END OF TIME PROPHECIES 261

The epilogue         "Behold I come quickly"                  Revelation 22v12-15.

"And behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be........"

The Lord will reward every good work done in His name, and in His way.   Hebrews 11v6 tells us that "God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."   The saints of old believed that God rewards faithfulness.   This is confirmed by Jesus here, who will give His gifts at His return.

• Genesis 15v1; "Fear not, for I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward".  This, after Abram had proved his faith.
• Nubers 1v31 speaks of "your reward for your service in the tabernacle fo the congregation."   
• Psalm 19v11 referring to the word of God in all its facets, it says "in keeping of them is greatreward."
• Psalm 58v11  "Verily there is a reward for the righteous."   
• Matthew 5v12   In the context of suffering persecution, Jesus said, "great is your reward in heaven." 

Shortly after His return there will be an award ceremony when His people will be rewarded according to their works.   The popular saying that we are "training for reigning" is an accurate one .   According to 2nd Timothy 2v10, the rewards are eternal "therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory."     Revelation14v13 says  referring to the dead " their works do follow them."   

Verses 14-15 proceed to thoughts of eternity.   In verse 14 we have the eternal nature of Christ; in verse 15 we have the eternal consequences of our response to Him.     Here is one of the most comprehensive statements in the bible of the deity of Christ.   It is Jesus who is speaking here, now as a man in heaven, but still truly God.   He asserts His deity three times for the sake of emphasis.   "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.   As to the knowledge of God, we are utterly dependent on Him; without Him God remains forever unknown.     He is the beginning and ending as to time. ànd all the events in between.      He is the first and the last as to the reason for all existence.   He began it all, He carries it all the way through and He will bring it to its final conclusion.   In  short, history is HIS story.   

In verse 15 our response to Him determines our eternal destiny.   The expression "blessed are they who do His commandments" can also be rendered " blessed are those who have cleansed their garments."   There is little difference in the Greek, and both amount to pretty much the same thing.   We must be right with Him if we will have access to the tree of life, and entrance to the glorious eternal city.     To turn away from Him, to reject Him, or even simply to ignore Him will be to be outside of all of this blessing.   "Without are dogs (those of low morals), sorcerers (dabblers in witchcraft),, whoremongers (the sexually promiscous), murderers (any form of unlawful killing), and idolators (those who replace God with lesser gods), and all liars (those who pervert truth).   The issues are indeed solemn;the blessings will be for eternity, the banishment will also be for eternity. 

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END OF TIME PROPHECIES 262

The epilogue          "Surely I come quickly"                Revelation 22v16-21.

            Jesus says "Au revoir..........until we meet!"

These are His last words before the great event, that sets off the commencement of the new world order.   Note His title Jesus, reminding us there is now a man in heaven, the assurance that all who are His will be there.   Note also to whom He is speaking "the churches."    Chapter1v4 &v11 make it clear that the book of Revelation was written to the churches, and Jesus confirms that here in v16.   The end of the church age would hail the dawning of a new day.   

He declares the final "I am" statement in the bible.   "I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."   The "I am" statements in the bible are assertions of deity, and the man who is now in the glory is wholly God.   He is the root of David as to His deity; He is the offspring of David as to His humanity; He is of David as to His royalty; He is the bright and morning star as to His eternity.   The one who is truly God, and who became a man, will rule the world, and will usher in God's glorious and eternal day. We all need to be on the right side of this one.   What follows are a gracious invitation; a grim warning;and a glorious assurance.

1. A gracious invitation.     The man who will rule the world for all eternity invites all to come and join Him.   "The Spirit says come;" the constant work of the Holy Spirit is to draw everone to Christ.   "The bride says come;"  all those who are saved do the same. Those who hear, that is the newly saved, are encouraged to say come.   Those who are athirst should come, that is those who know their need of a Saviour.   Jesus Himself says come.  "Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely."   
2. A grim warning.     This is a warning not to tamper with the words of the prophecy of this book.   This would apply to the book of the Revelation, indeed the whole bible.   The warning is clear do not alter the words of the bible.     The first is - do not add to its words, do not go beyond what it says.   To such God will add the plagues that are written in this book, and that is enough to make anyone shudder.   The second is, -do not take away from the words of this book; do not omit any words, do not alter the meaning, do not ignore the context in which the words are  spoken.   To such God will deny all eternal blessing.   Omission from the book of life, refusal of entry to the holy city, and denial of all the blessings written in this book.   
3. A glorious assurance.     "Surely I come quickly"     This is the only occasion when there is a response from the bride.   Other issues of His coming like obedience to His word, and the matter of rewards for faithful service, may cause some discomfort.   However, when He says  "I am coming," without qualification, the response is immediate; "even so come Lord Jesus."    The word for "surely" and "even so" is simply our word "yes," and the word is found four times in  the book of Revelation, chapter 1v7, 14v13, 16v7 and 22v20.   To all of these issues in these different verses, the response is an emphatic "yes."   The final one is  "Yes, come Lord Jesus." 

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END OF TIME PROPHECIES 260

The epilogue        "Behold I come quickly"      Revelation 22v6-11.


Three times over in this epilogue we have the phrase "I come quickly".   It is tantamount to saying God speed the day!   Such wonderful things, such desirable prospects as this world could never provide. Jesus is coming; what should it mean for us?

• Chapter 22v6                     emphasis on responsibility
• Chapter 22v12                   emphasis on rewards
• Chapter 22v20                   emphasis on reunion

  The certain  coming of Christ brings responsibility on the believer.    A blessing is pronounced on those who  keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book.   Salvation, though not of works, should lead to good works; it is never presented in terms of profession, rather is it presented in terms of reality.   We should be living the heavenly life now.   What are the sayings of the book, which, if observed, will bring blessing?   The emphasis all through the book is "keep the sayings."

1. "He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches".   7× repeated command in Revelation 2-3.   Commands like, " repent and do the first works"; " fear none of those things that shall come upon you"; "hold fast till I come"; "buy of me gold tried in the fire".
2. "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.....they rest from their labours and their works do follow them".   A reminder that good works count for eternity. 
3. "Come out of her my people" Revelation 18v4.    The saints will rejoice over her fall, chapter 18v20.
4. "Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, Revelation 16v13.
5. "True and faithful are His judgments",Revelation 19v2
6. "Praise God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him both small and great", Revelation 19v5.
7. "Worship God,for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy", Revelation 19v10

The apostle John, overcome by the wonder of the visions, and the promise that Jesus will return, falls before the angel.   The angel refuses worship, which alone is for God, but here we learn the subjection and humility of angels!   They acknowledge that God has raised human beings to their level, and that all levels when seen against the majesty of God are just menial.   We are all fellowservants; notice the range of this; "I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book."   In other words, all the saints of God at whatever level..   Notice how they are defined, "them that keep the sayings of this book."
The angel says to John, the opposite of what  was said to Daniel in chapter 12; "Seal not the book"....keep it open; there will be no more revelation, for the time is set, and is near.   God will add no more, this is final, people must respond as they will.

• "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still."
• "He that is filthy, let him be filthy still."
• "He that is righteiu, let him be righteius still."o
• "He that is holy, let him be holy still."

We are all on the cusp of eternity!   What you choose to be, you will be forever.

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END OF TIME PROPHECIES 259

The service of the city                      Revelation 22v3-5.

"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: and they shall see His face: and His name shall be on their foreheads.   And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light; and they shall reign forever and ever."

These closing verses, describing the eternal city, bring before us something unique in the whole of scripture: the merging together of two distinct words for "service".   "His servants(doulos-the word for work service) shall serve(latreuo, the word for temple service) Him.   What this indicates in a very wonderful way, that we shall be permanently, and constantly engaged in holy temple service, because we shall be close to God forever.   There will be no inactivity, rather glorious occupation,.   The verses give us a clue as to the nature of this service.   Our constant(doulos), and holy(latreuo) service will be in the context of:

• No more curse.   The curse of sin, which affected the whole earth (Genesis 3v17-18, Romans 8v19-21); all the animals(Genesis 3v14); and all human beings(Genesis3v16-19), will be removed.   That curse was the decay and ultimate death of everything; this will be no more.   No more degradation, no more corruption, no more waning of energy, ,living and serving the Lord in the full bloom of youth, in the powwer of an endless life!   It is all too wonderful for us to imagine here and now.
• The throne of God and of the lamb shall be in it.   No possibility of any breakdown, because the Sovereign God is in total control.   The repeated reference to the Lamb (21v22,21v23,,21v27,22v1,22v3), is a blessed reminder is that this control is in the hands of One who loved us unto death, and so it will be a worry-free service.
• They shall see His face.   It will be intimate servie.   Not everyone will see the face of God.   The bible is clear that God can never be seen face to face(1 Timothy 6v17; John 1v18).   Not man, not angel(Isaiah6v2).   Job says in26v14, "Lo, these are parts of His ways,  behold how little a portion is heard of Him...."   God remains invisible, inscrutable, yet He brings certain ones into intimacy with Himself, as close as is possible. One such was Jacob(Genesis 32v30); Moses(Exodus 33v11.)   This is an experience that will be known by all believers (Matthew 5v8; 1John 3v2 "we shall see Him as He is", we shall see God in Christ, and now here in Revelation 22v4 we shall serve Him in closest intimacy as it is possible to be!
• His name shall be on their foreheads.   This signifies Divine ownership, and points to the fact that His service will be at the very forefront of our eternal existence.   It also speaks of a position of great honour, in that we shall carry His brandmark forever.
• There shall be no night there.   No limitation of time, no need for sleep, nothing that speaks of darkness, only eternal day.Unbroken, unsullied service forever!   No need of the candle for service in the dark, no need of the sun, for ser ice in the light.   There is one who illuminates our way, the Lord God Himself.
• They shall reign forever and ever.   Our service shall be enhanced by kingly status.   Any service is more effectual, and more productive, when it is glorified by Divine status.   God alone will determine the level of standing we have in that glorious kingdom, and what He graciously bestows, will add weight to the service

In summary: Undying service, loving service, holy service, intimate service, eternal service, and honourable service!!

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END OF TIME PROPHECIES 258

The life of the city                      Revelation 22 verses 1-2.

"And He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.   In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bear twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month:and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."   

Contrary to popular opinion, there is very definitely an active life in the new heaven and the new earth.   People think of heaven as eternal boredom, but it will be the very opposite.   The life of the city will be vibrant and exciting and pleasant.   Eden conditions, prior to the fall, will be restored and much much more.   The life of the city is bound up in two entities;namely the river of water of life, and the tree of life, which is central to all life in the city.   We shall expand on this, but in the river of life we have the thought of satisfaction; in the tree of life we have the thought of sustenance.

First we consider the river of water of life.   Clearly what is in view here is not so much the physical river but a spiritual river   There is much more to the satisfaction to the human soul than merely the sustenance of the body.   What we have here in the water of life is the true spiritual satisfaction which God knows every human being requires, and which He alone can provide.

• The significance of the river.     It is a major biblical subject, that the human soul cannot be satisfied with anything less than the Creator.   God knows this even if we don't.    In Jeremiah 2v13 he describes himself   "As the fountain of living waters."   God is able to fully satisfy His people.   Psalms  46 v 4 says  "there is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God. "  The Lord Jesus spoke about people being thirsty;in John 7v7 it is written "in the last day,  that great day of the feast,  Jesus  stood and cried, saying  "if any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. "   In Revelation 7v17 "for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feel them unto living fountains of waters."   In Revelation 21v6 it says "I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." And in Revelation 22v17 it says "let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely."   Why so much emphasise on thirst?   God knows we need more than material things, human beings created by God can only be satisfied by God Himself.
• The source of the river.     The verse itself explains that this river proceeds out of the throne of God Himself and out of the Lamb.   This is prefigured in the millennial scene in Ezekiel 47 v1-2.    "Waters issued out from under the threshold of the house....."   God Himself is the source of satisfaction of all His people.   The prophet Isaiah has his say on this in chapter 12v3  "therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the Wells of salvation."
• The satisfaction of the river.     The very fact he calls it a river, suggests a never -ending supply.   Jesus said to the woman in John 4v14  " whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst,  but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."  Refreshing water,  running water,  a constant stream of satisfaction of a life we never thought was possible.

Secondly we consider the tree of life.  We are not now thinking of the purity of the water supply, we are thinking of the variety of the food supply.  Twelve manners of fruits, produced each and every month.   In a timeless eternity He marks the time period of a month so that we can understand it.   A never ending supply of rich and varied food from the hand of God.   Even the leaves of the tree are said to be therapeutic.   Whether this is a throw back to the millenium when healing will be required or it is just God's way of saying there will be no healing issues in eternity,  we don't really know.    What we do know is that the tree of life is the symbol of eternal life (Genesis 3v22) we also know from Revelation 2v8 that this tree "is in the midst of the paradise of God" and from Revelation 22v13  it is on either side of the river which flows through the central street of the city. 

The whole picture is of the eternal provision for the people of God in that golden city. 

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END OF TIME PROPHECIES 257

Access to the city            Revelation 21v24-27

"And the nations of them which are saved, shall walk in the light of it; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honour into it.   And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day,for there shall be no night there.   And they shall bring  the glory and honour of       nations into it..   And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."

The incredible statement at the end of verse 23 "the Lamb is the light thereof", sets the scene for what is here. So brilliant is the aura of the Lamb of God, that there is no need of the sun for light!   There is obviously great activity in, and around, the city in the form of ingress and egress; clearly there is life and activity, within the city, and outside it in the new earth, and, possibly in the wider universe of the new heavens.

• The nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it.   Only the saved will be there.   It seems the new earth will consist of different  nations.   God is a God of variety.   "They shall walk in the light of it."   This will mean physical light and spiritual light.   In a physical sense, there will only be day, "for there shall be no night there".This means constant activity, and in order to illustrate that, it says, "the gates shall not be shut."   There is much more than that, however, the saved nations shall walk in the spiritual light, and this is stated in Isaiah 2v2-5; although, primarily this is a millennial scene, we have already discovered that scripture does not differentiate.   "The mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, AND ALL NATIONS SHALL FLOW UNTO IT AND MANY PEOPLE SHALL SAY 'come let us go  up to the mountain of the Lord,to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us  of His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem".  Thus, spiritual as well as physical light emanating from the Lord.
• The kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honour unto it..and they shall bring the  glory and honour of the nations into it."   This tells us that there will be structures of government on the new earth, and those promoted to high office, will not only bring threir own homage, but that of the nations over whom they preside, to the Lord.   Psalm 72 predicts the same; v10 'The kings of Tarshish,and of the isles(west and north) shall bring gifts; the kings of Seba and Sheba (east and south) shall offer gifts; Yea all kings shall bow down before Him: all nations shall serve Him."   Again in v15 "prayer also shall be made for Him continually, and daily(all day long) shall He be praised."  The worship of the Saviour will be spontaneous and perpetual.
• And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth...but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."   Only saved people, only redeemed people , and NOTHING of defilement shall enter in.   This is emphasized because from 'out of the blue", sin entered, affecting adversely the whole world. This is stated to reassure believers, that no such thing wil ever happen again.   In the words of the hymnwriter, we can truly believe "Where no sin nor stain can enter, nor the gold be dim; There in holiness unsullied I shall walk with Him; Meet companion then for Jesus, from Him for Him made; Glory of God's grace forever, there in me displayed."!

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END OF TIME PROPHECIES 256

The holiness of the city    Revelation 21v22-23.

  
" And I saw no temple therein; for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.   And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."     

What sets the city apart is the presence of God.   Note the repetition of "the Lamb"; God can only dwell with men, have fellowship with men, on the basis of the perfect sacrifice of the Lamb, and on no other basis.

There is no temple in the city, because God is there.   The city itself IS a temple, the dwelling place of God.   "God dwelleth not in temples made with hands".   So says holy writ in Acts 7v48, which is a summary of  Isaiah 66v1-2.   We cannot confine God to the limitations of human ideas; 1Kings 8v27 says"behold the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him."   He cannot be limited by time or space: yet He dwells with His people by means of "the redemption that is in Christ Jesus".   He dwelt in righteousness amongst His people in the cubic space of the inner shrines of the tabernacle and the temple; He will dwell for all eternity in the hallowed cubic space of the golden city.   The city is holy, not because of the merit of it's residents, nor because of the awesome beauty of it's garnishings, but because of the holiness of God.

On the basis of the efficacy of the blood of the Lamb, God can dwell with man and the concept is expounded in full in the new testament.   The key to the understanding of it is found in the phrase "Inner temple", which is a translation of the Greek word "Naos". This word is used to describe the temple some 46 times in the new testament.   It refers  to the tabernacle, in which there were three sections: the outer court, for the lay worshippers; the holy place for the officiating priests; and  the holy of holies the dwelling place of God where He resided betweenthe cherubims on the blood-sprinkled mercy seat.   This inner sanctuary is used to proclaim where God dwells today:

• In the body of a believer.   1 Corinthians 6 19 '...know ye not that your body is the temple(naos) of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God."
• In the local church; 1 Corinthians 3v16-17 "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?   If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."
• In the universal church, the church the body of Christ.   Ephesians 2v20-21 "And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone:in whom all the building, fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple(naos) in the Lord."

The individual body of a blood-cleansed believer; the local church gathering of believers; the glorious, completed, gathering of the great universal church;  that is where God dwells and will dwell forever.   Associated with the glory, is the light.   "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."   We should always remember, while here below "HOLINESS becometh thy house, O, Lord forever."

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END OF TIME PROPHECIES 255

    
    The beauty ofthe city.                                                         Revelation 21v18-21.

"And thebuilding of the wall was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones.   The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third a chalcedony; the fourth an emerald; the fifth sardonyx; the sixth sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.   And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass."

What is before us here is something of exquisite beauty and incalculable value.   Our God is not only a God of moral and spiritual beauty, He is a God who loves aesthetic beauty.   This is seen right from the beginning and all the way through; in the garden of Eden, it is said that the trees were " pleasant to the eyes", Genesis 2v8& Genesis 3v6.   In Exodus  28v2, the garments of Aaron the high priest were to be "for glory and for beauty".   In 2 Chronicles 3v6 , the stones for the temple were to be"precious stones for beauty."   In Psalm 50v2 it says"Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty God hath shined."   Psalm 96v6 "....strength and beauty are in His sanctuary."

Attention is drawn to the wall, the city, the foundations of the wall, the gates, and the street of the city.   We can look at each of these in turn.

1. The beauty of the wall.    The wall is of jasper; verse 11 says the jasper was like clear crystal.   Imagine a huge wall diamond-like in appearance, irradiating the brilliant rays of Deity in fullglow.   This is what surrounded the city. 
2. The beauty of the foundations.   Usually foundations would consist of cheaper, if solid, materials; not so the city of God, nothing but the best!   No wonder the apostle Paul insists on gold, silver and precious stones for the ministry of the church.   Costly ,beautiful stones, for the base of the eternal city.   Clear diamond-like jasper,sapphire blue, the colour of heaven;  chalcedony, bluish white in colour like an onyx stone; the emerald, vivid green in colour; the sardonyx, a flesh coloured stone; the  sardius, the blood-red stone; the chrysolyte, "the golden stone" , yellowish green; the beryl, probably sea-green, aquamarine colour; the topaz, a pale green gem ; the chrysoprasus, a leek- green stone;the jacinth or hyacinth, violet in colour; the amethyst, a beautiful purple-violet stone. When blended together, they must make an awesome sight, as from underneath the crystal-clear wall they emit brilliant colours the height of the city.
3. The pearly gates.   Twelve gates of huge dimensions, every one a massive single pearl.   It is a known fact that pearls are made by the suffering of the oyster.   A grain of sand, or grit ingresses the oyster shell causing severe distress.    The oyster, automatically covers the offending item by surrounding it with " mother of pearl", layer upon layer until the invader is crushed.   The principle is beauty and value from suffering which is an apt description of Christ and the church.
4. The  street of the city   Only one street!,   Does it run from  top to bottom, or is it central? We don't know.   What we do know it is like the city itself..... pure gold, but not merely pure as we know it now;gold which has been refined to clearness, such that no purer can be obtained.   Even Solomon's temple had no such gold, and all their gold was simply a covering.   The city and the street are pure, transparent gold

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END OF TIME PROPHECIES 254

The dimensions of the city                                  Revelation 21v15-17

"And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, 12,000 furlongs.   The length and breadth and height of it are equal.   And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is of the angel."

In the gates of the city, we considered its' protection from any hostile ingress;  in the wall ,with it's 12 foundations we thought of it' permanence; now in the measurements of the city we have it's perfection.   Note the golden reed, thus it is measured by the highest standards; only the best will do for the new order of things. God has always measured His work, and it must be seen to be perfect.   God is a mathematician, (He invented the concept, and we are finding out about it), and He uses it to measure many things, both material and spiritual.   The entire universe depends on the syncretisation of mathematical formulae by which all things hold together.

• All things in the tabernacle in the desert were measured, even down to the half cubit!   Since this is described as "the pattern of things in the heavens," we understand He is a God of order.   The same is true of the temple built by Solomon.
• .He measured the science of creation, Isaiah 40 verse12 " Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out the heaven with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance."
• He measures a man's life, even such a man as the king of Babylon in Daniel 5 verse 27 "thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting"   King Darius' life ended that night! 
• He measures individual faults and character as in Matthew 7v1-2 "with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye mete,  it shall be measured to you again."

 He measures the house where  He dwells, any one of us would do the same in our dwelling place.   Zechariah 2 verse 1-2 "behold a man with a measuring line......to measure Jerusalem."   The Lord Jesus "walking in the midst of the seven golden lampstands" in Revelatio chapters 1-3.   Revelation 11 measuring the temple in the period of the tribulation, and now measuring the golden city, because everything God does must be measured.

Consider the vast size of the city. 12000× 12000×12000 stadia!. A Greek stadia is over 500 feet!   Do the maths, it is an enormous structure. It is hard to visualise, but there is no reason to consider it as anything other than literal.. Consider it's shape, it is a perfect cube.   Bear in mind the residents have  spiritual  bodies and so movement may be multi-dimensional.   The cubic shape is important because the holy of holies in both the tabernacle and the temple were a perfect cube, thus even it's shape symbolises the presence of God .   The city is, indeed the Father's house. The repetition of the number 12 in the dimensions of the wall serves to remind us of Divine governmental perfection.

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END OF TIME PROPHECIES 253

The wall of the city                          Revelation  21 verse 14.        

        "  And the wall of the city  had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."

It is interesting that the foundations of the wall are linked to the twelve apostles.   This is stated clearly in Ephesians chapter 2 v 20 "...and are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone."     The foundation truths of the apostles were the basis of the church which finds it's culmination in the new Jerusalem.    Scripture has much to say about foundations, and the basic thought is that of permanence.   In the gates we saw the protection of the city, here we see the permanence  of the city, it is built to last.   Everyone knows that for a building to last it must have solid foundations.   Jesus referred to this in Matthew 7, when He spoke of "the house built on the rock".   Consider then what scripture says about foundations:

• Exodus 26 v19-25;also  Exodus 38 v 20-30;   The foundation for the tabernacle was  of sockets made of silver, the silver being the symbol of  redemption, according to 1st Peter 1 v18.  Therefore the first picture is of God's people on a silver foundation.   We stand upon redemption ground.
• 1st Kings 7v9-10.     "All these were of costly stones......and the foundation was of costly stones, even stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits."   This is a description of the foundation of the temple which Solomon built, as a house for God to dwell amongst His people.   The emphasis is on the costliness of the stones.   
• In 1st Corinthians 3v9-17, the context is of the local church at Corinth which is described as "the temple of God" a holy temple and one in which the Spirit of God dwells.      There the apostle speaks of the foundation a nd says "other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."   In connection with this the apostle explains  "according to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon."   Thus the present dwellingplace of God on earth, which is the local church, has its foundation in Jesus Christ and that foundation was laid by the apostles; the same truth is applied to the universal church in Ephesians 2v20 where the apostles and prophets are said to be the foundation, and Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.   Thus Christ is both the foundation and the cornerstone of the great building that is under construction even today.

We should note from Matthew 16 that the construction of the church was to be a future event, and not anything to do with the past.   In verse 18 he says " and I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church;and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."   All of these words speak of the perminence of a church which was yet to be built.   In Ephesians chapter 2 v 21, it is made clear that the building is under construction  " in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the spirit."   Two thousand years later Christ is still building His church, and it will be seen in all its glory in the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem.   The twelve apostles of the Lamb will be given special place in this city, just as men today honour the founders and builders of society, so the names of the apostles will be for all eternity imprinted on the foundation of the walls of the city.   All this must surely ellevate our thinking about the work that we do today in association with this glorious church.   God will honour for all eternity all those who participated in the work, and especially those involved at the very beginning, in laying the foundations of Christianity.   We should also treat with respect the teachings of the apostles , since they are foundational to the great city where God will one day dwell amongst His people.

A note of caution should be sounded here; the foundations of any building are unseen.   We should all take account of the advice of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 6 where He says we are to major on things that only the Father sees, and not what is seen by men.   Only spiritual virtues, which are largely unseen will last for eternity.

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END OF TIME PROPHECIES 252

The gates of the city                                       Revelation 21verses 12-13.

"And had a wall great and high, and had 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 three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates."

Clearly this has a millennial application, since it is talking of a high wall , gates, and angel, sentries.   What the need for these would be in eternity we cannot tell, but the subject matter here is of the security of the city and the protection of it's inhabitants.   In contrast to a world of insecurity, the eternal experience of the saints is secure.   We must remember that the bible was written in an eastern culture and in a time when cities were surrounded  by walls, and the thrust here is to proclaim the safety of God's people; the language is graphic, the great high wall, and the angel sentries at the gates.   There is no possibility of any hostile ingress here.

The gates suggest access and egress and that is seen to be universal with the gates positioned north, south, east, and west. There was only one entrance to the tabernacle of old, but there was a similar layout, wth the tribes surrounding the tabernacle in all four directions.   It is said here names of the twelve tribes are upon the gates.   We cannot be sure what tribes will be placed where.   However, readers may be aware that the tabernacle is said to be "a pattern of things in the heavens".   On this basis from Numbers chapter 2, we can say that the tribes of Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulon will be on the east; on the south, will be Reuben, Simeon and Gad; on the west side Ephrain ,Manasseh and Benjamin ; and on the north side Dan, Asher and Naphtali .   There will be no tribe nearer than another, each having its own gate unlike the tabernacle where there was only one gate.     We will notice that in the city, there is still a distinction made between Israel and the church, and although they will both have freedom of movement, the church as the bride of Christ will remain the principal resident.      It is important to see the perpetual link between Israel and the church.   It was Israel who brought Christ to the world, and initiated the church.   .   It was through the church Israel will eventually be reconciled to God (Romans chapter 11).

We must take note here of the first occurence of the number twelve , which is repeated ,throughout the remainder of the verses.   Twelve gates, twelve angels, the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve foundations of the wall, the twelve apostles of the Lamb, the measurement of the city twelve thousand furlongs  in all directions, the wall is one hundred and forty four cubits which is twelve by twelve; the twelve pearls, the tree of life yielding twelve manner of fruits.    The number twelve dominates the description of the city.   This is described by scholars to represent governmental perfection.   There are twelve months in the year, controlling the cycle of time; in the course of the earth's orbit around the sun, scientists will tell us that it passes through the twelve signs of the zodiac, thus the perfect control of space..   It is the number which proclaims the perfect government of God in the stability in this world both as to space and time.   Unlike the transient and unstable governments of earth, the kingdom of God, as administered through this glorious city, will be an existence of governmental perfection.   No longer will divine rules be flouted and divine rules ignored.   God's kingdom will be stable, will remain forever and will not be disturbed in anyway, according to Hebrews chapter 12 verses 27-28.

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END OF TIME PROPHECIES 251

The glory of the city                                             Revelation 21verse 11.

"Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious,even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal."


"The glory of God", probably the least understood of all the attributes of God, simply lbecause we have never seen it, nor can visualize it. Nevertheless there are glimpses of it in scripture we do well to study.    Glory refers to His outward appearance rather than His inward character and the root of the word has to do with "weight"    the idea of value or influence used particularly in the weighing of metals;overall it is the compelling and commanding presence of God.   It is best understood by the phrase in Hebrews 1v3 which says that Christ was "the brightness of His glory," better rendered the effulgence of His glory, the outshining of the rays of the brilliance of God's appearance.   The following scriptures give us a little understanding :

• Exodus 4v29     Moses face shone after spending forty days and nights in God's presence.   2nd Corinthians 3v7 puts it like this "The children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance."
• Isaiah 6v2     Such was the outshining of the presence of God that the burning seraphs had to cover their faces because they could not look upon God. 
• Ezekiel 1v28          "This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord, and when I saw it I fell upon my face."    
• 1st Timothy 6v16     ".......who is the blessed and only potentate, the king of kings, and lord of lords;who only hath  immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen, nor can see."
• Acts 26v13     At his conversion, Paul was arrested by what he described as "a light above the brightness of the sun."   This happened at midday when the sun would be at its brightest.

We can somehow understand this when applied to divine beings, but this is now applied to the saints and the truth of it is staggering  "having the glory of God;" the verse goes on to say  "her light was like unto a stone most precious."    The word for "light" is "radiance" and the sight of it must have been truly amazing.   This city of huge dimensions comprising all the angels and all the glorified saints, each one radiating the brilliance of the glory of God who was at its centre.   They have no inherant light, they have only irraditated light, but countless numbers irradiating the glory of God is like nothing else that has ever been seen.   It is well known that masses of crystals will enhance the glory of a source of pure light.   This is the picture here.   Attention is drawn to two aspects.   First of all its beauty "a stone most precious;secondly as to its transparency "like a jasper stone clear as crystal."   The only way we can today conceive it is to visualise a huge diamond irradiating light from countless sources.   It will be like nothing else earth has ever seen.   

The mention of the jasper stone is interesting.   It is not the jasper stone as we know it today which can have many colours and is opaque.   This is a jasper stone clear as crystal and appeared on the breastplate of the high priest; was used to describe the presence of God in Revelation 4v3 ; it was the the material of which the surrounding wall of the city was made, and as the first named of the foundations of the wall of the city.   Its clear and brilliant appearance suggests absolute transparency as God through His people displays His glory.  When we consider that these people once were sinners, and anything but transparent, we can understand a little of the beauty which is here.

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