With Lord's Day 22 we complete our explanation of the various truths of Scripture set forth in the articles of the Apostles Creed. And specifically, we treat here the two articles, "I believe the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting." These two articles are really the climax of the confession, the fitting conclusion which returns us in a most beautiful way to what the Heidelberg Catechism calls in Lord's Day I "our only comfort in life and death."
Death is a certain reality for every one of us. In all our sicknesses and all our sorrows and all our troubles and fears we face death. And you and I know in our souls that death is not the end. As we stand by nature, we can only expect that through death we shall enter everlasting death, the desolation of hell. That is why these articles are the climax of our confession. My only comfort in life and death is that I with body and soul belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, and that because I belong to Him I have in Him the blessed hope of glory. I call your attention to this Lord's Day in the light of the two passages which we read; and I do so under the theme:
OUR BLESSED HOPE--GLORY
I. OUR IMMEDIATE EXALTATION
II. OUR BODILY RESURRECTION
III. OUR EVERLASTING GLORY
I. WHEN WE CONSIDER THE TRUTH OF OUR IMMEDIATE EXALTATION, WE DO SO FROM TWO PERSPECTIVES.
IN THE FIRST PLACE, WE MUST REMEMBER THAT WHAT TAKES PLACE AT THE MOMENT OF REGENERATION IS OUR MOST IMMEDIATE EXALTATION.
You and I are born dead in trespasses and sins. The fact that we are taken out of that death and are given life, is nothing less than our immediate exaltation. Jesus said in John 5:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but has already passed from death unto life." That exaltation from death unto life has already taken place. That is why the expression of the Catechism, "I now feel in my heart the beginning of eternal joy." The same truth is expressed in the last verse of John 3, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." He does not say that whoever believes shall have everlasting life, but that he has it. He that believeth hath everlasting life, and everlasting life is the resurrection life.
That first and immediate exaltation is God's work of regeneration. That is the first resurrection from the dead. In regeneration God calls those who are spiritually dead, not only back to life, but to an entirely different and higher form of life than man ever experienced before. In Ephesians 2:4-6, you read, "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." You see, He hath quickened us, now in this present life. And that means that already in this present life, the believer in Christ Jesus is free from spiritual death. He is quickened and has a new life together with Christ, a life that does not belong to this earth, but is altogether heavenly and principally lives in heaven. And so the Scriptures repeatedly speak the same language. When God has regenerated you, he has given you light to displace the darkness, life instead of death, heaven instead of hell. No wonder then, with that glorious work of God having been performed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, that we cry out, "I now feel in my heart the beginning of eternal joy."
But then I must ask you this morning, Do you repeat the words of this confession as your own, from the heart? Notice this confession is very personal. If you are to make it your own, you have to search your own soul. Because the confession is not simply "since those who believe in Christ already have eternal life and joy," but "since I," I personally, "feel in my heart the beginning of eternal joy," and so on. That feeling is not some kind of mystical feeling that has no objective basis. It comes not simply as the result of sitting down in some kind of meditative trance. You must examine your whole life in the light of the Scriptures, also as that Word is preached to you, and you must ask yourself the question: Is my only comfort that I belong to Jesus Christ? Is it so that I belong to Him and believe in Him, that I pour out my sins in sorrow before Him? Do I strive against sin and struggle with the depravity of my nature? Do I, as we hear in the Baptism Form, strive to forsake the world, crucify my old nature, and walk in a new and holy life?
Of course, this aspect which is our immediate exaltation is only a beginning. So long as we walk on this earth, life always fights with death. "If Christ be in you," says Paul in Romans 8:10, "the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." By body is death, my whole old nature is characterized by death. All I have is the beginning of the new life. And that beginning reveals itself in a constant battle against death, a battle that will end only on my death bed. Then I will have the victory, and will enter other stage of immediate exaltation.
WHEN WE THINK OF PASSING THROUGH PHYSICAL DEATH, OUR IMMEDIATE EXALTATION IS EXPRESSED IN ITS SECOND STAGE BY THIS: THAT "MY SOUL AFTER THIS LIFE SHALL BE IMMEDIATELY TAKEN UP TO CHRIST ITS HEAD."
That means that immediately after death my soul shall be raised to heavenly glory, so that the principle of the new life which I now have in Christ shall immediately be perfected, and I shall ever be with the Lord.
Now it is not easy to conceive of these things. We believe it and confess it, but we do so by faith. We cannot comprehend how, while the body lies in the grave and turns to dust, the soul is in heaven. The reason we cannot comprehend is because these things are not earthly, but heavenly. Scripture speaks of those heavenly things in earthly language always, in order to be able to reach us and cause us to understand a little bit of those future blessings. But that means that we lay hold of the Scriptures for our understanding, nothing else. And the Bible teaches that when I die, my soul passes into everlasting glory, immediately exalted to heaven.
There are those who speak of soul sleep. According to them, the soul sleeps after death and until Christ returns for the final resurrection. That position, of course, although not as corrupted in practice, is essentially no different from the Roman Catholic teaching of purgatory. Both deny the immediate exaltation of the Christian after death. Purgatory has absolutely no basis in Holy Scripture. I have discussed that before and will not take the time for it now. But the idea of soul sleep is a misinterpretation of those places where death is referred to as sleep. Sleep refers to the peace of death for the Christian. Soul sleep, however, is not even possible. Sleep is of the body, not the soul. The inner man never sleeps, is always active.
The Apostle teaches us in II Corinthians 5:1, "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved,"--and that happens at the moment of death--"we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Immediate exaltation belongs to you who are in Christ Jesus! Now, you must understand that this passage does not speak of death in general. It speaks of the death of believers in Christ. That is important in this connection. Because we must realize that the death of the Christian is not merely the matter of the soul somehow leaving the body; but in the words of the previous chapter, the inward man leaves the outward man. That is the death of the believer. Immediately after death the inner man of the believer is raised to glory. How? We do not know. But the truth we know. Christ Jesus said to the penitent man that was crucified with Him, "Today thou shalt be with me in paradise."
On the basis of Scripture we can say with certainty: Immediately after death I shall be free from sin, free from corruption; and I shall be perfectly with Christ, in the company of the church triumphant with the angelic hosts. Oh, that we are not able to comprehend this wonder really doesn't matter, does it. The Bible tells us so. Let's believe it then, beloved. Only a little while, and we shall see it perfectly. Christ will show us, face to face. But that cannot be the end.
II. WE CONFESS, SECONDLY, THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY.
IT IS THAT OF WHICH WE READ IN I CORINTHIANS, CHAPTER 15.
Again, we speak of a mystery, as the Apostles says in verse 51: "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." A mystery is a profound truth respecting our salvation, a truth which is hid from our eyes and natural understanding, but a truth which is known by revelation. And therefore, it is also a truth that can be known and accepted by faith only. And that mystery is expressed this way: We must all be changed. Some will be changed through the grave and the bodily resurrection, a few without entering the death of the grave. That change is an absolute necessity and will take place in a moment at the last trump.
The necessity of that change is seen in vs. 50, where we are told that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. It is absolutely necessary that my body be raised by the power of Christ, be reunited with my soul, and made like unto the glorious body of Christ. Our present bodies consist of flesh and blood. That is the material of which they were originally made out of dust. It is an earthly, physical material. And in that body we are bound to the earth; in this earthy body our souls can perceive and have contact only with earthly things. Besides, our bodies are corruptible. The outward form of our bodies can be and will be destroyed, so that they no longer serve their purpose as bodies. That is the reality of death as it affects this earthly body.
These bodies cannot enter the kingdom of God. And by that kingdom is meant that final state of glory, when God shall be all in all in the new heavens and the new earth. That kingdom we who are in Christ Jesus must inherit. Christ purchased us for it and prepared it for us. But that kingdom is heavenly and spiritual. Therefore, in order for us to be able to inherit it, we must be changed, both soul and body. Death must be more than just the escape of the soul from this corrupt body. The body and soul go together. God created them that way. The soul, or the inner man, belongs to the outward man; and the outward man belongs to the inner man. That will be true forever. Even though we will no longer be earthly after death, nevertheless, our body will belong with that soul in heaven. We must be able to rule all things in that heavenly kingdom and to enjoy it forever. We must be able to perceive all those spiritual and heavenly things, to know them. We must be able to see that new creation, to hear the voice of the glorified Christ Himself, to touch and to taste the things of that new creation to the glory of God. And therefore, this corruptible and mortal must put on incorruption and immortality. This body must be changed in order to complete our immediate exaltation.
WHAT KIND OF CHANGE SHALL OUR BODIES UNDERGO IN THE RESURRECTION?
This, of course, is a profound mystery. It lies beyond the scope of our comprehension. When we consider what happens to our bodies in physical death, how completely they are disintegrated, dissolved by decay; if we contemplate how many bodies of the believers have been consumed by fire and by lions and have been lost at sea or cut to pieces by the enemy, then the resurrection of the body becomes totally inconceivable. It would seem easier to think of a new creation. Yet God will call forth all those bodies and unite them to their proper souls. He is the One Who calls the things that are not, as if they were, and that quickeneth the dead. Should we question His power Who has brought us from death into life? He is God, and becomes known as God exactly in the way of performing wondrous things. That which is inconceivable and impossible with man, is performed by the Almighty Jehovah. Our bodies shall undergo a change that we cannot understand; but again, a change that we see as the evidence of things not seen, as God has revealed it to us in the Scriptures. And the Scriptures tell us that essentially the same body that is buried shall be called forth from the dead.
The question therefore arises: What belongs to the very essence of our bodies, and that therefore will make up that resurrection body which is like unto the glorious body of Christ?
First, we may say that it belongs to the essence of a body that it is material. Oh no, that material will not be flesh and blood, nor anything earthly. But our heavenly bodies will be material. We can use all kinds of earthly figures to illustrate this truth. The same material often assumes different forms. Moisture, e.g., becomes water, and water becomes steam or ice. The Apostle himself points to this same idea with the use of various figures in vss 39ff of this chapter. "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory" (vss 39-41). And then the Apostle says, "So also is the resurrection of the dead." And from the language he uses, he obviously uses the figure of a seed. That seed is sown in the ground to take on a different form. The seed develops into a beautifully blossomed plant. So it will be in the resurrection of the body. Though not the material of flesh and blood, it will consist of a material fit for heaven, a material which will be the perfect medium for the perception and enjoyment of the things heavenly.
Secondly, we may say that the resurrection body will be a human body. Through all the changes to which you are subject, you will remain essentially the same man. As Christ retains His human nature in His glorified state, so your nature and mine will remain the rational nature adapted to bear the image of God in the new creation.
And in the third place, we maintain that through death and the resurrection God shall preserve in our bodies their individuality. It is the glory of God that radiates in the manifold variety of His creatures. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, although a parable, we see that individuality and personality even of those who have gone through the state of death.
That change shall take place "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump." Paul writes in I Thessalonians 4:16,17: "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Figuratively, that trumpet is the instrument to call the host to the battle or, more appropriately here, the worshippers to the temple, to the fellowship of their God. It is the instrument by which the dead shall be prepared for and called to final glory. This shall take place in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.
At that time, beloved, we will be made like unto the glorious body of Christ. No longer shall this body be subject to corruption. Death has no more power over it. This body has the victory. This body that presently shall be sown in weakness shall be raised in power, no longer subject to the weaknesses of tiredness. It shall renew its youth like the eagle, and the source of its strength shall be the risen Lord. No longer will this body bear the marks of sin and unrighteousness, the dishonor. The perfection of beauty and holiness shall characterize it forever and ever. In such a glorified body, you who believe shall live forever with all the saints in Christ in the state of everlasting glory.
III. WHAT IS OUR EVERLASTING GLORY? IN ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION I CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO REVELATION 22.
"WHAT COMFORT TAKEST THOU FROM THE ARTICLE OF 'LIFE EVERLASTING'?"
You understand, that the way that question is formulated sets before you this great question: "As we meditate upon this vision of the new Jerusalem, is this the city that you seek? Do you recognize in this picture that for which your heart longs?"
We must not forget that we are given here an earthly, symbolic picture of a heavenly reality. We must concentrate upon the ideas represented in this picture, and not let our minds become centered upon the earthly and material presentation of the thing. They are presented this way, because otherwise we could not approach the subject at all! These are indeed those things "which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man."
We may also notice that the description and the symbolism here in the first 5 verses of Revelation 22 are derived from that of the first paradise. That paradise the Lord had already called to the attention of the church at Ephesus, in Revelation 2:7, when He said, "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Here as we contemplate our everlasting glory, our attention is called to the symbolism of the first paradise.
What is the idea of our perfect salvation, as seen here in this representation of the heavenly paradise? The essence of that first paradise can be expressed in this way: it was the dwelling place of God in the state of righteousness. That is evident from all that we read of the first paradise. There God talked with Adam. There Adam knew God. There God walked with Adam. There man loved God and could have fellowship with God. And whatever form the heavenly paradise may assume, of this we may be sure: there God will live with us in the beautiful and perfect fellowship of His own life and love, the life of the covenant. And if you ask yourself the question, "What comfort takest thou from the article of life everlasting," you certainly have to bear in mind this beautiful truth.
And although essentially the same, the everlasting paradise of God is distinguished from the first paradise in at least 3 respects. The first paradise was limited; the second is unlimited and universal, occupying the entire new creation. The first paradise was earthly; the second is heavenly. And the everlasting paradise of God is unconditional and incorruptible. The tree of life is the only special tree in the heavenly paradise. There is no room for that other tree. There is no possibility of a fall. For all things are now concentrated in Christ.
Let's consider the picture here briefly.
You have, first of all, in this picture the element of the river of water of life. This river flows from the throne of God. And to understand, therefore, what the river is, we must remember the words of Jesus in John 7:37-39: "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." And then He explained that water as being the Spirit; for you read, "(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive.)" In the light of these words of Jesus, therefore, it is evident that the essence of this river of water of life is the flowing stream of grace which flows from the Triune God into the citizens of Jerusalem. In other words, all that pertains to life in fellowship with God--such as righteousness, holiness, and so on--all that pertains to fellowship with God is that river.
The second element in this picture is that of the tree of life. And a striking part of this picture is that the tree of life is on either side of the river, on both sides. This tree of life bears fruit every month, twelve fruits. And as an additional detail, we read that the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Again, we must understand the symbolism here. The tree of life in the first paradise was a token of God's favor, a visible token of the lovingkindness of God which also serves to give man life. Now, applying this to the picture in Revelation 22, we have this beautiful reality with respect to our everlasting glory, especially bearing in mind the prosperity of this tree on both sides of the river. When we inherit our perfect salvation, beloved, we will ever be conscious of the favor of our God. How little are we conscious of that favor now. But in heavenly glory there will never be a moment when you are not conscious of the lovingkindness of Jehovah. That is emphasized by the symbolism of the tree's bearing fruit every month and 12 fruits at that. The number 12 in the Book of Revelation refers to the Church of God. That means that there is fruit for the whole Church, and
that at all times. We will eat at the feast table and drink of the cup of God's grace continuously and be satisfied. And when the text speaks of the leaves of this tree serving for the healing of the nations, it does not mean that there will be nations that need to be healed. But here is a symbolic presentation of the truth proclaimed by the prophet Isaiah, there shall be no sickness there. He who eats of the tree of life shall never be sick again.
OUR EVERLASTING GLORY AS SEEN IN THE FIRST 5 VERSES OF REVELATION 22 BEARS A FOURFOLD BLESSEDNESS, THEREFORE.
In the first place, there will be no more curse there. There shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. God rules there by His grace. And where God rules by His grace, His servants serve Him and acknowledge Him as God alone. There is no room for the curse in the place of our everlasting glory.
Secondly, in the paradise of God we will see God in the face of Jesus Christ. We will never see the infinite, incomprehensible God of all goodness. We will not see His infinite Being. But He will reveal to us His face in Jesus Christ. And that means, beloved, that in heaven you will see the highest revelation of our God. Here we have only a reflection. We have that reflection of the Almighty God in the work of His hands. We have that reflection of Him as our Savior in the Scriptures. God has given us this love letter. And as we look in this letter He has sent us we see a glimmer of His glory. We see, as it were, His back, and that as if we are looking through a dark glass. But when you and I inherit our perfect salvation, God will lift the veil and reveal Himself in the face of Jesus Christ. Everywhere we go, we will see Him, and that, to praise His name forever.
Thirdly, the blessedness of our everlasting glory will be experienced by the direct knowledge of the ever-blessed God. His name shall be in our foreheads. That is to say, we shall be known as His, and we shall also know Him as He has marked Himself upon us by His virtues. In a creaturely measure, we shall be like Him, knowing Him perfectly. "And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light." God is light. And He will shine in the hearts of all the citizens of His new Jerusalem. We shall know Him directly.
And finally, you and I who are in Christ Jesus will reign there. For those who walk ungodly, there is only condemnation. This kingdom is exclusive. Only those who are king-servants in Christ, shall receive everlasting glory. And repentance and faith are the only way to enter this kingdom. For we enter it only in Christ, our Righteousness. Indeed, beloved, that shall be a kingdom of perfect salvation. There we shall reign perfectly to the glory of God, that He may be all in all, and that forever. Believest thou this? My blessed hope is glory, everlasting glory, where I may serve God in my perfected resurrection body like unto the glorious body of Christ. Is that hope yours? When it is, then you have everything, absolutely everything to look forward to!
Amen.
Preached:Randolph PRC 2/23/97 (am)
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