Foundations of the Christian Life. Chapter 39. Eternal Judgment #4. Life in the New Age.

Foundations of the Christian Life.
Chapter 39. Eternal Judgment #4. Life in the New Age.


AFTER THE JUDGEMENT - WHAT?


There appears to be two phases to the Christian's entering into God's eternal purposes for them. These are commonly called:
(1) The Millennium, or the Kingdom of God on earth, and
(2) The Eternal State.

Very little is actually said about either of these in the NT, and while the kingdom features largely in the OT prophets it is there portrayed as a very nationalistic Jewish thing. This nationalism is clearly reinterpreted in the NT and the kingdom is clearly stated to belong to Christ and his followers, i.e. the Church. As a result of this we need to be cautious when reading the OT prophets about this. Much of what they say has to be taken symbolically as applying not to Israel, but to God's true covenant people, the Church. Hence references to the land of Palestine are also not to be taken too literally. There are many clear instances where the NT takes what appears to be literal promises of a promised land to Israel and shows how this actually has a broader meaning, the whole earth.

Example:
Psalm 37:11 - "the meek shall inherit the land", meaning Palestine.
This is reinterpreted by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:5. “the Meek shall inherit the earth.”
Here Christ gives the promise a greater meaning “the whole earth” and the promise is there taken away from Israel and given to those who are his disciples.

It seems unlikely that there will be a Jewish state in the Millenium - despite what many teachers claim.
There are many prophecies in the OT about Israel's return to God in the last days. These promises are largely Christological, i.e. the return to God is through Christ. There seems to be a national revival in Israel just prior to the Second Coming in which large numbers are saved. Several prophecies indicate this but it is beyond the scope of this writing to go into this in depth.

Zechariah has one prophecy it is worth commenting on at this point.

Zechariah 13:8,9.
"In the whole land," declares the LORD, "two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, `They are my people,' and they will say, `The LORD is our God.'"

This prophecy is uttered in the context of last day events. Some of these events happen before the Second Coming, some after. It seems to me that this one makes most sense if understood as happening before the Second Coming. The prophecy concerns Israel as a nation and two things are prophecied:
* Two thirds of the nation will "perish", i.e. die. The implication of "Struck down" is that it will be by violent means. Presumably this is through the work of the Antichrist.
* The remaining third will undergo a spiritual transformation and will call on the name of God. Presumably this means they will become Christians as Jesus said, "No man can come to the Father but by me (John 14:6)."
There is no indication in Scripture that God is going to make another way for people to be saved in the last days.

But if they are "saved" i.e. become Christians, then they are put on the same standing as every other Christian in this age in which, In Christ, "there is neither Jew nor Gentile" (Galatians 3:28). In this case they will be raptured along with the rest of the Church.
This means that one-third of Israel becomes Christians in the Great Tribulation and will be raptured at the end of the Tribulation. The remaining two-thirds perish, i.e. die, during the Tribulation. As a result three things must be true:
* The nation of Israel must cease to exist as a separate entity at the Second Coming of Christ.
* There is no nation of Israel during the Millenium to inherit a literal Kingdom of God on earth.
* The promises in the OT about a literal Kingdom of Israel ruling the earth in the future must be interpreted spiirtually as referring to the reign of the Church.

Much of what has been taught about the future life is based on these OT passages. But we need to be careful how we apply them. It is not the purpose in this series to go into depth teaching on this. Maybe in some other context…

There is also a tendency for Christians to think that the Eternal state for us will be some form of glorified, endless holiday, wherein we sit around at magnificent feasts and play harps, riding on the back of tame lions and playing ball with the angels. This is far removed from the idea portrayed in the Bible.

Some basic concepts need to be affirmed as a basis of understanding if we are going to understand our role in the future life.

The future state is going to be the culmination and fulfillment of God's intentions in the original creation. What we are going to see there is not something radically new, but rather THE SAME THING AS IT WAS INTENDED TO BE IN CREATION, BUT OPERATING ON A HIGHER LEVEL.

This has certain implications:

(i) Man was made to be God's co-partner's in ruling creation, to be kings and priests. We can expect that men will fulfil this role in the future.

(ii) Man was created physical and spiritual so that he could arbitrate between the two realities. As we have seen in the studies on the resurrection body man will be perfectly equipped to carry out this role.

(iii) Man was made to work, it was part of the blessing of God. We can expect that the future will involve a considerable work load for each of us.

(iv) Man was made to "fill the earth and subdue (or rule) it". This commission appears to be extended in the future over all the other created life forms and worlds in the created universe, including the angels.

In the light of this command to "Fill the earth" we could ask the question (we have no answer), "Is there some form of procreation that we engage in the eternal state?”

Two things could suggest this:
* The things of this life are intended to be shadows of things in the spiritual realm but at a lower level of experience. Marriage could therefore be considered to be a picture of something greater to be experienced in God's plan.
* Jesus, when asked about the woman who had married seven husbands, said that "In Heaven men do not marry, but they are like the angels (Mark 12:25)". But angels do not appear to be "sexless" - the fallen angels seemed to be quite capable of siring children (Genesis 6:1-5). Whatever they do in this line we do not know, but we cannot say with certainty that they do nothing.

(v) Man was created to be creative. We can assume safely that the age to come will be a great age of creativity and discovery. We may even create new universes!


THE MILLENNIUM.

Revelation 20:1-10.
“And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
“I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first
resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth- Gog and Magog- to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

A period of 1000 years after the Second Coming of Christ.
The purpose of the Millennium seems clear - there will be some people still alive on earth who have survived Armageddon. They continue to live normally and have children, but now in a sinless world. The 1000 years should be enough for any learned sinful behaviour to be unlearned (10 being the number of the testing of sin, 1000 being 10 cubed indicating a perfection in that area). Hence when Satan is released at the end of the Millennium there is no sin in the environment, any rebellion in mankind at that point will prove that sin is in man’s will.

However, though Satan is bound, the evil of the human heart is revealed. The millennium is not the next thing to heaven. The human heart is not changed by God at the beginning of the millennium. Man himself is evil. The millennium will be full of sin and rebellion out of man's hearts. The Church will have difficulty to rule in the millennium.

Hence, at the final judgement men cannot blame the environment as, after 1000 years of perfection, men will still rebel.

What is the Millenium like?

(a) Christ rules personally and visibly over the whole world.
The agency of his rule is Zion, the covenant people of God.

# It may be that Christ rules from Palestine, or Jerusalem, but what this means for the nation of Israel is little. As we have seen, there are clear scriptures which indicate the destruction of Israel at, or before, Armageddon in such a way that it could not be a separate nation in the Millennium. The rule of Christ is through the Church. The OT passages that teach a future Kingdom of Israel/Zion, ruled by the Messiah, are certainly to be interpreted Christologically, and hence are symbolic of the victory of God’s People, the Church. To interpret them literally would be to do two things:
(i) To elevate Israel to a position of favour above the Church, that is natural, fallen people would be given position and prestige ahead of those ho have received God’s forgiveness, life and recreation. This seems hardly likely.
(ii) It would contradict the clear statements of Revelation that it is the Church, the Bride of Christ, the Resurrected followers of Christ who will reign with him for 1000 years. It is clear that the NT reinterprets the OT on this point.

Revelation 20:4-6.
“I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

John says it three times in different ways in the same paragraph just so we get it clear “Authority to judge..They…reigned with him for 1000 years.”
But this is the promise that was given to Israel in the OT, that in the Messianic Kingdom:

Isaiah 60:10,12.
"Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you…
For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined.”

Again the OT promise to Israel is reinterpreted and given to the Church with a greater meaning. This is the consistent pattern in the NT: The OT promises to Israel are taken and given to the Church.

(b) There are no residual effects of sin in the world - in other words the effects of sin are healed:
# The lion can lie down with the lamb.
# A child can play with (poisonous) snakes.
# Possibly there are no wars, murders, etc. In fact the weapons of warfare are destroyed. However, there could be – sinful men could still rebel against the righteous rule of God in the Millenium. I can’t see any reason why they can’t.

This healing is brought about, in part by the action of redeemed humanity, the Church, fulfilling God's original intention for mankind to be the ruler, steward, caretaker, of the earth.

(c) The wisdom of God (symbolised by the tree of life) is available to the whole world to bring healing - of sickness, relationships, etc.

Revelation 22:2.
“…down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”

Some interpreters take this description of the City of God to be part of the eternal state, part of the new creation. Though this is so, it cannot be limited to that and must have an application to the Millenium and possibly to the present Church age. This is because of this statement: “the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”
If this is the eternal state, the new creation then:
(i) What are the nations doing there?
(ii) Why do they need healing?
These two questions point to the fact that this promise is not just for the perfect eternal state.

(d) The people of God are placed in positions of rulership over the nations at different levels.
The level of rulership one experiences in the Millennium, and later in Eternity, is determined by one's level of spiritual growth in this life, as we saw in the last chapter. The skill of tapping into the wisdom of God needs to be learnt now. If it is not it cannot be later on.


ETERNITY.

Revelation 20:11-22:6.

We know even less about the coming eternal state than we do about the Millenium.

(a) There will be a new heaven and a new earth.
This will not be "new" in the sense of a totally new creation, but will be a "remake" using the already existing materials. Redemption extends to the material world.

When Christ ascended to heaven after his resurrection he took with him his physical body. The passion of Christ means, amongst other things, a change in the very internal structure of the Trinity. Christ, who is God, became man, but now in Eternity remains man. This means several things:

(i) Christ himself no longer has the power of omnipresence.
He is localised in heaven with a body. The omnipresence of Christ is mediated to us by the Holy Spirit.

(ii) Heaven must be a physical place.
Whatever having a “spiritual body” means (1 Corinthians 15:44), it does not mean it is "non-physical". Rather we should consider it to be "supraphysical". A “spiritual body” does not mean “a body made up of spirit” – otherwise how could Jesus have asked his disciples to touch and feel his resurrected body. Rather it means “a body that is suitable for living in the spiritual realm”.

The problem we have is that we see the physical realm as being “solid and real”, and the spiritual realm as being insubstantial, ethereal, non material, somehow unreal and unable to be touched.” The truth is that the spiritual realm is more real, more substantial, more solid, than the physical real we inhabit. Heaven is physically real – but in a different dimension to our universe.

(iii) The taking of Christ’s body into heaven has given the whole of our physical creation a new grounding in reality.
Where it was, prior to the incarnation, grounded solely in the spoken word of God, and it had lost this grounding through the Fall, now it is grounded in the incarnate Word of God. This is part of the change that has happened in the essential nature of the Trinity as a result of the incarnation - this physical universe has, in Christ, become part of the Triune nature where it was not before. The physical creation thus is given an eternal significance and permanence. Thus when this present form of creation is wound up at the Second Coming, we are not to think that matter is destroyed. Rather it is remoulded into a new creation.

(b) The rulership of the created order will be in the hands of man, in Christ and his bride, the Church.
This rulership is obtained by Christ through his coming a man, thus he is a true mediator between God and creation, sharing in the nature of both.

Jesus teaches this rulership in the following parable:

Luke 19:12-17.
“He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. `Put this money to work,' he said, `until I come back.' "But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, `We don't want this man to be our king.' "He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. "The first one came and said, `Sir, your mina has earned ten more.' "`Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. `Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.' "The second came and said, `Sir, your mina has earned five more.' "His master answered, `You take charge of five cities....'”

This parable is understood to refer to Christ, who went back to heaven to be appointed king. His servants are Christians. We are give gifts to trade with. The manner of our trading can bring increase. If we trade successfully then we will be rewarded at the Second Coming with rulership of “cities”, i.e. societies inhabited by intelligent creatures.

This presumably does not mean only on earth, but also elsewhere in creation, whereever God has intelligent creatures.

(c) The people of God will be involved in ruling the whole creation.
We cannot imagine what this is, it is beyond comprehension. However in able to do this we will not be limited by time and space, but like Christ, able to move between the various creations at will.

What Do I mean by "Various Creations"?

I suggest that what we are going to rule is not just the present physical universe, but what God makes out of its ruins - and more besides. The present skies - the physicsal universe - will be "rolled up like a scroll" and removed. It has been too corrupted by the fall of man to enter into eternity so it needs to be remade.

But is the physical universe that we see all there is to creation? I think not.

We are aware of two "levels" of creation already - the physical in which we live, and the spiritual, the realm of God, Angels, demons, elemental spirits and so on. These exist SIDE BY SIDE, as it were, occupying the same "space", but they can co-exist without either really impinging on the other. They are different dimensions .
This concept we do not find hard to understand. Let us then EXTEND the concept.

Why could there not be untold BILLIONS of creations - all alongside of each other, as it were occupying the same space, in different dimensions? Scientists today are postulating that, to explain the nature of the physical universeas they are coming to understand it, there must be other dimensions. They have postulated, in some cases, up to a dozen other dimensions.
Why could not it have been that it was God's original intention for mankind to rule all of these creations, man being the apex of God's creation? They could be, like the angels, aware of us, but us not be aware of them.
Why could not it have been that they were all affected, in some way, by the "Fall" of Adam?
Why could it not be that, in some way, they are redeemed by Christ?

All of this is quite possible as far as I can see - C.S.Lewis seems to have this sort of picture in his Narnia tale, "The Horse and His Boy".

In actual fact we could be involved in the creation of some of these universes. Or at least in seeing that they come into the fullness of what intended for them in Creation. Without us they will not enter fully into God’s purposes for them.

In this creation Adam was given the job of "naming" the animals. But the idea of "naming" in Hebrew thought is not just to give a title, but to create the personality and character of what is named. In the new Creation our task could be similar - to complete the creations God has already started, he has set out the raw materials, as it were. Our job will be to mould and shape into a final form, an expression of His creativity flowing through us.

Whatever the reality is in the future we do not now fully know, but it will be a superlative fulfillment of God's original intention for mankind to rule with him in his creation.

1 Corinthians 2:9,10.
"Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it even entered into the heart of mankind what God has prepared for those who love him, but God has revealed it to US by his Spirit”.

Revelation 21.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.
Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place."