The Eternal State

We have finally arrived at our FINAL message on the End of the World, which also happens to be about the End of the World.

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

First, we’re told of the new Heaven and a new Earth. Look again at Rev 21:1 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” When John says the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, he means perished. They’re gone. Bullinger would make the point in his commentary on Revelation that this is the true “end of the world.” When most Christians think of the end of the world, they think of the Tribulation. However, the true end of the world is the new heaven and new earth – when the old world is burned to a fare thee well, and we’re given a new heaven and a new earth.

The Lord Himself during His earthly ministry spoke often of this moment and the passing away of heaven and earth (see Matt. 5:18; 24:34, 25. Mark 13:30-31. Luke 16:17; 21:33). This is the true end of the world.

Plus, I would highlight that this moment is also the conclusion to the Day of the Lord. In these following passages we’re about to read in 2 Peter, notice the connections Peter makes between Day of the Lord and the new heavens and the new earth.

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 2Pe 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Notice in vs. 10, the return of the Lord precipitates what will ultimately be the new heavens and the new earth, all of which concludes what is called in Scripture the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord ends with

1) the heavens passing away with a great noise, and the elements melting with fervent heat, the earth also…So when Peter writes heavens, does he mean all three heavens, including the third heaven, or does he mean the first and second heaven, which is Earth’s atmosphere and outer space? It’s possible heavens may include the third heaven, but I remember Hal once suggesting Peter may only mean the first two heavens, everything related to, or connected with, the Earth. All of that gets burned up. Because of the reference to the works of man, we’re given the sense that everything connected to the Earth gets burned up because of man’s works of unrighteousness and uncleanness. There’s no uncleanness in the third heaven, which could mean that Heaven only gets transformed, created anew, not burned up as the Earth does. In any event, Peter tells us the heavens pass away with a great noise. We cannot comprehend the depths and scale of the noise of the Earth and the universe being burned up. This isn’t simply a burning of the heavens but of the Earth, also, all the elements, the fundamental components of life that existed in the heavens and in the Earth, air, molecules, atoms, everything. Peter says the elements will melt with fervent heat…. Fervent heat is another way of saying extreme heat. Boiling. And by saying the elements will melt with fervent heat, he means the destruction of the Earth and the universe will be absolute, nothing of the past will remain, right down to the atoms that make up everything that existed in relation to planet Earth.

2) In vs. 11, we’re told that everything will be dissolved, that is, everything will be melted, broken down and wasted away into nothing. If the elements, the basic components to life, are burned up, that means the earth and the universe will be dissolved into nothingness. Fascinating to me also, in vs. 11, Peter uses the dissolution of the earth and the universe as motivation for Godly behavior in word and deeds.

3) In vs. 12, Peter gives a name for this event in which we’ll be given a new heaven and a new earth. It’s called the Day of God. Peter then ends this section by having the Little Flock always view the coming of Christ as also the coming of a new heaven and a new earth. The two events are intimately tied together. The new heaven and new earth cannot happen without the second advent of Christ.

Paul also spoke of this moment. Consider Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him…

Notice what he says here. Paul mentions the mystery in the same sentence as the dispensation of the fulness of times. It’s part of the mystery to reveal the full picture of what happens in the eternal state, because it’s not only the Jews who will be with the Lord for all eternity but also all the members of the Body of Christ.

Some say that the dispensation of the fulness of times is the end of the age of grace, which makes no sense. Paul calls it the dispensation of the fulness of times, plural, more than one time, or more than one age. What Paul is talking about here is what happens after both programs, both earthly and heavenly programs, have run their course.

When is that? Where we are in our studies today. After the thousand-year reign, after the Great White Throne judgment, we get a new Heaven and a new Earth. The Lord will gather together all who are in Christ both in Heaven and on Earth.

Who is in Christ on the Earth? All those saved under the prophetic programs.

And who is in Christ in Heaven? All the those saved under the mystery program.

Paul’s saying that all the saints within both programs, every saved human being who is part of the great household of God, the great temple of the Lord (Eph. 2:, they will ALL be gathered together as one. They’ll be taken aside, probably taken into the third heaven, and we’ll all watch the great bonfire of the universe with a noise so great, normal humans would lose their hearing.

Then what happens?

Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

When God gives us a new heaven and a new Earth, He’s essentially upgrading our inheritance. No more will your inheritance involve you getting an earth that was unclean and has the residue of the unrighteous acts of man from the past. You’re getting a brand new earth and a new heaven.

Then what does Paul say? In the next verse, he gives us the defining theme of the eternal state when he writes Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

The eternal state is, essentially, a giant love-fest, our very presence bringing praise to God and all His glory, His love, His grace, His wisdom, and for the sacrifice of His Son as payment for all our sins. We have God praising us for our faith and we offer praise back to Him for His glory, all that He is and how He brought about our eternal life.

Now consider Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. We’ll talk about New Jerusalem in a few minutes. Notice the foreshadowing to the Marriage of the Lamb, the bride adorned for her husband.

Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

We’re not told who the voice is, but I suspect John is taken further into the future and he is merely sharing what he witnesses, which means that we will eventually experience what John has already experienced. Fascinating to me that this voice calls New Jerusalem the tabernacle of God. Tabernacle means tent or dwelling place. This wasn’t the dwelling place of God in Heaven, but New Jerusalem is called the tabernacle of God because this will be His dwelling place on Earth.

In vs. 4, we’re told famously, Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. The most popular question about this verse is, “Do we lose our memories?” I suspect that what God has in mind in this verse is answered for us in Rev. 22:3. And there shall be no more curse. The reason that there will be no more death and sorrow and crying is because the sin curse, any reminders of sin, are now all gone, part of the former things that have passed away. The argument goes that the only way you can completely remove sorrow is if you remove one’s memories. The problem is, there’s no corresponding verse to support that idea. In fact, we have evidence to the contrary. You remember that the resurrected saints in the kingdom will remember their past lives. The Lord prophesied in Eze 36:31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

I suspect the same would be true for us. If these resurrected saints living in their resurrected bodies, freed from sin, filled with the Spirit, if they see something that reminds them of their past, then it’s only logical that we’d remember our past lives, too.

But the question you have to ask yourself is, “How much will your thinking change when you’re freed from the presence of sin and all your thoughts will be perfectly righteous like Christ? How much will your thinking change in that state when your thoughts are more like God’s thoughts, when you’re now looking at your own past life through the prism of His righteousness? How much will your thinking change? How much will your thinking change when you are no longer wrestling with a corrupt mind and heart? How much will your thinking change just by being in the very presence of God? In thy presence is fulness of joy (Psa. 16:11) the Psalmist wrote. Will you still be thinking the same as you do now? No way.

Here’s another question: “Do the things that bother you now, in your mind, do you think those thoughts will still bother you after living a thousand years in His presence in His kingdom? What’s going to leave a greater impression on your mind? Your past life on Earth or watching the Lord for 1,000 years in His kingdom while managing angels? What’s your memory going to be like a thousand years from now? What’s your memory going to be like a million years from now? Ten million?” At some point, your life here on Earth will be just a blink of an eye. After we get a new Heaven and a new Earth, nothing will ever look the same after that. There will be nothing about the Earth that will trigger our memories as it did during the thousand-year kingdom.

I suspect also the eternal state won’t be about your concern for those with whom you were connected in your past life on Earth. The eternal state is about YOU and GOD, about your service to God in His presence. We talk about the nasty now-and-now. In the eternal state, it’s the glorious now-and-now. Everything is so glorious, the fulness of joy so overwhelming, we’ll be eternally living in the moment.

New Jerusalem

Rev 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me (what?) that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Rev 21:11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; Rev 21:12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

I cannot help but think of Paul here. Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. Revelation is all prophesy. It’s to the Jews about the Jews. The Body of Christ is nowhere to be found in the book of Revelation. But we all know, we’re going to be there for this event just as we know we’re going to be part of the thousand-year reign of Christ from our heavenly seats. The Lord has already gathered in one all things in Christ both in Earth and in Heaven. We are all one. We then all watched together the great bonfire of the universe. All of the elements were dissolved into nothingness. God then gloriously gave us a new Heaven and a new Earth, and now we’ve arrived at the great event of New Jerusalem descending from Heaven down onto the Earth.

We have a total mixture of prophesy and mystery in this moment. New Jerusalem is the mother of us all, because New Jerusalem is the endgame for both programs.

Consider Rev 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God…

It also seems quite evident from these verses that the Bride of Christ has to be New Jerusalem. The angel said, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife, and then what did he show him? John wrote, and he shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God… The Bride can only be New Jerusalem. But how can a building be a bride? In Isa. 62:1-5, these passages describe the delight of Jehovah in placing Israel back in her land and marrying Israel to her land. How can Israel be married to a land? Marriage in Scripture is often used as a metaphor to illustrate a permanent union. Israel will never again be separated from that land. That land will never be desolate again. In the same sense, the arrival of New Jerusalem represents the Lord’s marriage to His bride which is a metaphor to illustrate the permanent union of Christ with New Jerusalem forever on the Earth.

Consider Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready (we established in chapter 21 that the Bride is New Jerusalem). Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints…

The fine linen of New Jerusalem is the righteousness of saints. Again, this verse has only Israel in view, but we all know we’re going to be there. How can we not be there when New Jerusalem is the mother of us all? Hal Bekemeyer once told me the story how men were debating whether the Bride is Israel or the Body of Christ and Hal said, “Neither. New Jerusalem is the Bride, and we’re the dress!” LOL

John tells us the fine linen of New Jerusalem is the righteousness of saints, which I suspect means that the personality of that city, the glory of that city, will be characterized by the righteousness of all the saints, both Jews and the Body of Christ. This is why Jerusalem that is above is free, because no one will be in bondage to the law, and She herself will be adorned with the righteousness of ALL the saints. And because Paul tells us that she is our mother, God is, essentially, inviting us to join with His people in their great anticipation of what will become the center of our universe for all eternity.

After the Bride gets married, she becomes our mother. She is the mother of us all. What does that mean exactly? She is now the home city, home base for all the saints, the city in which God’s people will abide in and around forever as God’s children, and the righteousness of all the saints will adorn that city.

After this, we have all these many verses describing the length and breadth and height of New Jerusalem. This structure is so massive, vs. 16 tells us that it’s 12,000 furlongs, which is equivalent to 1,500 miles in every direction. Vs. 16 also tells us “The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.” I suspect it’s a giant cube.

We’re also told that there will be twelve gates into the city, which must mean there will be three gates on each side, and the gates are named after the twelve tribes of Israel. I think the twelve tribes will continue to exist into eternity future with the twelve disciples as heads over the twelve tribes and David will continue to be their Prince.

We’ve made the point a few times in this series that almost everything that is established in the kingdom will carry over into the eternal state. Almost every characteristic in the kingdom is almost always written as a feature that will be eternal (Joel 3:20; Amos 9:15; Ezek. 37:26-28; Isa. 51:6-8; 55:3, 13; 56:5; 60:19-20; 61:8; Jer. 32:40; Ezek. 16:60; 43:7-9; Dan. 9:24; Hos. 2:19-23). The New Covenant was always declared as perpetual, everlasting. The possession of their land will continue in perpetuity. The organizational structure of God’s kingdom will continue in perpetuity. God’s sanctuary of New Jerusalem that shall be set in their midst will continue in perpetuity. The Sabbath will continue in perpetuity. Their deliverance, their eternal life, and the implementation of His righteous ways here on the Earth will continue in perpetuity. The new names everyone will be given are called everlasting names. That will continue in perpetuity. The Lord being the new light of the universe will continue in perpetuity. The Lord refusing to bring to mind any of the iniquities of our past lives will continue in perpetuity. He will never look at you and think of the mistakes you made. And that’s forever.

Also, speaking of things carrying over into the eternal state, nations and kings will continue to exist. Consider Rev 21:24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. Even in the eternal state, there will be nations and kings, just as we had in the kingdom.

Rev 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it (New Jerusalem) any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Bullinger would write that “This does not imply that there will then be any unclean thing that could enter in to defile it. It merely contrasts this with all other cities which have ever existed. It follows from this, that the nations then on the earth, and their kings, are written in the book of life. It also follows that these, being among the saved, there must be different parties of saved ones. All saved from the same eternal doom, but not all saved for the same state in glory. All will be in the eternal glory, but in different positions. The nations will occupy their own place; while Israel and the Church will occupy theirs, respectively.”

There’s a point to be made about the number 12. Bullinger pointed out that twelve is the number that runs through all the measurements of this city. And he explains that twelve in Scripture has always been the number of governmental perfection.

Thus, in the eternal state, God’s government is perfect. Everything shall be in perfect harmony. The numbers and measurements are used in absolute perfection.

In vs. 18-21, we have a long list of precious jewels that will make up the foundation and the walls and the gates of the city. Two points about this.

1) We will be enamored by the fact that precious jewels that are so rare to us, so valuable to us, will be seen in abundance throughout all of New Jerusalem 1,500 miles in every direction.

2) Bullinger would also make a point about the colors of all these jewels are arranged according to color, “into sets of four alternating with sets of two; each pair of two differing from the pair of fours by being similar (Red and Violet respectively). The first pair of four is arranged as an introversion, the second pair is arranged as an alternation.” In other words, the colors complement each other, and there’s depth to the richness in those colors.

Next, John tells us in Rev 21:22 that he saw no temple inside New Jerusalem, “for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” Whereas in time past, God resided inside the tents and the Holiest of Holies in the temple, now God IS the temple, and all His creation resides IN HIM.

John would also tell us, essentially, in Rev. 21:23 that in this new universe, there is no need for a sun, or a moon, but Christ will be the light of the universe, which would suggest He’s outside atop a flat roof.

The first five verses of Rev. 22 talking about the two thrones, the Tree of Life, the River of Life, to me, would also suggest they’re outside atop a flat roof, all of which would again mean that New Jerusalem is a giant 1,500 mile square.

And now Christ is the light of the universe. We have now reached the fulness of Christ’s glory on display as He resides here on the Earth. We’ve noted over the course of this series the steady increase in the brightness of the Lord’s glory.

We first caught a glimpse of His glory at His transfiguration. When Jesus was metamorphosed His face shined as the sun and His garments became white as the light, His garments, “exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.” Then Paul tells us He is now “dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. (1Ti 6:16).” So the Lord didn’t reveal the fulness of His glory at His transfiguration. Otherwise, Peter, James and John would have been dead men. No human being can survive being in the presence of the fulness of Christ’s glory. There is power in that purity of holiness so that nothing unclean can exist in its presence. I like to think of the Lord’s transfiguration as His kingdom glory, a scaled back version of His true glory in which normal sin-cursed people could actually approach Him on Earth and still survive being in His presence.

The glory that is emanating from Him now at the right hand of the Father in Heaven is light no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see. That is the true glory of His holiness, so powerful, it’ll eradicate anything unclean that enters that light.

But the light no man can approach unto, that light will now be emanating from Christ atop New Jerusalem in the eternal state. That’s why there’s no need for a sun or a moon anymore. Christ, in the fulness of His glory, He will be the light of the universe for all eternity.

Thus, we have covered in this series the progression of the revelation of His glory. In His first advent, He has the appearance of a normal human. He had no glory. Just a glimpse of a little of His glory at His transfiguration. In the kingdom, that glory seen at His transfiguration would be His kingdom glory. Not cranked up to full yet but bright enough to make Jerusalem seven times brighter than it is now from the sun. And now, in the eternal state, we’ll get the fulness of His glory. That won’t be a problem then because everyone will be in their resurrected, glorified bodies, able to see Him as He is in all the fulness of His glory.

The Roof

The context in Rev. 22 is still New Jerusalem atop a new Earth.

22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 22:3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 22:4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Notice in vs. 1 that John begins with the word “And.” This is a continuation of what he was talking about in the previous chapter. What was he talking about in the previous chapter? New Jerusalem, the size, scale, height and depth of this massive, 1,500 mile-high building. The base of it – the width and the length – would take up most of the North American continent.

On top of everything this angel showed John about New Jerusalem, he also showed him a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Now where is the throne of God and of the Lamb? It’s atop New Jerusalem. I think New Jerusalem is a box, and 1,500 miles above the Earth is the flat top of New Jerusalem, a city as big as the North American continent, and it’s there that we will find the throne of the Lord and God the Father. In Rev 21:22 John wrote, And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. In other words, there’s no temple inside New Jerusalem. Both the Father and the Son ARE the temple of New Jerusalem. So if the Father and Son ARE the temple and if there’s no temple inside New Jerusalem, then they have to be on top of New Jerusalem.

This must means the top of New Jerusalem is a flat surface and the entire structure is shaped like a box. So whereas God in time past would abide inside the Jews’ temple, now, in the eternal state, He IS the temple and all of us will abide IN HIM. And where is He? He is atop New Jerusalem, 1,500 miles above the Earth on a flat roof almost the size of the North American continent. So somewhere on the top of this roof of New Jerusalem is the throne of the Father and the Son.

And what else did John see in 22:1? John wrote, And he (the angel) shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

So on top of New Jerusalem, a river is proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. This river is connected to the river flowing out of Eden just as the Tree of Life connects Genesis to Revelation. This is Eden recovered but it’s more than that. What was lost in the Garden will not only be fully restored in the eternal state, but everything in the universe will also be greatly enhanced beyond everything that even Eden was. And flowing out of their thrones atop New Jerusalem is a river, a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal.

Why is it called water of life? This is living, running water. It’s not like a stagnant, muddy, dead, little pond. This is water that has life to it, eternal energy, has this overwhelming vitality flowing through the water. This is the payoff to the setup in the previous chapter when the Lord, talking about the eternal state, and said in Rev 21:6 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. And here in chapter 22, we’re now seeing in the eternal state water of life flowing freely from the thrones of the Father and Son atop New Jerusalem and now anyone can drink from that water.

This is water that provides the same eternal life enriching blessings to sinless saints in their glorified bodies just as the fruit of the Tree of Life provided life enriching blessings to saints in the kingdom. The Tree of Life and the water of life are linked, and they link the beginning of all things to the eternal state. You can’t have a Tree of life without a Water of Life to sustain it. Both the tree and the water give life enriching blessings when consumed by saints in their glorified bodies. Both the Tree of Life and the Water of Life are treated in Scripture as just another glorious benefit, part of the rich reward of salvation and of being in an intimate oneness with the triune Godhead.

In Scripture, living water was always a spiritual allusion to the life-giving rewards of studying the Word of God. But now, that water that was spiritual has come and entered the physical realm and every child of God is invited to freely drink.

So now with a new Heaven and Earth, the presence of the entire triune Godhead on the Earth, with the thrones of the Father and Son atop New Jerusalem, the elimination of all sin, all uncleanness, all the saints who ever lived now together as one, and God is all in all (we’re in God and God is in us), the result is a literal paradise (in the Biblical sense of the word) greater than Eden, Sheol, or Heaven ever could be.

The thrones will be at the base of the Tree of Life. The River of Life will flow out of the thrones. In the midst of the river is a street that leads to God.

God will be All in All

1Co 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

Paul first said, Then cometh the end. The end of what? How can there be an end to anything if we are going to exist for all eternity? I think Paul means the end of the world, which is what takes place after the Great White Throne judgment, when everything is judged, and then the Earth and Heaven is dissolved into nothing and we’re given a new heaven and a new earth.

When all of this happens, it’s not that the Lord has destroyed all rule and all authority and power. It’s that He has brought all rule and all authority and power into subjection to the will of the Father. There will be no more sin, no more rebellion, no more judgment. Everything and everyone will function in a manner that is perfectly consistent with the righteousness of God in every respect. And it’s when the Lord has judged all the rebels, brought into subjection all ruling structures, that He gives everything back to the Father. This was the Lord’s role.

1Co 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. All of life is not so much about repossessing an Earth that had been robbed of God by Satan, but this was more about the bringing into subjection all people, all power, so the Son could give everything back to the Father.

1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 1Co 15:27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 1Co 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. The whole of creation is put into subjection to the righteous ways of God Himself, things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, the inhabitants of heaven and earth, the living and the dead, all things spiritual and physical. He says in 1Co 15:28 “And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.” After Christ has subdued all enemies, put everything into subjection unto Him, He’s going to turn around and give everything back to God the Father, and from that moment into all eternity future, God will be all in all.

I have always wondered how to exegete that phrase. God will be all in all. I would always say, God will be in us and we shall be in Him, but isn’t that true already? Yes, positionally, but practically, not to the degree that we will be when we’re freed from the presence of sin, filled with the Spirit, righteous in all our thoughts.

Yet, I suspect God being all in all, is also meant to be a contrast to everything today. God is only in some of us humans. The righteousness of His ways do not exist in today’s power structures in the physical realm and in the spiritual realm. But in the eternal state, God will be all in all. God’s wisdom, God’s righteous ways will overflow in every aspect of the new life we’ll be having in this new universe. Nothing will be marred by sin and He will be present in everything. You will see evidence of God’s brilliance in creation, evidence of God’s wisdom in the direction of all the ruling structures on Earth and in the heavenly realms, and evidence of His ways of love and grace will be seen in all the saints with whom we will have relationships for all eternity. The wicked governments over sinful man will be gone — absorbed into the supremacy of the Father. No longer any opposition or sin. The balance of all things lost in the fall in the Garden is brought back to order. We will be in God and God will be in us. God will be all in all. The special government over man by the Person of Christ Jesus is merged with the immutable supremacy of God the Father, all things being brought back to order in terms of the final and normal relationship God eternally purposed to have with His creation, He in us and us in Him.

I’m going to end this series with the same quote I said at the beginning of the series.

“It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.”