Before the inauguration of the eternal Kingdom of God, as a fulfilment of the words “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth”, all the things from the heavens and on Earth must have already been expiated, purified of any sin: the Heaven, the place where sin originates from and the Earth, the place where Satan got down to, establishing his reign by deceit. It was for their redemption that the Son of God gave Himself to death, uniting them by this Self sacrifice act.

Then and there, at the Cross, the Saviour accomplished an expiation of sin, but by His final work, He will achieve this full purification by the fire of His glorious appearing. The consequence of this act of sin purification (and its effects) will be the fulfilment of the words “heaven and earth will pass away” (Matthew 24:35), a kind of “It is finished!”, not only with the sin, but with any memory of it. This final expiation, in the integrity of its act, is reported in the Scriptures and will begin in the LORD'S DAY, “the great and dreadful day”, the Day of His Judgment.

“And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day.” “The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.” “I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.” “The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.” “For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.” “For the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.”

Amo 8:9; Joe 2:10; Eze 32:7; Joe 3:15; Isa 13:10; 24:18-20

“Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.” “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

Isa 26:19; 1Th 4:16; Rev 20:5; 1Co 15:51-52; 1Th 4:17

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.” “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.”

Rev 20:1-2; Jer 4:23-26

At the end of the thousand years, the New Jerusalem City will get down from heaven on a huge, majestic mountain (Revelation 20:7; 21:10-11), on the Mount of Olives, which will split and make a very large valley, where the City of God will be placed, as a fulfilment of the words spoken by Zechariah:

“And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west [...] Yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake [Revelation 11:19; 16:18][...] and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: ”

Zec 14:4-5

The ones running now when they see the City of the New Jerusalem placed before them, the place where Jesus Christ speaks the judgment, as King of the universe (Revelation 20:11-12), are the ones resurrected for this final act of justice.

“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Rev 20:13

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are.”

Rev 20:10

By a fire coming down from heaven (Revelation 20:9), from His Throne, God, the One despised in the entire life they led on Earth, announces His justice, His “wrath” against the wicked who, in this last hour, have surrounded the City, “the camp of the saints” (Revelation 20:9), with the view to conquer it, proving one last time their permanent attitude to deny the Lamb of God and the salvation realised by Him. Then, the Lord will say:

“Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.” “The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.” “In the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” “For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.”

Isa 26:20-21; Joe 3:16; 2Pe 3:10; Isa 34:2-4

The sin initiator will not be the only one who burns on Earth, but also the ones who have chosen to consent to his deceit. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat” (2 Peter 3:10). Everything that has been affected by sin (by Satan and his agents) in the cosmic space will have to be expiated or purified by fire. All these celestial bodies will fall, under a careful supervision of God's angels, into the pond or ocean of fire just as the vineyard and fig leaves. The City of the New Jerusalem will then be the only place on Earth protected by God. In His justice, he will not expunge what is right together with what is wrong, because the “heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork” (Psalms 19:1).

“Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure [...] The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.”

Psa 102:25-28

“Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.” “When I call unto them, they stand up together.”

Isa 40:26; 48:13

On following God's completion of this sin purification act of the entire Universe, He will bring into existence a new Heaven and a new Earth, a place where righteousness will reign forever.

“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” “And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.” “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me.” “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. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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. 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.” “And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”

Isa 65:17; 51:16; 66:22-23; Rev 21:1-4; Zec 14:8-9

***

Jesus might have told his disciples – or maybe they were just sensing it through the Spirit – that for all the things mentioned above it is worth abandoning or even more, it is a privilege to abandon degrees, social position, names and dreams… to abandon everything. Not few were those who have tried to lay hold of it (Matthew 11:12), so we would not be the first ones to attempt it. Among the ones who did it back then, there were two of the disciples who, on willing to reason the heart of the Saviour, would send their mother to Him, with a request:

“She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.”

Mat 20:21

He looks at her kindly for a few moments and then, turning His eyes to her sons, Jacob and John (the beloved disciple), Jesus speaks to them authoritatively: “You do not know what you ask!” “But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give”, but this honour “is only for those for whom it has been prepared”. Then, by the words: “Can you drink the cup that I shall drink of, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” Jesus tried to inform them to some extent on the nature of such a privilege, but their confidence, expressed by the strong assertion: “We can!”, prevented Him from doing this. Jesus approved of their ability only to a limited extent: “You shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.”

There is a strong connection between the dispensations of the history of salvation and the contextual impossibility of Jesus Christ to accomplish Zebedee's sons' request. By means of typology, the Spirit of Truth helps us understand from the Word everything that refers to the Son's dispensation and everything that refers to the Father's. First of all, we must understand that on the Earth made new, there will exist two distinct orders: a royal one and a priestly one; one of the redeemed from all centuries and another one of the one hundred forty-four thousand, described by Peter and John, as follows:

“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

1Pe 2:5; 5:10

Nowhere in the Scripture is there mentioned this great crowd of the saved (the royal order) as being a special group, but it is only mentioned that “they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads […] and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:4), “they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5), according to promise made to Abraham: “And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God” (Genesis 17:8). This promise includes all Christians, because it is written that:

“For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. [...] Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace. [...] Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.”

Rom 4:13-18

Regarding the one hundred forty-four thousand (the priestly order) numerous privileges of their calling are mentioned and emphasized. Therefore, the following is told about the priesthood of the New Earth:

“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.” “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.” “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.”

Rev 14:1; 7:14-15; 14:4-5

Throughout eternity, these two orders will be distinct and well-organised because God represents the supreme order, as it also results from the order in which the twelve tribes of Israel were called before and after their entering the earthly Canaan. The order manifested around the Temple was a practical demonstration of this feature of God and it was prefiguring by shadows the choice of a group (tribe) and its setting apart for an eternal special work.

Let us return to Jesus' impossibility to offer the two disciples, Jacob and John, the honour of sitting one to His left hand and one to His right hand in His kingdom. As we will see, this impossibility is related to the organisation of the two eternal orders, this organisational context fully justifying God's firm assertions regarding their request.

As we could see, the Godhead has manifested throughout the history of salvation through three Persons, who have demonstrated, on Their turn, three expressions of the same work of saving the man during the approximately six thousand years of the reigning of sin on Earth.

 1. God, the Son revealed Himself completely to a man (Abraham), whom he chose and called out of his family and out of heathenism (Genesis 12:1-3) to follow Him; He made him a promise (Genesis 17:8) and through him He entered into covenant with his tribe (Luke 1:73), having circumcision as a symbol (Genesis 17:9-14). He chose him, who “against hope believed in hope” (Romans 4:18) to be the father of many nations (Romans 4:17). He was shown the “day of the Lord” and he rejoiced (John 8:56); he was blessed by Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-19) and was notified in advance regarding God's plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:17), for the salvation of which he pleaded (Genesis 18:23).

 2. Just as the Son of God had, in His dispensation, a blessed and special friend with whom He made the flesh covenant of His period, in the same way, God, the Father had more than a friend, namely His beloved Son, whom He blessed and by whom He revealed Himself throughout His dispensation. Just as Abraham and his tribe had the circumcision of the flesh covenant, the Saviour initiated a sign of His covenant with the Father: His self-sacrifice, the so-called circumcision of the heart. Of all those belonging to the Father (John 17:6), He was the first One to offer His blood as sacrifice (Luke 22:20, John 19:34). Jesus Christ is the One who came “not by water only, but by water and blood” (1 John 5:6). Thus, He says: “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27). How deep are these words and how much self-sacrifice they emanate! It was not at all easy for the One who invited us to learn from Him, to separate from His own Father, to suffer the hatred because of the sin of an entire world rebelled against the Father, to abandon all His beloved ones who were whole-heartedly fulfilling the Father’s will (Matthew 12:50) in Heaven (and in the entire Universe) and give His own life! Nobody has ever been or will ever be able to fulfil on the whole these conditions of the covenant with the depth and dignity He demonstrated. On looking at Him and at His sacrifice, on looking at His breaking of an eternal relationship with the Father, our heart should be overwhelmed with gratitude at witnessing such a manifestation of love. There is nothing left for us to do but adore Him, take up our cross and follow Him out of love.

 3. The Son had in His dispensation a friend with whom he entered into a covenant, just as the Father did in His dispensation with His Beloved Son. Therefore, the Holy Spirit must also have a chosen one in His dispensation (the dispensation we live in today), a man, a messenger of the covenant (Malachi 3:1) by whom to make a covenant with the last generation, a covenant of His full outpouring upon all belonging to it. Just as Abraham from the old times and his tribe have been revealed through Christ the love of the Father, in the same way, the Holy Spirit is to reveal the Father's love to the “Abraham” of the last generation and to his spiritual tribe – the one hundred and forty-four thousand. Two Abrahams?! Why two and not only one? This is because, as it is written in the Scripture (and it was also presented above), there will exist throughout eternity two distinct orders: a royal one (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6) and priestly one (Revelation 7:14,15; 14:1-4), both eternal.

Both Abrahams have entered into a covenant by faith, both having his own order or tribe which they accepted and anticipated by faith. The first Abraham entered into a covenant by faith, on looking to the future, to the One who fulfilled this covenant of circumcision eight days after His birth, as the Son of Man; the second Abraham will enter into a covenant, on looking by faith to the past, to the One who initiated by His life a covenant of the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

What is it that makes the last generation so special? What do its privilege and uniqueness refer to? What are its special qualities? Why has the Heaven been longing for it to come to existence? We might be given most of the answers only by receiving the blessing of the latter rain, and all the others, only when we get Home.

God, our Father, made sure that at the proper time we should see and fully understand the privileges and the responsibilities of the last generation. He has kept hidden in His Word from the sight of the previous generations a special food, the whole truth He wishes, according to His Plan, to offer to the last generation so that, by receiving it, it should grow stronger and fulfil the plan for which it was brought to existence (Isaiah 43:6-7, 20-21). God's intention has been to offer it proper food sent in proper time, for its time: today.

“Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them. They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.” “All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The LORD hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.”

Isa 48:6-7,14

With reference to the last generation, the one hundred and forty-four thousand, in Revelation 14:4 it is written that “they were not defiled with women; for they are virgins” and follow the Lamb wherever He goes, for “these were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb”. These two expressions are full of significance.

 1. The expression ”being the firstfruits” reminds us of the celebration of the “waving sheaf”, on which occasion the first fruits of the country were brought by waving before the Lord; it also reminds us of the important significance of the words: “many bodies of the saints which slept arose” (Matthew 27:52). We can see these saints of the old dispensation, this first fruit of all redeemed, through the eyes of John (the revelator), in Heaven, around the Throne, accompanying Jesus Christ's pleading for us, acclaiming the attributes of His anointment: the creation (Revelation 4:11), the redemption (Revelation 5:9), the judgment (Revelation 11:18) and the setting up of His kingdom (Revelation 19:6). They are the temporary substitutes of the one hundred and forty-four thousand, of the priesthood of the new dispensation, a priesthood born by faith at the end of time, as “they follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth”, being “redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb”. “Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple” (Revelation 14:4; 7:15).

 2. The second expression, “they are virgins” reminds us of the qualities of this “first fruit” (which emphasizes the specific aspect of their calling and their serving), of their moral, ideological and spiritual qualities. Typologically, this expression leads us both to a situation in the Gospel, which clearly outlines the qualities of the one hundred and forty-four thousand and also to a parable which unveils the role they will have in the Kingdom of God. This expression, which on the first sight might lead us to a wrong interpretation of the word “virgins” in this context, should be understood in its real meaning: Zacchaeus (Hebrew for chaste, right, pure, innocent).

The Spirit of Truth inspired both Luke's and John's stories and by them He intends to speak to us, to the last generation, about our eternal mission and calling. Furthermore, significant aspects regarding the one hundred and forty-four thousand (and the Kingdom) are brought to our attention, aspects which have been veiled until now into Zacchaeus' (the chaste one) experience, the Parable of the Ten Minas, the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, and the Parable of the Wedding Banquet.

      Zacchaeus' experience

“And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; but could not because of the crowd, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Luk 19:1-10

By Zacchaeus' experience we learn that this chaste or virgin was “a rich man”, just as we think of ourselves, for that matter (“I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” – Revelation 3:17); but on being awaken from this state of delusion, “he sought to see Jesus”, he became interested in Christ, in the righteousness which He offers, and thus acknowledged his dependence on Him in being righteous; he understood what lukewarmness meant and he sought to walk as the Holy Spirit would lead him to.

The words “he sought to see Jesus who he was; but could not because of the crowd” refer to the sad experience of many of the chosen ones (by their acceptance of God's invitation) who cannot see Christ in the midnight darkness of this world for now, because of those who, instead of being light from His light, are in fact darkness clothed in the filthy garment of their own “rightousness” – sin. By Zacchaeus' inability to see Him “because he was little of stature”, God points at the humility and simplicity that can be found into the hearts of His children from out there (the tax collector did not dare to raise his head, while others would not even bother to bend and allow this man who had been longing for righteousness to get closer to Him). On hearing the news about His coming, Zacchaeus ran before Him and, without even bothering about what the people around him might think of his reaction, climbed up a tree in order to see the One to come. “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus [virgin, pure], make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.” Zacchaeus, called by name, came down quickly, welcomed Him joyfully and opened the door in order to dine together. But the people who had prevented Zacchaeus from seeing Jesus, would all complain: “He was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner” (they had got used to the darkness of their own “righteousness” to such an extent that, in their blindness, they came to think that the right was wrong and the wrong was right; the one considered righteous by Christ, was seen by them as a sinner and they came to perceive their attempt to do good without Him as the right thing to do). “And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord”. Zacchaeus considered the remarks of the crowd against him as worthless, irrespective of the person having spoken them. He knew before Whom he had run; he knew Who was the One having called him by name; he knew Whom he had received in his heart, and Whom he was bowing to. He “said to the Lord: ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.' ” Not only did Zacchaeus accept the calling, but he also expressed his will to contribute in a practical manner to its progress; he transmits Christ's righteousness, which he received into the heart through the Spirit, further by sharing it to others. The one hundred and forty-four thousand are like him, they are Zacchaeus [virgin] and it is for them (for you) that Jesus says: “Today salvation has come to this house, because he is [you are] also a son of Abraham.”

      The Parable of the Ten Minas

The biblical story (“The Parable of the Ten Minas” – verses 11-28), which offers further clarification regarding the one hundred and forty-four thousand, follows this episode about Zacchaeus.

“And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 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. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.”

Luk 19:11-28

This parable draws our attention on what we are to do with the gifts received (it is necessary to improve the God-given gifts so that one mina should make another five or ten minas); additionally, we are being presented that the natural man would not have Christ to reign over him now, when He has gone “into a far country to receive for Himself a kingdom”. Furthermore, we are being shown that He gives gifts to each and every one of us and that when he returns, he will make a judgment, rewarding to every one according to his work; a part of the great reward will be represented by the cities which the faithful servants will be given to rule over, according to their fruits.

What could these cities represent as a reward for the one hundred and forty-four thousand? Christ’s kingdom does not only include Earth alone, but also other worlds. Revelation speaks about the New Earth and about the fact the its ruling will be done from a City (in the case of Earth, from the New Jerusalem, where the Throne of God is located). The mina (the city) or the minas divided to each of them represent the unfallen world(s) given to them to “rule over”, as representatives of Christ’s eternal priesthood.

      The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus

In a previous chapter, we have talked about the fact that Jesus would always do the Father's works and speak the words of the Father, Who was revealing His character through Him. Jesus would not set His mind on the things of man, as He would have denied Himself by doing so. By the words He spoke to Peter: “Get behind me, Satan […], for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23), we understand that under no circumstances would the Lord have used ideas and thoughts of man and present them as teaching from God.

On taking a closer look at the context in which the Father, through Christ, spoke the “Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus” (Luke 16), we will notice that it has nothing to do with the immortality of the soul (as it is generally believed), but it was meant to bring to the attention of those present there three aspects: 1. the Pharisees' love for money (Luke 16:14-15); 2. the Kingdom of God (verse 16); 3. the continuance, completeness, universality, in short, the authority of the Scripture (verses 17-18).

1. “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.”

Luk 16:19-21

2. “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”

Luk 16: 22-26

3. “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.”

Luk 16:27-31

We live in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, Who uses typology and parables in order to “tell [us] things to come”, as a fulfilment of the prophecy, according to which: “There is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light” (Mark 4:22).

In verses 22-26, the Father made a prophecy regarding His Kingdom, a prophecy which will be fulfilled on the judgment day (as it is shown below). The Holy Spirit made sure that each word which the Father used in this prophecy, should describe the things which He foresaw.

“And it came to pass, that the beggar died” – these words refer to the poor, whose life could have been better by the mercy of those people carelessly wasting wealth (on buying expensive clothes, daily concerned to lead a self-centred life) and constantly ignoring the ones who lie before their very eyes, those people deprived of the most elementary means of survival. They prefer in return to look the other way.

“And was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom” – these words refer to the moment when Christ returns, moment marking the fulfilment of the words: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:30-31). The elected will be carried away by the angels and each of them will be brought to their own order, into Abraham's bosom (1 Corinthians 15:25-28; Matthew 19:28; 8:11-12).

“The rich man also died, and was buried” – these words refer to those who considered their own righteousness all sufficient, and felt too rich to appeal to the merits of the Lamb's sacrifice. Therefore, on hoping in vain to a resurrection by their own righteousness (by their filthy garment), they drop off into the silent grave, without having a part in the first resurrection (that of the ones having experienced the death of the “self”, by being born again). It is to them (the “rich” ones) that apply the words: “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:5).

“And in hell he [the rich man] lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” – these words are closely related to the moment when “the Son of man shall send forth His angels and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:41-42; Revelation 20:13:00-15; Matthew 13:43).

“And in hell he lift up his eyes […] and he cried and said: Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” – these words refer to the moment when Satan and his servants are in the lake of fire, as an expression of God's sin eradicating justice. A last try of the “richest” one (to whom apply the words: “By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned […] Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground […] therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth” – Ezekiel 28:16-18) to be saved from destruction occurs, by appealing in his slyness to the mercy of Abraham, in the bosom of whom dwells Lazarus, so that he should allowed Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger into the water of life from the City.

“Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.” – these words are written with reference to two aspects: on the one hand, to the abyss between the ones chosen by God (bearers of His righteousness) and the ones who continually denied His presence all their life (the unwise virgins who can no longer take oil from the wise ones) and on the other hand, to the abyss resulting from the splitting of the Mountain of Olives in order to make room to the New Jerusalem, an abyss existing between the mountain thus split and the high enclosing wall of the City from where Abraham speaks to the rich man; it is for this reason that it was written: “he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off”.

“I tell you [...] there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.”

Luk 13:27-30

Two important aspects are clarified by the above-mentioned parable: on the one hand, the aspect of the fully guaranteed heritage of the saint and, on the other hand, the doom of the wicked, condemned to eternal death; the latter would not believe in the testimony of the eternal Gospel (Moses and the Prophets) nor in the sacrifice of the Lamb as the only way to salvation; for people like them, not even Christ's resurrection can bring hope, since they have not believed (they do not believe) in His chosen prophets.

      The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

If this parable (Matthew 22:1-14) is not considered in its context, there is every chance that it might not be fully understood, even less the purpose of its being presented. This parable presents the invitation God, the King, addresses to all mankind to the wedding of the Lamb, that of His Son. This invitation is addressed to people from all times, by the words: “The wedding is ready!” (Matthew 22:8), “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ ” (Revelation 22:17). This call to the people’s hearts to come to the wedding of the Lamb has been made, throughout the centuries, by the King’s servants (prophets and apostles).

This parable includes, among other aspects, a double reference: one to the ones who have made a covenant by circumcision (1. Israel of old) and another one, to the ones who have made a covenant by the water and the Spirit (2. the spiritual Israel from now).

1. “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.  Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.”

Mat 22:2-7

2. “Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Mat 22:8-14

It is the second part (2.) the one which is of a great importance to us, as it represents a prophecy for us. It is not only that Israel did not respond to the invitation made by the King, but it also dishonoured and slaughtered both His servants and the Bridegroom. As a consequence of this act, in 70 AD God allows the invasion of the Roman soldiers, and thus the city of Jerusalem is burned to the ground. In approximately the same period of time, the invitation of the Gospel is turned to the Gentiles and the sacrifices of the oxen and fatted cattle are replaced by the wedding garment, whitened and cleansed by the atoning blood of the Lamb of God. Ever since then, God's servants have been gathering into the wedding room (His Church) both good and bad, until it is filled with guests, in which moment the King comes in, investigating His guests by His Holy Spirit.

We are in the moment when this prophecy is being fulfilled. By the Holy Spirit, God investigates us, on looking to find out to which extent His image is reproduced in us by His work. “And when the king [God] came in [into the wedding room] to see the guests [the ones called for salvation]; and he [He] saw [sees] there [in the Church] a man [could it be you?] which had not on a wedding garment [Christ's righteousness, but his own]”. He is not given the opportunity either to justify his presence there without the appropriate garment or to procure another one. “Then said the king to the servants [angels]: ‘Bind him hand and foot, and take him away and cast him [condemn him] into outer darkness [eternal death]'; there [in the lake of fire] shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many [all] are called, but few are chosen [saved]”.

By His words of condemnation to eternal death, the King separates the bad from the good. This is done “in the time of harvest [when] I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn” (Matthew 13:30).

While the sentence is being carried out (the punishment by fire of the wicked), God will invite His chosen, righteous people into His wedding room (Isaiah 26:20), where the wedding of the Lamb will be taking place; the wedding guests (the Church) will be the redeemed.

This parable reveals God's eternal intentions towards the redeemed, meaning His receiving them into His family, as His sons and daughters.

The great sacrifice by which Christ assumed the form of a slave (on humbling Himself so as to suffer the consequences of sin – death) and the salvation that He completed (His sacrifice having been accepted by God) have lifted the man above any rank and condition. These two main aspects offer to the redeemed the privilege to bear His image forever, in the same way in which He bore ours. By His incarnation, He created eternal connections to the human family by bonds of grace, which no one will ever be able to break. He will bear forever the human image, an image forever enshrouded in His divine Glory.