All posts tagged throne of God and the Lamb

The throne at the center of New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:1, 3).

The Jasper Wall Expresses God

The wall of New Jerusalem is perfect and eternal. The wall separates and protects the city while the gates let us enter. The building work of the wall is jasper (Rev. 21:18a).

John saw God sitting on the throne in heaven and He was like a jasper stone in appearance (Rev. 4:2-3). The wall has the appearance of God. The wall, the outer limit of New Jerusalem, is jasper because the entire city is jasper. “Her [New Jerusalem’s] light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, as clear as crystal” (Rev. 21:11).

New JerusalemThe wall and the whole city having the appearance of God fulfills God’s intention in His creation of man. “God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). God created man in His image so that man could express God.

Created man fell into sin and death and can no longer fulfill God’s intention. God came in Jesus Christ to redeem man, to re-open the door for man to receive God’s life and thereby be enabled to express God.

New Jerusalem is the consummation of all that God accomplished. The city is full of the divine, eternal life, which flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb who redeemed us (Rev. 22:1).

The jasper city and the jasper wall were produced and are maintained by the flow of life to express the jasper God on the throne.

Photo courtesy of U.S. National Park Service.

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by Don on May 10, 2019  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on May 10, 2019

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2019/05/10/the-jasper-wall-expresses-god/

The Faithful and True Words of God

New JerusalemRevelation 21:5b-6a says, “And He said, Write, for these words are faithful and true. And He said to me, They have come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.”

The words of the Lamb-God on the throne are faithful and true because His person is faithful and true. Everything God speaks, He accomplishes.

In His eternal view everything is already accomplished. That is why He says, “they have come to pass.” And that is why John was able to say “I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem” and why he saw so many other things. We are limited by time but God is eternal, unlimited.

God is “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and omega is the last letter. God is not only the Alpha, the Beginning, He is also the Accomplisher, the Completer, the Omega, the End. Everything He has planned from eternity, is, in His eternal view, already complete.

John saw New Jerusalem in a new creation and described the blessings therein. Although we do not have the complete view of the finished work, by faith we accept it and agree with it. This is Hebrews 11:1; faith substantiates the unseen things. Furthermore, we have the inner, spiritual foretaste of New Jerusalem because we are already a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).

“They have come to pass” in verse 6 refers to the foregoing words including New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven.

Photo courtesy of Good Free Photos.

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by Don on March 20, 2019  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 20, 2019

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2019/03/20/the-faithful-and-true-words-of-god/

The Throne and All Things New

Revelation 21:5 says, “And He who sits on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said, Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

In New Jerusalem at the center of the new creation, there is a throne. This throne is for God’s administration of the universe. To His redeemed people, the constituents of New Jerusalem, it is also “the throne of grace” (Heb. 4:16) where we receive mercy and find grace, both today and eternally.

This throne is “the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev. 22:1). There is only one throne
New Jerusalembecause God and the Lamb are one. The Lord Jesus told us “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30) and “I am in the Father and the Father is in Me” (John 14:10). Because They are one, there is one throne. This is the throne of the redeeming Lamb-God (Rev. 22:1).

This One says, “I make all things new.” Men claim to invent and make many new things but all of this is in the old, fallen creation. None of it is new in God’s sight.

The new heaven, new earth, and New Jerusalem will be new because everything of the old creation will have been terminated. The entire universe will be new. Only God can do this, because only God can terminate sin, death, and Satan, the primary factors which made the old creation old. And only the redeeming Lamb-God can bring us out of oldness to make us His new creation, His new city, Jerusalem (2 Cor. 5:17).

Photo courtesy of pixabay.com.

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by Don on March 18, 2019  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 18, 2019

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2019/03/18/the-throne-and-all-things-new/

A Loud Voice out of the Throne, Behold the Tabernacle of God

Recent posts have been about Revelation 21:2. Verse 3 begins, “And I heard a loud voice out of the throne.” And connects what follows with the description of New Jerusalem in verse 2.

A loud voice is often heard in Revelation, to call everyone’s attention to the concluding events of this age, the introduction of the coming age, the final judgments, and the new creation with New Jerusalem. In this verse the loud voice is out of the throne. This word comes direct from God and the Lamb who sit on the throne in New Jerusalem.

New JerusalemThis loud voice first says, “Behold, the tabernacle of God.” In Exodus the tabernacle was a physical building, a picture of the New Testament reality.

Hebrews 8:2 and 9:11 speak of the true and more perfect heavenly tabernacle. These verses tell us that the true tabernacle is not of the old creation. It is of the new creation.

This true tabernacle first appeared in the incarnation. John 1:14 declares, “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” The incarnated Word, the man Jesus, was of the new creation as this true tabernacle among men. The New Testament tabernacle is God dwelling in a living Person!

This tabernacle was enlarged through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is God dwelling in a corporate living person, the church today and New Jerusalem in eternity.

This consummate tabernacle, New Jerusalem, is “with men” because it has “come down out of heaven” to be on earth for eternity.

Photo courtesy of pixabay.com.

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by Don on March 11, 2019  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 11, 2019

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2019/03/11/a-loud-voice-out-of-the-throne-behold-the-tabernacle-of-god/

See the Kingdom Coming in Glory

One day the Lord Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, There are some of those standing here who shall by no means taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (Matt. 16:28). How is this related to New Jerusalem? Simple; New Jerusalem is the ultimate manifestation of God’s kingdom, with the throne of God and the Lamb at its center.

The fulfillment of the Lord’s word is in Matthew 17:1-2, “And after six days Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and brought them up to a high mountain privately. And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as the light.”

New JerusalemThe Lord’s transfiguration was the release of glory from within Him. This was also His coming in His kingdom. This transfiguration was temporary. When they went down the mountain the glory was again concealed within Him.

The glory will again be manifested when the Lord Jesus returns visibly. In Luke 21:27 He says that men shaken by the tribulation “will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” And, “when the Son of Man comes in His glory…He will sit on the throne of His glory” (Matt 25:31).

Based on these verses, we should expect that God and the Lamb on the throne in New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:1, 3) will radiating great glory.

Bible verses quoted in these posts are from The Holy Bible, Recovery Version, published and © by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim CA, 2003. The New Testament of this Bible, with its outlines, footnotes, and cross-references, is at online.recoveryversion.org; this too is © by LSM.

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by Don on January 2, 2019  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on January 2, 2019

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2019/01/02/see-the-kingdom-coming-in-glory/

The Two Ends of Our Christian Life

New JerusalemThe New Testament begins with repentance and ends with New Jerusalem. These are the two ends of our Christian life.

The New Testament begins with a call to repent “for the kingdom of the heavens” (Matt. 3:2), “and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15), and “for forgiveness of sins.” (Luke 3:3). When we repent and believe in the Lord Jesus, we are forgiven and we also receive eternal life. These two steps bring us into the kingdom.

The New Testament ends with New Jerusalem; at the center of this city is the throne of God and the Lamb from which the river of water of life flows. Here the Lamb is a memorial of our forgiveness, the river is the divine life supply, and the throne indicates the kingdom.

Everyone who has been regenerated has had the initial experience of repentance. As we go through our Christian life, we might need more times of repentance. For example, Simon had believed and been baptized (Acts 8:13) but Peter exhorted him to repent. And Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians brought forth repentance among them (2 Cor. 7:9-10).

In Revelation 2 and 3 the Lord charges us to repent. This is to return to our best love to Him (2:5), to turn from false teachings and immoral actions (2:16, 22), and to rise out of deadness and lukewarmness (3:3, 19). These needs, or other actions which keep us from the Lord, require our repentance. This is part of our journey from initial repentance to New Jerusalem.

Photo courtesy of U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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by Don on September 19, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Preparation of New Jerusalem
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Posted by Don on September 19, 2018

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2018/09/19/the-two-ends-of-our-christian-life/

Come to the Throne, Now & New Jerusalem

In New Jerusalem is “a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street.” This is the Triune God flowing to us: God and the Lamb on the throne and the Spirit as the river.

The Triune God being the flow of living water is both now (John 7:38-39) and in New Jerusalem. This flow is also in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help.”

New JerusalemThe throne in Hebrews is the same as in New Jerusalem. Hebrews does not have the word water but there is a flow of mercy and grace here. When we come, we receive mercy. This coming is like John 7:37, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” In Hebrews, if anyone needs mercy, let him come to the throne.

Our great High Priest on the throne is also the Lamb on the throne in New Jerusalem. We can be comfortable coming to Him on the throne because “He can be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses” (Heb. 4:15). Here we receive the flow of mercy and we can find the flow of grace. This grace and mercy are not commodities; they are the Triune God flowing to us! We “come forward with boldness.”

A song (words, music) by Witness Lee begins with this flow, “In the holiest place, touch the throne of grace, / Grace as a river shall flow;.” The chorus is “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! / Grace as a river shall flow.” And the song concludes “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! / Touch the living fountain of life.” This should be our experience now and will definitely be our experience in New Jerusalem.

Prior posts in this group: The Flow of Living Water is the Triune God
__Living Water Flows to, in New Jerusalem one two three four five
The flow of living water in the Old Testament: Take Freely the Water of Life

Bible verses are quoted from The Holy Bible, Recovery Version, published and © by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim CA, 2003. The New Testament of this Bible, with its outlines, footnotes, and cross-references, is at online.recoveryversion.org; this too is © by LSM.

Photo courtesy of U.S. National Park Service.

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by Don on March 2, 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 2, 2018

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2018/03/02/come-to-the-throne-now-new-jerusalem/

Living Water Flows to & in New Jerusalem

NewJerusalemRevelation 22:1 tells us that in New Jerusalem is “a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street.” A prior series of posts looked at the water of life through the Old Testament.

We do not wait until New Jerusalem to drink the water of life. It is available today. New Testament verses about this water are in various posts, but here is a summary of them together.

Jesus tells us, “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water gushing up into eternal life” (John 4:14). This water is very active, becoming a gushing up fountain in us. The goal of the gushing up is eternal life, both today and forever in New Jerusalem.

Later, “Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes into Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38). Again, the water is very active. And the one fountain has become many rivers. The rivers of living water are the many flows of the different aspects of life.*

The rivers of living water are the Spirit (v. 7:39). God is Triune. Revelation 22:1 tells us that in New Jerusalem is the throne of God and the Lamb with the Spirit as the river of water of life; this is the Triune God as our eternal life supply.

* Part of John 7:38, note 2, written by Witness Lee, in the online Recovery Version NT, © LSM.
Graphic courtesy of pixabay.com.

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by Don on February 16, 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on February 16, 2018

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2018/02/16/living-water-flows-to-in-new-jerusalem/

No Sweat, No Thorns, in New Jerusalem

New Jerusalem is the lovely center of the new creation, blessed with the presence of God and the Lamb, full of God’s glory, and supplied by the river of life and tree of life.

Due to the rebellion of Satan and the fall of man, the old creation was corrupted. and man was separated from God. To us, this would be very discouraging. However, to God, this is a big opportunity to display His unlimited wisdom. Out of all the corruption God will bring forth a new, perfect creation with New Jerusalem as His eternal dwelling.

One characteristic of the old creation that will not be in the new creation nor in New Jerusalem is sweat. The origin of sweat is 1) Satan’s deceiving man, 2) man’s taking of the tree of knowledge, and 3) God’s curse on fallen man, all recorded in Genesis 3. Verses 17-19 say, “Because you [Adam]…have eaten of the tree concerning which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it; cursed is the ground because of you….And thorns and thistles it will bring forth for you,…by the sweat of your face you will eat bread…”

New JerusalemThe sweat here indicates the need of human effort, separated from God’s blessing, to supply the essentials for human living. Man was shut out from the garden of Eden, which contained “every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food” and had to expend his own sweat-producing energy.

The curse of Genesis 3 also includes thorns. But, Revelation 22:3, describing New Jerusalem, says, “there will no longer be a curse.”

Because New Jerusalem will be filled with God and His blessings and no curse, there will be no need for man’s effort and no sweat. Also, without the curse, there will be no thorns in New Jerusalem.

 

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by Don on January 22, 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on January 22, 2018

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2018/01/22/no-sweat-no-thorns-in-new-jerusalem/

Being Perfected in Christian Life to Match New Jerusalem (2)

#NewJerusalemOur Christian life is a time for our growth and perfecting in this life so that we may match New Jerusalem.

In Luke 6 the Lord spoke quite a while about the proper living standard of His disciples. In verse 40 He said, “A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who has been perfected will be like his teacher.” He is indicating that He expects us to be perfected.

We must be perfected to match the perfection of New Jerusalem, but how? Part of the answer is in Matthew 5:48, “You therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The divine life of our heavenly Father, growing in us, enables us to be perfected.

Similarly, the Lord prayed in John 17:23, “I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected into one…” He is “the life” and He is in all His believers. This is how we can be “perfected into one” and perfected in any other way. Thank You Lord that You have become our life to work in us and perfect us.

This perfection into one is also the oneness in Ephesians 4:13, the oneness of New Jerusalem. This eternal city has one throne, one street, one river, one light; it is the perfection of oneness, the final answer to the Lord’s prayer in John 17.

Second Corinthians 7:1: “Therefore since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and of spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Here it seems that we are doing the perfecting work. However, in ourselves we cannot do it, but “the fear of God” indicates our cooperation with Jesus Christ as the perfecting life in us. This perfecting causes us to match New Jerusalem, the holy city (Rev. 21:2, 10).

Photo courtesy of U.S. National Park Service.

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by Don on July 24, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on July 24, 2017

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2017/07/24/being-perfected-in-christian-life-to-match-new-jerusalem-2/

Jesus Christ, Living Forever and Ever

New JerusalemRecent posts are glory to God and the Lamb forever and ever and God and the Lamb reigning forever and ever. Now, verses about God and the Lamb living forever and ever. Of course, New Jerusalem is the consummation of “forever and ever.”

Revelation 1:17b-18: “I am the First and the Last and the living One; and I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever; and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” The Lord Jesus is the living One. He entered into death and came forth in resurrection. His living forever and ever is in resurrection. Likewise His reigning forever and ever is in resurrection.

His living and reigning in resurrection are characteristics of New Jerusalem. It is a city in resurrection. Not only our Lord, but also we are in resurrection. Our natural life has been crucified and buried with Him so that we walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:3-4). In this age we are learning to partake of this spiritual reality; in New Jerusalem we will be fully in newness of life, that is, in resurrection.

Revelation 4:9-10: “when the four living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits upon the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall before Him who sits upon the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever…” We too should give glory to Him and worship Him who sits on the throne and lives forever and ever.

Revelation 10:6 and 15:7 also speak about “Him who lives forever and ever.” His eternal living is our eternal life supply in New Jerusalem—the river of life which flows from the throne and the tree of life it conveys to us. His eternal living in resurrection is for us not only in New Jerusalem but also for today.

Graphic courtesy of pixabay.com.

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by Don on May 5, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on May 5, 2017

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2017/05/05/jesus-christ-living-forever-and-ever/

New Jerusalem: Reign Forever and Ever

Many New Testament books proclaim glory to God forever and ever. looking toward New Jerusalem the forever-and-ever city Hebrews 1:8, quoting Psalm 45, says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.”

This is spoken to the Son, who is God in His divinity. His throne, the throne of New Jerusalem, is eternal, forever and ever. His reign is eternal and full of uprightness. This matches 2 Peter 3:13 which tells us that in the new heaven and new earth righteousness dwells.

New JerusalemHis eternal reign is also in Revelation 11:15, “the seventh angel trumpeted; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.” This forever-and-ever reign points to New Jerusalem.

“Our Lord and His Christ” indicates two, but is followed by “He will reign” indicating one. The Triune  God is three yet one. This matches the wording in Revelation 22:1 (and 22:3)—in New Jerusalem is “the throne of God and of the Lamb”—one throne for two, with the third, the Spirit, flowing forth as the river of water of life.

The last part of Revelation 22:5 says more about this eternal reign. “And they will reign forever and ever.” “They” are God’s slaves mentioned in verse 3. We reign forever and ever by being one with the Triune God who reigns forever and ever. We are slaves, yet we reign. Today we can reign in the life which is the Lord Himself within us (Rom. 5:17); in New Jerusalem we will reign, still in this life, in a fuller way.

Photo courtesy of pixabay.com.

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by Don on May 3, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on May 3, 2017

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2017/05/03/new-jerusalem-reign-forever-and-ever/

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