New Jerusalem Coming Out of Heaven from God
Revelation 21:2 speaks of “the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven.” Further, 21:10 tells us that this coming down is “from God.”
This city comes down out of heaven from God. This means that God not only is concerned about the destination of this corporate man, but also about the place from which this corporate man comes. The New Jerusalem is from heaven, not from earth. God is not showing us a man with a history of sin, who was later saved. (This is not to say that we do not have a history of sin and that we do not need to repent and be saved by grace.) Rather, this passage shows us only that portion which is out from God. It shows us the glorious church of Ephesians 5 which is to be presented to Christ.*
First Thessalonians 5:23 reveals that man is of three parts—spirit, soul, and body. When we initially repented and believed into Christ, our spirit was born of the Spirit (John 3:6). Following that we are continually being transformed, renewed; this also is from the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18; Titus 3:5). When the Lord returns our body will be transfigured by the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20-21); this is the redemption of our body (Rom. 8:23).
Thus, our entire being is reconstituted by God. At the same time each of us is being joined and knit together with other believers to be built together as the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:16). This takes places by the living outflow from Christ the Head through all the members of the Body (4:15-16).
The culmination of this building process is the glorious church in Ephesians 5 which becomes the bride, the New Jerusalem, in Revelation 21.
* From chapter 5 of The Glorious Church by Watchman Nee, published and © by Living Stream Ministry, available at www.ministrybooks.org/ and www.livingstream.com/en/the-church/8012401-glorious-church-the.html.
Posted by Don on May 18, 2022
