The creation fell, so God came in to redeem; yet some of the creation would not receive redemption. Therefore, He came in and did some clearing up. This clearing up is judgment, and His judgment is directed toward three parties.
The churches should be fully redeemed; yet there are some unredeemable elements that have been brought into the churches. For example, the flesh, the will of man, the world, sin, the things of the devil, and corrupted things are being judged by God. The seven epistles in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 tell us that all the churches throughout the generations have had some unredeemable elements. Therefore, at the very beginning of Revelation the redeeming Lord comes as the judging Lord to judge all of His redeemed churches. When He is manifested, His eyes are like a flame of fire, a sharp two-edged sword proceeds out of His mouth, and His feet are like shining bronze; this is a scene of judgment.
Revelation is a book on judgment. The first three chapters are on the judgment of the church, and chapters 4 through 20 are on the judgment of the world. Every unredeemed person, thing, or matter in the world will suffer God’s judgment in the last day, which is signified by the judgment of Babylon, the great city.
Lastly, God will judge His adversary, Satan, and the tools used by Satan, which are death and Hades. Everything that has gone through God’s judgment will ultimately be thrown into the lake of fire; all that remains will be the redeemed, who will gather in the New Jerusalem in the end.
God’s plan is completed in Revelation 21 and 22.
A new universe, a new sphere, will appear. Then God will declare, “They have come to pass” (21:6) and “Behold, I make all things new” (v. 5). What should be put away will be put away, and what should be gained will be gained.
The new heaven and the new earth will be the new sphere, and the New Jerusalem will be the new center. This New Jerusalem is the glorious expression of God in His Son through those who have been redeemed throughout the ages. In eternity without end, as Romans 9 says, the lake of fire will be the vessel making known God’s wrath, and the New Jerusalem will be the vessel making known God’s glory (vv. 22-23). At this point the works of God will be complete.
The second group of the works of God also consists of five main points.
Romans 1:19-20, Psalm 19:1-3, Acts 14:15-17, and 17:26-27 all show us that God has proven Himself through the heaven and the earth, which He created.
Hebrews 1:1-2, 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21, and Matthew 22:31 all refer to a speaking God. God has proven Himself by creating the heavens and the earth, and God has spoken concerning Himself in the Holy Scriptures.
First Timothy 3:16 and John 1:14 say that God has come, becoming flesh and tabernacling among us. Not only has He been proven and spoken, He has come.
After God passed through death and resurrection, He ascended and descended in the Spirit and is able to enter into man (John 14:16-19).
Revelation 21 and 22 say that in the end God will dwell in the holy city, New Jerusalem, taking the holy city as His dwelling place for His expression.
If we look at these two groups of the works of God, we will see what God is doing in the universe. When we read through the names of God, the attributes of God, and the works of God, the Bible will become clear and transparent to us.