The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty-Two - F Nov 15, 2020 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T033_20201115.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Re 20:7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. We will continue to look at events today that take us from the Millennial Kingdom to the endless ages. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday November 15th 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 22F This is the Day 1). There is a parallel between the events that take place before the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom and the events that take place before the beginning of the endless ages. And although these events parallel one another they ultimately lead to very different conclusions. a). At the end of the 75 days that follow the end of Daniel’s 70th seven we have found this – Re 19:19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. As we know, that pictured here is the destruction of Gentile world power at the place called Armageddon, the plain of Megiddo, that is the approach to the city of Jerusalem. The intent of those leading these armies is, to destroy Israel and her Messiah in order to continue Gentile rule, under the god of this age, as we have seen in Psalm 2 and Psalm 83. b). The Gentile armies are utterly destroyed, with all killed, except for the beast and the false prophet, who are cast alive into the lake of fire, where they will reside forever. c). Satan and his angels who are also present, the perpetrators of the deception that will lead to this carnage, will also be dealt with – Re 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. Satan and his angels will not be put in the lake of fire with the beast and the false prophet at this time, but rather they will be bound with a great chain and cast ‘into the bottomless pit’ for the 1000 years of the Millennial Kingdom as they have one last purpose to fulfill. d). And as the Millennial Kingdom begins there will be the long anticipated, complete change in the rulers of the Kingdom. Christ and His co-heirs, along with certain OT saints and the tribulation martyrs ruling from the heavens in the New Jerusalem, and Israel at the head of the nations on the earth, being God’s witnesses to the unsaved Gentile nations that have survived the Great Tribulation. e). This will be the times of restoration of all things, with cleansed heavens, and a cleansed earth which will be released from the curse to which it was subjected in hope of this coming Day – Ro 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Although all things will be restored, let’s keep in mind that both realms of the Kingdom will still have the association with sin and death with which they have been defiled. And let’s not forget that sin and death [not physical] will still be present on the earth during the 1000 years, with many of the unsaved Gentile nations still in rebellion against the Lord and His anointed. f). And let’s also not forget the presence of the unfaithful Christians in the heavens, whose unrighteousness with respect to the Kingdom Age, will have resulted in death for them for this time. g). Then at the end of the 1000 years we see this – Re 20:7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. We again see another destruction of the rebellious Gentile nations, who will again come against Israel and her Messiah with a view to restoring Gentile world power under Satan. h). And as at Armageddon, these Gentile nations will also be utterly destroyed with all being killed, except Satan and his angels, who, following this destruction, will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet will have been waiting for them for 1000 years; where they will all remain, being tormented day and night throughout the endless ages. i). All those from the Gentile nations gathered together from the 4 corners of the earth will comprise all of those from the Kingdom Age who are unsaved, who will have rejected the Lord’s sovereign control, who will have rejected the regal purpose for Man’s creation having been in rebellion against Christ. No unsaved Gentile will be missing from this final gathering. j). What we are seeing in this final gathering and destruction is the complete removal of everyone who has the connection to sin and death. A final clearing out, if you will, of all who are unrighteous from the earth, all of those who have rejected salvation and will therefore have rejected the purpose for their creation. k). And following that seen in Revelation 20:7-10, when all the unsaved have been removed, those remaining from the Gentile nations on the earth will all be eternally saved and apart from sin. l). Keep in mind that the events seen in these verses take place ‘when the thousand years have expired’. The Kingdom Age will be over, and the ages of the ages will not yet have begun and so we will have an unspecified period of time, paralleling the 75 days before the Millennium, when these events will take place. m). Following the destruction of Gentile world power, preceding the Millennial Kingdom, the heavens and the earth will be restored – Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. But it is not a restoration of the heavens and the earth that we see preceding the endless ages. Rather we see the present heavens and earth that will be restored during the Millennium, destroyed. Both the realms that had originally been defiled by sin and death, even though they will be cleansed and restored, will cease to exist; nothing of the places where sin and death once walked will remain. n). The unfaithful Christian’s encounter with death relates exclusively to the Kingdom Age. Once the 1000 years of this Age have ended so their sin and death with respect to those 1000 years must also end. Once the Kingdom Age ends, then their unfaithfulness and the separation from God’s purpose that came with it can no longer exist. 2). Re 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. At the great white throne, as we saw last time, all of the unsaved from the 7000 years of Man’s history, including those killed in the final battle, are dealt with, with respect to their rejection of the regal purpose for Man’s creation, and they, along with death and the place of death, are cast into the lake of fire. a). In their rejection of God’s purpose for them they have committed the same sin as Satan and his angels and can therefore do nothing else than share in the same punishment. b). Perhaps we can try to picture the scene at this point. The heavens and the earth that presently exist are no more, Satan and his angels are no more and all the unsaved are no more. All of the eternally saved previously occupying the heavens and all of the eternally saved previously occupying the earth remain and will live forever, completely apart from sin and death – Re 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. Just as the Millennial Kingdom will bring significant and far-reaching changes to that which presently exist, so the beginning of the endless ages will also bring significant and far-reaching changes to that which will exist during the Millennial Kingdom. c). During the Kingdom Age, the New Jerusalem will be located above the earth, in the heavens, presumably visible to those on the earth. With the creation of the new heavens and new earth, the New Jerusalem will come ‘down out of heaven’ to reside on the new earth. d). And in connection to the New Jerusalem residing on the new earth the statement is made - “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. At the present time God is located in ‘the farthest sides of the North’, from where He rules the Universe through angels. In the endless ages however, God will reside on the new earth with all the eternally saved, those who will be Christ’s Bride during the Kingdom, as well as those Christians who will previously have been unfaithful, eternally saved Jews, both faithful and previously unfaithful and eternally saved Gentiles, both the faithful and those who previously were the goats. All the eternally saved at this time ‘shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’ e). We will remember that on the 6th Day of the restoration in Genesis Chapter 1 there was a creation in Adam and then at a later date there was a subsequent creation in Jacob – Isa 43:1 But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob………… And as a result of the creation in Jacob a distinction exists between the Gentiles - the sons of Adam, and the Jews - the sons of Jacob. And this is a distinction in place today and will continue through the Millennial Kingdom and can only continue through the endless ages as well. f). And through the creation in Jacob came another distinction between Israel and the Gentiles, Israel is the only nation with a God and only through Israel can the Gentile nations have access to God and His spiritual blessings. Something we can trace all the way back to Shem, the only one of Noah’s son to be blessed and to have a God. g). This same situation continues today, although God cannot be accessed by the nations through Israel today because of Israel’s spiritual condition, but during the Kingdom Age God’s message and blessings will come to the nations through Israel. h). But notice what will change when we come to the endless ages, let’s look at it again – “All the eternally saved ‘shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’” i). During the endless ages, all the eternally saved, whether the sons of Adam or the sons of Jacob, will have a God. This previous distinction between Jews and Gentiles regarding the possession of a God will have changed completely. j). The distinction that had existed between the faithful and unfaithful eternally saved will also be gone. This distinction exists at the present and its results will be seen during the Kingdom Age, but beyond the Kingdom it will be gone - 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Death, sorrow, crying and pain have a direct connection to sin, which in the endless ages will not exist. All of the unfaithful eternally saved whether Christian, Jew or Gentile, will have experienced these throughout the Kingdom Age as a result of their unfaithfulness. But with the end of the Kingdom Age will come the end of their unfaithfulness and death, sorrow, crying and pain will no longer be their experience and will not exist of themselves during the endless ages. All things will have been made new. 3). Ge 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion……….. God’s purpose for creating Man is regal, Man is to have dominion, and first and foremost within the Scriptures, God’s regal purpose is focused upon the 7th Day. But God’s regal purpose for Man does not end with the close of the 7th Day. a). The earth to be ruled over in the 7th Day will be gone and the heavens from which that rulership will come will also be gone. However, the city from which rulership will take place, the New Jerusalem, will not be gone but will reside on the new earth. b). The rule with a rod of iron over the Gentile nations will also be gone, as this would be entirely out of place in the endless ages. And yet, with regards to Man and rulership, the Scripture records – Re 22:5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. [Lit. with respect to the ages of the ages] The Scripture clearly states that, the people of God on the new earth ‘shall reign forever and ever’, and it is not the new earth that will need to be ruled over. It becomes obvious then that God’s regal purpose for Man for the endless ages has to do with the administration of the billions of provinces that exist within the billions of galaxies that make up God’s Universal Kingdom presently administered by angels – Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. And God’s regal purpose for the endless ages can be seen in relation to the throne from which rulership will take place - Re 22:3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. During the Millennial Kingdom Christ will rule, along with His co-heirs, from His own throne in the heavens. At the conclusion of the Kingdom Age – 1 Co 15:24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. When Christ delivers the Kingdom to God the Father, His throne in the heavens will be combined with the Father’s throne, which is then seen as ‘the throne of God and of the Lamb’, which will be found in the New Jerusalem on the new earth. This we will remember is where the Triune God will then be located, a location replacing the farthest sides of the north, as the center of universal government. All things will have become new. c). And in the transition of Christ’s throne in the heavens to the throne of God and of the Lamb in the New Jerusalem on the new earth, is seen the transition from rule over the earth during the 7th Day to rule over the universe during the endless ages. d). And with respect to the overcoming Christian’s rule with Christ in the Millennial Kingdom we will remember – Re 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’ And it is the tree of life that we see again with regards to rulership and the endless ages – Re 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. The tree of life can only fulfill the same function with regards to the endless ages as it originally did in the Garden and will again do in the Millennial Kingdom – Ge 1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. This tree was present in the Garden to provide eternal Adam with the necessary ‘provision’ to be able to rule. And as this tree can only produce ‘according to its kind’, then this is exactly what it will provide for the overcomers during the Kingdom Age. And likewise, this will be its function during the endless ages. e). This tree can have nothing to do with perpetuity of life as it was given to Adam before the fall. And similarly, the overcoming Christians who will eat from it during the Millennial Kingdom will already be in possession of eternal life through the free gift, not through eating from the tree. And as we have already seen, those who will enter the endless ages will also be in possession of eternal life before they have access to the tree. f). In verse 2 of Revelation Chapter 22 we see - The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. We need to be careful how we handle the word translated ‘healing’ in this verse, because the English word carries the suggestion of curing that which is sick. And if we think about this for a moment, we will realize that this cannot be the case at all. g). The Gentile nations on the new earth entering the endless ages will be just as completely saved and completely whole as the eternally saved Jews and eternally saved Christians on the new earth. There will be no spiritual sickness. Their classification as ‘nations’ has no bearing on this. h). The Greek word translated ‘healing’ is ‘therapeia’, from which the English word ‘therapy’ is derived. This is a medical term that has to do with restorative healing. i). And the use of this word in this context shows us that in that coming day, when the endless ages begin, God will have restored all of saved mankind, including the nations, to the position for which they had originally been created – to have dominion. j). And with dominion in view, all of saved Mankind, Jew, Christian and Gentile will have access to the tree of life throughout the endless ages. 4). Re 3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” The question is often asked, ‘Will that given to overcoming Christians during the Millennial Kingdom carry over into the endless ages?’ The answer to the question is simple enough, but it will have to wait until next time – If the Lord is willing. The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty-Two - F Nov 15, 2020 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T033_20201115.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Re 20:7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. We will continue to look at events today that take us from the Millennial Kingdom to the endless ages. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday November 15th 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 22F This is the Day 1). There is a parallel between the events that take place before the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom and the events that take place before the beginning of the endless ages. And although these events parallel one another they ultimately lead to very different conclusions. a). At the end of the 75 days that follow the end of Daniel’s 70th seven we have found this – Re 19:19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. As we know, that pictured here is the destruction of Gentile world power at the place called Armageddon, the plain of Megiddo, that is the approach to the city of Jerusalem. The intent of those leading these armies is, to destroy Israel and her Messiah in order to continue Gentile rule, under the god of this age, as we have seen in Psalm 2 and Psalm 83. b). The Gentile armies are utterly destroyed, with all killed, except for the beast and the false prophet, who are cast alive into the lake of fire, where they will reside forever. c). Satan and his angels who are also present, the perpetrators of the deception that will lead to this carnage, will also be dealt with – Re 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. Satan and his angels will not be put in the lake of fire with the beast and the false prophet at this time, but rather they will be bound with a great chain and cast ‘into the bottomless pit’ for the 1000 years of the Millennial Kingdom as they have one last purpose to fulfill. d). And as the Millennial Kingdom begins there will be the long anticipated, complete change in the rulers of the Kingdom. Christ and His co-heirs, along with certain OT saints and the tribulation martyrs ruling from the heavens in the New Jerusalem, and Israel at the head of the nations on the earth, being God’s witnesses to the unsaved Gentile nations that have survived the Great Tribulation. e). This will be the times of restoration of all things, with cleansed heavens, and a cleansed earth which will be released from the curse to which it was subjected in hope of this coming Day – Ro 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Although all things will be restored, let’s keep in mind that both realms of the Kingdom will still have the association with sin and death with which they have been defiled. And let’s not forget that sin and death [not physical] will still be present on the earth during the 1000 years, with many of the unsaved Gentile nations still in rebellion against the Lord and His anointed. f). And let’s also not forget the presence of the unfaithful Christians in the heavens, whose unrighteousness with respect to the Kingdom Age, will have resulted in death for them for this time. g). Then at the end of the 1000 years we see this – Re 20:7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. We again see another destruction of the rebellious Gentile nations, who will again come against Israel and her Messiah with a view to restoring Gentile world power under Satan. h). And as at Armageddon, these Gentile nations will also be utterly destroyed with all being killed, except Satan and his angels, who, following this destruction, will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet will have been waiting for them for 1000 years; where they will all remain, being tormented day and night throughout the endless ages. i). All those from the Gentile nations gathered together from the 4 corners of the earth will comprise all of those from the Kingdom Age who are unsaved, who will have rejected the Lord’s sovereign control, who will have rejected the regal purpose for Man’s creation having been in rebellion against Christ. No unsaved Gentile will be missing from this final gathering. j). What we are seeing in this final gathering and destruction is the complete removal of everyone who has the connection to sin and death. A final clearing out, if you will, of all who are unrighteous from the earth, all of those who have rejected salvation and will therefore have rejected the purpose for their creation. k). And following that seen in Revelation 20:7-10, when all the unsaved have been removed, those remaining from the Gentile nations on the earth will all be eternally saved and apart from sin. l). Keep in mind that the events seen in these verses take place ‘when the thousand years have expired’. The Kingdom Age will be over, and the ages of the ages will not yet have begun and so we will have an unspecified period of time, paralleling the 75 days before the Millennium, when these events will take place. m). Following the destruction of Gentile world power, preceding the Millennial Kingdom, the heavens and the earth will be restored – Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. But it is not a restoration of the heavens and the earth that we see preceding the endless ages. Rather we see the present heavens and earth that will be restored during the Millennium, destroyed. Both the realms that had originally been defiled by sin and death, even though they will be cleansed and restored, will cease to exist; nothing of the places where sin and death once walked will remain. n). The unfaithful Christian’s encounter with death relates exclusively to the Kingdom Age. Once the 1000 years of this Age have ended so their sin and death with respect to those 1000 years must also end. Once the Kingdom Age ends, then their unfaithfulness and the separation from God’s purpose that came with it can no longer exist. 2). Re 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. At the great white throne, as we saw last time, all of the unsaved from the 7000 years of Man’s history, including those killed in the final battle, are dealt with, with respect to their rejection of the regal purpose for Man’s creation, and they, along with death and the place of death, are cast into the lake of fire. a). In their rejection of God’s purpose for them they have committed the same sin as Satan and his angels and can therefore do nothing else than share in the same punishment. b). Perhaps we can try to picture the scene at this point. The heavens and the earth that presently exist are no more, Satan and his angels are no more and all the unsaved are no more. All of the eternally saved previously occupying the heavens and all of the eternally saved previously occupying the earth remain and will live forever, completely apart from sin and death – Re 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. Just as the Millennial Kingdom will bring significant and far-reaching changes to that which presently exist, so the beginning of the endless ages will also bring significant and far-reaching changes to that which will exist during the Millennial Kingdom. c). During the Kingdom Age, the New Jerusalem will be located above the earth, in the heavens, presumably visible to those on the earth. With the creation of the new heavens and new earth, the New Jerusalem will come ‘down out of heaven’ to reside on the new earth. d). And in connection to the New Jerusalem residing on the new earth the statement is made - “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. At the present time God is located in ‘the farthest sides of the North’, from where He rules the Universe through angels. In the endless ages however, God will reside on the new earth with all the eternally saved, those who will be Christ’s Bride during the Kingdom, as well as those Christians who will previously have been unfaithful, eternally saved Jews, both faithful and previously unfaithful and eternally saved Gentiles, both the faithful and those who previously were the goats. All the eternally saved at this time ‘shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’ e). We will remember that on the 6th Day of the restoration in Genesis Chapter 1 there was a creation in Adam and then at a later date there was a subsequent creation in Jacob – Isa 43:1 But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob………… And as a result of the creation in Jacob a distinction exists between the Gentiles - the sons of Adam, and the Jews - the sons of Jacob. And this is a distinction in place today and will continue through the Millennial Kingdom and can only continue through the endless ages as well. f). And through the creation in Jacob came another distinction between Israel and the Gentiles, Israel is the only nation with a God and only through Israel can the Gentile nations have access to God and His spiritual blessings. Something we can trace all the way back to Shem, the only one of Noah’s son to be blessed and to have a God. g). This same situation continues today, although God cannot be accessed by the nations through Israel today because of Israel’s spiritual condition, but during the Kingdom Age God’s message and blessings will come to the nations through Israel. h). But notice what will change when we come to the endless ages, let’s look at it again – “All the eternally saved ‘shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’” i). During the endless ages, all the eternally saved, whether the sons of Adam or the sons of Jacob, will have a God. This previous distinction between Jews and Gentiles regarding the possession of a God will have changed completely. j). The distinction that had existed between the faithful and unfaithful eternally saved will also be gone. This distinction exists at the present and its results will be seen during the Kingdom Age, but beyond the Kingdom it will be gone - 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Death, sorrow, crying and pain have a direct connection to sin, which in the endless ages will not exist. All of the unfaithful eternally saved whether Christian, Jew or Gentile, will have experienced these throughout the Kingdom Age as a result of their unfaithfulness. But with the end of the Kingdom Age will come the end of their unfaithfulness and death, sorrow, crying and pain will no longer be their experience and will not exist of themselves during the endless ages. All things will have been made new. 3). Ge 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion……….. God’s purpose for creating Man is regal, Man is to have dominion, and first and foremost within the Scriptures, God’s regal purpose is focused upon the 7th Day. But God’s regal purpose for Man does not end with the close of the 7th Day. a). The earth to be ruled over in the 7th Day will be gone and the heavens from which that rulership will come will also be gone. However, the city from which rulership will take place, the New Jerusalem, will not be gone but will reside on the new earth. b). The rule with a rod of iron over the Gentile nations will also be gone, as this would be entirely out of place in the endless ages. And yet, with regards to Man and rulership, the Scripture records – Re 22:5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. [Lit. with respect to the ages of the ages] The Scripture clearly states that, the people of God on the new earth ‘shall reign forever and ever’, and it is not the new earth that will need to be ruled over. It becomes obvious then that God’s regal purpose for Man for the endless ages has to do with the administration of the billions of provinces that exist within the billions of galaxies that make up God’s Universal Kingdom presently administered by angels – Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. And God’s regal purpose for the endless ages can be seen in relation to the throne from which rulership will take place - Re 22:3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. During the Millennial Kingdom Christ will rule, along with His co-heirs, from His own throne in the heavens. At the conclusion of the Kingdom Age – 1 Co 15:24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. When Christ delivers the Kingdom to God the Father, His throne in the heavens will be combined with the Father’s throne, which is then seen as ‘the throne of God and of the Lamb’, which will be found in the New Jerusalem on the new earth. This we will remember is where the Triune God will then be located, a location replacing the farthest sides of the north, as the center of universal government. All things will have become new. c). And in the transition of Christ’s throne in the heavens to the throne of God and of the Lamb in the New Jerusalem on the new earth, is seen the transition from rule over the earth during the 7th Day to rule over the universe during the endless ages. d). And with respect to the overcoming Christian’s rule with Christ in the Millennial Kingdom we will remember – Re 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’ And it is the tree of life that we see again with regards to rulership and the endless ages – Re 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. The tree of life can only fulfill the same function with regards to the endless ages as it originally did in the Garden and will again do in the Millennial Kingdom – Ge 1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. This tree was present in the Garden to provide eternal Adam with the necessary ‘provision’ to be able to rule. And as this tree can only produce ‘according to its kind’, then this is exactly what it will provide for the overcomers during the Kingdom Age. And likewise, this will be its function during the endless ages. e). This tree can have nothing to do with perpetuity of life as it was given to Adam before the fall. And similarly, the overcoming Christians who will eat from it during the Millennial Kingdom will already be in possession of eternal life through the free gift, not through eating from the tree. And as we have already seen, those who will enter the endless ages will also be in possession of eternal life before they have access to the tree. f). In verse 2 of Revelation Chapter 22 we see - The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. We need to be careful how we handle the word translated ‘healing’ in this verse, because the English word carries the suggestion of curing that which is sick. And if we think about this for a moment, we will realize that this cannot be the case at all. g). The Gentile nations on the new earth entering the endless ages will be just as completely saved and completely whole as the eternally saved Jews and eternally saved Christians on the new earth. There will be no spiritual sickness. Their classification as ‘nations’ has no bearing on this. h). The Greek word translated ‘healing’ is ‘therapeia’, from which the English word ‘therapy’ is derived. This is a medical term that has to do with restorative healing. i). And the use of this word in this context shows us that in that coming day, when the endless ages begin, God will have restored all of saved mankind, including the nations, to the position for which they had originally been created – to have dominion. j). And with dominion in view, all of saved Mankind, Jew, Christian and Gentile will have access to the tree of life throughout the endless ages. 4). Re 3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” The question is often asked, ‘Will that given to overcoming Christians during the Millennial Kingdom carry over into the endless ages?’ The answer to the question is simple enough, but it will have to wait until next time – If the Lord is willing.