The Redeeming Lamb is Present in New Jerusalem
God’s eternal purpose is to bring forth His corporate expression in humanity—New Jerusalem. This intention came before, and is not a reaction to sin and death which entered in Genesis 3. This is why there is no picture of redemption in Genesis 2, only the tree of life, the river of life, and Adam (a picture of Christ) with Eve (a picture of the church).
In Genesis 2 there was only the tree of life without the Lamb. But in Revelation 22 there is the tree of life with the Lamb. The tree of life grows in the river of water of life, which flows out of the throne, not only of God but also of the Lamb. The Lamb is not implied until Genesis 3, when Jehovah God made coats of skin to clothe Adam and Eve after man’s fall.*
Jesus Christ accomplished all that God required to forgive men of their sins, to cleanse us, and to impart His divine life into us. Once sin came in, redemption was a necessary step but it alone cannot reach God’s goal.
New Jerusalem, God’s goal, is a city of life. Its forerunner in this time is the Body of Christ which, by means of the bountiful flow of life from the Head Christ, experiences “the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love” (Eph. 4:16). New Jerusalem is a living city built by the growth, the increase, of Christ in all His members.
* From chapter 29, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986.
Photo courtesy of NASA, JPL, Caltech.
Posted by Don on January 4, 2023
