Oh Death Where Is Thy Sting, Part 4

25 Feb

These devotionals are by no means comprehensive, but an appetizer for further study of the Word of God. The material I have written in these last four weeks merely scratches the surface of a topic that would require several thick volumes of commentary to cover fully.

We find comfort in the idea of our dead relatives and friends in Heaven in the company of loved ones who have died before. And it appears they will all be recognizable to us, even in the non-physical spiritual realm we will inhabit. I’m not so sure it will matter to us, however, when we arrive in Heaven ourselves. In the study of Heaven, the predominant theme is the perpetual corporate worship of God and enjoyment of the presence of our beloved Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

The question of what we will be like in Heaven and the nature of Heaven, is set aside here to look at the New Jerusalem which will replace Heaven in the new heaven and new earth after the millennium and the final judgment. The New Jerusalem will continue to be the abode of God, but it will also be the seat of government for the Kingdom of God in which Jesus will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Revelation 6-18 cover the seven years of the Great Tribulation. At the end of it, Satan is imprisoned in the bottomless pit, with other key figures of the Tribulation, and the Millennial reign of Christ begins. According to Revelation 20:4-15 tribulation martyrs will reign with Christ as priests during the millennium. At the end of the thousand-year reign, Satan is loosed for a season in which he deceives many and gathers a massive army to attack Jesus and His people. God wins 😊. The devil is sent to his final judgment into the lake of fire, brimstone, and everlasting torment. Then comes God’s Great White Throne of Judgment for all people who ever lived. All whose names are not found in the Lamb’s Book of Life, i.e. those who never accepted by faith the salvation Jesus offers through His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection, are judged for their works and cast into the Lake of Fire.

Somewhere in all of that cosmically cataclysmic upheaval, the new heaven and the new earth appear “for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea” (Rev. 21:1). At this point, John sees the New Jerusalem descend from God in Heaven, “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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.” (Rev. 2:2-3).

The New Jerusalem is described as “…having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (Rev. 21:11). Its walls and foundations are of precious stones, the gates are of pearl, and the streets are of pure gold. The dimensions, numbers of foundations, and numbers of gates are all multiples of the number twelve and are directly tied with Israel’s history. In biblical numerology, the number twelve associates with governmental perfection, achievable only under the perfect rule of God Himself (Rev. 19:6).

Here is what Revelation tells us about life in the New Jerusalem:

… and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 21:23-24, 22:5).
…one of the seven angels…talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” (Rev. 21:9-10). Revelation 19:7-9 describes the marriage supper of the Lamb: the bride has made herself ready “and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”
…Behold, I make all things new. 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” (Rev. 21:4-6).
… And there shall in no wise enter into [the New Jerusalem] anything that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie: only they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:8, 27).

In order to fully understand why all this is important, we need to review the beginning of the battle and the curse. Lucifer, a high-ranking angel, coveted God’s position and power. Since he could not win against his Creator, he chose to attack that which God loved – man and woman, Adam and Eve. God created us for fellowship and so he gave us free will with all His other gifts. Adam and Eve were deceived into disobeying God, became subject to Satan, and the world began to die.

Every child born since has been born a sinner and naturally subject to God’s enemy. Jesus died on the cross, a once-and-for-all sacrifice to redeem us from sin’s dominion. Faith, based on repentance, is what is necessary on our part to receive this gift of salvation. Hence the Lamb’s Book of Life at the Great White Throne. Those whose names are written there, are forgiven, cleansed, are covered with the righteousness of Jesus, and get to spend eternity with Him. Those who have chosen not to accept this free gift of God’s grace and mercy, face the consequences of sin without relief and will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire as a result. Do you know Jesus? If not, you only have today to believe because tomorrow may be your last day on earth.