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What in the World is Happening
- September 2007
A series of articles by Brian Papworth,
our PWMI Representative in New Zealand.
When you read an interesting book, do you find yourself
looking at the last page to find out how the story is going to end? With
prophecy in the Bible, we tend, in our efforts to spread the Gospel and
the way of Salvation to be preoccupied with the disasters and judgements
that are to come on the people of this world, and their need of
redemption. However there is a much brighter side. What do the last two
chapters in the Bible and associated Scriptures tell us about the future?
As we start reading Chapter 21 of Revelation, the battle
is over, Satan, the Antichrist, the False Prophet and their team are
destroyed in the lake of fire. God reigns in love and mercy. The old earth
and the heavens have been destroyed with a fervent heat [2 Peter 3:
10-12]. Revelation Chapter 21 opens with these words; "Then I saw
a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had
passed away" John then goes on to describe the new Jerusalem
coming down in all its glory down from heaven. John Chapter 14 and verses
1 to 4, tells us that Jesus will prepare a place for us. In Corinthians,
Paul writes; ; "no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has
conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him" [1 Cor 2:9].
In Revelation 21 we are given a glimpse, in words that we will
understand but probably don't fully reveal where we will live for eternity
and what it will be like.
The New Jerusalem we are told, will shine with the glory
of God, and its brilliance is described as a very precious jewel, like
jasper. The streets will be made of gold so pure that they will be
translucent like glass. The size of the city will be 12000 stadia square
or about 1500 miles [2414 km] wide, long and high. There will be a lot of
room for everyone. We cannot imagine how beautiful this city will be. With
a base something like twice the land area of the state of New South Wales
in Australia or placed over mainland Europe would more than cover France,
Germany, Belgium, Holland, Poland, Italy, Greece and the old Yugoslavia
land area. It will be as high as it is square. We will probably be able to
move vertical as we now do horizontal and maybe travel up and down
passageways linking different parts of the city. The city will have twelve
gates each made of a single pearl. Just a thought, as a pearl is only
formed by the suffering of an oyster so we may be reminded that our
presence in that beautiful city will be because of the suffering of the
Lord Jesus on the cross at Calvary.
The creation of the new heavens and new earth will be a
return to the conditions found in the Garden of Eden, and an eternity of
perfect peaceful harmony of men and women in communion with the God of
creation. "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie
down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together, and a
little child will lead them [Isa 11:6-9]. The sound of weeping and of
crying will be heard in it no more. [Isa 65:19].
Besides the New Jerusalem, the New Earth will be
inhabited. Some people think that nations will not exist in the future,
but the Bible says that the Gentile nations and Israel will exist forever
under the rule of Christ. [Rev 21: 22-26]. It appears God's earth will be
the home of those that survived the great tribulation and God's earthly
people Israel. The New Jerusalem will be for those who have their names
written in the Lamb's Book of Life. [Rev 21:27]. When on the cross Jesus
once and for all defeated Satan, he also apparently freed the souls of the
Old Testament saints [Luke 16:22] who were faithful and true. We are told
that un-fallen angels, the faithful saints who came out of the tribulation
and the "spirits of righteous men made perfect [Heb 12:23] will
also be found as citizens of the New Jerusalem.
It has been thought by some that Revelation Chapter 22
only refers to the time of the Millennium, however if we look at its words
carefully it is still describing the environs of the City of New
Jerusalem. We are told that there will be a river of life "with
the Tree of Life for the healing of the nations" [Rev 22:2]. We
are not told, but it is evident that the New World will contain people who
need healing and the population of the New Earth will be able to have
access to the leaves of the "Tree of Life" that Adam and Eve
were prevented from accessing [Gen 3:22-23] after they committed sin for
the first time [Gen 3:13-21]. It will give the population of the New Earth
eternal life provided they are faithful and use the leaves for healing.
This no doubt means that the New Earth will contain babies and children
and it will be a perfect edition of the old world as God intended it
should be when He originally created the earth as recorded in Genesis.
The last chapter of Revelation and the Bible closes with a
warning and an appeal. The warning is that if you don't have your sins
forgiven and are born again you will not have access to eternal life and
the eternal city. The appeal is that both the Holy Spirit and the living
Christian Church is telling you to come. To leave your sins at the foot of
the Cross of Jesus and accept His forgiveness and accept Him as your Lord
and Saviour. The Bible ends with a final warning. If you believe the Bible
is not telling the truth and forgiveness is not possible then you will
never see or enter in to the New Heaven and New Earth and be with Christ
in that wonderful place for eternity.
Yours in His Service
Brian D Papworth
Representative for the Prophetic Witness Movement International for New
Zealand, Australia and South Pacific.
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