THE WORLD TO COME

Heb. 2:5

Morning Meditation 7/7/17

"For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak."

The theme for this study is HEAVEN THE FINAL GOAL OF THE PURPOSE OF GOD. This meditation will deal with the first five verses or Revelation 21.

We have gone though several steps on our way to the Eternal Age. This is the age which is the primary goal of salvation. I do not know what happened before God created the earth. I am sure of one thing, He created angels and they were there when God created the earth. Job 38:4-7, "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"

The term "sons of God" is found five times in the Old Testament and is a reference to angels every time unless Genesis 6:4 is the exception. Genesis 6:4 is a very highly discussed issue between the scholars. There are those who believe the "sons of God" were of the godly line of Seth. The others believe that the fallen angels co-habited with women for the purpose of contaminating the blood line and keep Jesus from being born with a sinless body. The virgin birth is promised in Genesis 3:15 and it would certainly be like Satan to fight God by so messing up the human race so that Christ could not be born of a virgin with a sinless body. I am not going to argue the case pro or con because it does not affect destiny or rewards.

My pastor said in his sermon yesterday that you can tell someone in the public school to "go to hell" and nothing will be done. But if you tell them to "go to heaven" and tell them the way, you are in serious trouble. That is the reason America is in serious trouble today. Psalms 9:17 says, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."

Of course if you do not believe there is a God who created this universe, you can laugh off someone telling you to go to hell. Because you don't believe there is one. But if you tell them to go to heaven and how, why do they not laugh about that? What is there about telling someone the way to heaven so offensive? Have you ever figured that one out? Could it just be that the voice of conscience (Rom. 1:18-19) and the conviction of the Holy Spirit makes them so uncomfortable that they have no other way of dealing with it that to be filled with wrath. Getting upset over hearing the truth and denying it, changes nothing. Romans 3:4 says, "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged."

Now to the theme. God's final goal for the believer, i.e., HEAVEN.

We have a hint of God's purpose for man in Genesis 3:22, "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:" Three things:

First, man was in his fallen condition and God would not allow him to live in that condition forever. So God drove him from the garden to protect him.

Second, this teaches that man was made to live forever, and had he not eaten of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and would have eaten of the tree of life, he would have lived forever in a state of innocence.

Third, science says that every cell of the body is replaced every seven years. If this is true, and I have heard this from several sources, why does man get old? His body should never be older than seven years. I'm not saying that he would never grow to maturity but he would never be old. Could it be that if a man could be rid of his old sin nature and have access to the tree of life that he could live forever in his natural body? (Rev. 22:2). There will be nations on the new earth who will bring their glory into the New Jerusalem. I understand that these will be in their natural bodies (without an old sin nature of course).

THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH

John saw this after the destruction of this present heaven and earth and the Great White Throne Judgment.

The word "new" translates "kainos" and means, "recently made, fresh, recent, unused, unworn; of a new kind, unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of." --Strong. Kittel says this word means, "new in nature."This does not sound like a renovation of this earth, i.e., cleansing it by fire and renewing it for the eternal age.

Then he says, "for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." The words "were passed away" translate "parerchomai." A. T. Robertson says, "The old physical world is gone in this vision. It is not a picture of renovation of this earth, but of the disappearance of this earth and sky."

Then in verse two John says, "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

The new Jerusalem existed in Abraham's day. He looked for it. Hebrews 11:10 says, "For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God."

Paul was caught up to this place we are told in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."

Hebrews 12:22-23 says, "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,"

Hebrews 13:14, "For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come."

Our hope is not in this world. Our citizenship changed when we were saved.. There is a literal city which will be the capital of the new earth and this is the place of the abode of the Bride of Christ.

Jesus told his disciples in John 14:2-3, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." The word Jesus used here when He said, "I go to prepare a place for you." The word "prepare" translates "hetoimazo."the exact same word that is used in Revelation 21:2. The verb in John 14:2 is an aorist active subjunctive. The aorist tense refers to a point of time. The active voice means that Jesus does it. The subjunctive mood is the mood of possibility. It had not been done at the time Jesus spoke the words. The new Jerusalem was in existence when Jesus said this in John 14. The many mansions were already there. But in Revelation 21:2 the verb there is perfect passive participle. The perfect tense means that it had been completed sometime between John 14 and Revelation 21 and it was finished at the time that John spoke. The passive voice means that it did not evolve of itself but was the product of the work of Jesus. He is both architect and builder. When Jesus left this earth in the ascension He went back to the new Jerusalem the abode of God to be our high Priest (Heb. 7:25) and prepare something new in the new Jerusalem for His bride. And the words used are that the city descends from God our of heaven "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

John Phillips says, "a city is often identified with its inhabitants." There is no doubt in my mind that the city is the home of the bride. It is a LITERAL city. It is hidden from the eyes of man now. He will never be able to discover it with the greatest telescope that he will ever make. The reason we know it is there is because God says it is there in His Word and believers walk by faith.

The Bible, the Word of God, is the way the unseen God communicates with His children on this earth today. Hebrews 11:3 says, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

GOD WILL INHABIT THE NEW JERUSALEM

This is brought out in verse 3: "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."

This will be the time of which Paul speaks in 1 Corinthians 15:24-28, "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 hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For 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. And 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."

This will be the end of time as we know it. It will be the end of man's not being able to look upon God and worship and fellowship with Him.. Jesus made all this possible. And when Satan and death is destroyed, and the unsaved are eternally judged, Jesus will turn the kingdom back to the One who originally planned it and whose eternal purpose has finally been consummated. God will dwell permanently with His chosen people.

GOD WILL PERSONALLY SUPPLY TO HIS PEOPLE WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR THEIR PERFECT HAPPINESS

This is brought out in Revelation 21:4, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

God will "wipe away all tears from their eyes." All the things that cause tears of sorrow and grief will be done away. God is so personally involved with His people that it is said, "And God shall wipe all tears from their eyes." Imagine that. God won't send us word, He Himself will be there. The One the unsaved fear, and have a right to fear, will be our Father and there will be no fear for the believer. The believer will be in perfect fellowship with God and that unity with Him will extent to God personally wiping away all tears. Someone hold my mules!!! Hallelujah!!!

Then John says, "and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." These are the things that plague man today. I look at the poor people who have lost their homes in Kosovo and see the tears and fear in the eyes of those who have lost family and everything. I have counseled ladies who were molested as children, some raped. It did not only hurt them then, the pain is still there. Sometimes their lives are ruined because they can't forget the event. Plus many times the parents were involved and the people who were supposed to be protecting and loving them destroyed any trust they could ever have in them. For the saved there will come a time when "the former things" will pass into the tomb of time never to be remembered again. What a day that will be.

THE ONE ON THE THRONE WILL SPEAK AUDIBLY TO HIS PEOPLE

Revelation 21:5-6, "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." Three things I want to emphasize in these two verses:

First, God is a Creator. He is not limited in His power. He can speak and things happen. There is no evolution. God said in, "Genesis 1:3, "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." All God had to do was speak. When we make something our of material He has created it takes us time, energy, and it is tiring. But with God there is no such thing as being tired.

Second, God is faithful. We can count on what He says. Why would God put this statement in His Word. All we know about God is what He has revealed to us. He is honored and glorified when we believe in His Words. He declares Himself to be faithful. He wants us to know that we can count on what He says He will do and we will never be disappointed.

Third, His salvation which begins when one repents and believes the gospel will begin at that point and will never end. Philippians 1:6, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" The pain and suffering of this life will not be forever. There is an end to it.. This is what He is telling us here. And one of the main things He wants us to see is that it is free.

We see in these verses the eternal purpose of God being finally brought to pass. Once this takes place we will have life that never ends and there will be nothing in the future that will take that wonderful joy and peace from us.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White