In July 2015, I suggested we take a moment or two to truly consider the Mysteries of God. Today I have revisited and updated that blog. I pray that you will find it interesting - and that it will stir in you a desire to know more about our God and this amazing universe He has created.
Stop for a moment and consider some of the mysteries of God which are impossible for man to fully comprehend with our finite powers of understanding. From this we can see why we are told in Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God," What does this mean, that we are "saved through faith" - faith in what?
Well, first, that faith must lead us to believe what Jesus Christ has done for all mankind.
Let's look at other mysteries of God. A key one being the Trinity - one God, yet manifested, revealed, in three separate, distinct Persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. If someone asks you to explain the Trinity, can you do it convincingly? Or, would you stutter, stammer, and offer some explanation such as water can be: liquid, solid (ice), or gaseous (mist)? Or maybe the egg consists of: shell, white, and yolk - yet it is one egg?
The problem with these illustrations are: (1) The water illustration fails for it can only be one of these forms - liquid, solid, gas - at a time, i.e., it is either liquid water, solid water, or gaseous water. One state at a time. Yet, God in all three Persons is always God.
And, the egg illustration falls apart because God cannot be divided into separate parts. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one in essence, but the same cannot be said for the shell, yolk, and white of an egg.
Some have used space, i.e., a cube to explain the Trinity: height, width, length. Yet, remove any one of those three-dimensional attributes - and you have a two dimensional flat sheet. Not so with God, for neither the Father, the Son, nor the Holy Spirit can be removed - for they are integral to the Triune God.
As you can see, it is not easy to explain the Trinity. But, through faith we believe it. Why? Because the Bible tells us it is true. In Genesis 1:1 we read that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." In John 1:1 we are told that "In the beginning was the Word (Logos, Jesus Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And, in John 1:3 we read, "All things were made through Him (Logos, the Word, Jesus Christ), and without Him nothing was made that was made."
So, who created the heavens and the earth - God, Jesus Christ, the Father? Yes! And, going on to Genesis 1:2, we see that the Holy Spirit was also helping in the creation. One God, three distinct Persons who are separate - yet cannot be separated. In Genesis 1:2 we see that the Holy Spirit was also involved in the Creation, "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the (Holy) Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."
Is Genesis 1:1 speaking only of God the Father? No. For in Genesis 1:26 God declares, "Let Us make man in Our image,. . ." Once again, the Triune God creating His universe, His world, His people.
Confusing? Not a problem, that is why we are saved "by grace through faith."
There, and throughout Scripture, we see the Triune God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit working together as God, the same essence and the same Godly attributes. One God - three distinct Persons.
Yes, faith demands that we believe in the Triune God, the Trinity. I believe this, do you? That is saving faith.
Another mystery? After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples in the locked Upper Room. "Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord" (John 20:19-20).
The door was locked, so it would seem that He just appeared - one moment not there, the next standing in their midst. We can almost hear little Arnold of the "Different Strokes" television show asking, "Whatcha talkin bout, Willis?" Or, if we had been in the Upper Room, we might have asked, "Howcha do that, Jesus?"
So, can you explain how Jesus just appeared in the Upper Room? Christian scientists have a theory which seems plausible to me. Our universe which God created "in the beginning" consists of as many as ten or more dimensions, which we, in our mortal bodies, cannot fully see and understand.
We live in a four dimensional universe created by God: height, width, length, and time. But, how many other dimensions are there in the whole created universe? Supposing earth, heaven, and hell all exist in the same physical spatial realm (like three people simultaneously sitting in the same small chair, but each not seeing the other two). With earth existing in its dimensions (height, width, length, time), and heaven and hell existing in their separate dimensions - within the same physical spatial realm. Neither heaven nor hell require time, so that leaves only height, width, and length. That would mean a universe consisting of at least ten dimensions. Is that possible? Is anything impossible with God? (Matthew 19:26)
Since Jesus is God, He was in His glorified body after the resurrection. Can He not be in one set of spatial dimensions which define heaven? And, the next moment appear in the dimensions which define earth and the Upper Room? Yes, for Star Trek fans it isreminiscent of, "Beam me up, Scotty!" But Jesus Christ does not need Scotty - He is the ultimate Engineer.
You and I, in our mortal bodies, cannot move between spatial dimensions. But, He is God and like the angels He sends to watch over us - the dimensional walls do not hinder Him. Remember, He also suddenly appeared to the men walking on the road toEmmaus (Luke 24:13-31).
Food for thought: Do these mysteries of the Bible stir your imagination? Does it excite you when you read in 1 John 3:2, "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." Think about it. We will not be deity like Him - but we will have an immortal body like His. So, would that mean that we will be able to move between different spatial dimensions in the universe? When the New Jerusalem descends from heaven and sits above the New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21) - is that how we will move between the New Jerusalem above, and the New Earth below? Definitely food for thought!
Do you have another explanation, other than a universe consisting of multiple dimensions? Or do you just believe through saving faith?
Let examine another Biblical mystery - the Spirit World. Have you ever really tried to imagine the spirit world, with both heavenly angels and demonic angels contending for our souls? "Too morbid," you say? Possibly, but Biblically very true.
In 1986, Frank E. Peretti, who was a pastor in an Assemblies of God church (which possibly gave birth to an active imagination regarding the spirit world, but not a view that I would challenge Biblically) became a New York Times best-selling author of Christian fiction, with novels which primarily focused on the supernatural. His first book in that genre, "This Present Darkness," was published in 1986 and I found it so fascinating that I eagerly read the sequel "Piercing The Darkness" (1989), and "Prophet" (1992), "The Oath" (1995), and "The Visitation" (1999). If you are going to read his books, I highly recommend starting with the first, "This Present Darkness."
Why would I recommend reading such Christian fiction? Well, even though I have long known that there are demonic angels, i.e., spirits, surrounding us - and even though I have personally experienced those spirits around me on several occasions (that is a story for another time) - I never truly attempted to imagine what they may be like, what they are really doing to divert people away from God and Jesus Christ. These books sparked my imagination, like their writing did for Frank Peretti - and caused me to more carefully consider the spirit world, both the dark spirits of Satan and the angels of Light serving Jesus Christ.
Have YOU really given thought to the dark side of the spirit world? As a Christian believer we know that, while demonic spirits may harass us, they cannot indwell us. Yet, think about all your friends and family who are not yet believers - they can be possessed and harmed by such dark spirits. Think about all those folks who still have not had a believer witness to them, telling them about Jesus Christ and His eternal pardon from all sin. Those people need a saving faith - and we need to be pointing them toward Him.
Another Biblical mystery? How does God hear and answer billions of prayers - simultaneously? He does, there is no doubt about that in the heart of any believer. But, how?
We know that "time" is one part of the Creation. In heaven and in hell, there is no time - just eternal existence. One Christian scientist who is a long time Bible teacher, Chuck Missler, suggests that since there is no time in heaven - you will arrive in heaven, in the same instance as Abraham and Moses. You will arrive in heaven at the same time as the fellow in the park you led to the Lord ten years ago, even though he died two years later. Hard to comprehend? You betcha!
But, that does explain, to our finite human mind, how God can hear and answer billions of prayers simultaneously. Besides being Omniscient (all knowing), Omnipotent (all powerful), and Omnipresent (all places present simultaneously) - He also has all eternity to answer each prayer:
Does God answer all our prayers? Absolutely! Not always with, "Yes." In His infinite wisdom He will know when, "No" or "Wait a while, My child" is more appropriate. Knowing and accepting that with praise, is saving faith.
Moving along, do you fully grasp the mystery of the Rapture?
Imagine this frail mortal body, this body with its aches and pains, this body in which your eyes water when you stub your toe or accidentally hit your finger with a hammer - this weak human body will be no more. After the Rapture, we believers will be in our immortal bodies. In that sense, we will be like Jesus Christ, immortal. "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). Think about that. Jesus appeared in locked rooms and to many disciples - Jesus, in His immortal body ate breakfast with His disciples (John 21:1-15).
And, after the Rapture, you and I, and all believers, will have immortal bodies, just like Jesus. Can you comprehend that? That is saving faith.
After the Rapture, the seven year Tribulation will begin. That is Daniel's 70th Week (Daniel 9:22-27), the time of Jacob's Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), the time when God will redeem the remnants of His people, Israel, and cast His wrath upon the unbelieving world.
God is perfect love and perfect justice. His perfect love will save all who will, by grace through faith, believe and receive His gift of eternal life. His perfect justice will cast His wrath upon all who will refuse His gift of eternal life. That, also, is a great mystery.
The Bible tells us that following the Tribulation Jesus Christ will establish His 1000 year Millennial Kingdom on earth, from the throne of David in Jerusalem. This will be the perfect theocracy as He will govern the world under His perfect rule. How is this a mystery? Imagine a world where people in their mortal bodies - and we in our immortal Raptured bodies - will be living in personal fellowship, side by side, and in daily communion with our Lord Jesus Christ.
How about the mystery of the New Heaven, New Earth, and New Jerusalem? By faith we know that after the close of the Millennial Kingdom God will create a New Heaven and a New Earth. And the New Holy City, Jerusalem, will descend from heaven to reside above the New Earth (Revelation 21:1-2). And, we are told:
God is going to create a New World which will make the first Creation seem dull; it will be a glorious world of happiness and joy, we will be able to enter the New Jerusalem at will for the gates will never be closed,and He will be living among us.
Let me suggest a final mystery. What will you and I do for eternity? Will eternity be boring? We know that we will be in close fellowship with many loved ones, family and friends. We know that we will be in close worship and fellowship with Jesus Christ. But, let me suggest an activity which most have not considered. We all love learning. Imagine being in the greatest university which will ever exist - the Eternal University - constantly learning new things, constantly expanding our minds and understanding. And, we will have the greatest professor we can imagine - Jesus Christ, the One who created all things. He will be explaining all things to us. Wow!
Can you comprehend all that these mysteries entail? No? Neither can I fully at this time. But, I KNOW that, by His grace through faith - I WILL see and experience it one day. And I will rejoice eternally with billions of believing brothers and sisters - as we share the mystery of His glorious presence - forever and ever, for never ending eternity.
So, if you do not fully comprehend it all now, just relax. All He asks is that you, by His grace through faith in His Son Jesus Christ, believe and receive this incomprehensible gift which He is giving to all who will rest in the faith of all that His Written Word has promised us. In other words, rest in Saving Faith.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
Well, first, that faith must lead us to believe what Jesus Christ has done for all mankind.
He was born of a virgin. Can you fully comprehend that?
He lived a sinless life. How is that possible? It was possible for Him because He is Man, yet He is still God - and God is perfect, sinless, and pure.
He came to earth for one reason - to die in YOUR place. What kind of man would take the sins of billions of people upon Himself - and take all their deserved punishment, the death penalty we all deserve - so that WE may choose to not die, so that WE may choose to live eternally in joy? No normal, mortal man could do that; but the Man who is fully God did it for you and for me. Why? Because God so loved the world - you, me, all the billions of people born into His creation - that He sent His Son to die in our place. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him (saving faith) should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Can you truly comprehend that?
He rose from the grave, He resurrected from the dead. Really!
And He ascended back into heaven. Yes, He went back to the Throne Room of God - to be the one and only Mediator with God the Father for you and for me.
We take all of this on faith - because God's Word tells us this is true. That is saving faith.
Let's look at other mysteries of God. A key one being the Trinity - one God, yet manifested, revealed, in three separate, distinct Persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. If someone asks you to explain the Trinity, can you do it convincingly? Or, would you stutter, stammer, and offer some explanation such as water can be: liquid, solid (ice), or gaseous (mist)? Or maybe the egg consists of: shell, white, and yolk - yet it is one egg?
The problem with these illustrations are: (1) The water illustration fails for it can only be one of these forms - liquid, solid, gas - at a time, i.e., it is either liquid water, solid water, or gaseous water. One state at a time. Yet, God in all three Persons is always God.
And, the egg illustration falls apart because God cannot be divided into separate parts. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one in essence, but the same cannot be said for the shell, yolk, and white of an egg.
Some have used space, i.e., a cube to explain the Trinity: height, width, length. Yet, remove any one of those three-dimensional attributes - and you have a two dimensional flat sheet. Not so with God, for neither the Father, the Son, nor the Holy Spirit can be removed - for they are integral to the Triune God.
As you can see, it is not easy to explain the Trinity. But, through faith we believe it. Why? Because the Bible tells us it is true. In Genesis 1:1 we read that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." In John 1:1 we are told that "In the beginning was the Word (Logos, Jesus Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And, in John 1:3 we read, "All things were made through Him (Logos, the Word, Jesus Christ), and without Him nothing was made that was made."
So, who created the heavens and the earth - God, Jesus Christ, the Father? Yes! And, going on to Genesis 1:2, we see that the Holy Spirit was also helping in the creation. One God, three distinct Persons who are separate - yet cannot be separated. In Genesis 1:2 we see that the Holy Spirit was also involved in the Creation, "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the (Holy) Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."
Is Genesis 1:1 speaking only of God the Father? No. For in Genesis 1:26 God declares, "Let Us make man in Our image,. . ." Once again, the Triune God creating His universe, His world, His people.
Confusing? Not a problem, that is why we are saved "by grace through faith."
There, and throughout Scripture, we see the Triune God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit working together as God, the same essence and the same Godly attributes. One God - three distinct Persons.
Yes, faith demands that we believe in the Triune God, the Trinity. I believe this, do you? That is saving faith.
Another mystery? After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples in the locked Upper Room. "Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord" (John 20:19-20).
The door was locked, so it would seem that He just appeared - one moment not there, the next standing in their midst. We can almost hear little Arnold of the "Different Strokes" television show asking, "Whatcha talkin bout, Willis?" Or, if we had been in the Upper Room, we might have asked, "Howcha do that, Jesus?"
So, can you explain how Jesus just appeared in the Upper Room? Christian scientists have a theory which seems plausible to me. Our universe which God created "in the beginning" consists of as many as ten or more dimensions, which we, in our mortal bodies, cannot fully see and understand.
We live in a four dimensional universe created by God: height, width, length, and time. But, how many other dimensions are there in the whole created universe? Supposing earth, heaven, and hell all exist in the same physical spatial realm (like three people simultaneously sitting in the same small chair, but each not seeing the other two). With earth existing in its dimensions (height, width, length, time), and heaven and hell existing in their separate dimensions - within the same physical spatial realm. Neither heaven nor hell require time, so that leaves only height, width, and length. That would mean a universe consisting of at least ten dimensions. Is that possible? Is anything impossible with God? (Matthew 19:26)
Since Jesus is God, He was in His glorified body after the resurrection. Can He not be in one set of spatial dimensions which define heaven? And, the next moment appear in the dimensions which define earth and the Upper Room? Yes, for Star Trek fans it isreminiscent of, "Beam me up, Scotty!" But Jesus Christ does not need Scotty - He is the ultimate Engineer.
You and I, in our mortal bodies, cannot move between spatial dimensions. But, He is God and like the angels He sends to watch over us - the dimensional walls do not hinder Him. Remember, He also suddenly appeared to the men walking on the road toEmmaus (Luke 24:13-31).
Food for thought: Do these mysteries of the Bible stir your imagination? Does it excite you when you read in 1 John 3:2, "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." Think about it. We will not be deity like Him - but we will have an immortal body like His. So, would that mean that we will be able to move between different spatial dimensions in the universe? When the New Jerusalem descends from heaven and sits above the New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21) - is that how we will move between the New Jerusalem above, and the New Earth below? Definitely food for thought!
Do you have another explanation, other than a universe consisting of multiple dimensions? Or do you just believe through saving faith?
Extra Dimensions And The Spirit World
By: Mark Tabata
https://marktabata.wordpress.com/2016/08/06/extra-dimensions-and-the-spirit-world)
From beginning to end, the Bible teaches that there is a spiritual realm which intersects and interferes with our physical plane (cf. Daniel 10:12-13; Ephesians 6:10-18; Revelation 12:7-12).
Through the years, skeptics of the Bible have mocked the teaching of the Scriptures regarding this spiritual world; yet it is fascinating to note that the findings of modern science provide further confirmation of the Bible in many ways regarding this subject. . . .
Dinesh D’Souza, in "Life After Death: The Evidence" has written about the discoveries of these multiple dimensions which humanity cannot readily empirically detect, but which science and mathematics are documenting are truly existent:
“Now it is time to see why even our four-dimensional world of space and time may be part of a larger multidimensional world, several of whose dimensions are hidden from us. This idea of multiple dimensions is part of a powerful new approach to physics called string theory. Many scientists regard string theory as the best prospect for unifying Einsteinian relativity with quantum mechanics. . . . "
Chuck Missler in "Beyond Time And Space" has provided an excellent illustration of how these matters relate to our spiritual state:
“We have a hard time conceiving of hyperspaces. Theoretical physicists try to explain them and produce ways to visualize them, but we have very little means to truly comprehend additional dimensions. There are only two kinds of people that can really deal with hyperspaces: mathematicians with advanced training - and small children. . . . We have the same difficulty in conceptualizing greater dimensions than our own. Still, we can use this illustration to see how beings in higher dimensions might interact with us without our comprehending the full reality of their existence.”
(Extra Dimensions And The Spirit World By: Mark Tabata - https://marktabata.wordpress.com/2016/08/06/extra-dimensions-and-the-spirit-world)
Let examine another Biblical mystery - the Spirit World. Have you ever really tried to imagine the spirit world, with both heavenly angels and demonic angels contending for our souls? "Too morbid," you say? Possibly, but Biblically very true.
In 1986, Frank E. Peretti, who was a pastor in an Assemblies of God church (which possibly gave birth to an active imagination regarding the spirit world, but not a view that I would challenge Biblically) became a New York Times best-selling author of Christian fiction, with novels which primarily focused on the supernatural. His first book in that genre, "This Present Darkness," was published in 1986 and I found it so fascinating that I eagerly read the sequel "Piercing The Darkness" (1989), and "Prophet" (1992), "The Oath" (1995), and "The Visitation" (1999). If you are going to read his books, I highly recommend starting with the first, "This Present Darkness."
Why would I recommend reading such Christian fiction? Well, even though I have long known that there are demonic angels, i.e., spirits, surrounding us - and even though I have personally experienced those spirits around me on several occasions (that is a story for another time) - I never truly attempted to imagine what they may be like, what they are really doing to divert people away from God and Jesus Christ. These books sparked my imagination, like their writing did for Frank Peretti - and caused me to more carefully consider the spirit world, both the dark spirits of Satan and the angels of Light serving Jesus Christ.
Have YOU really given thought to the dark side of the spirit world? As a Christian believer we know that, while demonic spirits may harass us, they cannot indwell us. Yet, think about all your friends and family who are not yet believers - they can be possessed and harmed by such dark spirits. Think about all those folks who still have not had a believer witness to them, telling them about Jesus Christ and His eternal pardon from all sin. Those people need a saving faith - and we need to be pointing them toward Him.
Another Biblical mystery? How does God hear and answer billions of prayers - simultaneously? He does, there is no doubt about that in the heart of any believer. But, how?
We know that "time" is one part of the Creation. In heaven and in hell, there is no time - just eternal existence. One Christian scientist who is a long time Bible teacher, Chuck Missler, suggests that since there is no time in heaven - you will arrive in heaven, in the same instance as Abraham and Moses. You will arrive in heaven at the same time as the fellow in the park you led to the Lord ten years ago, even though he died two years later. Hard to comprehend? You betcha!
But, that does explain, to our finite human mind, how God can hear and answer billions of prayers simultaneously. Besides being Omniscient (all knowing), Omnipotent (all powerful), and Omnipresent (all places present simultaneously) - He also has all eternity to answer each prayer:
C.S. Lewis put it this way as he described how God does not exist "in time." He stated, "His life doesn't consist of moments following one another. If a million people are praying to Him at 10:30 tonight, He hasn't got to listen to them all in that little snippet we call '10:30.'" Lewis goes on to say, "10:30 and every other moment from the beginning to the end of the world is always the present for Him. If you like to put it that way, He has infinity in which to listen to the split second of prayer put up by a pilot as his plane crashes in flames. That's difficult I know."
But it helps us start to understand at a very elementary level how God juggles so many prayers being prayed at the same time. Until we are liberated from this time dimension, it will be impossible for us to fully grasp how this gets experienced in heaven. But make no mistake about it (it does). This time dimension in which you and I currently exist is coming to an end, just as it had a beginning. The same cannot be said for eternity.
Lewis continued, "The point I want to drive home is that God has infinite attention, infinite measure to spare for each one of us. He doesn't have to take us in the line. You're as much alone with Him as if you were the only thing He ever created. When Christ died, He died for you individually, just as much as if you had been the only man in the world." (How Does God Juggle So Many Prayers? - Dan Delzell, The Christian Post, December 5, 2013 -
http://www.christianpost.com/news/how-does-god-juggle-so-many-prayers-109843/)
Does God answer all our prayers? Absolutely! Not always with, "Yes." In His infinite wisdom He will know when, "No" or "Wait a while, My child" is more appropriate. Knowing and accepting that with praise, is saving faith.
Moving along, do you fully grasp the mystery of the Rapture?
1 Corinthians 15:51-53, "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."
Imagine this frail mortal body, this body with its aches and pains, this body in which your eyes water when you stub your toe or accidentally hit your finger with a hammer - this weak human body will be no more. After the Rapture, we believers will be in our immortal bodies. In that sense, we will be like Jesus Christ, immortal. "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). Think about that. Jesus appeared in locked rooms and to many disciples - Jesus, in His immortal body ate breakfast with His disciples (John 21:1-15).
And, after the Rapture, you and I, and all believers, will have immortal bodies, just like Jesus. Can you comprehend that? That is saving faith.
After the Rapture, the seven year Tribulation will begin. That is Daniel's 70th Week (Daniel 9:22-27), the time of Jacob's Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), the time when God will redeem the remnants of His people, Israel, and cast His wrath upon the unbelieving world.
God is perfect love and perfect justice. His perfect love will save all who will, by grace through faith, believe and receive His gift of eternal life. His perfect justice will cast His wrath upon all who will refuse His gift of eternal life. That, also, is a great mystery.
The Bible tells us that following the Tribulation Jesus Christ will establish His 1000 year Millennial Kingdom on earth, from the throne of David in Jerusalem. This will be the perfect theocracy as He will govern the world under His perfect rule. How is this a mystery? Imagine a world where people in their mortal bodies - and we in our immortal Raptured bodies - will be living in personal fellowship, side by side, and in daily communion with our Lord Jesus Christ.
How about the mystery of the New Heaven, New Earth, and New Jerusalem? By faith we know that after the close of the Millennial Kingdom God will create a New Heaven and a New Earth. And the New Holy City, Jerusalem, will descend from heaven to reside above the New Earth (Revelation 21:1-2). And, we are told:
Revelation 21:3-5, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.' And He who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' And He said, 'Write, for these words are faithful and true.' "
God is going to create a New World which will make the first Creation seem dull; it will be a glorious world of happiness and joy, we will be able to enter the New Jerusalem at will for the gates will never be closed,and He will be living among us.
Revelation 21:22-26, "I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it."
Revelation 22:1-5, "Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever."
Let me suggest a final mystery. What will you and I do for eternity? Will eternity be boring? We know that we will be in close fellowship with many loved ones, family and friends. We know that we will be in close worship and fellowship with Jesus Christ. But, let me suggest an activity which most have not considered. We all love learning. Imagine being in the greatest university which will ever exist - the Eternal University - constantly learning new things, constantly expanding our minds and understanding. And, we will have the greatest professor we can imagine - Jesus Christ, the One who created all things. He will be explaining all things to us. Wow!
Can you comprehend all that these mysteries entail? No? Neither can I fully at this time. But, I KNOW that, by His grace through faith - I WILL see and experience it one day. And I will rejoice eternally with billions of believing brothers and sisters - as we share the mystery of His glorious presence - forever and ever, for never ending eternity.
So, if you do not fully comprehend it all now, just relax. All He asks is that you, by His grace through faith in His Son Jesus Christ, believe and receive this incomprehensible gift which He is giving to all who will rest in the faith of all that His Written Word has promised us. In other words, rest in Saving Faith.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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