Notice the following:
Notice the following:
The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. (Revelation 21:24)
"The nations" are the saved people who are the inheritance of the Church. "It" is the new Jerusalem.
The new Jerusalem is the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb; the Royal Priesthood; the elect whom God has chosen; the Body of Christ. Their role in God's Kingdom is to bring God to the saved people of the nations, and the saved from the nations to God.
God has placed His Spirit in the new Jerusalem, and also the Tree of Life. God's Spirit will bring the knowledge and Presence of God to the saved people from the nations, just as it does to us today.
The fruit of the Tree of Life will give eternal life and healing to those same people.
This is the role of the members of the Royal Priesthood, of Christ—Head and Body..
Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
"The river of the water of life" is coming forth from the members of the Body of Christ.
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, "From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water." (John 7:38)
So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (I Corinthians 15:45)
And as for the "tree of life on either side of the river":
Now when I had returned, behold, on the bank of the river there were very many trees on the one side and on the other. (Ezekiel 47:47)
These "trees" grow out from the one Tree, the Lord Jesus. They have passed through the waters of judgment until the water is over their head. This means they have entered the rest of God.
The eternal Life of Christ that is in them will make alive the dead sea of mankind, the source of Antichrist.
Then he said to me, "These waters go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah; then they go toward the sea, being made to flow into the sea, and the waters of the sea become fresh. (Ezekiel 47:8)
To be a member of the Royal Priesthood .
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (I Peter 2:9)
It may be true that Christian people should be reminded every once in a while that they are not the same as everyone else in the world. They are God's elect, His holy ones who have been called out from the world to be especially close to God.
This is the same calling that rested on Israel of old, and on those of the present Israel who are called to be priests of the Lord.
The Apostle Paul did not address the Christian people as Christians, but as "saints," that is, holy ones. We are holy because of God calling on us. Then we have to purge ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit until we are pure in the sight of God.
Jesus said, "You are not of the world as I am not of the world."
The above is an awesome saying. We are not of the world as Christ is not of the world.
I think the Christian churches generally are regarded as social institutions. They are not. They are the Lampstand of God and the calling on them is Divine. They are not part of the local community, from God's point of view.
Today in America a large number of communicants is the mark of a successful church. As a result there is constant pressure to bring in more and more people by any means we can think of.
As one might expect, there are numerous people in the churches who regard themselves as being Christians. They have "accepted Christ" (an expression not found in the Bible.)
However, they never have received the Man as their personal savior and Lord. They are members of a religion, and that is as far as it goes, in many instances.
Jesus said, "No person can be My disciple unless he or she denies himself, takes up his cross of deferred desires, and follows me patiently."
What would happen if the pastor of a large Christian assembly told the members of the congregation that until they denied themselves and set themselves to be obedient to Christ in every area of their life, they were not Christians?
I know there are many true Christians in the churches. But I think they are in the minority.
There is a problem here. Most of them have been taught that there will soon be a "rapture" that will remove them from the troubles of the earth and place them in a mansion in Heaven.
But they are not eligible for such an experience!
It is my opinion that there is trouble ahead for the citizens of the United States. Unless I am mistaken, this trouble will included severe persecution of Christians people. Sin abounds in America. One of the worst is the abortion of infants who are not wanted. What a terrible, terrible situation this is!
We all can see the gradual acceptance of perverted sexual practices. l say "perverted" because they are condemned in the Scriptures. There also is nakedness on the part of the entertainers, problems with drugs, alcohol, and the rejection of Christ and His Bible.
Perhaps the result will be a pruning of the Christian churches so only a godly remnant will remain. There may be no public meetings in churches.
Those "believers" who are not of the godly remnant will join the public and the government in persecuting the remnant, which will serve only to purify the remnant and prepare them for the coming of their Lord Jesus.
It is no small honor to be part of the Church, the Royal Priesthood. But, as historically has been the case. there will be fiery trials designed to prepare the true priesthood to inherit and meet the needs of the saved of the nations.
Christ will bring us safely through every trial, but we are going to have to stay very close to Jesus at all times! The wise thing to do, as a member of the Royal Priesthood, is to press as close to Jesus as you can, learning to think His thoughts; speak His words; and do what He is doing.
Change is here. The old days of the casual Christian life are over. It is a new day, and Christ is ready and prepared to assist every person, young or old, who wants to attain to his or her high calling.
Next Part To be a witness of God.