Verse 4 “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.”
While we cannot look upon the face of God now, He will be there for everyone to look upon then. His name will be upon everyone’s forehead. When He sealed the 144,000 on their foreheads, he was putting his name on them. A promise to the Philadelphians was that the Lamb would write upon the overcomers the name of God, the name of New Jerusalem, and His new name. We saw that Yeshua had a name written upon Him that no man knew when He rode down at Armageddon. Yeshua gets a new name, (Yeshua means “God saves,” He will need a new more appropriate name for the future after all is done and over) and that name will be written upon His people. Rev. 3:12 “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.”
Verse 5 “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 for ever and ever.
As mentioned before, New Jerusalem is a source of light as God’s glory shines out through it. It is a transparent crystal-like structure, so God’s glory will shine forth as through a diamond. There will no longer be any night, as God’s glory will not discontinue at any time, and it will be upon the earth, not in orbit, so the earth will not turn away its face from it at any time, as it does to the heavenly bodies when it rotates on its axis. If the new earth has a canopy as the old earth (and future millennial earth) had, the light will diffuse around the planet so that there will never be any darkness. As a result, there will be no need for a candle (John did not know about electricity and light bulbs) nor will there be a sun. I believe from what has already been studied, there has been no sun (as we now know it) for a thousand years since the beginning of the millennium, so this is not a new idea. God is the source of light. Isaiah 60:19-20 "The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy
God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended." And the saints reign forever. Even if the millennial saints are given glorified bodies, which does not seem indicated, they still exist as nations, and as such need judges to govern them. The saints also judge the angels, so no matter what, the saints will reign as judges forever.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Revekation 22:3
Verse 3 “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:”
Now we are told there is no more curse. Everything is brought back to the original state of perfection. This is where the world started. Back in Genesis I had said that the world will exist in five states. Perfection, antediluvian state, present state, millennial state (which is the same as the antediluvian state) and then perfection - a perfect cycle. As it now says there is no more curse, it would seem that the leaves of the tree that are said to be for healing would not include healing disease, as disease is a result of the curse. As it appears that the people coming through the millennium might not get glorified bodies, which would make sense as they do not die, it would seem that the leaves are just for anti-aging and in case someone gets hurt, as the bodies we have now can get injured, even in a perfect world. It would also appear that as there is no more curse, there may not be any more children being born, as (can be seen from the millennium) even when the Lord reigns, the path of destruction is broad, and the path of life is narrow and few be there that find it. Were children to be born, many would have to be executed due to their choice to rebel against God. If that were so, the curse would not be lifted, which it says that it is.
God and the Lamb will be in New Jerusalem and all of those who have believed in Him will serve Him forever.
Now we are told there is no more curse. Everything is brought back to the original state of perfection. This is where the world started. Back in Genesis I had said that the world will exist in five states. Perfection, antediluvian state, present state, millennial state (which is the same as the antediluvian state) and then perfection - a perfect cycle. As it now says there is no more curse, it would seem that the leaves of the tree that are said to be for healing would not include healing disease, as disease is a result of the curse. As it appears that the people coming through the millennium might not get glorified bodies, which would make sense as they do not die, it would seem that the leaves are just for anti-aging and in case someone gets hurt, as the bodies we have now can get injured, even in a perfect world. It would also appear that as there is no more curse, there may not be any more children being born, as (can be seen from the millennium) even when the Lord reigns, the path of destruction is broad, and the path of life is narrow and few be there that find it. Were children to be born, many would have to be executed due to their choice to rebel against God. If that were so, the curse would not be lifted, which it says that it is.
God and the Lamb will be in New Jerusalem and all of those who have believed in Him will serve Him forever.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Revelation 22:1-2
Verse 1-2 “And he shewed 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 bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
There is no temple to house God’s throne. It seems from the following verses that there is a garden in the midst of this city in which God’s and the Lamb’s throne are located. Notice that the way it is stated, it appears there is only one throne. We know that the Lamb sits at the right hand of God, so this must be a large throne on which both sit. From out of the throne (presumably underneath) proceeds a river. This is river which contains the essence of life, is pure, and clear as crystal. It is living water which brings life. From the midst of the flow of the river, from one shore to the other shore grows the tree of life. It must be huge. This tree has been off limits since Adam and Eve sinned and were banned from the garden. It (or another like it) existed in the garden of Eden, but nobody could enter that garden (after the fall) due to the cherubim guarding its gate and the flaming sword guarding the tree of life. This was so that man would not eat of it and be forced to live eternally in a sinful body. Death is actually God’s blessing, as we are released from the sinful body to exchange it for a perfect one. Gen. 3:24 “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” The tree of life was destroyed during Noah’s flood, as was the Garden of Eden, which is why we do not have Cherubim and a flaming sword found anywhere in Israel today. This tree in New Jerusalem produces twelve (note God’s use of the number twelve - twelve tribes, twelve disciples, etc.) fruits. It gives a new crop of fruit every month. This may be a different fruit every month and there may still be twelve months a year, or it may be that once a month it produces all twelve fruits afresh. It does not clearly say which it is. One of the promises to the church of Ephesus was that overcomers would eat from this tree of life. The leaves are used medicinally for healing. Which brings up a question which we will address momentarily.
During the millennium, there will be a similar river flowing out from the threshold of the temple which will do the same thing as this river. Ez. 47:1-12. “Afterward, he brought me again unto the door of the house, and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward; for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward, and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over; for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country and go down into the desert, and go into the sea, which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass that everything that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. But the miry places thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.”
The millennial river has not one tree which produces twelve fruits (which is why we know this refers to the millennium and not the eternal state), but fruit trees grow on both sides of the river and they constantly produce fruit rather than go dormant, for the leaf does not fade. The fruit cannot be consumed, which means it produces so much that it cannot all be harvested. It says that it will bring forth new fruit according to its months. Whether this means that the trees will bring forth so much fruit when each particular fruit is in season (for instance apples are ripe in the fall), so that the fruit will last until the next time it is seasonal for it to be ripe, or whether like the tree of life they will produce on a monthly basis, it is not precisely clear. One would think, though, that for the fruit to not be consumed, it would probably mean that they will produce monthly. That would supply an inordinate amount of food.
The leaves of these trees are used medicinally for healing people, which is part of the reason people will not be ill nor die during the millennium. They will be healed by these leaves, and the vapor canopy over the earth will slow the aging processes as it did before the flood.
Getting back to the tree of life in eternity, the fact that the leaves are also used for the healing of the nations as they were during the millennium forces us to ask a question. The bodies that Adam and Eve had were originally meant to last forever, but we know that they can die. So what was going to keep them alive? It would appear that the leaves of the tree of life that existed then were to be used for the same purpose as the tree in the future, for healing. If they partook of the tree of life, I do not think that it was a once and for all change in a person’s body that allowed them to live forever like a magic elixir, but that when they were ill or hurt, the leaves would cure them. They may also have rejuvenated the body so that aging would not have been a problem. Without illness and without aging, they would have lived forever in the bodies they had, which were perfect at the start. Now we see that the leaves of this tree are to be used for healing, which means that someone has bodies that can be hurt, possibly get ill, and age. It does not seem that our resurrected bodies will have this problem, as they are supposed to be incorruptible. It does not say, however, that those who have lived through the millennium are going to receive the glorified bodies that those who have died before have received. Are they going to live out eternity in their present bodies, using the leaves for injury and aging just as Adam and Eve would have used them had they not sinned? Their bodies were originally intended to live forever when God created them. It would seem by deduction that this is possibly the case, as it does not seem likely that the resurrected bodies would have need of healing and anti-aging elixirs. This would explain why in eternity there are nations who will walk in the light of New Jerusalem rather than live in New Jerusalem. There will still be nations, as not everybody is the bride of Christ and a resident of New Jerusalem. Israel will always exist as a nation, and apparently so will other nations. They will be populated by the people who lived through the millennium and are allowed to enter eternity. It would seem that maybe these people get judged at the Great White Throne Judgment also, but their names are written in the Book of Life, which is why God opens it there as well as the books of works from which He judges the unsaved dead. All the unsaved will be dead, including those who did live through the millennium, as they went up against God at the second Gog/Magog war and were devoured by the fire God sent. This is the second resurrection, however those who were not a part of this rebellion did not die, so if they are judged at this time, they are not part of the dead being judged, they are the living whose names are in the Book of Life.
There is no temple to house God’s throne. It seems from the following verses that there is a garden in the midst of this city in which God’s and the Lamb’s throne are located. Notice that the way it is stated, it appears there is only one throne. We know that the Lamb sits at the right hand of God, so this must be a large throne on which both sit. From out of the throne (presumably underneath) proceeds a river. This is river which contains the essence of life, is pure, and clear as crystal. It is living water which brings life. From the midst of the flow of the river, from one shore to the other shore grows the tree of life. It must be huge. This tree has been off limits since Adam and Eve sinned and were banned from the garden. It (or another like it) existed in the garden of Eden, but nobody could enter that garden (after the fall) due to the cherubim guarding its gate and the flaming sword guarding the tree of life. This was so that man would not eat of it and be forced to live eternally in a sinful body. Death is actually God’s blessing, as we are released from the sinful body to exchange it for a perfect one. Gen. 3:24 “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” The tree of life was destroyed during Noah’s flood, as was the Garden of Eden, which is why we do not have Cherubim and a flaming sword found anywhere in Israel today. This tree in New Jerusalem produces twelve (note God’s use of the number twelve - twelve tribes, twelve disciples, etc.) fruits. It gives a new crop of fruit every month. This may be a different fruit every month and there may still be twelve months a year, or it may be that once a month it produces all twelve fruits afresh. It does not clearly say which it is. One of the promises to the church of Ephesus was that overcomers would eat from this tree of life. The leaves are used medicinally for healing. Which brings up a question which we will address momentarily.
During the millennium, there will be a similar river flowing out from the threshold of the temple which will do the same thing as this river. Ez. 47:1-12. “Afterward, he brought me again unto the door of the house, and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward; for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward, and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over; for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country and go down into the desert, and go into the sea, which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass that everything that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. But the miry places thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.”
The millennial river has not one tree which produces twelve fruits (which is why we know this refers to the millennium and not the eternal state), but fruit trees grow on both sides of the river and they constantly produce fruit rather than go dormant, for the leaf does not fade. The fruit cannot be consumed, which means it produces so much that it cannot all be harvested. It says that it will bring forth new fruit according to its months. Whether this means that the trees will bring forth so much fruit when each particular fruit is in season (for instance apples are ripe in the fall), so that the fruit will last until the next time it is seasonal for it to be ripe, or whether like the tree of life they will produce on a monthly basis, it is not precisely clear. One would think, though, that for the fruit to not be consumed, it would probably mean that they will produce monthly. That would supply an inordinate amount of food.
The leaves of these trees are used medicinally for healing people, which is part of the reason people will not be ill nor die during the millennium. They will be healed by these leaves, and the vapor canopy over the earth will slow the aging processes as it did before the flood.
Getting back to the tree of life in eternity, the fact that the leaves are also used for the healing of the nations as they were during the millennium forces us to ask a question. The bodies that Adam and Eve had were originally meant to last forever, but we know that they can die. So what was going to keep them alive? It would appear that the leaves of the tree of life that existed then were to be used for the same purpose as the tree in the future, for healing. If they partook of the tree of life, I do not think that it was a once and for all change in a person’s body that allowed them to live forever like a magic elixir, but that when they were ill or hurt, the leaves would cure them. They may also have rejuvenated the body so that aging would not have been a problem. Without illness and without aging, they would have lived forever in the bodies they had, which were perfect at the start. Now we see that the leaves of this tree are to be used for healing, which means that someone has bodies that can be hurt, possibly get ill, and age. It does not seem that our resurrected bodies will have this problem, as they are supposed to be incorruptible. It does not say, however, that those who have lived through the millennium are going to receive the glorified bodies that those who have died before have received. Are they going to live out eternity in their present bodies, using the leaves for injury and aging just as Adam and Eve would have used them had they not sinned? Their bodies were originally intended to live forever when God created them. It would seem by deduction that this is possibly the case, as it does not seem likely that the resurrected bodies would have need of healing and anti-aging elixirs. This would explain why in eternity there are nations who will walk in the light of New Jerusalem rather than live in New Jerusalem. There will still be nations, as not everybody is the bride of Christ and a resident of New Jerusalem. Israel will always exist as a nation, and apparently so will other nations. They will be populated by the people who lived through the millennium and are allowed to enter eternity. It would seem that maybe these people get judged at the Great White Throne Judgment also, but their names are written in the Book of Life, which is why God opens it there as well as the books of works from which He judges the unsaved dead. All the unsaved will be dead, including those who did live through the millennium, as they went up against God at the second Gog/Magog war and were devoured by the fire God sent. This is the second resurrection, however those who were not a part of this rebellion did not die, so if they are judged at this time, they are not part of the dead being judged, they are the living whose names are in the Book of Life.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Revelation 21:24-27
Verse 24 “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.”
Now we see that there is still a division between those who were the saints that reigned with Yeshua and live in New Jerusalem, and those who lived on earth during the millennium. As mentioned before, New Jerusalem is the new “sun” which lights the earth, and now its light still shines on the new earth. The nations of those who are saved (those who were righteous and did not rebel at Satan’s last roundup), will still walk in its light. There will still be nations and governments and kings, as the kings of the earth will bring their homage to God inside the city. All will be able to look upon the face of God.
Verse 25 “And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.”
The gates of the city will never be shut. In ancient days, the gates of the cities (which were surrounded by walls for defense) were shut at night for protection. As there will be no night, but only day, there will be no need for the gates to be shut. Added to that is the fact that there will be no one who would cause there to be any need for them to be shut anyhow, as there will only be righteous people.
Verse 26 “And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.”
All the nations will bring their homage and gifts and worship into the city to present to God.
Verse 27 “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
There will be no worry of anything evil corrupting the city, as there will not be anything evil to enter. Only those whose names have been written in the Book of Life will have entrance into the city. This is a given, as they are the only people who are left after the White Throne Judgment. I think this is mentioned because those people who think they are “good enough” need to realize that they are not going to enter into the kingdom of God without entering into it the way God has said that they can. Only those whose names are in the book of life will get in. One lie is enough to keep an unrepentant sinner out. It was already discussed in a previous passage what those who are an abomination are, and the other sins which keep one out of the kingdom of God, so that will not be revisited here.
Now we see that there is still a division between those who were the saints that reigned with Yeshua and live in New Jerusalem, and those who lived on earth during the millennium. As mentioned before, New Jerusalem is the new “sun” which lights the earth, and now its light still shines on the new earth. The nations of those who are saved (those who were righteous and did not rebel at Satan’s last roundup), will still walk in its light. There will still be nations and governments and kings, as the kings of the earth will bring their homage to God inside the city. All will be able to look upon the face of God.
Verse 25 “And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.”
The gates of the city will never be shut. In ancient days, the gates of the cities (which were surrounded by walls for defense) were shut at night for protection. As there will be no night, but only day, there will be no need for the gates to be shut. Added to that is the fact that there will be no one who would cause there to be any need for them to be shut anyhow, as there will only be righteous people.
Verse 26 “And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.”
All the nations will bring their homage and gifts and worship into the city to present to God.
Verse 27 “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
There will be no worry of anything evil corrupting the city, as there will not be anything evil to enter. Only those whose names have been written in the Book of Life will have entrance into the city. This is a given, as they are the only people who are left after the White Throne Judgment. I think this is mentioned because those people who think they are “good enough” need to realize that they are not going to enter into the kingdom of God without entering into it the way God has said that they can. Only those whose names are in the book of life will get in. One lie is enough to keep an unrepentant sinner out. It was already discussed in a previous passage what those who are an abomination are, and the other sins which keep one out of the kingdom of God, so that will not be revisited here.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Revelation 21:21-23
Verse 21 “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”
As for the gates, each one is made up of a single pearl. Out of curiosity as to how others interpreted this, I did something which I seldom do. I went online and looked up some well-known commentaries to see what others were saying. Everyone that I read said the same thing, that this is not to be taken literally, as there is no such thing as a giant pearl. I have to laugh at so-called Christians who believe that God created the universe, incarnated in human form, and came back from the dead, but lacks the ability to create a giant pearl. John is not describing a metaphor, he is describing a city that he actually sees, and he is describing it in literal detail. These are either giant pearls which have a doorway carved out of them, or it may simply be that each gate is made of a single sheet of mother of pearl, both which would require a special creation of God. But then is not this whole city a special creation of God? We were not told how large the gemstones in the foundation were. They may be enormous also. As we do not know exactly what these gates look like, it is hard to say whether it is a round pearl with a doorway in it, or a gate made of one piece of mother of pearl. What we do know is that John perceived them as being a literal single pearl each, not a metaophor for some spiritual application.
Again we are told of the transparency of the gold used in this city. The streets are made of transparent gold. Years ago the idea of transparent gold may have not been understandable, but now with our technology, we know there is such a thing. As mentioned before, that is what is put on the visors of astronauts' helmets to protect them from the sun's brilliance when they are outside their spacecrafts. They can see through the gold, as it is transparent. To repeat the purpose one more time, the transparency is so God’s glory can shine throughout the entire city.
Verse 22 “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”
There is no temple building anymore. The millennium requires a temple, so we now can differentiate between the Scriptures that are speaking of the millennium and those which refer to eternity. I say that, as there are some who try to make the millennial Scriptures refer to the world of eternity. For eternity the old things have passed away. The need for a temple, rituals, and intercession by a priest is no longer necessary. Sinless perfection reigns and sinless perfection can come before the presence of God. Therefore God and the Lamb (Yeshua) live in the city without the need for a temple. They are the temple of the city. That is why God’s glory shines throughout. Unlike the original temple where God resided in the Holy of Holies apart from humanity, as no person can see the face of God and live, here all can look upon God, so He need not be separate from His children any longer. He has no need of a temple to separate Himself.
Verse 23 “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.”
The city is coming down to the earth now, so it will not be in orbit any longer. There is no sun as that blew itself out before the millennium, and there is no need for the moon either. God has had those pass away and has not created new ones to replace them. God's glory shining through the city will still light the earth, so there is no need for a sun or moon even with the city on the ground.
As for the gates, each one is made up of a single pearl. Out of curiosity as to how others interpreted this, I did something which I seldom do. I went online and looked up some well-known commentaries to see what others were saying. Everyone that I read said the same thing, that this is not to be taken literally, as there is no such thing as a giant pearl. I have to laugh at so-called Christians who believe that God created the universe, incarnated in human form, and came back from the dead, but lacks the ability to create a giant pearl. John is not describing a metaphor, he is describing a city that he actually sees, and he is describing it in literal detail. These are either giant pearls which have a doorway carved out of them, or it may simply be that each gate is made of a single sheet of mother of pearl, both which would require a special creation of God. But then is not this whole city a special creation of God? We were not told how large the gemstones in the foundation were. They may be enormous also. As we do not know exactly what these gates look like, it is hard to say whether it is a round pearl with a doorway in it, or a gate made of one piece of mother of pearl. What we do know is that John perceived them as being a literal single pearl each, not a metaophor for some spiritual application.
Again we are told of the transparency of the gold used in this city. The streets are made of transparent gold. Years ago the idea of transparent gold may have not been understandable, but now with our technology, we know there is such a thing. As mentioned before, that is what is put on the visors of astronauts' helmets to protect them from the sun's brilliance when they are outside their spacecrafts. They can see through the gold, as it is transparent. To repeat the purpose one more time, the transparency is so God’s glory can shine throughout the entire city.
Verse 22 “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”
There is no temple building anymore. The millennium requires a temple, so we now can differentiate between the Scriptures that are speaking of the millennium and those which refer to eternity. I say that, as there are some who try to make the millennial Scriptures refer to the world of eternity. For eternity the old things have passed away. The need for a temple, rituals, and intercession by a priest is no longer necessary. Sinless perfection reigns and sinless perfection can come before the presence of God. Therefore God and the Lamb (Yeshua) live in the city without the need for a temple. They are the temple of the city. That is why God’s glory shines throughout. Unlike the original temple where God resided in the Holy of Holies apart from humanity, as no person can see the face of God and live, here all can look upon God, so He need not be separate from His children any longer. He has no need of a temple to separate Himself.
Verse 23 “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.”
The city is coming down to the earth now, so it will not be in orbit any longer. There is no sun as that blew itself out before the millennium, and there is no need for the moon either. God has had those pass away and has not created new ones to replace them. God's glory shining through the city will still light the earth, so there is no need for a sun or moon even with the city on the ground.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
About Gematria
Having written about the well-known "666" of Revelation possibly being Arabic letters that say "in the name of Allah," followed by the symbol of the crossed swords which means military might, and having received a comment that told me that Gematria is also used in English, I decided to look a little further into the history of Gematria rather than just knowing it is an occult practice. I found the historical information presented from the following sources.
"Gematria: History and Principles - The Magickal Correspondences of Words and Numbers" by Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
"Some Notes on the History of Isopsephia (Gematria)" by John Opsopaus
"Gematria" by Alan G. Hefner
The earliest record that exists of the use of Gematria is from the 8th century BC where it is written that King Sargon II of Babylon built the wall of Khorsabad the distance of the Gematria or numerical value of his name, which was 16, 283 cubits. Gematria was a well-known practice in the Mesopotamian area as all of the "gods" had numbers. From Babylon its next recorded use is in Greece. This would make sense, as the history of the pagan gods show that they originated in the Babylonian area and then their worship migrated outward to Greece, India, etc. As to how Gematria came to be used by the Hebrews, there are two ways. While it is clearly probable that Gematria was incorporated into Judaism through Qabalah (Kabalah) during the Babylonian captivity, the historical evidence seems to show that it did not really take hold in Judaism until the 1st century BC and is more inclined to be used the way the Greeks used it. This would infer that while they clearly would have been exposed to it in Babylon, it really began being utilized under the Greek influence. The Hebrews used Gematria for divination ( a major sin). That this was a real problem is easily found simply by reading the Tanakh or Old Testament. Israel was influenced by pagan practices from the Exodus on. Using pagan practices was such a perpetual sin that the ten northern tribes of Israel were dispersed by God for several thousand years until the end times (of which we are close to entering), when He will again bring them back to Israel. Not only did Judaism incorporate Gematria (only one of many occult practices that they were exposed to and brought back from Babylon), but early Christianity did the same. As mentioned in previous blogs, both Judaism and Christianity are full to overflowing of pagan practices, all which need to be removed.
As mentioned in the comment by Aviv to my post, Gematria made its way into the English language, as early as the 1500s. One of the most well-known authors and users of English Gematria was Aleister Crowley, one of the world's most famous occultists. He was known as "The Great Beast", and founded the religious philosophy known as Thelema. He also founded the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and The Ordo Templi Orientis, both occult organizations. People have even used Gematria to try to find hidden messages in Shakespeare.
The purpose of all of this history is to merely show that Gematria is an occult practice and should not be considered a method of interpretation of the Scriptures.
"Gematria: History and Principles - The Magickal Correspondences of Words and Numbers" by Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
"Some Notes on the History of Isopsephia (Gematria)" by John Opsopaus
"Gematria" by Alan G. Hefner
The earliest record that exists of the use of Gematria is from the 8th century BC where it is written that King Sargon II of Babylon built the wall of Khorsabad the distance of the Gematria or numerical value of his name, which was 16, 283 cubits. Gematria was a well-known practice in the Mesopotamian area as all of the "gods" had numbers. From Babylon its next recorded use is in Greece. This would make sense, as the history of the pagan gods show that they originated in the Babylonian area and then their worship migrated outward to Greece, India, etc. As to how Gematria came to be used by the Hebrews, there are two ways. While it is clearly probable that Gematria was incorporated into Judaism through Qabalah (Kabalah) during the Babylonian captivity, the historical evidence seems to show that it did not really take hold in Judaism until the 1st century BC and is more inclined to be used the way the Greeks used it. This would infer that while they clearly would have been exposed to it in Babylon, it really began being utilized under the Greek influence. The Hebrews used Gematria for divination ( a major sin). That this was a real problem is easily found simply by reading the Tanakh or Old Testament. Israel was influenced by pagan practices from the Exodus on. Using pagan practices was such a perpetual sin that the ten northern tribes of Israel were dispersed by God for several thousand years until the end times (of which we are close to entering), when He will again bring them back to Israel. Not only did Judaism incorporate Gematria (only one of many occult practices that they were exposed to and brought back from Babylon), but early Christianity did the same. As mentioned in previous blogs, both Judaism and Christianity are full to overflowing of pagan practices, all which need to be removed.
As mentioned in the comment by Aviv to my post, Gematria made its way into the English language, as early as the 1500s. One of the most well-known authors and users of English Gematria was Aleister Crowley, one of the world's most famous occultists. He was known as "The Great Beast", and founded the religious philosophy known as Thelema. He also founded the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and The Ordo Templi Orientis, both occult organizations. People have even used Gematria to try to find hidden messages in Shakespeare.
The purpose of all of this history is to merely show that Gematria is an occult practice and should not be considered a method of interpretation of the Scriptures.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Revelation 21:17-20
Verse 17 “And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.”
The wall that surrounds the city is 216 feet (roughly 66 meters) tall if one uses the cubit according to the measure of a man. A cubit (the length of the arm of a man up to his elbow) is generally reckoned to be 18 inches (.5 meter) long. There are some cases when a cubit was as much as 21 inches, but generally 18 inches is the accepted length. This is the height of the wall, which is actually shorter than the recorded height of ancient Babylon's wall, which Herodotus reported as being 350 feet. To a city that is 1500 miles tall, a wall merely 216 feet tall would seem miniscule by comparison. It is roughly 21 ½ stories high if a story is approximately ten feet. This is not that tall considering the height of the city. Grammatically it would appear there are two ways of viewing the statement about the measurement. The first given is the usual way of interpreting it. John says that this measure is according to the measure of a man, which means that the common measurements of man are being used. It seems that John then realizes that he may be confusing the issue by referring to the angel as a man and wants to clarify that he did not mean that the one measuring it is a man, but an angel (most likely in the form of a man). The other possible way to interpret this is that John is describing the process of measuring, and then realizes that he misspoke and said man when he meant angel (the cubit of an angel being much larger, as most angels that have been seen have been reported to be about eight feet or 2.5 meters tall). It does not seem to be an issue either way, as the idea of how high the wall is compared to the city is understood regardless of which way it is taken.
Verse 18 “And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.”
The wall is like jasper. While there are many colors of jasper, this jasper would most likely be the clear jasper. God’s glory is to shine through it, so it needs to be transparent to allow that to happen. The city is described as being of pure gold, but clear as glass. Again, the gold is so thin, as in an astronauts helmet, that it is transparent. This city is transparent for a purpose and that is to let God’s glory shine through it.
Verse 19-20 “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, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.”
The foundations of the wall are decorated with all kinds of precious stones. I am not a gemologist, and even many scholars have trouble when it comes to identifying stones using the ancient names, which is what the Bible does. Many stones had multiple names due to various regions giving them different names, so while there is some idea of what the gems are, especially those with names that are still common such as emerald, topaz, amethyst and sapphire, nobody can say for a certainty exactly what some of the more obscure ones mentioned are. There is a general consensus that these are the same twelve stones, some mentioned by other names, that were used to represent the twelve tribes of Israel on the priest’s breastplate. Some definitely are the same, but again, the use of different names for the same stone make it impossible to say this is absolutely true. God does like to be consistent in what He does, so it is quite probable that these are the same stones. They are an assortment of different colors, so it will be a very beautiful foundation. There is most certainly a reason why each stone was chosen by God for representing the tribes and for putting them in the wall, but a study of that nature would take years to pursue and I am not sure that even then an answer would be forthcoming. I believe there are some people who have tried to do such a study, but not having read what they have written, I cannot say whether what they are saying is upheld by Scripture or not. The obvious idea that God is trying to present is that it will be exceedingly beautiful.
The wall that surrounds the city is 216 feet (roughly 66 meters) tall if one uses the cubit according to the measure of a man. A cubit (the length of the arm of a man up to his elbow) is generally reckoned to be 18 inches (.5 meter) long. There are some cases when a cubit was as much as 21 inches, but generally 18 inches is the accepted length. This is the height of the wall, which is actually shorter than the recorded height of ancient Babylon's wall, which Herodotus reported as being 350 feet. To a city that is 1500 miles tall, a wall merely 216 feet tall would seem miniscule by comparison. It is roughly 21 ½ stories high if a story is approximately ten feet. This is not that tall considering the height of the city. Grammatically it would appear there are two ways of viewing the statement about the measurement. The first given is the usual way of interpreting it. John says that this measure is according to the measure of a man, which means that the common measurements of man are being used. It seems that John then realizes that he may be confusing the issue by referring to the angel as a man and wants to clarify that he did not mean that the one measuring it is a man, but an angel (most likely in the form of a man). The other possible way to interpret this is that John is describing the process of measuring, and then realizes that he misspoke and said man when he meant angel (the cubit of an angel being much larger, as most angels that have been seen have been reported to be about eight feet or 2.5 meters tall). It does not seem to be an issue either way, as the idea of how high the wall is compared to the city is understood regardless of which way it is taken.
Verse 18 “And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.”
The wall is like jasper. While there are many colors of jasper, this jasper would most likely be the clear jasper. God’s glory is to shine through it, so it needs to be transparent to allow that to happen. The city is described as being of pure gold, but clear as glass. Again, the gold is so thin, as in an astronauts helmet, that it is transparent. This city is transparent for a purpose and that is to let God’s glory shine through it.
Verse 19-20 “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, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.”
The foundations of the wall are decorated with all kinds of precious stones. I am not a gemologist, and even many scholars have trouble when it comes to identifying stones using the ancient names, which is what the Bible does. Many stones had multiple names due to various regions giving them different names, so while there is some idea of what the gems are, especially those with names that are still common such as emerald, topaz, amethyst and sapphire, nobody can say for a certainty exactly what some of the more obscure ones mentioned are. There is a general consensus that these are the same twelve stones, some mentioned by other names, that were used to represent the twelve tribes of Israel on the priest’s breastplate. Some definitely are the same, but again, the use of different names for the same stone make it impossible to say this is absolutely true. God does like to be consistent in what He does, so it is quite probable that these are the same stones. They are an assortment of different colors, so it will be a very beautiful foundation. There is most certainly a reason why each stone was chosen by God for representing the tribes and for putting them in the wall, but a study of that nature would take years to pursue and I am not sure that even then an answer would be forthcoming. I believe there are some people who have tried to do such a study, but not having read what they have written, I cannot say whether what they are saying is upheld by Scripture or not. The obvious idea that God is trying to present is that it will be exceedingly beautiful.
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