All posts tagged Matthew

A New Beginning in Resurrection

In Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, 9, Luke 24:1, and John 20:1, the phrase “the first day of the week” is coupled to the Lord’s resurrection.

New JerusalemThe first day of the week, or the day after the Sabbath, signifies a new beginning, a new age. In Lev. 23:10-11, 15, a sheaf of the firstfruits of the harvest was offered to the Lord as a wave offering on the day after the Sabbath. That sheaf of the firstfruits was a type of Christ as the firstfruits in resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20, 23)…By His all-inclusive death He terminated the old creation…In His resurrection He germinated the new creation with the divine life.*

The new beginning points to New Jerusalem, a city of resurrection. Everything about this city is in resurrection; it has no part in the old creation and there is nothing old in it.

Thank the Lord for this new beginning which He accomplished for us! It was on the evening of that same day, “the first day of the week”, that He came to His disciples (John 20:19), showed them His physical body, and “He breathed into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit” (20:22). This completed His promise to them in John 14:17.

The Spirit breathed into the disciples is the Spirit as life for our regeneration (John 3:6), renewing (Titus 3:5), and more. This is inward, whereas the Spirit as power coming as a wind in Acts 2 is outward, upon the disciples. It is the Spirit as life for our eternal newness that is pictured by the river of life flowing from the throne in New Jerusalem.

* Part of footnote 1 on John 20:1 in the Recovery Version Bible published and © by Living Stream Ministry. A New Testament of this Bible, with 9000 footnotes, is a available in multiple languages for free from Bibles for America, Bibles for Canada, Bibles for Europe.

Bible verses quoted in these posts are from The Holy Bible, Recovery Version, published and © by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim CA, 2003. The text of this Bible is at text.recoveryversion.bible; this too is © by LSM.

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by Don on May 1, 2024  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on May 1, 2024

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2024/05/01/a-new-beginning-in-resurrection/

New Heaven, New Earth, New Jerusalem

The conclusion and the summit of the Bible is New Jerusalem in the new creation which is composed of the new heaven and the new earth (Rev. 21:1-2). In a few posts we will look at newness in the New Testament.

In Matthew 9:17 (and Mark 2, Luke 5) the Lord Jesus spoke about “new wine” which should be put into “fresh wineskins.” The Lord is the new wine and human beings are the containers, “vessels of mercy” to containNew Jerusalem Him. To be qualified to receive Him, we must be fresh, that is, born again into the new creation. Perhaps New Jerusalem could be considered the eternal, corporate fresh wineskin containing God in Christ as the new wine.

In Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22 the Lord initiated His supper with the bread and wine as symbols of “the new covenant.” This new covenant was brought forth by His death and resurrection. Through these we have been redeemed from the old creation and regenerated into the new creation.

His death and resurrection, and our participation in them (Rom. 6:3-6), are the beginning of our journey to New Jerusalem. His glorious coming will bring us into the initial stage of New Jerusalem in the kingdom age for our rejoicing with Him until we enter into the eternal fullness of the new creation.

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by Don on April 29, 2024  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on April 29, 2024

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2024/04/29/new-heaven-new-earth-new-jerusalem/

Christ is our Hope of Glory

New JerusalemFor His people, Colossians 1:27 tells us “God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

The ultimate glory in the universe is God in Christ radiating through the holy city New Jerusalem, which is composed with God and all His people. The city comes down out of heaven “having the glory of God” (Rev. 21:10-11).

On the way to New Jerusalem the manifestation of glory develops in several steps. It was first seen by three disciples during the brief transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain (Matt. 17:1-2). This glory is now being worked into us in our transformation by the Spirit “from glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18).

The glory will appear to all men when Christ Jesus returns to earth visibly. The Lord spoke about this in Luke 9:26 and Matthew 25:31. At that time we will be brought into His glory as mentioned in Hebrews 2:10—God is “leading many sons into glory.”

We will not only go into glory, but the Lord’s glory will shine out through us “when He [the Lord] comes to be glorified in His saints and to be marveled at in all those who have believed” (2 Thes. 1:10). This will be the initial expression of the corporate glory of New Jerusalem. Christ is our hope for this!

Photo courtesy of pixabay.com.

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by Don on April 12, 2024  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on April 12, 2024

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2024/04/12/christ-is-our-hope-of-glory/

Three Different Lives in a Christian;    Only One is for New Jerusalem

The prior post is about the three Greek words usually translated “life” in an English New Testament. These lives are that which is eternal, the soul-life or self, and the physical life or physical existence. These three lives correspond with the three parts of every human being—spirit, soul, and body.

New JerusalemBefore believing, man’s spirit is dead but in God’s salvation it is made alive. “God, being rich in mercy…even when we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ” (Eph. 2:1-5).

Our soul-life is our self, our seeking for pleasure or success. We must deny our self daily (Luke 9:23, 14:26, 27) so that Christ may live in us and through us. Otherwise, “he who finds his soul-life shall lose it, and he who loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it.” (Matt. 10:39)

In denying, losing, the soul-life we allow the Spirit in our spirit to wash away our self and to renew our soul with the eternal life (Titus 3:5).

Our physical life is tied to the lusts of our flesh. Ephesians 2:3 says that we “conducted ourselves once in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts.” This verse touches the physical life and the self-life, both of which are in opposition to the spread of the eternal life in us.

When the Lord appears in glory, He “will transfigure the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of His glory” (Phil. 3:21). This will purge away our fallen physical life. When our entire being is full of eternal life, we are ready for New Jerusalem.

Bible verses quoted in these posts are from The Holy Bible, Recovery Version, published and © by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim CA, 2003. The text of this Bible is at text.recoveryversion.bible; this too is © by LSM.

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by Don on March 1, 2024  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 1, 2024

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2024/03/01/three-different-lives-in-a-christian-only-one-is-for-new-jerusalem/

Our Spirit for Cooperation with the Lord

A recent post on the Lord’s coming concludes with our need to cooperate with Him to prepare ourselves. A key to our preparation is our human spirit.
• Zechariah 12:1 speaks of the heavens, the earth, and “the spirit of man within him”;
• Job 32:8, “there is a spirit in man”;New Jerusalem
• 1 Corinthians 2:11,
—–“the spirit of man which is in him”.

First Thessalonians 5:23 clearly shows man is of three parts, spirit, soul, and body. Our spirit was dead (Eph. 2:1) but when we first believed into the Lord Jesus our spirit was made alive by the Spirit (John 3:6; Rom. 8:10). Now “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16).

Our spirit is not the same as our soul; Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the word of God is able to separate them. When we live in spirit we are spiritual people (1 Cor. 2:15), otherwise we are soulish (1 Cor. 2:14) or fleshly people (1 Cor. 3:1).

The simplest way to use our spirit is to call aloud on the name of the Lord Jesus, as in Romans 10:12-13. The more we call on the Lord, the stronger our spirit gets and the more we are filled with the Spirit, portrayed by the oil gained by the virgins ready to go into the wedding feast with the Lord (Matt. 25:1-10).

Lord Jesus energize us to gain the oil to be ready for Your soon return!

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by Don on February 19, 2024  •  Permalink
Posted in Life and New Jerusalem, Preparation of New Jerusalem
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Posted by Don on February 19, 2024

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2024/02/19/our-spirit-for-cooperation-with-the-lord/

New Jerusalem, a City Saturated with Christ

New JerusalemIn Matthew 16:18 the Lord Jesus promised that He would build His church. In order for this to be realized, the church has to enter into a state where so many saints will have Christ making His home deep down in their heart so that their entire being would be saturated within with Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God, possessing and occupying every corner and every avenue of their entire being. This is the subjective experience of the Triune God and is the very mingling of the Triune God with His chosen and redeemed people.*

Being saturated with Christ is for His building up of the church today and is a characteristic of New Jerusalem. The city radiates the glory of God because every member has been possessed and occupied by the Triune God. This makes New Jerusalem the corporate expression of God mingled with all His people.

The saturation is necessary because we were all born into the old creation but New Jerusalem is the center of the new creation. It is new with the newness of God. That is why we need a new birth (John 3:3, 5-6), the renewing of our soul by the Spirit (Titus 3:5; Eph. 4:23), and the transfiguration of our mortal body “to be conformed to the body of His glory” (Phil. 3:21).

* From chapter 39, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986.

Bible verses quoted in these posts are from The Holy Bible, Recovery Version, published and © by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim CA, 2003. The text of this Bible is at text.recoveryversion.bible; this too is © by LSM.

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by Don on August 2, 2023  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on August 2, 2023

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2023/08/02/new-jerusalem-a-city-saturated-with-christ/

Jesus our Bread of Life; Eat by Receiving His Words

In the Gospel of John the Lord said that He is the bread of life (6:35) and that “he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me” (v. 57). The thought of eating God is in John 6. God was incarnated not only to be the Redeemer but also to be the bread of life. He is the bread of life that came down out of heaven for us to feed on. This is the greatest blessing.*

New JerusalemMany of the disciples were bothered by the word about eating Jesus; they murmured and went back to what they had before Jesus came. But Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63). He spoke likewise in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God.”

The Spirit is our life supply, and the Spirit nourishes us through the Lord’s words. The Spirit is the living word and we received it by “all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit” (Eph. 6:17b-18a). These words are our spiritual bread today and will be the same also in New Jerusalem.

* From chapter 38, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986.

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by Don on June 23, 2023  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on June 23, 2023

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2023/06/23/jesus-our-bread-of-life-eat-by-receiving-his-words/

We Come into Resurrection for New Jerusalem

New JerusalemNew Jerusalem, the focus of Revelation 22–22, is the consummation of the Bible. Even apparently insignificant things point toward New Jerusalem. An example is the Lord’s answer in Matthew 22 to the Sadducees, who condemned the Lord and denied the resurrection.

Verse 29-30 say, “Jesus answered and said to them, You err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”

The wall [of New Jerusalem] is also measured according to “the measure of a man, that is, of an angel” (21:17). It is in resurrection that man will be like the angels (Matt. 22:30). Hence, the measure of a man, that is, of an angel signifies that the wall of the city is not natural but in resurrection. The entire wall is something transformed and built up in resurrection. In this sense, all of us in the church life should be like angels. In our natural life we are not like angels, but in resurrection we are.*

The Lord Jesus is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25) and today He is “Christ our life” (Col. 3:4). Apart from Him we have no possibility to be in resurrection. But the more He is formed in us (Gal. 4:19) and the more He makes His home in our hearts (Eph. 3:17), the more New Jerusalem is established in us.

* From chapter 36, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986.

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by Don on March 27, 2023  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 27, 2023

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2023/03/27/we-come-into-resurrection-for-new-jerusalem/

New Jerusalem, the Center of God’s Administration

Revelation 22:3 says, “the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it [New Jerusalem].” This is the eternal consummation of God’s kingdom, God’s administration over the universe.

New JerusalemTwelve is the number of absolute perfection and eternal completion in God’s administration. In the Old Testament…the twelve tribes were for God’s administration. In the New Testament the twelve apostles’ preaching was for the producing of the churches, and the churches are God’s government for God’s administration. Thus, both the twelve tribes in the Old Testament and the twelve apostles in the New Testament are for God’s governmental administration….The entire New Jerusalem will be the consummation of God’s administration. This is why the center of the New Jerusalem is God’s throne, which is mainly for God’s governmental administration.*

In Genesis 1:26-28 God blessed created man with His image (to express Him) and dominion (to represent His authority). However, in a short time man turned from God to Satan and could no longer be God’s expression or representation.

Later, God was incarnated in the man Jesus to redeem man, impart His life into man, and restore man as His expression and representation. This representation is in God’s administration of His kingdom. Therefore, the first proclamation of both John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2) and Jesus (Matt. 4:17) is “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.”

Through the Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension the kingdom was fully brought forth. It is now a reality within us (Rom. 14:17) and will be openly displayed by New Jerusalem.

* From chapter 35, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986.

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by Don on March 10, 2023  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 10, 2023

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2023/03/10/new-jerusalem-the-center-of-gods-administration/

The Triune God in Us, the Essence of New Jerusalem

The New Testament begins, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ.” He is the subject of this book and He is “the Life”. The Old Testament has many references to Him and figures of Him. For example, many chapters in Matthew refer to the prophets in general or to a specifically-named prophet whose words apply to Jesus.

New JerusalemThe Bible is not a book of religion, philosophy, or something invented by the human mentality, but it is God’s revelation of the divine life. The Bible, of course, covers many things, but its focus and very central thought is the divine life. Our human life is a mystery, and the divine life is even more abstract and mysterious. No human words in human language can fully utter the mystery of this divine life. Therefore, God exercised His wisdom to reveal such a mystery concerning His divine life by many allegories.*

One allegory is John 1:29. John the Baptist “saw Jesus coming to him and said, Behold, the Lamb of God.” Lamb is an allegory, an emblem/figure/symbol of something. In this case it refers to Jesus as the reality of all the Old Testament lambs offered as sacrifices.

The gold, pearls, and precious stones that compose New Jerusalem are also allegories, spiritual signs. They point to the Triune God as the real essence of New Jerusalem. The three materials composing New Jerusalem are the Triune God Himself. The city is entirely of the highest divine standard.

But, the Triune God alone is not New Jerusalem. Rather, the Triune God mingled with His people is the structure of the city. We are partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4), Christ is in us (Rom. 8:10; Col. 1:27), and the Spirit operates in us to transform our image and to infuse us with glory (2 Cor. 3:18) to bring forth New Jerusalem.

* From chapter 33, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986.

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by Don on January 16, 2023  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on January 16, 2023

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2023/01/16/the-triune-god-in-us-the-essence-of-new-jerusalem/

The Church is Built on Jesus Christ

John 1:42: “Looking at him, Jesus said, You are Simon, the son of John; you shall be called Cephas (which is interpreted, Peter).” The name Peter is from a Greek word petros which means stone¹.

New JerusalemThe Lord Jesus told Peter that he was a stone (John 1:42) and reminded him in Matthew 16 that he was a stone (v. 18). He also said that He would build His church. Today the Lord is doing a building work. From the day of Pentecost the Lord began to build the church with you and me as stones based upon God’s divine nature. The stones are built upon the golden base, which is the site. All the materials are built upon this site, and the site is the base. The base for the Lord’s building today is God’s divine nature. It is not your knowledge, your education, your good character, your kindness, your humility, or even your love. The base is the nature of God.*

We easily understand that our bad characteristics will not be part of New Jerusalem. And neither will our good characteristics, because they are of the old creation. We have been regenerated and transferred into Christ. In Him we are a new creation.

We have been put into the new creation but we still need to deny ourselves and lose our soul-life to have and live the reality of the new creation. Then we are suitable for God’s building work.

In Matthew 16 the Lord declared He will build His church and that He would go through death and into resurrection. Then He applied this to us in telling us to deny ourselves. We do this by letting the Spirit apply His death in us so that we can be brought into resurrection where the building work takes place.

¹ In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church.” Here in Greek is the name petros and also the different word petra. Petra refers to Christ Himself and the heavenly revelation concerning Him; the church is built on this rock, not on Peter.

* From chapter 29, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986.

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by Don on January 9, 2023  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on January 9, 2023

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2023/01/09/the-church-is-built-on-jesus-christ/

The Bride in the Millennium, the Wife in Eternity 

“Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready….Blessed are they who are called to the marriage dinner of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:7, 9).

The millennium will be the wedding day in which the overcoming saints will participate (Rev. 19:7-9). To the Lord a thousand years New Jerusalemare like one day (2 Pet. 3:8), so the millennium will be the wedding day of the Lamb with the church as His bride….The millennium of one thousand years will be one day for the Lamb to marry His bride. In the new heaven and new earth, all the saints of both the Old Testament and the New Testament will be the New Jerusalem, enjoying the divine married life with the Triune God for eternity.*

Matthew 25:1-13 is a parable about this wedding feast. The feast begins when the Bridegroom comes, which is when the Lord Jesus returns visibly to earth. “The bridegroom came; and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast” (v. 10). Ten Virgins Went Forth speaks about having a good supply of oil for our lamps to be “those who were ready.”

Our desire is the be ready for the wedding feast is accomplished by loving Him now and by opening our heart for Him to make His home in us (Eph. 3:16-18). Then we are rooted and grounded in Him and strengthened to apprehend with His Body all His riches. The consummation is glory to God now in the church and forever in New Jerusalem (3:21).

More posts at The Wedding Feast and New Jerusalem.

* From chapter 28, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986.

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by Don on December 14, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in New Jerusalem is a Marriage
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Posted by Don on December 14, 2022

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2022/12/14/the-bride-in-the-millennium-the-wife-in-eternity/

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