The holy city, the new Jerusalem, is the Body of Christ. It is the will of Christ that all sin in the members of His Body be put to death by the Holy Spirit.

The Church will demonstrate the grace of God here on earth while it yet is in a mortal body (Ephesians 5:27). If it were not possible for God to create righteousness in the earth, how could the Kingdom of God be established? God indeed can create righteousness and praise in His people while they yet are in the earth, and He is in the process of doing so.

The Christian Church is the new Jerusalem. In the Day of the Lord, the Church will be set up on the earth as the holy Tabernacle of God.

God will create holiness in the firstfruits of the Church while the members are on the earth in mortal bodies. God will bring in the worldwide Kingdom Age by first creating an individual "kingdom age" (destruction of Satan's power) in the members of the Church. The victorious Christian has the essential environment of the Kingdom Age in him. The actual, historical thousand-year Kingdom Age will commence at the coming of our Lord and Savior, Christ.

The Church is being refined by the working of the several parts of salvation, of which Calvary is central in importance. When the Christian people are ready, having been made so by the careful workmanship of the Holy Spirit of God, then the Glory of God will come upon the Church, "splitting the earthen vessels" of the members just as the pitchers of Gideon's men were broken open.

The saints administer the judgment.

Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?. . . (I Corinthians 6:2)

Know ye not that we will judge angels? . . . (I Corinthians 6:3)

The coming of our Lord Jesus to the earth is described in the Book of Revelation. The saints will be with Him during the judgment on the earth. The saints will be involved in the administration of the judgment of God (Psalms 149). This is the manifestation of the sons of God; Joel's "army"; Habakkuk's "troops"; Jude's "ten thousands of his saints"; Daniel's "time that the saints possessed the kingdom"; Paul's "resurrection of the dead" (Philippians 3:11).

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous deeds] of saints. (Revelation 19:7,8)

Compare:

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (I John 3:3)

The above (Revelation 19:7,8) describes the point at which the physical body is clothed with the body from Heaven. A covering of righteousness will be granted to the saints at this time.

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (I Peter 1:5)

In one sense we are saved now. In another true, scriptural sense a major part of our salvation is ahead of us.

Paul is referring to the future salvation when he teaches:

And not only they [the material creation], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:23)

To be continued.