210. Point Out the Various Scriptures Which Describe the Eternal State.
The very few passages which speak directly of the eternal state are as follows — 1 Cor. 15:24-2824Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:24‑28); 2 Pet. 3:12-1312Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (2 Peter 3:12‑13); Rev. 21:1-81And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:1‑8).
1 Corinthians 15:24-2824Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:24‑28) 24Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
2 Peter 3:12-1312Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (2 Peter 3:12‑13) 12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Revelation 21:1-81And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:1‑8) 1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
As man, Christ has gone to “receive” the kingdom (Luke 19:1212He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. (Luke 19:12)), and as man He will maintain it in righteousness, putting down all opposing rule, authority and power. When the subjugation of His foes is complete, the last enemy that is destroyed being death, then the blessed and only worthy One will “deliver up the kingdom” to God, even the Father. He receives the kingdom, and administers it for one thousand years in subjection to God, and delivers it up in the same perfection as He received it. Every previous steward had proved unfaithful; not one had delivered up what they had received. “And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.” Manhood once taken up will never be laid aside, but all delegated authority will cease, and as such the Son Himself will be subject, not cease to be “Son.” The words are used in contrast to delegated authority exercised by the Son. When the hand of God will create a scene altogether according to Himself, and He will rest in His love, then God alone, in His nature and in the moral perfections of His being, will become the rest of man and creation in the eternal ages. God will be all in all.
212. What Is the Great Moral Distinction Between the Millennium and the Eternal State?
The millennium is the subject of counsel and prophecy. It is the period when everything committed to man, Israel and the Church having been sinned away, will be administered in perfection in Christ, the Second Man.
The eternal state is neither the subject of promise nor prophecy; it is nowhere revealed in the Old Testament, but is the fruit of what God is in Himself; “God is light” and “ God is love.” In the millennium we see the accomplishment of God’s purposes for the glory of Christ, and the blessing of man. In the eternal state — which is the force of what God is in Himself — everything will witness to that absolute perfection conveyed in that beautiful sentence, “God, all in all.” In the millennium righteousness will “reign” because of the presence of evil, the state not being a perfect one, but in the everlasting condition righteousness will dwell, because the state is set in absolute goodness.
213. What Are the Main Features, and What the Characteristic Blessing of the Eternal State?
The fullest and most comprehensive statement as to the everlasting and absolutely perfect condition succeeding the millennium is in Revelation 21:1-51And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21:1‑5). All time distinctions are gone. We have passed into eternity. We have seen the complete dissolution of all things. “The Great White Throne” has been set up, and the wicked “dead, small and great,” gathered around it to receive from the lips of the Judge their final and irrevocable doom. They are upheld in space by the power of God, for the earth and heaven have fled away; raised in time, but judged in eternity. Then follows those magnificent verses, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth.” Thus an everlasting distinction will exist between heavenly and earthly saints. The bride will joy in that she is the Bridegroom’s, while the Bridegroom’s friends will rejoice in His immediate presence (John 3:2929He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. (John 3:29)). The blessing of all will be fully secured. Into this new created world the bride descends from God and takes up her abode as His tabernacle. “Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband,” she is thus represented as still wearing her bridal robes (Rev. 19:7-97Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 9And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. (Revelation 19:7‑9)), and entering the everlasting state after the thousand years’ reign, in the freshness and beauty of bridal affection and established relationship. The “bride” tells of love; the “Husband” speaks of relationship. God will dwell with (not over, as in the kingdom) men in His tabernacle, the Church; He will rest in His love (Zeph. 3:1717The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)). Neither Israel, nor nations as such, will have any place in that grand condition. Another marked feature will be the absence of the sea; now indispensable for the life of man and creation, then no longer needed, for God Himself dwelling in the midst of His new creation will be its life, its rest, its joy. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” For full a thousand years the Bride had ceased to weep, but saints on earth during the period of the millennial reign will witness one scene of judgment after another, the most terrible and appalling being at the close (Rev. 20:7-107And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:7‑10)); now, however, they will weep no more, for God Himself, blessed for ever be His adorable name! will wipe away all tears from their eyes. Death, sorrow, crying, and pain, shall never enter that scene, disturb its rest, or interrupt its joys. God will impress these deathless and blessed regions with the stamp of His own infinite perfection.
As to the characteristic blessing of the everlasting condition, read Revelation 21:55And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21:5), “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write, for these words are true and faithful.” Everything that would remind us of the world, its ways, its changing scenes, its sins and its sorrows, will be banished from these regions of fadeless and eternal delight. May the Holy Spirit expound in power and sweetness to our hearts that ineffably blessed sentence, “Behold I make all things new.” Amen and amen.
Revelation 21:1-51And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21:1‑5) 1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Revelation 19:7-97Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 9And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. (Revelation 19:7‑9) 7Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 9And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Revelation 20:7-107And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:7‑10) 7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
214. Is the Expression, “There Was No More Sea,” to Be Understood Literally?
Yes. It will be observed that in the passage where the statement occurs, a material heaven and earth, entirely new in all respects, is spoken of. Revelation 21:11And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (Revelation 21:1) must be accepted as literal statement of what will shortly be fact.
215. Is the Eternal State the Subject of Prophecy?
No. The millennium or kingdom is, after the sacrifice of Christ, the great burden of Old Testament Scripture and part of the New; but the grand, absolutely perfect, eternal condition is not the accomplishment of counsel merely, or of Scripture, but is the fruit or force of what God is in Himself. Because God is God He must have a state or condition according to His nature, one displaying the perfection of light and love.