Read and pray: “for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Heb. 11:10)
BUILDING AS GOD'S ONLY GOAL
We should not think that after God saves all of us sinners and finishes building mansions for us in heaven, He will come and take us to live in them. God has only one work of building in the universe, in which sinners are saved to become building materials that are then blended with God.
The heavenly element is also part of this blending. This is God's building, where God takes man as His dwelling place and man takes God as his habitation. This is a mysterious dwelling; it is “the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10). In the entire universe, God has only this one work, this one building. In this building God is blended with man, and heaven is joined to earth.
The whole Bible shows us God's work of building, whose consummation is the manifestation of the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is God in man, that is, God taking man as His dwelling. It is also man in God, that is, man taking God as his dwelling place. In the end, God and man, man and God will be blended. God brings heaven into the New Jerusalem; in it are the heavenly condition and element.
Furthermore, the New Jerusalem is not only expressed on earth, but also joined to the earth. God and man are blended; heaven and earth are united. Man takes God as his dwelling, and God takes man as His habitation. This is God’s building in the universe.
Although it is called a place because heaven is included and expressed on the earth, it is also a person because God is in man. This is what God is building today: the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. This building is the place the Lord is preparing. For this reason, Revelation 21:2 uses the word prepared: “The New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (RCV).
The goal of God’s work is the building: for this He saves sinners and instructs the saints. The New Jerusalem is composed of all the saved believers. According to Revelation 21, the city has a wall and twelve gates. The names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel are inscribed on them, and the wall has twelve foundations with the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (vv. 12-14).
God is not building a dwelling place with the purpose of taking us there when it is finished. This is not according to the revelation of the Bible. We are the house, the dwelling, that God is building. We are the temple of God, His dwelling place through the Holy Spirit. As living stones, we are being built up as a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5). In its completion, the temple will expand to become a city. For this reason, there is no temple in this city (Rev. 21:22). The city is the expansion of the temple.
God's work is to build a dwelling place for Himself in the universe. For this reason, in speaking of the city, verse 3 says it is the tabernacle of God with men, and He will dwell (literally, tabernacle) with them. Saving sinners and instructing saints are not God's goal. He saves sinners and instructs saints to obtain a building on the earth. His building is a corporate man, not an individual. This is His dwelling.
John 14 shows what God is doing today in the universe. Saving sinners and instructing saints is only part of His work. He is doing a work of building and wants to prepare a dwelling place. This dwelling is a mysterious entity. It is God blending Himself with man and transforming him into Himself. This building also includes the heavenly element, and heaven is joined to earth. This is the work God is carrying out today.
If we can understand this point as we read the New Testament, we will be greatly enlightened and understand the meaning of the New Jerusalem and the church. We will also understand what our goal and purpose in the Lord’s work are. We are not here merely to save sinners and instruct saints. Rather, our goal is God's building, His dwelling place on earth.
God is doing a work of building. The Gospel of John, Acts of the Apostles, and the epistles show us the stones to be used in God's building. Acts 4:11 says that Christ is the cornerstone; Ephesians 2:22 says we are being built in Him into a dwelling place of God. In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul says that we are God’s building (v. 9) and that we should take care how we build (v. 10). “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, each one’s work will become manifest” (vv. 12-13a).
Hebrews 11:10 speaks of “the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” God is designing and building a city. According to verse 40, the saints of the Old Testament need the believers of the New Testament to receive God's promise. Although Abraham was built by God, many in the New Testament times were not. As a result, the city has not yet been manifested. However, it will be manifested and will be prepared and built at the end of Revelation. Revelation 21:3 clearly says that the New Jerusalem is God “tabernacling” with men.
It is full of the heavenly element but is expressed on the earth. It is the union of heaven with earth, man and God blended. It is not a blessing for spiritual believers individually. The temple of God becomes a city, the dwelling place of God. This is what He desires and is doing. This is His goal, His central work.
Enjoy more: Hymn 305
How wonderful is such communion!”
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