The Fulfillment of God’s Eternal Purpose (2)
God purposed in eternity, then created in time. Satan rebelled and corrupted man. As a result, since man was the leading part of creation, “the creation was made subject to vanity” (Rom. 8:20).
God could have destroyed Satan directly but chose not to do this to one of His creatures. Instead, God prepared another creature, man, to remove the rebellious creature Satan. The removal was completed by the beginning of the new earth and, in New Jerusalem, Revelation 22:5 says specifically that God’s people “will reign forever and ever.”
God wanted man to have dominion over the earth and to destroy Satan. Now man is reigning, and Satan has been cast into the lake of fire. God’s purpose for the man He created has been attained. On the one hand, God wanted man to be like Himself, and on the other hand, God’s appointed work for man was that he should rule. Now we have seen a bride—golden, glorious, and beautiful—with all kinds of treasure within her….She is truly clothed with glory.*
New Jerusalem is the bride, the wife of the Lamb, having the glory of God (Rev. 21:9-11). This is the consummation of the Lord’s work described in Ephesians 5, “that He might present the church to Himself glorious.”
* 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 September 9, 2022
