The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” – Revelation 11:15
I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. – Revelation 21:22-27
Last week, we shared that as the “bride” of Christ, we have a market place responsibility to prepare for our “wife’s” role as the glorious city, the market place that Christ died for. One of the key steps to preparation is to see the picture of joy that Christ saw so that we can understand what we must prepare for. A first step is to apply the principle of Revelation 11:15 – there are both tangible and intangible Kingdom elements of this age that will persist into Christ’s eternal Kingdom. As the bride, we have the duty to understand what those Kingdom elements are and to commit our heart, mind, soul, and strength to steward them, to prepare for a greater assignment when the Master returns to establish His Kingdom.
Christ’s picture of joy in Revelation 21 shows that networks of people with governing structures (nations) pursuing value creation will continue into Christ’s eternal Kingdom. These nations will walk by the light of God. Their access to the New Jerusalem is constant, but strictly controlled. In other words, the “wife” has a duty to govern and to disciple the nations to walk in righteousness and to facilitate their value creation, celebrating its splendor in the City of God. As the bride, we are called to prepare today for this eventuality. Is the church pursuing the preparation for that duty?
Market Place Prayer
May the Holy Spirit stir in the market place leaders a greater picture of joy that Christ saw as He took the punishment of the cross. May we come to understand how our market place duties today connect with Christ’s joy, the “wife” serving her Husband, fulfilling her Kingdom duties as a city, as Christ’s Body.
