Love Through Time and Space
Time and space are microcosms of the universe, fragments of eternity. God, "I AM WHO I AM”, who exists in eternity, is the Creator of man and of all things in the universe (Exod. 3:14; Isa. 42:5). God has chosen to manifest His divine love and creation through humanity in time and space. We have mentioned many times that the Bible is a record of God's great love for mankind and His desire to dwell with mankind forever. The return of fallen humanity to the Garden of Eden and to the glorious presence of God the Father is at the heart of all God's designs and plans. (See New Creation in Christ)
The greatest misunderstanding of the human world is that after the fall of the patriarch Adam and Eve, mankind was expelled from the heavenly Garden of Eden and imprisoned under time and space (Rom. 8:20), completely unaware of the existence of satanic forces and the eternal Kingdom of God beyond time and space. The Garden of Eden is a place of heaven on earth, serving as an intermediary between the spiritual and physical worlds. It is a place beyond time and space, where God and Man live together in unity.
People who have seen the film ‘The Truman Show’ can easily associate it with three different dimensional worlds: 1. the ‘artificial world’ in which Truman lives; 2. the ‘control room’ hidden in the moon above Truman's world; and 3. the off-site ‘real world’ in which Truman is being watched live at all times. Truman has never doubted the world he lives in since he was born. He fully believes that he is free, has independent thoughts, and makes his own decisions. But the cruel reality is that he has been living in this artificial world synthesised by the film company since he was a baby, completely imprisoned without knowing it, until Lauren, who plays Truman's classmate in the synthetic world, tells him the truth. Unfortunately, we and the world we think we live in are not much different from Truman and the world he lives in.
The material world on which we humans depend exists within time and space. It comes from the spiritual world outside of time and space, which is invisible to the naked eye (Heb. 11:3). The spiritual world is not confined by time and space, and is the world in which God, the devil and spiritual beings exist. Referring to Truman, the physical world of humans (1st heaven) = Truman's ‘artificial world’; the dark world of the devil (2nd heaven) = the ‘control room’ hidden in the moon; God's glorious heaven (3rd heaven) = the ‘real world’ of the audience outside the artificial world.
Return to Eternity
The Bible clearly tells us: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12). Satan is a rebel in heaven (Rev. 12:9; Luke 10:18). Not content to be a created archangel, he wanted to be worshipped like God, so he was cast out of heaven and thrown to the earth (Isa. 14:12-15). Satan, the devil, is presently in that invisible ‘control room’ - the second heaven above the earth, ruling the kingdom of darkness and manipulating the living creatures of the earth (Job. 1:6-7; Rom. 8:22). We must look up to the LORD God above all the heavens, for “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption [d]through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1:13-14)
The prophet Isaiah prophesied God's salvation more than 700 years before the Lord Jesus came into the world:
"Rain down, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness; let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together. I, the Lord, have created it." (Isa. 45:8);"Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, the earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner; but My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished." (Isa. 51:6).
Jesus was sent by God the Father to fulfil His plan of salvation on the cross. After the resurrection, Jesus ascended above all the heavens. He now fills all things and will make all things into one in Himself at God’s appointed time (Eph. 1:10; 4:8-10). He went to prepare for us our future home (John 14:2-3), which is the paradise that the apostle Paul saw when he was caught up into the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2-4).
All of God's plans revolve around His fatherly love for man, so that His children can return to the eternal Garden of Eden (See New Creation in Christ). The history of God's presence with man as recorded in the Bible, can be summarised in four stages: the fall of the patriarchs in the Garden of Eden, the preparation for salvation in the Old Testament, the salvation of Jesus in the New Testament, and finally the entrance into the New Heaven and New Earth for eternity:
1 Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden - Adam and Eve fell, sin entered human nature, separating man from God, and subjecting man and the whole earth to the power of the devil (Rom. 8:20-22).
2 Preparation for Salvation in the Old Testament - The rite of atonement foreshadowed the coming salvation of the Lord Jesus. God met with His people through the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies (Exod. 25:8,22).
3 The salvation of Jesus in the New Testament – The incarnation of Jesus fulfilled God's plan of salvation, giving birth to the Body of Christ, and building the spiritual temple of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:8-10, 20-22).
4 New Heaven and New Earth in Eternity - Jesus' second coming will execute God’s righteous judgement, marry the Bride of Christ, and bring the Tabernacle of God on earth in the New Jerusalem (1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 21:3-4).
The Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden
- Bound by Time & Space
The Garden of Eden is where God and man live together. It is the place where heaven and earth meet, and it transcends time and space. God is Spirit, and His heavenly hosts of angels, as well as Satan, are all spirits who exist in the invisible spirit realm and are not bound by time and space. In the Garden of Eden there is the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:8-9). Satan, the devil, who wanted to be like God (Isa. 14:13-14), tempted and deceived our first ancestor Adam and Eve to disobey God's command and eat the forbidden fruit of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil" (Gen. 3:4-5), bringing the fruit of evil, ‘sin and death’, into the originally holy human nature. As a result, they were expelled from the heavenly Garden of Eden. Mankind lost its divine nature and God’s presence, and fell under the heaven bound by time and space. Sin corrupted the whole world, subjecting man and the whole earth to the demonic power of Satan, "For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." (Rom. 8:20-21).
Preparing for Salvation in the Old Testament
- Eternity invades Time & Space
In the Old Testament, God built the tabernacle through Moses and gave laws for His people to go to the temple in Jerusalem three times a year to observe and celebrate the feasts (Exod. 23:14-16). With the inherent sinful nature living in the corrupt world, the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple in Jerusalem were the only holy places for God’s to reconcile their relationship with the Holy God and enter into His presence. The Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle became the Garden of Eden, the gateway to God and the intersection of heaven and earth (see The Tabernacle of God). God chose the people of Israel to demonstrate His salvation, and instituted the rite of atonement through Moses. Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies to atone for himself and the people with the blood of the sacrifice (Lev. 16:29-30), so that the people could be sanctified before God and return to God's presence. God commanded the people of Israel to keep the law of atonement to prepare them for the salvation of the Lord Jesus (see Blood on the Mercy Seat), so that God’s people could return to Him in eternity.
Salvation of Jesus in the New Testament
- Opening the Door to Eternity
The people of the world are like Truman, living in a fallen world ruled by Satan in time and space without knowing it. The Lord Jesus, in accordance with the Father's plan of salvation, descended into the world as a human being to bring the eternal light of the Kingdom of God to people living in the dark world bound by time and space (John 8:12; 12:46). This is like Lauren, Truman's classmate from the outside world, who brought the truth to the imprisoned Truman so that he could eventually get out of the cage. The Lord Jesus, as the atoning sacrifice in our place, fulfilled God's grace of salvation for mankind so that all who believe in Him can be born again and justified by faith in Christ and return to the presence of God (see Jesus Christ - God's Plan of Salvation). Jesus said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved..." (John 10:9). Jesus opened the door for mankind to return to eternity. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, God the Father builds up the born-again ‘new creation of man’ into Christ, and also builds up the life of Christ in them to become the Body of Christ, that is, God's spiritual temple on earth (Eph. 4:15-16), in preparation for the heavenly Bride of Christ (See The Covenant of Love).
New Heaven & New Earth in Eternity
- Returning to Eternal Garden of Eden
When the Body of Christ grows and matures through the building work of the Holy Spirit and is full of the stature of Christ (Eph. 4:11-13), the Bride of Christ will be ready to receive the Bridegroom Jesus (see The Marriage Supper of the Lamb). At that time, the Lord Jesus will return to judge the world, and Satan, the devil and his minions will be cast into the lake of fire (see The Last Judgment). God the Father, "in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him." (Eph. 1:10). God will make all things new, and heaven and earth will become one, and man with God will become one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17). Time and space will no longer exist, and the mankind will enter the eternal home that the Father has prepared for mankind - the New Heaven and New Earth, centred on the Holy City of New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is a holy city composed of the overcomers in the Body of Christ. It is the culmination of the work of the Father, the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit throughout the ages. It is the glorious Bride of Christ, the Tabernacle of God on Earth, and the grand finale of humanity - the restoration of mankind to God, and the return to the eternal Garden of Eden. (see The New Heaven and the New Earth)
The Last Generation
God is Love, Light and Life! All matter and living beings on earth, bound by time and space that is perishable, are waiting to be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the eternal liberty of the children of God (Rom. 8:21). The last two chapters of Revelation depict the New Heavens and the New Earth and the glorious New Jerusalem, prepared by the Father for us, coming down out of heaven from God (Rev. 21:1-4), see New Heavens and New Earth for details.
Jesus warned us that the end of the world would come just like the days of Noah. In the last days when darkness covers the whole earth (Isa. 60:2), we, the last generation of the last days, will see a mighty spiritual wave from God's Holy Kingdom, bringing judgment, cleansing, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. God will pour out His Spirit on His chosen people (Acts 2:17), so that the fullness of God's glory will be fully manifested in us.
The battle between good and evil is spiritual, multi-dimensional, and manifested in the physical world on earth. This battle is not a battle of flesh and blood, but a battle against the spiritual army of demons in the heavenly realms. This requires God's children to have a new understanding of the invisible spiritual world. We must be able to walk with the Lord Jesus, and dwell in the secret place of the Most High. This secret place is the sanctuary of God the Father, the place of eternity, where the Holy Spirit dwells deep within the hearts of all believing and born again Christians. We must also know that we are not fighting for victory, but fighting from victory with the Lord Jesus and His heavenly host. Jesus said: IT IS FINISHED! (John 19:30) He defeated the devil on the cross! The devil and his minions will all be completely destroyed on the Day of the Lord. (See Judgment Day)
We, the blessed last generation, are witnessing the invasion of heaven on earth and the merging of heaven and earth. The Lord Jesus has opened the door for us to enter the heavenly realms and walk with Him and His angelic armies in the supernatural realm as never before. We are not alone! A cloud of witnesses who have run before us and won the race (Heb. 11:4; 12:1) are cheering us on! Jesus tells us: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” (John. 14:12). God will give unprecedented authority to His children, who are called to restore and rebuild all that Adam lost in the Garden of Eden. Hallelujah!
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God's Divine Plan - The New Creation in Christ
