My dear readers,

Questions Posed at CPBPC’s Annual Church Camp (10-15 June 2019) – part 11

The New Jerusalem will descend from Heaven (Rev 21:2) but how do we know the Millennium Temple will descend as well.

Reply – There is no mention of the millennial Temple coming down from heaven other than the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven in the time of the New Heaven and New Earth of Revelation 21 and 22. 

The millennial kingdom is not to be confused with the New Heaven and New Earth of Revelation 21 and 22. Confusing the two is a common mistake because in Isaiah 65:17-25 the millennial kingdom is called “new heavens and a new earth”. The Isaiah passage is with reference to this present old earth that will be destroyed during the seven years of Great Tribulation. It will be recreated by God before the millennium begins. This recreation is similar to God giving to mankind a new heaven and new earth after the global flood. The surface of the earth will be “renovated” and changed. The New Heaven and New Earth of Revelation 21 and 22 will be brand new because the renovated heaven and earth will be destroyed. The New Heaven and New Earth of Revelation will not be tainted by sin. It will be brand new in terms of age and freshness. 

The millennial kingdom will have a Temple whereas there will be no Temple in the New Heaven and New Earth of Revelation, only a New Jerusalem. Revelation 21:22-23 “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.”    

The Bible passage that touches on how the millennial Temple will come to exist on earth is Zechariah 6:12-15 “And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: 13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. 14 And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD. 15 And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.” [Emphasis added] 

The Person who will build this millennial Temple is Christ Jesus Himself. The Bible does not describe how it will be done. But the certainty of a millennial Temple on earth cannot be doubted. Passages like Ezekiel 40 to 48 reveal that such a Temple will exist. The measurements and structure of the Temple are mentioned clearly. Furthermore the Bible also reveals that in heaven there is a Temple where the Lord dwells. Revelation 15:5-8 “And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: 6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. 7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.” Revelation 15 is a description of what the Apostle John saw in this period of time before Christ’s return. This means that there is a Temple in heaven today. Whether this is the Temple that will be on earth during the millennium, the Bible does not say. But there has not been a time when two Temples existed on earth. 

What age will we be in heaven? What will we look like?

Reply – No one knows what the age of believers will be at glorification. One thing we know is that they will be adults and not children. Some theologians surmised that it might well be 33 years of age as this was the age of Christ when He died for the sins of the world. If the believer’s glorification is to be like Christ and since Christ is called the believer’s firstfruits, then perhaps the age aspect of Christ’s glorification might also be included and not just the constitution of the glorified body. If this is a reasonable logic then the age of glorified believers could be 33 years. The most important issue is not what age one will be when one receives the glorified body, but the certainty of one’s salvation in Christ in this age of apostate Christianity. Making sure of one’s salvation is very important nowadays because of the false gospels that are promoted and accepted by millions all over the world. There is numerous evidence of salvation in the New Testament given by Christ to help Gentile believers, especially those who live during the final moments of the last days like today! We need to ask ourselves why there is such a merciful plethora of revelation of the evidence of salvation. It could be that the Lord knew that Gentiles would need them due to the preponderance of deception and false gospels in the last days. There are many who had the appearance of salvation because they attended church, married in church and took the sacraments of the Lord’s Supper including water baptism; and yet in their final years their true spiritual condition was revealed by their lives of carnality and turning their backs on the truth of the Word of God. 

Make sure of your salvation with fear and trembling, and wait to be pleasantly surprised what your age is when you receive the glorified body from the Lord and meet Him in the air as He accompanies you to the throne of God. 

Please explain the parable of the fig tree in Mark 13. What does the fig tree refer to? How long is one generation (v30)? Are we that near to the 2nd coming of Christ? How do we know?

Reply – In Mark 11, Jesus cursed the fig tree. From this miracle of cursing the fig tree, and it withered, the Lord shows us that the fig tree refers to the nation of Israel, the Old Testament people of God. However, this is not necessarily the case when it comes to other usages of the word “fig.” The basic rule of interpretation is that every context determines the meaning of the word or phrase. Just like the word “lion” can be used to describe the devil when the Bible warns believers that he is like a roaring lion seeking whom to devour (cf. 1Peter 5:8). Then in another context Jesus Christ is described as the lion of the tribe of Judah (cf. Rev 5:5). 

In the context of Mark 13 the Lord had just revealed the many signs of the last days of this generation of humanity after the flood and before the Lord destroys it at His second coming. Note Mark 13:24-27 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” The context of the parable of the fig tree in Mark 13:28-37 is to warn and to awaken all God's children to look for the signs revealed by Christ. The moment these signs become a reality then the Lord’s return will occur, just as man is able to know that when the fig tree begins to put forth leaves, summer is near. This was a common sight in Israel. The certainty of Christ’s return is emphasized. Will God's children believe by ensuring that they live in holiness according to Scriptures or will they live in carnality and waste their lives away? 

Based upon the context it is not a matter of one generation as we usually understand it but rather the generation of humanity from the time after the flood to the return of Christ. This is because Christ spoke clearly here of His second coming. The signs of the second coming of Christ are fulfilled already. For example, the gospel preached throughout the world (among all nations— cf. Mark 13:10) is already fulfilled. In the time of Christ it appeared to be an impossibility based upon their state of communication and mode of travel.  Yet the gospel has gone round the world. Also Mark 13:22 and Matthew 24:24 reveal that false Christs and false prophets will arise and shew great signs and wonders and if it were possible deceive even the elect. This describes the potency of the deception. The Charismatic movement describe themselves as the signs and wonders movement. False Christs are professing Christians who live in carnality and promote a carnal Christ just as what the prosperity gospel of health and wealth of the Charismatics have spawned these past one hundred years. They are projecting an image of a carnal Christ throughout the world. By their sincerity and apparent show of love for souls (when in reality they love them for their money), they have made merchandise of these deceived souls and have done so convincingly; but thank God the elect will see through them and will not be deceived by them (cf. 2Peter 2:1-3). 

True believers will know because their lives are lived in light of eternity and not carnality. They know that this world has been reserved for destruction by fire (cf. 2Peter 3:1-7). The Holy Spirit who indwells them will reveal this to them and convict their hearts that this is true and they will live in holiness for all things spiritual. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”

When we plan for holidays, we will do our due diligence to look for a sound church to worship on Sunday. However, if after searching and no sound church can be found, is it better to cancel?

Reply – The ability to travel and live in different time zones is a modern phenomenon not available to people as recent as the turn of the twentieth century. They travelled in ships for months to distant destinations unlike today where it takes only a few hours. Therefore to be found in another country on the Lord’s Day is a common experience for all who have travelled before. The plan and desire is to be found in a sound Bible based church to attend on the Lord’s Day. However, the sad reality is that Christianity has turned apostate. Finding a sound and biblical church is extremely hard now. The sad fact is that it is better not to attend church on the Lord’s Day than to be found inside a corrupt and compromising one and be poisoned and vexed in spirit, especially when there are young ones in the group. One option is to worship through the website of your home church and the family can gather together for worship. Another alternative is that the head of the family gathers the family together for worship in the hotel room or another location that is conducive for worship. Remember that the Sabbath Day was made for man and not man for the Sabbath! 

Yours faithfully in the Saviour’s Service

Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew, Pastor