REVELATION 21-22 THE HEAVENLY CITY - ‘EDEN INSIGHTS’ by S N Strutt
APPENDIX XII: WHEN WAS THE HEAVENLY CITY BUILT?
We have always assumed, as Christians, that Jesus started to build the Heavenly City right after His Resurrection.
Is that correct, however? Or do the Apocryphal books of Adam and Eve suggest that perhaps the Heavenly City was always ‘a work in progress’, as
having happened much earlier in time and even possibly as far back as at the beginning of the Creation of the earth?
Throughout the scriptures - including the Apocryphal books - the New Heaven and New Earth are mentioned, both in the book of Ezekiel chapters 40, and also mentioned in detail in Revelations 21-22. [See similarities between the
stories of the Heavenly City: ezekiels-temple-johns-city-compared-2.pdf
God used Jesus as His Word together with His Holy Spirit to create all the physical universe including the earth the moon and the stars and constellations according to the Bible.
Jesus as Creator was in creating Adam and Eve was also making a Bride for Himself through all the righteous souls that would eventually be born on earth starting with Adam and Eve. It took many thousands of years to create the fulness of the Bride as stated clearly in Hebrews 11.40:
Hebrews 11.40: ‘God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
What exactly does Hebrews 11.40 mean?
Answer: [That they without us should not be made perfect - Believers before the flood, after the flood, under the law, and since the law, make but
one Church. The Gospel dispensation is the last, and the Church cannot be considered as complete till the believers under all dispensations are gathered at the time of Christ’s 2nd coming] Source: biblehub.com/niv/hebrews/11-40.
htm
Does it not stand to reason that God the Creator would have started to build His Heavenly City earlier in time, but that it was not yet filled with millions of mansions but was always a work in progress from the Creation of the Earth onwards until the last righteous soul went up to heaven.
THE HEAVENLY CITY – AN ON-GOING PROJECT?
Why I believe that the Heavenly City or New Jerusalem was started as an
on-going project by the Lord Creator (Jesus) around about the same time as
the physical creation, but that it grew with time as the Bride herself came into
being as being all the righteous souls that were yet destined to live on the
earth who would make the right decisions to obey and follow God and His
Commandments. Consider the following points as part of this argument:
1) The argument is put forth that Jesus went to build the Heavenly city after
His Resurrection and not before - all because of John 14.30 ‘Behold I go to
prepare a place for you that where I am there shall you be also’.
2) The Book of Revelation in chapters 21 – 22, in mentioning the incredible
and pleasurable Heavenly City and describes her: ‘As a Bride adorned for
her husband’ Sounds very intimate, doesn’t it? We the saved are married
to Jesus and will become His Bride and all of us will live with Jesus in the Heavenly City, which is a place of Heavenly love and intimacy and resultant
creativity.
3) Consider the following: Scripture tells that after Jesus’ resurrection that he went down and visited the souls in Hell and took the ‘Keys of Death and Hell away from Satan’ –
Revelation 1:18 “I am he that live, and was dead and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
After His Resurrection, Jesus opened the doors of hell and paradise and many people who had perished at the time of the Great Flood heard Jesus’ witness and many millions received Him. Jesus took them out of Hell and took them where? Is it not logical that He would have to already had a place built to hold all of them in advance of doing this.
Of course, the problem is that many churches teach that you either get saved or go to Hell, and that once in Hell or the Lake of Fire then is no hope for you. The protestant churches make no distinction between Hell and the Lake of Fire. However, according to scripture there is a big between Hell and the Lake of Fire. The difference is that Hell is like a prison where you serve a time sentence for your crimes whilst on earth and the Lake of Fire is for the incalcitrant rebels like Satan and His Fallen angels - who always refuse to repent and change and obey God. In the Lake of Fire there will no longer be any choice about repenting. Its inmates are forcible altered and cleansed of their diabolical iniquities by spiritual fire. Their diabolical crimes are literally eating them alive. ‘Their worm never dies, and their fire is not quenched.
These beings created the evil and in the Lake of Fire it will literally eat them alive until they are made an end of at least as regarding the EVIL natures
and all that is left is their original basic being which is eternal - before it was
corrupted by Evil. The good news is that eventually all of God’s Creation will be restored to perfection and there will be no more Evil or evil people and at
last all will have learned to love and obey God because he really loves each of us very much and is trying to teach us about real love is loving God and following Him and concern and caring for others.
We find that the same people as mentioned in Revelation 21 as being thrown into the Lake of Fire are later mentioned in revelation 22 as living outside of the Heavenly city. They have all been turned back to how they used to be before sin entered both spiritual and physical existence. Then finally God’s entire creation will have been returned to perfection an all will finally obey
God and do His bidding and not their own. Of God always knows what is best for us His children and constantly has our interests at heart if He knows
that they will be good for us and edifying. God is not some old ‘fuddy-duddy’ goody - goody church restrictive religionist who wants His children to be
denied every pleasure that He has created. That is all Satan’s idea and binds
the ‘religionists’ by his ‘letter of the law’ bondage of the Old Testament and
sadly many churches do not have the ‘freedom of spirit’ as even mentioned in
the New Testament. Religions are in general ‘claptraps of self-righteous’ ‘letter of the law’ control systems that do not allow for the ‘freedom of God’s Spirit
or any new radical ideas in other words - and that is why so many modern
churches are all but spiritually dead as mentioned in the Book of Revelations
chapter 3. So many churches today are just like described as the church of
Sardis and Laodicea:
Rev.3:1-2 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things saith he that
hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast
a name that thou live, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which
remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Rev.14-20 And unto the angel of the Laodiceans write: ‘I know your works, that you
are neither cold nor hot; I would that you be either cold or hot. So then, because you
are lukewarm, and are neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth’.
Heaven is an extension, an amplification of all the beautiful things
that we currently enjoy on earth. Heaven is the absolute best of what we
already can enjoy on earth minus all the heartaches and sorrows and loneliness
that so many suffer not to mention no more pains and death.
2 Pe 3: 18-20 ‘For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the
unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in
the Spirit. … he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits - to those who
were disobedient long ago in the days of Noah while the ark was being built’.
4) If the Heavenly City had not already been built at the time of Christ,
then what Jesus said in Jn 14.2-3 would feasibly not have been possible.
Of course, that is using the premise that God took those new souls to the
Heavenly City.
Jn 14.2-3 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
5) There is more evidence to show that the Heavenly city was probably in
existence and was being built gradually from the days of the first human
beings on the planet – Adam and Eve.
6) It is stated that many of the ancient patriarchs and those born before the
time of Jesus had to wait until the Resurrection and Jesus’ personal visit
down to Hell and to Paradise before they could be taken to the Heavenly City.
All the righteous before the time of Jesus when they died apparently went to
live in paradise which is in the heart of the earth and alongside hell.
7) Jesus, after His Resurrection travelled down to both Paradise and Hell and
he took all the saved of all generations from Adam to all the souls who died in
faith until His resurrection and took them all up to the Heavenly City.
8) When Jesus sated in Jn 14.30 ‘Behold I go to prepare a place for you
that where I am there Ye might be also, He was probably talking about the
mansions in heaven and not about the massive overall structure of the
Heavenly city described so well by John in Revelations Chapters 21-22.
9) The heavenly City could have itself have already been built, as well as
the mansions prepared for the ‘righteous’ long in advance of the inhabitants
having been taken to these heavenly abodes.
10) Paradise is also a beautiful place inside the heart of the earth as
described by Jesus Himself in the amazing and informative story of Lazarus
and the rich man. One went to Paradise and the other to the flames and
torture of Hell itself. These domains were ‘side by side’, but a great gulf was
fixed between them.
11) This is where we are headed! The Heavenly City, which is the hope of all
ages: That now unseen eternal world where we shall dwell with Him forever!
– The Heavenly City described in the grand finale of the Bible, Relation 21
and 22, the thunderous climax of the symphony of God, a place of such
resplendent beauty that it lifts you into the heavenlies, beyond the imagination
of man! The Heavenly City of our eternal future happiness, our Eternal Home
in Paradise!
12) Bible verses about the Heavenly City:
Revelation 21.1-5 ‘Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven
and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy
City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride
beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.
They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5He who was seated on
the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Revelation 21.22 did not see a temple in the city, because the LORD God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
Hebrews 13.14 ‘For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come’
Isaiah 65.17 See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.
Isaiah 66.22-24 As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the LORD, “so will your name and descendants endure. 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,” says the LORD. 24 “And they will go out and look on the dead
bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.
2 Peter 3.10-13: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
Psalm 72:11 “Yea, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him.”
Isaiah 9:7“Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
Isaiah 60:21“Also your people shall all be righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified.”
Zechariah 9:10 “I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; the battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.’ “
Luke 1:32–33 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will
give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Psalm 72:7
“In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more.”
Isaiah 11:6–9 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young
goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor
destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
Isaiah 66:22 ‘For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,’ says the Lord, ‘So shall your descendants and your name remain.’ “
Psalm 87.1-3,5-7 ‘His foundation is in the holy mountains. 2 The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. 5 And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her. 6 The Lord shall count, when he writes up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.7 As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee. AMAZON.COM https://www.amazon.com/Eden-Insights-Lost-Books-Adam/dp/1782228896
