Rev.21:1-27
The New heaven & the New Earth
Intro: Have you ever wondered why
the Bible doesn’t talk that much about Heaven / the Millennial reign or New
Heaven & earth
A)
Perhaps
you have Wondered as we have gone through this study of the book of Rev. – why does the Lord give so much attention to the Trib
Ch.6-18
B) And the Lord spends only 3 Chapters talking about the Millennium and what comes after that the New Heaven & the New Earth
1)
Or
perhaps you have wondered why Jesus Himself spoke more about Hell than He did
about Heaven
A) I am sure like myself – many
of you have pondered those same things before . ( I don’t think any of us can Know all
the reasons for sure )
1)
But
I think we are given some insights from the scriptures concerning why the Lord
has chosen to do that : Consider a Few
1ST TO WARN US !!!!
A)
Jesus spoke more about Hell than Heaven / and more space is given to the
events involving the trib. –
1)
because Jesus knew that Real people would go through the Trib. And real people would
end up in Hell – He doesn’t want that
A) Jesus is the good Shepherd
& as the Good Shepherd – He has to Warn the Sheep – He wouldn’t be the good
Shepherd it He didn’t
1)
Out
of His Love & Care – HE WARNS – Those who reject me will face this So 1st to Warn US
2ND TO WAKE US UP !!!!
A)
Because our Job / our Role is to be His Ambassadors / His Witnesses /
to be Light houses shinning brightly in the Darkness –
B)
Pointing those who are in troubled waters
to the shore of safety that is found in the Lord .
1)
Because
that is our Role – He wants us to have a Burden
A) What Better way to burden our hearts than to give us a
Picture of what is awaiting everyone who doesn’t know Christ
1)
So
1st – WARN US / 2ND TO WAKE US UP
3rd Reason very Practical – ( Only my Opinion
)
A) I think it is possible that the Lord doesn’t tell us a whole lot about Heaven & what happens after the end –
1) because HE KNOWS we couldn’t handle it
A) I think that heaven &
Eternity in the New heaven and the New earth is going to be so AMAZING / so radical / so Mind Incredibly Boggling
1)
That
if we knew exactly what it was going to be like we couldn’t think of anything
else !!! ( All Consumed) – Worthless
A) Almost like – if you know
what is for Dessert – You really don’t want to eat
dinner
1)
Restaurants
– don’t show you the dessert Tray before dinner
– a lot of us wouldn’t order the main course ( 2 of
those / 3 of these )
A)
Thanksgiving and
Christmas –
Main course is just the Formality - Before we get
to the good stuff
B)
So Because what we do here is going to
determine & play a part in our involvement & enjoyment of eternity
1)
The
Lord doesn’t want us to see this life as merely a formality – something we just
have to get through so we can get to the Good stuff
A)
This
life is Preparation / this life is our Training Ground /
Now there is a Fourth
reason why I think the Lord keeps us a little in the dark – about Heaven &
Eternity – talk about at the end of our study
A)
But As we come to Ch.21 we
have a snapshot of the New Heaven & the New Earth Read v.1-8
Now We cannot make out everything
in the picture but there are some key components that should excite our Hearts
B) 1st
– NEW IN TYPE –
1)
The Bible begins with the words: In the beginning God created the
heavens and the
earth
C)The word CREATE is the Hebrew word Barah It means to create
something out of nothing Only God has that capacity
A) When man creates he is assembling existing materials / The Hebrew word
Assah speaks of such creation
1) But This NEW heaven and earth are NOT a REMODELLING job on
the old ones ( BRAND NEW THING )
Isa. 65:17- 19
“For behold, I create new heavens and a
new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold,
I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And
her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
And joy in My people;
The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, Nor the
voice of crying.
A) It is interesting that the word CREATE in Isaiah 65 is the same word as
CREATE in Genesis 1- Barrah
The NEW
heavens and earth will be created from NOTHING
A) Why from nothing ? - The First heaven & earth passed away
2 Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth which are now
preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and
perdition of ungodly men.
B) Some have
suggested Jesus who is the Creator & Sustainer of this earth is at this
time is going to split the Atom - just
going to be gone -
Also
–new in type - there will be NO MORE
SEA
A) “No more sea” does not mean “no more water.” It simply indicates that
the new earth will have a different arrangement as far as water is concerned.
B) Today Three fourths of our globe consists of water, but this won’t be the case in the eternal state. Different type of arrangement
V2 NEW
CAPITAL –
A) The eternal city of God is compared to a beautiful bride because it is the eternal home for God’s beloved people.
B) Now understand the City is not the Church as some have suggested -
1) The city is more like the Dress that covers or houses the Bride the Church
V.3,4 NEW IN RELATIONSHIP
A) The most important thing about the city is that God dwells there with His
people.
B) Now As John beheld the NEW
Heavens and earth and the beautiful New Jerusalem, he heard a great
voice
C)This is the LAST of the 21 times that the term great voice is
mentioned
1) The GREATNESS of the voice tells us that what is to be revealed is
of GREAT IMPORTANCE and is AUTHORITATIVE
The voice declares: Behold,
the tabernacle of God is with men
he will dwell with
them and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be
their God
D)The word for dwell is the verb form of the word tabernacle...
which means TENT
John 1:14 And the
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us
dwelt = Tabernacled...
Pitched his tent among us
A) The work of Salvation is now COMPLETE/ God Himself is to DWELL
with His people
B) Man was created for the purpose of fellowship with God / But sin
destroyed that intimacy between man and his Maker
1) Adam,
where ARE YOU ?
C) Now God has RESTORED man to that which He had intended for Him from the beginning
V 22But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the
Lamb are its temple. 23The city had no need of the sun or of the
moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its
light. 24And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its
light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.
D) The purpose of the Temple and the priesthood was to provide man a PLACE where man could meet with God
1) In the New Jerusalem There is no need for such a place because God is
present with His people
E)There is no need for a Sun or Moon because His Glory illuminates the city
Now there is a direct relationship between Genesis and Revelation
A) Genesis answers the question: "How did it all begin?"
Revelation answers the question: "How does it all end?"
B)
Genesis gives us the beginning of sorrow and death/ Revelation shows us
the end of sorrow and death
C) Genesis tells us about paradise lost/ Rev. shows us paradise restored
1) Genesis saw fellowship with God broken/ Revelation shows us God
dwelling with man
D) The inhabitants of the New heaven and earth will adore,
honor, serve and worship Him
alone
1) Perfect harmony will again exist in the universe
So this
is entirely New thing : New City
A) The eternal city is so wonderful that the best way John found to describe it was by contrast—“no more.” Death / sorrow / tears or pain
B) The believers who first read this inspired book must have rejoiced to know that, in heaven, there would be no more pain, tears, sorrow, or death;
1) for many of their number had been tortured and slain.
C)The EMPHASIS here is on the comfort of God, NOT on the remorse of
the saints
1) These tears refer to those tears shed by the people of God who experienced suffering and grief while upon this present earth
D) No More tears / No more pain / no more sickness
It is a SPLENDID
PLACE AND It is a SATISFYING PLACE :V.6 It is DONE –
A)
It
is done is the Statement of a Carpenter who has completed His work
B) And 2,000 yrs ago the master
Carpenter said I
go to prepare a place for you
1)
And here in v.6 He doesn’t say I prepared a fixer
upper or it is a good starter home – He says it is DONE
A) How many of us have bought
our dream house only to say a little while later If
we knock out a wall here or add a another bathroom there or take out this
counter or reshape this patio this place will be a lot better
D) First home in Oregon – 1
bath – big groups -
C) It is done & our Thirst is quenched !!!!!
A)
Splendid
place / Satisfying Place –
the cowardly, £unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars
A) There are those who say that ALL roads lead to God and that ALL people
will eventually get to heaven
1) The BIBLE certainly does NOT say that
B) Here is a list of those SHUT OUT from eternal life in the presence of God in a new heaven and earth
1) Cowardly= Fearful Those who WOULD NOT make a stand for
Jesus
C) unbelieving = Those who would NOT put their trust in Jesus
1) Those who put their confidence concerning eternal life someplace else other than God
D)
Abominable
= those who practiced what God called abominations
Lev. 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
Murderers
SEXUAL
IMMORRAL = Traffickers in sex
A) Pornographers/Musicians/TV and movie producers/
B) Sorcerers - Pharmakeia = Traffickers in drugs
= Traffickers in Occult activity
C) Idolators = Worshippers of idols
1) Including Someone who doesn't come to Christ because they value
something more than Jesus
D) Liars -Those who habitually lie
1) Lying is much more than untruth/ Lying can mean not living what
you profess
1John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him,
and walk in darkness, we
lie, and do not the truth:
THESE shall have their
part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second
death.
A) Such people have an inheritance to look forward to
1) So it is a Brand New World in every way – Splendid place / Totally Satisfying Place / Safe Place – evil is removed
Next John gives us a Radical
description of this city v.9-27
A)
Now there are
several Key things that mark this City :
B)
City of TRANSPARENCY – the constant mention of
the transparency indicates that the city is designed to transmit the Glory of
God throughout
1) Some Have even suggested that the city is Transparent so that the Glory of God could be seen from any Place
A)
CITY FULL OF BRIGHT
BRILLIANT COLORS –
1)
the Purpose of the Colors would be to reflect the glory of
God in a spectrum of Brilliant color
D) Colors Speaks of the Brilliance & the majesty of God -Stedman
Let
your imagination picture that marvelous city -- gleaming transparent gold,
w/ foundations sparkling w/ light in
cascading colors, pouring forth from great jewels embedded in the sides a
kaleidoscope of light & glory!
E)The Streets are made of Gold & diamonds - what a combination – that
which is so valuable here is common place there
The gates are made of single pearls.
B) because a pearl
is formed when a tiny grain of sand gets inside an oyster's shell and the oyster becomes
very uncomfortable.
1)
To
relieve its pain it covers the irritant with a soft lustrous nacre that hardens
into a beautiful, glowing pearl.
A) It describes
beautifully how the redeemed come from the pain of Jesus. He was the man who
came looking for a pearl of great price.
1)
He
found one, a beautiful pearl which came out of the pain that he suffered as he
went through the terrible anguish of the cross.
A)
Out
of that pain came the church of Jesus Christ, the pearl of great price. He sold
all that he had to buy it.
1)
He took us who were irritants & covered us in His Righteousness to
make us a Pearl in His sight
A) We there by become trophies
– that all of creation might be reminded throughout eternity of His MATCHLESS GRACE
1)
Reminded
every time they pass through one of those pearly gates !!
Now in Closing I want us to consider 3 final things about
this city
1st it is the DESTINY OF ALL TRUE BELIEVERS
John 3:3 Verily, verily, I
say unto thee, Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
A) Only
a person born again can SEE these things
1) This is our Destination
B)2nd it is our INSPIRATION – IT IS OUR HOPE –
1)
Biblical definition of Hope is an Absolute expectation of coming good – that affects your life in the
Present
C)That hope grows & becomes more Tangible – the Longer we walk w/ the
Lord & the More we learn about Him
1) Causes the Absoluteness of that Hope – to become more & more of a Reality in our lives – so that it shapes the very way that we live !!
Analogy of the Biblical meaning of the word Hope is
reflected in the way a young girl responds after she has been to her first
wedding
A) My guess is that it occurs to her that she would like to have a wedding some day herself
B) She is not so much thinking about having a Husband – but she is mesmerized by the Event itself
1) She imagines her dress & the flowers the bridesmaids & the Church
A) she is caught up in the whole ambience that surrounds the wedding
1) All of this hope is not based on a Future certainty but is simply a dream in her heart
A) As the yrs go by – not much changes in her life / it is simply Business as usual – occasionally she will think about her wedding
1) But she is certainly not
preoccupied w/ it - Until One day she
meets her Knight in shinning Armor – Pops the Big Question/ Coke or Pepsi?
The day
is set – suddenly everything is Dramatically Changed –
A)So all consuming is the certain prospect of marriage that it
radically
alters everything in her
life
B)She views every dress store & Bridal Magazine through a new lens – a lens
that is formed by the future reality of that day !!!
1) Her friends are now objects of her invitation list & potential candidates for her wedding party
A) Listen the Certainty & the Reality of the Promise – creates w/ in her a hope that not only occupies her attention
1)
but radically ALTERS
EVERYTHING IN HER LIFE
A) That is what happens when we have a Biblical Hope for Heaven – It becomes not just our Destination but our Inspiration
1) All that is done is done w/ that in mind
One More thing - Not
just Destination & Inspiration / but it is also our MOTIVATION - TURN HEB. 11
A)
Chapter on the
great hall of faith – 4th reason why the Lord doesn’t give us more
insight about heaven
B)
OURS IS A WALK OF FAITH - Lord
says – TRUST ME
1) There is a certain bit of Mystery to our walk –
A) Classic example is Abe –
8By faith Abraham
obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an
inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9By
faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in
tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10for
he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
A)
Abe kept moving
because he was looking for this City
1) He did not find the city of his dreams in Egypt or at Jericho / Jacob didn’t find it in Syria or Isaac in Canaan
A) Everywhere they went here they were left w/ an Emptiness – a sense that where they ended up – was not what they hoped it would be –
1) always disappointments here
A) Denise & I have never been to Hawaii – it is one of the things that we want to do someday -
1)
We have certain expectations – but I know that – in the end –
there is going to be a certain sense of
SO THIS IS HAWAII?
A) They had a desire for a heavenly city that made them feel very uncomfortable with this present world
1)
They desired the city that
manifested the glory of God
A) That desire made them very willing to turn their backs on a world that
was so void of the glory of God
1) They saw that the New Jerusalem is BETTER than this place
13These all died in
faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were
assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and
pilgrims on the earth.
A) They saw them by faith / they were assured of them by faith and they EMBRACED THEM BY FAITH = Grabbed a hold of them
B) All of which caused them to Confess – that they were Strangers & Pilgrims here – they don’t belong in this world
V.14 For they that say such things declare
plainly that they seek a country
declare plainly = make manifest...... Their lives tell the story
v.15 if they had been mindful of that country
from whence they came out, they might
have had opportunity to have returned
A) This is the ONE reason for GOING BACK into the world
If they were REMEMBERING
that country
B) That is why Jesus said Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.
She was MINDFUL of the city she was being drug out of
Luke 9:62 And Jesus said unto
him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the
kingdom of God.
V.16 But now they desire a better country, that
is, an heavenly
A) This is the PURSUIT of all true believers
B) This truth revealed to the heart of the believer makes a real IMPACT upon the way that they live
C) He intends that we one day dwell with Him in this New Jerusalem
1) But at the present we are to be AMBASSADORS for Him in this
strange land