REVELATION – God’s Plan for New Jerusalem

Chapter 1 

Background – Connections & Symbols 

The greatest message for the world is not told by politicians, scientists, or world leaders but by the one who created it, God. His plan for the world is found in the Bible, and His final message is in Revelation – a book that reveals God’s plan for ‘Israel’

The future of Literal Israel – those born Jews

         And

Spiritual Israel – those who are ‘born again

Revelation is a book of symbol and  prophecy. It contains the most specific information for the generation who will be alive at the second coming of Christ. Without understanding the symbols, it seems like a book of unsolvable mystery. Fortunately, the meaning of the symbols is found in the Bible itself.  And in an exciting twist, understanding the symbols of Revelation  gives greater understanding to other parts of scripture.

An example is light and darkness.

Genesis opens with God creating the world and separating light from darkness and day from night. Darkness is a symbol of a world without God – hence associated with sin and evil. Light is a symbol of God being revealed – associated with all that is good.  In Genesis – at the beginning of creation, God separates day from night. Revelation reveals there will be no more night in ‘New Jerusalem’ – meaning the world’s new capital will be full of the knowldege of God, and purged of evil

Thus Revelation adds another dimension to the understanding of ‘night’ in Genesis.

The more you look, the more you see. In Genesis, God creates heavens, earth, sea and everything in them in 6 days. But in  Revelation He judges and uncreates them with 6 seals, 6 trumpets and 6 bowls of wrath. The old heavens, earth and sea pass away (in symbol)

Revelation is not saying there will be no more literal sea. Sea is a symbol of nations that are not in a covenant relationship with God. The  meaning is that the Kingdom of God will fill the entire earth. There will be no more foreign nations (sea) because all nations will become part of God’s Kingdom.
The first ‘heaven and earth’ will pass away – meaning the political systems of mankind – the rulers in heaven and the people on earth who are subject to them.

An example of this symbol appears in Jeremiah, where God uses emblematic parallelism (a symbol in parallel with its literal meaning) to describe the people of Israel as foolish children making the earth void, and the rulers of Israel as skilled in evil, causing the heavens to hold no light –

God’s Plan

Jesus is pivotal in God’s plan. John 1 tells us that He was the true light of the world at creation

“The true Light who gives light to every man was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.” John 1:9-10 

It is through Jesus that God is revealed to the world. But before He was born, God revealed Himself to others – their mission – to also reveal God. The plan began in Genesis and is completed in Revelation.

EDEN

There are 2 creation stories in Genesis. In chapter 1 men and women are created in God’s image

“God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

This was the creation of many people.

In chapter 2 the parable of morality is introduced, and it’s packed with symbols. Adam is taken from the earth and split in half to form Eve (no Old Testament Hebrew word for rib – See Take-Away Ribs). Adam and Eve are the first people in a covenant relationship with God as keepers of the garden of Eden. Eve is deceived by a serpent–

“The Serpent was more cunning than any other Beast of the earth” (Septuagint has ‘earth’ not ‘field’)

This introduces 2 more symbols found in Revelation  – Serpents and Beasts. Both are symbols of people outside a covenant relationship with God.

The Serpent depicts the spirit of deception that is found in Godless people – a symbol that weaves its way from the beginning to the end of the Bible

Revelation defines this symbol –

“The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient Serpent called the devil, and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world..”  Revelation 12:0

Here, Revelation identifies the ancient Serpent (a reference to the serpent of Eden) with a Great Dragon, the Devil and Satan. All are symbols of a deceptive spirit that dwells in people. Satan simply means ‘adversary’. The devils, serpents, dragons and references to Satan throughout the Bible don’t refer to literal supernatural beings – they are symbols of the same deceptive spirit that began in Eden.

John the Baptist understood this symbol and called the Scribes and Pharisees the offspring of snakes –

“When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” Matt. 3:7

Jesus understood this symbol when He referred to Peter as ‘Satan’ –

“Jesus turned around and said to Peter, “Get away from me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my way, because these thoughts of yours don’t come from God, but from human nature.”Matthew 16:23 Good News Translation

Eve was deceived by a ‘Beast of the Earth’ – a ‘Serpent’. The ‘Serpent’  becomes the symbol of all deceptive people. The Beast becomes a symbol of those who are not in a covenant relationship with God. Eve then Adam ate the­­­­ forbidden fruit from the tree of ‘The Knowledge of Good and Evil’ thus choosing to discern for themselves what was good, and rebelling against God. Sin entered the world, future redemption is via the seed of the woman – a prophecy of Jesus. Adam and Eve lost their place as custodians in Paradise and were banished from the garden containing the tree of life.

Eden was the blueprint of God dwelling with people, and of His morality spreading beyond His sanctuary like the rivers that flowed out of Eden to water the rest of the earth. The same pattern applied to Israel and Christians –

ISRAEL

God appointed Israel as the guardians of His sanctuary. He placed them in the middle of the nations and chose them to be in a covenant relationship. They were to take His message to all nations – a light to dispel darkness. He dwelt among them in a tabernacle with symbolic reminders of Eden.

The Israelites were to be like ‘living creatures’ and ‘living water’ spreading the knowledge of God  (See explanation of Revelation 4).

NEW GUARDIANS

Israel broke their covenant as Adam and Eve had done, and were also ‘cast out’

“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”  Matthew 21:43

This  is a reminder of the events of Eden where Adam and Eve were replaced by new ‘cherubim’ to keep guard. The guardianship was taken from Israel and Christ became the new guardian –

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6

But just as Eve came from Adam, so the Church (the 2nd Eve) came from Christ  (the 2nd Adam) and in symbol the Church is His bride –

“Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.“ Rev. 21:9

Together, Christ and the Church guard the things of God.

But why is Jesus referred to as ‘the Lamb’?

CHRIST – THE WITNESS OF THE LAMB

‘The Lamb’ is one of the major themes of Revelation. There are 22 chapters in Revelation – 11 of them refer to ‘The Lamb’. Surely it’s an appeal to Israel to recognize their Messiah and understand that all the sacrifices in the Law of Moses pointed to salvation in Christ. Revelation highlights that Jesus was and is “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” John 1:29 .

The ultimate Passover sacrifice was not a lamb but a person. Revelation shows what King David understood, that God was never interested in the literal sacrifice of animals but in a life lived for God –

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire— but a body you have prepared me – burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.”  Psalm 40:6 (Septuagint)

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