JESUS ALREADY RETURNED...NOW WHAT??
By Ward Fenley
A question was sent to me inquiring about the continuity of the kingdom
if Jesus did in fact already return:
"If Jesus DID come in A.D. 70 to gather His elect into the Kingdom and
punish those who rejected Him, where does Scripture say that people will
continue to be added to the Kingdom AFTER A.D. 70?"
These are great questions and they should cause us to really question
the application of Scripture to our lives. After all, many of us, when
we first became preterists, were very discouraged because we began to wonder
whether there was anything left for us-kind of like, "Did it all already
happen and I missed it? Is that it, and no one else is going to be saved?
Well, quite the contrary. In fact, consider these verses:
Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince
of Peace. {7} Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be
no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and
to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for
ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Notice the beginning of verse 7: The prophet says, "Of the increase of
His government and peace there shall be no end." I explain at least part
of this as saying, "Government shall continually be added to His kingdom."
This refers to the continual additions of men who become saved and turn
into royal priests just to add to the rulers over the earth. Hence, Christ's
government is ever increasing.
Here is another:
Isaiah 60:11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall
not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the
Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.
Why are the gates open continually in the New Heaven and New Earth?
Isaiah answers harmoniously with the previous verse:
"That men may bring...Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought."
This is an ongoing reality in the New Covenant kingdom, i.e. men are constantly
"being brought" (the conversion of Gentiles through the preaching of the
Gospel) into the gates that are always open. It would make no sense
for the gates to be continually open if everyone was already saved and
that was it. Why leave them open? I suppose one would argue that they are
open so that men could leave. But this contradicts the word of God.
Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple
of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name
of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem,
which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him
my new name.
This is a very comforting passage.
A passage in Revelation is practically a synoptic to Isaiah 60 and that
is Revelation 21:
Revelation 21:24-26 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.
Once again, why are the gates never shut? So that the nations will bring
glory and honor into it. But how so? Through faith in Jesus Christ (our
Life and our Glory) He comes to indwell them, thus giving them the righteousness
needed to enter through the gates. Otherwise they could not:
Revelation 21:27 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.
Notice those who cannot enter. The reason is because they do not have the
righteousness of Jesus Christ that comes through faith in Him alone.
Look at this verse:
Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth,
and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
This seems to be right when the whore (Babylon-Israel) is judged. Now why
would the angel have the everlasting Gospel ready to preach if this was
the end of the planet and the universe? Why would they need to preach the
Gospel to everyone who was already in heaven and made physically (a delusion)
perfect (I am taking the futurist's literalist interpretation here)?
Finally, examine these two verses:
Revelation 22:14-15 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that
they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates
into the city. {15} For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers,
and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Now, this passage clearly teaches that through obeying His commandments
(1 John 3:22-23 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep
his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. {23}
And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his
Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment), men
would have right to the tree of life and enter into the gates of the city.
In other words, through faith in Jesus Christ, we enter into the gates
of the city. Well, if all was done and the city came, only to have all
the elect in heaven and everyone else separated from God, then who are
these coming into our perfect city, and from where are they coming? Well,
the answer is in verse 15:
Revelation 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers,
and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
This describes those who are outside the city. This seems to describe the
natural man, does it not? Not only this, but this is very similar to what
we already observed. Here are the two passages together:
Revelation 21:24-26 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. Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that
do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and
may enter in through the gates into the city.
and,
Revelation 21:27 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.
Revelation 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers,
and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Who are these that are outside the city involved in sorcery etc., and who
are also lying? These are sinners outside of faith in Christ.
Ok, one last observation:
Revelation 22:1-2 And he showed 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.
If this is the New Heaven and the New Earth, and everything is supposed
to be perfect as the literalist affirms, and there is no more death or
disease or sorrow, then why would there need to be a river for the healing
of nations? If the nations were perfect and all was well in this perfect
physical planet, then why in the "world" would there need to be healing?
Because that is the purpose of the Gospel-to heal the sin-sick soul ("there
is a balm in Gilead, to heal the sin-sick soul"). The Gospel is Christ,
the river of life flowing through the saved body of Christ (the church)
toward the lost and dying world reaching only those in whom God intended
the Gospel to prosper:
Ezekiel 47:1-12 Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the
house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house
eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the
waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south
side of the altar. {2} Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward,
and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh
eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. {3} And
when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured
a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were
to the ankles. {4} Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through
the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand,
and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. {5} Afterward he
measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for
the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed
over. {6} And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he
brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. {7} Now
when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees
on the one side and on the other. {8} Then said he unto me, These waters
issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go
into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall
be healed. {9} And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth,
which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there
shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come
thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the
river cometh. {10} And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand
upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread
forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of
the great sea, exceeding many. {11} But the miry places thereof and the
marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. {12}
And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side,
shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall
the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according
to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and
the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.
This last verse sounds familiar, doesn't it. Actually it not only reminds
us of the verse in Revelation 22, the leaf never fading reminds us of the
first Psalm:
Psalms 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither;
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
I hope this helps.
Ward Fenley
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