Who is God? - Part 3

The following message is presented by John Elliott, a minister in the United Church of God. With this series, what we're looking at is, first of all, who is God? Who is the Godhead? Is God the Father in Jesus Christ? What do we really know about God the Father in Jesus Christ? What are they? Well, they are love. They are truth. And they are right in the state of righteousness. So, in this series, we're now going to look at who is man and what is man. And when we look at these within the context of what Scripture teaches us, it's rich. It is something that no one else knows. The previous versions, Part 1 and Part 2, in this series, are available at ucg.org. Now we're going to combine who is God and what is God with what is man. What is God's purpose for man? What are we doing here? Why is there a human existence, a human realm?

In Job 17, verse 17, the question is asked, what is man? What is man? It's good for us to stop and think about this rather than just take for granted our existence. What is man? What is man that you should exalt him?

You know, God created man out of nothing. And when he created something out of nothing, he made clay, he made dirt. And out of that dirt, he made man. And he exalted that man into the form of his own image. What is man that you should exalt him? What is man that you should set your heart on him?

God's heart, his love, his focus, all of his commitment is on human beings. He has humbled himself and sacrificed himself and everything that he can, including his own son who gave his own life for man. Now, what is man that God would do this? And going forward, verse 18, that you should visit him every morning. You know, we think about the model prayer outline that daily contact we're to have with God.

And he goes on and to test him every moment. It's very, very insightful right there. We have this God. We understand who the Godhead is, and we understand what they are. But why are they mindful of us? Why do they exalt us in their eyes? Why do they set their hearts on us?

Why do they visit us every day? Why do they test us every moment, every thought? Humanity does not have the answers to these questions. Humanity, sadly, is devoid of the greatest gift of love, the greatest gift of opportunity, from nothing to being in the divine family of God, living eternally in glory forever. And unfortunately, mankind is lost in some other concepts of who or what God is, or evolution, or life, or whatever. You and I have been called out of this world. You and I come to the understanding that within the kingdom of God, in the permanent kingdom of God, there only exists love and truth and right.

That's what we come to know, because that's what God is. God is love, the Bible says. God is truth, the Bible said. And so he calls us and says, In my kingdom, love, truth, and right is all that exists. Now, we are not love, not God's love. We are not truth, and we are not right, is our beginning state.

But God has a process of converting us over to that state, and then embracing us and raising us into an eternal state with Him. What a fabulous opportunity that is. In Deuteronomy 32, verse 4, we read this last time, but let's notice one more component that I did not stress intentionally. Deuteronomy 32, verse 4, it's proclaiming the name of God, ascribing greatness to our God. In verse 4, he is the rock.

We see that love, truth, and right is solid. It's not going anywhere. It's not moving at all from its position, and it is forever. It's everlasting. His work is perfect. For all His ways are justice. God is also just. The God of truth and without injustice, righteous and upright as He. Here we have this God of love, the God of truth, the God of right, all described right here within the context twice of He is also just.

The God of justice. We have to understand that within the framework of the physical creation and this opportunity that God has given us to be in His kingdom, in His family, there must be justice. There must be decision made as to what is right and wrong and who is right and wrong and who will be there. The just will inherit the kingdom. And the sinners will not. Justice, mercy and faith, however, go together.

God also is a very merciful God. He wants to be merciful as He is just. But the one thing that cannot come into the kingdom of God is sin. The opposite of love, the opposite of truth, and the opposite of right. And so God does have to be just. And so God does have to be just. So as the creator of all things in the kingdom, He exercises justice to that end.

Today, let's examine what is man. From God's perspective, what is man? From God's perspective, what is man's purpose? Humans are given a mind-blowing opportunity. This can't imagine that God, who is love, defines that love by humbling Himself, by humbling His Son lower than the angels, by giving us every opportunity at their own expense to become like them. What a wonderful opportunity! And this really speaks to the Feast of Pentecost, following the Days of Unleavened Bread, following the Passover.

It's time for the firstfruits to join Jesus Christ. A real thrill this will be for those who are the few firstlings into the kingdom of God. The title is, Who is God? Part 3. What is man? Let's examine this today. Let's look in the Bible as to the purpose of man from God's perspective.

Today, we're going to focus on four chapters. We're going to look at a timeline of God's purpose for man found in four chapters, Revelation 19-22. These four chapters are absolutely clear to you and me, and yet they befuddle the rest of humanity. Most of humanity will look at Revelation and call it the apocalypse. They'll say, well, it's a bunch of apocalyptic kind of things that happen.

They don't fit with our sort of mode of belief that goes back to Adam and Eve in the garden with the serpent that says, you won't die. So it's sort of set aside, sort of dismissed. But you and I, as those who are called at this time, are given these passages as the clear purpose for mankind. So what we are and what God's purpose is for us. Let's look today, beginning in Revelation chapter 19, and see the exciting and yet challenging roles and opportunities that you and I are provided. Revelation chapter 19 and verse 1.

After these things, I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven. It's very, very loud. Alleluia, salvation, and glory, and honor, and power belong to the Lord our God. Notice, it's our God. Not the other God, the fake gods, the fake ideas, the false notions that people come up with, and humanity has been deceived out of understanding the true God. But notice, it's our God. And salvation and glory and honor and power belong to our God. For true and righteous are His judgments. This is the God who is on track for developing and converting people who are created in His image into beings in that family, if they want to be.

But He has truth, righteousness, and judgments. Because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication. It's not just a singular event, but rather a global event. The false religions of the world. The ones who caused this harlot, this false religious system, all false religious systems could be brought into this, to go for a different suitor. See, the fornication, we're supposed to be chaste virgins to Jesus Christ, but you have Satan the devil.

And He is trying to get people to be part of His group. He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth. He's avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her. And we begin to see the servants of God are the ones losing blood all throughout history. You can see how Satan in the false religious system kills people, just left, right, and center. All the way down you find the false religions, all the way to the end, right to the very end.

They're still killing the true servants of God. That's something that we have to understand. Part of our calling is the fact that we are in this present evil age, and Satan hates God and he hates the church. Again, they said, verse 3, hallelujah. If we look in verse 4, the 24 elders, the four living creatures, fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne saying, Amen, hallelujah, a voice from the throne saying, Praise our God, all you servants and those who fear Him both great and small. Not many will do that.

Not many are doing that. And then in verse 6, I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters saying, hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. We read these words. We think of the Feast of Pentecost, the harvest of the firstfruits, those who have been baptized, the blood of Jesus Christ, and the new covenant brings them into a relationship where they can convert. And over seven complete, weak cycles representing their life, they are ready for the harvest of the firstfruits.

And here it says, let us be glad and rejoice. The wife has made herself ready. In other words, through this process of conversion, some, a few, have been chosen out of those called, and they are ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed, and notice, find linen clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. They have become right with God, and right is love, and right is truth. And these individuals now are accepted into the family of God with the blessing of being firstfruits, raised with Christ at His coming.

And then He said to me, verse 9, blessed, or as the Greek would say, oh, how supremely blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. It doesn't get better than this. Don't discount this calling. It's called the better resurrection that we have. It's the harder calling. It's the more difficult calling. It's high risk, as it were, with Satan like a lion seeking whom he may devour. But this is the best.

And He said to me, these are the true sayings of God. When we think of this, when we read it now, these are the true sayings of God. There's no variation here. There's no room for sort of other wiggle room or other ideas, is there? True sayings of God.

In verse 11, Now I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse. And he who sat upon him was called faithful and true. And in righteousness he judges and makes war. So he has faith, truth, right, and he's judging.

His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself. We don't know the names of God, the divine names of God. We don't speak that language, and God hasn't given us that information to trash as humanity, like we do every other form of name that humans can come up with. But we will, once we are spirit beings.

Verse 13, He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.

This is Jesus Christ. And the armies in heaven, or the word armies, the group, that group in heaven, notice, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. Who is that? Well, we just read. That's the bride, the resurrected bride, who stands with Jesus Christ in Revelation 14, verse 1, as 144,000, and they reign with him.

They follow him on white horses. Out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should strike the nations, and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron.

And to that bride, he says over in Revelation 2, verse 26, And he who overcomes and keeps my works until the end, I will give him power over the nations. He shall rule them with a rod of iron. They shall be dashed to pieces like a potter's vessels, as I also have received from my Father. You see this incredible opportunity of finally solving issues in the world. Sometimes we as humans want to read on the news, Oh, we do this, we do that, we should do this, we should fix that. No, here's where we get to fix it. We come riding in with the new King of Kings, and we're able to fix it with the power and the authority.

Now, dropping down in verse 15, Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should strike the nations, who are striking him. See, the nations have lined up to try to kill him. In verse 19, the beasts, the kings of the earth, their armies gathered together to make war against him, who sat on the horse and against his army. They're going to make war against us.

Then we see, in verse 20, These individuals are captured, false prophets, etc., etc., cast alive in the lake of fire, burning with brimstone. The rest were killed with a sword, which proceeded from the mouth of him, who sat on the horse. And then a wonderful thing happens. The end of this present evil age is complete. And a new age begins. A wonderful new age. An age unlike anything that could happen today. God doesn't try to fix the current age. In verse 20, I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. This is another mystery the world doesn't understand. They fantasize about Satan, and they fantasize about spirits, and all these things like to play around with that concept. But they don't realize that this dragon, the serpent of old, the devil and Satan, has deceived them. But here he has bound for a thousand years, and he's cast into the bottomless pit and shut up, and a seal set on him that he should not deceive the nations anymore until a thousand years were finished. Let's notice some details here. First of all, Satan is bound for one thousand years. Jesus said that unless the days of this present evil age are shortened, there would be no flesh saved alive. Thus, there would be no one in the millennium to reign over. There would be no remnant of Israel to bring back. There would be no humans in other countries to hear the Word of God and have it spread around the world. So Jesus said, for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened. Then we read here, after these things, after these thousand years, at the end of verse 3, he must be released for a little while. It's as if he is given a certain amount of time, but that time has to be cut short for a while. Then a thousand years takes place, and at the end of the thousand years, it says after the thousand years, he has to be released for a while.

In verse 4, I saw thrones, and they sat on them. Who is they? That's the bride. Judgment was committed to them. So now you have justice along with the love and the faithfulness and the truth and the right, and these now are given all the elements that God has, because they are spirit beings in the God family. They sit on the throne with God the Father in Christ. There's only one throne. God the Father is on it, Jesus Christ is on it, and He will sit on it with Him, part of their family.

Now he says, then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness to Jesus, of the Word of God, who had not worshipped the beast in His image, had not received the mark on their foreheads or on their hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. A thousand-year reign with Christ. Remember, they have something else on their forehead. As we read, they have the name of God the Father on their forehead.

They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Now verse 5 is very important to notice, but the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. Who was resurrected? In the first resurrection, we see in verse 6, blessed and holy is He who is part of the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power. The rest of the dead did not come up during the millennium, during the thousand years. It's important to realize that. No one's going to be resurrected during the millennium. You have those who are resurrected and reigned with Christ, and then at the end of the thousand years, we have another resurrection. But these shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. What an opportunity we have! What an incredible opportunity! And once again, the Feast of Pentecost celebrates the realization of that taking place. Once Christ returns at the seventh trumpet, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 that those in Christ will rise. And that will be a wonderful, wonderful time.

Verse 7.

Now, when the thousand years have expired... Uh-oh, here's the end of the millennium. What a wonderful time this will be. Let's just pause and look here at just a moment. Let's go back to Isaiah 65. And let's look at these individuals.

The thousand years will be people reigning with Christ. Isaiah 65 gives us the same information from Revelation that we're reading today. But it adds a little bit of detail, which is quite encouraging. Revelation merely mentions the thousand years.

Isaiah 65.

And we are going to begin at the end of verse 22.

It begins, he says, And my elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. This is during the Millennial period here. My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. Who are God's elect? Well, if we just go back a little bit to Isaiah 45 and verse 4. Isaiah 45 and verse 4. For Jacob, my servant's sake, and Israel, my elect. Jacob and Israel are synonymous names. Israel is his elect.

I have even called you by your name. I have named you, though you have not known me. So now we come back to Isaiah 65. And my elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

It's going to be a wonderful time. Right now, people aren't really enjoying the work they do quite often. It's so filled with this kind of worldly mindset of get and greed, and things aren't fair, and things aren't right, and people are overtaxed, and things cost too much, etc., etc. But here, my elect, the nation of Israel, the remnant that will come back, will long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain. Think of how much people work for, and then maybe you put it into something, or you put it in an investment, or you buy something, and it turned out you got swindled. Or what you bought wasn't worth very much. It didn't last very long. So you labored in vain. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble. You know, you look at the world today, and the children, the children, even prophesied, children are not really beneficial, and more and more as they become more and more lawless, more selfish, more pampered, pander to, they just get out of control. They don't have a purpose in life. They want to satiate the self, and they grow up into very immature adults.

Their children will not be brought forth for trouble, for they shall be descendants of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. We'll be back to parents walking and teaching children God's way as they travel through life together. And the children will be blessed, and a blessing to parents, and a blessing to communities.

Verse 24, it shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer. God will have a relationship with Israel then. And while they are still speaking, I will hear, the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like an ox, the dust shall be the serpent's food. In other words, even the environment will be changed to be something where nothing hurts or destroys in all of God's holy mountains.

It will be really, really good and work together very, very well.

So that's the millennium. You could draw a line in your Bible from that first line in verse 22 where it says, And my elect shall long enjoy the works of their hands. In my margin, I wrote millennium right there. It gives us a little bit of view of what the bounty is going to happen as we work with Jesus Christ and rule with Him for a thousand years. Let's go back to Revelation.

Now, when the thousand years have expired, Satan is released from his prison.

And what do you think happens? Well, he will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog. Now, this can be a little confusing, but if you look at what is said very carefully, he will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth. He's not going to one corner of the earth. He's going to all four corners of the earth, all the nations. Then it says Gog and Magog.

One item you might be interested in is the letters of Gog and Magog when added up numerically, total 70. And if you go over to Genesis chapter 10, is what is called the table of nations. All the nations of the world are listed, and guess how many there are? 70. So this particular passage seems to be looking at all the nations of the earth. If you want more detailed information about Gog and Magog, you might want to look up the UCG Bible commentary for Ezekiel 38 and 39. And there's a lot of detail there. But when we look at this, we see the nations from the four corners of the earth to gather them together to battle. Here we are again. We just were at battle a thousand years before.

Now they want to battle again. After all this build up and all the peace, now it wants to be torn down again, whose number is the sand of the sea. Verse 9, they went up the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.

It's important for us to note here how effective God's covenant, God's spirit working in man is. When we go to Jeremiah 31, verse 31, we see a prophecy being played out right here during the millennium, evidently. Jeremiah 31, verse 31, by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. Verse 33, I will put my law in their minds, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Dropping down to the end of verse 34, for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin, I will remember no more. This is a different covenant that God had made with Israel before. Now, if we notice also down in verse 38, Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that the city of Jerusalem shall be built for the Lord from the tower of Hanal to the corner gate. So, this is the physical city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt during the millennium. It will be even larger than the city of Jerusalem has been in the past. Now, let's go back and reread this where we were in Revelation. Revelation 20, verse 9. Remember, Satan is released, the armies from all corners of the earth went up the breadth of the earth, and they surrounded the camp of the saints, the Israel, and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. It's very interesting that the knowledge of God will cover the earth during the millennium, but the Spirit of God and the covenant of God goes to Israel. When Satan is released, we read right here, all the nations of the earth are caught up in that deception, and they come back to war all the way to the camp of the saints and to the holy city. But not the holy city. That covenant stands with Israel. We don't see anywhere of a resurrection during the thousand years. We don't know. God doesn't tell us the details of that. But He shows very powerfully that the bride and the lamb who work with Israel and have that covenant, it stands. What's encouraging is the same thing is happening right now. The bride-to-be is the elect at this time. Satan is loose, but you and I in this covenant that we have stand. And with all the armor of God, the help of God the Father and Jesus Christ, you and I can stand against Satan, and he does not take us out.

In verse 10, the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. Now, fire doesn't hurt spirit beings, but let's consider something.

The Logos, the Word, who was God with the Father, was created into flesh, and he was killed by Satan.

The devil, who is merely an angel, can also be converted into flesh and killed by God. But notice here what it says. The devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet were cast. The word are there is in parentheses. It didn't exist in the Greek. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. In other words, they received the same end. Satan and the beast and the false prophet all have the same end. The beast and the false prophet are humans. So, the devil is thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone. And in verse 14, death and Haiti were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. God is not, in other words, going to let sin reign. God is not going to have a kingdom that doesn't have love and truth and right in it. He will take care of it his way. We're not given all the details. Now let's look. Then, verse 11, I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, and from whose face the earth and heaven fled away, and there was no place found for them. Wow, this is really encouraging. A great white throne. God is now judging again. He's a God of justice. He's also a God of love, God of truth, and a God of right. And he just got rid of the God of sin and the God of falsehood, lying.

In verse 12, I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead, who aren't dead anymore, were judged according to their works by the things which are written in the books. Now let's just notice this.

A great white throne, Him who sat on it, and there, in verse 12, I saw the dead, small and great, standing. People who die, what happens to the ancient... what does Abraham look like today? What are the ancient Israelites who died in the desert look like today? Well, they don't look like anything. There's no trace of them. Humans, when they die, after a time, they just dissolve away into nothing. So what you have here is the dead from verse 5. Go back to verse 5. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. The thousand years are now finished, and the dead are living again. This is a wonderful thing. Wonderful God. I mean, what a loving God. He resurrects everybody who's ever died. It didn't matter if they knew Him, liked Him, didn't like Him, or anything else. They were deceived. Jesus didn't come to condemn humanity. He came to help save humanity. What a wonderful opportunity that all humans will get to live again. You know, when you look down again in verse 14, this is the second death. You can't have two deaths in one life. You have to have two lives to have two deaths.

Just like the resurrection. When it says the first resurrection, up in verses 4 and 6, there has to be another resurrection. You can't have just one first resurrection and no other resurrections. So now we have a second resurrection.

And these dead now, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. Now here are books. This is called the biblos. It just means books in Greek. When we look in this Bible, it is largely written to us in our time. We don't see a lot of information here for the millennial time. We don't see information here for the second resurrection time. We would assume that there will be more books added to this record.

But the books will be open to their mind. They will understand truth. They will come to know what is right. And they will understand love. Why is that? Because another book was opened, which is the book of life. The book of life is only opened twice in Scripture. It is written. It's up to God what he does this. But one is for those of us now who have our names written in the book of life. And here it is opened a second time at this resurrection, a book of life. Names are written in the book of life. What that means is they are baptized. Their past sins are forgiven. They are imbued with repentance. They are imbued with God's Holy Spirit. And they are led by the Spirit to develop love and truth and right. That's how they get their names written in the book of life. Because they are headed for life. And the dead were judged according to their works by the things which are written in the books. This is a pretty exciting time. Let's go back to Isaiah chapter 65 and read about this period. Isaiah chapter 65. Isaiah 65 is interesting in that God didn't just give all the information in order in the Sinai covenant to the world. It might get the Bible or to those who weren't living God's way of life. But it's here. We see this is very complimentary and follows right along with Revelation where we're reading.

The Great White Throne Judgment, this period of opportunity to life, is spelled out for us right here in verses 20 through 22. Again, I draw a line in my Bible just above the end of verse 22 where it says, in my elect, below that I wrote millennium in the margin.

And then above verse 22 up to verse 20, another line between 19 and 20, and here I wrote G-W-T-J, which is Great White Throne Judgment. Let's read about it. No more shall an infant from there live but a few days. Sometimes today we have a child born, sometimes a mother gives birth to a child, and for some reason there's a crib death, or there's a stillbirth, or a child isn't quite born, etc., etc., or a child, something happens to them as they grow up and they don't live a full complete life.

Well, that's not going to happen during the Great White Throne Judgment. This is a time period that is set for everyone to have an opportunity to live with God's Holy Spirit with their name written in the Book of Life and have an opportunity for salvation. It won't be the same level that the bride has, as we'll see, but still it'll be eternal life in whatever way God wants to provide it.

No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days. For the child shall die one hundred years old. This is where the church often calls it the hundred year period. This period is going to be a full life going on. But the sinner, being one hundred years old, shall be accursed. In other words, if they choose to go that way, but he's still going to have a full life. They shall build houses and inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit.

They shall not plant and another eat. Notice, for as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of my people. God calls them his people. And they'll be like a tree. A tree has to grow, it grows up, it has a full life. At some point in time, a tree expires. But it's going to be a full life and it's going to be strong.

Let's go back now to Revelation. We see in verse 13, In the end, all physical life that has not been changed into spirit beings is resurrected again. The sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged every one according to his works. And then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.

This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. There is a time when this human realm will have served its purpose. And it will be consumed. And those who are not spirit will simply not survive. And that is justice. And that is also mercy.

That is right. That is fitting for God and his kingdom. In verse 1 of chapter 21, Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. See, the first heaven, the first earth, the physical realm is gone. You might think, well, maybe he's just going to remodel what we have here. Maybe he's just going to plunk a new Jerusalem, a giant thing that stretches as high as the satellites are going around, probably knock out the space station as it goes around and kind of wobble or something.

No, this is... let's see what he says. A new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And he didn't see a sea. Let's go to 2 Peter chapter 3 real quick. 2 Peter chapter 3. Because the integrity of God depends on some of these statements here. He's going to say in a minute that his truth is firmly determined by what these words are. In 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 10, The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise. You know, when you take things that are physical, as far as we see anyway, if you take certain materials and you get the atoms and the molecules and the nucleus really unstable, and then you just hit them with a big powerful charge, you get a nuclear explosion that is heat and light and noise.

And afterward, there's not much there with that atom. Imagine taking all the atoms in the universe and just letting them fly. Well, here we go.

The heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, Wow! Verse 12, looking for and hastening the coming day of God because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Verse 13, Nevertheless, we according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. So in Revelation 21, when John says, Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, he means it. Now let's go back to Isaiah, Acts 65 again.

Isaiah 65, this time we'll back up and start in verse 17. Isaiah 65 and verse 17, as you can see, God authored this passage in reverse. So it doesn't just pop out at you. But when you see the plan of God unfold, it's all very clear. It's right here. Verse 17, For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth. And in my version of the Bible, there's a big bold heading here. The glorious new creation, it says. I just drew a line above that, and on the margin wrote, KdG, kingdom, the eternal kingdom of God. Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. This is a wonderful heavens and earth we have, but they're here for a purpose, a limited purpose. This is our nursery, as it were, for the children of God to grow up and have an opportunity to develop. But at some point, this will be in the past. Be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. Now He's going to create eternal things out of spirit matter, and we will rejoice forever in what He creates. For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy. So we're going to see this is new Jerusalem, and her people is the bride of Christ. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people. The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying. Revelation chapter 20. John says, John says, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven, prepared from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. Well, formerly men. They're not men here. Because in John chapter 1 and verse 18, it says, No man has ever seen God, except Jesus Christ. In what state was Jesus Christ when He saw God? He was a spirit being. So spirit beings will see God, if they're in His presence. But here, God is now with those who were formerly men. And He will dwell with them, and they will be His people. And God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death. Notice that. No death. That means no humans. Nor sorrow. Nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. All these we just read about in Isaiah chapter 65. The pain and the memory of these former things. That all has run its course. And now the kingdom of God goes forward. Now notice verse 5. Then He who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. Do you believe Him? Is He truth? Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful. God is going to make all things new, just as we read in Isaiah 65.

And verse 17. And just as Peter, in 2 Peter chapter 3 told us.

It's important for us to understand here. Verse 6. He said, It's done. I am Alpha Omega, the beginning and the end. God came up with the idea, and God will see it through.

He is the beginning of the idea. He is the end of the idea. He is the author of our faith. He is the finisher of our faith. It's a wonderful thing about God. We are the most blessed people, as all humanity is, ultimately. We are so blessed to have this wonderful, wonderful opportunity for eternal life.

However, verse 7, he shows here there will be justice. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

We saw this second death in the end of chapter 20, verse 15. Anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. That's the second death. So everybody gets two lives, unless you do well in your first round, and you are counted worthy to be in God's kingdom. But those who are not called, not had their eyes open, they get a chance for a second life, and hopefully they will choose life.

In verse 9, one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls that was previously one of those angels came to me and talked with me and said, "'Come, I will show you the bride, the lamb's wife.' And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the great city, Holy Jerusalem." Now, how do you have a bride who is Holy Jerusalem? In the United Church of God booklet, the book of Revelation unveiled. It shows that this is referring to the community of the Godhead. When he says, "'I'll show you the bride, Jerusalem,' this is the Godhead community. And it's a very privileged opportunity that we have to be called at this time for this better resurrection, to be the bride. As he says, "'I'll show you the bride. I'll show you where she lives. I'll show you the special community.' And he showed me the great city, the Holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was very bright and beautiful." Dropping down in verse 22, "'But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.'" We are told that in Revelation 2 and 3, the various things that the church is told, if they're faithful, one is that you'll be a pillar in the temple, and you'll be there. You're not going to be sent out or sent away.

Now, in verse 23, the city had no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it. This is a spirit dimension. Things really don't make sense here, the size of things. The previous verses try to describe how things are built out of spirit material, gates out of pearls and various things, height and width and length all the same, etc.

etc. We really will have to be spirit beings to understand what all of that is. But it says, for the glory of God illuminated it. Verse 23, the Lamb is its light. Verse 24, let's notice something very carefully here that the Scripture says, And the nations of those who are saved, the others who are saved out of the second resurrection, shall walk in its light.

They won't walk in it. They will walk in its light. And the kings of the earth will bring their glory and honor into it. So we're going to see here in two places that New Jerusalem is where God the Father, Jesus Christ are, it's their light and the bride lives there. This is the community of the Godhead. And the kings of the earth here bring their glory and honor into it, almost as ambassadors from the nations. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day. There shall be no night there. Verse 26, again, and they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. There shall be by no means enter anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie.

Notice, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. Your name is written in the Lamb's book of life if you are baptized and if you are following God and striving to be converted into a godly individual. You know, what an opportunity! The Feast of Pentecost pictures.

What a special, privileged opportunity! We didn't ask for it. We didn't even ask for life. We didn't even know. But God has selected some from the foundation of the world to be first fruits with His Son. Does it resound with you and I that this is a special opportunity that will never be taken away for those who fulfill this covenant? What an exciting time! In verse 3, there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.

The greatest servant is God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Godhead or servants. They have served us from designing us to finally creating this universe, of waiting, serving us, giving us, dying for us, continue to serve us with the Holy Spirit, serving us with a wonderful future, resurrections, etc., etc.

And we will join that mindset and be servants with them and of them. If we don't like to serve, we won't like the kingdom. But if we like to love and serve others, this is going to be a great place. You get to do it forever. And they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.

Whose name is on their foreheads? The Father's name is on the foreheads of those who became the bride. There shall be no night there. They need nor lamp, nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. Notice this. And they shall reign forever and ever. What a fabulous opportunity that you and I have been called to. The weak of the world. All of us are deficient in some ways.

We're all expiring in some ways. And there are so many things. And yet God has decided, for some reason, to give you and me that opportunity. What a privilege.

In this sentence, they shall reign forever and ever, concludes the prophecy of Revelation. Concludes God's plan for mankind. We now step into a few more verses in chapter 22 that come back to the present. As the heading in my Bible says, the time is near. It comes back to today. And then He said to me, these words are faithful and true.

And the Lord God of the Holy Prophet sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. Yes, the Lord God of the Holy Prophets, here we've read, is Jesus Christ sent His angel, who the angel here multiple times has been showing His servants the thing which must shortly take place.

John tried to bow down to that angel twice, and the angel said, No, get up! Don't worship me! Verse 7, Behold, I am coming quickly. That's now. This is back to now. This is not part of the prophecy of the future. I am coming quickly.

Oh, how supremely blessed is He who keeps the words of the prophecy or the teaching of this book. We will be very, very blessed to reign with Him a thousand years, reign with Him forever. Be the bride in New Jerusalem. Now I John saw and heard these things. He fell down and worshipped the angel. He said, Don't do that! Verse 10, and He said to me, Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.

We're back to now. Christ is coming. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still. The God of justice needs to make a determination for you and me individually. So let's be the real deal. Let's not pretend on the Sabbath where somebody were not the rest of the week. Let's be the real deal. If I'm unjust, then be unjust. So God will, you know, doesn't have to play with all this stuff. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him be righteous still.

He who is holy, let him be holy still. We have to choose, don't we? We have to decide if we want to be part of the kingdom of God, to be love and truth and right. And behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me. Verse 12, to give to everyone according to his work.

This backs us up to the Feast of Unleavened Bread. You and I can decide if we want to put sin out of our lives, if we want to put that bread in, if we want to grow into Jesus Christ and God the Father in their nature. We'll receive the reward according to our work. Jesus said, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning, the end, the first and the last. Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city.

Oh, how supremely blessed are those who are the firstfruits that will enter into the gates into that city of New Jerusalem. Notice verse 15. This is not the prophecy of the future now. This is now. He's just saying you're going to be really blessed in the future if you do this. But, verse 15, but, see the word outside? The Greek word here is exo, exo. It means out. But out are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Why are they out? Why are they excluded? Because in Revelation 21 and verse 8, the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murderer, the sexually immorals, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. That is out. Exo. So there's the choice. That's what you and I have. Verse 16, I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches.

I am the root in the offspring of David, the bright and the morning star. Now, here and now, verse 17, comes you and me in the here and now. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. We preach a gospel that says, Come, don't we? We are the betrothed bride of Christ right now. And this gospel that we preach goes around the world and says, Come, you know. Please join us. It's not real popular.

But we say, Come. And let him who hears say, Come. Follow this. Join this. Encourage one another. Let him who thirsts, Come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. That's what God wants. For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. Anyone adds to these things? God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this teaching, God will take away his part from the book of life.

Don't mess with what God says. You don't want your name taken out of the book of life. You'll take it out of the holy city from the things that are written in this book. Verse 20, He who testifies to these things says, Surely I am coming quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ is coming, and you and I have the opportunity to participate with him as being first fruits.

In conclusion, let's see this summed up in 2 Thessalonians 1 and 3. 2 Thessalonians 1 and 3. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting.

I'll say this for every pastor, every elder, every deacon, every decaness, and I'm sure every member in the body of Christ is always thanking God for you. We're so thankful to be part of this body of Christ, so thankful to be part of this persecuted, humbled, picked over group called brethren. Jesus calls us fellow brothers and sisters. Because your faith grows exceedingly, the trust of God and in his truth and living right, it grows exceedingly. And the love, the agape love of every one of you abounds towards each other so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience, or as the word should be, your patient endurance or your perseverance and faith in all your persecutions.

We are called in a time of persecution, time of testing and tribulations, it says, that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you also suffer. We don't always suffer a whole lot of outside persecution right now, sometimes in jobs, sometimes in marriages, sometimes in small ways, but we know prophetically the end times it really gets tough.

Since it is, verse 6, a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.

That's when we get our rest. That's when Jesus has come back and we are changed and we are given that power and we can finally make a difference in the world. In flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, these shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when he comes in that day to be glorified in his saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. Therefore, we also pray for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling to fulfill the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in him, according to the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.

You and I have been called for this purpose. We should be encouraged. We should be motivated. We should be strong in the faith. As we began, Job asked, What is man? That you should exalt him? What is man that you should set your heart on him? What is man that you should visit him every morning and that you should test him every morning? Every moment? Well, he answers that in James 1, verse 18. Of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Firstfruits. The firstlings. The first ones to join Christ. The first fruit in the family of God. So, brethren, let's rejoice in who God is. Let's rejoice in what God is. Let's rejoice in truth and riot and love and work diligently to fulfill God's goal of becoming firstfruits of his kind with Jesus Christ in the kingdom of God.