Garden of Eden,
the Paradise of God, the Kingdom of God, and the Holy City, the New Jerusalem,
have common factors. Let's consider these in the hope that the seeds of
further amazing understandings should be forthcoming!Ezk 28:12 -16 Son of man, take
up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord
GOD: "You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was
your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels
and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 You were
the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the
holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of
fiery stones.
The RSV; NRSV; NEB; TEV; Moff; Amp; LXX
essentially translate v 14 as: With an anointed guardian cherub
I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the
midst of the stones of fire you walked. If this is a correct translation,
then we have to ask, 'Who was the cherub elevated above Lucifer, or equal
to Lucifer, but placed first?'
15 You were perfect in your ways from
the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. 16 By the abundance
of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned;
therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God;
and I destroyed you, oh covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.
The RSV; NRSV; NEB; TEV; Moff; Amp; LXX;
Origin [185-c.250], De Principiis, Bk 1.4 ) essentially translate
v 16 as: In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence,
and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of
God, and the guardian cherub drove you out from the midst
of the stones of fire.
Isa 14:12 -14 How you are fallen
from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down
to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your
heart: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars
of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the
farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the
clouds, I will be like the Most High."
In Ex 3:1; 4:27; 18:5; 24:13; Num 10:33;
1Kgs 19:8 Mt Horeb (Mt Sinai) is called the Mountain of God! Why would
that be? Probably because Jesus Christ made an offer to the whole nation
of Israel that they would, if they adhered to the Covenant made with them
there, become a Kingdom of Priests (Ex 19:4-6)!
and many nations shall come, and say:
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house
of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us His Ways and we may walk
in His Paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the word
of the LORD from Jerusalem.
We should see that the Mountain of God,
the House of God, Zion, and Millennial Jerusalem are similar! But how?
Zech 8:3 Thus says the LORD:
"I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem,
and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain
of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain."
This goes beyond
the Millennium.
Heb 12:22 .. you have come to
Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the
living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels
in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names
are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all men, to the
spirits of righteous men made perfect (See Is 2:2-3; 10:32; 16:1; Ps 89:6-8;
111:1; 1K 22:19-21).
We notice that Mt Zion, the Holy City,
the Mountain of God, and the Church of God are symbolically equated!
Heb 11:9-10 By faith he sojourned
in the Land of Promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with
Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same Promise. 10 For he looked forward
to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is
God.
Enemies' efforts to destroy the Tabernacle,
the priesthood, the Temple are clearly powerful prophetic warnings to the
Church, its leaders, and those who honour the true God!
Gn 3:15 And I will put enmity
between you [Satan] and the Woman [the Church; Rev 12; Ezk 16],
and between your seed [the sons of disobedience] and her Seed
[firstly, Jesus Christ (the only-born God, and Son of God; Jn 1:18];
secondly, those truly faithful to the Son of God, the children of God];
He [Jesus Christ] shall bruise your head [Satan is to be crushed
(Rom 16:20)], and you [Satan] shall bruise His heel [Christ
will fall in death, but rise in resurrection].
16 To the Woman [the Church]
He said [Christ expresses His Father's prophecy]: "I will greatly
multiply your sorrow and your conception [Throughout history the Church
would have huge difficulties and tribulations in raising children for God];
in pain you shall bring forth children [Christian child-rearing
and its good results would be decimated by the overwhelming pressures within
worldly societies]; your desire shall be for your husband [There
would be consequent social and cultural pressures that would make Prov
31:10-31 almost totally impossible in the best of cultural circumstances],
and he shall rule over you" [Within all civilizations women would suffer
most, would suffer mistreatment until rescued by the Son of God from the
evils of the world's civilizations and cultures].
Notice the poetic expression in Ps 68 that
alludes to this enmity of the world against the Church of God:
Ps 68:15-16 The mountains of
Bashan are majestic mountains; rugged are the mountains of Bashan. 16 Why
gaze in envy, O rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses
to reign, where the LORD himself will dwell forever?
But how does each of us really feel about
that spiritual Body, the Church of the Living God? Do we fully identify
with such expressions of rejoicing - as I'll read - substantiated by realities,
and not empty emotions fed by bootstrap psychology?
Ps 48:1 Great is the LORD, and
most worthy of praise, in the City of our God, his
Holy Mountain.
This is what Abraham and all the faithful
ones in Heb 11 rejoiced about! But what did they imagine in hearing such
descriptions?
2 It is beautiful in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon [the
Canaanite mountain where their Elohim met in Council] is Mount Zion,
the City of the Great King.
3 God is in her citadels; He has shown
himself to be her fortress.
4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.
6 Trembling seized them there, pain
like that of a woman in labor (cp Gn 3:16).
7 You destroyed them like ships of
Tarshish shattered by an east wind.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen
in the City of the LORD Almighty, in the City of our God: God
makes her secure forever. Selah.
9 Within your temple, O God, we meditate
on Your unfailing love.
10 Like Your Name, O God, Your praise
reaches to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices, the
villages of Judah are glad because of Your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion, go around
her, count her towers,
13 consider well her ramparts, view
her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next
generation.
14 For this God is our God for ever
and ever; He will be our Guide even to the end.
Heb 11:10 for he (Abraham) waited - with
godly zeal, total commitment to God, peace of mind and joyful anticipations - for
the City which has foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God.
The patterns, the shadows of things to
come, the parables of the Kingdom of God, the types and antitypes of what
God the Father would do is revealed in such statements as 1Pet 1:19-20
that tell us that the Lamb of God was foreordained before the creation
of the universe! Grace was given to the saints before time began (2Tim
1:9)! Eternal Life was promised to those called, chosen, and faithful - before
time began (Tit 1:2)!
Heb 8:1-5 The point of what we
are saying is this: We do have such a High Priest, who sat down at the
right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in Heaven, 2 and who serves in
the Sanctuary, the true Tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. 3 Every
high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it
was necessary for this One also to have something to offer. 4 If he were
on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer
the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 They serve at a Sanctuary that is a
copy (Gk hypodiegma=example, plan, pattern, copy) and shadow
(Gk skia=shadow, an outline) of what is in Heaven. This is why Moses
was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: "See to it that you
make everything according to the pattern (Gk typos=type, pattern,
impression [as of a die or stamp]) shown you on the mountain."
[See also Heb 9:23-24; Acts 7:44; Ex 25:40;
26:30: Num 8:4; Ps 78:67-69].
Heb 9:24 For Christ has not entered
the holy places made with hands, which are copies (Gk antitypos=representations;
types with deeper meaning) of the true, but into Heaven itself,
now to appear in the presence of God for us;
The only other place this word, antitype,
is used, is:
1Pet 3:20 who formerly were disobedient,
when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while
the Ark [cf. the Ark of the Covenant, in which is the
manna=the Bread of Life; Aaron's Rod=the House of Levi=the gift of
Eternal Life; the two tables of the Law="Live by every Word of God",
"Your Word is Truth", "Sanctify them by Your Truth"] was being prepared,
in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water [=baptism;
new and transformed life; washing by the word; promise of the resurrection;
the kingdom; a new civilization that overthrows the old.] 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us; baptism
(not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good
conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ,
This is an example of how the Holy Spirit
guided the prophets, apostles, and disciples in the understanding of types,
antitypes, patterns, plans, examples, parables, symbols used in the Scriptures.
1Chr 28:10-12, 19-20 "Consider
now, for the LORD has chosen you [David to Solomon] to build a temple
as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work." 11 Then David gave his son
Solomon the plans [Gk paradeigma; Heb. tabnit=plan, blueprint, likeness]
for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper
parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. 12 He gave him the plans
[paradeigma; tabnit] of all that the Spirit had put in his mind
for the courts of the temple of the LORD and all the surrounding rooms,
for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the
dedicated things.
The prophetic significance of the Temple,
the Church, is also found in Ezekiel!
19 "All this," David said, "I have in writing from the
hand of the LORD upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details
of the plan [paradeigma; tabnit]." 20 David also said to Solomon his son,
"Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or
discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you
or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the
LORD is finished."
Ezk 43:2-12 And behold, the glory
of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like
the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. 3 It was
like the appearance of the vision which I saw; like the vision which I
saw when He came to destroy the City. The visions were like the vision
which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. 4 And the glory
of the LORD came into the Temple by way of the gate which faces toward
the east. 5 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court;
and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the Temple. 6 Then I heard Him
speaking to me from the Temple, while a man stood beside me. 7 And He said
to me, "Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the
soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children
of Israel forever. No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy
Name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of
their kings on their high places (Rev 21:27). 8 When they set their threshold by My
threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them
and Me, they defiled My holy name by the abominations which they committed;
therefore I have consumed them in My anger. 9 Now let them put their harlotry and
the carcasses of their kings far away from Me, and I will dwell in their
midst forever. 10 Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel,
that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the
pattern [Heb. toknit=measurement,
gauge, evaluate by comparing to a standard; LXX uses diagraphes]. 11 And if they are ashamed of all that
they have done, make known to them the design [Heb
sura (4 times in this verse)=form; with the idea of creating into a very
particular shape] of the temple and its arrangement, its exits and its
entrances, its entire design and all its ordinances, all its forms
[regulations] and all its laws [design]. Write it down in their
sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances,
and perform them. 12 This is the Law of the Temple:
the whole area surrounding the mountaintop is most holy. Behold, this
is the Law of the Temple.
Let's now look at the ideas in the term
- paradise!
Gen 2:8-10 The LORD God planted
a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant
to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the
midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10
Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from
there it parted and became four riverheads.
15-17 Then the LORD God took
the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the
LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may
freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall
not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
Gn 3:24 So He drove out the man;
and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming
sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Isa 51:3 For the LORD will comfort
Zion,
Is this speaking of something merely of
the earth, or new earth, and new heaven?
He will comfort all her waste places;
He will make her wilderness like
Eden,
And her desert like the garden of
the LORD;
Joy and gladness will be found in it,
Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
Rev 2:7 He who has an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. "To him who overcomes I
will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the
Paradise of God."
Eden means delight, enjoyment, pleasure!
Paradise is from the ancient Iranian/Persian, pardes and
means enclosure, garden, forest, orchard. So the two words are associated!
2 Cor 12:2-4 I know a man in
Christ who fourteen years ago; whether in the body I do not know, or whether
out of the body I do not know, God knows (The experience was so profound,
so powerful, Paul is unable to explain in language we could understand);
such a one was caught up to the Third Heaven. 3 And I know such
a man; whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows;
4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words,
which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Some Catholics through the process they
call mysticism, Muslims through the doctrines of Sufism, Jews through the
teachings of the Kabbalah attempt to attain to these ecstatic states some
of the prophets and apostles were given! That which circumvents the Word
of God by the power of the spirit of this world fools mystics into believing
they are attaining to the tree of life, when in fact it is the devilish
way of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Some also attempt this
through Voodoo, through spiritism, through forms of Satanism as modern
magi do!
Rev 11:19 Then the Temple of
God was opened in Heaven, and the Ark of His Covenant was seen in His Temple.
And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great
hail.
CONCLUSION:
Rev 14:14 Then I looked, and
behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having
on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another
angel came out of the Temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on
the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You
to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe."
Rev 15:5 After these things I
looked, and behold, the Temple [Gk. naos; the Most Holy Place] of
the Tabernacle of the Testimony in Heaven was opened. 6 And out of the
Temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure
bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands.
8 The Temple
was filled with smoke from the Glory of God and from His power, and no
one was able to enter the Temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels
were completed.
Rev 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven
and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.
Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem,
coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a Bride adorned for her
Husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from Heaven saying, "Behold, the Tabernacle
of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His
people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 God will wipe
away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow,
nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed
away. 5 Then He who sat on the Throne said, "Behold, I am making everything
new." And He said to me, "Write this down, because these words are true
and faithful."
Rev 22:14 Blessed are those who
do His commandments [wash their robes in most translations,
but Tertullian [200 - 250 AD], On Modesty, ch xix; and Cyprian
[200 - 258 AD], Treatises, Bk 2, ch 22 both translate as per NKJV], that
they may have the right to the Tree of Life [which
we know is in the Garden of God], and may enter through the gates
into the City.
It seems to me that this subject is so
vast, so complex, and so neglected in our past experiences that the consequence
is we are exhausted in trying to grasp its wonders. Surely much more needs
to be studied, carefully examined, and taught to all. But let us conclude
:
Rev 21:9-10 Then one of the seven
angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came
to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the
Lamb's wife." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high
mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending
out of heaven from God,
What effects should these attempts to see
have on us?
1Pet 2:3-10 If we have indeed
tasted that the Lord is gracious 4 [we come] to Him as to the Living
[Foundation] Stone [to the Temple of God], rejected indeed
by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are
being built up into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 It's written in the
Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a Chief Cornerstone, elect, precious,
and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame" (Is 28:16;
Ps 118:22). 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He
is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders
rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," 8 and "a Stone of stumbling
and a Rock of offence" [as Jesus Christ told people in His own day, and
the consequences would be destabilization, rejection, and total loss (Mt
21:42-4)]. They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also
were appointed. 9 But you are a chosen generation, a
royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim
the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not
obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Rev 22:6-7 Then he said to me,
"These words are faithful and true." And the Lord God of the holy prophets
sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take
place. 7 "Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words
of the prophecy of this book."
Rev 22:18-21 For I testify to
everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds
to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this
book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the
words of the book of this prophecy, God hall take away his part from the
Book of Life, from the Holy City, and from the things which are written
in this book. 20 He who testifies to these things
says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!' (So
the called, chosen, and faithful cry out constantly: Rev 17:14; Mt 6:10).
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ with us all as we continue
faithfully in the Way that God reveals more and more. Amen.