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Article: The Book of Revelation--The Creation of All Things Anew at the End of the World
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mikekle
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Yes, it will be great to see this city…Hopefully I am able to!
I wonder where on earth this will actually be? probably in the middle east I assume. I also wonder why the sea will have to be gone…many consider the sea to be quite beautiful…?
Wonder what the other remaining nations will think about this, Im sure some will try to overthrow it, or enter by force, etc.
I wonder where on earth this will actually be? probably in the middle east I assume. I also wonder why the sea will have to be gone…many consider the sea to be quite beautiful…?
Wonder what the other remaining nations will think about this, Im sure some will try to overthrow it, or enter by force, etc.
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GEddie
Guest
We will have bilocational bodies; therefore the location of places will cease to matter.
The sea was fearsome to Biblical Hebrews, so it’s absence in Rev. represents a secure place of being.
ICXC NIKA
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Barbara_Ann_Bau
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Thank you for the link I have followed it back and found all the other articles. My Bible Study Group studied Ascension Press’s Revelation: The Kingdom Yet to Come I now understand more about **Revelation **I also have many many more questions? I will really enjoy reading all the articles.
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Barbara_Ann_Bau
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We did discuss the question of where the New Earth would be. Would it be an entirely New Earth existing in the spiritual realm or would it just be a drastic remodeling of the existing earth in the material realm with God’s eternal presence. The two very lovely Protestant ladies in my discussion group insisted on the remodel theory. I and one other member of the group leaned toward the new model existing entirely in the Spiritual Realm but containing the material but glorified bodies of humanity .
No one will want to overthrow the New Jerusalem because all the bad guys were cast into the fiery lake in the previous chapter. Also the seas were destroyed because The Dragon and Beast came out of the sea.
There is no need for beautiful things in the New Earth because God is present and we will have no need for beauty
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Mintaka
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Everything about the New Earth and the New Heaven will be beautiful. We will be beautiful too. How can it be otherwise, if you live so close to the Font of Beauty?
All the prophetic descriptions of the Messianic age, the Messianic banquet, the Holy Mountain, the New Jerusalem, etc. include descriptions of beautiful things, both natural and manufactured: animals, plants, fields, roads, musical instruments, food, drink, etc.
I would expect that it will be a world of both matter and spirit, because God likes matter (He invented it!).
All the prophetic descriptions of the Messianic age, the Messianic banquet, the Holy Mountain, the New Jerusalem, etc. include descriptions of beautiful things, both natural and manufactured: animals, plants, fields, roads, musical instruments, food, drink, etc.
I would expect that it will be a world of both matter and spirit, because God likes matter (He invented it!).
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Barbara_Ann_Bau
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I am not much into beauty. My son and I were discussing beauty the other day. Our landlord allows us to landscape the front of our apartment. My son feels that we should only plants to eat. Of course that is the purpose of the beds. But I said we needed to plant some flowers and nice looking vegetables to disguise the garden. As the conversation went on, I said “then the beauty of the church is lost on you” He said no that beauty has a purpose. If we are in heaven we will have no need for beauty because God will be present.
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kkollwitz
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I expect the New Earth to be the Earth we have now, but free from the ruin of sin; in the same way that our bodies will our bodies, but likewise glorified due to the end of sin.
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Mintaka
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Barbara Ann Bau -
Function and usefulness does have its own beauty. Also, there are ways to plant food plants that are very attractive!
But we are part of Christ’s Body, and we are supposed to be becoming more like Him in everything that matters. God doesn’t reserve His attributes to Himself; if it’s something that we can have in the image and likeness of God, He gives it to us.
For example, Jesus is the Word. I bet you don’t think, “Hey, Jesus is the Word, so we won’t need to talk or sing in Heaven!” And indeed, Revelation tells us that we will say things and sing things in Heaven. We will do that better than we do now; “the tongue of the mute will sing.” We will be more like the Word, not less.
So it also seems like Creation will be more like God always intended it to be, not less. Right now, all Creation is still “groaning” like a woman in labor, waiting to be redeemed. The New Earth will be the redeemed form of everything in fallen Creation, even more beautiful than Eden. That is part of God’s generosity to all that He made.
But the other thing to remember is that the New Jerusalem also represents us, the Body of Christ and Christ’s Bride. And the New Jerusalem comes down from Heaven looking beautiful, arrayed like a bride.
Everything will become perfectly as God wants it to be, and beauty is part of perfection. (Although everyone and everything will be beautiful in its own particular way that is most like itself.) We will reflect God’s glory, and so will everything else.
Function and usefulness does have its own beauty. Also, there are ways to plant food plants that are very attractive!
But we are part of Christ’s Body, and we are supposed to be becoming more like Him in everything that matters. God doesn’t reserve His attributes to Himself; if it’s something that we can have in the image and likeness of God, He gives it to us.
For example, Jesus is the Word. I bet you don’t think, “Hey, Jesus is the Word, so we won’t need to talk or sing in Heaven!” And indeed, Revelation tells us that we will say things and sing things in Heaven. We will do that better than we do now; “the tongue of the mute will sing.” We will be more like the Word, not less.
So it also seems like Creation will be more like God always intended it to be, not less. Right now, all Creation is still “groaning” like a woman in labor, waiting to be redeemed. The New Earth will be the redeemed form of everything in fallen Creation, even more beautiful than Eden. That is part of God’s generosity to all that He made.
But the other thing to remember is that the New Jerusalem also represents us, the Body of Christ and Christ’s Bride. And the New Jerusalem comes down from Heaven looking beautiful, arrayed like a bride.
Everything will become perfectly as God wants it to be, and beauty is part of perfection. (Although everyone and everything will be beautiful in its own particular way that is most like itself.) We will reflect God’s glory, and so will everything else.
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Barbara_Ann_Bau
Guest
I really get the symbolism of the New Jerusalem as the Church and The Church as the Bride of the Lamb. But the majority of the participants of the Bible Study Group were reading it in a very literal way. Of course even if won reads it in the most literal way there is the question of is it a “New Earth” or is it a greatly "remodeled “Old Earth”
As for beauty I tend to be a little suspicious of “beauty”. Remember Satan made it “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” beautiful to Eve. I was an ugly baby who grew to be a homily adult, so I am sort of fearful of making “beauty” criteria for heaven.
I do love the fact that all will be able to sing. Because frankly that is one area Protestants really beat the Catholics. They all sing
As for beauty I tend to be a little suspicious of “beauty”. Remember Satan made it “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” beautiful to Eve. I was an ugly baby who grew to be a homily adult, so I am sort of fearful of making “beauty” criteria for heaven.
I do love the fact that all will be able to sing. Because frankly that is one area Protestants really beat the Catholics. They all sing
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