The Light of God Part 3

“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”

— Revelation 21:23

The Light of God by Joan C. Thomson

In the Garden of Eden, plants of every kind flourished before the sun and the moon were created--in the light that emanated from God. As in the beginning, lovely and useful as they are, the sun and the moon will no longer be needed in the new heavens and new earth, because God  will make his home there with his people. God is light. In him there is no darkness at all—no dark side or force, so there will always be light.

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ”

— 1 John 1:5

Detail of the Light of God by Joan C. Thomson

Here is the final layer, my finished painting of The Light of God. Close-ups show the iridescent white and glimmering gold brushstrokes, which can only be seen when the light shines on it from certain angles—outshining the dull grey, lightless sun and moon sinking off the canvas.

Iridescent detail of The Light of God by Joan C. Thomson

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.””

— Revelation 21:3

The Names of the Apostles New Jerusalem Foundation Part 4

“The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ”

— Revelation 21:14

The names of the twelve apostles are written on the twelve foundations of the wall of the New Jerusalem, but which twelve apostles?  Who is the twelfth? Certainly not Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, since Peter declared that Judas left his ministry to “go where he belongs,” (Acts 1:25). Is it Matthias, chosen by lots to replace Judas (Acts 1:15-26)? But what about the Apostle Paul, hand-picked by Jesus in a supernatural overtaking when Saul (then named) was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians?  Many argue that this man, writer of most of the New Testament, called personally by Jesus like the other eleven—unlike Matthias, who only won the casting of the lots, must surely be the twelfth apostle.

As I pondered this question before the Lord—I had to know before I could finish this painting, and researched on the internet, the answer (and there definitely is one) initially became less clear.  A huge number of internet articles argued both sides—convincingly. We’ve never heard about Matthias again but without Paul, most of us would never have heard the good news of Jesus bringing the kingdom of heaven to us.  Surely he deserves great honor.

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ”

— Ephesians 2:19,20

And there’s the key; it’s not about what either of them deserves, though the right actions of followers of Jesus can bring them eternal rewards. I eventually came to see that there’s a bigger picture.  The naming of the foundations is about representing “The Twelve.” The Apostle Paul, great as he is, and for all the good things he’s brought to the world (yes, even to women—much of what he said about women has been abused and twisted) was never listed or reckoned as one of “the Twelve.” He was (often painfully) aware of this (2 Corinthians 11:5). However, Matthias was brought in as one of “The Twelve,” in response to the believers’ prayer (Acts 1:23,24).  Casting lots was a God honouring Hebrew tradition throughout the Old Testament for deciding matters “in the presence of the Lord our God” (Joshua 18:6).  As far as I can tell, while our brother Paul will certainly be honoured and rewarded—Matthias gets this one, his name emblazoned on the top foundation.

I’ve ordered the names based on a list in the Bible after finding that there were several lists—that didn’t immediately match up.  Thaddeus was listed sometimes and not others—why?  Because he had more than one name, rather like Simon, who was also called Peter. I studied and studied it, settling on this order only to find yet another list.  Sometimes more knowledge stalls, but I needed still more research before I could commit the names to gilding. This is too important to get wrong, yet in the end I can only “see through a glass darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12), and do the best I can with what I can learn as I seek God.

I researched and painted then got hit with a (different) virus. Now that I’m recovering, I’ll delve back in to the research.  Meanwhile, since I work on more than one painting at a time, I’ll post next time about my The Light of God painting in this series.

Sometimes I hand draw my text. Being left-handed I’ve had to teach myself to draw letter forms and do calligraphy since my teachers didn’t know how to teach me.  Other times, I use printed text to trace and transfer either because of the size or the amount of lettering.

I Go To Prepare a Place For You—a new painting series on the New Jerusalem

Over the last several years my heart and imagination have been captured by the sights, the idea of the New Jerusalem as described in the Bible, the place that God will make his dwelling place with his people on the new earth.  Humans have—since Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, had a longing to be where we’re no longer “alien” or don’t fit in, but a place to look forward to that goes beyond simply dying so one can be with loved ones. There’s more--living in the beautiful New Jerusalem that will come to the earth--the place of no more crying, no death, no pain. A place where God will dwell with us. This glorious place Jesus has prepared for us will be a long while yet in coming but we have his promise.

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:1-4

On the day I understood that when Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you,” he spoke of his special place--the New Jerusalem, I felt so loved.  This is the glorious place he’s been preparing for his followers.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:1-4

Most people—in the Western world anyway, have an idea of Jesus being born; even other religions  acknowledge his virgin birth. Most have some sense of Jesus having died on a cross; they may even know of his resurrection from the dead to save those who believe in him.  However, people often don’t know what we’re saved to--our destination.

What will it look like? People have speculated but we really have a pretty good idea written for us in the Bible books of Revelation and Isaiah, Ezekiel. I’ve been writing about it for a while, researching and have made a couple of paintings; now I’m beginning a body of work for a solo exhibit. I want to share a glimpse of this glorious place.  I won’t be illustrating but exploring what it will look like since I’m a visual artist and most of what is described in Revelation and the Old Testament prophets is visual. I’ll be painting in mixed media on square canvases since the New Jerusalem is square. There won’t be a particular chronology to the paintings or posts since I’ll be painting as ideas and inspiration come to me for each aspect.

 I hope to go beyond bringing viewers food for thought—I want to offer a “ holy encounter,” as I am experiencing while I create the exhibit. Along the way I’ll share my progress and insights here on my blog, both artistically and spiritually, as I paint and write about the glorious New Jerusalem—the future hope of all who follow Jesus.

Square Canvases