All Things New

Time has slipped past so quickly that we now face the end of this year. Soon and very soon, we will begin the new year of 2025. In Genesis 1, we have the very first 'New'.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1 Then in the following verses we have the creation account. If one creates something, is it old or is it new? It is new. And further in that same chapter, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” — verse 31

And so the record continues. In Genesis 1 and 2 the record explains the newness of the beauty of the new race of people, the beauty of new humanity, a brand new garden was created in Eden, the beauty of the new fruit for their food. This new man was given new work to do, and then to bring this new creation to a close, there is explained the beauty of the newness of marriage and the Sabbath – it was all brand new!

Then we have chapter 3 and a change takes place. Eve somehow overlooked this whole brand new creation that was given to Adam and herself by their Creator, and listened to a being who had given her nothing; But he took from God His beautiful new and contaminated it with his filth defilement and sure made it a low-grade second hand! The lustre and beauty is now tarnished with darkness, decay, and from that day on, so many human beings born brand new into this world, have been used and abused, become second-hand items, become burnt-out and thrown on the scrap-heap to die, and the longer, the more painful the better according to the devil.

So death started right back in Genesis 2, “thou shalt surely die.” — Genesis 2:17, but by the wonderful mercies of God – the Creator – “As soon as there was sin, there was a Saviour.” — Desire of Ages, p.210.

A plan was made that God would clean this mess up. The contamination, the filth and defilement, the tarnished beauty, the darkness and decay that the devil brought upon humanity, would be dealt with and eradicated. There would indeed be a judgment of the motives and actions of every man, woman and child of accountability. There would be a restoration back to the same, and even better, that at the first chapters of Genesis 1 and 2, which is recorded in the last two chapters of Revelation 21 and 22.

“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered in the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” — 1 Corinthians 2:9

A Second Brand New

“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” —Revelation 21:5

There is absolutely no doubt about it, there is going to be a second brand new for all creation. The land, the verdure and flora, the people, the whole planet – all will be made new again. This real transformation is coming, and we are given a fore-knowledge of it before it comes. “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” — II Peter 3:13. And the very next verse tell us how we will get there, “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” —II Peter 3:1

The Bible declares heaven in concrete terms but without the limitations imposed by the presence of sin. Man will no more be taunted and annoyed by the present imposter of this world. His days were numbered when Christ conquered sin once and for all on that wretched cross at Calvary.

God had amazing plans for Israel if they remained faithful. Isaiah 65:17-25 tells us how Israel could have finished up – and ultimately will finish up, while Isaiah 66 also tells us how Israel could have finished up – and ultimately how the world will finish up. “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.” — Isaiah 66:22,23

But the problem was, they didn't hold to the covenant, so God couldn't bless them with the rewards. If Israel had been – and had remained – faithful to God's covenant with them, the whole world would have grown more and more like, and closer and closer, towards God's original plan that was set before Genesis 3.

“If the race had ceased to fall when Adam was driven from Eden, we should now be in a far more elevated condition physically, mentally, and morally… Would that man had stopped falling with Adam. But there has been a succession of falls… From Adam's day to ours there has been a succession of falls, each greater than the last, in every species of crime. God did not create a race of beings so devoid of health, beauty, and moral power as now exists in the world.” —Confrontation, p 73,74

But even though the human race has fallen and fallen with degradation and sickness on the increase, and morals on the decrease, the New Testament does still hold some hope. “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”  —II Peter 3:13  “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.” —Revelation 21:5

“In the Bible the inheritance of the saved is called “a country.” – Hebrews 11:14-16. There the heavenly Shepherd leads His flock to fountains of living waters. The tree of life yields its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree are for the service of the nations. There are ever-flowing streams, clear as crystal, and beside them waving trees cast their shadows upon the paths prepared for the ransomed of the Lord.

“There the wide-spreading plains swell into hills of beauty, and the mountains of God rear their lofty summits. On those peaceful plains, beside those living streams, God's people, so long pilgrims and wanderers, shall find a home.” — Great Controversy, p.675

In The Temple of God

“And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.  And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.  And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.  

“And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.  And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.”  —Revelation 4:2-6

Notice in these verses, John sees a throne set in heaven. He sees one sitting on the throne – then describes what this Person was like. All the other references in these texts are round about or before the throne. Where is the focus of the scene that John is seeing? Yes, the One actually sitting on the throne. It is not the throne room itself, but Him sitting on the throne.

“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.” —Revelation 7:9-15

All Worship To Our God

So here we read the focus is not on the throne room, but on Him that sits on the throne. The worship is due to God and to the Lamb!

“And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:  And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.” —Revelation 15:5-8

This scene is a little different. There is the temple – it is the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven. What does this mean? It means the judgment is finished and the law is  revealing the Saviour it is upholding. What is it that gives testimony in the tabernacle? The Ten Commandments in the ark of the testimony stand as a witness to the deeds of the people. Those who have kept the Commandments of God are a witness to the character of God.

So ultimately, the focus of these texts are still on Him that sits on the throne. “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”  —Revelation 21:22
In all that we have read, what is the difference? The difference is the sin question!

The heavenly sanctuary/temple has always been the place where the heavenly hosts worship God, but with the entrance of sin, that sanctuary also became the place from which salvation was offered to humanity.

This may seem confusing as Scripture tells us that Moses built the earthly sanctuary after the pattern of the heavenly sanctuary (Exodus 25:40; Hebrews 8:5) Exodus 25:8 states, “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” —Revelation, McNulty, p.602

Sin brought separation, but God used the sanctuary service to dwell among His people. In the new earth, sin is no more, so Christ's mediatorial work in the sanctuary will no longer be necessary.

“The earthly sanctuary was symbolic of the dwelling place of God. Because of their sin Adam and Eve were driven from Eden and the presence of God. When sin has been removed, the church – God's true people – will again be able to dwell in His presence, and no structure will be required to symbolise the dwelling of God. No longer is there a need for the ministry and work of Jesus, as portrayed in the Holy and Most Holy Place, because God and Jesus are now united with their people. Jesus reminded His hearers that 'One greater than the temple' was there that day.

“The reality replaces the symbolism in the New Jerusalem. He who was to clearly depicted in the temple and its services while the sin question existed, is now in the New Jerusalem with the sin question conquered and closed.” —SDA Bible Commentary, vol.7, p.893

In the Presence of God

The first that comes to mind in regards to humanity 'seeing God' would most probably be Moses when he was up in the mount with God. “And he (Moses) said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.” —Exodus 33:18-23

Present, seen, but not seen face to face, or Moses would have become non-existent. But being present in God's presence, goes back much further than that.

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.  And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed… And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” —Genesis 2:7,8;21,22

Was humanity in the presence of God at that point? Yes, absolutely! But then we have statements such as these:

“Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, 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.”  —I Timothy 6:15,16

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father… “ —John 1:18

“No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.” —I John 4:12

Obviously something went wrong. If we go back to the creation account in Genesis we find the answer. In Genesis 3 we have the fall of Adam and Eve; “And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” — Genesis 3:9-11

Although there is indication that God was still in their physical presence for the initial instruction in regards to sin, the atmosphere was totally different. What had sin done? “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” —Isaiah 59:2

And those verses of I Timothy 6:16, John 1:18 and I John 4:12 are recorded and have been for a very long time. There is no doubt about that - and they state what they state! But then we have this verse as well; “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” —Hebrews 4:16

Closing Thoughts

The same apostle John who states that “no one has ever seen God” John 1:18, 1 John 4:12; also declares that “we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2, 3) and “see His face” (Revelation. 22:3, 4).

There is no doubt that the righteous will see God in light of Christ's own statement, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” —Matthew 5:8.

We can rest our case there. We know that if we are cleansed and free from sin and living up to all the light that we have been given, we shall see God. What a privilege it will be for the redeemed to worship God in His temple! But the supreme privilege of all will be to see His face.

“The people of God are privileged to hold open communion with the Father and the Son. 'Now we see through a glass, darkly.' —1 Corinthians 13:12.  We behold the image of God reflected, as in a mirror, in the works of nature and in His dealings with men; but then we shall see Him face to face, without a dimming veil between. We shall stand in His presence and behold the glory of His countenance.” —Great Controversy, pp. 676, 677

In the end, our title to heaven has been made certain through the death of Jesus, we will go through a purifying process here and now that may come in the form of trials, or even trauma, but will help prepare us for our eternal home.

Oh, how the natural man trembles and draws back from the chiseling off of the objectionable traits of our character that we have inherited or cultivated. But we are encouraged to endure and gain the victory, and when the next trial comes, endure again. Central to our purification process is obedience to His mighty purifying Word.

“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” —I Peter 1:22,23

As this year comes to a close and becomes the old year, a new year will be ushered in. Sadly, sin will still be present. Still the battle against sin will continue. But as this old world comes to its close, the new world is totally, totally different.

“Behold, I show 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” — I Corinthians 15:51-58  

Come on, friends, let’s make it through together!

A blessed, healthy, prosperous and rewarding new year to you all.