{"id":258,"date":"2018-01-01T11:30:37","date_gmt":"2018-01-01T10:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/?p=258"},"modified":"2018-01-01T11:30:37","modified_gmt":"2018-01-01T10:30:37","slug":"the-eternal-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/2018\/01\/01\/the-eternal-order\/","title":{"rendered":"The Eternal Order"},"content":{"rendered":"
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And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more.<\/em><\/p>\n

Revelation 21:1<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the Messianic Age is the high point of Old Testament prophecy, the Eternal Order is the high point of New Testament prophecy. Whereas most of the information in the Book of Revelation 1\u201320<\/a> can also be found in the Old Testament, chapters 21<\/a> and 22<\/a> contain brand new material not revealed to the prophets of the Old Testament.<\/p>\n

The Millennium itself is only one thousand years long. However, according to the promises of the Davidic Covenant, there was to be an eternal Dynasty, an eternal Kingdom, and an eternal Throne. The eternal existence of the Dynasty is assured because it culminates in the eternal Person: Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah. But the eternal existence of the Throne and Kingdom must also be assured. The millennial form of the Kingdom of God will end after one thousand years. But the Kingdom of God in the sense of God\u2019s rule will continue into the Eternal Order. The Lord will continue His position of authority on the Davidic Throne into the Eternal Order.<\/p>\n

All that is known about the Eternal Order is to be found in Revelation 21:1\u201322:5<\/a>, and that entire passage of Scripture is the concern of this study.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

I. The Passing Away of the Old Order and the Creation of the Eternal Order\u2014Revelation 21:1\u20138<\/a><\/p>\n

In preparation for the Great White Throne Judgment, the older order of the heavens and the earth will be do<\/span>ne away with. Then, following the Great White Throne Judgment, there will be the creation of the Eternal Order, as recorded in Revelation 21:1\u20132<\/a>: And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first <\/em><\/span>heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.<\/em><\/p>\n

In verse <\/span>1<\/a>, a new heaven and a new earth<\/em> will be created to replace the old order. A significant element missing on the new earth is the sea. The present earth was originally comprised of a mineral garden comp<\/span>letely covered with precious stones and gems, and it served as Satan\u2019s second abode (Ezek. 28:11\u201316<\/a>). But when Satan fell, not only was he judged, but also the earth that was under his authority. That<\/span> judgment included the covering of the earth with the oceans (Gen. 1:2<\/a>). The oceans are part of God\u2019s judgment of the first earth, but they will be non existent in the new earth. Though the new heaven<\/span>s and the new earth will need to be created, verse 2<\/a> states that the New Jerusalem will not as it already exists in the present third Heaven. When the new earth is created, the New Jerusalem will come<\/span> down from Heaven in order to settle on the new earth and will be adorned with the beauty of a bride prepared for the marriage ceremony.<\/p>\n

While the greatest details of the New Jerusalem are to be found<\/span> in these last two chapters of the Book of Revelation, it was mentioned earlier in the pages of the New Testament. Paul described the New Jerusalem in Galatians 4:26<\/a>: But the Jerusalem that is above i<\/em><\/span>s free, which is our mother.<\/em><\/p>\n

While the Jerusalem on earth was continually under bondage and subjugated by various forces, the New Jerusalem in Heaven has been eternally free and will always remain so.<\/span> It was this particular city that Abraham was seeking according to Hebrews 11:9\u201310<\/a>: By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and J<\/em><\/span>acob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for the city which had the foundations, whose builder and maker is God.<\/em><\/p>\n

Then in Hebrews 12:22\u201324<\/a>, it is described as the eternal abode of al<\/span>l the redeemed: but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn wh<\/em><\/span>o are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This city will serve as the eternal abode of several groups. It will be inhabited by the entire Triune God, the entire angelic host, the Church saints and the spirits of just men made pe<\/em><\/span>rfect<\/em>, who are the Old Testament saints. They were just<\/em> in their day because they were justified by their faith, but they were made perfect<\/em> at the death of the Messiah. Not mentioned but obviously inc<\/span>luded will be the Tribulation saints and the millennial saints.<\/p>\n

Following the vision of the creation of the Eternal Order, the first declaration from the One on the Throne is given in Revelation 21:3\u2013<\/span>4<\/a>: And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God <\/em>is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and b<\/em><\/span>e their God: and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away.<\/em><\/p>\n

Two point<\/span>s are made in this declaration. First, the habitation of God will now be with men<\/em>. This is a reaffirmation of Hebrews 12:22\u201324<\/a> that the New Jerusalem will be the eternal abode of God, angels, and men.<\/span> The word translated dwell<\/em> literally means \u201cto tabernacle.\u201d It is a reference to the Shechinah Glory\u2019s abiding with men as it once did in the Tabernacle in the wilderness.<\/p>\n

The second point affirms tha<\/span>t all the effects of the curse recorded in Genesis 3:16\u201319<\/a> will be removed: Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your pain and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; and y<\/em><\/span>our desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you. And unto Adam he said, Because you have hearkened unto the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil shall you eat of it all the days of your life; th<\/em><\/span>orns also and thistles shall it bring forth to you; and you shall eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return unto the ground; for out of it were you taken: for dust you are, and unto dust shall you return.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

When the Fall of man ca<\/span>me during the beginning of the old order, it caused a great number of side effects in the outworking of the Adamic curse. All these effects of the curse of the old order will be removed with the abolition of the old order. <\/span>Therefore, in the Eternal Order there will be no tears, death, mourning, crying, or pain.<\/p>\n

Then, the second declaration from the Throne is given in Revelation 21:5\u20138<\/a>: And he that<\/em><\/span> sits on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said, Write: for these words are faithful and true. And he said unto me, They are come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the<\/em><\/span> end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcomes shall inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The second declaration from the Throne of God concerns the works of God. First, in verse 5<\/a> there is an affirmation that the future creation of the Eternal Order is assured because th<\/span>e One who makes the promise is both faithful and true. Secondly, in verse 6<\/a> there is the provision of the fountain of the water of life. Thirdly, in verse 7<\/a> the passage refers to the inheritance of th<\/span>e believers, which is the new heavens, the new earth, and the New Jerusalem being described in these closing chapters of the Book of Revelation. But fourthly, in verse 8<\/a> there is a description of the <\/span>inheritance of the unbeliever, which is the second death in the Lake of Fire.<\/p>\n

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II. The Eternal New Jerusalem\u2014Revelation 21:9\u201322:5<\/a><\/p>\n

The next major section contains a description of the eternal New Jerusalem. Again, it should be noted that this is all that can be known from Scriptu<\/span>res about what the Eternal Order is going to be like.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A. The Revelation of the Establishment of the City\u2014Revelation 21:9\u201310<\/a><\/p>\n

This section begins with an elaboration of Revelation 21:2<\/a>, regarding the establishment of the New Jerusalem: And there came one o<\/em>f the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were laden with the seven last plagues; and he spoke with me, saying, Come hither, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in the Spirit to <\/em>a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.<\/em><\/p>\n

The announcement to John to come up hither again, as in Revelation 4:1<\/a>, is so that God can show him more things to come. In verse 9<\/a>, he is told that he is about to be shown more concerning the Bride the Lamb, namely, the eternal abode of the Bride, the New Jerusalem that will come down to the freshly created new earth from Heaven where it has eternally been.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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B. The Description of the New Jerusalem\u2014Revelation 21:11\u201322:5<\/a><\/p>\n

After the revelation of the establishment of the city, there is a detailed description of the city. There are eleven things that should be<\/span> noted in this passage.<\/p>\n

First, the glory of the New Jerusalem is revealed in Revelation 21:11<\/a>: having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear <\/em><\/span>as crystal.<\/em><\/p>\n

The glory is that of the Shechinah Glory, whose final abode will be in the New Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

Secondly, a description of the city wall is given in Revelation 21:12\u201313<\/a>: having a wall great and <\/em><\/span>high; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: on the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the<\/em><\/span> south three gates; and on the west three gates.<\/em><\/p>\n

The city wall symbolizes its protection. The wall is said to be great and high<\/em>, but no details about its size or height are giv<\/span>en at this point. The city will have a total of twelve gates, and each gate will be given to the authority of an angel. The twelve gates will be named after the Twelve Tribes of Israel, meaning that for all eternity these Jewish names will be rememb<\/span>ered. Furthermore, the text states that this great wall will have four sides with three gates on each side. Thus, all the gates will be equally divided.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thirdly, the foundations of the wall are described in Revelation 21:14<\/a>: And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.<\/em><\/p>\n

The foundations <\/span>are the symbol of permanence, and there will be a total number of twelve foundations named after the Twelve Apostles, whose names will also be remembered for all eternity.<\/p>\n

Fourthly, the measurements o<\/span>f the city are recorded in Revelation 21:15\u201317<\/a>: And he that spoke with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lies foursquare<\/em><\/span>, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs: the length and the breadth and the height thereof are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The measurements of the city symbolize its spaciousness. The city will be foursquare, a cube<\/span> with the height, length, and breadth being equal, measuring about one thousand five hundred miles long, wide, and high. Obliviously, it will be the largest city ever known to man, with plenty of room for all the redeemed of all ages to live. As for the <\/span>wall<\/em>, it will measure two hundred sixteen feet high, so it will indeed be a high wall, as stated earlier in verse 12<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fifth, the composition of th<\/span>e city is described in Revelation 21:18\u201321<\/a>: And the building of the wall thereof was jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto pure glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with<\/em><\/span> all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of<\/em><\/span> the several gates was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The wall will be built of jasper, and the entire cubed city will be made of transparent gold. As for the twelve foundations<\/em> of the wall<\/span>, each foundation will be composed of different precious stones<\/em> with its own dominant color. They can be delineated as follows:<\/p>\n

1. Jasper-green<\/p>\n

2. Sapphire-blue<\/p>\n

3. Chalcedony-greenish<\/p>\n

4. Emerald-green<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Sardonyx-red and white<\/p>\n

6. Sardius-fiery red<\/p>\n

7. Chrysolite-golden yellow<\/p>\n

8. Beryl-aqua green<\/p>\n

9. Topaz-greenish yellow<\/p>\n

10. Chrysoprase-golden green<\/p>\n

11. Jacinth-violet<\/p>\n

12. Amethyst-purple<\/p>\n

In Ezekiel <\/span>28:13<\/a>, the original earth had a total of ten stones and half of these stones also characterized the first earth before Satan\u2019s fall. The new earth will enjoy all the perfections of the first earth, pl<\/span>us two additional stones for a total of twelve. As for the twelve gates named after the Twelve Tribes of Israel, each gate will be made of a single huge pearl. The singular street<\/em> of the city, like th<\/span>e city itself, will be composed of transparent gold<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Sixth, in addition to the absence of oceans in the new earth, several other omissions are mentioned in Revelation 21:22\u201324<\/a>: And I saw no temple the<\/em><\/span>rein: for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof. And the city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb. A<\/em><\/span>nd the nations shall walk amidst the light thereof: and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it.<\/em><\/p>\n

A second item missing on the new earth is a Temple. During historical t<\/span>ime, a total of four Temples will have existed. But in eternity, there will be no Temple, neither will there be any need for one, since the entire Triune God will inhabit the city along with all the redeemed of all ages. The third and fourth omissions are the sun and moo<\/span>n. In the original creation of the first earth, there was no sun or moon either, for they were only created on the fourth day of <\/span>Genesis 1<\/a>. However, there will be a return to that original condition with the absence of the sun and the moon. The source of light in the Eternal Order will not come from such created things, but wil<\/span>l be provided by the Creator of light, the Shechinah Glory of the Lamb that will lighten all for the Eternal Order. The Gentiles of the earth will walk by means of this light, as well as those who served as kings in the old order. The mention of <\/span>Gentiles<\/em> shows that the Jewish and Gentile distinction will be maintained for all eternity, but there is no mention of any functional difference.<\/p>\n

Seventh,<\/span> there is a description regarding the entrance into the city in Revelation 21:25\u201327<\/a>: And the gates thereof shall in no wise be shut by day (for there shall be no night there): and they shall bring the<\/em><\/span> glory and the honor of the nations into it: and there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that makes an abomination and a lie: but only they that are written in the Lamb\u2019s book of life.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Though there will be twelve pearly gates around the city maintained by twelve angels, these gates will never be closed throughout eternity. Then a fifth omission in the Eternal Order is the abse<\/span>nce of night. The existence of darkness was another result of the curse on the earth at Satan\u2019s fall (Gen. 1:2<\/a>). During the six days of creation, there was only a partial removal of the darkness and t<\/span>he night; the sun by day and the moon and stars at night provided limited light. But in the Eternal Order, since all the effects of sin are to be removed forever, there will be no night. As for the forever open gates of the New Jerusalem, the righteous Gentiles, that are found in the Lamb\u2019<\/span>s Book of Life will bring glory into it. On the other hand, nothing unrighteous will ever be allowed to enter into the eternal city. All unrighteousness will now be confined in the Lake of Fire.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eighth, there is a description of the river of life in Revelation 22:1\u20132a<\/a>: And he showed me a river of water of lif<\/em><\/span>e, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the midst of the street thereof.<\/em><\/p>\n

Out of the Throne of God and the Messiah, a river will begin to flow with the brightness <\/span>of crystal. It will continue to flow throughout the singular street of the city of the New Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

Ninth, the tree of life is described in Revelation 22:2b<\/a>: And on this side of the river and on tha<\/em><\/span>t was the tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Tree of Life that existed in the Garden of <\/span>Eden (Gen. 2:9<\/a>; 3:22<\/a>, 24<\/a>) will now return. The trunk of the tree will extend to both sides of the eternal river of life and will be characterized by productivity, bearing fresh fruit each month of the<\/span> year. It should be noted that the word month<\/em> is used, so some kind of dating system will be present in the Eternal Order. Since there will be no sun, moon, or night, it will be a radically different <\/span>dating system than the present one; but there will be a dating system of some kind. The leaves of the Tree of Life are for the healing of the nations.<\/em> The Greek word translated healing<\/em> is the source o<\/span>f the modern English word \u201ctherapeutic.\u201d The purpose of the leaves is not to heal existing sickness, rather, the purpose will be to give health to the nations. There will be no sickness in the Eternal Order because o<\/span>f the leaves of the tree of life<\/em>. The Greek word for nations<\/em> is the term that means \u201cGentiles.\u201d This again shows that the Jewish Gentile distinction continues, although there is no fun<\/span>ctional difference.<\/p>\n

Tenth, there is a description of the occupants of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 22:3\u20134<\/a>: And there shall be no curse any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be there<\/em><\/span>in: and his servants shall serve him; and they shall see his face; and his name shall be on their foreheads.<\/em><\/p>\n

There will be a total absence of the curse in the Eternal Order. The residents of the City <\/span>will include the Lamb and all the redeemed of all ages who will have the Name of Jesus on their foreheads.<\/p>\n

Eleventh, the presence of the Shechinah Glory is reiterated in Revelation 22:5<\/a>: And there sha<\/em><\/span>ll be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.<\/em><\/p>\n

Once again, the text declares that night will<\/span> not exist in the Eternal Order, and there will be no need for the light of the sun or the light of lamp. God Himself will provide all the light that is necessary. As previously stated, the light that will provide all the light necessary for all<\/span> eternity will be the Shechinah Glory.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. Revelation 21:1 Introduction While the Messianic Age is the high point of Old Testament prophecy, the Eternal Order is the high point of New Testament prophecy. Whereas most … <\/p>\n

\u201eThe Eternal Order\u201c <\/span>weiterlesen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-allgemein"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":259,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258\/revisions\/259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}