#thomasbrightman — Public Fediverse posts

Thought for today “The New Heaven and the New Earth” (July 01)

 

“1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God: 4 and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away. 5 And he that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he saith, Write: for these words are faithful and true. 6 And he said unto me, They are come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part [shall be] in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.” (Re 21:1-8 ERV)

The New Heaven and the New Earth

The Father sits on the throne

John Napier writes:

Here the text says,

“He who sat on the throne spoke,”

namely, that same deity and divine essence. But for as much as both the person of the Father and of the Son are meant to sit in this throne, in the next chapter … it is to be reasoned whether this is the person of the Father or of the Son who here speaks to St. John. Concerning this we say that although it was the person of Christ who is sitting in this throne lately, at the end of the previous chapter, and judges the world, as both our belief and Revelation 14:14 testify, yet here is there a translation made of persons and it is the Father who now speaks.
For not only now has that judgment seat (attributed in the Scriptures to Christ) taken full effect, but also Christ, earlier having perfected his functions of incarnation, teaching, redemption, mediation, and damning and throwing down the wicked, now delivers up the kingdom to God the Father that he may be all in all, as testifies Paul.… And again on the other part, now are here introduced the offices and functions of God the Father and Creator anew creating and renewing the world. Because here the functions of the Son are ending and the functions of the Father newly again beginning, this must be the Father who here showed that he is to renew the world, seeing that is his function and office. {A Plain discovery of the whole revelation of Saint John – Reformation Commentary on Scripture New Testament XV Revelation Edited by Rodney Petersen and Gerald L. Bray; General Editor Timothy George}

A Place as well as its citizens

Heinrich Bullinger writes:

Jerusalem. And a city signifies the place and habitation as well as those who dwell in the place, I mean the citizens themselves. This city therefore is not only the place of the blessed but also the very communion of saints, in old time prefigured in the city of Jerusalem. But he puts a great difference between this our new and that visible and corporal Jerusalem. For he calls ours holy; that other in the land of Palestine was profane, polluted with the blood of Christ, prophets, and apostles, and for the same cause destroyed utterly. Ours is also called new. For the communion of saints shall be renewed on the same day.

And therefore by interpretation followed “coming down from heaven,” not that the habitation of saints after judgment will again be in earth but that the glory and renewing shall be granted from heaven by the divine majesty and power. As also St. James is read to have said,

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights.”

And St. Paul also … said that the free church is the heavenly Jerusalem.… The first man, he says, of the earth was earthly; the second man, the Lord himself from heaven. Such as that earthly one was, such are those also who are earthly; and such as that heavenly one was, such are those also who are heavenly. And as we have born the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear also the image of the heavenly.

The Invitation

“16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright, the morning star. 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come: he that will, let him take the water of life freely. 18 I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: 19 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. 20  He which testifieth these things saith, Yea: I come quickly. Amen: come, Lord Jesus.” (Re 22:16-20 ERV)

Accomplish your great mystery

Thomas Brightman writes:

Accomplish at length your great mystery, and let the world acknowledge your long delay to have been only for your mercy, not because of forgetfulness or neglect of your promise. Destroy the Romish beast and the Constantinopolitan dragon; build up your new Jerusalem, in which Christ shall reign and the saints shall rule together with him to enjoy for a time a blessed reign on earth, and most happy and eternal with you in heaven.

Hear, Father, to whom no thought of the mind is unknown. Be present, you who are nowhere absent, but hear the prayers before whom you have gone before, by your decree. Then will we bring forth our harps and sing praises to you, celebrating you, the one-in-three God, the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, to whom be all honor, praise, and glory forever and ever. Amen.  {Revelation of Saint John – Reformation Commentary on Scripture New Testament XV Revelation Edited by Rodney Petersen and Gerald L. Bray; General Editor Timothy George}

Judging the success of the prophecy

Thomas Brightman continues:

“Seal not”: the publishing of a commandment by which there should be free power to everyone to examine and by its success to judge the prophecy. John might not have it for himself alone but should offer it to the trial of a public examination, as at once from the beginning he was bidden,

“What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches.”

… And again,

“Write these things that you have seen, and that are, and that shall be”: that is, do not hide it from others but publish it.

But if the public publishing of it is spoken of, why was Daniel, who also brought into open view his prophecy, commanded to shut up his words and to seal the book?

Therefore this prohibition of not sealing includes some other thing, namely that things to come are set down in such a way that people might be led as by the hand to fully understand the same prophecy by the events present and near at hand. It happened otherwise to Daniel, who was not manifest to every age, for he, dealing with a few overlapping matters, is chiefly employed in things that should lastly come to pass and therefore should expect the appointed time before which it was not to be unfolded.

This partly is to be understood of those more difficult visions, partly of the people of the Jews, whom that prophecy chiefly concerns. What followed confirmed this interpretation, for the time is at hand, as if he should say,

“Do not shut up this prophecy, because the time near at hand shall reveal it.”

But Daniel’s was sealed up, for the event’s being far to come caused it to lie hidden for a great time. Therefore these words have the same force as the former,

“Behold, I come quickly.”

 {A Plain discovery of the whole revelation of Saint John – Reformation Commentary on Scripture New Testament XV Revelation Edited by Rodney Petersen and Gerald L. Bray; General Editor Timothy George}

Rate this:

#CommunionOfSaints #ConstantinopolitanDragon #Daniël #Dragon #FreeChurch #HeavenlyJerusalem #HeinrichBullinger #Jerusalem #JohnNapier #JudgmentSeat #NewJerusalem #Palestine #Revelation2118 #Revelation221620 #RomishBeast #ThomasBrightman

Thought for today “The New Heaven and the New Earth” (July 01)

 

“1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God: 4 and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away. 5 And he that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he saith, Write: for these words are faithful and true. 6 And he said unto me, They are come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part [shall be] in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.” (Re 21:1-8 ERV)

The New Heaven and the New Earth

The Father sits on the throne

John Napier writes:

Here the text says,

“He who sat on the throne spoke,”

namely, that same deity and divine essence. But for as much as both the person of the Father and of the Son are meant to sit in this throne, in the next chapter … it is to be reasoned whether this is the person of the Father or of the Son who here speaks to St. John. Concerning this we say that although it was the person of Christ who is sitting in this throne lately, at the end of the previous chapter, and judges the world, as both our belief and Revelation 14:14 testify, yet here is there a translation made of persons and it is the Father who now speaks.
For not only now has that judgment seat (attributed in the Scriptures to Christ) taken full effect, but also Christ, earlier having perfected his functions of incarnation, teaching, redemption, mediation, and damning and throwing down the wicked, now delivers up the kingdom to God the Father that he may be all in all, as testifies Paul.… And again on the other part, now are here introduced the offices and functions of God the Father and Creator anew creating and renewing the world. Because here the functions of the Son are ending and the functions of the Father newly again beginning, this must be the Father who here showed that he is to renew the world, seeing that is his function and office. {A Plain discovery of the whole revelation of Saint John – Reformation Commentary on Scripture New Testament XV Revelation Edited by Rodney Petersen and Gerald L. Bray; General Editor Timothy George}

A Place as well as its citizens

Heinrich Bullinger writes:

Jerusalem. And a city signifies the place and habitation as well as those who dwell in the place, I mean the citizens themselves. This city therefore is not only the place of the blessed but also the very communion of saints, in old time prefigured in the city of Jerusalem. But he puts a great difference between this our new and that visible and corporal Jerusalem. For he calls ours holy; that other in the land of Palestine was profane, polluted with the blood of Christ, prophets, and apostles, and for the same cause destroyed utterly. Ours is also called new. For the communion of saints shall be renewed on the same day.

And therefore by interpretation followed “coming down from heaven,” not that the habitation of saints after judgment will again be in earth but that the glory and renewing shall be granted from heaven by the divine majesty and power. As also St. James is read to have said,

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights.”

And St. Paul also … said that the free church is the heavenly Jerusalem.… The first man, he says, of the earth was earthly; the second man, the Lord himself from heaven. Such as that earthly one was, such are those also who are earthly; and such as that heavenly one was, such are those also who are heavenly. And as we have born the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear also the image of the heavenly.

The Invitation

“16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright, the morning star. 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come: he that will, let him take the water of life freely. 18 I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: 19 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. 20  He which testifieth these things saith, Yea: I come quickly. Amen: come, Lord Jesus.” (Re 22:16-20 ERV)

Accomplish your great mystery

Thomas Brightman writes:

Accomplish at length your great mystery, and let the world acknowledge your long delay to have been only for your mercy, not because of forgetfulness or neglect of your promise. Destroy the Romish beast and the Constantinopolitan dragon; build up your new Jerusalem, in which Christ shall reign and the saints shall rule together with him to enjoy for a time a blessed reign on earth, and most happy and eternal with you in heaven.

Hear, Father, to whom no thought of the mind is unknown. Be present, you who are nowhere absent, but hear the prayers before whom you have gone before, by your decree. Then will we bring forth our harps and sing praises to you, celebrating you, the one-in-three God, the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, to whom be all honor, praise, and glory forever and ever. Amen.  {Revelation of Saint John – Reformation Commentary on Scripture New Testament XV Revelation Edited by Rodney Petersen and Gerald L. Bray; General Editor Timothy George}

Judging the success of the prophecy

Thomas Brightman continues:

“Seal not”: the publishing of a commandment by which there should be free power to everyone to examine and by its success to judge the prophecy. John might not have it for himself alone but should offer it to the trial of a public examination, as at once from the beginning he was bidden,

“What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches.”

… And again,

“Write these things that you have seen, and that are, and that shall be”: that is, do not hide it from others but publish it.

But if the public publishing of it is spoken of, why was Daniel, who also brought into open view his prophecy, commanded to shut up his words and to seal the book?

Therefore this prohibition of not sealing includes some other thing, namely that things to come are set down in such a way that people might be led as by the hand to fully understand the same prophecy by the events present and near at hand. It happened otherwise to Daniel, who was not manifest to every age, for he, dealing with a few overlapping matters, is chiefly employed in things that should lastly come to pass and therefore should expect the appointed time before which it was not to be unfolded.

This partly is to be understood of those more difficult visions, partly of the people of the Jews, whom that prophecy chiefly concerns. What followed confirmed this interpretation, for the time is at hand, as if he should say,

“Do not shut up this prophecy, because the time near at hand shall reveal it.”

But Daniel’s was sealed up, for the event’s being far to come caused it to lie hidden for a great time. Therefore these words have the same force as the former,

“Behold, I come quickly.”

 {A Plain discovery of the whole revelation of Saint John – Reformation Commentary on Scripture New Testament XV Revelation Edited by Rodney Petersen and Gerald L. Bray; General Editor Timothy George}

Rate this:

#CommunionOfSaints #ConstantinopolitanDragon #Daniël #Dragon #FreeChurch #HeavenlyJerusalem #HeinrichBullinger #Jerusalem #JohnNapier #JudgmentSeat #NewJerusalem #Palestine #Revelation2118 #Revelation221620 #RomishBeast #ThomasBrightman