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Gen. 1:26; Phil. 3:11, 21; Matt. 25:10, 12, 21, 23, 30; 1 Cor. 3:15; Rev. 2:26; 20:4; 22:12; Eph. 5:25-27; Rev. 21:10-11, 23; 22:1-2, 5
I. Reigning in life
II. The kingdom reward
III. The New Jerusalem
А. A city of life
B. A city under God’s authority
C. A city of fellowship
D. A city of light
E. A city of fruit-bearing
F. A city of oneness
G. A city of blessing
H. A city of transformed men
I. A city of the expression of God
J. A city of the dominion of God
Another issue of life that we can experience in this age is reigning in life. [Simply speaking, to reign is to exercise authority for God — to rule all things and in particular to deal with His enemy. We have repeatedly mentioned in the past that in the creation of man God has a two-fold intent and desire. On one hand, God wants man to possess His image that he may express God Himself. On the other hand, God wants man to represent Him with His authority in order to deal with His enemy. Therefore, when God created man, on one hand, He created him in His image and likeness that man might be like Him. On the other hand, God caused man to “have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth’’ (Gen. 1:26). This means that God gave man authority that he might reign for Him.]
[Therefore, from the point of view of authority, reigning is the final goal of God’s salvation. It is the summit of our spiritual experience. As for God, had He not saved us to the extent that we could reign for Him in the heavenly realm, the goal of His salvation would not have been considered fully accomplished. Furthermore, although this matter of reigning will not be completely realized until the coming of the kingdom and in eternity, yet today God wants us to have a beginning on earth. As for us, if any Christian has not yet reached the degree of reigning for God, he is not yet up to standard. A Christian who is up to standard has not only been delivered from sin, has overcome the world, has had his flesh dealt with and his natural constitution broken, has been filled with the Holy Spirit, and is sitting in the heavenly realm, but even more he is reigning with Christ in all things. Whether in God’s work, in the church, at home, or in any encounter in his environment, he can reign and rule over that which God wants him to rule. There must be such people gained by God that through them the authority of God can be executed and the kingdom of God can come upon the earth.]
Many times, when we see the evil situations in our school, in our neighborhood, in our city, in our country, and in the world, we may be sad, yet we do not think that anything can be done. This is not true. God has given us the authority to rule over the earth. We must exercise this authority. If we are still living in ourselves rather than in the life of God, we cannot even rule over ourselves. Our spirit will be dull and weak. But when we experience life and grow every day, our spirit will be so strong. In such a state, we would pray against all the negative things that are happening around us. We would bind the enemy in our schools. He is the one who is destroying so many young people through, drugs, alcohol, violence, boy-girl relationships (fornication), rebellion, laziness, and worldliness. Then we would pray to free our friends from these degrading, sinful, and evil things so that they may be saved through baptism into the Body of Christ. We cannot stand idle and watch them perish. We must exercise our God-given authority to rule over every situation, beginning today. This is the third issue of life.
After we have experienced life and grow in life, resulting in the issues of fruit-bearing, building up of the Body of Christ, and reigning in life, we have made ourselves ready for the Lord’s return. In His timing, He will then come back to begin the millennial kingdom. All those that have fully matured in life and served Him faithfully in building and reigning will receive a reward. All those who are not matured and are unfaithful in serving the Lord will be punished. The reward is glorious and the punishment is grievous. The reward is the early enjoyment of the New Jerusalem. It includes the out-resurrection from among the dead (Phil. 3:11), the transfiguration of the body of humiliation to the body of His glory (Phil 3:21), the marriage feast (Matt. 25:10), ruling over many things, the joy of the Lord (Matt. 25:21, 23), having the authority over the nations (Rev. 2:26), and reigning with Christ a thousand years (Rev. 20:4). The punishment includes not having all the above items, not being known by the Lord (Matt. 25:12), being cast into the outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 25:30), and his work being consumed, suffering loss, though being saved yet as through fire (1 Cor. 3:15). The reward was originally the common portion of all the believers; however, due to the degradation of Christians, the millennial kingdom became a reward to those who are faithful to God’s eternal purpose and have overcome all degradation to be full-grown in life. Therefore, as young Christians, we must aspire to receive the kingdom reward by being normal Christians, experiencing life every day to grow in life until we reach maturity, bearing fruits of virtue, bearing fruits of people, building up the Body of Christ, and reigning in life for God. Then at the Lord’s return, we will get the reward (Rev. 22:12).
The New Jerusalem is the final issue of life. It is the ultimate consummation of the divine, eternal, indestructible life growing in all God’s chosen, redeemed, and regenerated people. It is the mingling of the processed Triune God with the transformed tripartite man. It is not a physical city as many suppose. It is a spiritual city. It is the full growth of the church, the Body of Christ, the bride of Christ (Rev. 21:2; Eph. 5:25-27). “And he carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, as a jasper stone, clear as crystal’’ (Rev. 21:10-11). “And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon that they should shine in it, for the glory of God illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb’’ (Rev. 21:23). “And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street. And on this side and on that side of the river was the tree of life, producing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations’’ (Rev. 22:1-2). The throne of God and of the Lamb is on the top and in the center of the city. Out of it flows the Spirit as the river of water of life in the middle of the golden street. “And night shall be no more; and they have no need of the light of a lamp and the light of the sun, for the Lord God shall illumine them; and they shall reign forever and ever’’ (Rev. 22:5).
The New Jerusalem is a city Of life. It has a river of water of life and the tree of life. It is not of knowledge. The tree of knowledge is gone. Only the tree of life is there growing in the middle of the river of water of life. It is absolutely a city of zoe.
The New Jerusalem is a city under God’s authority. The throne of God and of the Lamb is on the top and in the middle of the city. A throne represents the authority of the one who sits on it. The throne of God and of the Lamb represents the authority of the Triune God. There is no rebellion in the New Jerusalem because everyone is in full subjection to the Triune God.
The New Jerusalem is a city of fellowship. Fellowship is the Spirit flowing. Wherever the Spirit flows, there is fellowship. The river of the water of life out of the throne of God is the flowing of the Spirit. The river is the fellowship of the Spirit bringing us God and the Lamb, the Father and the Son.
The New Jerusalem is a city of light. God is the light and the Lamb is the lamp. The Triune God shines in this city. Everyone in this city lives and walks by the light of life from God. It exposes, leads, and guides. There is no darkness in this city.
The New Jerusalem is a city of fruit-bearing. The tree of life bears twelve fruits. The tree of life is a very fruitful tree. It bears not only one fruit but twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each month. This indicates life in abundance.
The New Jerusalem is a city of oneness. Although there are twelve gates, there is only one street, one river, one tree, one throne, and one nature — gold (the divine nature). People of different nations, tribes, and tongues from all four corners of the earth come into the city, and find only oneness there. All their backgrounds, cultures, and differences are forsaken for the oneness. There is no division, no confusion, and no separation. There is only oneness.
The New Jerusalem is a city of blessing. In the New Jerusalem is the three-fold blessing of the Triune God. We enjoy the creating God, the redeeming Lamb and the regenerating Spirit.
The New Jerusalem is a city of transformed men. Man was made of clay. After regeneration and transformation, man becomes precious stone, as a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Originally man was opaque; here man is clear as crystal, due to the transformation of the Spirit through His fellowship.
The New Jerusalem is a city of the expression of God. Revelation 4:3 tells us that the One sitting on the throne has the appearance of jasper. The wall of the New Jerusalem also has the appearance of a jasper stone. The people of God have grown in life to full maturity; therefore, they have the expression of God.
The New Jerusalem is a city of the dominion of God. Not only is God reigning on His throne, all the people of God are reigning in life.
The New Jerusalem is the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose accomplished through God’s economy. Through the dispensing of the processed Triune God as life into His chosen, created, fallen, redeemed, and regenerated people, they became mingled with Him and transformed to have His same image. They, together in oneness, express all that He is in life and reign with Him and for Him over the whole universe for eternity. Amen! Hallelujah! This is the ultimate consummation of the experience of life and growth of life. We rejoice that this is our eternal destiny!
