by Rev. Coleman S. Glenn
Next week we will celebrate New Church Day on the 19th of June. We do this in commemoration of the events that took place in the spiritual world in 1770, as recounted in True Christian Religion:
“After the completion of this book, the Lord called together His twelve disciples, who had followed Him in the world; and a day later He sent them all forth throughout the spiritual world to preach the Gospel, that the Lord God Jesus Christ is king, and His kingdom shall be for ever and ever, … and also that “Blessed are they who come to the wedding supper of the Lamb.” (Revelation 19:9) This happened on the nineteenth of June in the year 1770.” (True Christian Religion 791)
The “Gospel” literally means “good news,” and it’s useful to reflect on just what is so good about this good news.
The first part of the good news is that Jesus Christ is the one and only God. This means that God is not an amorphous force, and God is not a vengeful father - God is a person who would give up everything He has to save our souls.
The second part of the good news is that His kingdom will never end. We look around us and see dark things in the world. This good news is a reminder - that even if things seem dark, the Lord is in charge of everything, leading everything to good.
The final part of the good news is a piece of this passage that is sometimes neglected: “Blessed are they who come to the wedding supper of the Lamb.” The Lord has revealed Himself so that we can be joined to Him in love, so that His goodness and truth can be married within us.
All of this can sound abstract. And indeed, when the Last Judgment occurred in the spiritual world in 1757, there wasn’t an obvious upheaval on earth. But this doesn’t mean there was no change. The Last Judgment explains:
“The future state of the world will be exactly the same as it has been up to now…. Just as before there will be politics, peace-treaties, alliances and wars, and all the other general and particular features of society…. The future state of the church, however, will not be the same. It may seem much the same in outward appearance, but inwardly it will be different…. People in the church will henceforward have more freedom in thinking about matters of faith, and so about the spiritual matters which have to do with heaven, because of the restoration of spiritual freedom.”
We can rejoice in the offer of true freedom that comes from following the Lord, and we can use that freedom to make this world a better place.