New Jerusalem
The heavenly sphere is that of the “New Jerusalem” “descending out of Heaven from God” (Revelation 3:12; 21:2, 10), and is for all of those who are “of the faith of Abraham” (Romans 4:16) – those who are “Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). These are those who among Israel and the Nations who have their “calling” of hope prior to Acts 28.
This election makes them “partakers of
a heavenly calling” (Hebrews
3:1). Like their spiritual father,
Abraham, they “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and
maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10; cf. 12:22-23).
The New Jerusalem will be the
administrative capital of Israel’s worldwide Kingdom on Earth (Zechariah
14:16-17). This is the sphere of Abraham’s spiritual seed, which
included believing Gentiles during the Acts Period (Galatians 3:29). Unlike the
“meek” and “good” among Israel and the Nations who will “inherit the Earth” (Matthew 5:5), these
have been granted the faith of their father, Abraham, and have become destined
to be his “star” seed, contrasted with his “dust” and “sand”
seed (cf. Genesis 15:5; 22:17;
Hebrews 11:12).
These “star” seeds make up “the
Bride, the Lamb’s Wife”
(Revelation 21:9). They are God’s called-out-ones who had a fixed hope before
the current Secret Administration. They were the believers who were represented
by “the ecclesia in the
wilderness” (Acts 7:38), those
built upon the confession of Christ’s Messiahship (“upon this rock will I build My ecclesia,” Matthew 16:18), whose number were added to on a daily basis during the
Acts Period (Acts 2:46-47), and which Saul relentlessly persecuted (“persecuted the ecclesia of God,” I Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13). These
are those “called” who will be citizens of that heavenly city
coming out of Heaven to the Earth (Revelation 3:12; 21:9-10).
While Israel rules over the Earth, the Twelve and the rest of the Bride will
rule over Israel from the New Jerusalem.
For more on the New Jerusalem, see,
-
The
New Heaven, the New Earth and the New Jerusalem, E.A. Larsen, Bible Student’s
Notebook 439.
For more on the
three spheres of glory, see,
– “The Three Spheres
of Glory” Bible Student’s Press, on the order form under
“Compilations.”
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