17
BABYLON, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
Come hither, I will show unto you the judgement of the great Harlot that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth has committed fornication and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." (Rev. 17:1,2).
In the seventeenth chapter from the book of Revelation, apostle John wrote about a harlot. The meaning of the harlot is the lady of the night, a lady who will dress up to attract and trap and earn money. She will have one aim to keep people in her clutches. They will practice their trade for profit only. But regarding the lady of the night apostle John discribed undoubtedly more dangerous than all ladies of the night.
She has been in that trade for a long time. So, she gained more experience in that trade. She became old then, and unatractive, yet "age cannot wither her" in that trade she is pleased and no shyness in her way of life. She is a highly6 paid harlot at the night. Her long and curly hair glisers in the light and her physical features are neither scanty nor overbandant, but just appropriate.
She maintains different styles in order to attract common customers of her night business. This prostitute will have every opportunity to invite young and old, rich and poor and all kinds of people. All are invited to practice and to enjoy her and her favour. To that kind of people she is not at all dangerous and they are most volnerable of all. The lady of the night is unlike other harlots because to her night is not only for money. She does not want to acquire more jewellery, no more pension, house. She is not at all interested in such things but her god is more sinister than that.
Many years ago this lady of the night rebelled against God, who created everything on the earth. The main reason for her rebelling is that she wants to have your eternal soul asthe prize from the pure, holy an win the ultimate relationship with eternal God who paid the price by death, so as to redeem you from your sin.
Babylon, the Mother of Harlots
Then that lady of the night is quite happy. On penalty for embracing that kind of lady is death and also you are losing the love of your true God.
If we look into the seventeenth chapter of Revelation we can find the outpouring of God's wrath in the form of seven bowels of judgement on the earth.
The main purpose of these judgements is to purge and cleanse the of everything that has poluted it since the fall of Adam and Eve. God wished to see the purging of the earth plant in preparation for Christ's thousand years reign over the earth.
The Son of God willnot rule the kingdom which is numbering it fall. The earth must be universally purified and that is the purpose of trumpet and the judgement.
The connection of the seventh bowel judgement is reached, great Babylon came intorememberence before God to give unto her the cup of wine and the fierceness of His wrath. "Great Babylon or Mystery Babylong the great" the mother of Harlots will not escape judgement as God purges the earth of all which has defiled the earth planet.
The judgement will be very quick and severe. It is actually the main jubject of Revelation 17 th chapter. It is questionable "who is the lady of the night and who is the mother of the harlots?" This lady of the night is not a respectable lady (person). The kings of the planet earth are to fornicate with her for political benefits. One of the seven angels which had seven viels came and talked with John and asked him to go with him. So that he would show to John the judgement of the great whole that sitteth upon money waters with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication." In this connection apostel John was summoned to witness the judgement of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters."
According to the scriptures the two words the 'harlot' and the 'whore' ar some time used to describe among women spriritual unfaithfulness, defined worship, idolatry, false devotion that Israel once vey faithful to his God has become harlot (Is. 1:20). Prophet jeremiah speaks of Israel's adalterous and hewedness of they whoredom (Jeremiah 13:27). This woman called harlot draws man away from God to Satan from Christ to Anti Christ.
John is told by the angel that the waters those sowest where the whore sitteth are nothing but peoples, nations and tongues. The prophet Jeremiah wrote prophetically about her or Babylone had been golden cup in the hand of God that made all the earth drunken all nations, drunken of her were that is why the nations became mad - Then the angel took John into the wilderness and thou then
Offsprings from the Tabernacle he saw a woman sat upon a scarlet coloured beast with many names of blasphemy with seven heads and ten horns.
When John was filled with the Holy Spirit, he saw a vision which unfold to him to see a woman sitteth upon a scarlet beast of the night. She is riding the beast that does not mean she is soverign over the beast but they have mutual benefits and co-operative arrangements. The best on whose back the harlot will rise is the same but that John wrote about it earlier. He wrote "And I stood upon the sand of the sea and saw the beast rise up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns: The writer John mentioned the beast in Revelation. 17th Chapter because of its association with the harlot who is on its back and who is going to be judged.
Prophet Daniel in the Old Testament wrote extensively above the beast. He said that he saw in the night visions and behold, a fourth beast which was more dreadful and also more terrible.
It was extremely strong and had great iron teeth. It devoured and broke into pieces and stamped the residence. This beast was quite different from other beasts around and it had ten horns also. And added, the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom which will be quite different from other kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth. As described by David each beast represents a kingdom and each kingdom has a king to rule over at.
Antiochus Epiphanes who brutally persecuted the Jews 168 and 165 BC and put an image of God “Zeus” with a face in his own likeness in the temple at Jerusalem gave himself the title Epiphanies or the manifestation of God. All that dietification was nothing but blasphemous. Apostle Paul clearly explained that the ultimate act of the Anti Christ will be that he sits in the temple of God (in the rebuilt temple of the last days) showing himself that he is god (2 Thess 2:4).
Now coming to our topic the woman riding on the beast both are the union of the government and the religion and each one will be claiming some personal benefits from the other. Most of the protestant scholars identify the beast as the imperial Rome (political) and the harlot riding on beast's back is papal Rome (religious). Some scholars interpreted the seven heads of the beast as Seven Hills of Rome or seven Caesars of Rome.
The reformers of churches and puritans who were severely persecuted by Romans would certainly identify the beast as Rome. It seems in the present days
Babylon, the Mother of Harlots the rapidly increasing number of the Bible preachers and teachers are trying to deviate from this identification of beast with Rome. The lady of the night was dressed in purple and scarlet colour decorated herself with gold precious stones and pearls holding a golden cup in her hand which was filled with abomination and filthiness of her fornication.
Certain dresses that the women wear indicate her character. Same is the case with the harlot. But the other lady mentioned by John is different. She was clothed with the Sun and the moon under her feet and upon her head the crown of twelve stars (Rev. 12:1). The crown that she was wearing represented the twelve tribes th of Israel. Regarding the woman of night the harlot of 17 chapter, we are told that she was with gold cup in her hand which contains the intoxicating wine. To the sensual and carnal heart and imagination the wine represents religion in all its pomp and splendor something like earthly glory and something to be desired by men. As a matter of fact the cup of the harlot contained only abomination and uncleanliness. This is all about the external religion with no connection with internal reality.
An affair with a counterfeit lover like the harlot will lead the disaster and eternal separation from God. Inspite of all that, many people were seduced by her charm and external beauty. In this context the word of the Lord “the just shall live by faith” (Gal. 3:11). But men who organized religion try to do something in order to get the acceptance of God and His good will. They do things against the Holy
God. Actually they know nothing of the personal “sin”. The men also know nothing of the sovereign grace that can make a sinner a saint, a son of God and a citizen of heaven.
Regarding the identification of that lady of the night is that it is written upon her forehead “mystery of Babylon the great. The mother of harlots and abominations of the earth (Rev. 17:5). The name written on her forehead identifies her as who she is and what is her livelihood. After examining her way of life one can easily say that she does not belong to God but to Satan. The word “Mystery” can be found a good number of times in the Bible. Among such examples – the mystery of the termination of Israel; blindness (Rom. 11:25), and the mystery iniquity.
The Biblical mystery is something of Divine design which had been concealed in both Old and New Testaments. The mystery that apostle John wants to reveal that the ancient city of Babylon on the shores of “Euphrates” river the
Offsprings from the Tabernacle modern Iraq is all false religion, so far we have seen the harlot, seated upon the beast and holding only golden cup in her hand and from that cup sprung only false religious beliefs of the world. The cup contained all religious abomination throughout human history.
So, any religion without the sin of man, without God’s Holiness and salvation by grace through faith in Christ are against God Almighty. In the early days of human history there was a cruel king by name Nimrod the Babylonian.
He was a mighty one before the Lord. Bible scholars suggested the meaning of the name Nimrod is “let us revolt”. The Hebrew Scriptures also said Nimrod was a mighty rebel before God. The Jerusalem Tangum said that Nimrod was mighty in sin before the Lord, a hunter of the sons of men. Nimrod established a kingdom of his own and the main city was Babel (Babylon) (Gen. 10:10).
King Nimrod was also an important person in building the "tower of Babel”.
The main purpose of this tower was to build a high platform and from that height to observe the movements of heavenly bodies in order to worship the sun, the moon and the stars. The dual purpose of the tower and the city were for the unity of mankind for one religion and one political kingdom and then under the Satan and the Anti-Christ, finally disagry with God and God’s plan on the earth.
According to ancient history the name of the wife of Nimrod was “Semiamis”. But she was more popular as “the Queen of heaven”. In the mean time Nimrod died. Then people believed that to continue the worship of the heavenly bodies, Nimrod said to have ascended to heaven to be one with the sun.
The innocent people were told like that at that time. it was also believed that from the sun Nimrods “sperm” was carried on a sunbeam and impregnate his widowed wife Semeamis. Then this counterfeit virgin gave birth to a son whose name was “Tammuye”.
The origin of the harlot was Babylon that when Nimrod rebelled against
God and opened the flood gates to all men made counterfeit religions. She would be destroyed at the end of the age especially at the pouring of the seventh bowl judgement. “It is said every man made religion there would be some influence of Satan”. But by critical contrast of the Biblical Christianity alone says, “just as I am without one plea but that by blood was shed for me”. There is clear distinction
Babylonianism the mother of the harlots and the Biblical Christianity are centered in one word “Grace” and in one person Lord Jesus Christ as He is set forth in the Bible.
Babylon, the Mother of Harlots
The harlot hates both the grace of God and the son of God with great passion. He has come for the redemption of our sins and is a high priest. He must make the grace possible. There was a great difference between the ancient city of Babylon which has the great graphical location in modern Iraq which had the origin of all false religion and Babylon the mother of harlots who had established world with counterfeit religious system which is still continued. According to the prophecy the destruction of Babylon and its religious system will like places at the end with the pouring out of the seventh bowl. Babylon the mother of harlot has not only become a source of all false religion but also very intoxicating to hire.
If we look into the good and God fearing people even the saints were brutally persecuted by false religion. It is really strange that the woman said to be drunk with the blood of the saints. In such critical terms Nehemiah was asked by God to restore walls of Jerusalem and establish the former glory to the city. In action to that he tremendously solved the financial condition. Then being on the Judo-Christian principles he looked to the Lord for the restoration. It is only the sincere effort of Nehemiah that we have the existence of great city. If we recollect the pest days of Nehemiah it is unfortunate a great famine came in his time.
At that time if we were there we could have bitter experience of that terrible famine. During that period the mortgages and loans were forgotten. When the borrowers were not in a position to pay, the loans were no longer given by the individuals but by the banks only. In such conditions even if a bank declares bankruptsy the people that took loan need not pay if the judge would give positive judgement basing on mercy. The word “mercy” was not a legal term, yet if the judge was merciful no one can stop him when he wanted to give his judgement with mercy as he was all in all. In this context the word of Jesus is mentioned saying that your communication be you may say (Malachi 5:37) yet what it comes “yes” cannot be “yes” it’s true.
The famine at that time was undoubtedly pahetic. It was financial famine.
Many people who enjoyed all kinds of comforts now turned to God for help and in such conditions Nehemiah came to their rescue to pray for them and find out a solution. We can give a reference in this connection of the famine in Egypt during the time of Joseph. Seven years of plenty would be replaced by seven years of wantings (Gen. 41 chp.).
As Nehemiah said in Neh 5:4-5 there were also said that we have borrowed
Offsprings from the Tabernacle money for the kings tribute and upon the lands and vine yards yet now our flesh as the flesh of our brothers and children as their children and Lo, we bring into bondage our sins and our daughters to be servants - neither is it in our power to redeem for other men have our lands and vineyards. It was the time of Nehemiah that for most people there was no power for resumption for those people whose lands or houses had been taken.
It was only due to their debts they made beyond their capacity to repay even many Christian families suffered much as they lost their jobs they lost their lands, their inheritances. Unfortunately during the time of Nehemiah there was no scope for redemption for those people whose lands or houses were taken for extended creditcards made many people in bondage and families crush that included even many Christian families.
The believers and non-believers equally followed the wise saying of peace that prior to the economic crisis, we owe no men say anything but to lose one another for he that loveth hath fulfilled the law. Those words were no doubt very beautiful and contained full of wisdom. After hearing this kind of wise saying the Israel had completely changed their minds and wished to serve Christ if they were not in bondage or in Mortgage.
The Lord also understood the tremendous pressures and bondage of debts.
So He set up His own method that required the forgiveness of debts among the believers. What God said in the following words? “At the end of every seven years, there shall make a release. And this is the manners of the release. Every creditor that lendeth ought to unto his neighbor shall release it he shall not exact it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the Lords release”.
During the time of Nehemiah the ancient walls of Jerusalem were not in good position. The responsible people of the city did not care about it. But the believers of Christ were unhappy about it. In addition to that the lands and houses of these Gods people were taken away by the creditors. Nehemiah got angry over this and wished to do something with a master plan. He tackled this matter in an unique way. He asked the people who took the lands and the houses by lending the money to restore everything to the concerned people to take their lands and houses and also to give part of the money. When he put forward this proposal
God must have changed their minds miraculously and they simply followed him.
And Nehemiah did this to Gods people. Whatever was spoken by Nehemiah they wanted the implement and even to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem with proper plan
Babylon, the Mother of Harlots and budget. It seems the rebuilding of walls took place in just 52 days.
Nehemiah, a cup bearer in the royal palace of the Persian king was made the governor to the land of Israel with Jerusalem as headquarters with much responsibility. So he wanted to make the required improvement to Jerusalem. And the people also gave full support to whatever was proposed by Nehemiah. As the governor he did not enjoy the previleges and even he did not take his salary due to him. He feared God and sacrificed his life to serve God’s people by honouring the principle, "service to humanity is service to divinity”.
The noble words of Nehemiah were in the minds of the people which gave them courage to follow and to look to Jesus who spoke of preserving our places in heaven when he said “I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). Had Nehemiah remained in the present days what he would have done to Gods people.
Undoubtedly he would have done abundantly. He would have asked every person to build his own financial position. Nehemiah made the people to understand that with the help of God nothing is impossible to people.
He also made the people to understand that with God’s help even the most impossible, desolate and seemingly unsolved things or situations would be solved. Today by keeping in view the countries' economy, can we try to build the walls of our nation like the beautiful walls of Jerusalem? It will be an unanswerable question for modern scholars, readers, business magnates etc. But still we must take a note of Nehemiah’s advice. He was only a cup bearer to the king who rebuilt the Holy city of God in 52 days and saved Jerusalem from its financial crush about 2200 years ago.
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Offsprings from the Tabernacle
18
TWO WORLDS COLLIDE
One of the popular English poets of his time Robert Browning said, “God’s in his heaven - All’s right with the world”. He might be a great poet of his time. But according to some scholars have questioned the quotation at the above words, and then understanding of not their meaning needed some clarification. It is no doubt too. God is in His heaven; so far it is more than correct. But it is not correct when he said “All’s right with the world”. If you sit on the table and think seriously about it, then it would come to your mind, that the word is in moral and spiritual chaos.
When you watch T.V., listen to radio, read the news paper, discuss the problems with your neighbours, share prayer requests or Sunday school or Bible study or receive a phone call regarding some problems from your friend or relatives or visiting of a doctor on serious illness or attending the funeral of you kith and kin you will certainly realize that “All is not well with the world” and you will undoubtedly come to a conclusion that something is wrong with the world.
“The philosophers of the world are flawed.
The governments of the world are corrupt.
The pleasures of the world are fleeing.
The glories of the world fade.
And the destiny of the world is destruction”.
Corruption, wickedness and perversion pervade every area of the society.
Actually from the high and mighty to the low and the feeble, from the righteous to the Atheist and from the conservation to the liberal, somebody may try to make the world work for them. The monk who by solitude tries to withdraw from seductive influence of the world and the epicurean who by indulgence tries to saturate himself with the carnal pleasures of the world, all these people have one thing in common. The world beats them everywhere, thereby they lose the battle.
Two worlds collide
As we all know King Solomon was one of the most powerful and influential in his times. He was the wisest and also the atheist man of his day.
And with God’s blessings he was crowned with incomparable glory. He had one thousand wives anything he wanted was his. The whole world lavished itself on Solomon. In spite of all that he said in his book Ecclesiastes “that vanity of vanities; all is vanity” (Eccl. 1:2). And the kings philosophical words can be conveniently translated as soap bubbles of soap bubbles all is soap bubbles. A soap bubble, leisurely floats by. It is coloured and appealing. The soap bubbles promise something but when the man reached to grasp it the beautiful bubble breaks and vanishes from human sight.
If we study the above said examples we can easily come to a conclusion that the world is without God. The world is colourful, attractive and magnetic. It gives a flood of promises to man. But the man reaches to catch those things of this material world, they always break and vanish. The larking secret is that man is unable to understand the world sometimes.
The son of God while speaking to his disciples once said, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul” put in every way to understand man’s soul is more important than the world itself. Even in the present days man is not able to understand the world in its true sense. It is not like the lyric of an old popular song which suggest a great and wonderful world you have and what you see is a cursed world, which will one day should come under divine judgement.
The word “world” (cosmos in the Greek) appears in the New Testament more than two hundred times. And this word here described both alienated from God standing in opposition to God. Jesus while speaking to corrupt religious teachers said “you are of the world. I am not of this world” (John 5:23). The apostle Paul wrote, “For what men knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man which is in him even so the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God" (Cor 2:11-12).
The secular scholars defined the word “world” in different ways. One wrote the “world” (Cosmos) is the orderly systematic universe.
A second writer wrote the “world” (cosmos) refers to a universe that is complete harmonious – an orderly system.
Offsprings from the Tabernacle
And a third person wrote “world” (cosmos) is the embodiment of order and harmony as distinguished from chaos a complete harmonious system.
But according to the opinion of these three distinguished writers that the world is an ordered system, but it is an ordered system which is headed by Satan.
When Jesus was wandering in the wilderness after He took baptism from John the Baptist, He was tempted by Satan. As written “the devil taketh Him up uno an exceeting high mountain and showeth Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them and saith unto Him, All these things will I give thee if thou will fall down and worship me" (Matt. 4:8-9).
If there is no world for Satan to give, there would not have been this temptation scene of incident in the Bible. And it is also said in the Bible that the Lord Himself called Satan “the prince of the world.” That means the Satan's own world on the earth. Hereafter I will not talk much with you for the prince of this world..." At the same time apostle Paul also wrote to the Corinthians about Satan.
He said “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them” (2 Corr 11:11).
It is very discouraging to hear what you would say about this ordered world system headed by Satan. God is in this heaven, but all is not right with the world.
“In the world ye shall have tribulation problem and pleasures but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
A true Christian should not get startled when he has to face some problems in his life. When sometimes he will be depressed by the word or comments from others. It is due to his partially living in the world which is under the control of Satan as prince. This Satan made man from believing that this world as basically good and all men have to be in bondage in this world. It is said even some theologians are deceived in their thinking that through the spread of the gospel, they can save the world. God never called the church to salvage that world which will one day come to judgement.
It is not at all advisable to teach the gospel to them who are already in no touch with men of God. But Christ can alone accomplish this in His second coming. The book of Genesis recorded the creation of the world. And inspite of the egoistic attack of some evolutionists who wanted to give unscientific and untrue information about the origin of life, echoing the fact that God created the Two worlds collide world into existence out of nothing. And the divine commentary on God’s creation is that “it was very good”. God used this small sentence “it was good” six times on each day of this creation. After six days, He summed up His wonderful creation with the following words. "And God saw everything that He had made and behold it was very good” (Gen 1:31).
And now we are facing the reality, that on one hand God created the world and it was good and on the other, this world in which we are living and breathing with our existence appears to be exeedingly bad. Now the questions is what transformed the world which was very good into the world which is now very bad. “Satan has blinded man’s eyes so that they took the world’s good or at the least they continued it good. The reality is that the world has been under Satanic influence and undoubtedly evil. Man was created on the sixth day. Though he was created on the last day, he was made most important. God created man in His own image and gave him more prominence and also domination of all living things created by God. Man was given the power to rule the world as a vice regent under his sovereign God.
It was called to be theocracy rule, by God through man; He was given complete freedom but there was only one prohibition that he will not set on the fruit of the forbidden truth, which was in the middle of the garden of Eden, which would cause the physical as well as the spiritual death. Then Lucifer, the highest of the angelic beings planned to rebel against God. He solicited Adam and Eve to eat that forbidden fruit.
The clever and cunning approach of Satan made Adam and eve to be disobedient even to the creator God and thereby brought sin into this world and planted the seed of death, both physical and spiritual into the bosom of every human heart. With this bitter experience man had forfeited the scepter of kingship over the world and Satan seized the opportunity and wrapped the man’s right to the throne. Satan now is god of this age and pride of this world. The whole world is now in a decent stupor, insensitive, unaware and unmindful of its fallen estate. The true Christian has been “regenerated, born again,” “born form above” and saved whatever may be the name you call, a man it means the believer had changed his citizenship. Through “faith" only one can become the citizen of heaven but living for a while as an enemy to this material world, which is in the control of Satan. Christians should live righteously and godly in this present evil world. So the believer has the option to yield to God and follow Him.
Offsprings from the Tabernacle
It is not healthy either to be rich or to be poor. Buying of things or possessing them or enjoying them and leading a luxurious life is not appropriate to the believers. At the same time being in love with them, and not loving God is also a disqualification to a believer. When we say he is worldly it means that he is participating more in this ordered world system headed by Satan, it means he is throwing away God and his belief into the secondary importance place to God and then one becomes completely worldly. Worldliness does not mean smoking, drinking, chewing or falling in love.
There is no wrong in going to college, falling in love, marrying that woman or eating dinner at a costly hotel, or buying a car and many other such things.
Christians also can do that kind of things. But if any Christian does these things with the influence of world order system headed by Satan and outside the will of God that is called worldliness. In such conditions Christians are advised to seek the divine guidance for their lives. The believer is said to be “light” and “salt” in the world. We have to tell man that we who are poor and helpless have found the one who the bread of life is. It is only where the righteousness of Christ was manifested through believers living in the world of God and that His light pierce into darkness.
Historically groups of believers like the first century church “Baptists” reformers and puritans brought light to the parts of Europe for a time and when the light was rejected the darkness came back. The missionaries who had been trying to spread the Christianity at that time attacked Satan and then pierced into the darkness and brought back the light into many parts of the world but it was only for a limited time.
The New world
The beloved and aged apostle John came to the final and climatic section of the book of Revelation and in many respects the apex of the human history itself.
He said, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and first earth are no more, and there was no more sea. The new heaven and the new earth which apostle John was permitted to see was not knew with the respect to origin.
It was knew with the respect to quality; John saw the new heaven and the new earth were totally cleansed, completely regenerated and absolutely perfect.
John saw the new heaven and new earth in all their pristine beauty as Adam and Eve saw them in the Garden of Eden before the advent of sin and the Two worlds collide consequent curse upon all of creation. John saw all of them with Satan, the former prince of the world and God of the age now in chains. In the Greek New
Testament there are two words translated into English. The Greek words are neas, neos, kainos. All these words give the same meaning 'new' in English.
According to Apostle Paul, a believer in Christ is a new creation. When John speaks about the new heaven and new earth he uses the same Greek word ‘kaino’ for ‘new’. He uses this world in this connection for the special quality of both heaven and earth. As John said both heaven and earth are cleaned and regenerated.
Henry Morris, a commentator, while commentating on Revelation said, “the new cosmos (world) is not a novel cosmos; it is a renewed cosmos. It is just like the first except all that its age long ravages of decay have been expunged and it is fresh and new again”.
As it is said the present heaven and earth are not blotted out nor seveft to nothingness, but refreshed, purged, purified, cleansed and regenerated. With these modifications all the disorders and the imperfectness had gone permanently.
Joseph Seiss, another famous commentator wrote about Revelation more than hundred years ago. In that he explained fully about the new heaven and earth which John saw in his vision. He said, “think then what its regeneration must bring – on earth which no longer smarts and smokes under the curse of sin – on earth which needs no more to be torn with hooks and irons to make it yield its fruits – an earth where thorns and thistles no longer infest the ground nor serpents hiss among the flowers nor strange beasts lay ambush to devour – on earth whose sod is never out with groves, whose soil is never moistered with tears, or saturated with human blood; whose fields are never blasted with unpropitious seasons, whose atmosphere never gives wings to the seeds of plague and death.
Whose ways are never linked with funeral processions or blocked up with armed men on their way to war – an earth whose hills ever flow with salvation and whose valleys know only the sweetness of Jehovah’s smile – an earth from end to end and from center to utmost verge clothed with the eternal blessedness of paradise”.
Jesus Christ on the day of His crucifixion, the Son of God stood before the Roman procurator pontius Pilate for justice. And the Pilate put Him some questions. Among such questions one is whether he was the king of the Jews. For
Offsprings from the Tabernacle that Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world”. Unluckily some people misunderstood the hidden meaning of that sentence. But what Jesus wanted to reveal through these words was that He was talking about the spiritual kingdom “the hearts of men”, but not the physical kingdom on the earth. Because of the misunderstanding the statement of Jesus so much chaos and confusion took place among the people.
As a matter of fact, Jesus Christ's denying the physical, visible and liberal kingdom upon the earth means He will also rule as He said, “My kingdom is not in this world”. He was telling, he will not rule the present heaven and earth which are totally defiled by Satan and sinful men and every part of the world is corrupted. Then Christ speaks on that day with His disciples. He said "verily I say unto you, that ye will have followed me in the regeneration when the son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones’ judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matt. 19:28).
The word “regeneration” is used for the meaning of New birth. And this word is particularly used by Apostle Paul when he was describing the believers new birth. Thayer, a noted scholar in his Greek “Lexicon” (dictionary) of the New Testament has written concerning the word regeneration. “It is that signal and glorious change of all things in the heaven and earth for the better that restoration of the primeval and perfect condition of the things which existed before the fall of our first parents”.
If there is any writer who can suggest that the old heaven and the old earth said to pass away (Rev. 21:1) and therefore cannot be new heaven and new earth.
It should be noticed that the greek verb translated “pass away” in the king James
Bible comes from the root. The Greek word is “pararchomai” (Matt. 5:18; Mark
13:30; Luke 10:17 and Peter 3:10). Some must have taken the meaning for that Greek verb “transgress” and with some turn out the final meaning came into existence and that is “great change”.
Peter also spoke about the elements in heaven, melting with fervent heat, and the works of earth (all are of man’s accomplishments in every area of endeavor) being burned up peter appeared to have found some realities; he prehistorically enquired “seeing them that all these things shall be dissolved. What manner of persons ought ye, to be in all Holy conversation and godliness”? (2 Peter 3:11).
The word “dissolved” in this content is used for the meaning to loose, loosen to loose him, to loose them etc., Two worlds collide
God saw everything that He had made, and behold it was very good. But before the sin of Adam and Eve, there was no death, disease, famines, war, natural catastrophe, pollution, hatred, murder, lying, corruption, government, wife beating, child molestation, greediness and a thousand of all its that have plagued men for at least see thousand years.
The heaven and earth which were created very well now became very bad.
Before the sin of Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden, there was no death, famine, disease etc. As a result of sin under the reign of Satan, man has protected the oceans, repeal the earth, and poisoned the heavens the very spheres which God committed to man’s authority.
Regarding the New world
Apostle Peter wrote that one day the present heaven and the earth will be burnt away. And the Lord comes as a thief in the night, at that time the heavens shall pass away and the elements will burn with fervent heat and at the same time whatever is there on the earth shall also burn up according to Peter (2 Peter 3:10).
But for those people who are made themselves in Christ, a glorious prospect of a heaven and earth are waiting to invite them. For said people all the sadness and tears will go away from them and they will be replaced with perpectual joy and peace. Now you may question yourself when do the New heaven and earth will commence. Then those people who had faith in the Millennial return of Jesus, they can take it for granted that the new heaven and the new earth commence at the end of the Lords thousand years reign. We may also call that time the Messianic or Millennial age.
Then what will happen to Satan at the end of thousand years? It is really a serious question that many people may get. But John does not want to keep the readers in doubt or suspense. He said Satan will be let free for some time so as to deceive the nations and then cast him into the “Lake of fire”.
John now tells about the faithful and honest martyrs of the great tribulation.
According him they will return at the beginning of the Millennium as part of the first resurrection unto life. “And I saw them and they sat upon and judgemant was given unto them; and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God and which had not worshipped to beast neither his image neither had received the mark on their foreheads or in their hands and they loved and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Rev 20:4).
Offsprings from the Tabernacle
But regarding to unfaithful who died before the Millennium, and their impact upon the resurrection. John said, they will participate in the second resurrection at the end of the Millennium and they will be eternally damned and throne into the hell, at the “Great white throne judgement”.
It is said clearly about the position of Satan and the wicked that died at the end of the Millennium. And also it is described in the 21 chapter of Revelation regarding new heaven and new earth. It has been argued by some in connection with the new heaven and new earth that there will be no sea. Apostle John wrote ".... for the first heaven and the first earth has passed away and there was no more sea" (Rev. 21:1). But according to Ezekiel 47:1, the Bible says that there will be the sea during Millennium and the new heaven and the new earth the Millennium has run its course. The heaven an earth are spoken of genetically for all that God has created. Hence the new heaven and the new earth world smoke indicate a new sea.
The day of the Lord was defined by a noted scholar F.F.Bruce as the day when “YAHWEH (the Lord) will vindicate Himself”. Another noted scholar said the time of God’s intervension (discussion) into history for the judgement, when it comes? It is the outpouring of His wrath when His long suffering had reached its end. The description of the day of the Lord reveals that the day of the Lord shall be as follows – 1.A time when God ariseth to shake terribly the earth (Isiah 2:19-21)
2.A time of destruction from the Almighty (Isaiah 3:6; Joel 1:15)
3.A time of divine wrath and fierce anger (Isaiah 13:13)
4.A time when God will punish world for their evil and the wicked for their inequity (Isaiah 13:11)
5.A time when Gods indignation and fury will be directed against nations (Isiah 34:1-2)
6.A time when God’s vengeance will be revealed (Isaiah 34:5)