All posts tagged mingling

The Spirit and the Bride Mingled as One

New Jerusalem is introduced in Revelation 21:2 as both the holy city and the bride. In 21:9 an angel tells us that the bride is “the wife of the Lamb,” who is Jesus Christ.

The bride has been sanctified (made holy) and renewed to match the holy and new nature of New Jerusalem. This occurs by our cooperation with the indwelling Spirit.

Revelation 22:17 says, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come!” In Revelation 2 and 3, it is the Spirit speaking to the churches (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22), but at the end of the whole Bible it is the Spirit and the bride speaking together. The Spirit is the ultimate consummation of the Triune God as the Bridegroom; the bride is the ultimate consummation of the redeemed man. After this universal marriage, the Triune God and redeemed man are not separate. They do not speak separately, but the two have become one couple, so there is the speaking of the Spirit and the bride together. Hallelujah, God and man are mingled and united to become the universal and eternal couple, moving together and speaking together!*

New JerusalemChrist has redeemed us from sin, death, and God’s judgment. Redemption brings us to life. Galatians 3:13 proclaims our redemption and 3:14 says that we have received the promise of the Spirit, who is life.

This living Spirit in us does the sanctifying and renewing work so that the bride may be prepared. Then the Spirit and the bride respond to the Lord Jesus, saying Come! He will come quickly to take His bride, the holy city, New Jerusalem.

* Five Great Mysteries in the Bible, Chapter 5, by Witness Lee

Photo courtesy of U.S. National Park Service.

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by Don on March 20, 2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 20, 2020

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2020/03/20/the-spirit-and-the-bride-mingled-as-one/

New Jerusalem is the Mingling of The Triune God with His People

God has been seeking a dwelling with man since creation. Many stages of this dwelling developed through the Old and New Testaments, culminating in New Jerusalem.

New JerusalemAn early picture of this dwelling, this building, is Abraham’s tent with his altar in front of it, a miniature of the tabernacle with an altar built centuries later. At that time God told Moses, “Let them make a sanctuary for Me that I may dwell in their midst” (Exo. 25:8).

In the Old Testament, due to the fall of man, God could only dwell with man, not in man. But the redemption obtained by the Lord Jesus cleansed man.

In the New Testament God does not dwell ‘with man’ but ‘in man.’ Even before accomplishing redemption, the Lord Jesus spoke of this. “You will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you” (John 14:20). “Abide in Me and I in you” (John 15:4).

In the epistles many verses speak of us being in Christ and Christ being in us. This is mutual indwelling, also called coinherence or mingling. The ultimate stage of this coinherence is New Jerusalem.

The New Jerusalem is a full picture of the mingling of the Triune God with His redeemed creatures, the mingling of divinity with humanity. Now God is no longer merely a God outside of man. He is a God within man.

For eternity God will dwell in His people and His people in Him. This mutual dwelling is New Jerusalem.

* The Building of God, chapter 1, by Witness Lee.

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by Don on January 29, 2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on January 29, 2020

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2020/01/29/new-jerusalem-is-the-mingling-of-the-triune-god-with-his-people/

Deny the Self for New Jerusalem

New JerusalemWe have, objectively, all that Christ accomplished through His death and resurrection. Now this must become our constitution by Christ increasing in us and our self decreasing.

This decrease is through our denying our self to apply, in spirit, the death of Christ to our natural being. Our denying ourself is part of our journey through the cross to New Jerusalem.

The Lord’s words about denying our self, our soul life, our natural life, are in five different chapters. In Matthew 10:38 He said, “he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” The next sentence has denying the soul life. If we do not take our cross / deny our soul life, we are not worthy of Him. How then could we be worthy to participate in New Jerusalem?

In Matthew 16 the Lord spoke again about denying the self, taking the cross, and losing the soul life. This is in the context of His building the church, his Body, which He is building by flowing out through His members, as revealed in Ephesians 4:15-16. His Body, composed of Him mingled with His believers as the members of His Body, is the forerunner of New Jerusalem.

 

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by Don on May 25, 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on May 25, 2018

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2018/05/25/deny-the-self-for-new-jerusalem/

God’s Slaves Serve in New Jerusalem (2)

Revelation 22:3b says, “the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it [New Jerusalem], and His slaves will serve Him.” Looking at our service now gives us insight into how we will serve in New Jerusalem.

New JerusalemThe foundation of our serving is what Jesus Christ accomplished in His death and resurrection. He “released us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father” (Rev. 1:5-6).

Hebrews 9:14 also links the blood of Jesus and our serving, “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Part of Revelation 7:14-15 is “they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Because of this they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple.” The washing of our robes, our conduct, is by receiving the forgiveness of sins accomplished by Jesus Christ.

This washing of sins has two stages. One is by our repenting at the initial time of our salvation. The other is throughout our Christian life by our confessing of sins for His cleansing (1 John 1:9). The first brings us before the throne and the second keeps us before the throne so  that we may serve God—both now and in New Jerusalem.

In Romans 1:9 Paul says, “God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit…” In Philippians 3:3 we “…serve by the Spirit of God…” Serving as priests must be in the Spirit with our human spirit. Without this mingled spirit, whatever we do is not serving God as a priest.

In John 4:24 Jesus says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness.” There is no serving God in worship without the mingled spirit.

Our serving now, and in New Jerusalem, is based on redemption and in spirit.

Photo courtesy of U.S. National Park Service.

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by Don on March 29, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 29, 2017

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2017/03/29/gods-slaves-serve-in-new-jerusalem-2-2/

The Nations around New Jerusalem (2)

New JerusalemNew Jerusalem is the mingling of the Triune God and His chosen, redeemed, regenerated, and matured people. Around New Jerusalem on the new earth are the peoples (Rev. 21:3), the nations (Rev. 21:24).

* The [nations] will be judged by Christ at the throne of His glory when He comes back to earth….The justified ones, the “sheep,” will be blessed and will inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25:31-46). Unlike the New Testament believers, the “sheep” will not be saved and regenerated; they will only be restored to the original state of man as he was created by God….After the millennial kingdom, a part of these nations, deceived by the devil, will rebel against the Lord and will be consumed by fire from heaven (20:7-9). The rest will be transferred to the new earth to be the nations, which will live around the New Jerusalem and walk by its light….They, as created but unregenerated men, will be maintained to live forever in their created state through the healing of the leaves of the tree of life (22:2). Even for them there will be no more death (v. 4). Under the shining of the New Jerusalem with the divine glory, neither will they be in darkness.

The peoples are restored but not regenerated. They belong to God but they are not His sons born of His life. Hence they cannot participate in the oneness of New Jerusalem.

First Corinthians 2:6-13 speaks of the things which God prepared “before the ages” for those who love Him, those who are born of the Spirit. The timing of this preparation is different from the blessing “prepared for you [the sheep] from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34). This shows another distinction between those who are constituents of New Jerusalem and those who are around New Jerusalem.

Thank the Lord that the door is open today to receive Him as life to become part of New Jerusalem!

* Note 1 on Rev. 21:24 in The Holy Bible, Rec. Version published and © by Living Stream Ministry.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

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by Don on March 7, 2016  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 7, 2016

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/the-nations-around-new-jerusalem-2/

The Nations around New Jerusalem

New Jerusalem

New Jerusalem is the mingling of God with His chosen, redeemed, regenerated, and matured people. The city is this organic union of God and His people. Around the city are the peoples (Rev. 21:3), the nations (Rev. 21:24). These peoples/nations are not New Jerusalem because they, being plural, do not have the oneness of New Jerusalem.

Revelation 21:3 says, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall tabernacle with them, and they shall be His peoples, and God Himself shall be with them.”

* The “peoples” in this verse will be “the nations” in verse 24. There will be several peoples, and each corporate people will be a nation on the new earth. These nations which will surround the New Jerusalem will be restored, but they will not be regenerated….As the restored and purged nations, they will live outside the New Jerusalem and they will enjoy the common blessings in the new heaven and the new earth.
These common blessings are mentioned in verse 4: “And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain—they shall be no more; for the former things have passed away.”

These peoples will be God’s peoples, belonging to Him. However, they are not His sons born of His life. Without this life they cannot participate in the oneness of New Jerusalem.

These peoples enjoy the blessings of the new earth but do not partake of the special blessings in New Jerusalem. For example, the peoples/nations will not eat the fruit of the tree of life (Christ). Their portion will only be the healing of the leaves of the tree of life (Rev. 22:2). They will receive this blessing out of New Jerusalem, but it is far better to partake of Christ as our tree of life both today and in New Jerusalem.

* An excerpt from Life-study of Revelation, message 58, by Witness Lee, published and © by Living Stream Ministry. This and many other books by Witness Lee may be read online here.

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by Don on March 4, 2016  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 4, 2016

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Lord, Dispense into me for New Jerusalem

New JerusalemIn John 15:4 the Lord Jesus tells us, “Abide in Me and I in you.” This abiding is in the divine life and is portrayed in John 15 by the vine and the branches. This mutual abiding will continue unto New Jerusalem.

As soon as we receive Him, Jesus Christ is in us. While this fact remains true eternally, “in” is only a starting point. Galatians has the progression of Christ revealed in me (1:16), Christ living in me (2:20), and Christ formed in me (4:19). This is equivalent to Christ making His home in our hearts (Eph. 3:16-17).

Christ being formed in me and making home in me is a blending of Him and me, and is for New Jerusalem. This blending takes place as Christ lives in me and I live depending on Him by faith (Gal. 2:20).

God and man, man and God, are built up together by being blended and mingled together (John 14:20, 23; 15:4; 1 Cor. 6:17). God wants to dispense Himself into us and mingle and blend Himself with us, and we should open our entire being to Him so that He will be able to carry out His intention regarding us without hindrance. When we are open to the Lord’s dispensing, much mingling and blending can happen in even a short period of time. We need to pray, “Lord, here I am. I choose to become the New Jerusalem now. It is not by my working; it is by my enjoyment of You. Lord, dispense Yourself into me for the New Jerusalem. Mingle Yourself with me in every part of my being, blend me with You, and incorporate me with You for Your corporate expression.”

We either open to the Lord or hinder the Lord. We can pray what is in the quote above or open to the Lord’s desire with our own words. Lord, impart Yourself into me for New Jerusalem. Lord Jesus, mingle Yourself with me, be formed in me for New Jerusalem.

* Affirmation & Critique (A&C) is a Christian Journal published twice a year, © Living Stream Ministry. A&C presents Bible truths in a scholarly manner, with references to and citations from a variety of publications by authors over the entire Christian era. A&C exhibits much appreciation for the person and work of Jesus Christ and our life with Him. This group of my posts has short extracts from the article The New Jerusalem—the Consummation of the Divine Economy according to the High Peak of the Divine Revelation by Ron Kangas in the Fall 2010 issue.

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by Don on November 13, 2015  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on November 13, 2015

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2015/11/13/lord-dispense-into-me-for-new-jerusalem/

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