If we would present all these rich points in our messages to the saints, I do believe we could use all these points for preaching the gospel. We can preach the gospel with all these items to the sinners to show them what the ultimate consummation of God’s salvation is. We can show them that the ultimate consummation of God’s salvation is to enjoy God in His Trinity in such a wonderful, excellent, bountiful, and marvelous way. Do not think that the sinners cannot understand. With the proper presentation I believe they can understand. We must point out all the blessings. The temple as our particular, peculiar, high ranked dwelling place is God Himself. Every item is a person, not a matter or a thing but the person of the Triune God. You must tell them what kind of Triune God we have. Such a Triune God eventually will be our high ranked dwelling place in eternity forever. A person is our dwelling place. He Himself is the city, the house. He is also the light, the tree, and the river. All these items are the Triune person, the Triune God. Even the street we walk on is the divine person. The threefold person is our street, our bread, and our drink. This is marvelous. He is our way, He is our living, He is our food, and He is our drink. Then you can tell the listening sinners that they can enjoy this right now. This person is their Creator, God; He is their Redeemer, the Lamb; and He is their Regenerator, the living water. You must tell them that right away they can enjoy God as their Creator, the Lamb as their Redeemer, and the living water, the Spirit, as their Regenerator. They will be regenerated and their regeneration will be the entrance into this wonderful, bountiful, marvelous enjoyment. I believe the sinners will be able to understand. It all depends in what way we present these matters. There is the need of our “cooking.” If we cook these matters, we can preach the very best gospel from the New Jerusalem. Do not think I have finished the consummation. Actually, more messages are needed to finish this consummation. I have just given you a small taste.
After hearing this, some dissenters who have some biblical knowledge in a traditional way may refer you to Hebrews 11. He may read you verses 9 and 10 which tell us, “By faith he [Abraham] dwelt as a foreigner in the land of promise as in a foreign land, making his home in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise; for he eagerly waited for the city which has the foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God.” The dissenters would argue that Abraham was waiting for a city, considering himself to have no land and no place. He was waiting for a city built by God as the Architect and as the Maker. This city must be a real city. Then they may quote verse 14 which says, “For those who say such things make it manifest that they seek a country of their own.” At this point you must ask them what the country is. Is it Palestine? He would surely say that the country is heaven. If he says this he has lost his case already because you can tell him that the New Jerusalem will come down out of heaven (Rev. 21:10). The New Jerusalem which they think is a physical city will leave the country which Abraham waited for. Abraham was seeking a country they treasure, but eventually the very “heavenly mansion” will come down from that country, leaving that country in the heavens.
They might also read verses 15 and 16 which say, “And if indeed they had continued to remember that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return; but as it is, they longed after a better country, that is, a heavenly one.” To them heaven is the better country. But we must keep in mind that this verse does not say a country in the heavens but a heavenly country. An American in America has a different denotation than an American man. The rest of verse 16 says, “Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” They might then ask you, “Is not this city the New Jerusalem?” Their understanding in their natural mentality is that the New Jerusalem will be a physical, material city. But brothers, we must be very conversant with the spiritual understanding of such an item in the Bible.
The Triune God made a plan in eternity past. He has been carrying out an economy throughout all the centuries. The Son came through incarnation, lived on this earth for thirty-three and a half years, died on the cross, and was resurrected and ascended. Then the Spirit came and worked out many wonderful things. Eventually, do you believe that as a conclusion God would merely build a physical city for His redeemed people to live in? This is too low. The New Jerusalem is a city, but what kind of city is it? Is it a physical, material city? Some might say that it is such a city of gold, pearls, and precious stones. When they say this we must refer them to 1 Corinthians 3. Paul said that he had laid the unique foundation and he charged us to be careful how we build upon it. We should build with gold, silver, and precious stones to build the church. Then we need to ask them if we build the church today with real gold, silver, and precious stones. Surely they would say that Paul was not referring to real gold, silver, and precious stones. We must then tell them that the New Jerusalem should be interpreted in the same way and that the New Jerusalem is the consummation of the building in 1 Corinthians 3. In 1 Corinthians 3 the building is in the process and has not yet been consummated. The New Jerusalem is the consummation of that building. Abraham was waiting for a city, not a material city, but a marvelous city built with the Father’s nature, with the Son’s redemption, and with the Spirit’s transformation. This fellowship may help us see this vision and after seeing this vision how to help others.