But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
The Jerusalem which is above is free, and she is the mother of us all, the free New Jerusalem whose children are the children of promise and the subjects of the first resurrection. Her freedom is perfect freedom, complete liberty to plainly call light light and darkness darkness, distinguishing truth from error with nothing held back. In relation to this mother and her children, Christ is the everlasting Father of His people.
The resurrection of the just is represented as birth, as the bringing forth of the children. The mother and the wife are distinct from the children, so that if the church were the wife there would be no one left to be the children. The wife of the Lamb and the prophecy that the Maker is husband belong to the Jerusalem above, not to the church as bride. The marriage of the Lamb takes place in heaven before the Lord comes, before the saints are caught up and before the children are brought forth in the resurrection of the just.
The surrounding passage gives the plain, clear and convincing position on the covenants, received by every candid and unprejudiced mind, and holding that true position is holding the truth. Efforts to make the passage teach a different covenant position are wasted study that repeats hostile handling of the words of Christ, by watching to repeat and misinterpret and twist Scripture to suit unsanctified desires and by raising false issues to cloud and mislead minds. Turning from its plain light comes from fear of having to accept what Galatians teaches about the law. No one is prepared to receive light either to establish or to refute a position on the passage until truly converted before God.
The Jerusalem which is above is free, and she is the mother of us all, the free New Jerusalem whose children are the children of promise and the subjects of the first resurrection. Her freedom is perfect freedom, complete liberty to plainly call light light and darkness darkness, distinguishing truth from error with nothing held back. In relation to this mother and her children, Christ is the everlasting Father of His people.
The resurrection of the just is represented as birth, as the bringing forth of the children. The mother and the wife are distinct from the children, so that if the church were the wife there would be no one left to be the children. The wife of the Lamb and the prophecy that the Maker is husband belong to the Jerusalem above, not to the church as bride. The marriage of the Lamb takes place in heaven before the Lord comes, before the saints are caught up and before the children are brought forth in the resurrection of the just.
The surrounding passage gives the plain, clear and convincing position on the covenants, received by every candid and unprejudiced mind, and holding that true position is holding the truth. Efforts to make the passage teach a different covenant position are wasted study that repeats hostile handling of the words of Christ, by watching to repeat and misinterpret and twist Scripture to suit unsanctified desires and by raising false issues to cloud and mislead minds. Turning from its plain light comes from fear of having to accept what Galatians teaches about the law. No one is prepared to receive light either to establish or to refute a position on the passage until truly converted before God.