God's redemptive purpose centers on the church, His masterpiece, which He is building to be His bride and share in His eternal glory. Ephesians 2:1-8 highlights that believers, once dead in sin, are made alive in Christ by God's rich mercy and grace, saved through faith as a gift, not by works. This divine work is for the purpose of displaying His grace in the ages to come, positioning believers now in heavenly places with Christ. The sermon emphasizes that this glorious church, the bride of Christ, will be eternally united with Him, reflecting His glory throughout the millennial age and into the eternal new heavens and new earth.
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Let me begin reading in chapter two of the Ephesian epistle. Let me begin at verse one and read down only through verse eight. You hath he quickened or made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. among whom also we all had our conversation or manner of living, in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sin, has quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye have saved, and has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus. And note the seventh verse particularly, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For thy grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.
It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, his blessed workmanship, that beautiful and complete work that he is doing in creating us in Christ Jesus under good work, which God has before ordained that we should walk in there. May the Lord bless the reading and the precious truth of his words from what we will study tonight in this Ephesian epistle very briefly. First of all, let me be reminded with you of the joy we had in the morning session of considering the great work of the Godhead, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit for the accomplishment of the redemption of the human race.
But let me emphasize particularly the purpose of God in relation to this present age in which you and I are living. It has often been called the age of the church. It has also been called the age of the Holy Spirit. And truly it is. It's far different from the dispensations of the past. It's a particular age in which God is working. for a particular purpose, through not only his own heart, not only through the Savior, his beloved Son, but also the Holy Spirit, for one blessed objective.
As we saw in our study of the morning, how God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit together have worked for the redemption of mankind in this special age for one purpose, and that is, to bring those of this age who believe upon the Lord Jesus to his eternal glory and to display them. May I point out with you verse seven of our chapter from which we have read. I would like to emphasize the purpose that God, by the Holy Spirit, write through the Apostle Paul in doing the work of this particular period of time, bringing the church into existence.
May I be reminded also with you. Let me repeat it. You have it in chapter five, in verse thirty-two of chapter five. The beloved Apostle Paul, though he speaks of that lesson, intimate relationship of husband and wife in our earthly experiences. Yet he says, I speak a mystery. Yet I speak, he says, concerning Christ and the church. My beloved, may I say it again? I believe that many Christians are not possibly informed to this blessed fact that there is a special relationship to God in Christ of the church which he is for me.
Remember the words of the Lord Jesus when in chapter sixteen of Matthew he asked whom say men that I am of his disciples and you recall particular when he asked the question whom say ye that I am Peter made answer, Thou art of Christ, the Son of the Living God. Then the Lord Jesus said to Peter, Blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jonah. Flesh and blood is not revealed in front of thee, but my Father, which is in heaven. Then the Savior went on to say, And upon this rock, not Peter, but upon the rock of his confession, Christ the Son of the Living God, Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Now may I emphasize it once again. Upon this rock himself I will build my church. I have had many people tell me that's my church. I go to this church, this is my, you know they never had a church. The church belongs to the Lord Jesus. He said, it's my church. And that blessed relationship is precious to the heart of the Lord. Maybe re-quote the words we had this morning, briefly, from chapter five again, verse twenty-five to twenty-seven. Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water, by the word, that he may present it to himself.
a glorious church, not having fun or wrinkle or blemish. And what a joy to realize the purpose, to redeem the church. For, oh, my beloved, may I say, the great truth of the Ephesian epistle relates to that great masterpiece, that he's building his church, to be his bride, and to be forever with him, and forever sharing with him his glory. Let me revert again to some comments we made this morning. Go with me to chapter one. Let me point out to you verse nine again. Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he has purposed in himself.
My beloved, can I say emphatically, I'm not speaking derogatory of any other scriptures, of any other period of dispensational. deemings of God, but in relation to this particular dispensation, the mystery of his will. May I say the great mystery is this, his church, to his own heart. Let me give you the blessed truth. You and I perhaps are looking for the Lord to come and take his church out of the world. And you remember in First Corinthians chapter fifteen, Paul tells us, Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven. And he says, and he speaks of the mystery.
He says, behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the turning of an eye. The dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive, and remain as we know from Thessalonians, will be caught up together with them in the cloud to meet the Lord in the air. Oh, my beloved, let me say, Mystery of mysteries. When you think of one of the purposes of the heart of the Son of God, it's to have his bride, the church. Now in the seventh verse of our second chapter, God declares that in the ages to come, he might display, let me use the word, really it means display, as you have it here, that he might display the exceeding riches of his great toward us in Christ Jesus.
And the joy of recognizing, the joy of recognizing that by his grace it is the divine purpose to display, and will you know, in the ages to come, to display the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. And well does the Apostle add, But for by grace she is saying, as we well know, through faith, and not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. The joy of knowing, as we saw in chapter one, the exceeding riches of his grace, the grace of the Father, the grace of the Son, the grace of the Holy Spirit, to form that masterpiece.
May I repeat again? I don't know whether you believe it, or it doesn't matter to me, but I know I enjoy it. The building of the church, the bride of our Lord Jesus, is the greatest masterpiece in all the purposes of God. And I want you to enjoy it with me. As you have, please let me remind you from the scripture we read, where does he obtain those who will partake of that masterpiece and share in the glory through the ages to come? We read from chapter one what we were, dead in sin, lost in trespasses in sin.
And like others, as Paul writes to the Ephesians, they were like others, children of wrath, children of disobedience. And beloved, the joy of the grace of God to realize from whence he obtained Those who will share the glory of the ages to come with Christ in the ages that are yet to be, they come out of the earth. They come from sin as being redeemed. And you have the past condition of the Ephesians' faith declared in the opening of the chapter. Their past condition that was yours and mine, if we're believers.
And not only that, the condition of anyone who is not a believer. dead in sin, dead toward God, no life toward him. But as Paul goes on to say, but God came in, God, that God was rich in mercy, and for the great love wherewith he loved us, when we were dead in sin, he made us alive, quickened us together with Christ. For by grace are ye saved. raised us up together with him, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ.
My beloved, may I point out to you, you and I who have found the Lord Jesus as our Savior, God acknowledges even now, we have been made alive in Christ, we have been raised together with Christ, we are seated together now, positionally in Christ, in the heavenly places. May I give you the thought? You got it from chapter one, as we read in verse three. We've been blessed with all spiritual blessings. Where? In heavenly places. And if you go through the whole book of Ephesians, you'll find five times the heavenly dimensions. The heavenly, the heavenly, the heavenly.
Oh, my beloved fellow believer, what a joy to know. God sees us in the heavenly. And you and I belong in the heavenly. and our destination is heavenly. As we shall see, thank God, and the joy of knowing, in that age and ages to come, we shall be displayed as a heavenly body of people, unique, and due to the heart of Christ as his blessed blood, blood, blood, blood. May I be reminded with you of something that you have in chapter one. Following the session we studied this morning, May I point out to you the prayer, part of the prayer of the Apostle Paul, as he makes mention of the believers in Ephesus in his prayer.
Note verse seventeen and eighteen with me, please. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. And note the next words. the eyes of yours, their understanding, being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. Let me go carefully over those words. To the prayer of the apostle, and it's needed today, for the believer who has found Christ as is in her Savior, the one whom the Father had made his child, the one whom the Spirit had sealed to be the child of God and the sons of God forever.
It is the prayer of the Apostle that upon us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ would increase. And note, the eyes of your understanding. Can I pause for a moment? I'd like to ask you, what's the condition of your eyes? Now, I don't mean literally and physically, but spiritually. How good is your eyesight spiritually? Let me give you an illustration. Do you ever notice in John eight, chapter eight, and verse fifty-six, when the Lord Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees of that day, he made a statement to them, Your Father Abraham rejoiced to see my day.
He saw it. And he was glad. No, let me ask you the question. When did Abraham see that the Lord Jesus Christ from the fire was coming to the earth? He wasn't living when the Lord Jesus was on the earth. But the Lord Jesus said, He rejoiced to see my death. He had spiritual eyes. I'll give you an illustration of it, an example of it, from Genesis chapter twenty-two. You remember when Isaac went along with him to the Mount Mariah for sacrifice? And you recall, was Isaac recognized, Father, here's the wood, here is the fire, but where is the land? Do you remember the words of Abraham?
My son, God himself will provide a land. God himself will provide a land. And may I suggest to you, there is no question of doubt, the faith of Abraham. believe the promises that God had made to him in such a degree, and to such a faith-like thing. He visualized and knew God would give his promises to bless the old earth through the feet of Abraham. And the Lord Jesus could say, Your Father Abraham, rejoiced to see my day.
He saw it, and he was glad. Well, let me tell you what happens. You may remember well. He never sacrificed that either, as you well know. God prevented that because of the obedience of his servants. But do you remember what he called on the name of God? He called on the name of Jehovah Jireh, meaning the Lord will provide. I believe I've got conviction in my soul to believe. Abraham knew he was coming. Be thee, Lamb of God. And John the Baptist heralded him. Behold the Lamb of God, which takeeth away the sin of the world. Let me go further in the illustration of Abraham.
You read in chapter eleven of the book of Hebrews that Abraham looked for a city whose builder and maker was God. Now where's the city? with the city that is built by God himself. Oh, my beloved, it's not on the earth. Not on the earth. I want to tell you, Abraham had good eyes. Spiritually. Spiritually. And, oh, Joseph, let me quote the words of first Corinthians chapter two, where Paul speaks about the spiritual man.
He that is spiritual, And I quote the words of Avain, what they ought to be. He that is spiritual discernment of all things, meaning the things of God. And I suggest to you the spiritual discernment of Abraham. To see that the coming of the Lamb of God would take place. And to see. He looked for a city whose builder and maker is God. And fact that he's not existed as far as we know yet. And will not be as we shall see. But he had good eyes. And may I say lovingly and earnestly, I wish my spiritual eyes were better. The eyes of your understanding. You know, you can be blind in your literal eyes, but you can be wide awake in your spiritual eyes.
As Paul prays this prayer, the eyes of your understanding being illuminated, that you may know, I know, know what is the hope. Now, no, not the hope of your calling. Get sure you and I have been called to have an inheritance with the Savior. We found that in the early part of the chapter. But what is the hope of his calling? And what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Savior. My beloved three, may I put it this way? It'll fill your heart if you take it in. If you enjoy what God will enjoy, out of you and me whom he saved, you'll enjoy something. The Lord declares as the Apostle, right?
He's got the hope of a calling and the riches of the glory. He's seen arrogance in this thing. Oh, my beloved, you know I'm glad I'm a saint. I don't have to have a ring around my head, you know, like that. But thank God when I'm in Christ, I am positionally made a saint. I am a saint. At the opening of our letter, the beloved Apostle wrote to the saint and to the faithful which are in Ephesus. I wouldn't be surprised. You could divide the assembly in Ephesus in two divisions. All of them were saints, but a few of them were faithful. And if you want my humble opinion, that's the problem today.
You've got saints. You don't have faithful saints always. But the joy of singing. God calls us positionally saints. for he's got the glory of an inheritance before him, and the riches of that glory he's going to enjoy in the same. Well, beloved, I wonder how he enjoys it right now. That's a good question to see. So sure, isn't it? How much does he enjoy of me now? But, oh, in that coming day, as you have it in chapter two, verse seven, he will display in the ages to come He will display the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness of order through Christ Jesus.
Now let me give you some thoughts. The ages to come. Please remember that. Not today. It's future. I give you the suggestion. You've got at least two ages yet to come. There's one age that is called the Millennial Age. Go with me to chapter twenty of the book of the Revelation, if you please. The book of the Revelation, chapter twenty. And read with me these words. For this is indeed describing that age. And let me just read, if I may, from verse one. And only through verse four. This is when the Lord Jesus comes to the earth.
And my beloved fellow believer, I thank God the Lord Jesus is coming back. Coming back to the earth. And the earth never needed him more than it is today to settle the conditions that are here upon this being. And really see what you find at the end of chapter nineteen. You have the literal descent of the Lord back to the earth. Coming in power, coming in glory. And you're reading in verse one of verse chapter twenty. I saw an angel come down from heaven and in the key of the bottomless pit. A great chain in his hand. He laid old on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.
Still you have the expression that covers what we know from the Latin word if it's taken, the word millennium. A thousand years. And he cast him into the bottomless pit. Shut him up. I'll be glad when Satan shut up. And he will not be able to. to be busy around the world and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled after that he must be loosed a little season but note therefore I saw thrones they sat upon them judgment was given unto them and the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God and which had not worshipped the beast nor his image neither had received his mark upon their forehead or in their hands now note and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
My beloved, that's a description of the millennial age. And if you want a description of the millennium, you'll have to go back to the Old Testament scriptures, and particularly in the prophecies and even in the book of Psalms. You've got many things that well are described, that wonderful age that is yet to be. When Christ will be reigning over the earth, but we know that you and I are going to be reigning with him. and sharing the glory of that age in the time to come. Go with me, if you will, to chapter twenty-one in the book of the Revelation. I'd like to very briefly suggest to you. As John is told in chapter twenty-one, let me begin reading at verse nine, please.
And I want you to recognize that the description of the church and the glory of the bride, the land's wife, when that blessed body of Christ that is redeemed would be united to himself in heavenly and eternal matrimony. They came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come in us, I will show thee the bride, the land's wife. Oh, my beloved, take it in. It's a revelation of the glory of the church. the land's wife, as it is termed here, the bride, the land's wife, and he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the Holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, and her life was like unto a stone, most precious, even like a just but so clear as crystal.
Oh, my beloved, we haven't time to take an exegesis of the whole chapter, but you can read from chapter twenty-one and verse nine, down into chapter twenty-two and verse five, the glory of that millennial heavenly city, coming down out of heaven as a bride, and thus the land's wife, having the glory of God. Let me remind you of a statement that Paul made in Romans five one. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And not only so, we are standing in grace.
And not only so, we are rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God. Literally, the glory of God is going to shine through the saints in that coming period. of the church when glorified with the Lord Jesus, and the glory of God. You cannot indeed fulfill it today. Thank God we may live and should be living for the glory of God. But in that coming day, without change, but let me give you the thought of the apostle in Philippians three, twenty and twenty one, our citizenship, and if I may put it in this way, our, the word citizenship, you know what it means, our politics.
are in heaven. I say the politics on the earth don't smell too good, do they? Our politics are in heaven. From whence we look for the Savior to come, even Jesus, who will change these bodies of humiliation and fashion them like unto his own glorious body, by the long power and authority. My beloved, let me please say, when you see a saint glorified, when we shall see one another in that coming day of blood, well, you'll be a lot better looking than you are now. Not only that in your character, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Think of it.
The millions of saints. Let me give you the stupendous thought. It's a stupendous thought. Did you ever think, I've been thinking very much of late? why the church is going to be raptured, and why we're going to meet the Lord in heaven, in the heavenly places in the sky. You know why? You couldn't get all the saints in one building on the earth. You couldn't find a building big enough. The saints that have been saved in this age can tend to come down to the last one, as the case may be, how soon we know now. You could get them in one building. We have to meet the Lord in the air. No, beloved one, the choice are regular.
What glory will be? Let me give you another thought. You've gone into relations with the saints coming down from heaven with him when they come in the day of his majesty. Verse second, Thessalonians one, three, verse seven through ten, and it tells us when he comes to be glorified in his saints. Oh, we often sing the old hymn, and the fruit do it. When all my labors and trials are raw, And I'm safe on that beautiful shore, just to be near the dear Lord I adore, will prove the ages. Be glory for me. I like to think of it, be glory for him. I know that. But think of it, you're going to share it.
You know, I've been justified, thank God. And in old positionally, I've been sanctified, set apart for him. And practically I should sit to be sanctified in my daily living. But the time is coming, and I'll be perfectly sanctified, spirit, soul, and body. And then I'll be glorified. Go with me to Romans eight for a moment, and we'll be back to Revelation again. But in Romans chapter eight, please let me show you something in chapter eight, that Paul writes in that eighth chapter, regarding the saints of this age. And you have the blessed, blessed words that he writes. Let me begin, please. I'll begin reading, if I may, in...
how the apostle has certainly made mention of it in verse twenty in in in verse well verse twenty eight begin in verse twenty eight and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose for whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, then he also called, and whom he called, then he justified, and whom he justified, then he also glorified.
My beloved may I say, if you have been redeemed, and if you have been justified, praise God, but I'll tell you right now, you're not yet glorified. But that's coming. It's the purpose of God to glorify his name. I want to say very frankly, I haven't seen any glorified saints down here, have you? But all that joy of knowing, when we meet him in the air, we shall all be glorified and forever be like him in that eternal glory. And in that coming day, the millennial age, please, may I? Let me give you visually, if I can. A chart, if I had one present with me, would illuminate it.
But in that millennial day, when the Lord Jesus reigns on the earth with his earthly people, Israel, there in the heavens above will be the manifestation of the glory of the church, Shania. Look with me in chapter twenty-one of Revelation again. I want you to see something in that chapter, please. Let me go with me. Let me go to verse twenty-three. verse twenty three and read through verse twenty four the city had no need of the sun neither of the moon shall shine in it for the glory of the God did lighten it and the land is the light thereof now let me suggest to you there's no question or doubt in my mind about the literal actual literal character of the of the city but let me put it before you it's not just a literal description of the city as it is a description spiritually of the glory of the saints likened to this great city.
A community of saints who belong to Christ, the wife of the lamb, the bride of the lamb. And the glory of God lightens it. And the lamb is the light thereof. The nun over twenty-four. And here you see in that millennial day that age which is yet to come, the nations of them which are saved on the earth shall walk in the light of it. and the kings of the earth to bring their glory and honor into it. Michael, please let me stay there. The day's coming where the world's going to know that we're reigning with Christ. Go with me to Second Thessalonians for a moment. Let's read that scripture I mentioned. Second Thessalonians chapter one.
Let me read verses seven through ten. I wanted to recognize the church is to be glorified in the sight of the world. In the sight of all the nations of the earth. Chapter one. Let me begin reading in verse seven. The Thessalonians were having much trouble. But Paul writes that there are you who are troubled. Rest with us. Relax. When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven. With his mighty angel. Declaming fire. Taking vengeance on them that know not God. And that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall be punished? with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.
May I come in for a moment. Sad is the condition of the earth. Sad will be the destruction of those who know not the Savior. They will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. Now, I know verse ten. when ye shall come to be glorified in its saints, and to be admired in all them that believe, because our testimony among you was believed in that day. My beloved, scream, may I say, I suppose, to be a little bit literal. I wonder what they say in Melville Beach when you and I were saints come down in glory with the Lord.
My beloved, look, the world's going to be astonished. the glory of the church. Today is not a glorious church. Let me quote the words again of Ephesians five, that he might present it unto himself a glorious church. And may I say beside God, the day is coming when it will be a glorious church, hearts and wrinkles, all dark, perfect, in the sight of the Blessed Lord and like him. And he's the only one that can bring it to pass, and he will. And may I suggest to you, no, let me answer the question. Why did the Godhead, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, work together for this great mastery to be displayed through the millennial glory of the kingdom upon the earth for a thousand years?
But go back with me to chapter twenty-one at the beginning of the chapter, will you? For at the beginning of chapter twenty-one, we have another age described. Not the millennial age, but the eternal age. Let me repeat again. You'll get confused over the fact that we're going back within the chapter, because if you've studied the book of the Revelation, you'll find again and again the Spirit of God reversed to a previous event and described something regarding it. And it's quite customary through the book if you study it properly. But here you have in chapter twenty-one, after the final judgment of the wicked and the unsaved dead, at the end of chapter twenty, let me read verse one, going down, if I may, through verse four.
I saw a new heaven and a new earth. Now may I say again, this is not the millennial earth. Go back in chapter twenty, please. Let me read with you those words that I see in verse eleven, please. I saw a great white throne in him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. After the millennial age, the final judgment of the unsaved dead takes place. And as it begins, as the blessed throne-sitter, the Lord Jesus himself takes its place on that throne.
The dissolution of the present universe, as you and I know, it takes place. Peter writes of it in his second epistle, chapter three, that the heaven and earth fled away, disappeared with a mighty explosion. I just say I give you the suggestion. You know who holds the world in place? The Lord Jesus. You read in Hebrews chapter one and verse three. I believe it's verse three. that he's the sustainer of the universe. He upholds us all things by the word of his power. You have it in Colossians chapter one, that he sustains the universe. And you know, all the Lord Jesus has got to do for the universe to break up is just let go his own.
Let go his own. And the universe, the millennial earth, is going to be destroyed. There's going to be a new heaven and a new earth. And that will be the eternal thing. That's the purpose of God to which he is working. Through his dearly beloved son and his redemptive purposes. And let me read on. I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. And there was no more sea. I don't believe there won't be any more of a big sea anymore. But one can recognize. the new heavens and the new earth, as it will be in that new creation. Let me give you the thought again.
You and I who are saved belong to the new creation. You remember the words that said Corinthians five, verse seventeen, if any man be in Christ, new creation. He said that he's a new creature, but the literal word meaning is new creation. All things have passed away. All things have become new. And beloved, believe me, say, thanks God, you and I who are saved, we belong to that new creation. And because we have made Christ our Savior, we passed from death into life and became part of that new creation that is yet to be. Now please know verse two. And here you've got the description of the Holy City again.
Here you've got the description of the bride of the Lord Jesus. I, John, saw the Holy City, knew Jerusalem. coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Now let me put it together. As we saw from the chapters in chapter twenty-one in the description of the city, we read the description of its millennial glory over the earth, the nations of the earth walking in the light of it. But here is the description of the eternal scene. and coming out of heaven, taking its place in that eternal glory.
It's the holy city, the bride, the church, if you please. Please know what he said, coming down from God out of heaven and prepared as a bride a daughter. Did you ever hear of a bride lasting a thousand years? I'm sure none of you ladies who may be married have been able to say, Whether you've retained all your Bible beauty, I know one thing I haven't retained mine. But look, after one thousand years of reigning over the earth, of us from the skies with the nations walking in the light. Let me keep you at the door. Remember in chapter one of John's Gospel, verse fifty-one, Nathaniel, who had come to the Lord Jesus?
I was amazed as he found the Lord Jesus knew all about him. And he called him, Thou art the king of Israel. Thou art the son of God. Thanks the Lord Jesus answered me. Greater things than thee shall thou see in the regeneration of the coming of the son of man. You shall see angels ascending and descending upon the son of man in his kingdom. My beloved, let me give you the thought. The millennial kingdom. It's the kingdom of heaven raining over the earth. Bringing over. You've got the thought in Matthew's gospel all the way through. The kingdom of the heaven. The kingdom of the heaven.
It's heaven. Ruling over the earth in that millennial age. And the joy of knowing of Jesus said to them, Nathaniel, there will be heavenly communication. I'll tell you one thing, you won't be any. You won't have to go down to foreigners to take off in a space you, too. The joy of knowing. There's going to be communication, and the angels of God ascending and descending in the kingdom age, upon the Son of Man in that great glory. My beloved, there's something great ahead. Look to God, we look forward to it as we should. But when the millennium's over, then you've got the church described as a bride, in all her fresh beauty.
Why be wonderful when we're all beautiful forever? Let me quote the words of John when he said, Beloved, now are we the sons of God? Yet it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know when he shall appear. We shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is. Believe me, I say, or may I say it with joy, we'll never be exactly opposite to that anymore. When we see him face to face, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is. and the beauty of the bride will be ours for all eternity. For the joy of knowing, as in the descent, in that eternal sea, as you read the tabernacle of God.
Let me go on further in verse three and read, and verse four. I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. And I can only humbly suggest that the tabernacle is again that holy city. That bride. Folks, let me give you the thought. You read about the tabernacle in the Old Testament, the Book of Exodus, and God tabernacling in that blessed tabernacle of old. And even in the temple of Solomon, when he dedicated it, the glory of the Lord filled the temple, driving the priest out of it, as the glory was so great. But then they have a reminder with you, reading, if I may, chapter one and verse fourteen of the book of John, the Gospel of John, where it reads, the word was made flesh and dwelt.
And you know what the word is? Habernacle amongst us. And we beheld his glory. The glory is that the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, my beloved, the Son of God, God himself, Habernacle amongst us, hear upon this. And pastors say, they knew him not But the joy of knowing, nevertheless, he tabernacles amongst us. And John writes, We beheld his glory. Now, beloved, may I say, when the church is thus glorified, they will share in his glory and reflect his glory through all the millennial age, and then on through the endless years of eternity.
Go on to reading in chapter twenty-one, please. As we read verse three again, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with them. He will dwell and abide with them, and they shall be its people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. A full description of the glory and the blessings of that eternal age. Not that the millennial age, people will die and can die during the millennium. And also, there will be the correction of sin in that millennial day when the Lord rules with an eye on hand.
But in that eternal age, there's nothing left for those who are redeemed. Whether they're from the earth or whether they're from the heavenly saints, they will be redeemed. And God in the South will be their God. Now go back to chapter two in the book of Ephesians, please. And let me read again with you. I want you to get the joy of knowing why God saved us. And if you're not saved, I'll tell you all to want to be saved. Because of your future. Not your future down here. Maybe you're ambitious. Maybe you're thinking of your schooling. Maybe you're thinking of your business. Maybe you're thinking of your life work.
Maybe you're thinking of what lies ahead of you. All you down here. Look. Look. Get your eyes open. Find Christ as your Savior. Look at me. Look at eternity. Recognize you're going out. Let me give you this song.