In the middle of Hebrews 13 is a simple yet profound verse that impacts our understanding of what the future holds.
For here, we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city
which is to come (v. 14)
The writer of Hebrews tells the Jews that they do not have a
lasting or enduring city on this earth. The Jews were in love with Jerusalem;
it was the capital and, more importantly, the temple's location. But for the follower of Christ, that temple
is meaningless. When Christ gave up his last breath on the cross, the curtain
of that temple was torn in two. And then, about two decades later, the Romans
destroyed the temple in 70AD. Simply put,
the NT is done with that temple. We, the believers, are the new temple. Physical
sacrifices have been replaced by spiritual sacrifices. The sons of Abraham are
now all who believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we are the people who are now seeking the
city which is to come.
Hebrews
13:14 is the third reference to this city in this book. Previously the writer
has told us about a better country, the city of the living God, and the
heavenly Jerusalem.
But
as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God
is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city
(11:16)
But
you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, (12:22)
Where else is this heavenly Jerusalem mentioned and
described? Revelation 21 is the chapter that contains John's vision of this
city coming down to the earth. Read the
text with me:
Then
I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth
had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And
I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place
of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and
God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He
will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither
shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things
have passed away." 5 And he who was
seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also
he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
Now, if one subscribes to the assumption that Revelation
4-22 is a chronological presentation of the events to come in the future—that
is to say the writer never circles back and describes events again from a
different perspective (recursive parallelism) then we are left to conclude that
there are 1000 years of time on this earth where Christ is here, but we are
still looking for the heavenly city. The
language of the text is 'we are seeking
the city to come.'
It is difficult to imagine how Christ would be
ruling on the earth, yet the city of God is yet to come. But this is precisely
what one must conclude if there is a future 1000-year kingdom separating the
return of Christ from the descent of the heavenly Jerusalem. Look at the language in the text: 'as a bride adorned for her husband.' Is
Christ ruling on this earth for 1000 years without his bride? Or will Christ be on this earth ruling
separate from God the Father in heaven for 1000 years? Pause and think about what I am saying. Paul says in Titus 2:13 that we are "looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ." Are
we waiting for Christ, and then once Christ returns, we turn to waiting for the
city to come? Will we be with the Son
but not the Father? Is the heavenly city empty for 1000 years?
However,
if we dispense with the idea that Revelation 20:6 is a future kingdom on this
earth, then our problems are eliminated. And our eschatology becomes so much
simpler. We live in this age and long for the age to
come (Mk 10:30). For in the age to come:
·
Christ has returned with all his Saints
·
Believers are given new bodies
·
Satan, the Beast, and his followers have been
defeated
·
The dead are resurrected for judgment
·
The sheep have been separated from the goats
·
A new heaven and new earth have been created
·
The enemies of God are consigned to the lake of
fire
·
The heavenly Jerusalem has descended to the new
earth
·
Death is defeated
·
All tears are wiped away
·
The dwelling place of God is with man
·
The eternal kingdom is inaugurated
The greatest obstacle to this understanding of the future is
the issue of the binding of Satan. As
described in Revelation 20:2-3
And
he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and
bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and
sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until
the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little
while.
Yet Peter says Satan "prowls
around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter
5:8). So, which is it? Is Satan bound,
or is Satan loose seeking someone to devour? Jesus provides us much help in reconciling the
issue as to whether Satan is bound or loose presently? Jesus said, "no one can enter a strong man's house [this world] and plunder his
goods, unless he first binds the strong man [the Satan]. Then indeed he
may plunder his house" (Mk 3:27).
If we assume that the binding of Satan has yet to occur, then the
instruction Jesus provides concerning binding the strong man is meaningless. Jesus
says one must bind the strong man but then does not bind him. There is no reason for Christ to wait until
after the Great Commission has been fulfilled to bind Satan. The church needs
Satan's ability to deceive the nations bound now since it has been charged with
making disciples of all the nations now—not in the future (Matt 28:19). And Mark 13:10, "the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations." Clearly,
there must be a connection between 'the nations' in Revelation 20 and Matthew
28 and Mark 13. It seems best to conclude that Satan's power to deceive the
nations has been bound until just before the end of this age when he will be
permitted to deceive the nations one final time before the final battle of this
age (Revelation 19-20). But this binding does not eliminate the degree to which
Satan remains the enemy of God and the people of God. The parameters of the binding are limited to
what Revelation 20:3 says, 'so that he
might not deceive the nations any longer.'
