The New Jerusalem

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From: Joe Chancellor <browser@wt.net>
To: higher-fire@prairienet.org
Subject: Re: The Bride of Christ

 JC> It seems that you agree with sister Dimmick Brother Copes but
 JC> sometimes I am not sure...this post was a little unclear as far
 JC> as your stance on the situation...So If I could I will just
 JC> ask...

 JC> Do you feel that the New Jerusalem is an actual physical place?

     I suspect that there are both spiritual and physical aspect to this
place. John apparently described what he saw and experienced. However, he
did it within the confines of his concepts and experience. For instance,
there is no physical evidence of which I am aware that gold in the thickness
implied by Scripture is ever transparent. Gold is one of the heaviest
metals. Even in its purest forms it is not transparent. I have seen glass
which has had gold mixed with it. It is transparent but with a beautiful
golden hue. From a distance it looks like solid gold.

     Paul tells us that we do not know exactly what we will be like but that
we will be like Him. We know that after the His resurrection that Jesus had
a physical body which could be touched. (There were other important
attributes as well.) He cooked fish and invited the disciples to eat. This
is clearly physical activity.

     Physical bodies imply physical habitation needs. The city comes down to
earth. Why? If it is purely spiritual why the need to come down to a
physical earth? What purpose is served unless it was to be inhabited by
physical beings? If there is no need for such a physical place and it is
rather spiritual then the individuals could just as easily to go to the
spiritual place rather than have the spiritual place come to the
individuals. In either case the question to be asked is, what function or
purpose is served by the event? What does it accomplish?

Walter Copes
The joy of the Lord is my strength
(wcopes@communique.net)
Walter L Copes