NEW JERUSALEM -- A PLACE PREPARED FOR US

MF Blume
July 25, 1998


What is Heaven? Is it the New Jerusalem? I think so, but not in the sense of Heaven that most people think. I am already in the Kingdom of Heaven now.

What do most people mean by "Heaven"?

The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are one and the same thing. Jesus said it is not an observable entity, but has the nature of being able to be inside of a person.

Let us read about the New Jerusalem as it is mentioned in the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

John saw this City when he was "in the Spirit." Being "in the Spirit" allows one to see things that are not material or even literal, but are symbolic things that relate to us realities that cannot be seen with the eyes nor heard of with the ears. In 1 Corinthians 2:9-12, Paul said that eyes cannot see nor can ears hear the things prepared for us. These things are not of this world and cannot be sensed by the fleshly senses. New Jerusalem is prepared as a Bride, and had to be seen in the spirit. God gave us His Spirit so that we might know the things prepared for us.
The New Jerusalem is one of the spiritual things prepared for us, and cannot be comprehended through the five senses but must be revealed by the Spirit of God given to us. When John was in the Spirit he could be shown this entity called the New Jerusalem.

It was a symbolic vision. Rev 1:1 said that the contents of the Book of Revelation would be of things signified to John. "Signified" implies they are symbolic.

We are in the New Jerusalem now. We read of a seemingly contradictory phrase in Hebrews, though, saying that we seek a city to come, as if we cannot be in it presently.

We know we cannot find the bible contradicting itself. We must establish what was meant by this above verse in contrast to Hebrews 12:22.  Hebrews 12 22 says we are presently at the City. It even names it as "Heavenly Jerusalem."
Hebrews 13:14 says we have one yet to come. Which is yet, and why the difference?

Here is the explanation. Notice that the writer of Hebrews 13:14 said "here" we have no continuing city. We read that we are already in the city, as per the chapter immediately preceding this chapter (see Hebrews 12:22). However, this City is not of this world "here". We are already in a City but that City is not HERE in this world. We are in it in the Spirit, and it is a City that is not of this world . But one day we will be in a new world where there will be a City " here." The one we are in now will be "here" in the new earth.

THE BRIDE

Ephesians 5:25-28 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

Ephesians  5:30-32 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones .For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Colossians 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

These verses clearly indicate the Church is the Body and wife of Christ, just as Adam was given a Bride after God took from his own body a rib to make the woman. She was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. So, too, is the Church bone of Jesus' bone and flesh of Jesus' flesh. There are not two brides of Christ, but one bride. So if the Church is the Bride of Christ, and the New Jerusalem is the Bride of Christ, then it only stands to reason that the Church is the New Jerusalem. Rev 1:1 says the angel SIGNIFIED to John these things. What does signify mean?
signify
1) to give a sign, to signify, indicate
2) to make known

Our dictionaries read that it is to betoken or symbolize.

Is the New Jerusalem the Bride?

Yes.

Are we in the Bride?

Yes.

There is a progressively greater joy and glory awaiting the Church, and it can only be said that we have somewhat of a fraction of what we will have at our departure from this present world. The Bible says that right now we can taste of the powers of the world to come, indicating to us that there will be another world that will come.

The writer was not speaking allegorically about this issue, so we know that it is actual and literal. And it means that we have everything we ever will have but in lesser degree, probably due to the inhibiting flesh we have to deal with right now. Imagine what freedom we will have when there is no flesh to contend with!

What does the Bible say the New Jerusalem is? It is The Bride. Hebrews 12:22 says I am already come to the heavenly city, and then it names it "Heavenly Jerusalem" and actually synonymizes it with the term "the church of the firstborn."

I feel that although the present world is not where we will spend eternity, the place Jesus prepared for us to spend eternity in is the City, and is the Church right now. And though we are espoused to Christ now, and are therefore His wife (more about this later), the wedding makes our experience greater. And that marriage has not yet occurred. So, although the City is the espoused wife at the present moment, and we are in her now, when she meets her wedding day as the Bride , she will be much greater in the sense that she will consummate the marriage then . We read of the perfected church in Revelation 21.

Effusions 5 tells us that Jesus has a wife called the Church that He is washing with the water of the Word that she might be without spot or wrinkle and presented to Him on that day of the Marriage. This is not yet. It is to come. But just as much as the woman is the wife during espousal before the marriage , and experiences greater joy at the marriage, so is the City still here now but will be greater at the day of the wedding supper! Yet this does not mean that the City is not our place now or that we are not in it now .

Is Jesus marrying a set of buildings as a Bride? Or is He espoused to the Church now, to be soon married to her?

Marriage in Israel was not approached as it is in our society today. When a couple were espoused they were considered a "husband" and "wife" before the actual marriage.

The serious commitment to the other was made at the espousal and not the marriage ceremony as in our society. Their espousal was a more committing engagement than what we are accustomed to. Our engagements would have been considered futile and too carefree for the Israelite who was accustomed to the system of espousal. One actually had to get a divorce during the espousal if one decided after the espousal to not marry the other party.

Joseph's Mary was his "wife" before they were married. And before the wedding, when Joseph saw that Mary was pregnant, he had to get a bill of divorcement in order to "put her away", and would have done so had not he received the dream of an angel informing him as to why she was with child.

The angel did not say that Mary would be taken to be his wife, but simply that she was referred to as " Mary thy wife."

So it is with the Church. The Bride is at the point of wedding long after she is the wife. We are presently the wife of Christ. Our point of commitment to be with the Lord for eternity has already been made at our espousal. We are on our way to the wedding, and it is the wedding that you read about in Rev 21. The Bride is then ready. But she was the "wife" long before the wedding, since the Church is "espoused" to Christ presently. He is not marrying us and also marrying a set of actual buildings as though the City is a literal City. John writes out most plainly what the City is.... "THE BRIDE." He said he heard a voice cry, "THE TABERNACLE OF GOD WITH MEN." Is not the Church the temple of God among men today? Is not the Church the Bride?

We are not going to a City, as the popular hymns say, but are in the City now. We are

going to a wedding. But the same city we are in now will be the city we are in forever.

SATAN'S "ANTI-"

Satan has an alternative for everything God has provided for mankind, in his attempts to hold man away from meeting God and entering the espoused Church of Christ. For example, Satan has a "whore" instead of a "Bride."
John again had to see this "in the spirit," since it was so deceptive an entity in the world and had to be seen in the spirit so as to comprehend what it really was. But even in the spirit, he could not fully understand it.
He was told what the Beast was. Let us notice that she had her relationship with a " beast" whereas the New Jerusalem is a Bride of the Lamb .

This beast shares her with all the kings of the earth, and therefore relates to her in a prostitution kind of relationship.

She was called BABYLON THE GREAT. She was a "great City".
Babylon was a literal City during Old Testament times, but is a spiritual entity today. This is not unlike Jerusalem.  Jerusalemwas a literal City in the Old Testament days of types and shadows, but is presently a spiritual entity -- the church.

Satan's headquarters on earth was always Babylon. The first antichrist was Nimrod in Genesis 10. God's headquarters was always the City of His Name, Jerusalem.

The thought of a Bride and a Whore denotes a similar experience involving a man and a woman, but altogether different in relationship. A man marries his Bride and they lawfully, under God, are united and blessed by God in that union of flesh. A whore, however, adulterates herself with many other men and the whole lot of individuals involved are adulterers and adulteresses.

The Whore is tagged as the GREAT CITY whereas the Bride is the HOLY CITY.

Note also that Babylon was in the wilderness while the New City is in Heaven.

Another strong that pinpoints the Church as the City is given when we read that Jesus actually said we are a "CITY" that is set on a hill that cannot be hid.

WHAT ABOUT THE RAPTURE?

Some feel there will be no literal "rapture" of the Church. The thought of the rapture, the catching away of the saints at the second coming of Jesus, cannot be refuted due to the information Paul gave us in 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4.
In this chapter, Paul discussed the issue of literal and actual resurrection. He said that Jesus Christ was resurrected very literally and indicated therefore that we will be literally resurrected. We are already risen with Him through His "proxy" and vicarious resurrection, however we will also be literally raised as He was literally raised.
He was literally raised and literally seen by many witnesses.
People admitted Christ was literally raised in Paul's day, but would not commit to accepting a resurrection of others who died. Paul links a literal resurrection of others to the historical fact that Christ was literally resurrected. If there is no resurrection, then Christ was not resurrected, implying that one cannot be separated without the other. There will be a resurrection of our very bodies. Paul said that if another person who dies will not be resurrected, then Christ could not have been resurrected.
Paul said that if Christ is not risen then he lied to them and they believed a lie. He said that Christ experienced something that cannot occur if there is no resurrection from the dead.

The terms "fallen asleep" indicate that christians had died. This is not referring to death in sin and resurrection with Christ into newness of life. This is referring to literal and actual resurrection of the bodies of those believers who have fallen asleep. To say, as some, that this refers to dead in trespasses and sins and a subsequent experience of salvation of resurrection from the deadness of sins, as Romans 6 is speaking about, is to deny the fact that one can "fall asleep" or die. The deadness of being a sinner is a deadness that one was born into. We were BORN in sins. We cannot fall asleep in death in sin, for we already are born into sin. But our literal bodies will fall asleep in death, and will be raised again into immortality, according to this chapter.

If we only have hope in this present life of mortality, then we are insane to suffer and even give up this mortal life in the hopes that eternal life and resurrection into it is not true. Paul said he was more miserably off than anybody else, if that be true, because he daily gave himself over to the conclusion that he might just die that day for the Gospel. He fought with beasts at Ephesus and the peril of life-threatening circumstances was gladly experienced by Paul because he was convinced he would enter immortality at the resurrection.
Many, many have mistakenly taken verse 31 as though Paul was speaking about a spiritual dying to flesh each day as though it meant denial of the self. This is absolutely incorrect. True, we must take up our cross daily and follow Him as we deny ourselves, but that is not the issue in verse 31. Paul said that he stood in jeopardy and peril every day since he literally risked his life when he stood for truth and was thrown amongst beasts to be killed. He said he would never risk his life like he had if there was no future resurrection from the grave.

Paul answered some who asked how we could be resurrected and with what body we will rise with in the next few verses, and called the resurrected body a "spiritual body." And her e is where he noted the changing of the natural body into a spiritual body.

Jehovah's Witnesses fall into grave error here. They feel their bodies will be wiped out and they will have bodies that are not changed from mortal bodies, but are recreated bodies. However, Paul said that we will see our bodies changed. Something is sown in corruption and that same thing is changed and raised into incorruption.

Whatever "it" is will be changed after "it" is buried. The same "it" will be raised but in another form. That "it" is the literal body.

Of course we are going to be raptured yet in the future, and the time
after this is when the City (the church - body of Christ - Bride) descends to the new earth as a Bride in Revelation 21. This means that the present world and earth is not our resting place . We are not of this world. But thanks be to God that the new earth will feel like home and will be our home. (Imagine a world of righteousness!) The New Jerusalem (Church) will descend onto it, after it has left this world into the heavens to marry Christ in the rapture and at the wedding supper of the lamb. After the wedding, we will descend to the new earth after the present earth has melted away with fervent heat.


JOHN CHAPTER 14

The following run-through of John 14 opens this up. Please read carefully.

First of all, does John 14:2-3 speak about what you would call the New Jerusalem?

As you think about that, let us begin reading...

Notice what he then said. He said that they knew two things. They knew the destination ("whither I go") and they knew "the way." What did He mean by saying they knew what we can call "the destination" (whither I go), and "the way." In response to this, the disciples asked Him what he meant, for they honestly did not think they knew "the way" nor "the destination."
  1. whither thou goest (destination)
  2. the way
Thomas said, "We do not know the way nor the destination. What do you mean we know the way and we know the destination you are going to. You said you are going somewhere to prepare a place for us there. We do not know what you mean." (Keep in mind that the conversation has shifted to questions and answers surrounding verses 2-3. The topic has not changed. This is very important.)
Jesus said they did indeed know the way because He is the way . They knew Jesus did they not? And to what destination was Jesus the way? The Father! Jesus was the way , and they knew Him. Above, Jesus said He was the way. And then He noted to what destination He was the way -- the Father. He stressed again that He was the Way when he said you go to the destination of the Father by Him.
  1. cometh to the Father (destination)
  2. I am the way
The destination was the Father, and they knew the Father. Jesus Christ alone was the way to where He was going, to the Father, because no man comes to the Father but by Him. He said that in conjunction with the response to Thomas who asked him what was the way and what was the destination. This tells us that the way is Jesus and the destination, the place to be prepared for them, was the Father. It may sound strange to think of the Father as the place to which He went in order to prepare a place for them. But hold on. It gets clearer.
If they knew Jesus, and He was the way, then they knew the way. And if they knew Jesus, then they knew the destination also, for it is the Father. When you know Jesus you automatically know the Father.

Jesus then went into some good old oneness teaching (which I will skip for now), explaining how they knew the Father and seen Him when they seen Jesus..

As He yet thought about "the destination" that He spoke about in verses 2 and 3, Jesus then referred to that same destination again as He said the following:

Again the "destination" of verses 2-3 is noted. He would go to the Father

Now, in this reference about going to the destination, Jesus said that He would do so because He was to not only prepare a place for them, but would also accomplish a work whereby they would do greater things than He did. So I ask you, did Jesus not already complete and accomplish this by giving us power to do greater things than He did when the Holy Ghost was poured out after he first left them, died on the cross, resurrected, ascended to the father and returned as the Spirit? He said He would go and prepare a place for us, and that place He was going to was the presence of the Father. Repeatedly He indicated that the destination was the Father. The conversation ad not yet shifted from the issues noted in verses 2 and 3. In fact, even after these verses that we have read so far, he said very plainly where he was going ....

That is verse 28 and we have only read to verse 12 so far. The majority of this chapter is about the issue of where He was going to prepare a place for us. This proves the same points referred to in verses 2- 3 are around the single issue all the way through the chapter, at least up until verse 28!

Back to where we left reading.

Jesus said that when He returned from going to prepare a place for us and receive us to Himself, we would then pray to the Father. This was not done before that time of John 14.

Chapter 16 speaks of the same issue when we read the following :

And compare this with chapter 14 where we are so far.
When was this day? The context thus far reveals to us that it was the day of His return to them after having departed from them to prepare a place for them.

He said the same thing in both chapters! He did not speak about the act of "leaving and returning" as if it would occur in repetition. He did not speak of one "departure and return" and then speak about a second "departure and return".

Now notice another issue He brings up which, following this, leads to more questions from the hearers. Again, the same issue it at hand here.

Jesus initially stated that upon having gone to the Father, He would also "pray the Father" and as a result of that "prayer" the Father would send another Comforter.

So we find that He would do three things after He left them.

  1. Prepare a place for them.
  2. Allow them to ask the Father anything in Jesus' name.
  3. Pray the Father to send another Comforter.
Once again, He spoke about leaving them. He said that He would not leave them comfortless, but would come to them again. But then He said that the Father would send another Comforter. How can Jesus return and yet another Comforter come, too? Did that mean two would return? Jesus and the other Comforter?

We find that Jesus, Himself, would return in the Spirit form of the Holy Ghost. And He once again raised the issue of knowing that which the world would not know nor see.

Now, keep in mind that this entire chapter is not talking about the second coming as we know it. There will be Second Coming of the Son of God. The second coming of the Son has not occurred yet. We shall see literally see Him when He comes the second time as the Son .

This initial return would not be visible to the world, but only to the disciples.

But we also read of a time when all the world will see Him return.
But in John 14 He is talking about coming as the Comforter . And that means the first few verses referred to coming as the Comforter when He said He would return to them after having prepared a place for them.

He would return, and not only that, but when He would return He would be in them . He that dwelt with them would be in them . And this was speaking about His return to them.

In order for Jesus to return and the Comforter to return also, as though they were two different persons as many believe them to be, both He and the Comforter would have to be spirits. Jesus said that the world would not longer see Him, but they would. That means He would return in Spirit. However, we read that there are not two Spirits, but there is only one Spirit in our relationship with God.

Jesus is that Comforter!

Let us read the last verse we have come to so far.

This time Judas became inquisitive and asked what Jesus meant. How would they see Him and no one else see Him? He said that He would manifest Himself to them upon His return.
Then Jesus gave him the answer:
How was that an answer to Judas' question? At first glance it does not look like an answer, but notice the last sentence. "We will come unto him, and make our abode with him ." That was the same thing He said earlier!: -- " he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you ."

A similar statement was only said one other time in another point in history.

And that was talking about the tabernacle. At this point the thought of the New Jerusalem becomes quite clearly connected to Jesus' topic of conversation in John 14. It is the place prepared for us after He left. In it are many mansions. He came back to receive us to Himself. And in coming back He would also dwell in us, so that we would see Him but the world would not. He would manifest to us alone. And that manifestation is the Holy Ghost. We are the Bride. The Tabernacle. All of this is implied in the following.
When He said the Father and Himself would return and make their abode with them, He answered Judas' question of how He would manifest Himself to them. He would manifest himself as the Holy Ghost. This is so Oneness !

He said in verse 19 that the world would see Him no more, but they would see Him! "How?", Judas asked. He would manifest to them in a special way that would exclude the world from seeing Him. That manifestation was THE HOLY GHOST.

Again the issue is raised about being with them and then having to leave. And speaking to them like this before the cross, and before He left them to again return, He said the above two verses. And then He spoke again of the most Oneness truth of being the Spirit. He referred to the time He would return so the world could not see Him as the Holy Ghost.
All of this, my friend, is speaking about the issue raised in verses 2 and 3 of the same chapter, and the issue is never changed.

He went to build a place for us. Something was said about this very same thing.

He went to build a church.

We are come to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem which is distinctly called the CHURCH of the firstborn in Hebrews 12:22. So the church that was to be built and the City are the same thing.

I say that all these references are talking about the same thing. What a revelation! John 14 clinches it.

And then in the midst of it all, recall that Jesus said:

The Comforter would ABIDE with us.
Jesus is the Holy Ghost.

And He said that He and the Father would abide in them. And since this all refers to the place He prepared for them upon His departure, only to return and bring them in, and this is the New Jerusalem. No wonder we read of a dual throne...

Where is this throne? In the New Jerusalem.

Who is God? The Father.

Who is the Lamb? Jesus Christ the Son.

Jesus said He and the Father would come and make their abode in them . Plural.

That is why we read of the throne of GOD AND THE LAMB in the City.

It all fits together!

And notice another point found in realizing where the living water is ?

The Living water is seen In the CITY.

When is the time period Jesus referred to as being the time we could drink of it, after saying it is in the City?

When can we come and take of this water that is in the City? Later? Or NOW?

What is the water?

Jesus was not glorified, so the Spirit was not yet given. This is identical to John 14. Jesus had not left yet, so the place where the water of life was flowing from was not built yet. It was at the cross when Jesus left them. And though he descended to speak to them about the doctrine to preach, He
still had to leave and return as the COMFORTER, the HOLY GHOST, which we read about in Acts chapters 1 and 2.

Notice, also, how Jesus said that the river of life would flow from our bellies as it flowed from His belly.

And where did the water flow from in Revelation 21? It flowed out from within the New Jerusalem. Jesus said that the New Jerusalem is the Church, and in the midst of the Church is the throne of God and the lamb, as in the midst of the Tabernacle sat the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat.

WHEN JESUS RESURRECTED TO GO PREPARE A PLACE FOR US

Jesus resurrected as we read about in John 20. He told Mary the very day He resurrected that He had not yet gone to the Father -- to the Destination.

In John 14 Jesus said He was going to leave them in order to go the Father and prepare a place for them where they could not as of yet go. And in John 20 He arose from the grave and told Mary he was ascending to the Father. When we read here that He had not yet ascended to the Father, we find out that He had not yet gone to the destination spoken of in John 14. And therefore she could not touch Him. (See Lev. 16:17 -- he was going to the Holiest and no man could touch Him on His way there).

So we find that Jesus went to prepare a place for us after he rose from the dead. John saw the Lamb of God enter the presence of the Father in Revelation 5.

Where was the throne of God?

In Heaven.

Jesus had not yet ascended with His blood at this point in Rev 4. The Father alone was on the throne.

Then we read that Jesus appears.

The Lamb was seen in the holiest, past the cherubimic-veiled barrier, or past the four beasts (the four beasts were the same creatures as the cherubim of Genesis 3:24. And Cherubim were embroidered on the veil that barred the people from entering the Holiest). He ascended with the blood. This was a picture of entering the Holiest of Holies. Why did He go there?

Just as when the High Priest made atonement for the people by entering the holiest with blood of the lamb, Jesus entered the actual holiest with His blood to redeem mankind. And whereas the throne was occupied only by God, we read....

What does this past experience of the overcoming of Christ refer to?

After He prevailed, or overcame, He sat down with the Father on the throne.

That is why we read of the throne of God and of the Lamb . A throne for both God and the Lamb.

Where is that Throne? In Heaven. But as Adam did not build walls to keep the Garden, Heaven did not have walls in chapter 4 and 5. It was the Garden of Genesis removed from earth awaiting another Adam to come and do what the first Adam failed to do -- dress and keep the Garden. Build the Garden into a City. In Revelation 21 this domain is built up and is a City with great walls. Since Calvary there are walls in this domain with the Father.