Max addresses important questions of how and when the fullness of the presence of God would reach its zenith.  Also, he suggests the far-reaching impact of God’s presence with us today.

 

 

IN THE OPENING CHAPTERS of the Bible an account is given of the creation centered on man made in the image of God. In chapter two we are introduced to the garden or “paradise of God” concept as the place of God's dwelling with man. Chapter three reveals the transgression of Adam and his loss of the Living Presence of God. As seen in the aftermath of Adam's fall, God's presence was the determining factor of the paradise and bliss of the Garden of Eden. The grandeur of this marvelous garden is missed when it is sought strictly in terms of its outward, earthly setting. What are rivers of water, fertile soil, fruitful trees, pure gold and precious stones (Gen. 2:9-15) without the presence of the Living God?

 

To Adam's chagrin, he discovered in his separation from God a destructive force that penetrated the very core of his spiritual being, a formidable foe known as death. In keeping with the expressly-stated penalty, Adam experienced the pangs of sin-death immediately, “in the day” he transgressed God's law (Gen. 2:17). His broken relationship with God entailed a loss of life for which his earthly, biological existence could not compensate in quality or quantity. He learned that man out of touch with God is man in touch with dust, "for dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Gen. 3:19). This was the painful reality of Adam's separation from the Living Presence.

 

Adam's expulsion from the garden was punishment for his offense. But more than just punishment, it was the commencement of a redemptive work centered in Christ, the seed of woman, who would in fullness of time bruise the head of Satan and destroy the dominion of sin and death (Gen. 3:15; Rom. 6:9-14; 2 Tim. 1:9,10).

 

The reverse side of God's wrath is God's mercy. God drove Adam out and shut up Eden (Gen. 3:22-24) because an immortality of sin and corruption was not his design for man. The surrendering of Adam to sin's dominion was the first step of God's grace toward Adam's deliverance from the bondage of corruption. Absolute rejection for the purpose of absolute reception is a fundamental law of God in the restoration of fallen man. Ultimately this law was applied to Israel, who, under the law, and by the design of God, was Adam personified until the coming of Christ. The event of Israel's rejection of Jesus was the event of her end-of-the-age reception (Heb. 9:15; Rom. 11:15).

 

From Adam's fall in Genesis 3 to the end of Revelation, the central message of the Bible is paradise lost and paradise restored, except for one very important difference. By Divine design, the restored paradise or city of God (Rev. 21-22) supersedes and transcends the historical, earthly setting of the Garden of Eden. The ultimate, eschatological paradise springs from a transformation/re-creation type of restoration that takes on the image of "the second man from heaven" (1 Cor. 15:45-49). In and through the resurrected Christ all things are made new (Rev. 21:5).

 

Paul, speaking representatively of Israel, and fully conscious of the transitional character of his time, said, "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Cor. 15:49). Israel was chosen to bear the image of the first man Adam (who is of the earth, earthy) until the coming of the second man (who is the Lord from heaven), verse 47. The offense of Adam was duplicated and magnified in Israel under the law. Paul said, "Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound" (Rom. 5:20; 7:12, 13). In this manner bondage to corruption was brought to a head through fleshly Israel, the sons of the bondwoman (Gal. 4:21-31; 5:1; Rom. 8:15-23).

 

As with Adam, Israel was "subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope" (Rom. 8:20). The hope of Israel was Christ, "the second man from heaven" (1Cor. 15:47).  Paul said that "Christ became a servant of the Jewish people to maintain the truth of God by making good his promises to the patriarchs" (Rom. 15:8, NEB). From that perspective Paul, in anticipation of Israel's end-of-the-age consummation, made the pointed observation, "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." This is a reiteration of Christ's statement, "salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22).

 

At this point the transcendental nature of the greater, heavenly paradise—the New Jerusalem of the new creation in Christ—comes to surface (Rev. 21-22). The goal of God's eternal purpose in Christ was not a return to the original, historical paradise. Neither was it God's intention to restore Israel to her former Old Testament state of affairs. The direction of the promise was onward and upward (Heb. 6:1; 11:9-16; Col. 3:1-4). The things of the earthly paradise were an image of "things to come" in the ‘transcendental’ paradise.

 

Between Adam and Christ stood Old Testament Israel in whom the earthly image was taken up and diversified in the multiple types, patterns, and shadows of the law (Col. 2:16, 17; Heb. 8:5; 9:8-11; 10:1). Not surprisingly, therefore, we find John in the Book of Revelation symbolizing the greater paradise by drawing from the Old Testament prophets who pictured the future blessedness of Israel (and all the nations) by employing Garden of Eden imagery.

 

Isaiah, for example, pointed to the time when "the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord" (51:3).

 

Likewise, the prophet Ezekiel saw a river that flowed out from the temple, with trees on both banks. Accordingly, he wrote, "their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine" (Ezekiel 47:12).

 

Zechariah, in the context of God's judgment on earthly Jerusalem (a destruction whereby the New Jerusalem is revealed) wrote, "And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea; in both summer and winter it shall occur. And the Lord shall be King over all the earth.  In that day it shall be—‘The Lord is one,’ and His name one" (14:8, 9).

As already suggested, the symbols of paradise (drawn from historical Eden and intermingled with Israel's Old Testament prophecies and shadows) were clear indicators that the restored paradise of God is reached through Israel's consummation in Christ. This is manifested in John's disclosure of the perfect state of God's glory (Rev.21-22).

 

In chapter 21, the New Jerusalem (the Lamb's wife) is described in terms of the typical, earthly Jerusalem in the land of Canaan. In chapter 22, the city's abundance of life is set forth in the imagery of the Garden of Eden. The symbolisms of the Old Testament garden and city of God are combined to portray the fullness and the glory of the spiritual realities in the heavenly paradise, particularly God's restored presence among men.

 

Chapter 21 opens with John's vision of a new heaven and a new earth, the old having fled from before the face or presence of him that sat upon the great white throne (20:11). The new creation brings forth the New Jerusalem from God out of heaven (21:2). The backdrop of its coming is the destruction of the once “faithful city” (Isa.1:21), which became the corrupted, harlot-city (earthly Jerusalem, Rev.17:1-6), wherein "our Lord was crucified" (11:8). The New Jerusalem is the bride, the Lamb's wife (21:9). When the harlot-city falls, the great multitude announces, "The marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready” (19:1-9).

 

John is taken to "a great and high mountain" to view "the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God" (21:9-11). It had a great and high wall with twelve gates, on which were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (v.12). This mirrors the way Israel’s New Jerusalem comes in the place of her Old Jerusalem. This New Testament fulfillment is accented in verse 14, where we learn that "the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." Unquestionably these were the "foundations”of the city, for which Abraham looked, "whose builder and maker is God" (Heb.11:10; see Eph.2:20-22).

 

The city is equal in length, breadth, and height, making it a perfect cube (21:16), as typified by the holy of holies in the ancient temple (1 Kings 6:20). However, unlike the old Jerusalem, John sees no separate temple or house of God in the New Jerusalem because the entire city is indwelt by "God Almighty and the Lamb" (21:22). There is no need of the sun or moon because of the brightness of God's glory and the light of the Lamb (v.24). Saved nations walk in the light of it (v. 24). The city is inhabited by those written in the Lamb's book of life; anything able to cause an abomination "shall by no means enter it" (v. 27; 22:15).

 

But there is more. In the first five verses of chapter 22, more paradise imagery flows. John sees the pure river of life proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. On either side of the river is the tree of life bearing twelve fruits every month. The tree’s leaves are for the healing of the nations.  The city's abundance of life derives from Christ's mission and message (John 10:10).

 

The centrality and predominance of "the throne of God and of the Lamb" reflect the fulfillment of all kingdom prophecies. From the perspective of fallen man, the kingdom is restored (Acts 1:6) and established in power (Mark 9:1; Rev. 12:10) to the effect that through Christ the saints possess the kingdom (Dan. 7:21; 22; Heb. 12:28). Accordingly, "they shall reign forever and ever" (22:5; 11:15), for "His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed" (Dan. 7:14. See also Isa. 9:6, 7; Luke 1:32, 33; Heb. 1:8; Rev. 11:15).

 

Thus far we have made an abbreviated journey (far too briefly) through centuries of redemptive history in order to lay the groundwork for elaborating on the concept of The Living Presence.

 

It is said of those entering God's restored paradise that "they shall see his face" (Rev. 22:4). The face of God denotes the fullness of his presence and glory. It means redeemed humanity has been restored to God's fellowship to the fullest extent possible.

 

But the predominant questions are, when and how is this goal reached? Has it been fulfilled in Christ already, or must we wait for a future realization of God's Living Presence in the New Jerusalem? The answer to this question is extremely important. It has a tremendous impact on the way we perceive our state and standing before God today. This in turn impacts every aspect of our lives, the way we feel, think, live, understand the Bible, worship God, and in general, cope with the daily problems, pressures, and challenges of life.

 

Often we hear or read statements to the effect that now "we see in a glass, darkly, but someday we shall see face to face" - as though Paul's "now" (1 Cor. 13:12; 2 Cor.3:18) must be everybody's "now" throughout all generations.

 

However, if the Spirit's completed work in apostolic times did not bring the "face to face" vision of God's glory and presence, it would mean that the New Jerusalem is yet to come, even though the Old Jerusalem (the harlot-city) was destroyed 2,000 years ago. The bride still is getting ready for the marriage of the Lamb. It would mean that we are not able to walk in the light of the city of God, we cannot drink of the water of life, and we are unable to eat of the tree of life.

 

Furthermore, if we don't have the city or paradise of God today, there are no leaves for the healing of the nations (22:2). And what about the invitation of the Spirit and the bride to those athirst to come and "take the water of life freely” (22:17)? Is this invitation merely a dangling carrot to coax the thirsty wanderer through a dry, barren land until the city of God is reached in a prolonged future? Are we living in a long drawn-out wilderness journey toward the heavenly Canaan?

 

We know why God made Israel journey forty years in the wilderness, but has God made us wander over fifty times longer (to date)? Have we in some manner sinned fifty times worse than did Israel? Or is it possible we have not grasped the full meaning of the forty-year period from the cross to the A.D. 70 consummation of Israel?

 

I am fully aware that most Christians believe God and Christ are present today through the Spirit, notwithstanding the considerable disagreement as to the meaning of the Spirit's presence. But this does not answer questions about the time and meaning of Christ's absence and the ultimate face-to-face presence of God. What is the meaning of John 14:1-6? Christ went away to prepare a place for his disciples with the promise of coming and receiving them unto himself. Christ leaves and the Spirit is sent (John 14:26-29). What is the relation between the presence of the Spirit and the absence of Christ? Did the Spirit's work of disclosing “the things to come” (the things of Christ given to him of the Father, John 16:12-15) have anything to do with Christ's preparing a place to receive his disciples unto himself in the house of God's presence? Is Christ's work of "preparation" related to the Spirit's work of "revelation"?

 

Further, if Christ went away in order to be "revealed from heaven" (2 Thess.1:7), would not ‘heaven’ be the ‘place’ or ‘realm’ (the world above, the world to come, the new creation) for "the things of Christ" that the Spirit was sent to "disclose" (John 16:13-16)? Therefore, would not Christ's work of preparing a place for his disciples be completed when the Spirit's work of disclosing the things of Christ was finished?

 

What more is needed for the "revelation of Christ" than the completed revelation of "his things" of "his world" wherein one obtains the blessings of paradise revealed to John in Revelation 21-22? Significantly, John wrote about things which were "at hand," and which would "shortly come to pass" (Rev.1:1-3; 22:6-10), which is called The Revelation of Jesus Christ (1:1)

 

Questions of equal magnitude about the when and how of God's restored presence are raised in the "tabernacle of God" passages.

 

In connection with the coming of the New Jerusalem John said he 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" (Rev. 21:3). Are we waiting still for this tabernacle of God's restored presence?

 

In the Old Testament the tabernacle (first in the wilderness and later in the temple) was the place of God's dwelling with Israel (Lev. 26:11). His presence, however, was restricted to the "holy of holies" (Ex. 25:22; Isa. 37:16), which the high priest entered alone once every year with the blood of atonement for himself and the sins of Israel (Heb. 9:7). This earthly "holy of holies" was a type of the greater tabernacle to come, wherein all of God's people have access to the open and unrestricted presence of God.

 

Revelation 21:3 is the fulfillment of Ezekiel 37 where God promised to make "a covenant of peace" with Israel, and set his "sanctuary in their midst forevermore.” At that time, God said, "My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore" (vv. 26-28).

 

Pentecost (Acts 2) cannot be the fulfillment of this tabernacle promise, since years later it is one of the things revealed by John that would shortly come to pass. If not Pentecost, is the only alternative the supposed end of the “Christian age” sometime in our future? Or could its fulfillment be tied to the destruction of the old temple and the passing of the earthly sanctuary (Heb. 9)?

 

From this perspective we discover Christ's role as the forerunner who had entered “the Presence behind the veil” (Heb. 6:19, 20). This corresponds to his entrance "into the Holiest of All…the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands" (Heb. 9:8-12). Furthermore, "the Presence behind the veil" (the holiest of all) is called "heaven" in Hebrews 9:24.  The Old Covenant tabernacle foreshadowed this heavenly sanctuary of the New Covenant (Heb. 8:1-6; 9:23-24).

 

Additionally, we read that the saints of that day were exhorted to have "boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus" (Heb. 10:19-39).  This exhortation was based on their seeing the day approaching (10:25) and their Old Covenant state of affairs about to vanish away (8:13).

 

This end-of-the-age consummation is the focus of John 14:1-6 and the fulfillment of Christ's promise to receive his disciples unto himself, "that where 1 am, there you may be also" (John 14.3). Bear in mind that Christ, as a forerunner, entered into “heaven” or into "the Presence behind the veil." From that viewpoint, being received into ‘heaven,’ into the ‘holiest of all,’ into the ‘place’ of God's presence (Heb. 9:24) is the fulfillment of John 14:1-6 and Heb. 9:8; 10:19-39.

 

Traditionally we have failed to see that sometimes ‘heaven’ or ‘heavenly’ are used to denote the New Covenant realm or state of glory in contrast to Israel's earthly, Old Covenant mode of existence.

 

If Israel's earthly tabernacle has passed away, and the heavenly antitype still has not arrived, does this not make us today a "tabernacle-less" people between Israel's earthly and their promised heavenly tabernacle? But if Ezekiel 37:26-28 has become a reality the greater tabernacle of God's presence has arrived, and God dwells among his people (Rev. 21:3).

 

We will deal with these and other texts and questions pertaining to the coming of the New Jerusalem and the restored presence of the Living God throughout this series of articles. We will examine the New Testament setting against the Old Testament background for the ultimate, eschatological arrival of "the things to come" (John 16:13) given to Christ of the Father, otherwise known as "the heavenly things," or "the things in the heavens" (Heb. 9:23).

 

This not only has a bearing on our grasping the time and manner of Old Testament fulfillment, it is crucial for appreciating the meaning and fullness of our rich heritage through Christ today.

 

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