In Relation To The Eternal State

by J.K.D. Johnston, Musselburgh, Scotland | Category: Worship And Service | Sept 1986

At the end of the Millennium Satan will be released from his prison in the abyss and will resume the activities he has engaged in throughout the centuries. It is a sad testimony to the depravity of the human heart that, from among nations that benefited from the benign and righteous rule of the King of kings, Satan will find a vast number responsive to his deceptions and willing to serve his purposes. It is evident that many, particularly towards the close of the Millennium, will be rendering "feigned obedience" (Ps. 66:3 RVM). The thousand years of incarceration in the abyss will not effect any change in the Adversary of God and man, nor will human nature be altered by experiencing the blessing of Christ's reign.

The final rebellion masterminded by Satan will, however, be swiftly and utterly crushed and Satan will be consigned to the place of eternal punishment that was specifically prepared for him and his angels (Mat. 25:41). The stage will then be set for the final act in this earth's history. The earth that now is and the heavens are destined to pass away (Mat. 24:35; Ps. 102:25,26), but before they do the dead will be raised to appear at the final judgement scene and hear from the lips of the God-appointed judge their eternal destiny. Multitudes of men and women will go from that judgement scene to share with the Devil who deceived them his place of awful torment. John captures the tremendous drama of that scene in his description:

"And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them (Rev. 20:11).

Taking the place of the old creation John saw a new heaven and a new earth. Some expositors take the view that the new heaven and new earth are the old heaven and old earth cleansed and purified. That is not the view of the writer. There is a distinct impression of finality conveyed by the words, "and there was found no place for them" (Rev. 20:11). The word translated "new" in this context is kainos which emphasizes the superior quality of the replacements. In the new heaven and earth righteousness will dwell (2 Peter. 3:13). The effects of sin will be removed for ever from the universe, and a state of eternal felicity ushered in with the coming of the day

of God (2 Pet. 3:12). This is the end towards which God has been working since the day His fair creation was blighted by sin.

Man's place of service in the beginning was in the delectable sylvan setting of a garden resplendent with attractive and fruitful trees and having centrally placed in it the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. From that garden of delight there flowed a river which divided into four tributaries flowing out to the surrounding lands. There man experienced sweet times of hallowed communion with his Maker before the entrance of sin.

The new earth on which redeemed men and women will dwell for ever has some striking parallels with the paradise of old, but there are also significant differences. The main feature and focal centre of the new earth will be the glorious city, New Jerusalem, breathtakingly beautiful. The height, length and breadth of the city are all equal, but the form is possibly pyramidal rather than cubical. The throne of God and of the Lamb will perhaps be at the apex of the structure, and the glory emanating from it will illuminate the city and the whole earth also. There will be "a river of water of life, bright as crystal" flowing out from the throne, and the tree of life will be there, features reminiscent of Eden, but in that future setting they belong to a state of perfection and to an order of things that will never pass away.

God has always longed for a dwelling-place among men, and for limited periods that desire has been fulfilled until persistent disobedience

on the part of His people has forced Him at various times to forsake His dwelling-place. There will be no recurrence of this in that eternal setting. In previous ages God has had only one people in each age; in eternity He will dwell with His peoples. Three distinct groupings are identified, the Bride, Israel and the nations, all seen in relation to the divine centre, the New Jerusalem. It is clearly the divine purpose to have the redeemed of all ages brought together to share in eternal glory (Heb. 11:40). Very little information is given of the form of the service of God in eternity, but it will certainly be a service unaffected by sin and failure, for all the inhabitants of the new earth will have sinless bodies fitted for eternal blessedness. John tells us, "His servants shall do Him service (Latreia); and they shall see His face; and His Name shall be on their foreheads" (Rev. 22:3). That service will know no end.

When we've been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We'll have no less days to sing His praise

Than when we first began.

We are told that there is no temple in that eternal city "for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof" (Rev. 21:22). It would appear that it will no longer be necessary to set apart a specific sanctified area for the dwelling-place of God, for holiness will pervade all aspects of life and service on the new earth. The glory emanating from the throne will not be confined within a holy of holies but will radiate out to give to the translucent materials of the New Jerusalem their scintillating beauty and illuminate all that fair scene.

All acceptable service and worship is related to knowledge. The intellect as well as the emotions are involved in true worship. The quality of our service now is limited by the imperfect state of our knowledge and by the sin and failure that so readily beset us. In that glad eternal day the present hindrances 'will have been removed. "Now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face", now our knowledge is part knowledge, then we shall have a full knowledge (1 Cor. 13:12). In the light of that full knowledge we shall render acceptable service throughout eternity. God's revelation of Himself to man has always been a progressive one and it will continue to be so eternally. There is no end-point to be reached in the pursuit of the knowledge of the infinite God, His love, mercy, wisdom and grace. There will be a continuing orderly phased unfolding of the riches of God's grace throughout the ages to come (Eph. 2:7). It is fascinating to think of planned ages with fresh revelations always in prospect.

The references to the Lamb in the visions given to John are worthy of note. Before the present earth was brought into being the Lamb was marked out in the purposes of God for sacrifice (Rev. 13:8). When He was here on earth the Son of God was identified as the Lamb of God destined to bear the sin of the world (John 1:29). In Patmos John was given the vision of the Lamb in the midst of the throne still displaying the evidence of having been slain, and the subject of the praise of heaven because of His redemptive work (Rev. 5:6-9). It is the divine purpose that the Lamb of God will display eternally the marks of Calvary. The sight of those wounds will bow the hearts of redeemed men in adoring worship throughout eternity.

J.K.D. Johnston, Musselburgh, Scotland | Sept 1986
Worship And Service