Note: J. Preston Eby, in order to continue to devote his full energy to writing no longer works in the office and does not receive this email. He does, however, respond to any urgent correspondence via snailmail. |
To be added to the mailing list to receive the current issue of Kingdom Bible Studies each month: |
"Teaching the things concerning the kingdom of God..."
FROM THE CANDLESTICK TO THE THRONE
Part 93
BREAKING THE SEALS
(continued)
Before moving on in our study to the momentous events occurring under the sixth seal, I would again draw your attention to
the fact that almost all the events in the book of Revelation take place in one of three
dimensions: HEAVEN, EARTH, and SEA. These
are, of course, symbolical and prophetical terms! They
represent states of being, life-styles, levels of consciousness, spheres of existence, and
dimensions of life within each of us.
Within me, and within you, my beloved, there is a sea-realm, the outer man of the
body. In our intellect, in our soul life,
there is an earth-realm. And in our spirit
there is a heaven-realm! There are things
that are true in each of these realms, in each of these dimensions of our life. Every man on earth fits into one of these three
categories every man! Theres not a man on this planet who
isnt living out his life from one of these three realms. All of Gods processing in our lives, as He
conforms us into the image of His Son, takes place only in the realms of earth and sea. Everything that comes out of heaven affects and deals with the earth and
the sea!
Fire comes down from heaven and brings corrective, purifying judgments
upon those who dwell upon the earth and in the sea. Mighty
messengers come down out of heaven and the sea rages and the earth shakes and quakes. Oh, yes! When
heaven comes down and touches earth there are voices, and lightnings, and thunderings, and
earthquakes, and judgments, fires, blood, hail, and mighty transformations. I cant think of anything greater that could
happen to my body and soul realms! There is nothing more wonderful that could descend in
power upon the self-consciousness and self-righteousness of my soul realm, and the lusts
and passions of my body realm, to bring change. In
the book of Revelation nearly all that happens in the earth and in the sea originates out
of heaven! Ill tell you why thats
important. If youre trying to deal with
your carnal mind, your fleshly desires, your religious hang-ups, or any other thing apart from the life of God out of your spirit,
then you are indeed making a great effort of futility!
Heaven is nothing else but the invisible, omnipresent realm of the spirit in which
God dwells. It is the divine spiritual world! We understand that Gods presence fills the
expanse of the universe. There is no place
where God is not. There is no place you can
imagine on this side of the grave, on the other side of the grave, in this visible
universe, in other invisible parallel universes, no matter where there is time or space or
dimension God is there! He is
everywhere because He is the Source, the Creator of all
things. All is of Him,
out of Him, and in Him all
things consist. The physical cosmos is
completely enveloped and permeated by a spiritual dimension. The material universe is the effect of the great
Cause, and that Cause is God. There is divine interaction between these two
realms for they are related just as a baby birthed out of a mothers womb is related
to its mother, or as the plastic pen I now hold in my hand is related to the crude oil
from which it is a by-product. We are
surrounded not only by Gods Spirit, but by the spiritual world, by a great cloud of witnesses, by
an innumerable company of angels, by the spirits of just men made perfect, and by
principalities and powers in the celestial realms.
Heaven is not merely the spiritual dimension outside of us, it is also the
spiritual dimension inside of us. That is
where each of us touches the spiritual world, or heaven, within ourselves.
When our spirit is quickened by His Spirit the heavenly realm is first opened
within us. As we walk with God we are
learning to connect with the heavens of Gods
Spirit within us. We are being drawn to go
deep inside and find ourselves in that most holy place of the spirit, resting upon the
mercy seat, beneath the wings of the cherubim, in that perfect, full, holy and glorious
place where the curse has never touched. Heaven! When you see heaven in the scripture just think of
the realm of the spirit. The closest and most perfect and real dimension of
heaven is within each of us. You will never
know the true heaven anywhere else until you discover it there!
The more we learn to make our connection with heaven the more we grasp reality and
understand the true nature of all things. Once
having identified with the spiritual world of the heaven within, in the midst of chaos and
crisis; in the midst of loss, collapse, disappointment, and destruction in our outer
world; in the midst of any situation or circumstance we are able to translate ourselves
immediately to that safe and secure haven of rest. As
we dwell in the heavenlies of Gods presence we are heavenly and in heaven. As we consciously enter into the depths of God
within we then learn also how to bring that realm out into our outer, conscious, visible
world. As men behold the heavenly life
expressed through our outer man we become the gate of heaven to those about
us!
In the book of Revelation the symbolical term earth is used by the Lord
to represent the soul with all its emotions, intellect, will, attitudes, and expressions. Note some of the symbolic uses of the earth
elsewhere in scripture. Let the earth fear the Lord (Ps. 33:8). All the earth shall worship Thee, and shall sing unto
Thee; they shall sing to Thy name (Ps. 66:4). His
lightnings enlightened the world: the earth
saw, and trembled (Ps. 97:4). Hear,
O heavens, and give ear, O earth (Isa. 1:2). O earth,
earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord! (Jer. 22:29). Manifestly the literal earth cannot fear the Lord,
nor worship Him. Nor can the literal earth
sing unto the Lord. Nor can the literal earth
see the lightnings of the Lord. Neither
can the literal heavens and earth hear the word of the Lord. Obviously these texts refer to the souls of the
people living on the earth.
We should earnestly meditate upon the words of the apostle Paul wherein he writes,
If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the
spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live (Rom. 8:13). According to Paul it is only through the
spirit that one can bring to death the deeds of the body. There is only one way to deal with both the soul
realm and the body realm, the earth and the sea, and that is to deal with them out of
heaven, in the spirit and by the spirit. It
is impossible to conquer and subdue the activities of the soul and the body by any effort
that originates out of those realms. They
have no power to either reform or transform themselves!
But if you through the spirit, which is the power and authority out of heaven, put these
realms into neutral, out of gear, you shall then live by the spirit and in the spirit. Paul continues, For as many as are led by
the spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Arent
you glad!
Even though we may have been saved for many years, we must now ask the Spirit of
God to lift the veil that is upon our minds and reveal the truth of whether we are
presently living in the realm of the body (sin, sensuality), the soul (carnality,
self-will, intellect, emotions, etc.), or the spirit (life, light, love, victory, peace,
joy, righteousness, power, etc.). With
reverent heart let each of us ask the Lord to search us in order to be clear where we are. Frankly, many of the Lords precious people
are wandering day after day in the wilderness of the soul!
In the morning they may have joyful countenances, but ere long the pressures of the
day take their toll and they become irritable, frustrated, upset, anxious, and dismayed. Yesterday it seems they were in the heavens, but
today they are making their bed in hell, discouraged, fearful, depressed, and defeated. Yesterday they were full of faith and courage,
ready to believe God for exploits, but today they are disheartened with their walk in God,
and full of doubts and questionings. They are
continually wandering about in the soul, the wilderness, without rest, circling in the
same rut day after day, getting nowhere. Like
the children of Israel, they may have been walking with God for forty years, but are still
going around in the same vicious circles, with no improvement and no progress, never
possessing their promised land of righteousness, peace, joy, and power. Why? Because
they are living in the soul, they are earth-dwellers!
The soul is barren and desolate, there is no life in it. Those who live in the body realm are still
spiritually in the bondage of Egypt, under the taskmasters of Satans kingdom; but
when we are in the soul we are with the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness!
The word of God must pierce us so that we may know how to press on from the soul
into the heaven of our spirit, where Christ dwells. We must know how to bring our body and our soul
into the holy place of the spirit so that the whole man may live in His sight! Only God can teach us these things, and He does so
as we sit at His feet in adoring fellowship and
communion. Flee, my brother, my sister, from
the desolate wilderness of your soul as you would flee from a bear in the forest and you
shall find blessed refuge in the promised land of the spirit, for there is a realm there within you,
closer to you than the air you breathe, closer than the heart that beats faithfully within
your breast, as continuously available as the blood coursing through your veins, a sacred
sanctum within your spirit where the things of earth do not rule or have any power. Christ dwells there as Life!
Dear reader, ponder if you will this marvelous truth: CHRIST is not depressed,
driven, anxious, upset, worried, confused, fearful, frustrated, weary, weak, nor defeated
and CHRIST IN YOU IS NOT EITHER! Tap
the infinite resources of the Christ within your spirit and the promised land is your land!
There is a people rising from the barren dust of the wilderness of the soul and
soulical religious activities to sit together with Christ in the heavenly places of the
spirit. God dwells in your spirit, dear one,
and God in your spirit is both infinite and eternal, and therefore in finding all that is
available in God one must be prepared to go ever onward and upward into the vast expanses
of the Spirit of God. It is not enough to
experience a heavenly realm now and then in the blessing of a gathering of saints. That is not dwelling
in heaven! If God is infinite, there is no limit to the experience we might have with Him
in union with Him in the spirit. And if God
is eternal, there is no end to the measure of
grace and glory into which He would lead us by the spirit.
When our astronauts began their explorations to the moon, it was not
sufficient that they should have entered a rocket and pushed through the atmosphere for an
hour or two. True, they were in space the
hour they started. But space is vast
and they must go on, and on, and on, and on
even to the surface of the moon. If God permits, man will go to Mars, and
eventually from solar system to solar system, then from galaxy to galaxy, throughout the
unbounded heavens!
Now, God has made us partakers of His Holy Spirit, and that simply means He has
called us to explore the inexhaustible sphere of the deep things of
God and the infinite summits of His glory, wisdom, power,
and holiness. Our spirit has been quickened
by His Spirit for this very purpose: that we might know the things that are freely
given to us of God (I Cor. 2:12). The
natural mind cannot discover these things, hence the Spirit of God is sent into our spirit
to reveal them unto us and to search out and explore all things, yea, the deep things of
God (I Cor. 2:10).
For those who live in heaven
everything is in the spirit. We walk in the spirit, pray in the spirit,
worship in the spirit, speak by the spirit, and do all things in and by the spirit. This is
sonship! We find that as we live and walk
after the spirit, judgment is brought into our lower realms of soul and body, and we have
not to do anything about it. It is all
accomplished out of a heavenly realm, by the spirit!
There is no other way. If we go around
preaching death to self, the need to crucify the flesh, to kill the old man, to reform and
change the old Adamic nature, then weve missed the whole book. None of that is of any value at all! It is heaven that comes down and fills the earth
with glory and stills the raging waves of the sea! My
brother, my sister, nothing will ever happen in your earth or in your sea until there is
an administration of life out of your heaven. This
comes by seeking only and always HIS PRESENCE IN THE SPIRIT. Read the book!
Its all there. THIS IS THE
REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST!
Now we come to a most important point. While
everything in the book of Revelation takes place in the realm either of heaven, earth, or
the sea; and while we have explored these from the vantage point of three dimensions of
consciousness and life in which men walk, there is yet a further truth which is vital to
our understanding of the visions John saw relative to these realms. The reality is that there are TWO SETS OF HEAVEN
AND EARTH! There are, indeed, TWO CREATIONS,
TWO WORLDS, AND TWO HEAVENLY UNIVERSES!
First, let us inquire as to what we mean by a heaven and earth. These are the two realms first mentioned in the
Bible. In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). The
symbolisms of scripture are always appropriate and fitting.
The literal heavens and earth bear
a certain relationship to each other which well illustrates the operation of the spiritual
heavens and earth. The heavens, for example,
control earths tides, atmospheric conditions, day and night, and seasons. The heavens rule
and the earth is ruled. Heaven influences earth, but earth in no way
affects heaven. From the very first pages of
scripture, the sun was spoken of as the ruler
of the day, the moon and stars as the ruler of
the night.
Now notice that it is both the things of the heavens and the earth that are affected by the events
occurring under the sixth seal! And I beheld when he had opened the sixth
seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair,
and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth
and the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled
together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places (Rev.
6:12-14).
The natural sun is the brightest luminary in the natural heavens. And to help us in correctly interpreting the
meaning of the spiritual sun, we find that God made the greater light to rule the
day, and the lesser light to rule the night (Gen. 1:16). Here we first have the idea expressed of both sun
and moon being rulers. Then
we find that God, the supreme Ruler, is called in the Word a Sun. For the Lord thy God is a SUN and a
shield (Ps. 84:11). Also, our Lord
Jesus Christ, the King of kings, is called the SUN of
Righteousness (Mal. 4:2). He
rules. Furthermore, we find that in reference
to this principle of the sun and rulership we read, He that RULETH over
men
shall be as the light of the morning, when the SUN ariseth (II Sam.
23:3-4). Then we find David the king called
the LIGHT of Israel (II Sam. 21:17).
Concerning saints who are ordained as kings and priests in the kingdom of
God we find that they are compared to the sun: Then shall the righteous SHINE FORTH
AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father (Mat. 13:43). Of these same ruling members of Gods elect
Jesus says, And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I
give power over the nations and he shall RULE them with a rod or iron (Rev.
2:26-28). Then He hastily adds: And I
will give him the MORNING STAR. That
is, I will give him power over the nations rulership and I will give him the
position as the morning star to give direction to mankind, to announce and proclaim the
new day of the Lord! Now consider these
meaningful words of Daniel the prophet wherein he foretells the manifestation of the sons
of God, saying, And they that be wise shall SHINE AS THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE
FIRMAMENT; and they that turn many to righteousness as the STARS for ever (Dan.
12:3). Then we find in Daniel 4:26 that the HEAVENS DO RULE. Gods heaven is His throne. Heaven is my throne (Isa. 66:1). The heavens of Gods Spirit in the symbolic
terminology of prophecy is the seat where the sun, the mighty God Himself, sits and rules! And as Gods heaven is His throne, so the
prophetical heavens include all the governmental realm through which
God rules, and He is Lord of all.
All the above constitutes the heavens of Gods Spirit! But now there is another heaven of rulership which
is not that of God by His Spirit. It is the
rulership of men, including even the basest of men. This
natural
governmental realm is demonstrated quite clearly in the words of the prophet
Daniel to king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, thy greatness is grown, and REACHED UNTO
HEAVEN (Dan. 4:22). He had just become
the most exalted monarch of earth, the greatest ruler among men: the SUN of that
heaven. The prophet Isaiah,
describing the casting down of earthly kings from their thrones, says, THE LIGHT IS
DARKENED IN THE HEAVENS THEREOF (Isa. 5:30). This
statement is most meaningful when compared with the words of Jesus when He foretold the
removal and destruction of all the rulers and governmental powers of both Judaism and the
entire pagan world, saying, Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall
the SUN BE DARKENED, and the MOON SHALL NOT GIVE HER LIGHT, and the STARS SHALL FALL FROM
HEAVEN, and THE POWERS OF THE HEAVENS SHALL BE SHAKEN (Mat. 24:29). These words of our Lord signified the
complete dissolving, darkening, and abolishment of all the governmental orders of His day! Those were the heavens that passed
away!
The sun in prophecy is the most exalted ruler of any order, the moon the second or
lesser, and the stars are other governmental authorities and powers. The heavens are the thrones which these rulers
occupy, whether the rulers be men, spirits, powers, organizations, ideologies, or some other entity. The earth is that which is ruled by the heavens
that which looks to the sun, moon, and stars for its light and direction. There is an order of human government now, but all
these are soon to pass away, be darkened, fall from heaven, and a new order shall be
inaugurated. In this new day of the kingdom
of God the manifest sons of God shall arise in the power of Christs resurrection and
glory to constitute the heavenly bodies that shall rule the earth in the wonderful age now
at hand! We are being made to know that all
that has been giving light in the past, and that has ruled in the past, is going out and
shall be darkened forevermore. The glorious Christ company
shall take the place of all the former sun, moon, and stars. A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH oh, the wonder
of it!
Let us now further pursue this thought of the
two heavens and the two earths. I know of
nothing that will so thoroughly awaken the fathomless depths of wisdom and understanding
than the blessed knowledge of the sacred mystery that Christ saves men right now from this present
evil world. And while you, dear reader,
may be one of those waiting with rapturous expectation to be whisked away and
evacuated off this earth to spend eternity in some far-off heaven somewhere,
Peter expresses with urgent and profound aspiration the true desire of all sons of God who
groan for the deliverance of creation from the bondage of corruption and the triumph of
the kingdom of God in all realms, saying, Nevertheless we, according to His promise,
look for NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such
things, be diligent that ye may be found in Him
in peace, without spot, blameless (II Pet. 3:13-14).
It is an incontrovertible fact that the vast majority of Christians today is not
looking for the same thing Peter was looking for NEW HEAVENS
AND A NEW EARTH!
Peter also said in this connection, The heavens and the earth which are now,
by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and
perdition of ungodly men (II Pet. 3:7). But
Peter had prefaced these ominous words with the following illustration from the world of
Noahs day which was destroyed in the flood. By
the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in
the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished (II Pet. 3:5-6). The heavens and earth of old perished, Peter says, but he does not mean the
literal earth we walk on or the literal heavens whose sun, moon, and stars still shine
upon us every day and night. Oh, no!
When righteous Noah stepped out of the ark that bright morning he stepped onto the
soil of the very same earth that existed before the flood, and at night he gazed into the
star-spangled splendor of the same heavens above. Yet
all was changed! The old
order of things was gone, and a new order, or
a new heavens and earth, would now be
manifested. Was it not a new heaven and a new earth by being purged through the overflowing waters of the flood
from the wickedness and corrupt order that previously polluted the earth? With what joy and satisfaction do we now entertain
the precious promise: For behold I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into
mind (Isa. 65:17). Hallelujah! What a wonderful thing that God will so thoroughly
cleanse our own little world and the whole vast cosmos that even our minds will be purged
from the remembrance of it! God will make
such a good job of His work, that the past will be completely obliterated and never
thought of any more! God shall not end this
present evil world and call forth the new by destroying either His creatures or His
creation. Not one thing, not one precious
person shall be lost! He shall bring this
world to an end and establish new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness
by MAKING ALL THINGS NEW changed,
purified, and transformed by the fire of His Word! And
He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are
true and faithful (Rev. 21:5). Not all new things, but all things NEW! That is the wonder.
Here we have the two heavens and the two earths the OLD and the NEW! With astonished wonder the Seer of Patmos beheld
this scene in spirit and cried out, And I saw a new heaven
and a new
earth: for the first heaven and the first earth
were passed away
(Rev. 21:1). You
will understand a great mystery when you see how it is that whatever has ruled or does
rule your life apart from the spirit is your old heaven. Of a truth I tell you that the thing that rules or
motivates or controls you in either soul or body, in mind, emotion, desire, will, or
physical expression and activity, constitutes the heavens over your life! If Hollywood with its glitter and entertainment,
its values, standards, and spirit rules you then the heaven over your head is Hollywood. If you eat, drink, and sleep sports,
then sports are the heavens that rule you. If
politics, political ideology, politicians, and some political party is what lights up your
life, then you are governed out of the political heavens.
Some peoples heaven is the business world; work, climbing their way up the
corporate ladder, gaining prestige, position, and power, and making money.
Those who are ruled from these heavens are obsessed by this realm, becoming
workaholics, often unprincipled in their ethics, stepping on others and destroying people
in their selfish, frenzied climb to the top. Other
folks heaven is philosophy, education, pleasure, drugs, sex, or lust. And we cannot fail to mention the religious
heavens that rule over billions of lives on planet earth!
Men governed out of the religious heavens fight over religion, condemn
everyone else to hell, demand obedience upon penalty of eternal damnation, lay heavy yokes
of external rules, regulations, laws, dress codes, you cannot do this or that, cannot go
here or there, demand tithes and offerings, fleece widows and rob the poor, make
merchandise of mens souls, burn heretics at the stake, and blow themselves up as
suicide bombers! By the time many so-called
holiness groups get through with the women in the church, putting them through
the dress-making and appearance departments, these very women have lost most of their
appeal to their husbands, and then they wonder why the world is filled with
unsaved husbands! All through the
years these holiness groups have imposed an external appearance of holiness,
forcing their people to conform to certain contrived standards of conduct. Such holiness focuses primarily on
what they wear and the kind of places they go. Some
cannot even go to the county fair, wear a wedding ring, put on make-up, or drink a
Coca-Cola!
There are some groups that will split and start a new church
over the length of the ribbons on a prayer covering, how many buttons are on the sleeve of
a suit, how a beard is trimmed, whether one wears a necktie, or whether the chrome on
their automobile is painted black. The
further one goes in those directions the more ridiculous it becomes! I see these women at the mall dressed in their
long dresses and a particular style of head scarf, and I know by their attire they are
some kind of Christian. But where does the
scripture teach us to be known as Christians by the style of our clothes? You see, I would never recognize these women as
Christians because of the love, joy, peace, and glory
of God radiating from their countenances only because of the outer garments they
are wearing! Doctrines, creeds, traditions of
the elders, rules, commandments of men, and control over mens lives these are
the governmental powers of these RELIGIOUS HEAVENS!
Every man has his heaven and every man is the earth that heaven rules over! For most who read these lines the most recent
heavens that have passed away are the heavens of the old-order church systems. Of this Paul Mueller wrote: Once again, in
this new Day, the Lord has purposed to do a new thing in the earth. But since all power and authority to do anything
new in the earth must come from Heaven, from His throne, or from the realm of Spirit, God
must create a new Heaven, or a new realm of Spirit, which He has done. And when the Lord brings forth a new Heaven, He
is, by that sovereign act, changing the order of things, that He might do a new thing in
the earth. You can beg and plead with the
Lord, fast and pray earnestly, asking Him to bless the old-order church works in this new
Day, but He may not answer you, for our Father is doing a new thing! There is now a new Heaven, a new throne realm, or
a new realm of Spirit, which governs all Gods work on earth! And with the coming forth of this new Heaven, the former things are passed away. God has established a new spiritual order,
beginning in the Heavens, and that new spiritual order is beginning to change everything
spiritual that pertains to the earth, so that, in the fullness of Fathers time, a
new earth shall also come forth! And now I
join John in declaring, And I saw A NEW
HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away.
Therefore, we will have to think in terms of doing things on earth according
to Gods NEW WAY, not our own way, which is the old way, or the way we were
accustomed to doing things in the past. A NEW
HEAVEN HAS COME FORTH. And that new Heaven is
a new Spiritual order, with new principles and new plans for the kingdom of God on earth,
which will provide us with NEW METHODS OF WORKING WITH THE LORD and doing His perfect will
on earth, during this new, Kingdom Day! It is
difficult for us to imagine what that new ministry will be like, for we tend to think of
ministry in the context of church order, which is the old order of the past. But a new ministry exists in the Heavens of
Gods Spirit, and those who are Spirit-led and Spirit-directed will be able to read,
see, hear and receive that new ministry, in the Spirit and by the Spirit. The Lords chosen elect are ready for change,
and they have progressed spiritually with the Lord, as the holy Spirit has led them. These
are they
who are motivated by the Spirit, and are therefore able to
discern the will and the way of the Lord pertaining to His kingdom, for the Heavens of
Spirit are open to them (Jo. 1:51)
end quote.
A new heaven and a new earth necessitate the passing of the former or old
heaven and earth. The former and the present. The
old and the new. THESE
ARE THE TWO SETS OF HEAVENS AND EARTH I SPOKE OF EARLIER.
Each heaven has its sun, moon, and stars, its primary source of dominion
(sun) in our life; its rules, culture, and pressures (moon) which also direct our thinking
and activities; and the myriad lesser influences (stars) which likewise affect our
actions. The way we think, act, walk, and
live out our life is the earth-realm ruled from those heavens! And every earth has its mountains and valleys, its
rivers and streams, its air and oceans. Here
is the truth we must now consider. When we
see in the book of Revelation events taking place in the sun, in the moon, in the stars,
in the earth, with mountains, trees, grass, rivers, streams, seas, and in the air we must
understand and know whether these belong to the OLD HEAVEN AND THE OLD EARTH or to the NEW
HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH! John saw them both! And
until we also see them both and are able to distinguish between them, our understanding of
the Revelation will be dismally defective. The
beautiful truth is that THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH DO NOT PASS AWAY!
Again I quote the words of brother Paul Mueller.
The Lord also declared, For as
the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your
seed and your name remain Isa. 66:22). The
Lord, our King and Creator of all, has declared that He will create the new heavens and a
new earth. And the new heavens and the new
earth will be permanent and endure forever and ever.
Gods word tells us they shall remain before me, saith the Lord. That which God creates shall remain before Him,
which is to say that the new heavens and the new earth shall stand, to be established
before the Lord in a new and enduring relationship with Him. The new heavens and new earth will satisfy God,
for it is that which He has created and made new. And
just as eternally enduring, everlastingly permanent, infinitely secure and immortally
righteous are the Lord and His new Heavens and new Earth, so also are we before the
Father! We shall stand before Him, complete,
perfect, righteous, and secure, for we are being created in His glorious and enduring
image and likeness. We are the spiritual seed
of Abraham and have been given the Lords Name, the Name of His city, and
His new Name. Nothing shall separate us from
the love of God! We shall stand before Him in
white, for we shall be just like Christ!
end quote.
The new heavens and the new earth which remain before the Lord cannot be darkened,
removed, fall, turn to blood, be shaken, visited by earthquakes, plagues, disasters, fire,
pestilence, judgments, or ruled by beasts. Can
we not see by this that many times in the Revelation it is our old heavens and our old earth that are being affected, for all of the
above mentioned things happen in the heavens and in the earth as they are judged by the
mighty power of the Spirit! It is our old
heavens and earth that pass away! It is the
sun of our old heavens that is darkened! It
is the stars of our old heavens that fall unto the earth!
It is the moon of our old heavens that turns to blood! It is our old earth, our natural, carnal, fleshly
life that is being shaken, devastated, shrouded in darkness, burned with fire, and brought
to naught!
Let your heart meditate deeply upon the wonder and glory of the new heavens
and the new
earth. Let us begin with these
inspired words of the apostle Paul, Therefore if any man be in Christ, He is a new creation:
old things are passed away; behold, all things
are become new.
And all things (of this new creation) are of
God
(II Cor. 5:17-18). I am
wonderfully blessed by the rendering of this passage from the New English Version:
When anyone is united to Christ, THERE IS A NEW WORLD; the old order is gone, and a
new order has already begun. From first to
last, this has been the work of God! Wonderful! The Williams translation has it, For if
anybody is in union with Christ, he is the work of A NEW CREATION; the old condition has
passed away, a new condition has come. This
has all originated with God! Oh, yes! Our new heavens and earth, our new world, our new
order and condition originated in Christ Jesus, and entering into Him brings
to an end the old corrupt order of consciousness, lifestyle, and nature, and the
establishing of the new which after God is created in righteousness, and true
holiness (Eph. 4:22-24).
Thus, these new heavens and new earth are not a new
material heavens or new literal earth. The
physical heavens and earth were made perfect, and the scriptures show they will remain for
the ages (Ps. 89:36-37; 104:5). The new earth
is a new kind of people, those who live out of
a soul that is under the dominion of the spirit, and new heavens are the new authority and order out of the heavens of
Gods Spirit within us. When the Daystar
of the new creation, Christ the Lord, arises in our hearts; when the life-giving rays of
the morning sun, even the Lord the Spirit, break forth upon us in His glory, warmth, and
splendor, then this old world within us begins to be dissolved. The old heavens and the old earth within us meet
with the all-consuming heat of the Sun of Righteousness and fall away to nothing in the
light of the glory of God. The Spirit of
Jesus within then begins to frame a new heaven and a new earth in soul and body, even one
wherein dwelleth righteousness. All things
are born anew within us by the creative word of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus and not
only the heaven and the earth pass away, but there is no more sea;
no more great overflowings of the carnal mind, no more inundations of the carnal nature,
no more swellings and surgings of fleshly emotions and ungodly desires, no more roarings
of Adamic pride, intellect, wisdom, knowledge, ego and self-hood, or worldly glory, for
the sea is dried up within us never to be anymore at all!
Every apprehended son of God is coming to experientially
know the new heaven and the new earth! This
is what was transpiring in Johns experience when he said, And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away (Rev. 21:1). John saw the new heaven and he saw
the new earth! To see the new heaven and new
earth means to have a fresh understanding or a new concept about heaven and earth. John saw the new heaven and earth by being caught up in the spirit into the day of the Lord. This is a wonderful truth that shows that the new
heaven and earth can only be seen in the spirit and by the
spirit! John said, And I saw
The verb saw means to discern, perceive, cognize, discover, recognize.
Yet there is an order to what John saw!
He said, And I saw a new heaven.
He then followed this by saying, and a new earth. Can we not see by this that we can only see a new
earth when we see a new heaven! If you have
not seen a new heaven, you will never see a new earth, for earth is set in the heavens! From the beginning this has been the divine order. In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth (Gen. 1:1). Heaven is
the tabernacle of the earth. In the spiritual
sense the new heaven is a new or quickened spirit and the new earth is a new redeemed,
transformed soul and body. New! For the former things are passed away. Behold, I make all things new. When one has truly experienced this his first
concept of heaven and his first concept of earth have passed away. He has received a new understanding and touched a
new reality! It is a state of being and an
identity beyond what we have been consciously aware of.
The new heaven and the new earth are indeed the new man, the
new mind, the
new life, the
new nature,
and the new creation that we are. The sons of God are within themselves the new
heaven and the new earth! It is a new way of
thinking, a new perception of reality, a new consciousness of being, a new dimension of
expression, a new plane of living! Oh, the
wonder of it!
We know the reality of the new earth
when God comes down out of the heavens of His Spirit to dwell and manifest in the earth
realm the visible, tangible realm. John
said that he saw a new heaven and then he said, And I John saw
the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be
His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God (Rev. 21:2-3). The New Jerusalem, the Holy City, is God coming
down out of the invisibility of spirit to manifest His presence, life, and glory visibly
in and through a people. The New Jerusalem is
the capital of the new earth the dominion of God formed and crystallized in and
through a people in union with Christ. These
are Gods elect in whom the heavenly reality has been fully formed! These are they who are the light of the world, for
the nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of this city! The New Jerusalem is the firstfruits of the new
earth wherein dwelleth righteousness!
To those who walk in the spirit of wisdom and revelation from God the Holy Spirit
is giving a new concept of earth. Multitudes
of Christians are possessed of the Babylonish notion expressed in the old song that says,
This world is not my home, Im just a passing through. For these poor souls life in the flesh is a toil,
a drudgery, filled with weakness, lack, pain, trouble, and sorrow and they are just
waiting to die and get out of here. Stop
the world and let me off is the popular rapture mentality. One thing is very clear these precious
folks have never SEEN THE NEW EARTH! Neither
have they seen the NEW HEAVEN! Once you have
seen, discerned, perceived, discovered, recognized, and experienced the new earth you no
longer have any desire to go anywhere! There
is no need to go anywhere! God
manifested in and through your soul and your body is the new earth! This is the new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness. This passage leaves no
room for doubt that the righteousness of God expressed in and through our lives
constitutes the new earth! Where else would
you want righteousness to dwell? Where else
does righteousness need to dwell? Where can
righteousness dwell in such a measure that it transforms every thing in the whole world? Only in the lives of mankind! When the righteousness of God is revealed through
the lives of all people everywhere, the old earth will have fully passed away for every man, and the new earth will
be established in the glory of God. Isnt
it wonderful!
You see, my beloved, it is not about what happens to this physical planet called
earth upon which we walk. Its not about
literal mountains, valleys, canyons, oceans, trees, rivers, or rocks. Oh, no! It
is not that earth out there at all it is this earth which we are that
has become new! And yet it is
wondrously true that the earth out there is and
shall be affected, delivered, restored,
quickened, and changed by the life of God manifested through the new heavens and the new
earth that we are! This is certain, for man
is given the dominion over the earth and over all things.
The outward world fell under the curse along with its ruler, Adam; and it shall be
restored and delivered from the bondage of corruption through its ruler, the many-membered
Christ, the last man Adam! Do you see the new
heaven, my brother, my sister, and can you see the new earth? I see a new heaven and I see a new earth! I see a heaven and earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness! Oh, yes, I SEE IT!
There is no truth within the pages of Gods blessed Book more certain than the
fact that God is creating a new heavens and a new earth.
Beyond question this is the allegory proclaimed by the Lord to the prophet Isaiah,
I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine
hand, THAT I MAY PLANT THE HEAVENS, AND LAY THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH, and say unto
Zion, THOU ART MY PEOPLE (Isa. 51:16). Zion
is a people, the Lords elect, and it is in Zion that the Lord plants the heavens of
the new spirit by His word, and lays the foundations of the new earth wherein He dwells. It is Gods called and chosen elect, His
glorious city and mount of Zion, that He sets in the tabernacle of the heavens to be in a
settled place, firmly established by His love and grace, secure in the new spirit and the
new nature, no more to be lost or wandering
in the emptiness of selfhood.
Stand with me for a moment in holy contemplation of these words the Lord spoke to
Isaiah. The Lord said that He would plant the
heavens and lay the foundations of the earth in Zion, His people. But the Lord prefaced this by telling Isaiah how it would be done! Hear it! I have
put my words in thy mouth
that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of
the earth. It would be
accomplished by THE WORD OF THE LORD IN THE MOUTH
OF HIS SPOKESMAN! How would you suppose God
would create a new heaven and a new earth? How
did He create the physical heavens and earth? And
God said, let
there be! The apostle Peter tells
us that it was by the word of God that the heavens were of
old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water (II Pet. 3:5). John tells us in His Gospel, In the
beginning was the Word
all things were made by Him, and
without Him was not anything made that was made (Jn. 1:1-3). God creates by His word! God creates the new heavens and the new earth with
a Creative Word! He is moving within us in this hour by His
revelatory word, His living word, His omnipotent creative word to plant within His elect
the new heavens and to lay the foundations of the new earth. This word is nigh us, even in our mouth and in our heart! (Rom. 10:9-10). This word has no corruption in it at all it
is the incorruptible seed of the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
It has been made very clear to me by the spirit of truth that the only way God can
create within us this new heavens and new earth, in all the splendor of their fullness, is
to bring us back to the beginning. When God
has finished His work in you, my beloved, He will have taken you back to the beginning
because you are His spoken Word. The
Christ within us is the Word of God! All that God has done, is doing, and shall yet do
in us is by His powerful, omnipotent, living, creative word! How do you think a man is born again? Being born
again
by the word of God, which liveth
and abideth forever (I Pet. 1:23). The
Father birthed each one of us by the spoken Word! We
were birthed as the living offspring of God, a spirit being, in the image and likeness of
God, through or by the Word! And now the
thoughts of God have risen up within our minds and hearts, bringing us to the realization
of our sonship to God! Treasure every word
that God is speaking into your mind and heart in these days, dear one, for this word that
is proceeding out of the mouth of God is the power of God to plant the new heavens, and
lay the foundations of the new earth within you! Arent
you glad!
It should be clear to every enlightened mind that God is in the process of making
an entirely new creation, or making all things new
not this time a mere natural creation, nor yet a purely spiritual one, but a spiritual-physical one. This present natural creation is really only a
step in the process of making the creation God had in mind from the beginning. First that which is natural, and afterward
that which is spiritual, is the divinely revealed order. Does that mean the natural is completely done away
with, supplanted by the spiritual? Not at
all! It means that the natural is swallowed up by the spiritual. The natural is a necessary step in the process of
making the kind of creation God purposed from the beginning. Jesus Christ, the firstborn Son of God, is the proto-type of that new creation the
PHYSICAL SPIRITUALIZED, RAISED UP INTO THE DIVINE AND HEAVENLY! The physical
body of Jesus was raised from the dead, brought out of the tomb, spiritualized, and
made a spiritual body not a spirit, mind you, but a spiritual body! Jesus
is still referred to as a man all through the
New Testament, not only after His resurrection, but also after His ascension. There is
one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus.
The firstborn of this new creation order is a GOD-MAN upon the throne of universal
power! Think of it! When you see Jesus as a divine-human, a God-man,
one of the natural creation metamorphosed,
spiritualized, raised up into the celestial and incorruptible, then you see exactly
what God is after in the whole creation, and you also see what the finished product of the
new heavens and the new earth within you will
be like! This corruptible must put on incorruption. This mortal must put on immortality. How unspeakably wonderful! We see the natural creation all around us, but
this natural creation is not the finished product any more than the ore dug out of the
earth is the fine piece of jewelry the artisan has in mind when he begins his work. The whole creation is still in the process of
being made into the kind of creation God started out to make. God is still
Creator! And He is still creating a new heavens and a new earth! The work has only begun in us!
The new heaven is the mind of Christ and the new earth is the body of Christ, the
members of which have put on incorruption. The
new heaven is the new mind of the spirit, and
the new earth is the soul and body quickened and
governed by the spirit. Surely the
fullness of redemption includes possessing the mind of Christ as well as a
body fashioned like unto His glorious body.
And being conformed to His image, partakers of His divine nature, we shall be His
all righteous ones a new heaven and a new earth WHEREIN DWELLETH
RIGHTEOUSNESS!
The coming world will be one that will see the fullness of God in
operation through His Zion people, His sons, the demonstration of the mighty power of the
new heavens and the new earth. It is not a
mansion over the hilltop, or a cabin in the corner of gloryland, or white night gowns, or
harps, or palm branches, or dangling feet in some stream of celestial water. There is a job to be done! A battle to be fought! A victory to be won! An enemy to be conquered! And there was no more sea.
And there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the
former things are passed away This is
Gods will for humanity on this earth, and this is what our call to sonship is all
about! It would be a most beautiful thing if
all the saints of God could have an open vision that would enable them to understand the
glory of Gods purpose on earth, and His election in man.
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of
the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good
word of God, and THE POWERS OF THE WORLD TO COME
(Heb. 6:4-5). The Rotherham translation renders this last
statement, Mighty works of a coming age.
The Interlinear Greek New Testament says, The works of power of the age to
come. Jesus said, Greater works
than these shall ye do!
But have the followers of Jesus really done any greater works
than Jesus did? The book of Acts doesnt
record them. Neither do the epistles. Nor does church history. And, my friend, after more than a century since
the restoration to the church of the baptism in the Holy Spirit; after more than sixty
years since the restoration of the five-fold ministry, the gifts of the Spirit, and the
prophetic flow, have you seen any greater works than raising the dead, cleansing
lepers, walking on water, calming storms, and turning water into wine? You know you havent!
Yet, according to the writer to the Hebrews, there are MIGHTY WORKS OF A COMING
AGE, GREATER WORKS THAN JESUS DID TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO!
And all we have experienced of God, of His Spirit, of His Word, of His power,
glory, miracles, and revelation, has been merely a small taste, a little sampling, of the glory and power of that coming
age! Why friends, we have only seen the
firstfruits of what God will do through His in-Christed body upon this earth. Can you imagine a world where the hospitals have
been emptied, the doctors offices deserted, the prisons closed, the policemen all
laid off, the armies dismantled, the mortuaries locked, the dead raised, all nature tamed,
controlled, and subdued, the nations turned to the Lord, all men transformed into the
image and glory of God, and the whole world system transformed and GREATER WORKS
THAN THESE SHALL YOU SEE as the glorious mind of Christ rules and reigns over the earth
realm through the manifest sons of God! The
fullness of what we have just had a taste will be the normal works on behalf of humanity
in that blessed world to come. This will be
the new heavens and the new earth in all the fullness of what that means!
Behold, I make all things new! saith the Lord. And I saw a new heaven
and a new
earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away;
and there was no more sea.
To be continued
J. PRESTON EBY
Links to other ministry websites
Not finding what you need? SEARCH HERE
Search
this site or the web
powered by FreeFind |