Kings Will Bring Glory into Jerusalem (Q&A)

See the Q&A series here

Q. Please explain Revelation 21:24, that says kings of the Earth will bring their glory into the eternal, New Jerusalem.

 

A. Hello, and thank you for this opportunity to help shed light on a really curious aspect in Apostle John’s Revelation vision. The verse reads:

 

And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light,

and the kings of the Earth bring their glory and honor into it.

This imagery of kings bringing glory can seem puzzling unless we understand both what glory is, and who these kings might be in the eternal age.

 

Physical glory: The first mentions of glory in most versions of The Bible, refer to external displays of abundance, honor, wealth, treasure, dignity, splendor, brightness, majesty, etc. However, The Bible also reveals glory as an innate quality that radiates both internally and externally.

Glory light: Glory was the physical light that enveloped Adam and Eve before they sinned. Only after they sinned did they realize they were physically naked. Genesis does not call their light, glory. However, since they were created in The Lord’s image, their glory light was probably like the glory Jesus radiated on the Mount of Transfiguration. The sky was lit with glory the night Jesus was born. Moreover, Paul asserts that, when we immortal saints see Jesus, we will be like Him—GLORIOUS! 

Internal glory: Interestingly, Jeremiah 9:23-24 (my personal fav) reveal pride is glory that can be internally concealed, and also outwardly radiated. Moreover, while we typically think of pride as sinful, these verses reveal pride (glorying) was created and designed to be Godly! Imagine that~  Otherwise, why would The Lord instruct us about what we humans …can glory (be proud) in and about?!

 

In light of the above, I surmise the (likely Gentile) kings of the nations surrounding the new, eternal Jerusalem on the new, eternal Earth, will exercise Godly/righteous pride in bringing into that city, EVERY KIND OF GLORY, far beyond what we can currently imagine, in order to express our incredible, un-ending love, honor, and appreciation for Jesus, The Lord God Almighty.

 

I believe Exodus 19:6 will be eternally fulfilled when all righteous Jewish saints will be stationed as priests unto The Lord in the new, eternal Jerusalem. As such, I perceive the nations surrounding that city will be inhabited by The Lord’s righteous Gentile saints. As with nations on Earth today, and literally with everything in The Lord’s creation, those nations will be organized under righteous leadership, with glorified Gentile kings appointed to lead and represent their people. This does not mean only these kings will enter into the new Jerusalem. Revelation 22:14 emphatically states that ALL The Lord’s saints will have the right to enter into that glorious city. Friend, that includes you …and me!

 

Finally, ponder this thought. What John saw in Revelation 21:24 will be the eternal version of what we will experience beforehand when we glorified, Gentile saints will periodically visit the substantially enlarged and elevated Jerusalem during The Millennial Reign age! We will be assigned, hierarchically, to govern Gentile nations across the post-apocalyptic world. Imagine that~

Again, thanks for your question. I trust my reply will help to clarify your understanding of Revelation 21:24, and possibly much more.

Un-mighty Ukraine, Un-folding New Strains! (Poem)

Nations struggle with Ukraine’s unique tactics!

 

Across a nation’s border, un-marked trucks slip,

With documents that describe …a lying script.

Into daily traffic, they easily blend,

To targeted destinations, they all wend. ¹

 

Drivers are unaware of the cargo they haul.

They're clueless of shocking impacts that will befall,

When each one receives a change in instructions:

‘Driver, take a break. Wait for new directions.’

 

Out of their truck cabs, each one hops,

Grateful for unscheduled stops.

Time for a pit stop, some coffee, and a stretch,

Unaware of what, on history, they’ll etch. 

 

Suddenly, tops of their trailers …blast-off!

Then tops of all their cargo crates …pop-off!!

And from each crate, dozens of drones …take-off!!

Oh no!!! The ‘top man’ will be soooo …ticked-off!

 

When to enemy’s demands, Ukraine would not heel,

It launched close-up attacks, on two distant airfields,

Deep into enemy territory,

Without jets, but just …drone technology!!

 

This war is the second attack from the east!

Between these two nations, Ukraine is the least! 

Yet, with steady support from …faithful allies,

It’s fought with great valor that …belies its size!! ²

 

Across the world, conclusions are reached:

New days unfurl! Delusions are breached!!

With incredible courage, hope and prayers,

Ukraine has re-written …the script of warfare!!!

 

But to its blazon, two distant attacks, 

Nations now wonder, how they could be hacked?! ³

Ukraine’s tactics …easily clustered,

Cannot be so …easily countered!

Key Lesson:

Neighbor nations acting un-neighborly,

Underestimate their adversary!

The Lord said, by us, He will not be mocked!

If evil we sow, by such, we’ll be shocked.

 

If in their size and might nations today trust,

As small roots pierce pipes, in them, evil will thrust!! ⁴

In history, this lesson has been well taught!

But by today’s leaders, it hasn’t been ‘well caught’!

 

The small and underestimated, in The Lord’s Hands,

Become mighty instruments, to achieve His cloaked plans.

Thus, He upends and humbles us who’re proud,

Just as He did with His ‘Hall of Fame’ crowd. 

 

Joshua, Gideon, David and Esther, 

Are some ‘Hall of Famers’ in Jewish culture.

They challenged and stopped unruly neighbors,

And ensured safety within their borders!

 

One Day neighbors WILL be neighborly,

In the 5^th age of our history!

Why can’t ALL nations practice that NOW??

And escape shocks The Lord now allows?!? ⁵

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¹ See: Ukraine Strikes Distant Russian Airbases.

² Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, and captured territory. Ukraine was woefully unprepared, depending on the Minsk Agreements it had negotiated. Its allies were unprepared to respond.

³ See: How the US Could Be Vulnerable…, and Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty.

⁴ See: How Tree Roots Invade Pipes.

⁵ See: The Millennial Reign (Series).

Missed Insights from Jeremiah 9 (Part 2)

See the series here

Part 1 is a wake-up call, especially to all bona fide Christians living in these closing years of the 3rd age of history, the Church age. Many may assume Jeremiah 9:23–24 focuses only on people who are ‘wise, mighty, and rich’. But we often miss the insight that The Lord actually expects us, His people, to influence them. Imagine that!

Here’s proof of my assertion:

1.    The Bible is a spiritual book, written for spiritually-alive, spiritually-perceptive people—us believers. Though much of it speaks about non-believers, it is not principally written to them, but to us, so we can discern Heaven’s perspective about them and their pending eternal damnation—unless we take our assigned roles seriously.

2.    In some profound and perhaps unknowable ways, The Lord will hold us accountable for not performing both our general and personalized roles in His grand strategic plan to help minimize the number of non-believers He must cast into His brimstone-lit lake of fire. Imagine that!

In light of this, here is a paraphrase of Jeremiah 9:23–24 that I intuit reveals the insight we likely miss:

‘To My bona fide Christians:
Perform your assigned roles in preventing the wise from glorying in (being proud about) their wisdom; the mighty from glorying in their might (whether physical, political, or celebrity); and the rich from glorying in their riches. Rather, through your obedience, testimony and demonstration effects about Me, help them come to recognize that pride in these things is sin.

Instead, they should learn to glory in this alone:
— That they understand and know Me,
— That I, The Lord God Almighty, am in all the Earth, exercising:
a. Lovingkindness [My long-term Grace to all],
b. Judgment [My short-term, intense responses when My Grace expires], and
c. Righteousness—because this is how I both ordain and achieve righteousness.
In these three things I delight,’ says The Lord.

 

In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 and 1 Timothy 4:1, Apostle Paul warned that a surge of Christian lukewarmness and apostasy would precede the close of this current age. That surge has been underway for decades. But… did you notice the explosion of global reports on this during and after the COVID pandemic? I sure did.

Years ago, I asked The Lord: How will Your 144,000 anointed Jewish witnesses during the short, 7-year tribulation age (the 4th age of history) be so incredibly successful in winning souls, when the testimony and demonstration effects of the church will have mostly faded (lost its spiritual saltiness) by the end of the 3rd age? (These witnesses will produce the first of two multitudes John ‘saw’ in The Book of Revelation. See: Missed Insights from Revelation 20.) 

His response: PERSECUTION, J! Many who will have become lukewarm and apostate during the closing years of this current age will rush back to Me when they realize they’ve missed My next, predicted resurrection/rapture event. Many will choose martyrdom by beheading, than to receive the ‘mark of the beast’from the anti-Christ’s global regime. (See: Christians in the Apocalypse.)

The final footnote in Part 1 asks: Who or what are the other recipients of The Lord’s Grace and Judgment, intended to bring about Righteousness?

Answer: The Earth and all creation.
2 Peter 3:10-13 and Revelation 21:1 confirm our current planet and the entire universe are recipients of The Lord’s time-limited Grace. When His Grace to them expires, He will destroy them, in favor of a new, eternal Earth.

Many posts in this blog warn of the dangers of Christian lukewarmness and apostasy during this unique time in history. I believe we may be navigating days like those described in Genesis 6.

The post, Are You a Prophet? (Q&A), explains that all bona fide Christians are called to be prophets, not necessarily foretelling the future, but living lives that boldly testify about Jesus to our on-looking world.

‘The testimony of Jesus is The Spirit of prophecy.’
Revelation 19:10

 

So...

Are you a prophet?

(Fake, CINO believers excepted…)

Opposite Biblical Patterns (Part 1)

One often encountered.

One rare, but empowered! 

See the series here

As often noted, The Bible is full of discernible patterns, interspersed with shocking reversals. While many are easily recognized, others hidden from casual view, designed to be perceived by alert, attentive ‘spiritual watchers’ who recognize that history isn’t just randomly unfolding. It has been strategically pre-authored! (See: The Scripture of Truth (Series)).

Over the years, I’ve searched for, and reflected on many of these patterns. Some recur almost like clockwork (e.g., Ezekiel 14:12-23), while others appear rarely in the entire Biblical record. In this 2 part series, I discuss two opposite patterns--one that has been very common and persists today, and the other is the most rare in the Biblical record.

1. An Oft-repeated Pattern -- Agag Typologies

Throughout Scripture, many nations and groups that attempted to erase ancient Israel and/or Judah from existence, eventually experienced shocking reversals. The iterative destruction of such leaders, and often their nations and militaries and coalitions, is a theme that echoes across much of The Old Testament. These weren’t merely one-time fluke events! Rather, they were Heaven-ordained, patterned consequences.

Here are a few examples:

Ancient Egypt was decimated by 10 horrible plagues as it resisted The Lord’s command, through Moses, to ‘Let My people GO!!!’ Both Pharaoh and his mighty army drowned in the Red Sea during a feeble attempt to re-capture its recently-freed Hebrew slaves. (Exodus 14)

Agag, King of the Amalekites, had long defied The Lord’s plans for His imperfect people, Israel. But eventually, he was brutally hacked to death by Samuel, The Lord’s obedient prophet, after Saul, Israel’s disobedient king, had spared Agag’s life. (1 Samuel 15). 1

Goliath, a giant soldier among the Philistines—an ancient people who lived in the region we now know as Gaza, taunted Israel’s entire army, but was shockingly slain by a slingshot-wielding teenager, David, who had the temerity to cut off the giant’s head. That was an unbelievable spectacle for both on-looking armies! Before he became king of Israel, David, was very successful in destroying many other enemies of Israel. Moreover, The Lord granted him even greater such successes as king of Israel, and determined He would again rule over a greatly expanded Israel during The Millennial Reign age--the pending 5th age of history!

Ponder this: Samuel’s obedience in slaughtering Agag, effectively opened the spiritual door for The Lord to reveal His choice of David as the next king of Israel, long before Saul met his own demise!

Sennacherib, King of Assyria, taunted a fearful Israel, and blasphemed The Lord, Who eventually caused 185,000 of his soldiers to be mysteriously killed in one night, and him to die by the sword in the hands of his own sons, in his own land. (2 Kings 19).

Haman, descendant of Agag, plotted to slaughter all Jews in the kingdom of Persia. But he was hung on the very gallows he had built for Mordecai, a Jew who had raised his orphaned relative, Esther, who had become the Queen of Persia. (Esther 7).

Antiochus Epiphanes, King of Syria, forcefully prohibited the Jewish religion in Jerusalem, Judah, and desecrated The Lord’s Temple by sacrificing on its alter, a pig to Zeus (an abomination of desolation). He was eventually struck with an illness after a military campaign in Persia, and died humiliated and alone (1 Maccabees, Josephus).

These enemies of The Lord suffered a remarkably persistent pattern: destruction after defiance! They and countless others sat in what I call ‘the spiritual seat of Agag’. They all led militant or ideological opposition to The Lord's declared purposes for the land He had promised to Abraham, and to his seed born through Jacob, who was renamed Israel. Mind you, this promise was not made because Abraham’s seed would be righteous!! The Lord determined to fulfill His veiled strategy to be born as a man (Genesis 3:15), through the seed of Abraham. Only as a mortal man would He pay His declared price for the sins of every human who would, by faith, embrace His sacrifice as on their/our behalf. In light of the foreknown opposition (both human and satanic!) Jacob’s seed would face for this unique selection, The Lord pre-determined that all righteous Jews would, throughout eternity, be His priests in a promised new, eternal Jerusalem, on a new Earth. (Exodus 19:6) This determination presages His promise that every person will eventually be resurrected in an immortal, fully sentient body, to spend eternity on the promised, new Earth.

In recent times, other leaders—particularly those from militarized groups opposing Israel’s very existence—occupied the same spiritual seat of Agag. From history, and even in recent news reports of their ‘sins & wars’ against Israel 2, their fates echoed this same, old, persistent pattern that the whole world refused to recognize, but iteratively routinize in our world today! Will we ever learn??

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1 Ponder this: Agag, spelled backwards, is Gaga, which, when the second g is substituted with z, spells Gaza. Could the global failure to realize the UN’s original 2-state objective for Palestine (whatever the reasons) reflect something deeper—a spiritual inertia that has kept the spirit of Agag alive, and his seat occupied?

2 Might people's names sometimes shout what pre-written history ...whispers?