RedemptionLesson 13

Memory Text / Revelation 21:4 (NKJV)

• 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

B2: What are some of the things which cause us to shed tears?

1. There are many things which cause us to shed tears.2. First, are tears necessarily bad?3. If you look closely at the picture of this slide, you can see tears of joy in this girl’s eyes as she beholds the glories of heaven.4. There can be tears of joy, of relief, of laughter, of compassion, of empathy.5. There can be tears in response to a speck of dirt in your eye.6. In fact we have eye drops for those who do not make enough natural tears to keep their eyes lubricated.7. So tears can be good, but our text is not talking about good tears.8. What are some of the difficulties expressed by the shedding of tears?9. Sorrow, pain, death, separation from loved ones, depression, defeat, guilt for our sins, loneliness, loss, fear, worry, failure, etc.

B3: What do you think this text is saying by describing God as wiping away every tear?

1. The picture that is drawn here is a metaphor.2. It is telling us something about what God is like.3. We think of a loving mother or father wiping the tears from the eyes of a little child that has skinned his knee.4. It speaks of love, kindness, compassion, protection, consolation, someone who really cares for us.5. We usually don’t wipe the tears from an adult’s eyes.6. So the metaphor points to God as our kind loving Father and to us as the children He loves.7. How does God wipe away the tears from our eyes? (This is meant to be figurative, metaphoric)8. God so changes our condition and our environment that we no longer have a reason to cry tears of anguish.9. He welcomes us into His kingdom, and what do we find there? Love, joy, peace, contentment, purpose, meaning, value, righteousness, redemption, victory…10. No death, no sorrow, no pain, no depression, no worry, no defeat, no guilt, no sin, no loneliness … 11. The Bible says: He:

Philippians 3:21 (KJV)21 [Who] shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

12. He changes us. He changes our environment. He does away with sin and temptation. He lives with us. He is our God and we are His people.13. So all the difficulties that have plagued us in this life will be but a dim memory.14. Our senses will be so overwhelmed by His love and the joy of praising and worshipping Him that the former things will never annoy us there.15. Our tears will be only tears of joy in that fair land.

B4: When will this blessed promise be fulfilled?

1. Not until after the final judgment and destruction of the wicked at the end of the millennium.2. Will we shed tears of anguish and sorrow then?3. Most likely. It will be a terrible thing to see our friends, loved ones, children, grandchildren, perish because they refused God’s offer of salvation.4. I am sure there will be many tears on that day.5. But we will take courage in knowing that God’s judgments were just.6. We are all accountable for the decisions we have made.

The Millennium

1. The word millennium itself does not appear in scripture.2. It is a Latin word that means 1000 years.B2: Where do we find it in scripture? (Rev 20:1-7)

20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. 7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison. [R]

1. This 1,000 year period appears only in the book of Revelation and only in Chapter 20:1-7

B3: What different views do people hold of the millennium? [Link]1. Here the thousand year period is mentioned 6 times in 7 verses.2. This is the only place in the Bible that indicates a 1000 year period.3. This period is part of the final events in the long war against God.4. So what do we learn about Satan during the 1,000 years?5. He is bound so that he can no longer deceive the nations.6. When the 1,000 years are up, he is released for a short time.

• [See notes on linked slides]• B4: What view makes the most sense of all the scriptures? [Link] •• B1: What is the millennium?• [See linked slide]

1. Here and in the next slide we have represented the four major views of the millennium.2. The first view is that the millennium is 1,000 years between the second coming of Christ and the final judgment.3. In this view, Jesus comes after the tribulation period. 4. This is the view into which the Adventist position fits.5. However, the Adventist view differs from the view of other Christians that hold this view in the following way:

6. We believe that the 1,000 years is spent in heaven reigning with Jesus there.7. Other Christians believe that the Christians reign with Christ on the earth over people who are still living here.1. The second view is held by those who believe in the secret rapture of the church before the tribulation period.2. They believe in two second comings: one for the church, which is the secret rapture, and the other with the church.3. When Jesus comes with the church after the tribulation, He reigns with the church for 1,000 years on earth.4. Well I hope we all know the problems with the secret rapture. It is not a biblical view of end time events.

1. The third view is called Postmillennialism. 2. In this view, the millennium begins 1,000 years before the second coming of Christ. 3. This view was popular back in the mid 1800’s. 4. People thought the world would get better and better, the gospel would spread to all nations, and there would be 1,000 years of peace and righteousness before Jesus came.5. Now that we know the world is getting worse and worse, there are few people who believe in 1,000 years of Satan being bound before Jesus comes.

1. The last view is amillennialism which means no millennium.2. This view takes the 1,000 years as symbolic and places it between the first and second comings of Jesus.3. How they can possibly view Satan as being bound during this period of time is beyond me.

The first view is that the millennium is 1,000 years between the second coming of Christ and the final judgment.This is the view into which the Adventist position fits.We believe that the 1,000 years is spent in heaven reigning with Jesus there.

1. So this view seems to make sense of all the scriptures.2. The apostle Paul is absolutely clear that the righteous will be resurrected at the second coming of Christ.3. He is just as clear that the living righteous will be changed and translated at the same time.1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (KJV)16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.4. So when the resurrected and translated saints meet the Lord in the air, where do they go?John 14:1-3 (KJV)2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.5. The Father’s house is in heaven. Jesus has gone there to prepare a place for us.6. Where’s He going to take us when He comes back for us? (To his Father’s house in heaven.)7. So we don’t go to meet Jesus in the air and come back down to reign with Him on the earth, as some believe.8. We reign with Him in heaven where He has prepared a place for us.

Q1: What is the chain of circumstances that binds Satan for 1,000 years?1. The righteous are all in heaven.2. The wicked are all dead, slain by the brightness of His coming.2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 (NKJV)7 …the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 3. So Satan has no one to tempt during the 1,000 years.The chain is not literal, neither is the bottomless pit.The original Greek does not have “bottomless pit.”The Greek word is abussos meaning abyss.This appears to be the dwelling place of demons, and Satan is confined there along with his fallen angels.

John 5:28-29 (NKJV)28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation

1. Here Jesus refers to the two resurrections: the resurrection of life and the resurrection of condemnation.2. These are the same as the resurrection of the righteous and the resurrection of the wicked: the 1st and the 2nd resurrestion.3. In both resurrections the dead come to life when they hear the voice of Jesus.4. So the second resurrection implies that Jesus has come the third time.

Revelation 21:10 (NKJV)10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God

Revelation 20:7-9 (NKJV)7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.

Q1: On the desolate earth, what is the only thing of value?1. The New Jerusalem has streets of gold and gates of pearls walls of Jasper and all kinds of precious stones.2. Scholars that study the book of Revelation find that it has a very beautiful organization.3. It is organized as a chiasm, which is a literary structure where there are literary similarities between the first and last sections,4. Then there is similarities between the second and next to the last sections, etc.5. This draws emphasis to the center of the chiasm which is supposed to be the most important.6. Because of this structure, Revelation is not structured chronologically.7. Many times John gives a summary introduction and fills in the details later.8. This is true of the verses above.9. There is a judgment that occurs between the first and second sentences of verse 9.10. Before fire comes down, God hold the Great White Throne Judgment.11. We’ll study that in just a moment.12. Also, John has mentioned the New Jerusalem but he hasn’t described it in detail until Chapter 21.

Q2: Before we leave this verse, what happens to Satan and the wicked who surround the city?1. The fire “devoured” them.

Q3: What does that mean to you?1. It burned them up. It annihilated them. The NLT says it “consumed” them.2. It doesn’t say they were transported to a distant star where they burned forever.3. They were burned up.

Q1: On the desolate earth, what is the only thing of value?1. The New Jerusalem has streets of gold and gates of pearls walls of Jasper and all kinds of precious stones.2. Scholars that study the book of Revelation find that it has a very beautiful organization.3. It is organized as a chiasm, which is a literary structure where there are literary similarities between the first and last sections,4. Then there is similarities between the second and next to the last sections, etc.5. This draws emphasis to the center of the chiasm which is supposed to be the most important.6. Because of this structure, Revelation is not structured chronologically.7. Many times John gives a summary introduction and fills in the details later.8. This is true of the verses above.9. There is a judgment that occurs between the first and second sentences of verse 9.10. Before fire comes down, God hold the Great White Throne Judgment.11. We’ll study that in just a moment.12. Also, John has mentioned the New Jerusalem but he hasn’t described it in detail until Chapter 21.

Q2: Before we leave this verse, what happens to Satan and the wicked who surround the city?1. The fire “devoured” them.

Q3: What does that mean to you?1. It burned them up. It annihilated them. The NLT says it “consumed” them.2. It doesn’t say they were transported to a distant star where they burned forever.3. They were burned up.

Revelation 20:11-15 (NKJV)11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

1. So here we have a description of the Great White Throne Judgment.2. This is the fourth and final phase of judgment.3. We think it takes place as the wicked surround the New Jerusalem.4. Here we have all those who have ever lived at one place and at one time.5. All of the righteous from all the ages are inside the city.6. All of the wicked from all the ages are outside the city.7. God wants the wicked to know that He wanted to save them, but they refused to be saved.8. So all the resurrected dead are judged according to their works by the “books.”9. And of course the Book that will be central in judgment is the Word of God and His commandments.10. Our works will be examined to see if our faith is genuine.11. Those whose sins are covered by the blood of Christ have their names written in the book of life.12. In our imagination, we can see this judgment occurring simultaneously for each person.13. In their own mind’s eye, they see their own works and how they squandered the opportunities God gave them to know the gospel.14. In the end they acknowledge that God has been fair in judging them to be lost rather than saved.15. It is here that many believe that Paul’s prediction of every knee bowing before Christ is to be fulfilled.Philippians 2:10-11New King James Version (NKJV)10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.16. Others believe that this is a more accurate description of those who are inside the city and will be fulfilled after the wicked are destroyed.Q1: What does it mean that death and hades are cast into the lake of fire?1. It means that this will be the end of death and the grave. 2. Those who are not cast into the lake of fire will live forever.

Revelation 20:10 (NKJV)• 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast

and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. [R] • Q1: Who are these powers that are thrown into the lake of fire?• 1. The devil is Satan, also called the dragon in Revelation. • 2. The beast is the blasphemous persecuting power of papal Rome.• 3. The false prophet is the second beast of Rev 13 that enforces the mark of the beast.• 4. These are not people but religious-political institutions that stand in opposition to God’s

remnant people.• 5. The beast and false prophet were destroyed at the second coming of Jesus.• 6. They have not existed during the 1,000 years of the Millennium.• 7. Now the devil will share their fate. • 8. Note that the word “are” at the end of the first sentence is in italics.• 9. That means that it was supplied by the translators and was not in the original text.• 10. So this could read that the devil was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast

and the false prophet “were cast.”• 11. This is John’s figurative way of saying that these three powers are destroyed forever and will

never return.

• 12. Since Satan is not a physical being, his destruction may require this special treatment.• 13. Revelation 20:9, just before this verse says that “fire came down from God out of heaven

and devoured them.”• 14. This would refer to the people who are physical beings. They are burned up, consumed,

annihilated.• 15. Can you burn up a spiritual being? I don’t know. They don’t have any material to oxidize.• 16. But God does have the power to destroy anything He has created.• 17. This verse 10 describes the total destruction of the false trinity: the dragon, the beast, and

the false prophet, in symbolic language.• 18. We know that Satan is destroyed because only righteousness exists in the new heavens and

new earth.

Revelation 21:1-3 (NKJV)21 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”

1. Here’s John’s description of the New Jerusalem descending, but it is after the old earth has passed away.2. Again we must understand that John is not presenting events in chronological order.3. The resurrected wicked surround the city before the great white throne judgment.4. So the city must have descended before the resurrection of the wicked.5. Two weeks ago we looked at Peter’s description of the destruction of the earth by fire.2 Peter 3:10 (NKJV)10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

6. So when the lake of fire burns, it burns up everything on the earth, and God creates a new heaven and a new earth.7. When this happens, it would make sense that the New Jerusalem would not be on the earth but in the heavens above.8. So it would ascend while the earth burns and then descend again as the new earth cools and God recreates its surface.9. How a city the size of the New Jerusalem will ascend and descend, I have no idea, but that’s what John describes.Q1: What do you make of the statement that in the new earth there is no more sea?1. Our lesson explained this with respect to John’s imprisonment on the isle of Patmos.2. The sea separated John from others and formed a barrier against fellowshipping with loved ones.3. Understood figuratively, this would mean there would be no prisons or physical barriers to separate people on the new earth.4. Understood more literally, there would be no vast oceans in the new earth like we have today.5. Three fourths of the surface of the earth is covered with water. This is a tremendous waste of space.6. Certainly we can think of lakes and rivers and ponds and streams and waterfalls in the new earth.7. But it seems God will make better use of the surface of the earth than we see now.Q2: What does it mean that the New Jerusalem is prepared as a bride adorned for her husband?1. In what sense is the New Jerusalem the bride?2. The real bride of the Lamb is the redeemed saints inside the New Jerusalem.3. It is the church that is the bride of the Lamb.2 Corinthians 11:2 (NKJV)2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 4. So the saints within the New Jerusalem are the bride of Christ and the beautiful city is like their adornment. Q3: How is verse 3 a fitting conclusion to the Great Controversy?1. God’s plan from the beginning was to be our God and dwell in fellowship with us.2. That plan was interrupted by sin which separated us from God and face-to-face communion with Him.3. When this cosmic conflict is ended, when sin and rebellion have been dealt with, we can resume God’s original plan.4. God will dwell with us and we will dwell with Him in loving fellowship and obedience.5. These verses are followed by our memory verse where God wipes away all tears from our eyes and banishes sorrow, pain, death, and crying.

Revelation 22:1-2 (NIV)• 22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from

the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. [R]

Satan Loosed• What happens at the end of the 1,000 years to break Satan’s chain of circumstances?• How did the lost get resurrected? (John 5:28-29)• How does Jesus come the third time to resurrect the wicked? (Revelation 21:10)• What happens when Satan rallies the wicked to attack the New Jerusalem? (Rev 20:7-9)

B1:1. The wicked are raised back to life at the end of the 1,000 years.2. At the first resurrection, when Jesus returns the second time, all the righteous are raised and translated.Revelation 20:6 (NKJV)6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.3. Then look at what it says in verse 5Revelation 20:5 (NKJV)5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.4. If the righteous were raised in the first resurrection, who’s left for the second resurrection? (Only the wicked.)5. So now Satan has someone to tempt again: his chain of circumstances is broken.B2:[See notes on linked slide]B3:1. In John 14, the place that Jesus goes to prepare a place for us is His Father’s house in heaven.2. And the dwelling place He prepares is the New Jerusalem.3. And He promises that where He is there we will be also.4. So when the New Jerusalem descends, the saints and Jesus descend with it.5. Of course there is no one to welcome him because the earth is desolate when we return.6. But now the voice of Jesus calls the wicked from their graves.B4:[See notes on linked slide]

Final Judgment• What different phases of judgment does the Bible describe?• Read Rev 20:11-15 • How do we get our names written in the Book of Life?• How can we understand Rev 20:10 which seems to promise torment for the wicked forever

and ever?• B1:• 1. Let’s just review quickly the various phases of judgment.• 2. There are two investigative judgments and two executive judgments.• 3. The first investigative judgment is the pre-advent judgment of all who claim to be worthy of

salvation.• 4. This judgment takes place in heaven before Jesus returns the second time.• 5. This judgment is for the benefit of the unfallen angels who audit the decisions of God in

saving those who believe.• 6. When Jesus comes His reward is with Him and He carries out the first executive judgment.• 7. This is the executive action referred to in the parable of the sheep and the goats.• 8. Those who are worthy are resurrected in the first resurrection and translated if living.• 9. They are taken to heaven with Christ.• 10. Those who are not worthy are slain by the brightness of His coming and the glory of His

power.• 11. If they are already dead they stay dead and face their final punishment at the end of the

millennium.• 12. During the millennium we have the investigative judgment of the wicked.

• 13. This judgment is for the benefit of the saved so that they will see that God has dealt fairly with the wicked who are lost.

• 14. The saved participate in the judgment by auditing the judgments of God concerning lost people and lost angels.

• 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 (NKJV)• 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? …3 Do you not know that we shall judge

angels?• 15. God makes the decisions, the saints audit those decisions during the millennium.• 16. At the end of the millennium there is another executive judgment.• 17. This is the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20 where the wicked are finally

judged and punished.• B2:• [See notes on linked slide.]• B3:• 1. We are saved by grace through faith.• 2. Grace is God’s saving act in sending His Son to die for our sins.• 3. Faith is our part in trusting God to forgive our sins through the blood of His Son. • 4. When our sins are covered by the blood of Christ, our names are written in the Book of Life.• 5. If we continue to overcome and trust Him to the end of our lives, our names are not blotted

out of the Book of Life.• B4:• [See notes on linked slide.]

New World• How does John describe the change that occurs after the final judgment? (Rev 21:1-3)• What will we have to eat and drink in the new earth? (Rev 22:1-2)• What will God do to allow us to return to His original plan for mankind? (Rev 22:3-4)• B1:• [See notes on linked slide]• B2:• 1. Can you imagine one tree producing 12 different crops of fruit, one for each month of the

year.• 2. And we won’t have to worry about the arsenic levels in the water flowing from the throne of

God.• 3. In a more figurative sense, this text assures us that God will supply the food, drink, and

healing that we will need in the new earth.• B3:• 1. Here we see the end of the great controversy.• 2. Mankind got caught up in this long war against God when our first parents rebelled and

disobeyed God.• 3. As a result of the Fall, God cursed His creation to show us the results of rebellion and sin.• 4. Here we have proof positive that the war had ended.• 5. “There shall be no more curse!”• 6. Hallelujah! God will reverse the curse!• 7. Once again God will dwell with us and we will be His people.• 8. The Father and Son will have their throne here with us.• 9. We shall see His face and still live. • 10. We will commune face-to-face with our Creator.• 11. We shall have His name on our foreheads. • 12. We will be His people by choice and develop characters like Him.

Making the Choice• Free will was at the center of Lucifer’s rebellion in heaven and Adam and Eve’s rebellion on

earth. Why did God create intelligent beings with free will?• Fortunately, free will is also at the center of God’s plan of redemption. How do you plan to

use your free will to escape from your own rebellion and sin? • B1:• 1. God is love. • 2. In creating, God wanted to share His love with His creatures and He wanted them to love Him

in return.• 3. Love is a choice; it cannot be forced. • 4. In order for us to love Him we must be free to choose not to.• 5. Love cannot be pre-programmed; it must be free to accept or reject, to obey or disobey. • 6. In creating us with free will, God took the risk that we would use our free choice to disobey.

• 7. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened with Lucifer and later with Eve.•• B2:• 1. I plan to trust in Jesus as my Savior and Lord.• 2. I plan to ask His Holy Spirit to fill me each day.• 3. I plan to take time to hide His word in my heart and to pray every day and stay close to Him.• 4. I plan to be His disciple and live for Him the rest of my life.

Summary• In the final events of earth’s history, God intervenes to bring an end to the long war against

God.• God judges the living and the dead in four phases: the pre-advent investigative judgment, the

“sheep and goats” executive judgment at the second coming, the millennial investigative judgment, and the “great white throne” executive judgment at the third coming.

• The Millennium is marked as a period of 1,000 years between the first and second resurrections where the saints are in heaven, the wicked are dead, and Satan is bound by a chain of circumstances with no one to tempt.

• After the resurrection of the wicked, the great white throne judgment gives them the opportunity to see how their wrong choices have resulted in their eternal loss.

• Only those whose names are written in the Book of Life are spared the eternal destruction of the Lake of Fire.

• God purifies the earth with fire, creates a new heaven and a new earth, floats the New Jerusalem into position with all the saints inside, lifts the curse, restores Eden, gives us access to the River of Life and the Tree of Life, and dwells with us as our God and Friend forever and ever.

• The church militant of this world has become the church triumphant of the New Jerusalem. • It is made up of faithful disciples and conquerors in this cosmic battle who have trusted in

Christ as Savior and Lord and have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. • The battle is over, the mission accomplished and the redeemed, invited to the wedding feast

of the Lamb, eat and drink at Christ's table in His kingdom and reign with Him for ever and ever.

• Will you make your calling and election sure today by trusting the blood and righteousness of Jesus as your only plea for forgiveness and righteousness before God?