Reality of heaven and the hazardous path to it Part 15
October 2, 2007(GB message)
In the previous study we learned about New Jerusalem. The old earthly Jerusalem is going to be the capital city of the earthly millennial kingdom of Lord Jesus, This was the place where Lord Jesus, the Saviour of the world was crucified. This was the place where King Solomon built the magnificent Temple of God. This was also the place where Abraham, the father of living faith was ready to sacrifice his son in implicit obedience to God’s command, and where our loving God spared him of the agony of killing his son. Even as I mention this incident, I remember also that this same God did not spare His only begotten Son from death and that too death on a cruel Roman cross. That is the love with which He loved the world.
Continuing our study on this subject of the New Jerusalem, the heavenly kingdom, we must understand that it is named after the memory of the very historical earthly city.
The 21st chapter of Revelation reflects, to some extent, the description of Isaiah’s prophetic utterance referred to in the previous study. Here apostle John describes his vision of the scene, describing God’s design of His capital city, New Jerusalem, within His brand new creation of the new heaven and the new earth.
Towards the end of the millennial rule of Christ, the war of Armageddon commences. The significance of this strange war is very remarkable. We may wonder why Satan is kept bound during the millennium, and why he is let loose for a while at the end of the millennial rule. From the effects of the war we can easily deduce the tremendous significance of it. While Satan remains imprisoned, the people live joyfully, peacefully, obediently, and comfortably throughout the period of the rule of Christ. But when Satan is at large towards the end of the millennium, he immediately goes out to deceive the nations, gathering them together to battle against the Lord. The people who join the army of Satan to fight against Christ are the same ones who experienced and enjoyed the golden rule of Christ. The moral of this episode is that it is easy to behave well in the absence of Satan. But only believers can behave well when Satan is at large.
The people who join Satan in the battle of Armageddon will find themselves doomed to the lake of fire. This is a lesson for those living today, when Satan is active, that unless we resist the devil and keep our garments pure, we will likewise perish.
From this we learn that only such believers who keep themselves righteous in spite of Satan will be in heaven. This is a timely piece of information and a challenge to those who are alive today. The battle of Armageddon is a future event, but it has been foretold by the grace of Lord Jesus, and presents a precious lesson for us who are alive on the earth, encouraging and urging us to resist the devil.
With the culmination of the Battle of Armageddon, the earthly millennial reign of Christ, will come to a glorious end, and we will witness the scene of the Great White Throne, when the judgement of God takes place.
The Death of Satan
This is a great piece of information that the church awaits. Ever since the church was established two thousand years ago, the question has been raised unceasingly as to why the Satan was allowed to exist when millions of people are ruined by his influence. God was not delaying Satan’s punishment out of lenience towards him, as some wrongly imagine. But He has determined the punishment of Satan, even fixed the time for it, and revealed that fact in the Bible two thousand years ago.
When apostle Peter foretells the cataclysmic judgement of God, God uses the apostle to announce the world that scoffers will ridicule the hope and thoughts of believers. ‘knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”’ (2 Pet 3: 3,4) Indeed the thoughts of natural men can never reflect the reality of spiritual matters, and such ridicule can disturb the minds of some who are struggling with insufficient faith.
We are not blind to the existence of great scientists and philosophers who have changed the social order vastly, some good and some very bad. But they are only earthly people. God’s will is not fulfilled by earthly intelligence. That is why we are taught to pray to God, saying, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (ruled by Almighty God). Many respect scientists on a par with God. The majority of people worship Satan because “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all powers, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved”, 2 Thess 2: 9, 10.
Max Bohm was proud of the fact that his three illustrious students, all Noble laureates themselves, Oppenheimer (American), Enrich Fermi (Italian) and Niels Bohr (Scandinavian), were great scientists. We are told that Bohm was very sad about the fact that they were trying to split an atom. He is reported to have told a reporter at that time “. . . this atom that they are trying to split will teach mankind a bitter lesson one day”. Within a few decades many realized this fact foretold by Bohm.
Another scholar said, “There is enough in this world for man’s need, but not enough for man’s greed!” Thus earthly man can never fulfill the will of God. Man has inherited the evil pride of Satan which blinds his mind to the existence of God, the Creator of heaven and earth.
What the word of God has to say about man’s genius
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways”, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts”, Is 55: 8 – 9.
Here is another interesting verse which states what God thinks of the earthly men: “I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts”, Is 65: 2. It is no wonder that the Lord God has finally decided to pour out His wrath upon the rebellious people of this earth, “so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall prosper in the things for which I sent it”, Is 55: 11.
God has waited sufficiently long to set men right, men who were corrupted by their association with the devil. Finally God has decided to segregate the genuinely obedient people earmarked to be in heaven from the scum of scoffers in the last days who are earmarked for the lake of fire.
So let us listen to the Lord’s word which has gone out through apostle Peter, rather than that of rebellious earthly unbelievers, that the cataclysmic destruction of not only this earth but also the entire cosmos will certainly take place, exactly as predicted by the Lord and as revealed prophetically to us through the great apostle.
