Redemption

Lesson 13

Memory Text /

B2:

Revelation 21:4 (NKJV)

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.
What are some of the things which cause us to shed tears?
1. There are many things which cause us to shed tears.
2. First, are tears necessarily bad?
3. If you look closely at the picture of this slide, you can see tears of joy in
this girls eyes as she beholds the glories of heaven.
4. There can be tears of joy, of relief, of laughter, of compassion, of empathy.
5. There can be tears in response to a speck of dirt in your eye.
6. In fact we have eye drops for those who do not make enough natural tears
to keep their eyes lubricated.
7. So tears can be good, but our text is not talking about good tears.
8. What are some of the difficulties expressed by the shedding of tears?
9. Sorrow, pain, death, separation from loved ones, depression, defeat, guilt
for our sins, loneliness, loss, fear, worry, failure, etc.

B3: What do you think this text is saying by describing God as wiping
away every tear?
1. The picture that is drawn here is a metaphor.
2. It is telling us something about what God is like.
3. We think of a loving mother or father wiping the tears from the eyes of a
little child that has skinned his knee.
4. It speaks of love, kindness, compassion, protection, consolation, someone
who really cares for us.
5. We usually dont wipe the tears from an adults eyes.
6. So the metaphor points to God as our kind loving Father and to us as the
children He loves.
7. How does God wipe away the tears from our eyes? (This is meant to be
figurative, metaphoric)
8. God so changes our condition and our environment that we no longer
have a reason to cry tears of anguish.
9. He welcomes us into His kingdom, and what do we find there? Love, joy,
peace, contentment, purpose, meaning, value, righteousness, redemption,
victory
10. No death, no sorrow, no pain, no depression, no worry, no defeat, no guilt,
no sin, no loneliness
11. The Bible says: He:
Philippians 3:21 (KJV)
21
[Who] shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto
his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to
subdue all things unto himself.
12. He changes us. He changes our environment. He does away with sin and
temptation. He lives with us. He is our God and we are His people.
13. So all the difficulties that have plagued us in this life will be but a dim
memory.
14. Our senses will be so overwhelmed by His love and the joy of praising and
worshipping Him that the former things will never annoy us there.
15. Our tears will be only tears of joy in that fair land.
B4:

When will this blessed promise be fulfilled?

1. Not until after the final judgment and destruction of the wicked at the end
of the millennium.
2. Will we shed tears of anguish and sorrow then?

3. Most likely. It will be a terrible thing to see our friends, loved ones,
children, grandchildren, perish because they refused Gods offer of salvation.
4. I am sure there will be many tears on that day.
5. But we will take courage in knowing that Gods judgments were just.
6. We are all accountable for the decisions we have made.
The Millennium
1. The word millennium itself does not appear in scripture.
2. It is a Latin word that means 1000 years.
B2: Where do we find it in scripture? (Rev 20:1-7)
20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon,
that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand
years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a
seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand
years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little
while. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was
committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded
for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the
beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on
their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were
finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in
the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they
shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand
years. 7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released
from his prison. [R]
1. This 1,000 year period appears only in the book of Revelation and only in
Chapter 20:1-7
B3:

What different views do people hold of the millennium? [Link]

1. Here the thousand year period is mentioned 6 times in 7 verses.
2. This is the only place in the Bible that indicates a 1000 year period.
3. This period is part of the final events in the long war against God.
4. So what do we learn about Satan during the 1,000 years?
5. He is bound so that he can no longer deceive the nations.
6. When the 1,000 years are up, he is released for a short time.
[See notes on linked slides]
B4: What view makes the most sense of all the scriptures? [Link]
B1: What is the millennium?
[See linked slide]

1. Here and in the next slide we have represented the four major views of the
millennium.
2. The first view is that the millennium is 1,000 years between the second coming
of Christ and the final judgment.
3. In this view, Jesus comes after the tribulation period.
4. This is the view into which the Adventist position fits.
5. However, the Adventist view differs from the view of other Christians that hold
this view in the following way:
6. We believe that the 1,000 years is spent in heaven reigning with Jesus there.
7. Other Christians believe that the Christians reign with Christ on the earth over
people who are still living here.
1. The second view is held by those who believe in the secret rapture of the church
before the tribulation period.
2. They believe in two second comings: one for the church, which is the secret
rapture, and the other with the church.
3. When Jesus comes with the church after the tribulation, He reigns with the
church for 1,000 years on earth.
4. Well I hope we all know the problems with the secret rapture. It is not a biblical
view of end time events.

1. The third view is called Postmillennialism.

2. In this view, the millennium begins 1,000 years before the second coming of
Christ.
3. This view was popular back in the mid 1800s.
4. People thought the world would get better and better, the gospel would spread
to all nations, and there would be 1,000 years of peace and righteousness before
Jesus came.
5. Now that we know the world is getting worse and worse, there are few people
who believe in 1,000 years of Satan being bound before Jesus comes.
1. The last view is amillennialism which means no millennium.
2. This view takes the 1,000 years as symbolic and places it between the first and
second comings of Jesus.
3. How they can possibly view Satan as being bound during this period of time is
beyond me.

The first view is that the millennium is 1,000 years between the second coming of
Christ and the final judgment.
This is the view into which the Adventist position fits.
We believe that the 1,000 years is spent in heaven reigning with Jesus there.
1. So this view seems to make sense of all the scriptures.
2. The apostle Paul is absolutely clear that the righteous will be resurrected
at the second coming of Christ.
3. He is just as clear that the living righteous will be changed and translated
at the same time.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (KJV)
16
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first:
17
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the
Lord.
4. So when the resurrected and translated saints meet the Lord in the air,
where do they go?
John 14:1-3 (KJV)
2
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you
unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

5. The Fathers house is in heaven. Jesus has gone there to prepare a place
for us.
6. Wheres He going to take us when He comes back for us? (To his Fathers
house in heaven.)
7. So we dont go to meet Jesus in the air and come back down to reign with
Him on the earth, as some believe.
8. We reign with Him in heaven where He has prepared a place for us.
Q1: What is the chain of circumstances that binds Satan for 1,000 years?
1. The righteous are all in heaven.
2. The wicked are all dead, slain by the brightness of His coming.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 (NKJV)
7
the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming
fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do
not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of
His power,
3. So Satan has no one to tempt during the 1,000 years.
The chain is not literal, neither is the bottomless pit.
The original Greek does not have bottomless pit.
The Greek word is abussos meaning abyss.
This appears to be the dwelling place of demons, and Satan is confined there
along with his fallen angels.

John 5:28-29 (NKJV)

28
Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the
graves will hear His voice 29 and come forththose who have done good, to
the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection
of condemnation
1. Here Jesus refers to the two resurrections: the resurrection of life and the
resurrection of condemnation.
2. These are the same as the resurrection of the righteous and the
resurrection of the wicked: the 1st and the 2nd resurrestion.
3. In both resurrections the dead come to life when they hear the voice of
Jesus.
4. So the second resurrection implies that Jesus has come the third time.
Revelation 21:10 (NKJV)
10
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and
showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven
from God
Revelation 20:7-9 (NKJV)
7
Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from
his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four
corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle,
whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of
the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And
fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.
Q1: On the desolate earth, what is the only thing of value?
1. The New Jerusalem has streets of gold and gates of pearls walls of Jasper
and all kinds of precious stones.
2. Scholars that study the book of Revelation find that it has a very beautiful
organization.
3. It is organized as a chiasm, which is a literary structure where there are
literary similarities between the first and last sections,
4. Then there is similarities between the second and next to the last
sections, etc.
5. This draws emphasis to the center of the chiasm which is supposed to be
the most important.
6. Because of this structure, Revelation is not structured chronologically.

7. Many times John gives a summary introduction and fills in the details later.
8. This is true of the verses above.
9. There is a judgment that occurs between the first and second sentences of
verse 9.
10. Before fire comes down, God hold the Great White Throne Judgment.
11. Well study that in just a moment.
12. Also, John has mentioned the New Jerusalem but he hasnt described it in
detail until Chapter 21.
Q2: Before we leave this verse, what happens to Satan and the wicked
who surround the city?
1. The fire devoured them.
Q3: What does that mean to you?
1. It burned them up. It annihilated them. The NLT says it consumed them.
2. It doesnt say they were transported to a distant star where they burned
forever.
3. They were burned up.
Q1: On the desolate earth, what is the only thing of value?
1. The New Jerusalem has streets of gold and gates of pearls walls of Jasper and all
kinds of precious stones.
2. Scholars that study the book of Revelation find that it has a very beautiful
organization.
3. It is organized as a chiasm, which is a literary structure where there are literary
similarities between the first and last sections,
4. Then there is similarities between the second and next to the last sections, etc.
5. This draws emphasis to the center of the chiasm which is supposed to be the
most important.
6. Because of this structure, Revelation is not structured chronologically.
7. Many times John gives a summary introduction and fills in the details later.
8. This is true of the verses above.
9. There is a judgment that occurs between the first and second sentences of verse
9.
10. Before fire comes down, God hold the Great White Throne Judgment.
11. Well study that in just a moment.
12. Also, John has mentioned the New Jerusalem but he hasnt described it in detail
until Chapter 21.
Q2: Before we leave this verse, what happens to Satan and the wicked
who surround the city?
1. The fire devoured them.
Q3: What does that mean to you?
1. It burned them up. It annihilated them. The NLT says it consumed them.
2. It doesnt say they were transported to a distant star where they burned forever.
3. They were burned up.
Revelation 20:11-15 (NKJV)
11
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face
the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for
them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and
books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of
Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things
which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in
it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And
they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and
Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And
anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
be

So here we have a description of the Great White Throne Judgment.

This is the fourth and final phase of judgment.
We think it takes place as the wicked surround the New Jerusalem.
Here we have all those who have ever lived at one place and at one time.
All of the righteous from all the ages are inside the city.
All of the wicked from all the ages are outside the city.
God wants the wicked to know that He wanted to save them, but they refused to
saved.

8. So all the resurrected dead are judged according to their works by the books.
9. And of course the Book that will be central in judgment is the Word of God and
His commandments.
10. Our works will be examined to see if our faith is genuine.
11. Those whose sins are covered by the blood of Christ have their names written in
the book of life.
12. In our imagination, we can see this judgment occurring simultaneously for each
person.
13. In their own minds eye, they see their own works and how they squandered the
opportunities God gave them to know the gospel.
14. In the end they acknowledge that God has been fair in judging them to be lost
rather than saved.
15. It is here that many believe that Pauls prediction of every knee bowing before
Christ is to be fulfilled.
Philippians 2:10-11New King James Version (NKJV)
10
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those
on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
16. Others believe that this is a more accurate description of those who are inside
the city and will be fulfilled after the wicked are destroyed.
Q1: What does it mean that death and hades are cast into the lake of fire?
1. It means that this will be the end of death and the grave.
2. Those who are not cast into the lake of fire will live forever.
Revelation 20:10 (NKJV)
10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will
be tormented day and night forever and ever. [R]
Q1: Who are these powers that are thrown into the lake of fire?
1. The devil is Satan, also called the dragon in Revelation.
2. The beast is the blasphemous persecuting power of papal Rome.
3. The false prophet is the second beast of Rev 13 that enforces the mark of
the beast.
4. These are not people but religious-political institutions that stand in
opposition to Gods remnant people.
5. The beast and false prophet were destroyed at the second coming of
Jesus.
6. They have not existed during the 1,000 years of the Millennium.
7. Now the devil will share their fate.
8. Note that the word are at the end of the first sentence is in italics.
9. That means that it was supplied by the translators and was not in the
original text.
10. So this could read that the devil was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone where the beast and the false prophet were cast.
11. This is Johns figurative way of saying that these three powers are
destroyed forever and will never return.
12. Since Satan is not a physical being, his destruction may require this
special treatment.
13. Revelation 20:9, just before this verse says that fire came down from
God out of heaven and devoured them.
14. This would refer to the people who are physical beings. They are burned
up, consumed, annihilated.
15. Can you burn up a spiritual being? I dont know. They dont have any
material to oxidize.
16. But God does have the power to destroy anything He has created.
17. This verse 10 describes the total destruction of the false trinity: the
dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, in symbolic language.
18. We know that Satan is destroyed because only righteousness exists in the
new heavens and new earth.
Revelation 21:1-3 (NKJV)
21 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John,
saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 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.
1. Heres Johns description of the New Jerusalem descending, but it is after the old
earth has passed away.
2. Again we must understand that John is not presenting events in chronological
order.
3. The resurrected wicked surround the city before the great white throne
judgment.
4. So the city must have descended before the resurrection of the wicked.
5. Two weeks ago we looked at Peters description of the destruction of the earth by
fire.
2 Peter 3:10 (NKJV)
10
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will
pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the
earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
6. So when the lake of fire burns, it burns up everything on the earth, and God
creates a new heaven and a new earth.
7. When this happens, it would make sense that the New Jerusalem would not be
on the earth but in the heavens above.
8. So it would ascend while the earth burns and then descend again as the new
earth cools and God recreates its surface.
9. How a city the size of the New Jerusalem will ascend and descend, I have no
idea, but thats what John describes.
Q1: What do you make of the statement that in the new earth there is no
more sea?
1. Our lesson explained this with respect to Johns imprisonment on the isle of
Patmos.
2. The sea separated John from others and formed a barrier against fellowshipping
with loved ones.
3. Understood figuratively, this would mean there would be no prisons or physical
barriers to separate people on the new earth.
4. Understood more literally, there would be no vast oceans in the new earth like
we have today.
5. Three fourths of the surface of the earth is covered with water. This is a
tremendous waste of space.
6. Certainly we can think of lakes and rivers and ponds and streams and waterfalls
in the new earth.
7. But it seems God will make better use of the surface of the earth than we see
now.
Q2: What does it mean that the New Jerusalem is prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband?
1. In what sense is the New Jerusalem the bride?
2. The real bride of the Lamb is the redeemed saints inside the New Jerusalem.
3. It is the church that is the bride of the Lamb.
2 Corinthians 11:2 (NKJV)
2
For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one
husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
4. So the saints within the New Jerusalem are the bride of Christ and the beautiful
city is like their adornment.
Q3: How is verse 3 a fitting conclusion to the Great Controversy?
1. Gods plan from the beginning was to be our God and dwell in fellowship with us.
2. That plan was interrupted by sin which separated us from God and face-to-face
communion with Him.
3. When this cosmic conflict is ended, when sin and rebellion have been dealt with,
we can resume Gods original plan.
4. God will dwell with us and we will dwell with Him in loving fellowship and
obedience.
5. These verses are followed by our memory verse where God wipes away all tears
from our eyes and banishes sorrow, pain, death, and crying.
Revelation 22:1-2 (NIV)
22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear
as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down
the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river
stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit

every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the
nations. [R]

Satan Loosed
What happens at the end of the 1,000 years to break Satans chain
of circumstances?
How did the lost get resurrected? (John 5:28-29)
How does Jesus come the third time to resurrect the wicked?
(Revelation 21:10)
What happens when Satan rallies the wicked to attack the New
Jerusalem? (Rev 20:7-9)
B1:
1. The wicked are raised back to life at the end of the 1,000 years.
2. At the first resurrection, when Jesus returns the second time, all the righteous are
raised and translated.
Revelation 20:6 (NKJV)
6
Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second
death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign
with Him a thousand years.
3. Then look at what it says in verse 5
Revelation 20:5 (NKJV)
5
But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.
4. If the righteous were raised in the first resurrection, whos left for the second
resurrection? (Only the wicked.)
5. So now Satan has someone to tempt again: his chain of circumstances is broken.
B2:
[See notes on linked slide]
B3:
1. In John 14, the place that Jesus goes to prepare a place for us is His Fathers
house in heaven.
2. And the dwelling place He prepares is the New Jerusalem.
3. And He promises that where He is there we will be also.
4. So when the New Jerusalem descends, the saints and Jesus descend with it.
5. Of course there is no one to welcome him because the earth is desolate when we
return.
6. But now the voice of Jesus calls the wicked from their graves.
B4:
[See notes on linked slide]
Final

Judgment
What different phases of judgment does the Bible describe?
Read Rev 20:11-15
How do we get our names written in the Book of Life?
How can we understand Rev 20:10 which seems to promise torment
for the wicked forever and ever?
B1:
1. Lets just review quickly the various phases of judgment.
2. There are two investigative judgments and two executive judgments.
3. The first investigative judgment is the pre-advent judgment of all who
claim to be worthy of salvation.
4. This judgment takes place in heaven before Jesus returns the second time.
5. This judgment is for the benefit of the unfallen angels who audit the
decisions of God in saving those who believe.
6. When Jesus comes His reward is with Him and He carries out the first
executive judgment.
7. This is the executive action referred to in the parable of the sheep and the
goats.
8. Those who are worthy are resurrected in the first resurrection and
translated if living.
9. They are taken to heaven with Christ.
10. Those who are not worthy are slain by the brightness of His coming and
the glory of His power.
11. If they are already dead they stay dead and face their final punishment at
the end of the millennium.

12. During the millennium we have the investigative judgment of the wicked.
13. This judgment is for the benefit of the saved so that they will see that
God has dealt fairly with the wicked who are lost.
14. The saved participate in the judgment by auditing the judgments of God
concerning lost people and lost angels.
1 Corinthians 6:2-3 (NKJV)
2
Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? 3 Do you not know
that we shall judge angels?
15. God makes the decisions, the saints audit those decisions during the
millennium.
16. At the end of the millennium there is another executive judgment.
17. This is the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20 where the
wicked are finally judged and punished.
B2:
[See notes on linked slide.]
B3:
1. We are saved by grace through faith.
2. Grace is Gods saving act in sending His Son to die for our sins.
3. Faith is our part in trusting God to forgive our sins through the blood of His
Son.
4. When our sins are covered by the blood of Christ, our names are written in
the Book of Life.
5. If we continue to overcome and trust Him to the end of our lives, our
names are not blotted out of the Book of Life.
B4:
[See notes on linked slide.]

New World
How does John describe the change that occurs after the final
judgment? (Rev 21:1-3)
What will we have to eat and drink in the new earth? (Rev 22:1-2)
What will God do to allow us to return to His original plan for
mankind? (Rev 22:3-4)
B1:
[See notes on linked slide]
B2:
1. Can you imagine one tree producing 12 different crops of fruit, one for
each month of the year.
2. And we wont have to worry about the arsenic levels in the water flowing
from the throne of God.
3. In a more figurative sense, this text assures us that God will supply the
food, drink, and healing that we will need in the new earth.
B3:
1. Here we see the end of the great controversy.
2. Mankind got caught up in this long war against God when our first parents
rebelled and disobeyed God.
3. As a result of the Fall, God cursed His creation to show us the results of
rebellion and sin.
4. Here we have proof positive that the war had ended.
5. There shall be no more curse!
6. Hallelujah! God will reverse the curse!
7. Once again God will dwell with us and we will be His people.
8. The Father and Son will have their throne here with us.
9. We shall see His face and still live.
10. We will commune face-to-face with our Creator.
11. We shall have His name on our foreheads.
12. We will be His people by choice and develop characters like Him.
Making the Choice
Free will was at the center of Lucifers rebellion in heaven and Adam
and Eves rebellion on earth. Why did God create intelligent beings
with free will?
Fortunately, free will is also at the center of Gods plan of
redemption. How do you plan to use your free will to escape from
your own rebellion and sin?
B1:
1. God is love.

2. In creating, God wanted to share His love with His creatures and He
wanted them to love Him in return.
3. Love is a choice; it cannot be forced.
4. In order for us to love Him we must be free to choose not to.
5. Love cannot be pre-programmed; it must be free to accept or reject, to
obey or disobey.
6. In creating us with free will, God took the risk that we would use our free
choice to disobey.
7. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened with Lucifer and later with
Eve.
B2:
1. I plan to trust in Jesus as my Savior and Lord.
2. I plan to ask His Holy Spirit to fill me each day.
3. I plan to take time to hide His word in my heart and to pray every day and
stay close to Him.
4. I plan to be His disciple and live for Him the rest of my life.

Summary
In the final events of earths history, God intervenes to bring an end
to the long war against God.
God judges the living and the dead in four phases: the pre-advent
investigative judgment, the sheep and goats executive judgment
at the second coming, the millennial investigative judgment, and the
great white throne executive judgment at the third coming.
The Millennium is marked as a period of 1,000 years between the
first and second resurrections where the saints are in heaven, the
wicked are dead, and Satan is bound by a chain of circumstances
with no one to tempt.
After the resurrection of the wicked, the great white throne
judgment gives them the opportunity to see how their wrong choices
have resulted in their eternal loss.
Only those whose names are written in the Book of Life are spared
the eternal destruction of the Lake of Fire.
God purifies the earth with fire, creates a new heaven and a new
earth, floats the New Jerusalem into position with all the saints
inside, lifts the curse, restores Eden, gives us access to the River of
Life and the Tree of Life, and dwells with us as our God and Friend
forever and ever.
The church militant of this world has become the church triumphant
of the New Jerusalem.
It is made up of faithful disciples and conquerors in this cosmic
battle who have trusted in Christ as Savior and Lord and have their
names written in the Lambs Book of Life.
The battle is over, the mission accomplished and the redeemed,
invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb, eat and drink at Christ's
table in His kingdom and reign with Him for ever and ever.
Will you make your calling and election sure today by trusting the
blood and righteousness of Jesus as your only plea for forgiveness
and righteousness before God?