Growing up in a formal Liturgical Church, I’m familiar with several of the doxologies that were sung at the end of each service. For some reason, this one always stays in my mind, “As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.”
I think it’s because of its sheer profundity of truth. Sixteen words that sum up the story from Genesis to Revelation.
In the beginning, God created man, blessed him, gave him dominion over the lower realm of Earth, and walked and talked with him in His garden among the holy angels. Man was designed as a physical and spiritual creature to live on a Holy Mountain with God and to watch over the Earth portion of God’s creation as He descended and ascended on a staircase that connected the two. According to the Revelation of John, God will restore this once-perfect relationship that was interrupted by the intrusion of a powerful unholy guardian cherub who deceived Adam and Eve and stole their allegiance and subsequently their dominion of planet Earth.
God plans the recovery of man and His creation, Earth, in three phases:
The Redemption: The Messiah that takes away the sin nature as one is born into the nature of the second Adam
The Power: The deposit of His Presence by His Holy Spirit in the heart of the redeemed in order to navigate in the fallen world.
The Judgement: The determination of who belongs to God and who refuses to repent. There ensues a battle that eliminates Satan’s presence, fallen angels, and those aligned with the evil one. The righteous ones are translated to His Holy City that is coming down in the clouds of glory.
It is then that God says:
Everything is finished! I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give water from the life-giving fountain to everyone who is thirsty (Revelation 21:6 CEV).
The end is now like the beginning. All is restored.
The Wait Will Be Over
In the book of Revelation, John saw the whole end-time scenario play out. But the most astonishing revelation is not about all the mystical and terrifying events but rather what happens in the very last stage of God’s elimination of Satan, his minions, and his evil followers. What everyone has been waiting for, a new Heaven and new Earth. A perfect haven, a pristine utopia.
To understand the concept of “Heaven and Earth,” we must understand the phrase does not mean a separate place called Heaven and a separate place called Earth, but rather a conjoined or tandem conception like a house on a boat, i.e., a houseboat, or a watch on a wrist, i.e., wristwatch. Heaven-and-Earth were intimately connected – married to function as one.
God created them both together on the first day, and one day they will be joined again.
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with humanity, and he will take up residence with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any longer, and mourning or wailing, or pain will not exist any longer (Revelation 21:2-4 LEB).
Just imagine, no more death and separation, no more pain or mourning!
Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the city’s street. On either side of the river was a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in the city, and His servants shall serve Him. 4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads (Revelation 22:1-4 TLV).
The language of this verse is all about a covenant with God. He cares for all our needs. We will never thirst, never know pain. God then puts His Name on His people like a bride taking the last name of her husband. Then, God will lift the veil off His bride’s eyes, and we (His worshippers) will see Him face to face.
The Bride, His Jerusalem
An angel declares to John, “Come here. I will show you the wife, the Lamb’s bride.” He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God” (Revelation 21: 9-10 NASB).
Yeshua is the Presence of God, manifest. He contains the Shekinah of the entire Godhead. And this King and Redeemer of His servant worshippers already lives in the hearts of those who are betrothed to Him. This initial infusion of God within a born-again believer is a deposit of truth, a guarantee for the greater thing to come in the new Heaven and Earth.
On that glorious day, there will be no need for a Temple, for He is the Temple that has been prepared for His sanctified bride! We have been redeemed at the altar of His sacrifice and washed in His blood. We have entered into a holy place of communion, communication, and illumination with Him and are now welcomed into the Holiest of Holy chambers. The place of the consummation of Spirit. The veil is torn or lifted so that we can see our Savior in His Holiness. He will live and walk in the Temple of His Presence!
And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple (Revelation 21:22 NASB).
And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them (Revelation 21:3 NASB).
Gods Holy Mountain
The concept of God living on a Holy Mountain is a significant theme in the Hebrew Scriptures. In fact, this mountain frames the entire Bible. It begins with Eden in Genesis and ends with the New Jerusalem coming down to join with the physical Jerusalem depicted in Revelation. In Genesis, the garden’s elevated location is indicated by the fact that a single river flows out of Eden before dividing (an image of cascading down) to become four rivers (see Genesis 2:10–14).
We can gather that Eden was on God’s Holy Mountain from the prophet Ezekiel as he describes the guardian cherub (we know now as Satan) being there.
You were in Eden. It was my garden…. You were on my holy mountain. You walked among the gleaming jewels (Ezekiel 28:13a-14b).
The Residents of the New Kingdom
This mountain of the New Jerusalem coming down resonates with the pattern found in the Old Testament. God dwells in a holy mountain city, and those who will dwell with Him must be holy to live within this Holy Kingdom.
God encourages us to receive the power of His Spirit that we may overcome the desire to sin. (This is the reason Adam and Eve were banished from God’s Presence as they blatantly disobeyed His Words and obeyed another).
To the overcomer of sin, I will give the right to eat from the Tree of Life which is in God’s Gan-‘Eden” (Revelation 2:7 CJB).
Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city (Revelation 22:,14 KJV).
There will in no way enter into it anything profane, or one who causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 21:27 NET).
We Can Only Imagine
One day, God will restore redeemed man back to their original state—glorified, living with the angels, and dwelling with God on His Holy Mountain. All things will be restored. (See Hebrews 4:12). Eden will be open to all who have been refined by His two-edged sword that divides soul from spirit.
Can you imagine what this will be like? When God’s Kingdom is manifested, and His glorious reign as our King begins once more?
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9 ESV).
The Bible promises unimaginable riches to those who love God. However, I took a chance and tried to imagine what it will be like. I know I fail in contrast to God’s reality, but this is what I see in my limited imagination for me and my brothers and sisters.
Court has been concluded. The Righteous Judge has deemed us “acquitted” for the sins we committed in our lives as our Messiah Yeshua paid our debts. Our names are written in His Book of Life, and we now approach Him. We step into His Presence, and He begins to lift us up to His high Holy Mountain.
As we move upward, we realize all our work on Earth is over. The harvest of souls is now complete. He has washed away the blood, sweat, and grime and wiped away the tears of our labors and trials.
The ladies are given fresh white linen dresses with flowing linen scarves, the gentlemen crisp white linen pants and shirts. I can feel the cool breeze blowing, and my hair and dress are billowing. The temperature is perfect—warm and breezy. Music begins to play, and the 1,000-year celebration of the King begins!
The mountain is now secured, and all boundaries have been removed. All enemies destroyed. Satan and all his demons are now confined to the abyss. We can see the smoke of the conquest still burning off in the distance.
Greed and lies are a thing of the past. There is no more sorrow, tears, poverty, hunger, pain, sickness, viruses, plagues, or the need for vaccines. No more face masks. No more fake media, no more politics, no U.N. or a one-world government.
There will be no more tyrannical dictators, no more abuse, slavery, or prisoners.
No more war—as the weapons are destroyed and re-purposed. No more fighting or killing. No more jealousy or competition. Ethnic battles have ceased; for now, we have all come to Mount Zion together, from all the nations. We are all citizens of a brand-new Holy Nation—the New Jerusalem. Brothers and sisters in Messiah, living under the glorious reign of our King.
The animal kingdom is at peace. The air is beginning to clear. Once erratic weather has become normal, and the planet and its ozone are healing.
The whole creation is being restored. The Garden of Eden has, at last, been re-opened!
Flowers and plants begin to flourish, and the Earth begins to produce – all creation responds to the Presence of God touching and walking on the New Earth again.
Everyone has glorified bodies! No more disabilities as physical limitations and mental and emotional disabilities are restored.
Our parents, siblings, sons, and daughters, and other precious family members and friends who have passed on before us are now reunited! We hold on to each other tightly, rejoicing that we will never have to be parted again!
Familiar persons from ancient biblical times are walking around and talking and sharing their testimonies. Moses has a crowd around him. Abraham waves at his many sons and daughters. The apostles have a receiving line introducing themselves to grateful new friends. Jeremiah is no longer lamenting but is filled with boundless joy. Ten Gentiles will be gathered around one wise and faithful Jewish brother, learning the ways of the Torah and asking questions about traditions, customs, and the land.
Angels can be seen and heard praising God continuously. We can’t help but join them in song. We all have boundless energy, full of joy – as many begin to dance. King David picks up his harp, and Miriam her tambourine!
There are a few people we’re surprised to see here and wonder, when did they get saved? Perhaps they tell us, “It was that seed you planted in me,” or, “I asked Jesus into my heart just before I died.”
People we led to the Lord run to embrace us. Those we served and helped thank us profusely as we look for those who blessed our lives.
We can see a huge mansion in the distance with many rooms and learn one of them is ours. There’s a banquet being prepared to welcome us, and the smell of delicious aromas fill the air.
But the most extraordinary sight of all is the bright light shining from the Temple Mount—a rainbow encircles the sky above it. Shofars begin to sound, and the Earth gently vibrates as Yeshua descends the steps from His throne. Everyone wears crowns of great value upon their heads, representing work done in His Name. As Yeshua walks by, we lay our crowns down to create a beautiful, adorned pathway lined with resplendent precious jewels and pure gold that His Holy fire has refined.
Our King stands among us and welcomes us to His Kingdom. Yeshua tells everyone to follow Him to the marriage banquet of the Lamb. He has the choicest wines, and He’s been waiting for this very moment to drink this special covenant toast with us.
How can I know and imagine all of this? Because the Bible tells me so!
This is the Golden Era. The Millennial reign of Christ. The first day of the Tikkun Olam – the Restoration of all things. This moment is the culmination of every plan and purpose of God since the beginning of creation. This has always been His goal.
He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He has freely given water from the life-giving fountain to everyone thirsty. The end is now like the beginning. All is restored.
And at last, everything is finished!
