Christ in Eternity to Come

CHRIST IN ETERNITY TO COME
Christ Has the Preeminence in Eternity

SCRIPTURES ON THE CONDITIONS IN ETERNITY AFTER REDEMPTION:
Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(Phil. 2.9-11)

Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power: for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were, and were created.(Rev. 4.11)

Worthy is the Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things that are in them, heard I saying, Unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for ever and ever. And the four living creatures said, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshipped.(Rev. 5.12-14)

Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is.(1 John 3.2)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.(1 Peter 1.3,4)

And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the midst of the street thereof. And on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no curse any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein: and his servants shall serve him; and they shall see his face; and his name shall be on their foreheads. And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.(Rev. 22.1-5)
After Christ had died and been raised from the dead, "God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. . ." For "God hath made him both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2.36), and has "put all things in subjection under his feet" (Eph. 1.20-22). Revelation 4 and 5 show us the glorious and blessed state of the Lord after His resurrection and ascension. In chapter 4 it is recorded that all the created things praise God for His creation. Chapter 5 records that they praise God for His redemption. God shall put all enemies under the feet of Christ (Matt. 22.44). In this particular task the church bears great responsibility today, because God is waiting for the church to fulfill this mission.

The whole creation was subjected to vanity (Rom. 8.20) after the rebellion of Satan and the fall of man ("vanity" means failure of the result designed, losing the original purpose, having no more direction). Today all things are subjected to vanity, waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God. During this waiting period all things are under the bondage of corruption (such as the diminishing of sunlight, the dying of wood and grass, and so forth). However, the creation has an earnest expectation to be delivered one day from this bondage of corruption. For this reason the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. When the children of God enter into the liberty of glory, all things shall be liberated. The day our body is redeemed all things shall be set free. Nevertheless, even now we can foretaste the powers of the age to come (Heb. 6.5)—(the church foretastes the powers of the age to come, and the kingdom age foretastes the powers of eternity). In the future our body will be redeemed, and we will receive sonship and enter into the liberty of glory (Rom. 8.19-23).

When the Lord shall appear we will be like Him (1 John 3.2). We will be sons with God’s life and nature; but we will also be heirs, having God’s inheritance and glory.

Revelation 21 and 22 describe the situation in eternity, not in the millennial kingdom. There are four significant points in these two chapters: (1) God; (2) the Lamb; (3) the city—with its inhabitants who are the foreordained ones before the foundation of the world, the thirsty ones mentioned in Revelation 7 who shall thirst no more; and (4) the nations. God and the Lamb are the center of the city. Revelation 21.9-21 describes the city, whereas 21.22-23 speaks of the center of the city. The glory of God is the light, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof. As light is magnified through a lamp, so God is magnified by the Lamb. The center of the new creation is the city, New Jerusalem, the sons of God; and the center of this city is God and the Lamb. The glorious light of God is in the Lamb. The Lamb lightens the city, and the light of the city enlightens the nations. The city has only one street and one river (no one shall ever lose his way since there is but this one street). Evidently the street winds up like a coil. The river is located in the midst of the street and flows along with the street. Both the street and the river proceed out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, hence God and the Lamb are the center. "And when all things have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all" (1 Cor. 15.28).

We are shown that the aim and purpose in whatever God does from eternity to eternity is to give the Son the preeminence in all things. For the purpose of God is to make His Son the Lord of all.