Light doctrine

[Amanah]

Teachings against the light doctrine which sees two classes of people in Revelation 20-22

Originally Posted by Esaias

Revelation 21:1-8 KJV
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. [2] And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. [4] And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. [5] And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. [6] And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. [7] He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. [8] But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Here, it is said the tabernacle of God is with men, and THEY shall be His people, and He will be THEIR God. This indicates that whoever is left during this period are the people of God. All mankind that are left (who make it past the Judgment Day) are now the people of God. I do not see where there is indicated two classes of people here, there is simply the people of God.

Revelation 21:9 KJV
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

Now we come to an intermission, an explanatory vision that will detail the makeup of the Bride of Christ.

Revelation 21:10 KJV
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

Revelation 21:22-27 KJV
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. [23] And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. [24] And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. [25] And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. [26] And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. [27] And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

The idea here is that the city is lit by the Lamb, Christ is the light of the city. And, the nations of them that are saved shall walk in that light, that is, the light of Christ. Again, this indicates that all nations will have become the people of God, like here:

Psalm 82:8 KJV
Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

The glory and honour of the nations shall be brought into the city, meaning all nations will recognise and honour the role the church has played in bringing the light of God to all the world. It is clear there is a hierarchy of sorts, as indicated here:

Luke 19:15-19 KJV
And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. [16] Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. [17] And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. [18] And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. [19] And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.

In other words, there is a degree of rewards, indicating a hierarchy of some kind. I wouldn't press the idea of ruling ten or five cities literally, as this is clearly a parable, but it does illustrate there is some kind of hierarchy of rewards.

Nothing shall enter the city, that is, participate in the city's benefits, bringing the honour and glory of the nations into the city, etc, except those that are written in the Book of Life. This indicates that the city shall not be defiled, defilement is impossible. Why? Because all people are now the people of God. The principle of course applies to today, in that one cannot get into the city unless one is in the Book of Life (the two are essentially synonymous), but the intended contrast is between the condition described here, and the previous condition described in chapter 11:

Revelation 11:1-2 KJV
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. [2] But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Whereas previously the holy city was being trampled by the ungodly heathen, now the holy city shall be pure and untrampled, that is to say, utterly purified and utterly victorious.

Revelation 22:1-5 KJV
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. [2] In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. [3] And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: [4] And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. [5] And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Here is another vision, showing the city having a river of life proceeding out of the throne of God and Christ. The life giving water supplies the city, and the tree of life. The tree of life is what supplies the healing to the nations. This is describing the fact that God and Christ are the source of life and healing to the nations, and God and Christ and that healing are found in the holy city (the Bride of Christ). This is NOT saying there are people outside the city who need to eat the leaves of the tree of Life in order to survive, during the age after the final judgment. What it is saying is that the Tree of Life (representative of the death of Christ) heals the nations (brings them back into submission to God, so that eventually all mankind would be "the people of God" as described in the previous chapter), and that healing is found in the church, because the church is where the throne of God and Christ is located, from which the water of Life flows.

What is being described is not so much a calendar of events, but a condition particular to the Bride and the nations, which becomes fully realised after the general resurrection and judgment when evil is destroyed. The nations are to be healed, which means brought back into fellowship with God and purified of their uncleanness. Which, as we already saw, is the condition that prevails among the nations (chapter 21).

So the "healing of the nations" is not some process that occurs AFTER the final judgment, but rather is the stated goal and purpose of the Tree of Life (the cross, the Gospel message). when the nations are healed, they will be "the people of God and He will be their God". They will no longer belong to various gods, and be "not-His-people". Instead, they will be joined with redeemed Israel as the people of God, as they were originally meant to be.