The Christ in Prophecy Journal

The Mighty Angels of Revelation 21 and the Realtor Angel

MP3: The Mighty Angels of Revelation 21 Continued
Hosts: Nathan Jones & Vic Batista

The Eternal State

Nathan Jones: A study of the book of Revelation has allowed us to watch God’s plan unfold from the point of view the Apostle John who was witnessing first-hand Jesus Christ utilizing His mighty angels to carry out His will. Revelation provides for an insightful study series because God peels back the veil that separates mankind and the spirit world to reveal the true world underneath. What we discover is how much God works through His angels in the end times of human history and also on into eternity.

Vic Batista: As we have studied through this topic of God’s mighty angels, my eyes have also been opened to the reality of these incredible beings who were created in all sorts of different forms. They are busy at God’s work fighting on the side of God’s faithful.

Nathan Jones: Now in Revelation 21-22, we are in the Eternal State. Heaven it is a very exciting topic!

Vic Batista: Let’s recap the events leading up to Revelation 21:1-8 and about the New Heaven before we move on to verse 9.

Nathan Jones: When we left Revelation 20, we’d reached the end of the Millennial Kingdom, which is Jesus’ thousand year reign on earth. Satan was released from the Abyss to incite a new rebellion. Those who were born during the Millennial Kingdom had to choose Jesus or not, and some didn’t, and instead follow Satan. As Satan leads his new followers to overthrow Jesus in Jerusalem, God sends fire down and destroys Satan’s army. The unfaithful dead are raised to face the Great White Throne Judgment, and they along with Death and Hades are at last thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Now in a new chapter, we have entered what’s called the Eternal State where He Who Sits on the Throne makes all things new. Not much is said in the Bible about this time period other than what is revealed in Revelation 21-22. God burns up the earth and rebuilds it into a whole brand new earth. He is also going to take Heaven and make it new as well. As we read in John 14:1-3, Jesus has been busy building the New Jerusalem, the capital city of the universe, and it is going to be the super city in which all the humanity who have been saved will live there for all of eternity.

#Jesus has been busy building the #NewJerusalem, the capital city of the universe! Click To Tweet

So, in our study of God’s plan for the ages, we are finally at the point where the New Jerusalem comes out of Heaven down to the New Earth and all God’s faithful will enter it into the Eternal State. This truly is our future and forever home.

Vic Batista: What a fantastic hope! This world that we are living in right now is filled with so much tragedy and difficult times. So many tears have been shed because of losing loved ones. But, a time is coming when there will be no more tears, for we will dwell in Heaven forever.

The Realtor Angel

Nathan Jones: Revelation 21:9-13 starts off with an angel: “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me [John] and talked with me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.'”

Acting almost in the capacity as if he was a realtor, this Realtor Angel is going to give us a walk-through of the New Jerusalem.

“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.”

Vic Batista: This angel in verse 9, we’ve seen him before, right?

Nathan Jones: Yes, this angel is one of the Seven Bowl Judgment Angels. The plagues of the Tribulation were divided into 21 judgments: 7 Seals, 7 Trumpets, and 7 Bowls or Vials. This angel has completed his job. He’s finished pouring out one of his bowl plagues upon the earth, and now he gets the joy of introducing the Apostle John and reader to the New Jerusalem.

An interesting thought, the New Jerusalem might even be new to this angel because at this point in God’s timeline they would be seeing a state of the world that doesn’t yet exist, even for him. This world is future, when God rebuilds the earth into the New Earth and the New Jerusalem descends — Heaven on Earth. So, I would imagine this angel is seeing something new, just like John, because the New Jerusalem should be future for him as well. And so, in this passage the once Bowl Judgment Angel, now Realtor Angel, is giving a description of what this super city, the New Jerusalem, looks like.

The Bible compares the city to a bride. Bear in mind the city is not the Bride of Christ. The Bride of Christ is of course the Church, comprised of those who have accepted Jesus as Savior, where raptured to Heaven, and were given glorified bodies. The Bride lives in the city, but it is not the city. The city is as pure as the Bride, and is her eternal home.

Vic Batista: Amazing! Second Peter 3 talks about this present earth passing into what Revelation 21 describes concerning the New Earth.

“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?”

Nathan Jones: In the Eternal State, we have reached the final stage in God’s plan to restore fellowship with mankind just as it was back in the Garden of Eden. Before Adam and Eve had sinned, they walked and talked and fellowshipped face-to-face with God. They were friends with God. They saw His face and didn’t die. But, when they rebelled against God and the sin nature came upon humanity, we became separated from God so that we could no longer see Him or be with Him face-to-face.

To restore this right relationship, God has been working throughout all of human history, especially through the death of His Son Jesus Christ, to get us to the Eternal State. There once again humanity will have fellowship with God in person.

In the #EternalState, once again humanity will have fellowship with God in person. Click To Tweet

Vic Batista: Reading Revelation 21 is just so encouraging because we learn what really awaits us — meeting our Creator in person!

In the seventy-third segment of our series “The Mighty Angels of Revelation,” the Realtor Angel will give us a tour of the New Jerusalem!

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Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

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