Why the letter to the Hebrews was not written to the saints in the body of Christ

Introduction

According to the arrangement referred to in Gal. 2:6-10, the apostle Paul and his co-laborer, Barnabas, were to be “for the nations” while James, Peter and John were to be “for the Circumcision.” “The nations” refers to those among mankind who belong to a nation besides the chosen nation of Israel. In contrast, “the Circumcision” refers to God’s covenant people, Israel – i.e., the twelve-tribed descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob whose covenantal relationship with God is signified by circumcision.

In accord with this arrangement, we find that the apostle Paul – who referred to himself as “the apostle of the nations” (Rom. 11:13) – is the only inspired writer who wrote to believers who could be referred to collectively as “the nations” (Rom. 1:13; 11:13, 25; 15:16, 18), and who belonged to what Paul referred to in Rom. 16:4 as ”all the ecclesias of the nations.” It is those who comprised these “ecclesias of the nations” that Paul (and Paul alone) referred to in his letters as “the body of Christ” (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 6:15-19; 10:16-17; 12:12-27; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:4, 12-16; 5:23-24, 30; Col. 1:18, 24; 2:19; 3:15).

In contrast with the “ecclesias of the nations” to which Paul wrote his letters, the ecclesias to which Peter, James and John wrote were composed primarily, if not exclusively, of believers among God’s covenant people, Israel. For example, we read that James wrote his letter “to the twelve tribes in the dispersion” (James 1:1). Similarly, Peter wrote “to the chosen expatriates of the dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia, and Bithynia…” (1 Pet. 1:1). And in verse 7 of his third letter, John referred to “the nations” as a company of believers who were distinct from the saints on whose behalf he ministered.[1]

It’s further evident that the Jewish believers to whom Peter, James and John wrote were a continuation of the company of Jewish saints that predated the death and resurrection of Christ (and which Christ referred to as “the little flock” in Luke 12:32). As a continuation of this company of saints, the Jewish believers to whom Peter, James and John (as well as Jude) wrote had the same calling and expectation as that which will belong to the saints who will be on the earth during the future period of time when the events we find prophesied in Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation will be occurring (e.g., the “great affliction” of Israel that’s referred to in Matt. 24:21 and Rev. 7:14 [cf. Jer. 30:7, Dan. 12:1]).[2]

On the other hand, the company of saints that comprised “the ecclesias of the nations” in Paul’s day – i.e., the body of Christ – was (and is) distinct from the company of saints that began to be formed during Christ’s earthly ministry. For, in contrast with the company of saints that Christ referred to as “the little flock” (and of which the company of saints referred to by James in Acts 21:20-21 was a continuation), the body of Christ did not begin to be formed until the administration that was given to Paul for the nations – i.e., “the administration of the grace of God” or “administration of the secret” (Eph. 3:1, 9) – began. And this administration began at around the time when “the evangel of which [Paul] became the dispenser” – i.e., “the evangel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) – began to be heralded by Paul among the nations (which was shortly after Paul and Barnabas were “severed” to God for the work to which God had called them; see Acts 13:2-3).

But what about the saints to whom the letter “To the Hebrews” (“Πρὸς Ἑβραίους”) was written? Would they have been included among the saints who comprised “all the ecclesias of the nations” in Paul’s day? Or did they belong to the company of primarily Jewish believers who comprised the ecclesias to which Peter, James and John wrote? Well, the very fact that this letter was written to people whom the author identified as “Hebrews” proves that he wrote to the same kind of believers to whom Peter, James and John wrote. We never once find the term “Hebrews” used in Scripture to refer to Gentiles. Nor do we find this term used to refer to Gentiles in any ancient, extra-biblical writings.

Instead, “Hebrews” is the original name of Judeans. Concerning this fact, the ancient Jewish historian Josephus wrote the following: “Sala was the son of Arphaxad; and his son was Heber, from whom they originally called the Jews Hebrews” (Josephus' Antiquities of Jews Book 1, Chapter 6, Paragraph 4). It was after the Hebrews came back to Judea from Babylon that they became known as “Judeans” (or “Jews”).

In accord with the historical meaning of the term “Hebrew,” Paul – when referring to his Jewish ethnicity in Philippians 3:5 – referred to himself as being ”of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews.” And while there is a sense in which all who are in the body of Christ can be considered as being “of Abraham’s seed” (see my two-part study The Seed of Abraham for an explanation of Paul’s use of this terminology), Paul never once referred to those in the body of Christ as “Hebrews” in his letters (whether literally or figuratively).

The ethnic identity of the recipients of the letter to the Hebrews is further confirmed from the fact that the recipients of the letter are implied to be those who were descendants of “the fathers” to whom God spoke “in the prophets” (Heb. 1:1). This refers to Israel rather than the nations. We further read that the recipients of this letter belonged to “the people of God” (Heb. 4:9). What we read in Hebrews 10:28-30 (in which Deut. 32:36 is quoted) and 11:25 makes it clear that “the people of God” to whom the recipients of this letter belonged are the same “people of God” who are in view in Deut. 32:36, and with whom we’re told Moses preferred to be maltreated. Thus, when the author of the letter to the Hebrews referred to the recipients of his letter as belonging to “the people of God,” he was referring to the people to whom God was referring when he identified himself as “Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews” (Ex. 3:18; 5:1; 7:16).

The salvation of those in the body of Christ

Although Paul’s letters are filled with exhortations for those in the body of Christ regarding how we should live and act, Paul was also clear that our eonian salvation does not in any way depend on anything we must do, obey or live out. Because God’s grace “reigns” over every member of the body of Christ, we cannot “out-sin” God’s grace; the more that we sin, the more God’s grace “super-exceeds” for us, resulting in life eonian (Rom. 5:20-21).

In Romans 6:23 we read that the life eonian that every member of the body of Christ is destined to enjoy is “the gracious gift of God…in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” In accord with this truth, we’re told in 2 Thess. 2:16 that “God, our Father, Who loves us” is “giving us an eonian consolation and a good expectation in grace.” Notice that the “eonian consolation” and “good expectation” to which Paul was referring is given to us “in grace.”

The measure of divine grace that’s being given to those called to be members of the body of Christ is referred to in Eph. 1:7 as “the riches of [God’s] grace, which He lavishes on us,” and is such that works/acts have no part whatsoever in our salvation (Rom. 3:22; 4:4-5; 2 Tim. 1:8-11; Titus 3:3-7). According to what we read in Eph. 2:4-9, the salvation that every believer in the body of Christ will be enjoying (and which will involve God’s “displaying the transcendent riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus”) is not “out of” us. It is in no way dependent on or conditioned upon our will or effort. Rather, our salvation is said to be “in grace.” It is “God’s approach present” (or “gift”), and is thus “not of works, lest anyone should be boasting.”

Upon being given the faith to believe “the word of truth, the evangel of [our] salvation,” those called by God are then “sealed with the holy spirit of promise,” which is “an earnest of the enjoyment of our allotment, to the deliverance of that which has been procured” (Eph. 1:13-14). No precept-keeping obedience, acts of righteousness or Godly living is required for any member of the body of Christ to receive the “deliverance” of which Paul wrote in the above verses (and which, according to Eph. 2:4-7, will involve being vivified together and seated together “among the celestials in Christ Jesus”). This salvation is as certain to occur as anything else God has promised to do.

There is, therefore, nothing that anyone in the body of Christ could do (or fail to do) that could possibly result in our not receiving this eonian salvation. Although Paul exhorted believers to “walk worthily of the calling with which [we] were called,” a failure to do so will not jeopardize our eonian salvation. Our having been spiritually baptized into the body of Christ (and thus “sealed with the holy spirit of promise”) guarantees our inclusion in the future event that will involve the saints in the body of Christ being vivified in Christ and snatched away to meet the Lord in the air (Rom. 8:15-25; 1 Cor. 15:50-57; Phil. 3:20-21; Col. 3:1-4; 1 Thess. 4:14-18; 5:9-11; 2 Thess. 2:13-14).

In accord with the super-exceeding, super-abundant grace that characterizes the salvation of the saints in the body of Christ, Paul further revealed in his letters that the location in which we are going to be enjoying our eonian allotment is “the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1-2; Phil. 3:20; Col. 1:5). Heaven is, of course, where the Lord is presently located (Heb. 1:3; 4:14; 9:24), and it’s thus here that we will be “at home with the Lord” after we’ve become “celestials” (2 Cor. 5:4-8; 1 Cor. 15:47-49). In accord with this fact, it is “among the celestials” that we will be enjoying “every spiritual blessing” during “the oncoming eons” (Eph. 1:3; 2:6-7), and it is “[the Lord’s] celestial kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:18) – i.e., the kingdom of God in which “flesh and blood is not able to enjoy an allotment” (1 Cor. 15:50) – for which we are being saved (2 Tim. 4:18). For a more in-depth defense of this understanding of the location of the eonian allotment of the body of Christ, click here and here.

The salvation of those to whom the letter to the Hebrews was written

In contrast with what Paul revealed concerning the eonian allotment of the saints in the body of Christ, we know from Hebrews 2:5 that the salvation to which the recipients of this letter looked forward (i.e., the “allotment of salvation” referred to in Heb. 1:14) is a salvation that is going to be enjoyed on “the impending inhabited earth.” Their eonian salvation is, in other words, in accord with Israel’s prophesied expectation.

The very fact that there is a difference in the locations of the eonian allotment of those to whom Paul wrote and those to whom the letter to the Hebrews was written proves that the letter to the Hebrews was not written to believers in the body of Christ. But this isn’t the only difference between the salvation of those in the body of Christ and the salvation of those to whom the letter to the Hebrews was written.

In contrast with what Paul revealed concerning the nature of the salvation of those in the body of Christ, the eonian salvation of those to whom the letter to the Hebrews was written is not something that God was unconditionally bestowing on these believers as an expression of his super-abundant grace. Instead, the recipients of this letter had to meet certain conditions in order to qualify for the salvation that we find promised throughout the letter.

For example, in Hebrews 2:1-4 we read the following concerning what was expected of these Jewish believers with regard to their salvation:

“Therefore we must more exceedingly be heeding what is being heard, lest at some time we may be drifting by. For if the word spoken through messengers came to be confirmed, and every transgression and disobedience obtained a fair reward, how shall we be escaping when neglecting a salvation of such proportions which, obtaining a beginning through the speaking of the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who hear Him, God corroborating, both by signs and miracles and by various powerful deeds and partings of holy spirit, according to His will?” 

The “salvation of such proportions” of which we read in this passage was previously referred to as “the allotment of salvation” in Heb. 1:14. In Heb. 5:9 it’s referred to as an “eonian salvation” that will be received by “all who are obeying [Christ].” In order for those to whom this letter was written to not be “neglecting” this eonian salvation (and thus “drifting by”), it was necessary that they “more exceedingly be heeding” what they’d heard (the necessity of the “heeding” is evident from the author’s use of the word “must” in v. 1, above). And as is evident from Heb. 5:9, the “heeding” that the author had in mind necessarily involved obeying Christ.[3]

This is not to say that faith was unimportant or unnecessary for those to whom the letter to the Hebrews was written. Faith was absolutely essential to the salvation of these believers. However, the faith that the recipients of this letter needed to have in order to be saved could not be separated from, and fail to find its expression in, obedience. Even in the well-known part of this letter in which we find faith emphasized (i.e., chapter 11), the emphasis is not on “faith only” but on what certain notable people had done by faith.

Noah, for example, is said to have become “an enjoyer of the allotment of the righteousness which accords with faith” because of what he did by faith (Heb 11:7). Although Noah’s righteousness was “in accord with” faith, it wasn’t based on “faith only,” but on what he did as an expression of his faith (which was construct an ark). This faith-based obedience is the source of the righteousness of those to whom the author of Hebrews wrote, and it is the same sort of righteousness of which James wrote in his letter to the twelve tribes. Everything the author of Hebrews wrote is perfectly consistent with what James taught in his letter concerning the necessity of faith and works (both of which were required for the justification and salvation of those to whom these letters were written).

In Heb. 3:12-15 the author went on to warn the believing Israelites to whom he wrote as follows:

“Beware, brethren, lest at some time there shall be in any one of you a wicked heart of unbelief, in withdrawing from the living God. But entreat yourselves each day, until what is called ‘today,’ lest anyone of you may be hardened by the seduction of sin. For we have become partners of Christ, that is, if we should be retaining the beginning of the assumption confirmed unto the consummation, while it is being said, ‘Today, if ever His voice you should be hearing, You should not be hardening your hearts as in the embitterment.’”

Notice that developing a “wicked heart of unbelief” and “withdrawing from the living God” was understood by the author as the result of being “hardened by the seduction of sin” (which is the opposite condition referred to by the words, “retaining the beginning of the assumption confirmed unto the consummation”). In accord with his warning against being “hardened by the seduction of sin,” we later read in Heb. 12:14 that “holiness” was something that the recipients of this letter had to “pursue” in order to be saved (for we’re told that “no one shall be seeing the Lord” apart from it).

Continuing with his exhortation and warning, the author went on to write the following in Hebrews 4:9-11:

Consequently a sabbatism is left for the people of God. For he who is entering into His stopping, he also stops from his works even as God from His own. We should be endeavoring, then, to be entering into that stopping, lest anyone should be falling into the same example of stubbornness.

The term translated “sabbatism” in v. 9 is the noun “sabbatismos,” and is derived from the cognate verb “sabbatizo.” This latter term is found in the Septuagint translation of several verses (e.g., Ex. 16:30; Lev. 23:32; 26:34; 2 Chron. 36:21), and means “to observe/keep the Sabbath.” Insofar as this is the case, the noun sabbatismos can be understood to mean, “a Sabbath-observance” or “a Sabbath-keeping period.” Since all Sabbaths are preceded by six equal periods of time (Ex. 20:8-11; 23:10-11; Lev. 25:4), it’s reasonable to believe that the “sabbatism” referred to in v. 9 is a future period of time that will also be preceded by six equal periods of time. But how long is the “sabbatism” that the author had in view going to last?

Answer: In Daniel 7:27 we read that, after Christ returns to earth and establishes the kingdom of God on the earth, the kingdom “shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High.” And in Revelation 5:10 and 20:4-6, it’s revealed that those who are going to be reigning on the earth with Christ will be reigning as kings and priests for “a thousand years.” Thus, the “sabbatism” referred to in Heb. 4:9 is going to be a thousand years in duration, and will be preceded by six equal periods of time (i.e., 6,000 years).

The “stopping” and “sabbatism” referred to in v. 9 was thus not a present, fulfilled reality for those to whom the letter to the Hebrews was written. Rather, it was something into which the recipients of this letter expected to enter at the time of Christ’s return to earth (Heb. 9:28; 10:25, 35-39), when the kingdom is restored to Israel (Heb. 12:28; cf. Luke 21:27-31; Acts 1:6). It is at this time that the new covenant will be concluded “with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” (Heb. 8:1-13), and those constituting what Paul referred to as “the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16) and “all Israel” (Rom. 11:26-27) will be receiving “eonian salvation” (Heb. 5:8-10), and “obtaining the promise of the eonian enjoyment of the allotment” (Heb. 9:15-17; cf. 11-12).

Concerning what was in store for those believers who became “hardened by the seduction of sin” and developed “a wicked heart of unbelief” (resulting in withdrawing from the living God), the author went on to write the following in Heb. 6:4-8:

“For it is impossible for those once enlightened, besides tasting the celestial gratuity and becoming partakers of holy spirit, and tasting the ideal declaration of God, besides the powerful deeds of the impending eon, and falling aside, to be renewing them again to repentance while crucifying for themselves the Son of God again and holding Him up to infamy. For land which is drinking the shower coming often on it, and bringing forth herbage fit for those because of whom it is being farmed also, is partaking of blessing from God; yet, bringing forth thorns and star thistles, it is disqualified and near a curse, whose consummation is burning.”

The author was not warning unbelievers against “falling aside” and the fearful consequences that would follow from this. Rather, he was warning believers – i.e., those who, we’re told, had been “enlightened” and became “partakers of holy spirit” (cf. Heb. 10:32). The author then balanced his warning with the following encouraging exhortation:

“Yet we are persuaded of better things concerning you, beloved, and those which have to do with salvation, even if we are speaking thus. For God is not unjust, to be forgetting [your faith? No, but rather] your work and the love which you display for His name when you serve the saints, and are serving. Now we are yearning for each one of you to be displaying the same diligence toward the assurance of the expectation until the consummation, that you may not be becoming dull. Now be imitators of those who through faith and patience are enjoying the allotment of the promises.”

Although the author followed his words of warning with words of hope, even his encouragement presupposed that the future salvation of the believers to whom he wrote depended on their “work and the love which [they] display for His name when [they] serve the saints, and are serving” (which is precisely the kind of faith-perfecting works of love that James had in mind in the second chapter of his letter). As if this doesn’t make it clear enough that their future salvation was conditional and involved their conduct, we find that their “assurance of the expectation” (i.e., enjoying the allotment of the promises) required “displaying the same diligence toward the assurance of the expectation until the consummation” (v. 11). And, from the context, it’s evident that this “diligence” involved doing the things which the author described in v. 10 (which, of course, involved works of love and not “faith only”).

In other words, those to whom the author wrote could have assurance that they would be saved at the consummation (i.e., at the return of Christ) if they faithfully continued doing what they had been doing – which meant being “imitators of those who through faith and patience are enjoying the allotment of the promises” (v. 12). But what was the author referring to by the word “patience” here (or, we might ask, patience doing what?)? Again, the context makes it clear what this “patience” referred to: “…displaying the same diligence toward the assurance of the expectation until the consummation.” If they were to be saved at the consummation, their faith required works just as their works required faith. Otherwise, they would find themselves facing the fearful fate described later, in Heb. 10:24-31. In these verses we read the following:

For at our sinning voluntarily after obtaining the recognition of the truth, it is no longer leaving a sacrifice concerned with sins, but a certain fearful waiting for judging and fiery jealousy, about to be eating the hostile. Anyone repudiating Moses' law is dying without pity on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, are you supposing, will he be counted worthy who tramples on the Son of God, and deems the blood of the covenant by which he is hallowed contaminating, and outrages the spirit of grace? For we are acquainted with Him Who is saying, Mine is vengeance! I will repay! the Lord is saying, and again, "The Lord will be judging His people." Fearful is it to be falling into the hands of the living God!”

Note that it is believing Israelites – i.e., those who’d obtained the “recognition of the truth” and had been hallowed by “the blood of the covenant” – who were being warned of the possibility of suffering an even worse punishment than that which was inflicted upon those who repudiated Moses’ law (compare this with the author’s warning in Heb. 12:25).

The author went on to refer to this “much worse punishment” as “destruction,” and contrasted it with the salvation (the “procuring of the soul”) that the Hebrew believers hoped to receive at Christ’s return (see Heb. 10:35-39 and compare with 1 Pet. 1:3-9). Given that the salvation in view is that which will be received when Christ arrives and “is seen a second time” (Heb. 9:28), and the “punishment” and “vengeance” of which the author wrote is contrasted with this salvation, we can reasonably conclude that the author had in view the vengeance of God that will be poured out on unbelieving Jews and Gentiles alike during the “day of the Lord.” 

It is simply not possible to reconcile these words of warning and exhortation with Paul’s words to the body of Christ in Romans 5:9 and 8:1, or with what he wrote in 1 Thess. 1:10 and 4:9-11. If the believing Israelites to whom the letter to the Hebrews was written were “in Christ” in the same sense in which every believer in the body of Christ is “in Christ,” it would not have been remotely possible for them to suffer the divine vengeance and judgment that unbelievers will suffer during the day of the Lord. No one who is a member of the body of Christ is appointed to God's indignation; rather, we are all destined to be rescued by Christ (via the event referred to in 1 Thess. 4:15-18 and elsewhere) from the very time of indignation through which the believers among God’s covenant people must endure in order for them to be saved at the time of Christ’s return to earth (Matt. 10:22; 24:13; Mark 13:13; cf. Rev. 12:17; 13:10; 14:12).

Echoing his warning from chapter 2, the author later warned the recipients of his letter as follows:

“Beware! You should not be refusing Him Who is speaking! For if those escaped not, refusing the One apprizing on earth, much rather we, who are turning from the One from the heavens, Whose voice then shakes the earth. Yet now He has promised, saying, Still once more shall I be quaking, not only the earth, but heaven also. Now the ‘Still once more’ is making evident the transference of that which is being shaken, as of that having been made, that what is not being shaken should be remaining. Wherefore, accepting an unshakable kingdom, we may have grace through which we may be offering divine service in a way well pleasing to God, with piety and dread, for our God is also a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:25-29

In this passage (as in Heb. 2:1-4), that from which those being addressed were in need of escaping was the indignation of God that is going to come upon the wicked and unbelieving inhabitants of the earth during the “day of the Lord” (and which will prepare the earth and its inhabitants for the “unshakable kingdom” that is in view in v. 28). And the salvation that will be given to those who heed the warnings found throughout the letter to the Hebrews will involve the enjoyment of an allotment in this future kingdom.

In contrast with those who are members of the body of Christ (and whose justification and eonian salvation is not based on anything we do or don’t do), those to whom the author of Hebrews wrote were told that they comprised the “house” of Christ “IF [they] should be retaining the boldness and the glorying of the expectation confirmed unto the consummation” (Heb. 3:6). Note the conditional “if” of this verse. The clear implication is that it was possible for the Jewish believers to whom this letter was written to fail to retain “the boldness and the glorying of the expectation confirmed unto the consummation” (which would result in them ceasing to be included among those who comprised the “house” of Christ). 

Conclusion

It is only when Christ “is seen a second time by those awaiting Him” (Heb. 9:28) that the exhortations and warnings with which the letter to the Hebrews abounds will no longer be needed for believers among God’s covenant people. For it is only at this time – i.e., at “the consummation” that we find referred to in this letter (Heb. 3:14; 6:11; cf. 10:35-39) – that their eonian salvation will be an experienced reality rather than an expectation that requires their continued obedience and endurance. It is only at this future time that their diligence and patience in avoiding and “contending against sin” (12:4) will no longer be necessary for salvation (since they will have been saved and will be enjoying their deserved “rest” or “stopping”). But until this time comes, the Jewish brethren to whom the author wrote had reason to “Beware, lest…anyone of you may be hardened by the seduction of sin. For we have become partners of Christ, that is, IF we should be retaining the beginning of the assumption confirmed unto the consummation…” (Heb. 3:12-15). 

---

[1] It’s unlikely that John was referring to unbelieving Gentiles here, since there’s no good reason to think that John – or any of the Jewish believers to whom he wrote – would’ve expected unbelieving Gentiles to provide financial assistance to any of the Jewish ecclesias. On the other hand, we know for a fact that, in accord with the agreement referred to by Paul in Gal. 2:10, the “ecclesias of the nations” to which Paul wrote had been doing just that (Rom. 15:25-31; 1 Cor. 16:1-4; 2 Cor. 8:1-9:15). 

[2] Since John was also the writer of the prophetic work commonly known as “Revelation” (Rev. 1:1, 9), we can conclude that “the seven ecclesias” to which John was commanded to write (Rev. 1:4, 11) – and which will be in existence during the future “day of the Lord” or “Lord’s day” (Rev. 1:10) – will be just as Jewish in composition as the first-century ecclesias to which Peter, James and John wrote (for a defense of the view that “the Lord’s day” in Rev. 1:10 most likely refers to the future period of time that we find referred to elsewhere as “the day of the Lord,” see the following study: Why the snatching away will precede “the Lord’s day”).

[3] Concerning what it meant for the believers among God’s covenant people to be “obeying Christ,” see my article “John’s expectation and doctrinal position concerning salvation.“ As noted earlier, John wrote to believers who belonged to the same company of saints as those to whom the author of the letter to the Hebrews wrote.

Why Revelation isn’t “the end of the story”

In Rev. 21:1-8 (Concordant Literal New Testament) we read the following:

And I perceived a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth pass away, and the sea is no more. And I perceived the holy city, new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I hear a loud voice out of the throne saying, “Lo! the tabernacle of God is with mankind, and He will be tabernacling with them, and they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them. And He will be brushing away every tear from their eyes. And death will be no more, nor mourning, nor clamor, nor misery; they will be no more, for the former things passed away.”

And He Who is sitting on the throne said, “Lo! New am I making all!” And He is saying, “Write, for these sayings are faithful and true.” And He said to me, “I have become the Alpha and the Omega, the Origin and the Consummation. To him who is thirsting I shall be giving of the spring of the water of life gratuitously. He who is conquering shall be enjoying this allotment, and I shall be a God to him and he shall be a son to Me. Yet the timid, and unbelievers, and the abominable, and murderers, and paramours, and enchanters, and idolaters, and all the false–their part is in the lake burning with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.”

Although this earth has been a place of death, mourning and misery for almost as long as humans have been in existence, what we read in this passage makes it clear that all such evils will be absent from the new earth. We can thus conclude that life on the new earth will be far superior to anything mankind has ever experienced (or ever will experience) on this earth. But is the future state of affairs described in this passage the ultimate goal toward which God is working with regard to mankind's salvation?

Most Christians believe that it is. According to this view, the last two chapters of Revelation reveal the “final state” of mankind. For example, in a recently-given sermon on the subject of “heaven,” Christian pastor Dr. Jeff Schreve declared that “the book of Revelation ends in what theologians call ‘the eternal state.’” He went on to say that, during this future time, time will “be no more,” and that “those who have given their lives to Christ will live forever with him in an eternal state, in an eternal home known as heaven.”

Like many Christians, Jeff Schreve is deeply confused about what we find revealed in Rev. 21-22. Although he refers to the new earth as “an eternal home known as heaven,” Scripture – including the book of Revelation itself – makes a clear and consistent distinction between heaven and earth. Even in the chapters from Revelation to which Dr. Schreve refers, heaven and earth are clearly distinguished from each other, and are referred to as two different locations:

“And I perceived a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth pass away, and the sea is no more. And I perceived the holy city, new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God...” 

Since it is “out of heaven” that new Jerusalem will be descending after the new earth has been created, neither the new earth (to which new Jerusalem will be descending) nor new Jerusalem itself (which will be in heaven before it descends) can be identified with heaven. And this means that the dwelling place of those who will be enjoying the blessings referred to throughout Rev. 21-22 is not “heaven” (and should not be “known as heaven”).

Moreover, although certain theologians consider the future time period described in Revelation 21-22 as an “eternal state” where “time is no more,” Scripture does not. Instead, the future events described in the last two chapters of Revelation will be occurring during a future period of time (i.e., during the last age, or eon, of “the oncoming eons” referred to by Paul in Ephesians 2:7-9). 

Of course, some Christians may object that, even though the new earth won’t actually be “heaven,” it’s still going to be perfect. And even if the future period of time that’s described in Rev. 21-22 isn’t actually going to be “timeless,” it’s still going to be endless. However, the position for which I’m going to be arguing in this article is that the future state of affairs described in Revelation 21-22 will be neither perfect nor permanent. 

Israel and the nations on the new earth

One of the ways in which we can know that Revelation 21-22 doesn’t reveal a perfect and permanent state of affairs involves what these chapters reveal concerning Israel and the nations on the new earth.

The distinction that exists between the nations and God’s covenant people, Israel (i.e., the twelve-tribed people whose identity is based on their particular ethnicity/lineage and covenantal relationship with God) is one of the clearest truths we find affirmed in Scripture. For example, shortly after the birth of Christ, Simeon referred to Jesus in his prayer to God as “a Light for the revelation of nations, and the Glory of Thy people Israel” (Luke 2:32; cf. Zechariah’s prophecy in 1:67-79).

Christ himself affirmed this divinely-created distinction between Israel and the nations when he instructed his disciples as follows: 

“Into a road of the nations you may not pass forth, and into a city of the Samaritans you may not be entering. Yet be going rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:5-6). 

In accord with these instructions (where it’s clear that Christ understood God’s covenant people to have precedence over the nations), Christ later declared, “I was not commissioned except for the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24; cf. Mark 7:27). Hence, we’re told by Paul that Christ became “the Servant of the Circumcision, for the sake of the truth of God, to confirm the patriarchal promises” (Rom. 15:8).

Moreover, according to the Hebrew Scriptures, it's evident that God is going to continue to make a distinction between Israel and the nations on the earth during the coming eon (Ezek. 28:25; 37:21-28; Joel 2:15-19, 23-27; 3:1-2; etc.). It’s further evident that, during this future time, Israel will have a preeminent, favored status on the earth and be especially blessed by God, while the nations will be subordinate to Israel and receive their blessings through the mediation of Israel (Isaiah 14:1-2; 45:14-17; 49:22-23; 60:1-16; 61:5; Jeremiah 33:7-9; Zechariah 8:14-15, 20-23; 14:16-18; Micah 4:1-3; Amos 9:11-15). But will this distinction (and inequality) between Israel and the nations continue on the new earth as well? Yes.

In Rev. 21:10-14 we read the following:

And he carries me away, in spirit, on a mountain, huge and high, and shows me the holy city, Jerusalem, as it is descending out of heaven from God, having the glory from God. Her luminosity is like a stone most precious, as a crystalline jasper gem, having a wall, huge and high, having twelve portals, and at the portals twelve messengers, and their names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. From the east are three portals, and from the north three portals, and from the south three portals, and from the west three portals. And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lambkin.

The very fact that “the holy city” referred to in this passage is named “Jerusalem” is significant. Ever since the city of Jerusalem was conquered by David and made the capital of the Jewish kingdom in 1000 BC, the name “Jerusalem” has been inseparably connected with the people of Israel and their prophesied destiny. Notice, also, that the portals of the wall surrounding new Jerusalem will have inscribed on them “the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel” (this will also be the case with the gates of Israel’s capital city during the next eon as well, as Ezekiel 48:30-35 makes clear). This is not an insignificant detail; as is the case with the name of the city itself, the names that are inscribed on the twelve portals of the wall of the city tell us who the city was designed for, and who will be residing within it.

We further read that the wall of new Jerusalem has twelve foundations, and that “the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lambkin” are on these twelve foundations. As should be evident from the fact that the “apostles of the Lamb” referred to here are twelve in number, these apostles are inseparably associated with the twelve-tribed nation to which they belong. Thus we read that the kingdom for which these apostles longed is that which Christ shall be restoring to Israel (Acts 1:3, 6), and in which they shall be “sitting on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:28-30; cf. Rev. 20:4).[1]

Lest there be any question concerning the ethnic/national identity of those for whom new Jerusalem has been built by God (and who thus will be dwelling within this city), we go on to read the following concerning "the nations" in Rev. 21:23-26:

“And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon, that they should be appearing in it, for the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lambkin. And the nations shall be walking by means of its light, and the kings of the earth are carrying their glory into it. And its portals should under no circumstances be locked by day; for there shall be no night there. And they shall be carrying the glory and the honor of the nations into it, and under no circumstances may anything contaminating, or one who is making an abomination and a lie be entering into it, except those written in the Lambkin’s scroll of life.”

As is the case throughout the rest of Scripture (including the rest of Revelation), the people referred to as “the nations” in this passage should be understood as those among mankind who do not belong to the twelve-tribed people of Israel. That is, those who constitute “the nations” in view here are Gentiles. And according to what we read above, the nations on the new earth will be paying tribute to those within the city (as is indicated by the words, “and [the kings of the earth] shall be carrying the glory and the honor of the nations into it”).

Moreover, the fact that the “glory and honor of the nations” is something that “the kings of the earth” will be bringing “into” new Jerusalem indicates that what was previously said concerning the nations (i.e., that “the nations shall be walking by means of its light”) refers to the nations’ activity and experience outside of the holy city (for it is while the nations are “walking by means of its light” that the kings of the earth will be “carrying their glory into it”). This implies that the nations on the new earth will be living outside of the city. This is in accord with what will be the case during the next future eon as well (for example, in Rev. 20:7-9 we find that the nations will be living outside of “the beloved city” – i.e., Jerusalem – during the future thousand years).

Thus, although the nations on the new earth will be included among “[God’s] peoples” during this time (for “God Himself will be with them” and blessing them), they will not be residing within the city of Jerusalem. Instead, those dwelling within new Jerusalem will be the saints among the twelve tribes of Israel.

Further evidence that the future state of affairs described in the closing chapters of Revelation will not be perfect is found in Rev. 22:1-2. In these verses we read the following:

“And he shows me a river of water of life, resplendent as crystal, issuing out of the throne of God and the Lambkin. In the center of its square, and on either side of the river, is the tree of life, producing twelve fruits, rendering its fruit in accord with each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the cure of the nations.”

Just as the leaves of the trees referred to in Ezekiel 37:12 will be used for “medicine” in the eon to come, so the leaves of the tree of life referred to in Rev. 22:2 will be “for the cure [therapeian] of the nations” on the new earth. Apparently, the curative properties of these leaves will preserve the health of the gentiles living on the new earth during this time (and will provide healing, if necessary). However, the very fact that the nations on the new earth will be in need of these leaves at all indicates that they will not inherently possess perfect health during this future time. That is, those who will be among “the nations” during this future time will not yet enjoy what is referred to in Hebrews 7:17 as “the power of an indissoluble life” (which, although currently enjoyed by Christ alone, will be possessed by all who will have a part in “the former resurrection” referred to in Rev. 20:4-6; cf. Luke 20:34-36).

Finally, in Rev. 22:5, we’re told that the saints – i.e., those who will be dwelling within new Jerusalem – shall be reigning “for the eons of the eons.” The first of these future eons will commence when Christ returns to earth at the end of this present eon, and – after the events referred to in Rev. 20:4-10 have transpired – will be succeeded by yet another eon. But over whom will the saints be reigning during these future eons?

Based on what we read in Rev. 2:26-27, it’s evident that, during the first of the future eons, the saints will be reigning over the nations:

“And to the one who is conquering and keeping My acts until the consummation, to him will I be giving authority over the nations; and he shall be shepherding them with an iron club, as vessels of pottery are being crushed, as I also have obtained from My Father.”

And since the reign of the saints on the new earth will simply be a continuation of the reign that will begin in the next eon (and since the only other people who will be living on the new earth will be those referred to as “the nations”), we can conclude that the nations are the people over whom the saints of new Jerusalem will be reigning during the last eon.

The fact that those within new Jerusalem will be reigning over the nations accounts for why there will be a wall around the city. We know that the purpose of the wall won’t be for protection, for there will be no enemies on the new earth to threaten the inhabitants of the city (thus, we read in v. 25 that the portals of the city will never be closed). Rather than being for protection, the wall will be a boundary marker that will serve as a visible, tangible reminder of the sovereign status of the city, and its dominion over those who will be living outside of the city.

Revelation 21-22 and the reign of Christ

The above considerations involving Israel and the nations should, at the very least, lead one to seriously question the commonly-held view that Revelation 21-22 reveals the “final state” of mankind. However, there is a more fundamental reason as to why the future state of affairs described in the last two chapters of Revelation should be understood as neither perfect nor permanent. And this reason has to do with what Paul revealed concerning the duration and outcome of Christ’s reign.

As noted earlier, we’re told in Rev. 22:5 that the saints in new Jerusalem “shall be reigning for the eons of the eons.” If the saints are reigning during this time, it follows that Christ will be reigning as well (for the reign of the saints is going to coincide with, and not continue beyond, the reign of Christ). That Christ will be reigning during this time period is confirmed by the fact that, according to Rev. 22:1-3, the throne of Christ (“the Lambkin”) is going to be present in the city. 

Thus, the time during which those who are “conquering” will be “enjoying the allotment” of which we read in Rev. 21:1-8 will coincide with the reign of Christ and the saints. Moreover – and as I’ve argued in greater depth elsewhere (see A defense of the expression “for the eons of the eons”) – the “eons of the eons” for which we’re told the saints shall be reigning in Rev. 22:5 are the future eons of Christ’s reign (Rev. 11:15). We can, therefore, conclude that the future state of affairs described in Revelation 21-22 will coincide with Christ’s future reign.

But this fact means that the state of affairs described in Rev. 21-22 cannot be permanent. For according to what we read in 1 Cor. 15:20-28, Christ is not going to be reigning for an endless duration of time. In these verses we read the following:

“Yet now Christ has been roused from among the dead, the Firstfruit of those who are reposing. For since, in fact, through a man came death, through a Man, also, comes the resurrection of the dead. For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified. Yet each in his own class: the Firstfruit, Christ; thereupon those who are Christ's in His presence; thereafter the consummation, whenever He may be giving up the kingdom to His God and Father, whenever He should be nullifying all sovereignty and all authority and power. For He must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy is being abolished: death. For He subjects all under His feet. Now whenever He may be saying that all is subject, it is evident that it is outside of Him Who subjects all to Him. Now, whenever all may be subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also shall be subjected to Him Who subjects all to Him, that God may be All in all.

In the context, the “consummation” of which we read in v. 24 likely refers to the consummation of Christ’s vivifying work (i.e., the vivification of all mankind and consequent abolishment of death, “the last enemy”). In any case, the consummation of which Paul wrote here is inseparably connected with the abolishing of death. And as Paul makes clear, this event (the abolishing of death) will coincide with the “giving up the kingdom to [Christ's] God and Father.” Since Christ is ultimately going to be giving up the kingdom to His God and Father, it necessarily follows that he will not be reigning for an endless duration of time (for Christ cannot continue to reign over a kingdom that he has given up to God; to give up the kingdom is to cease reigning over it). 

That Christ’s future reign will not be endless is further confirmed by the words, ”For He must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet.” Paul is here revealing the goal of Christ’s reign. When this goal is reached – i.e., when all of Christ’s enemies have been subjected to him (and the last enemy, death, has been abolished) – there will no longer be any need for Christ to continue reigning, and Christ will thus give up the kingdom to his God and Father. This idea is also being expressed in the words, “then the Son Himself also shall be subjected to Him Who subjects all to Him…”

Now, we know that being subjected to Christ will involve becoming a subject of the kingdom that he’ll be giving up to God after he has abolished death, for the same term translated “subjected” is used in reference to both the “all” who are to be subjected to Christ and to Christ himself (and when it’s used in reference to Christ, we know that it refers to his becoming a subject of the kingdom after he gives up the kingdom to God, for Christ is already completely submitted to God’s will). Thus, when the kingdom over which Christ will be reigning is given up to God, God alone will reign as King over this then-universal kingdom, and all created, intelligent beings – including Christ himself – will be his subjects.

Moreover, we also know that the kingdom that will be given up to God will continue without end beyond the duration of the eons of Christ’s reign. It is for this reason that we’re told in Luke 1:33 that “there shall be no consummation” of Christ’s kingdom. For, although Christ’s reign over the kingdom will end when he gives up the kingdom to his God and Father, the kingdom itself will have no end (or “consummation”) after it has been delivered to God.

Since Christ’s reign is only “until” a certain point (at which point he will give up the kingdom to his God and Father), it follows that the duration of time for which Christ and the saints are going to be reigning (i.e., “for the eons of the eons”) is not endless or “eternal”; rather, it will end when Christ’s reign ends, and he gives up the kingdom to his God and Father. Consider the following argument:

1. The state of affairs described in Rev. 22:3-5 will not extend beyond the duration of Christ’s reign.

2. According to what is revealed in 1 Corinthians 15:22-28, Christ is not going to reign for an endless duration of time (for it is only “until” a certain point).

3. Thus, the state of affairs described in Rev. 22:3-5 cannot be endless in duration.

It therefore follows that the state of affairs described in Rev. 21-22 (which coincides with the reign of Christ and the saints) will end when Christ’s reign ends. 

We also know from Rev. 21:8 that some humans will be dead during the time period that’s in view in Rev. 21-22. In this verse we find that, when the saints on the new earth are enjoying the “allotment” referred to in the previous verses, there will be some humans whose “part” will be “in the lake burning with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” And as I’ve argued in greater depth elsewhere, the second death is a judgment that will involve certain people (i.e., those whose names aren’t written in the scroll of life, and who will therefore be cast into the lake of fire) being dead during the final eon of Christ’s reign. But according to Paul, death is “the last enemy” of Christ’s reign, and is going to be “abolished” by Christ at the end of his reign. And the only way that death can be abolished is if everyone who is either dead or dying is vivified (i.e., made immortal). Thus we read the following in 1 Cor. 15:22:

“For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified.”

Despite the efforts by some to deny the obvious meaning of what Paul was affirming in this verse, we can conclude that, when death is abolished by Christ at the end of his reign, the same individuals who are included within the first “all” (i.e., all who, in Adam, are dying) will be vivified in Christ. And this means that all mankind will ultimately receive the same “power of an indissoluble life” which, in Heb. 7:16, is said to be possessed by Christ. And this must include those over whom the “second death” will be having jurisdiction during the final eon of Christ’s reign (for these will be the only people who will still be dead when the consummation arrives). 

In light of these considerations, we can conclude that the time during which “the second death” will be in effect will be prior to “the consummation” referred to by Paul in 1 Cor. 15:24 (i.e., when death is abolished and Christ delivers up the kingdom to God). Thus, what we read in Rev. 21-22 necessarily pertains to a time that is prior to the time when, according to 1 Cor. 15:22-28, Christ delivers up the kingdom to his God and Father so that God may be “All in all.”

At this point it would be worth responding to an objection that some opponents of the position being defended in this article have raised against it. A commonly-held view among Christians is that what we read in Rev. 21:1-4 refers to the time after God has become “All in all.” Since the future time that’s in view in this passage will coincide with the result of the “second death” judgment referred to in Rev. 20:14-15 (cf. 21:8), it’s believed that the second death will therefore be “eternal” in duration (for the words, “death will be no more” clearly don’t have reference to the second death). However, the very fact that those who will have to undergo the “second death” will still be dead during the time when the state of affairs described in Rev. 21:2-4 are taking place means that death will not be abolished during this time. And as long as death has dominion over any of the sinners for whose sins Christ died, death will remain an enemy that needs to be abolished. We can thus conclude that the words “death will be no more” refer exclusively to the state of affairs on the new earth (for no one on the new earth will be dying). Although death will be absent from the new earth, it will continue to be an enemy that needs to be abolished by Christ so that “God may be All in all.”.

Moreover, we know that the state of affairs described in Rev. 21:2-4 (see also verses 5-8) will be taking place during the final eon of Christ’s reign. Thus, the time during which those who are to be cast into the lake of fire (and thus “injured by the second death”) will remain dead will be during the final eon of the reign of Christ and the saints. And since this state of affairs will be during the final eon of Christ’s reign, it will necessarily be prior to the time when Christ delivers up the kingdom to his God and Father so that God may be All in all. And since death is the “last enemy” (and is going to be abolished at the end of Christ’s reign), it follows that all who are going to be cast into the lake of fire and “injured by the second death” will be vivified in Christ. For the death resulting from this judgment will, during the final eon of Christ’s reign, be the only instance of death that will remain and need to be abolished.

Why Paul (and not John) reveals “the end of the story”

Most Christians will find the idea that Revelation 21-22 doesn’t reveal the “final state” of mankind both surprising and deeply perplexing. For according to the understanding of most Christians, the final chapters of John’s prophetic work contain the penultimate revelation of what the final state of affairs will be, and is precisely where one should go if one wants to know how God’s story of redemption ends. However, as has been demonstrated in this study, it’s not through the apostle John but rather through the apostle Paul that God has chosen to reveal “the end of the story.”

The fact is that John wrote down only what was revealed to him in the visions he received from God. And the fact that the visions given to John don’t reveal anything beyond the state of affairs we find described in Rev. 21-22 doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything beyond it. A similar point can be made concerning what we find revealed in the book of Ezekiel. This prophetic work contains a great deal of information concerning future events that will be taking place on the earth during the next eon (John reveals additional information concerning this time period in Rev. 20:1-9). However, the visions given to Ezekiel don’t reveal anything beyond this future time. The most distant event prophesied in Ezekiel's work (see chapters 38-39) will take place before this present earth is replaced by a new earth. But the lack of prophetic information concerning the new earth in Ezekiel’s work doesn’t mean that there won’t be a new earth. Similarly, the fact that Ezekiel’s final visions (see chapters 40-48) provide us with a remarkable preview of (and detailed information concerning) Israel’s future temple doesn’t mean that redeemed Israel will always have a temple (for in Rev. 21:22, we read that there will be no literal temple in which the saints will worship God on the new earth).

Just as John saw further into the future than did Ezekiel (and revealed more in his prophetic work than Ezekiel did in his), so the apostle Paul saw further into the future than did John. Paul was given revelation concerning what will be occurring beyond the most distant period of time that John was blessed to see in his visions. But why would this be the case? That is, why did God choose to reveal “the end of the story” through Paul (as opposed to John, or some other apostle)? 

The answer, I believe, has to do with Paul’s unique apostleship, and the unique administration that was given to Paul for the nations. This administration – which Paul referred to as “the administration of the grace of God” and “the administration of the secret” (Eph. 3:1-2) – is the administration to which Paul’s evangel (or “gospel”) – i.e., “the evangel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) – belongs. Both the administration of the grace of God and the evangel that pertains to it are completely distinct from any administration that began (or from any evangel that was heralded) before Paul’s apostolic ministry among the nations began. 

Before the administration of the grace of God began, the only evangel that was being heralded was the evangel that Paul referred to in Gal. 2:7 as “the evangel of the Circumcision” (which Paul said was entrusted to the apostle Peter). It is this evangel that was heralded by the twelve apostles (among whom was John, the writer of Revelation). As is evident from Paul’s use of the term “Circumcision,” this evangel pertains to God’s covenant people, Israel. And as verses such as Matt. 16:16 and John 20:31 make clear, this evangel essentially involves the truth “that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” The evangel of the Circumcision is, in other words, concerned with the identity of the One through whom the kingdom is going to be restored to Israel (in accord with what we read in Acts 1:6).

After Paul’s apostolic ministry among the nations began, however, a new evangel – i.e., “the evangel of the Uncircumcision” – began to be heralded. But what, exactly, is the truth that constitutes the evangel of the grace of God with which Paul was entrusted to herald among the nations? Answer: the evangel entrusted to Paul to herald among the nations makes known the truth that Christ died for the sins of all mankind, and was roused the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4; cf. 1 Tim. 2:4-6). This is an evangel that pertains to the ultimate destiny of all mankind (and not just believers), for the fact that Christ died for our sins means that all mankind is ultimately going to be saved (which is, of course, in accord with the fact that God is “the Savior of all mankind,” as we read in 1 Tim. 4:10). Christ’s death for our sins and subsequent resurrection guarantees the ultimate salvation of everyone for whom he died (which, according to Paul, includes all mankind).

Thus, it shouldn’t be surprising that Paul – and not John – would be the apostle through whom God would reveal what is going to occur at the end of Christ’s reign (for the evangel of the grace of God that was entrusted to Paul is concerned with what Christ did for all mankind, and it is not until the end Christ’s reign – when death is abolished – that everyone for whose sins Christ died will be saved). However, because the evangel of the Circumcision is an evangel that is concerned with Israel’s Messiah and kingdom, it also shouldn’t be surprising that the future seen by John (and revealed in Revelation) doesn’t take us any further than the duration of Christ’s reign “over the house of Jacob” (Luke 1:33). 

---

[1] The fact that the names of the twelve apostles are on the twelve foundations of the city means that the name of the apostle Paul is not on one of the foundations. The exclusion of Paul’s name from the foundation of the city would be inexplicable if Paul shared the same eonian destiny as that of the twelve apostles, and the fruit of his labors as “the apostle of the nations” involved people being called to the same expectation (and coming to enjoy the same allotment) as those who will be dwelling within new Jerusalem during the future time with which Rev. 21-22 is concerned. However, as I’ve argued in greater depth elsewhere (see Did Paul teach that the body of Christ will be reigning on the earth?), God has something different in store for Paul and the company of saints to which he belongs.