THE BOOK OF REVELATION

Revelation Revealed Chapter 21 v9-27

THE DIFFERENT RANKS IN ETERNITY

Revelation 21:9-27…..NOW WE BEHOLD THE NEW HEAVENS AND THE NEW EARTH (The Ark, the ark greater than Noah, settles, the doors open, and out come the “saved”, clean and unclean, from the final holocaust.) AND HEAR THE WORDS OF EXHORTATION TO HIS CHURCH (Typical to the description of blessing and covenant after Noah emerges from the Ark) TO THOSE WHO WOULD BE DWELLERS THEREIN…. “Come hither, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife…..and shewed me….” Here written, the mystical Bride and City meet,… to be seen in future literal reality. “…that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious….” [Revelation 21 Verses 9,10,11]

We are here looking at the anti-type, of that which was represented to the Nation of Israel in Temple and City in type:

1. the place wherein God dwelt
2. the center place of worship
3. the seat of government
4. the very heart of the Empire; the place from where all else extended.

These are those vital future things Divinely appointed that we are to carefully, reverentially and marvelously consider. Keeping in mind the Spirit’s contrasts seen in the Harlot, Beast and Babylon with the Bride, the Lord and this, the New Jerusalem, as He reveals the future written before us.

THE GREAT WORK of forming the KINGDOM OF GOD has been at last finished, it is no longer the mysterious dynamic of these thousands of years in the making. [Matthew 13:11; Ephesians 1:9,10] It is and always will be composed of ranked or graded individuals. Those who are the greatest are in closest proximity to God. Gazing into the future through the eyes of John, we have that which represents and discloses to us who those are. They are the Bride. These are they who have His Glory. These are they who are now to take up permanent residence with Him.

Christ’s Words are instructive:

“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heavens?……..Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heavens.”

 “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.”

Love has banished all vile selfishness. [Revelation 21:8] And although there is ranking and grading, there is therefore, nor could there ever be, any neglect to the least in His Kingdom. And that because of the Great Work of Atonement. As the greatest serve the least. As the parent does the child. All the while the child loves, admires, honors his father and mother.

Is this not the struggle of the flesh? Those who have authority abuse, while those under authority despise those who have it over them. And the abused rebel and topple those in authority, and then they soon become the abusers. To be found worthy to reside with Christ as the Bride, one must be capacitated to serve in love. To have authority, and to be under authority, are the daily experience of us all. Death to selfishness must be self- administrated. [Matthew 16:24; Colossians 3] The weapon for its destruction is to be the Word and the gift of the power of the Holy Spirit. [Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:17; John 7:34-37; Acts 1:8] God’s GLORY will fill the void of that death. [1Peter 5:10; Colossians 1:27]

Daniel 2:34 “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.”

Psalms 118:22 “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.”

“To whom (Christ, you) coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, and holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” [1 Peter 2:4-5]

John17 discloses the consecrated disciple of Christ’s personal dynamic, as it describes the Son of Man/Son of God dynamic. “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was…..Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are…..That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.…And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that hey may be made perfect in one:…and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Fahter, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

John then writes in Revelation 21:22 “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” The entire City may be considered the Temple, for His Glory is throughout. The Bride are living stones, in perfect union with God and the Son, then being full of His Glory. They are now the bejeweled Temple priests. And where ever they go, they go in the adornment and with the presence of God. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made MANIFEST; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is…..Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” [1Corinthians 3]

And as the Son of Man was able to say, “if you’ve seen me you have seen the Father”, so now all “nations and seed of the New Heavens and New Earth…the world to come…” who shall see and hear the Bride; who are the Priests of God; shall be able to say, “If you have seen and heard me; then you have seen and heard the Father.” Isn’t that the spiritual progression from their authority from in the presence of God in their words, actions and deeds? Wasn’t the father of John struck dumb in his resistance to the words of an Angel? [Luke1] How much more respect and honor is due the Bride?

Scripture describes the Angels as “….ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.” Christ, and by extension the Bride, “….Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”

Hebrews 2:2 “For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, if we neglect so great a salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us BY THEM THAT HEARD HIM.…(How much more then, at this time of the Bride’s greatest glory and ministering, the high expectation of acceptance for those who hear the words of the Bride?)

Hebrews 2:5 goes on to say “For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak…. (but man)….thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet…..For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory…..For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are ALL OF ONE: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.… It is in this sense, that of brethren, in the heavenly calling, as crowned and filled with His Glory as His Bride, is now as one with Him. That in the New Jerusalem, that the middle wall of partition has been done away with, in that the City represents the presence of God in each member of the Bride. And therefore now by extension, dwelling with His people, as all who approach any glorified saint will find this oneness of God and the Lamb in their presence.

In the fullest sense these Scriptures shall then be realized: “And as for you, the anointing which ye received from Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you; but as His anointing teacheth you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in Him….”

“The hour cometh when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the Father….”

“For the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: For the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.”

“They shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah: for they shall all know Me, form the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah.”

These Scriptures are finally completely filled up with meaning because of God’s Glory manifest. Of these of that Great City then it is said: “Having the Glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone clear as crystal.” The glorified (brilliant) Bride will be with His emanating light, having been brought into the likeness of Christ. There will be no longer enlightenment by the law, or our books, our knowledge, prophecies, our conversations, or gifts of different kinds, nor tongues.

“But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away…..For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” [1Corinthians 12 & 13] The reason is that now we see through a glass darkly. His children, in different degrees, are acquainted with Him as they actively pursue Him, by the means of His Written Word seen through the veil of the darkened flesh. This now shadowed light given and attained by yielding self to the Cross.

This enlightenment is as a candle, to be burning, to be seen and expressed by good works. [Matthew 5:14-18] But then being glory–FILLED, light infused, we will no longer see Him or know Him through the filter of flesh, but by direct spirit-consciousness. Those who are of this glorified Bride are those whose eye, while in the flesh was “single, (then) thy whole body shall be full of light.” They will no more be likened unto a candle, but truly will fill up the meaning of that Scripture literally; “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”

“And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it.” [Revelation 21:24] It is in the light of the manifest glory/nature of Christ emanating from His Bride; the exclusive residents of His Great City, that all others elsewhere shall live in. And because of their true witness and leadership of God, “….the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.”

*Note what is distinguishable about the Children of God in the Nations is that they are God’s Children raised from the dead. But they are not glorified / glory-filled. They are raised alive in a lesser state of eternal being. That state, although free from any curse, yet subject to “natural” weakness, as a consequence of their previous willful living, having not the life/light more abundant as do those resurrected in the newness of life / the Bride. This would answer to the infirmity, need of the leaves for healing of the Nations as well as priestly service from the Bride. In that there are porters/watchers over the Gates answers to that all resurrected living have not their names written in the Lamb’s book of Life.

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