The Reflections of the Cross – a series on the cross of Jesus.
Every point of need to live the Christian life is met by Jesus on the cross.
The Lord gave me a word on the morning of Sunday 15th October 2017 ‘Jesus the seed that died on the cross contains the new heaven and the new earth.’
Millions of people across the world who have not read the Bible won’t know about God’s promise of a new heaven and earth reserved for God’s people.
The Apostle Peter writing almost two thousand years ago foresaw the continuing downward slide of humanity’s sin, where the majority of people’s thoughts and activities exclude any reference or acknowledgement of God.
God has said through his prophets he will make an end of sin and dissolve the earth and the heavens with fire and they will be replaced by a new earth and a new heaven.
Peter’s second letter he writes that they (Earth and Heaven) will be dissolved with fire, “And the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.”
I do not want to produce a climate of fear by writing this in order to turn hearts to Christ. I have been prompted by the word that came into my mind to make known the Bible’s prophecy. There is already fear in people’s hearts and minds over the threat of mankind’s capability to extinguish life on the earth through nuclear wars breaking out.
Matthew recorded Jesus’ words in regard to the close of the age.
Jesus gave us a sequence of events that will lead to the dissolving of the earth. Part of these things he mentioned have already come to pass: the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem 70AD, and wars kingdom against kingdom nation against nation.
In more recent times as the prophecy of Jesus nears the close of the age, the escalation of violence and evil has brought about two world wars, and civil wars continue to intensify world tensions among world leaders. Idolatry of leaders will increase as people worship someone they can see and believe in. There have been false Christ’s on the world scene who have established cultural and spiritual change, the setting up of Communism a humanistic society that promotes disbelief in God and ‘the Age of Aquarius’ New Age spirituality that combines themes from various religions and the search for utopia, happiness through self satisfaction. These have coincided with the space age and the movie maker’s imagination has had the technology to put their ideas and prophecies into a visual media that is false.
The pollution of the planet, the seas are warming up causing huge hurricane storms and flooding, the deserts are increasing in size causing drought, famines, and disease. The pollution of our atmosphere with CO2’s. But things are to get worse even with the increase of knowledge. Matthew 24: 1-31.
Peter continues: he spoke of the day of God, on that day God enforces his Godly judgement on the world. “Waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved and the elements will melt with fire! But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” 2 Peter 3: 10-13
Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians points to the coming judgement on the world.
5 “This is evidence of the righteous judgement of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saint, and to be marvelled by all those who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.” 2 Thessalonians 1: 5-9.
Jesus tells us that we are accountable for the life that we live here on the earth, although in his ministry during those three years he said that he came not as a judge but as a Saviour. He spoke of the fire of judgement that he knew he would bring in to the world at a future date. “I came to cast a fire upon the earth and would that it were already kindled. I have a baptism to be baptised with and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!” Luke 12: 49, 50. The baptism that Jesus spoke of was of his death on the cross at Jerusalem.
The cross of Jesus – Jesus the imperishable seed has within its makeup, a new heaven and a new earth.
A seed is complete it contains everything it’s going to be, what it is, its colour, height, shape of leaves, flowers and seeds for future growth, one seed produces many more. But in that process of production of wheat, the seed dies, it reduces in size. The seed has to germinate before it can start to grow. Most seeds are planted in the soil where they germinate.
Jesus the seed that died on the cross and was taken down and placed in the darkness of the tomb. The grain of wheat, the wheat seed Jesus referred to when he said, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12: 24
God gave Jesus’ dead body new life; his life of his body, his flesh was no longer in his blood, as it was poured out when the soldier pierced his heart. Luke records Jesus’ resurrected body consisting of flesh and bones, but his resurrected flesh having the ability to go through solid objects like doors and walls. Luke 24:39. John 20: 19.
The 120 people gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem were the ‘first fruits’ to receive the imperishable seed through their faith in Jesus. Acts 1: 15. 2: 1.
Peter wrote of believers being Christ-like in receiving the imperishable seed.
“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart. 23 You have been born anew, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord abides for ever.”
That word is the good news which was preached to you”.
Through our faith in Jesus we receive the imperishable seed and also our inheritance is the new earth and the new heavens, while those who do not believe through the prophecy will be burnt up with the fire that will dissolve the earth and heaven.
The Book of Revelation
John in his vision on the Isle of Pathos recorded seeing a great white throne where the final judgement will take place and the opening of the books. In these books are written the names of believers and unbelievers.
But before this judgement takes place John wrote, “Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it; from his presence earth and sky fled away.” Rev 20: 11. In Rev 21.1”Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more.”
The Bible speaks of there being more than one heaven.
He quotes Genesis 1: 1. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The word ‘heavens’ indicates more than one heaven.
We read that the first heaven and the first earth pass away are dissolved including the sea. in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians he spoke of a man caught up in the third heaven, where God has his kingdom and also where Paradise is located, so logic determines there must be a second. The second is described by some theologians as being in space where the stars and planets are found. Exodus 32: 13. Nehemiah 9: 6.
There will be a new earth and a new heaven, on the new earth, the children of God will reside and new heavens will be free from the devil and his kingdom. This will one day become a reality
There we will live out our eternal life. Isaiah wrote about this, he described it as a place of peace and fulfilment where our lives are blessed continually as we don’t devour one another with self preservation, interest and desires and where animals like the lion and the lamb live together on a different diet than here on earth.
The New Jerusalem is already in existence in heaven.
Jesus is the creator of all things.
The New Testament writers reveal Jesus the word of God clothed in the flesh. John the Apostle wrote in his Gospel that Jesus is the Word of God, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” and in his first letter he wrote, “We have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-the life was made manifest and we saw it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us.”
Jesus is the spoken word of God, and by God’s word he created life. “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. . . upholding the universe by his word of power when he had made purification of our sins, when he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Hebrews 1: 1-3.
The fact is that truth stands the test of time whether we believe it or not.