So far we have read about the judgement of God that will bring to an end the present material and celestial orders. However, what will become of the new humanity that God is redeeming for Himself? The Bible never gives us a detailed account of God’s plans for the world to come, in fact it specifically tells us that we aren’t even able to comprehend those truths (1 Cor 2:9). That said it does give us several glimpses into that reality, at least in forms that we are able to apprehend, so as to comfort us as we go through afflictions in our present life. These glimpses strengthen the Christian’s resolve to persevere in the faith, knowing what lies ahead. These glimpses are of things promised to us by God Himself and therefore we can be certain that we will inherit those promises if we persevere in Christ.
Tag: Celestial Order
Of Last Things: Part 2 – The End of the Present Celestial Order
We have seen how the created order consists of both a material and a celestial component and how these realities reflect each other. At Babel God divided the nations as an inheritance to powerful celestial beings called the sons of God. These beings had rebelled against God under the banner of Satan. Earthly nations were ordained to be a manifestation of their rule from the high places. These beings, along with the sons of God and angels who were loyal to YHWH formed God’s Divine Council. This forms the basis for the present celestial order. Even though these beings were cast out of the Divine Council on Christ’s ascension, that established order whereby the sons of God rule over the nations of this world remains - Satan himself retaining the title of god of this world (2 Cor 4:4). However, as we have seen a judgement on a nation was a reflection of the judgement on its gods and vice-versa. Therefore, the end of the present material order also spells the doom of the present celestial order. This doom was already proclaimed in Eden, ushered in at Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension and on the last day, it will become a consummate reality.
The New Covenant and Antithesis: Part 3 – The Church as an Assembly of God’s Divine Council
A lot of these issues in worship stem from a misunderstanding of what the church of God really is. Some of it can be attributed to the Greek Word ekklesia translated as Church in the English language. The word church has institutional connotations and often represents a formal structure that gathers in a building or as a reference to the building itself. It doesn’t accurately represent what the apostles meant when they used ekklesia. Some have understood the term ekklesia to be a sum of two different words. The prefix ex meaning out of and the verb kaleo meaning to call. This they understand to mean called out ones. Now this could be a legitimate understanding of the term. However, when the apostles used the term ekklesia, it already had a colloquial usage in the Koine Greek of the time. Moreover, it is often used in the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, which the apostles used. Therefore, to understand this term, it is good to look into its colloquial usage and its usage in the Septuagint.
The New Covenant and Antithesis: Part 2 – Religious Separation and Worship
The second aspect that defines the Christian’s antithesis from the world is religious separation. In the Old Covenant, we see it first in Abraham who built altars to YHWH wherever he pitched his tent. These altars signified that Abraham was a YHWH worshipper and did not worship the gods of the nations around him. Similarly, under Moses, God gave the Israelite nation diverse laws that set them apart as a holy people of God. These laws pertained to purity and holiness and intended to teach them the requirements of God as they worshipped Him. Even when the Jews were taken in exile they continued to worship Him in a distinct way, remembering God’s promise to Solomon and turning towards the temple to pray.
Redemptive Kingdom Structure in the New Covenant: Part 3 – King and Holy War
In the Old Covenant, the Israelites waged holy war against the Caananites within the boundaries of the promised land. Likewise the Christian is also engaged in holy war. In the New Covenant, there are two categories in which this war is waged and these categories are not mutually exclusive. Since the Christian himself is the domain of God’s Kingdom, we wage an internal holy war to cleanse ourselves. Then we also wage an external holy war against the forces of darkness. Since the Kingdom of God is not a physical kingdom, this war is not a physical one but spiritual in nature.
Christ the Last Adam
It’s time to connect the dots for all the patterns and themes we’ve seen revealed in the Scriptures. They all coalesce at one point, Jesus Christ, who is the very Substance of Scripture. The Scriptures are about Jesus Christ and His works. The Old Testament points to Christ through types and shadows while the New Testament reveals Him in His glory. Every theme and story of the Bible finds its fulfilment in Jesus Christ. Each of the human agents in Redemptive History failed to faithfully do what God required of them. Christ is the only One who would perfectly do what man could never do. Not only did Christ keep all the requirements of the Father, He is the One who redeems His people from the yoke of Satan and the false gods to whom they willingly sold themselves.
The End of the First World and New Beginnings
The Great Flood was a cleansing of sorts. Peter compares what is experienced in Baptism to the preservation of Noah and his household in the flood (1 Pet 3:20). The future judgement will not be a cleansing with water but a purging with fire. It won’t be a reboot of this present material order, either in its fallen state or in its Edenic form. Rather the form of the new order that God will create from the ashes of the old will be grander and even better than anything Adam could even hope to comprehend in the Edenic state.
The Celestial Order – Part 3 : The Fall from High Places
The Bible speaks of a time prior to the fall of man, when Lucifer, a glorious angel rebelled against God. This rebellion can be considered the true original sin because it was through it that evil entered the cosmos. Corruption of the created order therefore did not begin with the material but rather the celestial. To understand the fall of Adam, one must first understand the fall of Lucifer and its consequences for the entire cosmos. This will also help us appreciate the magnitude of God’s plan of redemption which is far more than a mere legal transaction, it is cosmic in scale. Lucifer’s evil has corrupted this created order, but God has promised to create all things new, and He is redeeming His people so that they will not perish with this failing order, but be rulers again in His new creation.
The Celestial Order – Part 2
The visible world reflects many of these eternal and invisible realities. Since God is the Creator of both the material and the celestial (Col 1:16), His attributes are revealed in His creation. It is as if He has left His fingerprints on His work. This reflection of the invisible in the visible enables us to understand attributes of God and His nature (Rom 1:20). Sadly, humans have corrupted this revelation by causally liking material categories to divine categories rather than seeing them as mere reflections of the eternal. Men thus end up worshipping created things rather than the Creator (Rom 1:23). This is why it is critical to understand the supernatural themes revealed in the Scriptures. They exist to point us to something Greater and are not an end in and of themselves.
The Celestial Order – Part 1
The creation account in Genesis paints an elaborate picture of the purpose of the material order. The Scriptures however, reveal a cosmology that is not merely material but rather supernatural. Scattered throughout the Word of God are accounts of celestial entities, far more powerful than man. The existence of Cherubim, Seraphim, Archangels, Sons of God, Watchers, Princes of Realms that hinder angels, Chariots of Fire and a plethora of other entities are revealed. These entities are not revealed as mere external observers of the fate of man and this world but are shown to be active participants in the affairs of the world.
Deo Vicit Mundum 