My Christian friend,

G L O R Y is the topic before us. The immediate, brilliant, captivating, scintillating presence of Almighty God. Not a picture. Nor a video. Not a material idol. But God's real Presence. His concentrated Essence. All that He is. In His fullness. In His unity of Spirit yet diversity of persons. Who is He?

As He told Moses, He is the I AM, or the One who causes to exist all that exists. The Originator, the Sustainer, and the Terminator. The One who possesses within Himself alone all truth, all power, all grace. The One who was, and is, and will be. Forever, and ever, and ever!

Once diverted from this world's plethora of flashy, noisy, satanically created, man-made diversions, and redirected and focused upon Him, our eyes will not look elsewhere. Nor even desire to do so. Why? Our eyes will remain fixed in utter ecstasy and overpowering contentment as we find ourselves overwhelmed, undone, still, silent. For us, this first divine sighting will be a super-special moment, a never-to-be-forgotten experience, for this reason: no mortal man has looked upon His face in this world, and lived. Let us, then, consider the Holy Trinity.

God The Father

I am describing, however imperfectly, the unmatched sight of my heavenly Father - and yours, if you, too, have been born again by repentance of sin and childlike faith in Jesus and His substitutionary death for us on the cross. He is the God of the Gospel. The God of all goodness. The God of all greatness. The God of all counsel and might. The God of all wisdom. The Father of all spirits. The God of Glory!

God The Son

God the Son is - this very moment - the full, stunning presence of the glorified God-man, the only begotten of the Father, Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. He is our sovereign personal Lord and Savior. He is also the "KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS" over every nation (Revelation 19:16). The One who was fully God, yet fully shed His divine appearance, prerogatives, and authority, and came down among us. In a body just like ours. In a family just like ours. In a village just like ours. Among friends just like ours. And enemies also. His glory is "above the brightness of the sun" (Acts 26:13), according to one who went to arrest His followers yet found himself suddenly, totally disarmed . . . and arrested by Him!

God The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is our divine and divinely sent Comforter, Advocate, Teacher, Guide, and Companion. In Christ's absence, the mighty Spirit is present with us to help us through not some but all the trials, valleys, mountains, and storms of life in this fallen world; and, yes, our triumphs, too. He, too, will be present in Glory, visibly, beautifully, eternally, powerfully (Revelation 4:5). Yet the Scripture seems to suggest it is the Holy Spirit's delight to always voluntarily defer position, rank, centrality, and attention to the Father and Son (John 16:14; Revelation 21:22-23; 22:3). Why? I do not know. But I will know, and so will you, when we arrive in His presence, for then we shall know even as we are known by Him (1 Corinthians 13:12).

The Holy Trinity

These three persons of identical divine nature, who have existed indivisibly in perfect union and equal authority in the eternal Godhead, are the Holy Trinity. The essence of heaven is wherever they are, and live, move, and have their being. And, being unchangeable, they will live forever where they have lived forever: in G L O R Y !

Glory !

G L O R Y is the celestial address to which we "mail" our prayers, praises, and petitions, sometimes in very desperate situations, yet always with deep, internal confidence that our heavenly Father is both very able and willing to help us. That is, if we from our heart, "cast all your care upon him" knowing "he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).

With our limited minds, fallen natures, and lips of clay, we call G L O R Y "heaven." The abode of God. The celestial paradise to which Paul was transported and of which he wrote more than once. It is this same indescribable place to which John, when old in years, was taken by the Spirit to behold and describe. It is the "place" which our heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus, has been preparing for us for 2,000 years (John 14:3). What is it?

New Jerusalem! And it is our eternal wedding chuppah. On a new earth. In a new solar system. A permanent part of a new galaxy. Carefully placed by divine hands in a brand new cosmos filled with trillions more planets, galaxies, and stars than those presently surrounding us. And new, all new! So awesome, so outsized, so detailed, so entrancing, so unprecedented will be this realm that the only fitting name for it is G L O R Y !

Explain it? Ha, I cannot! Nor can any mortal. Not even the best theologian with the highest IQ and most exquisite communication skills! Explain the triune God forever enthroned at the center of heaven? I cannot. Nor can any mere human, however brilliant or gifted with genius. No mere man, even one redeemed and gifted with the Holy Spirit's fullest wisdom, can, while we are still living in this limited realm, explain the unexplainable, fathom the unfathomable, or search the unsearchable. For now, "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God" (Deuteronomy 29:29). Later, in our glorified state, we, too, will understand these wonders.

But to increasingly come to know our awesome God, learn of Him, speak to Him, be spoken to by Him, and see His hand working daily in our lives, and others', this we can do while in this world: "But those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever" (Deuteronomy 29:29). Or, to be known by Him and His innumerable angels, and realize that He, yes, He, the immortal Spirit, is teaching, correcting, leading, and perfecting our characters in this life, yes, this also we may do.

And love Him through worship, and laud Him through our praises, which will never cease through the endless eons of the mystical wonder we call eternity, yes, this, too, we may do in our present mortal state. David wrote, "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth" (Psalm 34:1). And sit at His feet while He, by His Spirit, causes us to understand His primary means of communication with us, the Bible, text by text, phrase by phrase, word by word, yes, this too we may do while in the body.

Will there be other wonders in G L O R Y, all new and amazing to us? Yes, without a doubt! It is possible, if not probable, we will sit at the feet of the Father and Son as they describe to us in detail how they made this present universe and the new one to come. And there will be many more wonders there. Though not greater than the G L O R Y, they will yet be very glorious to us. Why?

They will far exceed anything we have ever experienced, conceived, or dreamed: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). Yet the Holy Spirit has already revealed some of these wonders: "God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:10).

Long ago (AD 95), one very favored man, the apostle John, visited G L O R Y ' S glorious setting and returned to write about it. In his apocalypse, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, John did his human best to describe the divine best he witnessed there.

The New Creation: Eternal Cosmology

As stated above, John's description of G L O R Y began when he beheld "a new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation 21:1). He then saw the new earth's new capital. Some of us will be sad to discover it was not Washington, London, Beijing, Buenos Aires, or Paris, but "New Jerusalem" (Revelation 21:2). Yes, our eternal capital will be named after the historic capital of the Jewish people, who, despite their tragic errors of the past nevertheless have given the church, and the entire human race, great and priceless gifts: the Savior; the inspired Scriptures - Old and New Testaments; the apostles; the prophets; the pattern of the tabernacle; and many other blessings. But let it be clearly noted and not forgotten: ethnic Jews, just like Gentiles, must repent of their sins, receive Messiah Jesus as their Lord and Savior if they indeed wish to freely enter the permanent Jerusalem John famously saw and faithfully described.

New Jerusalem (Revelation 21-22)

For Abraham's people, and Christ's Bride!

Unlike any before it, this city descended from the heavens rather than rising from the earth. The city Abraham longed for, with eternal "foundations, whose builder and maker is God," New Jerusalem is radiantly beautiful, adorned like a fabulously beautiful bride (Hebrews 11:10). Specifically, it will be the eternal home of the spiritually beautiful bride church soon to be wedded to the divine Lamb in heaven (Revelation 19:7-9). In consummate love, Jesus has personally constructed every part of this messianic metropolis with exquisite care and loving attention to the last detail, all to bring His bride people maximum blessing. Forever!

Utterly Holy!

New Jerusalem is consummately holy, totally set apart for God, His pleasure, and His use. It is also supremely pure, without a trace of physical or moral pollution. No impenitent practicing sinners will enter, much less live, in this holy city. For those wishing otherwise, Revelation quenches all their vain hopes by issuing not one or two but three explicit exclusion statements which form New Jerusalem's emigration policy: practicing sinners not allowed (Revelation 21:8; 21:27; 22:15)! Hebrews agrees, "Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).

Massive!

The holy city is also massive - 1,400 (or 1,500)¹ miles in width, length and height - and cubical in form.

Its massiveness reflects the largeness of God's kingdom, reminding us that there is always plenty of room for repentant sinners in God's eternal New Jerusalem. Jesus revealed, "In my Father's house [heaven] are many mansions [lit., rooms, dwelling places] (John 14:2).

Its cubical design reflects the inner chamber, or "most holy place," of Israel's divinely designed places of worship, the Tabernacle and the Temple (Exodus 26:34). There God's Presence rested upon the lid of the Ark of the Covenant, which, when Lamb's blood was applied, was turned from a seat of judgment to a throne of mercy. So, New Jerusalem will be an eternal place of worship and communion with the Holy One for those who have visited the New Covenant's "holiest place" - penetrating conviction of sin and a broken, penitent willingness to change, immediately and permanently - and washed their sins away in the blood of the Lamb, thereafter the recipients of God's saving mercy instead of His just wrath.

Foursquare!

Being foursquare, New Jerusalem is equal from every perspective, tailor-made for a people who, like their God, love, live, and laud genuine equality in justice and hold no prejudices for any. On every side they deal with people evenhandedly and graciously, with God's love for all and malice toward none.

Of the Rarest Materials!

New Jerusalem's construction materials are earth's rarest minerals and metals: jewels, gemstones, pearls, and gold. Why? Nothing less than priceless materials will do for a priceless city to be inhabited forever by a priceless people - made spiritually rich by God because they put Him before material riches. Like the Smyrnan Christians: "I know thy ... poverty (but thou art rich)" (Revelation 2:8). And the repentant remnant in Laodicea: "I counsel thee to buy of me [spiritual] gold tried in the fire [fiery trials], that thou mayest be [spiritually] rich [in faith and experiential knowledge of God]" (Revelation 3:18).

Transparent!

Its buildings are of gold so purified they are transparent!, constructed for a people who no longer have anything to hide. By diligently practicing self-examination, as Paul commanded, and have learned to live transparent lives before God and one another (1 Corinthians 11:28-31; 1 John 1:5-10).

On a High Mountain!

Its setting is upon a "great and high mountain" (21:10), or massive mesa, in our terminology. Considering the colossal scale of every part of the new earth and its capital city, this mesa will be many times larger than any on this earth, with its height possibly being measured in not feet but miles! We don't know precisely, but it will clearly be very elevated. Why is it perched so far above the new earth's surface? For three reasons.

First, it is an elevated city for Christians who have consistently chosen to live spiritually elevated lives. They've chosen spiritual thinking over carnal, obedience to God over disobedience, submission to Him over rebellion, living close to Him over following from afar, praise and worship over complaining, and walking in Christ's love over living in anger and strife.

Second, New Jerusalem's great elevation enables it to light the whole world! As never before in human history, this city will be light-filled! Not illuminated from the heavens above but from within the city itself. Needing neither sun, moon, nor stars (though they will exist), this mega-metropolis will be illuminated day and night by T H E G L O R Y - the presence of the Father and Son, from whom light brighter than our sun will emanate in every direction. "The glory of God did light it, and the Lamb is the lamp of it" (Revelation 21:23). As the beams of this supernatural light pass through the transparent buildings, homes, and streets, and touch the jewel-encrusted walls of the city, the entire city will sparkle like a diamond. Every facet of every diamond (which come in all colors) and every other precious mineral will produce a unique hue of rich, gorgeous colors, so beautiful our new eyes will be compelled to stare at them, again and again, throughout the eternal day - for there will never be night, or any darkness, there.

Third, New Jerusalem's vast elevation enables it to water the entire earth. Deep down inside the mesa on which New Jerusalem sits will be history's greatest artesian well - a heavenly Gihon gushing up from beneath the throne of the Father and Son. This river of life, likely identical to the one Ezekiel foresaw flowing in the Millennium (Ezekiel 47:1-12), will run throughout the new earth's colossal capital city, sustaining so many species of plant and animal life John had neither time or space to record them. This river will then flow out from the city, branch out into thousands of distributaries, and water the entire new earth. "Everything will live where the river flows" (Ezekiel 47:9), spreading life, fruit, refreshment, joy, and aesthetic beauty, as its crystal-clear waters will captivate us. Sparkling. Inviting. Eternal!

Amazing Food!

The food there? Matchless, rich, abundant, unspoiled, unending! On either side of the river of life will grow twelve kinds of trees like we've never seen bearing fruit monthly more delicious than anything we've tasted. Besides offering maximum taste they will also impart maximum nutrition for our Christlike, immortal, glorified bodies. John reveals, "the leaves of the tree[s]" will be for the "healing," or health (Gk., therapeia) of "the nations."

Christlike, Glorified Bodies - and Travel!

In his first epistle, John revealed our bodies will be glorified and Christlike: "It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that . . . we shall be like him" (1 John 3:2). What then was Jesus' glorified (immortal) body like?

He was not bound by the natural laws of physics. He could appear and disappear. We will too. He could change His form, and did so on at least two occasions. We will too. He could apparently travel without using natural means of transport. We will too. (Some have conjectured unlimited flight through the vast reaches of deep space.) Yet He could eat, revealing His glorified body could digest food. So will ours. And He could drink, for He promised to drink the fruit of the vine in His Father's kingdom with us. So, we, too, will drink. It is further implied, though not stated, that He did not need to rest but could remain awake, alert, and strong constantly. We, too, will have unlimited energy. Does this mean we will never sit, relax, and just take it all in for long periods of joyous observation and meditation? Not at all! The many other amazing features of the new earth and New Jerusalem will compel our attention.

Other Amazing Features!

The Father of truth and Son of truth will teach insights from the Word of truth in ways we have never conceived. We will surely sit at Jesus' feet, as Mary did, and for endless hours² take in lesson after lesson of never-before-heard gems of truth in the written Word from the lips of the Living Word. We will sit for days and behold the marvelous features of New Jerusalem. We will sit for years, decades, centuries, millennia, and do little more than explore and wonder at the pristine natural beauty of the billions of square miles of the new earth's surface features: lakes many miles in depth; rivers (the River of Life's distributaries) gurgling over rapids and teaming with jumping fish; waterfalls dropping not feet but miles; mountains towering so high their tops cannot be seen, yet we can climb them for centuries in our immortal bodies without fear of falling, injury, or death - which cannot happen in that world! And animal and bird life? Oh my, the new species will be innumerable and incomparable, possibly created anew from our Father's hand daily, each with unique beauty and characteristics and ways of blessing us. And I wonder, will we be able to communicate and interact with them in ways that are presently not only impossible but unthinkable?

And I could go on: gates of single pearls; the precious stones on the breastplate of Israel's high priest encrusting New Jerusalem's walls and the apostles' names stamped on each foundation; gates that never shut; traffic that never ceases; redeemed Gentile kings that bring their regal honors and cultural distinctives into New Jerusalem in grand parades; millions of overcomers residing in New Jerusalem's "inner light," with millions more redeemed ones visiting it often, yet residing outside in comparative "outer darkness" - yet far from the total darkness of the lake of fire, which will be a physical location on the new earth (Isaiah 66:22-24); and countless other wonders we will have to wait for to discover and experience.

Refocusing

Now let us draw this message back into focus. A clear, singular focus. As John did. Let us focus on the Blessing of blessings, Joy of joys, most delightful Delight, and surpassing Benefit. It is, and forever will be, this: "And his servants shall serve him. And they shall see his face" (Revelation 22:3-4).

This is the zenith, the ultimate, the end of our life-trek and summit of our life-climb! Standing in His Presence! So close we can see the sight mortal eyes have never seen: "His face!" Walking with Him. Talking with Him. Listening to Him. Without the slightest fear of snares, trials, or troubles. Satan and his nefarious imps forever gone! And we are left in perpetual perfect peace - within us, around us, among us. Forever and ever. What shall I call this? What name is fitting?

Only one: G L O R Y !  Say it with me now, as you read, G L O R Y ! This is the place toward which I am traveling. This is where all my hopes point. This is where all the paths of my life end. This is where the eyes of my heart are focused. This is my final destination - and destiny.

And yours, too, if you know the God who dwells there. And loves you. And sent His Son to die for your sins. So you could live with Him. Forever! He will rejoice when he receives you. And surely speak over you this declaration, or another equally triumphant:

• And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle [living place] of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them.

—Revelation 21:3

A greater triumph has never, nor will ever, be accomplished. Sin has been conquered by Christ's blood. Satan has been conquered by Christ's obedience unto death. His demons have been conquered by Christ's angels. This faithless world has been conquered spiritually by His faithful church. The Antichrist has been conquered literally by Christ's overwhelming return in power.

All is at rest. No foe remains for the eternal Father. And Son. And Spirit. And their highest creation, man. The only thing remaining is ... G L O R Y !  Forever!

Bound for G L O R Y,

Dr. Greg Hinnant

GREG HINNANT MINISTRIES

1. This possible alternate measurement is because the basic unit of measurement, the stade (Gk. stadion), changed over the centuries.

2. I use time terms (hour, day, year) only in a feeble attempt to compare the known with the unknown. In eternity, of course, there will be no time measurements.