When Heaven & Earth Merge

      The next view John sees after the first heaven and first earth have passed away is the cosmic moment of victory ordained by God at creation, echoing back through 7,000 years of human history. John sees a new heaven and a new earth, and the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Rev. 21:1-5).
       End-Time Lesson: “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ “Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’”
        An angel invites John to come and see the Bride, the Lamb’s wife. John is carried away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain. He sees the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven from God, “having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (vs. 10-11). God merges the 3rd Heaven with the new earth, thereby dwelling with mankind forever! John goes on to describe the divine design of the city, based on numerical symbols of the 144 thousands (12 x 12 = 144). It is a wonder to behold.
       At first glance, though, it seems as if something is missing. There is no temple. “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (vs. 22-27).
        The description continues in Rev. 22:1-4. The angel shows John a pure river of the water of life proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb. He sees the tree of life, too. “…the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 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. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”
     This is when the perfect existence that was foretold by the prophets comes to be; it is the final restoration of all things. With Christ’s second coming and millennial reign, the divine to-do list given in the 70 Weeks Prophecy is complete (Dan. 9:24).

• To finish the transgression: Israel has paid the price of her transgression and infidelity, and has finally recognized Christ as the Messiah.
• To make an end of sins: Christ paid the price for mankind’s sins through His death on the cross. The debt is paid in full.
• To make reconciliation for iniquity: By living a sinless life, the Son of Man made it possible for mankind to be restored back to God the Father through the gift of Christ’s righteousness being accounted to them. All our sins are forgiven.
• To bring in everlasting righteousness: With Satan, his evil hierarchy, the Beast, Death, Hades, and all those who walked according to the ways of the kingdom of darkness judged and condemned to eternal damnation and the second death, evil is dealt with for all eternity.
• To seal up vision and prophecy: By the end of the Days, every vision and prophecy recorded in Scripture has been fulfilled. God’s Word is true!
• To anoint the Most Holy: The blood of Jesus cleanses all things. Nothing can defile the new heaven, new earth, and the New Jerusalem. The whole earth is truly filled with His glory!