~ The New Jerusalem ~
|
|
||
 ..PDF Version |
Chapter:# 4
|
|
|
From Firmament to Firmament
|
||
|
The text portions of this writing are under copyright. ©....
|
||
“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and
let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and
divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were
above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And
the evening and the morning were the second day. And God said, Let the waters
under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land
appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the
gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was
good.”
Genesis 1:6-10
“And God said, Let there be lights in
the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be
for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights
in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And
God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser
light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the
firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day
and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that
it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.” Genesis 1:14-19
When God created the Heavens and the Earth, He had a purpose that was only
partly demonstrated in the original creation. That purpose of God I want to
name right at the start of this study on The New Jerusalem which is revealed to
us as “The Mystery Of The Wisdom Of God”, or if you will, “The Mystery Of God”.
His purpose or desire is to ‘finish’ this creation.
“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom,
which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes
of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified
the Lord of glory.” 1 Corinthians 2:7,8
“And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and
the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are,
and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no
longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin
to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his
servants the prophets. And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me
again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand
of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto
the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me,
Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall
be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel's
hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I
had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy
again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” Revelation 10:6-11
God in the beginning of His Wisdom created
a single firmament with a separation above and below the firmament of the canopy
of the sky and below the earth with the oceans. But in the Spirit, this
division was part of His wise workings and purpose to bring a conclusion to
what He began. For the firmament says to me that God will bring a completion to
this creation, a completion in righteousness and in Holiness. All that is under
the firmament and all that is above the firmament are in the purpose of God to
become one in a perfected creation with no duality. The question arises constantly
as to why God allowed His creation to fall into such depravity. The earth is reeling
under the firmament of Heaven because of the weight of the Mystery of Iniquity.
This mystery works below the firmament as one half of the purpose of God. Above
the firmament the Heaven’s themselves are not entire without the physical
creation below the firmament. Hence the cleansing needed of the Heavens and the
Earth. And this cleansing is by the judgment of fire.
I see the firmament in three examples
in scripture.
1) The original singular firmament in creation
in the verses above. This brought a separation of light from darkness, day from
night, the expanse of Holiness from the Earth in its created confinement
ordained to enter the curse of the fall.
2) I see Christ as the Head of His
Body, the Church, with Christ being above the firmament and His Body being
below the firmament on the earth as the second example of the firmament with
Heaven above and Earth below.
3) And I see the New Jerusalem as the Holy
City of God with no defilement as being above the firmament and the Earth with the
Nations within it as being below the firmament and in defilement. And it is in this
3rd example that God is working in the Mystery of the Wisdom of God
to bring the two sides together into one within the firmament itself. The other
2 examples of the firmament are also working in the Mystery of God, but it is
this 3rd example I wish to concentrate on.
The entire purpose of God is summed up
in the description in Revelation 21:1-7 when the New Jerusalem which is in the
firmament above is brought to encompass and manifest itself in the firmament
below, the present world subject to death and dying.
Now I know that the few paragraphs
above are rather hard to understand. So to simplify it just think of it this
way.
1) “God is going to bring Heaven to
Earth.”
2) “God is going to combine that which is
Holy in Spirit with that which is Natural on Earth”, AND NO ONE WILL BE LEFT
OUT OF THIS WORKING.
For the Mysteries of God, all 16 of
them MUST BE COMPLETED. There will be NO MYSTERIES when the creation of God is
done. For all will be CONSUMMATED IN CHRIST. This includes the Mystery of
Iniquity we see as the most prominent one at this time when the earth is filled
with violence, deception, false religious efforts and wars on every hand. Each
of these mysteries shall be completed IN DUE ORDER.
God, when He created the firmament with
Heaven above and Earth below DESIGNED THAT FIRMAMENT TO BECOME ONE IN HIS
PURPOSE. For God was satisfied with how this began, and saw that it was “very
good”. But in the end it will not only be “very good”, but “very PERFECT”. For
the purpose of God is THE NEW JERUSALEM, THE CITY OF GOD, -
N-O O-N-E E-X-E-M-P-T!
N-O-T O-N-E S-O-U-L!
Note this carefully. The Mystery of God,
or the Wisdom of God, IS HOLY. And NO ONE can be equal to that Holiness! No one
measures up! Jesus alone was the full expression of this Holiness and thank God
He said HE HAD A CHURCH. For He went to prepare a mansion for us! I say to you this
day that when Jesus declared that He was preparing a mansion for us, that that mansion
IS IN THE NEW JERUSALEM. That is where YOUR MANSION IS, AND THAT MEANS THAT
YOUR MANSION WILL NOT BE SOMEWHERE IN THE SKY, BUT IT WILL BE ‘HERE’ ON THE EARTH! And it is PREPARED
FOR YOU. But first Jesus, as the pattern Son, was an example of DYING TO SELF.
And so must we all follow this example!
The end of your life dear reader will be-
1)
PURE HOLINESS “IN”
2)
ETERNAL LIFE “IN”
3)
YOUR MANSION “IN”
4)
THE NEW JERUSALEM “ON”
5)
THE “EARTH.”
For Heaven and Earth will NO LONGER BE
DIVIDED BY THE FIRMAMENT! THAT IS THE LATTER WORKING OF GOD IN FINISHING HIS CREATION!
But first the Mystery of God must be
completed, both above and below the original created firmament. This mystery must
be completed on the Earth, and must be completed in the Heavens. For both realms
there was once a division of night from day and the creation of ‘time’, to the conclusion
of that created origin where ‘time is no more’. Everything must enter then this
eternal state. And this will only happen when the New Jerusalem descends to
take its place upon the Earth. The purpose of God, The Mystery of God, The
Mystery of the Wisdom of God will be fulfilled when THE NATURAL IS ENVELOPED BY
THE SPIRITUAL.
Know this dear reader. First you must walk out the Mystery of Iniquity
under the firmament which is where you are. This mystery is working in you to
bring to full measure your carnal nature. This carnal nature is that part of
your life which must be put off at the manifestation of the New Jerusalem. God
has ordained that your spiritual nature and your carnal nature both come to
full fruition. Both grow together. Both are measured and weighed together in
your life. You come to full growth IN DUALITY. And it is here, under the
firmament which separates Heaven from Earth that you need to walk this out and
that this duality IS DESTROYED BY FIRE, EVEN THE FIRE OF GOD’S HOLINESS, or if
you will BY THE BAPTISM OF FIRE. Each time you yield to righteousness in you,
to righteous responses to negative situations or relationships, each time you
do that THE FIRE WILL BURN. When your response dear Overcomer to a testing is one
where you yield to that which would honor God and diminish you, then the fire
burns. The fire consumes and burns that duality. It bears about in it the
flames of judgment. When you do not react to a situation in your carnality, you
will OVERCOME. If you YIELD to the personality of Jesus in you, then the fire will
BURN OFF THE CARNALITY. This is the practical outworking of the cross in you.
It is the cross borne and seen by God as you die TO SELF.
Note this dear reader. God has ordained THAT ALL MANKIND ENTER THE NEW JERUSALEM.
But the ungodly are seen outside that city in the lake that burns with fire and
brimstone. The reserved spot for those who did not conquer in this life. Who did
not obey this mandate of scripture to put down their own carnal thoughts. Who
abode in unbelief. Who entered not “in” –
“to” the promises of God. Who did not bring “in” – “to” obedience every thought under the rule of Jesus. Who did
not cast down every vain imagination. Who did not perform their conquering walk
in the total victory of their risen Lord. Those who held to their religious tradition,
to their carnality, to the works and efforts of the flesh and of the pride of race
and denomination. These all have their part FIRST in the lake that burns with
fire and brimstone to have this death removed from them. The ungodly who thus are
placed through this fiery lake will no longer have that duality, no longer will
they bear this sinful condition. No longer will they resist the Holiness of God.
No longer will they abide in death. The lake of fire is only an eternal state
for that part of their lives which could never be made right, even the realm of
death which in this
The Lord Jesus Christ was the first example of this. He came FROM the
elements and the atmosphere above the firmament. He descended to the swaddling
clothes of confinement in a manger and then in a life of self denial He DIED TO
THIS WHICH IS FALLEN IN THE LOWER HALF OF THE FIRMAMENT. Then when He ascended
after His resurrection He was exemplary in joining the two realms together in
one, as a type and a shadow of what God would do when the New Jerusalem is
finally manifested in the earth. JESUS ALONE DID THIS. NO MAN CAME “FROM”
HEAVEN OR CAN SAY THEY “REMEMBER A TIME WHEN THEY WERE WITH GOD IN HEAVEN”.
This was a work that belonged to Jesus alone, NO ONE ELSE. But the time will
come when we too will share in His resurrection and will ascend to the atmosphere
above the firmament where our natural will be swallowed up by the spiritual.
Here is the key element to my understanding of the world above and below
the firmament. The natural creation will be swallowed up of the spiritual creation
until both are one creation IN THE FIRMAMENT. For the purpose of God in the Mystery
of God or in the Wisdom of God was that there be NO DIVISION FROM THAT WHICH WAS
BELOW THE FIRMAMENT AND THAT WHICH IS ABOVE THE FIRMAMENT. GOD HAS ORDAINED
THAT THE FIRMAMENT CONTAIN THE FULL EXPRESSION OF THE LIFE OF GOD WITHOUT
MEAUSURE IN THE NEW JERUSALEM. The Glory of this absolutely consumes me every
day of my life! It is not “wishful thinking”. This is not “a hopeful one day”.
It is A VERY REAL PROMISE. The Lord is going to conclude all things into
Christ, and there will be NO ONE LEFT OUT. NO DIVISION. NO DEATH. NO CURSE. The
gates stand open dear reader, and the New Jerusalem will remain until all
creation has entered into this City there to walk on the singular Golden street
and to eat of the Tree of Life in the midst of the paradise of God. Dear
reader, YOUR END IS ETERNAL IN THE NEW JERUSALEM. This dimension of God WILL
NOT END.
In the verses above from Genesis
1: 14-19 we have this depiction by John the Revelator. “And I went unto the angel, and said
unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat
it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as
honey. And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it
was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.”
This promise of God to John and to humanity
was indeed a sweet promise, but the working out of it IS HARD TO ENDURE. The process
of creation, and humanity, going through the fires of cleansing IS HARD. The angel
which holds this book is standing upon the sea (humanity) and on the earth (where
the curse presently is). From this angel’s hand John takes the book and eats it.
Sweet in his mouth because the promise of God is SURE. But bitter in his belly because
OF THE TESTING NEEDED TO COME TO THIS SURE PROMISE. What is the testing? It is the
ENDURANCE OF 2nd DEATH BY FIRE. What is the Fire? GOD HIMSELF. For
our God IS A CONSUMING FIRE. In other words, God sent the creation below the
firmament into the realm of death, and then He redeems it back BY THE
PROCESSINGS OF FIRE. If you will, God sends creation into the delusion of captivity
that He by His own nature will consume it back into Himself! And what is the
promise that God will consume death off of all creation? The promise is THE NEW
JERUSALEM. The Kingdom of His Anointing!
Oh yes, the ungodly cannot enter this
city, BUT THEY WILL WHEN THEIR UNGODLINESS IS REMOVED FROM THEM. For the New
Jerusalem abiding ON the Earth in Holiness and the
To be continued……….. Kenneth B Visscher