There are so many things in the heavenly Jerusalem. Revelation chapters 21 and 22 are very precious. It’s regarding the perfect fulfillment of God’s will. The Lord sees the joy ahead. The New Jerusalem is His joy ahead because it’s the love desire of the Father. God is our Father and we are His dear children. Moreover, we are the firstborn. The Lord’s love dream is also fulfilled. The whole city is called the Bride, the wife of the Lamb. His ultimate desire is to dwell in it. He went away to prepare a place for His beloved. When ready, He will come to receive us, so we’ll be there with Him physically. In the city, there’s the river of the water of life, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. This is the Holy Spirit, who has come and done a lot for us. The love of the Holy Spirit is more precious than the love of a mother. He came to glorify the Lord and the Father. He brought us to the Father and the Lord.
New Jerusalem is also the fulfillment of the love desire of the Holy Spirit. He also desires us the most; the house of the Father is accomplished. Before His crucifixion, the Lord told us there are many rooms in the Father’s house. We have a part in it. Our names have already been “registered”. An immigration application can be a long process, yet there is no guarantee that it will be successful. But our names have been written in the Lamb’s book of life. It’s very precious that our citizenship is in heaven. We are the royal family, which is also God’s family. We become perfectly one. His love desire is fulfilled. This is a complete depiction of His joy ahead. Of course, gaining us is also His joy ahead, but this depiction is most complete. We need to tell others about these most precious truths.
There are so many precious things in New Jerusalem, including God’s throne. He is the king of manifold love. We will love Him with our all because we will enjoy His love the most. All of us will want to love and share. It was unforgettable when the Holy Spirit came upon us in a meeting on June 8, 1992. Such an experience made me understand heaven better. I felt that I just wanted to give and give, even to spare my crowns. This is God’s heart. He’s overflowing and we will be like Him. The Lord’s prayers will be perfectly fulfilled, and it will continue to progress in eternity. The Lamb is at the right hand of the Father and He is also the light in the city. God’s glory shines in the city to brighten the entire New Jerusalem. We’ll forever live in the countenance of God.
“And to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven,” (Hebrews 12:23) The Chinese translation might seem a little hard to understand. I carefully cross-referenced it with other Bible translations, including the original scripture, even to where the conjunction “and” appears in the passage. We know that we are the firstborn. In the Old Testament, the firstborn received a greater blessing. That’s why Jacob stole the birthright. We are also the firstfruits of God’s creatures. We are the firstborn, the most blessed in the universe.
“God, the judge of all”: It seems difficult to enjoy that God is the judge. However, I really treasure that God is the judge of all, because everything has changed for us now. God, the judge of all has justified us. We dwell with Him. It’s precious that He is the righteous judge. Our sins were judged on the cross. The chastisement upon the Lord brought us peace. He died and shed His blood for us so that we could be forgiven, therefore His throne is the throne of mercy, and God is my Father. It’s precious and sweet that He is the judge of all. 1 John 1:9 reads, “…He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” His forgiveness is just, not preferential treatment. Because the Lord died for me and took my sins, the forgiveness is just. If the Lord didn’t die for me, the forgiveness would be unjust. Therefore, the righteousness of God is our help. He will vindicate when we are oppressed or mistreated by others. Romans 8:33 says, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” It’s very precious because the righteous judge has justified us so that we can partake in all this. I treasure that He is the judge of all and His judgment is very positive. I’m justified because the Lord died for me.
“And to the spirits of the righteous made perfect” refers to the saints in the Old Testament, who have not yet resurrected. Among us some brothers and sisters died; they will also be in the assembly of the firstborn.
“And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood”: Isn’t it precious? He loved me and died for me. He established the new covenant by His blood. The new covenant has brought us these blessings. On the night before His crucifixion, the Lord explained the essence of the new covenant.