The Riches of Christ
The Bible says that all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul preached about the riches of Christ (Colossians 2:3, Ephesians 3:8-9).
The riches of Christ are the scriptures which preach out the true Gospel of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the whole world. There are literally dozens and dozens of scriptures, which clearly speak of the universal reconciliation and salvation of all through Jesus Christ. We shall cover many of these treasures of Scripture in this chapter starting with Colossians 1:15-20, and we give a detailed commentary on it because it states the truth of the Universal Reconciliation of ALL things, precisely, clearly and powerfully.
Colossians 1:15-20
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the pre-eminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
How marvellous and how wonderful this scripture is. This is unquestionably and without any doubt the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no bad news here whatsoever. Think about it. God will do what?
God will reconcile ALL things on earth and ALL things in heaven through Jesus Christ having made peace through the blood of His cross.
Please note that these verses, Colossians 1:15-20, are constructed in such a way that they leave absolutely no room for any doubt whatsoever that the word all can only mean all, without any exceptions. Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, repeats the word all seven times before coming to the key verse, verse 20, which says that God will reconcile all things to Himself through Jesus Christ.
If you believe verse 16, that Jesus Christ created all things in heaven and on earth, then you have no option but to also believe verse 20, which says that Jesus Christ will reconcile to God the Father the same all things that He created, thus making peace with all of His creation through the work of His cross.
If you believe in the doctrine of endless torment in hell or annihilation, then you do not believe in Colossians 1:15-20, and in your mind you have added to or taken away from the truth contained in this scripture. Jesus Christ warns us not to add to or take away from His Word (Revelation 22:18-19).
The Bible is the Word of God and it never contradicts itself. All contradictions in the Bible are totally due to either man’s mistranslation or misinterpretation of original Hebrew and Greek scriptures. We explain these mistranslations and misinterpretations in Chapters 15-20. The doctrine of hell and the truth of universal reconciliation through Jesus Christ cannot both be true at the same time.
We challenge anyone, including theologians and Bible scholars, who believes in the doctrine of eternal torture in hell or annihilation, to show us how their belief can be reconciled with Colossians 1:15-20, without adding to or taking away from its clear inspired meaning.
In this book, we will show you that the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, upholds the truth of universal reconciliation and that it is the doctrines of hell and annihilation which are false and completely unbiblical. We will show you that there is not a single verse in the Bible, including those verses spoken by Jesus, which in any way contradicts the truth of universal reconciliation as stated in Colossians 1:15-20.
God will not only reconcile all men unto Himself, but He will also reconcile all fallen angels. ‘Thrones or dominions or principalities or powers’, as given in verse 16, definitely includes Satan and his fallen angels, which we explain in detail in Chapter 13. The truth that God will reconcile even Satan and his fallen angels exalts God’s power, wisdom, love, mercy, forgiveness and His justice to the full. God’s nature is to overcome evil with good and He asks us to do the same (Romans 12:21). God will ultimately overcome all evil with good, so that the purpose of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for universal reconciliation is fully accomplished for the whole world.
Don’t misunderstand, God is not soft on sin; He hates sin. God’s power, love and His judgement will break all rebellion whether it is from men or angels. In God’s time and in His order, which extends beyond this present age, all fallen men and all fallen angels will repent and willingly come to accept, through the gift of God-given faith, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Eternal Kingdom of God of the New Heaven and the New Earth will be established only after all things in heaven and on earth are first reconciled to Father God, Yahweh Elohim, through the shed blood of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, Yeshua Elohim.
The Bible means ALL when it says ALL
Before we give many glorious scriptures that uphold the truth of Universal Reconciliation through Jesus Christ, we need to first expose the fallacy which says that the Bible rarely means all when it says all.
Charles H Spurgeon, a very influential preacher in the nineteenth century, did a great disservice to the Word of God when he preached that the word all in the Bible very rarely means all, but that it usually means some of all sorts. Here is a quote from one of Spurgeon’s sermons.
“The words ‘world’ and ‘all’ are used in some seven or eight senses in Scripture; and it is very rarely that ‘all’ means all persons, taken individually. The words are generally used to signify that Christ has redeemed ‘some of all sorts’ some Jews, some Gentiles, some rich, some poor, and has not restricted his redemption to either Jew or Gentile.” (Spurgeon, Particular Redemption, A Sermon, 28 February 1858)
One can easily prove how wrong Spurgeon was by examining the biblical verses in their context, where the word ‘all’ is used. The Greek word for all is pas, which is used 1243 times in the New Testament. We have examined almost every verse where pas has been used. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the context immediately makes it clear to whom or to what, all or every refers. Yes, there are scriptures in the Bible where the context shows that the Greek word pas (all) is used as a figure of speech or hyperbole and it does not mean absolutely all. Also, there are a few verses in the New Testament where the context of the verses does not immediately make it clear to what or to whom pas is referring, such as Matthew 3:5-6 in the KJV. Spurgeon and all those who believe in hell have seized upon such verses to explain away all verses that uphold the truth of universal reconciliation and salvation.
Spurgeon was a strong believer in the doctrine of hell, and he needed to justify his belief in it by negating many scriptures which use ‘all’ when referring to universal salvation. Try replacing ‘some of all’ in Colossians 1:15-20 every time this scripture states ‘all’ and prove to yourself that it is a fallacy to say that the Bible usually means ‘some of all’ when it says all.
Preachers, like Spurgeon, who say that the Bible ‘rarely means all when it says all’ are adding to or taking away from the truth of many clear scriptures, such as Colossians 1:15-20, that speak about the Universal Reconciliation of all things through Jesus Christ.
We now go on to give many more of the treasures of Scripture, the riches of Christ, which shine out the truth of Universal Reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Let us believe the Word of God by accepting that in these scriptures all means all and every means every.
Jesus Christ died for ALL to forgive the sins of the whole world
John 1:29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
1 John 2:2 (NIV)
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Romans 6:10
For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
2 Corinthians 5:15
He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
Romans 5:6
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Christ died for the ungodly to take away the sins of the whole world. Even if only one person’s sins remained unforgiven for eternity, then the work of the cross would have failed, and these scriptures would become false.
Luke 23:34
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do”.
This is Jesus’s last prayer and the most important request to Father God just before He died on the cross for the sins of the whole world. Jesus asked His Father to forgive His very murderers. Do you think that Father God will not grant Jesus’s request to forgive all those who played a part in crucifying Him? If Jesus’s murderers can be forgiven then everybody else, including Hitler, can be forgiven.
There is no such thing as an unforgivable sin; ‘blasphemy against the Holy Spirit’ remains unforgiven in this age and the next age only, but not forever. All unbelievers will be forgiven during the Great White Throne Judgement Age, as we explain in detail in Chapter 12.
Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the whole world
John 4:42
Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world (kosmos).
1 John 4:14
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world (kosmos).
Yes, Christ is indeed the Saviour of the world. How can He be the Saviour of the world and yet, at the same time, not save the whole world?
1 Timothy 4:9-11
9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. 10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. 11 These things command and teach.
Notice that it is a command from God to teach the truth that God is the Saviour of all men. Once again, we ask the question, ‘How can God be the Saviour of all men and yet not save them all?’
Luke 19:9-10
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
How many are lost? All people are born lost with a sinful fallen Adamic nature. The Bible says that there is not one righteous, no, not even one (Romans 3:10). Jesus Christ will save all people without a single exception, as man’s fallen rebellious will cannot frustrate God’s sovereign will to save all of the lost.
John 12:32-33 (NIV)
32 But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself. 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
Jesus Christ was lifted up on the cross to die for the sins of the whole world. The cross of Jesus Christ has unlimited power to draw all to Jesus. Ultimately, in God’s time and His order, which extends beyond this age, all will be drawn to Christ because of the finished work of the cross for the salvation and reconciliation of all, without a single exception.
Please note that in the Greek Manuscripts, verse 32 above simply says: ‘But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all to myself’. This means that all fallen men and all fallen angels will be reconciled to God through the work of the cross, as stated in Colossians 1:15-20.
Jesus Christ will save ALL but each one in his own order
1 Corinthians 15:22-23a
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order…
Notice that it is one hundred percent clear what this scripture says. All who die in Adam is exactly the same all that shall be made alive in Christ, which means that each and every human being will be made alive in Christ, meaning saved. It does not say that only some of all of the people in Adam shall be made alive in Christ.
It is also important to note that everyone will be made alive in Christ in his own order, which is in God’s time and in accordance with God’s Plan of the Ages for the reconciliation of all things.
1 Timothy 2:3-6 (KJV)
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have (thelo) all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
This is a powerful scripture as it stands, because God’s sovereign will to save all people and have them come to the knowledge of the truth cannot be frustrated by fallen man or Satan. This scripture becomes even stronger once we understand that the primary meaning of the Greek word thelo is to be resolved or determined, as given in Strong’s Concordance – G2309.
Unfortunately, the NKJV, the NIV and some other versions use the weaker meaning of thelo, which is to desire. God not only desires that all men will be saved, but He has resolved and determined that all men will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.
Also, please note that verse 6 says that Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all to be testified in due time, which is in God’s time and His order for each and every person.
Ephesians 1:9-10
9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth – in Him.
This scripture clearly reveals that the mystery of God’s will is to gather together in one absolutely all things in Christ. The wonderful and powerful expression ‘in Christ’ means that all will come to believe in Christ and accept Him as their Saviour and Lord. This will happen in the fullness of the times, which means when God has completed His Plan of the Ages for the reconciliation of all. This will be at the creation of the Eternal Kingdom of God of the New Heaven and the New Earth.
God will destroy the veil that is spread over ALL nations
Isaiah 25:7-8
7 And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.
Notice that God Himself will destroy the veil of unbelief that is spread over all nations, and He will wipe away tears from all faces and destroy death forever.
ALL the ends of the earth will see the Salvation of our God
Isaiah 45:22
Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
Psalm 98:1-3
1 Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. 2 The LORD has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations. 3 He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
This is a prophetic Psalm. His Right Hand and Holy Arm, who gained the victory for Father God, is referring to the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. All the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God because of the victory over sin and death won for all people by God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ, Yeshua Elohim.
ALL the ends of the world shall turn to the Lord
Psalm 22:27-29
27 All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You. 28 For the kingdom is the LORD’s, And He rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive.
Notice that all the ends of the world shall turn to the Lord, meaning they will repent and worship Him. Also, please note that all those who go down to the dust shall bow before Him, which clearly means that there is salvation after death for all people who die as unbelievers.
Jesus Christ will save and reconcile ALL of God’s enemies
Romans 5:8, 10
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Jesus Christ died for His enemies meaning that He died for each and every person. We are all born into this world with an Adamic, ungodly, sinful nature as enemies of God and as children of Satan. Jesus Christ died for each and every one of us to save and reconcile us all to God.
The amazing thing about God’s Plan and His great power is that ultimately, in God’s time and in His order extending beyond this age, all of God’s enemies will submit themselves to Him and worship and praise God.
Psalm 66:3-4
3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. 4 All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name.” Selah.
Such a wonderful scripture! God’s works are awesome indeed. Through the greatness of God’s power all His enemies shall submit themselves to Him. This prophecy speaks about the wonderful time when the whole earth will worship and praise God, when all of God’s enemies have been saved and reconciled to Father God by Jesus Christ, through His blood shed on the cross.
Psalm 110:1
The LORD (God the Father) said to my Lord (God the Son), “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
‘Till I make Your enemies Your footstool’ is repeated six times in the Bible. This expression means that all of Christ’s enemies, which means this whole world of fallen sinful humanity and fallen sinful angels, will ultimately submit themselves in willing worship and praise to the Son, and by doing so they will also be worshiping and praising Father God.
Hebrews 10:12-13
12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.
This New Testament scripture confirms what the Old Testament scripture of Psalm 110:1, cited above it, says. Also, please note that it is through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross that all of Christ’s enemies will submit themselves in willing worship and praise to God the Father and God the Son.
Now let us continue to read the verses that follow this New Testament scripture to understand the glorious biblical truth of how Jesus Christ will bring all His enemies under His submission as His footstool.
Hebrews 10:14-17
14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those (His enemies) who are being sanctified. 15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them (with His enemies) after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their (His enemies’) hearts, and in their (His enemies’) minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their (His enemies’) sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
Please study and meditate on this powerful and glorious scripture. God Himself will write His laws into the hearts of all His enemies. Here, God is talking about the Law of Faith (Romans 3:27-28), the gift of God-given faith to believe in God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross for the salvation of the whole world: past, present and future, without a single exception.
We are now in a position to clearly understand why Jesus Christ taught His disciples to ‘love your enemies’.
Matthew 5:43-44
43 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.
These words of Jesus would not make sense if hell were true and if all of God’s unbelieving enemies were destined to be tortured there forever. But hell is a false unbiblical doctrine, and therefore, we can love our enemies, bless them, do good to them and pray for them, because Jesus Christ will ultimately save all of them. Isn’t it wonderful and powerful to know that one day in the future, in God’s time and His order, all of our enemies will become our friends, and our brothers and sisters in Christ?
Jesus Christ will make ALL people righteous
Isaiah 45:25
In the LORD all the descendants of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory.
To be justified means to be made righteous. We can see from this verse that all Israelites will be made righteous, which means that they will all be saved and reconciled to God.
Romans 5:18-19
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many (all) were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many (all) will be made righteous.
Yes, all men will be made righteous because of Christ’s obedience. It is clear that ‘many’ in verse 19 refers to ‘all’ in verse 18. Once again, this scripture confirms the truth that each and every person, without exception, will be made righteous and saved through Jesus Christ.
The powerful truth of the Bible is that God has solved the problem of sin once and for all through the sacrifice made on the cross by His only begotten Son for the sins of the whole world. Yes, everybody is born a sinner because of one man’s sin, Adam’s sin, but everybody is destined to become Righteous because of one Man’s Righteousness, Jesus Christ’s Righteousness, as this scripture confirms.
God’s Judgements lead to Righteousness
Isaiah 26:9
With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
Hebrews 12:11
Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Isaiah 46:12-13
12 Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, Who are far from righteousness: 13 I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory.
God’s fiery judgement refines and purges unrighteous people to bring them into God’s Righteousness and Salvation.
Malachi 3:2-3
2 But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.
God is like a refiner’s fire that purges people like gold and silver in order to purify them and make them clean with His Righteousness, through the work of the cross. God’s Lake of Fire judgement during the Great White Throne Judgement Age, will be a refining, purifying fire to bring unbelievers to repentance from unbelief to belief in the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. It will not be a hell of eternal torment for unbelievers. Ultimately, in God’s time, even the most stubborn-hearted person will repent and embrace God’s righteousness.
Here is an important truth. All of God’s judgements are corrective and redemptive, no matter how horrific they may appear from man’s limited and temporary perspective. All of God’s judgements flow out of His love because God is love and He loves the whole world. Father God, Yahweh Elohim, so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, Yeshua Elohim, to die on the cross for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2, 1 John 4:16, John 3:16). The purpose of God’s judgements is to bring humility, repentance and faith in Jesus Christ that leads to God’s righteousness, reconciliation and salvation.
EVERY knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess Jesus Christ is Lord
Isaiah 45:23-25
23 I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath. 24 He shall say, ‘Surely in the LORD I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, And all shall be ashamed Who are incensed against Him. 25 In the LORD all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory’.
This is yet another beautiful and clear Old Testament scripture upholding the powerful truth of Universal Salvation. Notice that all men will be ashamed of their incensed sinful behaviour against God. In this scripture, we see that all of God’s enemies will repent and they will all bow their knees and worship God saying, ‘Surely in the LORD I have righteousness and strength’ giving glory to God for their salvation.
Philippians 2:9-11
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 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.
Those who believe in hell twist these scriptures to interpret that God will force unbelievers to worship Him in hell. A forced worship can never give glory to God.
The Bible is clear, abundantly clear, in both the Old and the New Testaments, that everyone without exception will confess the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, Yeshua Elohim, giving glory to Father God.
Revelation 5:13
And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
These are wonderful glorious prophetic scriptures. Just stop and think about them. When God’s wonderful Plan for the Reconciliation of All is fulfilled at the creation of the Eternal Kingdom of God of the New Heaven and the New Earth, every creature, all men and all angels, will worship giving honour and glory to God the Father and His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, forever and ever.
Jesus Christ will restore ALL things
Acts 3:19-21
19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
Note that since the beginning of the world, God has spoken about the time when Jesus Christ will return to restore all things. God spoke this through the mouth of all His holy prophets, thus emphasising its great importance. The restoration of all things will be accomplished at the creation of the Eternal Kingdom of God of the New Heaven and the New Earth.
Revelation 21:1-6a
1 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. 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”. 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new”. And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful”. 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End…”
Yes, the time will come, at the creation of the Eternal Kingdom of God of the New Heaven and the New Earth, when Jesus Christ will bring to completion God’s Plan of Universal Reconciliation and Salvation, which He is working out in Seven Biblical Ages. This will be when there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. This will be when God the Father Himself comes down to this earth, which will have been refined, cleansed and renewed, to dwell with all people. Father God, Yahweh Elohim, will be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28).
The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, upholds the glorious truth of universal salvation and reconciliation through God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ in other scriptures besides those given in this chapter. Yet, it is amazing that the so-called ‘Christian world’ ignore, explain away, malign and even twist all of these clear scriptures in favour of the false unbiblical doctrines of hell and annihilation, which have their roots in paganism and not in the Word of God.
Please note that the place in Revelation 21:6 above where God proclaims, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End’ should mark the end of Chapter 21. This is because the remainder of the book of Revelation, refers back to the previous ages, before the Eternal Seventh Age of the Kingdom of God of the New Heaven and the New Earth, where there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying and no more pain.
Also, please note that there are no verses, paragraphs or chapter breaks in the ancient Hebrew and Greek Manuscripts from which the Bible versions are translated. These verses, paragraphs and chapter breaks do not form part of the original inspired writings, but they were added later and sometimes placed inappropriately as in this case. Also, the book of Revelation is not written to follow a strict chronological sequence of end-time events.
Please take time to study and meditate on the many glorious scriptures given in this chapter. We pray that the Spirit of God minister to your heart, mind and spirit about these riches of Christ so that you will be able to comprehend and know the width, the length, the depth and the height of the love of Christ, which surpasses all knowledge so that you will be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:17-19).