Disciples Digital Library

The arrival of Jesus will be an event of great victory and utter finality. That day will include the resurrection and the New Creation . The return of Jesus is portrayed in the New Testament as a singular event, one of great finality. His “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ will be accompanied by celestial and terrestrial upheaval, the appearance of the New Creation, the resurrection of the righteous dead, the judgment and punishment of the ungodly, “ the gathering of his elect ,” and the end of Death.

The Gift of the Spirit is the first fruits of the resurrection and the guarantee of our participation in the coming New Creation – Romans 8:1-23. The Apostle Paul presents Abraham as the great model of our faith. God counted the Patriarch’s faith as “ righteousness ” while he was uncircumcised and thus justified him apart from “ the works of the Torah .” He is the father of all those who live “ from the faith of Jesus ,” whether Jew or Gentile, and Abraham is “ the heir of the world .”

Salvation includes the bodily resurrection of the saints and life in the New Creation, which will occur when Jesus arrives . Central to the doctrine of salvation is the promise of  redemption . God will not abandon what He first created, and both the term and the concept mean the  recovery of what was lost . The universe is enslaved by sin and condemned to decay and death. In God’s redemptive plans, the end state of redeemed things and persons is vastly superior to their original state, and this principle is epitomized in the promises of bodily Resurrection and New Creation.

Paul connects the bodily resurrection of believers to the New Creation. Both events are vital for our redemption and our salvation . There is “ now no condemnation ” of anyone who is “ in Christ Jesus .” This happy condition exists because “ the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death .” In his  Letter to the Romans , the Apostle Paul links our salvation to the inheritance we have through Christ and the coming redemption of our bodies when Jesus returns – (Romans 8:1-2).

Salvation includes the resurrection of the saints and the New Creation. Both events will occur when Jesus arrives from Heaven . Redemption is part of God’s salvation. He will not abandon what He created and called “ very good! ” Redemption points to the recovery of what has been lost. The Universe is enslaved by sin and condemned to decay and death. All living creatures die. However, in the redemptive plans of the Creator, the end state of the things redeemed by Him will be vastly superior to their original condition, and this principle is epitomized in the bodily resurrection of men and women saved by Jesus Christ.

The national sins of Israel culminated in her expulsion from the Land of Canaan. However, all was not lost. God foresaw her failure and determined to restore the nation by instituting His New Covenant that would include the nations of the Earth, the “ Gentiles .” Moreover, the New Creation would become the ultimate Promised Land and the true inheritance of His people.

There is “ now no condemnation ” of anyone “ in Christ Jesus .” This happy condition exists because the “ law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death .” In Romans , the Apostle Paul links our salvation to the inheritance of Christ and the coming redemption of our bodies and creation itself.

Jesus grants the Life-Giving Spirit to men and women. His words are spirit, and they are life . “ The Spirit gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The declarations I have spoken to you, they are spirit, and they are life. ” Christ’s statement echoes the biblical principle that life and the Spirit of God are inextricably linked – (John 6:63).

The biblical faith is forward-looking and foundational to our salvation is the resurrection of the dead. That event will coincide with the arrival or ‘ Parousia ’ of Jesus. It is based on the past resurrection of Jesus, and our salvation will remain incomplete until he raises the dead, transforms those believers who remain alive, and “ gathers ” ALL his saints to himself (“ He will send his angels, and they will assemble his elect from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven ”).

In his Letter to the Romans , Paul presents his most detailed explanation of the Gospel. His purpose was to deal with conflicts between Gentile and Jewish members of the Assembly and prepare the ground for taking the Gospel to the West. In doing so, he touched on key topics, including death, redemption, the Law, resurrection, and New Creation.

The doctrine of the ‘Rapture’ is an interpretation of Paul’s description in 1 Thessalonians of both resurrected saints and those believers still alive at the time “ meeting Jesus in the air ” as he descends from Heaven. According to this view, the church is physically removed from the Earth and transported to Heaven by the Lord, presumably to a nonphysical and timeless reality outside the space-time continuum.

The promise to bless all nations in Abraham culminates in the innumerable multitude of the Redeemed inhabiting New Jerusalem . The foundation of the doctrine of redemption is the Covenant with Abraham. It includes the promises that “ all the nations of the Earth will be blessed in Abraham ” and innumerable descendants of the Patriarch. “ I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore <…> and in your seed will all the nations of the earth be blessed ” – (Genesis 22:17).

In his letter to the “ messenger ” of Laodicea, the Risen “ Son of Man ” is called the “ Beginning of the Creation of God ,” and the “ Amen, the faithful and true witness .” In the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, the long-promised “ New Heavens and New Earth ” commenced. He was declared previously to be the “ faithful witness ” in the Book’s opening paragraph, a reference to his faithfulness in death on the Roman cross.

The Gift of the Spirit is the First Fruits of the bodily resurrection and the Guarantee of our participation in the coming New Creation . The Apostle Paul presents Abraham as the great model of faith. God counted his faith as “ righteousness ” when he was uncircumcised, which means that God justified the Patriarch apart from the “ works of the Law .” Thus, he became the father of all men who are also “ from faith .” Circumcision was added after the promise as the confirmation of Abraham’s justifying faith.

If anyone fails to keep the words of the book, he will be excluded from citizenship in the city of New Jerusalem  – Revelation 22:6-21.  The book of   concludes with an epilogue that recalls the earlier promises to “ overcoming saints ,” reiterates warnings against faithlessness, summons believers to render homage to God alone, and calls for Jesus to “ come quickly .” Testimony from uncontestable sources attests to the trustworthiness of the “ words of the book .”

New Jerusalem is populated fully in fulfillment of the covenant promise to Abraham to bless all the nations  – Revelation 21:24-22:5.  The city of “ New Jerusalem ” with its massive dimensions has been  unveiled, and it will take far more than a tiny remnant of surviving “ saints ” to populate it. John next sees the “ city ” inhabited by the “ innumerable multitude ” of men and women redeemed from every nation -and ethnic group by the “ Lamb ,” including some if not many of the “ kings of the earth .”

The covenant with Abraham is fulfilled in Jesus, the Heir of the Patriarch and his Seed, including the possession of the Earth  – Romans 8:1-23. The Apostle Paul presents Abraham as the great exemplar of the faith, the model for believers to emulate as they live from “ the faith of Jesus .” God counted the Patriarch’s faith as “ righteousness ” while he was uncircumcised and thus justified him apart from “ the works of the Torah .” He is the father of all those who live “ from the faith of Jesus ,” whether Jew or Gentile, and Abraham is “ the heir of the world .”

The church and its “ messenger ” in Laodicea received no words of praise from the Risen “ Son of Man .” Apparently, this congregation was in poor spiritual condition, and the letter indicates apathy had replaced its original zeal for the Lord. The best if not only hope for this church was to become purified like gold is refined in fire, presumably, by undergoing trials, impoverishment, and persecution.

In his letter to the “ messenger ” of Laodicea, the Risen “ Son of Man ” is called the “ Beginning of the Creation of God .” In his death and resurrection, he inaugurated the New Creation. In the same sentence, and in the present tense, he also is called the “ Amen, the faithful and true witness ,” appellations applied to him previously in the Book’s prologue.

In his second epistle, Peter addresses the growing weariness of some believers due to the apparent delay in or even the failure of the “ arrival ” of Jesus to materialize, an open door for false teachers and outside critics to exploit. Instead of the predicted terrestrial and cosmic upheaval, daily life was continuing as it always had. The Apostle’s explanation is as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago.