Eternity with God, Part Three

16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the Lord, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the Lord.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart.

What is the function of the temple in Scripture?

We find the answer to this in Exodus 25:8-9, which is the beginning of the directions for building the Tabernacle.

Exodus 25:8–9 ESV

8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. 9 Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.

The word “tabernacle” means “to dwell, to reside”. The word “sanctuary” means “to set apart from the common”, so the tabernacle, and the temples modeled after it, were sacred space set apart for the dwelling place of Yahweh where he chose to show himself in a special way.

In the new heaven and new earth all is sacred space, with the new Jerusalem as the epicenter. There is no need for a temple to be in the Trinity’s presence for they are choosing to show their presence everywhere, and to be in their presence is to be at the center of the universe.

The Idealist, Preterits and Partial Preterits interpret Ezekiel’s prophecy of a temple in Ezekiel 40-43 as being fulfilled in its metaphorical meaning in Revelation 21:22. This is necessary if you do not believe in a literal thousand year reign of Christ, from the third temple in Jerusalem.

This begs the question, “What happened to Ezekiel’s temple?”

In Revelation 21:5 God said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” If he is making all things new, then Ezekiel’s temple has been replaced with the very presence of the Trinity, who are accessible from anywhere in the new heaven and new earth. This fulfills our prayer we sang in worship.

One thing I ask, and I would seek, to see Your beauty, To find You in the place Your glory dwells Better is one day in Your courts Than thousands elsewhere

As we long for all space to be sacred and to dwell fully in the presence of the Trinity, may we not forget that he is making us sacred space, for he is sanctifying us completely (1 Thessalonians 5:23). We then are ambassadors of God’s presence here and now in our circles of influence (2 Corinthians 5).

Revelation 21:23 .

Revelation 21:23 ESV

23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

This verse was prophesied by Isaiah, as well, in Isaiah 24:23; 60:19-20.

Isaiah 24:23 ESV

23 Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders.

Isaiah 60:19–20 ESV

19 The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. 20 Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.

Beale writes: “There may or may not be a literal sun and moon in the new cosmos, but the point here is that God’s glory is incomparable in relation to any source of light of either the old or the new creation. The light-giving sources of sun and moon were essential for the life and prosperity of the old Jerusalem when God’s presence was limited to the temple. But now in the new cosmos God’s complete presence among his people is what beautifies them and satisfies their every need.” (G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999), 1093–1094.)

If there is no more sun or moon, a secondary observation of not needing the sun or moon is the idea of the timelessness of eternity, for we read in Genesis 1:14-18 that their purpose is for signs and for seasons.

In thinking of God’s glory shining forth, meeting every need, I think of the song I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me.

I can only imagine Surrounded by Your glory What will my heart feel? Will I dance for you Jesus Or in awe of You be still? Will I stand in your presence Or to my knees, will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine ....

What I do know and do not have to imagine is that we will be totally satisfied in the light of the Trinity. That satisfaction does not have to wait until eternity to start. We can begin to find satisfaction through a personal relationship with him. Will you believe and engage him today?

Revelation 21:24-26 .

Revelation 21:24–26 ESV

24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.

These verses were prophesied by Isaiah, as well, in Isaiah 60:3; 5; 11.

Isaiah 60:3 ESV

3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Isaiah 60:5 ESV

5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

Isaiah 60:11 ESV

11 Your gates shall be open continually; day and night they shall not be shut, that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession.

Here we get some insight into the economy of the new heavens and new earth. The whole economy will function to bring glory to God.

Who are the nations who are bringing their glory to God?

The nations in this context of Revelation are Gentile Christians who are enjoying the Trinity’s presence in the whole of creation, bringing the work of their hands to God for his glory.

What is being communicated by its gates never being shut?

First, it communicates that all have access to the presence of the Trinity.

Second, it communicates that there is no need for the protection of the gates, for all evil and chaos have been done away with.

Third, it communicates the idea of timelessness, for gates are typically shut at night.

Let us then join the nations of the future in bringing God glory now, and then into eternity.

Revelation 21:27 .

Revelation 21:27 ESV

27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

The OT background for this verse is Exodus:32:32-33; Psalm 69:28; Isaiah 52:1 and Daniel 12:1.

How does one get clean to enter into eternity in the presence of God?

You have to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, but to be in the book you have to be clean.

So how do know if you are in the book?

John makes it clear in both his Gospel and his letters. In John 20:30-31 and 1 John 1:7-9; 5:11-13 he writes:

John 20:30–31 ESV

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

1 John 1:7–9 ESV

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 5:11–13 ESV

11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

So how do know if you are in the book?

Simple. Believe in the name of Jesus and he cleanses you from all sin. In believing in his name, we believe: he is God, he was born of a virgin, he was crucified for all sin, he has risen from the dead, thus conquering sin and death, and lastly, we believe he is coming again to judge the living and the dead and to bring all his children into eternity with him.

For those who believe, We shall behold Him, we shall behold Him Face to face in all of His glory O we shall behold Him, yes we shall behold Him Face to face, our Savior and Lord