REVELATION 21 - 22:5
THE ETERNAL HOME
OF THE SAINTS
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We have come now to the final section
of the book of Revelation. In our outline, it's THE VISION OF JESUS CHRIST IN
ETERNITY. Chapter 20, ended with the dissolving of the old earth and its
universe … immediately followed by the Great White Throne judgment. The God who
spoke the universe into existence (Hebrews 11:3; Genesis 1), will do away with
it one day just as easily and just as completely. As you have it in
Hebrews 1:10-12 (quoting from Psalm
102): And: 'you, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and
the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain;
and they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak you will fold them up,
and they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will not
fail’
From this point on in Revelation, our
Lord will give us a bit of a tour … a little glimpse beyond our present world
and universe to a city he has been preparing for us (John 14:13)
and the new creation in which it will reside. He will also show us a bit of the
new earth upon which it will set. Here in chapters 21 and 22, we
find that city described. It is the same city that Abraham and the people of God
have been looking forward to for centuries. As you have it in
Hebrews11:10,
speaking of Abraham’s hope, …for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder
and maker is God.
So, what we are about to read is very
special. Our Lord has given it to us in order to whet our appetites a bit until
we actually arrive there. The city of which we are about to read is a real
place. It exists today. However, its final location will be on the new
Earth that is yet to be created.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rev. 21:1-5 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. Then I
[NU omits “John”]
saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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. 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.' Then he who sat on the
throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And he said,
[NU omits “to me”] ’Write, for these
words are true and faithful.’ 21:1 In this new
vision, John says he saw a new heaven and a new earth. In many
ways, this new creation will be quite different from the present one in which we
are now living. In other ways, we will find it quite similar. The first
difference that caught John's eye caused him to exclaim, there was no more
sea. That would certainly be striking, would it not? About seventy-five
percent this present Earth is covered by water. But, that will not be the case
with the new Earth. Its vast landmass will be very much available for our use.
Now if you are wondering … Why is there no sea? … I believe the
explanation lies in the fact that the vast oceans of this present Earth are, for
the most part, left over from the great judgment of the Flood that occurred in
Noah's day. As such, they are very visible and very grim reminders of judgment.
As Peter put it, For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were
of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the
world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 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. Second Peter 3:5-7
Undoubtedly, Earth's original seas were
far less extensive than those that exist today. The oceans, then, stand as vivid
reminders that God once judged our world by water. Every wave that roles upon a
sandy shore mutters that there is a righteous and holy God who rules over men
and who does not allow evil and wickedness to go unchallenged and unchecked. I
believe this is why God's new Earth will have no sea. It would not fit
with the history of that new world, you see. As he says here, the former
things have passed away. In August, 2009, my wife
and I were on an Alaskan cruise and were privileged to see the famous Glacier
Bay. It was wonderful to take in the grandeur and vastness of that part of the
world. And, as Carol and I sat eating our breakfast one morning, while gazing
out upon the amazing mountains, glaciers and forests around us, the new
earth that we are reading about here in Revelation 21 came to my mind.
And, it occurred to me that one of the hallmarks of that new creation will
doubtless be its vastness. Judging from some of its descriptions here, it will
be a great deal larger than this present earth. In fact, I suspect it will be
immensely larger … perhaps as much as a billion or more times larger than our
present world. If that is the case, exploring it will be an eternal fascination
for all of God’s saints. Our God is a very big God and his works are great and
amazing.
Now, if you are a water lover, as I am, you will
shortly find here that there will be abundant water on the new earth as well.
Doubtless, its rivers, streams and lakes will cause its beauty to far surpass
that of this old earth … rendering it a verdant and wonderfully appealing place.
Its unsurpassed beauty will no doubt be a source of enjoyment for the people of
God for all eternity. Can you picture its vast canyons, dells, glades, forests,
prairies, hills, streams, rivers and lakes? If you like the outdoors, as I do,
you’re going to love the new earth. This will be the final resting place of our
eternal home, the New Jerusalem. At that time, our Lord's words
from Matthew5:5
will truly be abundantly fulfilled. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 21:2 Then I saw the
holy city, New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven.
Lo, suddenly, John saw a city. It was
descending … descending … downward to rest upon the new earth. The absolute
greatest thing about the new heavens and the new earth will most
certainly be this city. Jesus told his disciples he was going away to prepare
a place for them (John 14:12). This is that place. Its name is the
New Jerusalem. It will be the centerpiece, main
attraction and greatest treasure of the new heavens and the new earth.
What a sight it will present to the eyes of all the sojourners in that day when
they come into sight of this immense, luminous and magnificent city. As John
watched, it continued its descent down to the earth. He says it
was like a bride adorned for her husband. That certainly is an apt
comparison, don't you think? On her wedding day, a bride is one of the most
beautiful things that we humans observe down here. This is the simile that the
Spirit uses here to describe the wondrous beauty of the eternal home our Lord
has prepared for us. 21:3
Then, a great
voice spoke out of Heaven. I believe this was the majestic
voice of our Lord Jesus Christ. You will remember that when John heard him back
in chapter one, he said his voice sounded like the sound of many waters. The
loud voice declared 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. That certainly went right to
the heart of it, didn't it? Wow. You see, the very best thing about our new
home, the New Jerusalem, will be the fact that we will live there for all
eternity in unbroken, intimate fellowship with our God. Isaiah spoke of
it this way, And in this mountain The LORD of hosts will make for all people a feast
of choice pieces, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of
well-refined wines on the lees. 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. 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. And it will be said in that day: ’Behold,
this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us. This is the LORD;
we have waited for him; we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Isaiah 25:6-9 21:4
The Lord’s
powerful voice continued, reiterating once again his words through Isaiah the
prophet, And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. One
day, God's own hand will lovingly wipe away every tear from every stained face
of every single one of his dear people. Amazing statement, is it not? See how he
loves you, beloved. Have you been able to believe and accept his great love for
you? You certainly will at this time and in this city. The great voice of the
Lord further assures us here that there will be no more death,
sorrow, crying or pain there. The
ravages of sin will be no more in that happy place. Our deliverance from the
very presence of it will be complete there. It is the yet to be experienced
installment of the great salvation that is ours in and through our blessed Lord
Jesus Christ. 21:5
Following those extraordinary words, the
Throne Sitter spoke adding, Behold, I make all things new! The
significance of these words will be extensive and, no doubt, beyond our present
abilities to completely comprehend. I believe they extend far beyond our wildest
and fondest imaginations. For example, you will remember at the second Bowl
judgment, all of the remaining creatures of the sea were destroyed in the old
creation. Today, many species which God originally created have already become
extinct through man’s thoughtless neglect and destructive practices. Now, think
about our Father’s words here. What did he say he would make new?
All things, did he not? On the basis of that statement, I believe
we can fully expect every single thing our Lord made in the old creation will be
totally restored in the new. I don’t believe a single thing will be missing …
plant, mineral or animal … from the minutest sea creatures to the largest
dinosaurs … to your old family pet! What a place that will be, aye? More
importantly, you and I are going to share in that newness as well. Dr. McGee
says that he believes this will be a time and place where each individual child
of God will blossom to their fullest potential. Truly, none of us have been all
that we would have liked to have been as a man or woman, father or mother,
husband or wife, friend or child … and certainly not as a Christian and servant
of Christ. Am I right? But in that day, and in that place, our God is going to
make you and me new as well. I'm up for that, how about you? These
things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God,
that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue
to believe in the name of the Son of God.
The written Word of God is the source of
all truth, faith, fellowship and sanctification for the people of God. Have you
been reading it? Is it a habit? It is the source of all blessing, beloved. Don't
forget to read your Bible.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rev. 21:6-8 And he said to me, ’It is
done! I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the
fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes
shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be my son.
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which
burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.’ 21:6
Here in verse six, just one sentence away from the
Lord’s command for John to write, the Father says It is done. This
is an extremely important declaration because, when he said that, I believe he
was referring to the complete revelation of himself as contained in the written
Word of God, the Bible. With this book of Revelation, God is saying to us that
his written Word to man is finished and complete. In
the Greek, he uses the same word here that Jesus exclaimed on the cross and the
same word that he used when he pronounced that his judgments were
finished back in
16:19 …
Γέγοναν
(tegonan).
In my opinion, this is solid evidence that the canon of scripture is closed. God
has said all that he has to say and all that he needs for us to hear. History
bears this out as well. Revelation was the last book of Scripture to be written.
It was given and written down around AD 96. He continues, I
am the Alpha and the Omega. This is the same title he used when we first
began to read back in chapter 1. It reminds us afresh that our great God is
everything. He is the A and the Z, the Beginning and the End and
everything in between. Apart from him, there is nothing. He is our all in all
and our every sufficiency. Every breath we take comes from him. He continues, I
will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
Isn’t he gracious!? A lawyer once asked Jesus, Master, what must I do to
inherit life everlasting? We read Jesus’ answer as follows, Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ’One thing
you lack: go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will
have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow me.’
Mark 10:17 Do you want to
know how to have eternal life, dear friend? Come to Christ. He will freely
give it to you. His invitation is so open, wonderful and warm here. He says,
I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
Are you thirsty? One time, Jesus stood up in the temple and literally cried out, ’If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes
in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living
water.’ John 7:37
What a claim! What an invitation! I am sure the Jews in the temple that day said,
Say, what!? They could not have escaped who Jesus was claiming to be
that day … for he was crying out Jehovah's words from
Isaiah 55:13, Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no
money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and
without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages
for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and let
your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to me.
Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant
with you; the sure mercies of David.
I
ask you again, Are you thirsty? Jesus has living water for you. Won't you
go to him and get it? Come, he says. It’s not complicated.
He is the Savior. We are lost, needy, thirsty sinners. He is the source of
fountains of living waters. As he said in
John 4:14, But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water
springing up into everlasting life. (KJV) In John's gospel,
it is written, But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become
children of God, to those who believe in his name: who were born, not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John
1:12-13 In
John 10:27-28,
Jesus said, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give
them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither
shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. The Spirit of
Christ cries out in Isaiah, Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of
the earth: for I am God, and there is none
else. Isaiah 45:22 One day, this
present age of grace will come to a close and every human being will have made
their choice. Tragically, multitudes will not have come to Christ.
A while back, when I was in the ministry in Oregon, the brother of a lady in my
church traveled up from California to visit her. She was deeply concerned about
his salvation and shared the good news of Jesus Christ with him while he was
there. She asked him if he would like to receive Christ and be saved but he
said, Not right now. He put it off. Tragically, on his way back home to
California, he was killed in a terrible automobile wreck. I don’t know if he
ever came to Christ. If he did, he is now with the Savior in his Father's
house (John 14:13). If not … the thought is unspeakable. Don't delay.
The Bible says today is the day of salvation (Hebrews
3:78). If you have not yet come to Christ and you can hear the Spirit of God
inviting you to come to Christ, do it now. Just talk to him. He
will know why you have come. Tell him you believe in him. He is the Savior. He
will hear. Jesus said, …him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. John 6:36b (KJV) 21:7-8 The Throne Sitter
continued, He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his
God and he shall be my son. Then he added, But the
cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers,
idolaters, and all liars will be consigned to the Lake of Fire
which is the second death. This unvarnished description of
the unbeliever's lifestyle is right on. Unbelief is always confirmed by an
ungodly lifestyle. The opposite is also true. Real faith always produces
righteousness in a life. It also comes to God’s children through the process of
sanctification, which begins the hour they first believe. The Lord makes it
crystal clear here that there are only two eternal possibilities for men and
women … those who will come and partake of the water of life
(Christ) and be transformed (Second Corinthians 5:17) or … those who continue in
their stubborn unbelief, while clinging to their ungodly lifestyles, until they
find themselves, one terrible day, in the Lake of Fire.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rev. 21:9-14 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven
last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, 'Come, I will show you
the bride, the Lamb's wife.' And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great
and high mountain, and showed me the
[NU omits “great”] city, the holy
[NU adds “city Jerusalem”],
descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a
most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great
and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names
written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of
Israel three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the
south, and three gates on the west. Now the wall of the city had twelve
foundations, and on them were the
[NU adds “twelve”] names of the twelve apostles of
the Lamb. 21:9-10 Following
the Lord’s invitation to life, one of the angels of the Bowl judgments
approached John and said, Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.
Then, John says, 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. John was taken to a high
mountain and to a vantage point where he could observe the Lamb's
wife as she majestically descended down to the earth below. What a
panorama it must have afforded. I like mountains, by the way. They are one of my
all-time favorite places. I like their smells and the sound of the wind through
their trees. I'm glad they will be a part of the new earth. I suspect that we
will be able to climb this very mountain that John stood upon and look down upon
our home as he did. Won’t that be a kick!? It will take a very high
mountain indeed, however, to enable someone to view such a spacious and
magnificent place as that of our New Jerusalem. From his mountain vantage point,
John was able to view the extensive nature of the eternal home of the saints.
Beautiful and dazzling she was. Keep in mind, at that point in time all of the
Church was in her as she descended to her new and eternal resting place on the
new earth. That's why the angel could say that he would show John, the
Lamb's wife. Inside this great city, every member of the Church of Jesus
Christ was present and accounted for, except John of course, when he witnessed
it descending down to its beautiful and permanent home. I suspect that when this
actually occurs, we who are in the New Jerusalem will be lining the walls, as it
were, to get the first look of the amazing new earth upon which we will dwell,
aye? 21:11
The first thing that impressed John about the New Jerusalem was
the fact that it was lighted by the glory of God. You and I
haven't experienced this yet, but we shall. We know from the scriptures that
mere light and the glory of God are two very different things. The glory of God
is a lighting thing, but light is not the glory of God. John likened it here to
a jasper stone, which is crystal clear. I guess we are just going
to have to wait to see it for ourselves. By the way, did you know that Jesus
greatly desires for you and me to see his glory? When he was praying for us in
John 17, he said, And now, O Father, glorify me together with yourself, with the glory
which I had with you before the world was … Father, I desire that they also
whom you gave me may be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory
which you have given me; for you loved me before the foundation of the world.
John 17:5, 24
What a wonderful prayer request. Can you
hear how Jesus’ great heart longs to have you and me with him to enjoy his
fellowship and see his glory? Our home will be illumined by his glory for all of
eternity. Next, notice that
there are a lot of familiar things in that future creation and place as well ...
things that are already familiar and warm to us human beings down here. Our Lord
could have made it otherwise, but he chose to make our eternal home both warm
and not too unfamiliar. Therefore, he has incorporated many things in it that we
are acquainted with now. Let's look at them. 21:12-13
…It had a great high wall.
Heaven's wall is gigantic and magnificent. Its wall speaks of the fact that it
is an exclusive place. Also, it is a reminder of God's safekeeping of his people
and the security that they have in him. All will truly be utterly safe and
secure in their Father's house. As you have it in
First
Peter1:5: …who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready
to be revealed in the last time. …It
had twelve gates. John counted them
… three gates on each side. The fact that Heaven has gates, by the way, speaks
of the fact that its occupants are free to roam and that there will be coming
and going there. This means that the personal freedom that we enjoy as God’s
creatures down here, will continue there as well. When God created you and me,
he created us as creatures of freewill and choice. That will not change in his
new heavens and new Earth and in the New Jerusalem. …There
was an angel posted at each gate.
Fascinating. I believe they will be
stationed there to wish us good journey as well as to greet and welcome us home
as we come and go upon the new earth.
…There
was a name inscribed on each gate …
one of the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Amongst other things, this will ever remind us that
our salvation came through the Jews (John 4:22). It also indicates that Israel
has access to the city and, no doubt, it is their home as well. And, since these
gates are individually named, I suspect they will be useful for orientation
purposes … departures and meeting places and so forth. By the way, these names
of the twelve tribes of Israel will also be inscribed on the gates of Jerusalem
during Christ's millennial reign on Earth. Did you know that? Ezekiel 48:31-34
lays them out for us. The order given there will very likely carry over to the
New Jerusalem as well. Ezekiel tells us they will be labeled as follows:
North gates … Reuben, Judah, and Levi
East gates … Joseph, Benjamin and Dan
South gates … Simeon, Issachar and Zebulon
West gates … Gad, Asher and Naphtali
One time or
another, you may have heard a brother or sister say, I'll meet you at the
Eastern Gate! (referring to meeting them in Heaven one day). Next time
someone says that to you, you might answer, Which one, Joseph,
Benjamin or Dan? 21:14
…Finally,
John says it had twelve foundations and on them were the twelve
names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. In
Ephesians 2:19-20,
we read, Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow
citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief corner stone…
All who come to this great city
will marvel at the foundations of its wall and will see the names of the twelve
Apostles of the Lamb inscribed upon them. These names will forever be there. I
believe they are there to remind us that our faith is built upon the sacrifices
and teachings of these twelve great and dear men of God as well as the huge role
they played in the laying of the foundations of the Church. We owe a great deal
to them. They gave their lives for Christ, his gospel, and for you and me, his
Church. So, when we enter or leave our city, we will ever be reminded of these
men who were so instrumental in bringing you and me the Word of God and in
building us up in our most holy faith. By the way, there is
something here I believe solves an old argument from Acts one where, at Peter's
suggestion, the Apostles elected a replacement for Judas. You will remember they
elected a man named Matthias and it says, he was numbered with the eleven
apostles (Acts 1:15-26). Many think that although this was
logical and they thought they were acting on scriptural grounds, it was not a
Spirit led decision. Therefore, they conclude that Mathias was not a real
Apostle. I agree. The wall of the New Jerusalem only has twelve foundations …
each one inscribed with a name of one Apostle. There are only twelve. And, since
the New Testament is full of evidence confirming Paul as an Apostle, I take this
to be evidence that Mathias, though doubtless a wonderful and great brother in
the Lord … was not technically an Apostle.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rev. 21:15-21 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its
gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as
great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand
furlongs. Its
length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one
hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an
angel. The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure
gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were
adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper,
the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth
sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth
topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one
pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent
glass.
21:15-16 Psalm 18:19,
comes to mind here. He also brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me because
he delighted in me.
The New Jerusalem is big … really big! That is what
the Lord wants to convey to us here by getting John to measure it. John found it
to be 12,000 furlongs on a side and 12,000 furlongs high. In shape then, it is a
cube. The word translated furlongs
in the Greek here is the word
σταδίων
(stadion).
It is the word from which we get our word stadium. A stadia was
approximately 606 feet long. So, the outside dimensions of the New Jerusalem are
approximately 1377.27 miles on a side and 1377.27 miles high. That means that
its inside dimensions are over two billion, six hundred twelve thousand, five
hundred twenty one thousand, three hundred eighteen cubic miles (2,612,521,318).
That's a lot of room to roam, brother and sister. Our future home takes up over
two and a half billion cubic miles! And, since its exact height is given, I
believe we are to picture it in layers. C. S. Lewis envisioned it that way in
his Narnia Tales when his fictional inhabitants called delightfully to one
another, higher up
and farther in. I once took a course
called Population Problems. It was designed to demonstrate how
overpopulated the world was. However, to the professor's credit, he pointed out
that if you dug a hole, one mile square and one mile deep, you would be able to
put every human being on the face of the Earth into it with room left over. I
bring this up to reinforce how large our New Jerusalem truly is. I repeat, the
city contains 2,612,521,318 cubic miles! 21:17
The city's wall
measures around 216 feet high. The NIV says thick but its footnotes say
that it could also mean high. I don't think the Lord would describe a wall to us
by merely telling us how thick it was. 21:18-20
Now, the city and its wall are
breathtakingly beautiful. John says it was constructed of jasper
and the city itself of pure gold, clear like glass.
Apparently, in the new creation, jasper will have more of a diamond like quality
with a golden clarity. Further, he says that the foundations of the wall were
encrusted with all kinds of precious stones. Were you or I to
decide, one day, to walk completely around Heaven's perimeter, we would walk for
over 5,500 miles before we returned to the point where we started. And, all
along the wall, as we walked … mile after mile … the jewels in its foundations
would be refracting the light of the glory of God outward and all around us! Can
you imagine what kind of beauty that might be? The twelve stones in its
foundations are given to us as follows:
jasper … green
chrysolyte …
blue-green
sapphire
… blue
beryl
… yellow-green
chalcedony
… green
topaz
… apple-green
emerald
… green
chrysoprasus
… blue
sardonyx
… red and white
jacinth
… violet
sardius
… golden yellow
amethyst
… purple 21:21
John says that the city’s gates
were twelve pearls. Each of Heaven’s gates are constructed of a single
pearl. That's a mighty big pearl, you say. I know. But, it is what it
is. There are no pearls that big! you say? Oh? And, God couldn’t make a
pearl that big? Come on. Then, he says,
the street of the city was pure gold. First, notice there is only one
street in the New Jerusalem. The Greek word here is singular. One broad and
magnificent “golden walkway” has been prepared for your feet and mine in
the New Jerusalem. I can see it in my mind's eye as it winds its way upward,
mile after mile, level after level, through the city. I can picture it, ever
inviting the inhabitants of the city onward and upward to the high throne of the
Father and his Lamb. John says it is made of pure gold,
like transparent glass. So, to walk upon that street, I suspect
will be to experience sites and shadows of things below as well as things above,
adding greatly to the delightful sights within the city.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rev. 21:22-27 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb
are its temple.
The city had no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God
illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And 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. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day
(there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of
the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that
defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in
the Lamb's Book of Life. 21:22 Undoubtedly, the
best thing about the New Jerusalem is that it is a place of unbridled fellowship
with God and his Son. It has no temple. There is no designated place of worship
because there is no need for it. The Greek word used here for
temple is
ναὸς
(naos).
This is the word that designated the Holy of Holies (that most sacred inner room
of the temple) where God dwelt and which contained the Ark of the Covenant with
its Mercy Seat. The New Jerusalem has no such place. From gate to gate, wall to
wall, top to bottom and side to side … the whole city is a naos …
because God and his Lamb are there, you see. The Lord God Almighty and
the Lamb are its temple, our text says. 21:23
The City had no need for the sun or of the moon to
shine in it. Also, there is no need for
external sources of light in the New Jerusalem. The glory of God
illumines it and the Lamb is its light. That does
not necessarily mean that luminaries will not exist in God's new creation,
however. They will just not be needed within our great glory-lit city.
You will remember, back in the chapter one, when John first saw the glorified
Christ, he said, his countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 21:24
The nations of those who are saved shall walk in its
light. The New Jerusalem is a place for saved
people. Are you saved, my friend? This word saved is out of favor
today. It’s considered old fashioned. It’s archaic. It’s Christianese.
It’s certainly not PC. Some are ashamed of it. However, it has not gone
out of favor in the Scripture. In Acts 4:12,
the Apostle Peter said to a crowd of Jews, Nor is there
salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved. Romans 10:13,
says, For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.
Saved, is
a good Biblical term and it accurately defines what a person is or needs to be.
It speaks right to the point and tells it like it is. There is a great deal of
truth and spiritual significance packed into that little word. I’ll leave it to
your judgment as to the appropriate time and place to use it.
21:25
The gates of
Heaven will never be shut and that there will be no night there. No one will
ever have to wait for the New Jerusalem to open. It's open for business at all
hours. The significance of not having any night there indicates that, in our
glorified bodies, we will not need rest and recuperation like we do now. That
will certainly be different, aye? Down here, a third or more of our lives is
spent sleeping. But, that will not be the case there. 21-26-27
It also says, there shall by no means enter it anything
that defiles.
Only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life
can enter the New Jerusalem. These scriptures, and also
22:15, are not speaking about sin or evil existing in the new heavens and the
new earth. They are referring to the New Jerusalem and to the fact that it
exists right now today. No one who has not been washed in the blood of the Lamb
will ever have access there. As you have it back in verse ten, it is the
holy Jerusalem, a holy place for holy people.
Ephesians 5:25-27,
says, Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave
himself for her, that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of
water by the word, that he might present her to himself a glorious
church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be
holy and without blemish.
Every child of God has been washed by the Word of God and the
blood of the Lamb and is fit for the New Jerusalem. They heard the Word. They
obeyed it, trusting in Christ. They were then made holy. This is each and every
believer's standing before God. These are facts. Facts are to be believed. Our
citizenship is in Heaven, where our Lord is seated at the right hand of the
Majesty on High. When we arrive there, this present foreign land in which we
live, will vanish away from our memories like a wisp of steam in the wind.
Isaiah 65:17-19a,
says, For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and
the former shall not be remembered, not come into mind. But be
ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold, I create
Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and joy in my people… Is your focus
there more than down here, beloved? We believers need to be a heavenly minded
people. This description of our eternal home is given to encourage us to help us
to be so. If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things
above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden
with Christ in God. Colossians 3:13
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rev. 22:1-5 And he showed me a [NU omits “pure”]
river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street,
and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which
bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves
of the tree were for the
healing of the
nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the
throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall
serve him. They shall see his face, and his name shall
be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor
light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall
reign forever and ever.
22:1 Chapter 22,
continues with the description of the New Jerusalem. However, it adds something
of the warmth and softness of our great jeweled city. Here, we read: There is a river whose
streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of
the Most High. I like that word,
streams, don't you? I am hoping that one will run right through my
back yard! A similar river will flow from the throne of Christ on Earth during
his thousand year reign. It is described to us in Ezekiel 47. The reality of it
was brought home to Ezekiel when he was told to wade in it. Beginning at its
source at the Lord’s temple then, Ezekiel began wading and the further he went,
the deeper it got. We read there: And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he
measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters;
the water came up to my ankles. Again he measured
one thousand and brought me through the waters: the water came
up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me
through; the water came up to my waist. Again
he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not
cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that
could not be crossed. He said to me, 'Son of man, have you seen
this?' Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river. When I
returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side
and the other. Then he said to me: "This water flows toward the eastern region,
goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its
waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves,
wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of
fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and
everything will live wherever the river goes. It shall be that fishermen
will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading
their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of
the Great Sea, exceedingly many. Ezekiel 47:3-10 That certainly
will be an amazing and wonderful river that will flow from our Lord's throne
during the Millennium. It will be so enticing, so life giving! Wherever its
waters go … it will produce abundant life. What then, do you suppose its final
and permanent version in the New Jerusalem will be like? I guess you can tell
that I'm a sucker for rivers. As a boy, I waded, fished and floated just about
every inch of the Rio Grande river from Elephant Butte lake to Caballo lake.
Every river and stream I have ever been around fascinated me. From the little
stream up at Wall Lake in the Gila wilderness of New Mexico to the mighty
Columbia River where I used to live in Oregon, I loved them all. Where rivers
and streams are, there is life. The New Jerusalem’s river will be a source of
life like we won't believe. Its source is from the Throne of God and of
the Lamb. Can we even begin to imagine what that water might be like or
produce wherever it flows? 22:2
…And on either side of the river, was
the tree of life.
Lining the banks of the river of life,
the tree of life grows. Apparently, it expands along the banks of
the river and in the midst of the street like a giant Banyon tree out of Africa.
It is just one tree, not trees. If I understand the Banyon
tree correctly, it just keeps putting down roots from its branches above and
those roots eventually becomes a trunk and thus the tree continuously expands
and spreads itself. Wikipedia says one famous banyan tree was planted
in 1873 in Lahaina's Courthouse Square in Hawai'i and has now grown to cover
two-thirds of an acre. All along the banks of the river and in the midst of
the street of the New Jerusalem, the tree of life grows. And month
by month, it produces twelve kinds of fruit. These fruits were promised to, and
reserved exclusively for, Christ's overcomers back in 2:7: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in
the midst of the Paradise of God. This tree was also
in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). So, it is found in the first book of Bible
and we don't run into it again until we get here in the last book of the Bible.
Adam and Eve were barred from it after they had sinned, so that they could not
eat from it and live forever (Genesis 3:22). You will remember that God
stationed a Cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to it
after the fall (Gen. 3:24). The Tree of Life, in the account of Adam and
Eve in the Garden of Eden, is no myth. It was a real tree and I, for one, am
looking forward to eating its fruit one day, how about you? Also, notice it says
that its leaves are for the healing of the nations.
This refers to the people who will live on the new Earth in that future day. The
word healing is a poor rendering. There
will be no sickness in God's new creation. The Greek word here is
θεραπείαν (therepian),
from which we get our word therapeutic. The idea here is that the leaves
of the Tree of Life will be gathered for their invigorating qualities by the
Earth-dwellers of that yet future creation. Perhaps they will eat them, rub them
on the skin or possibly use them in beverages. In any case, they will be
delightfully invigorating and people travel great distances to come to the city
to pick them. 22:3
…no more curse.
You will remember that the curse, referred to here, was imposed upon our parents
(Adam and Eve) because of the fall. It turned the earth into a non-productive,
difficult and dangerous place to live.
We read in
Genesis 3:17-19, Then to Adam
he [God]
said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the
tree of which I commanded you, saying, ’You shall not eat of it’: Cursed is
the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your
life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat
bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you
are, and to dust you shall return. It is because of
the curse that dogs bite, bees sting and weeds grow. God cursed
the earth so that man's environment would be a constant reminder to him that
things were not right … that he was out of sync with God and all that God had
made. It is because we are sinners that we are continuously out of harmony with
the creation, you see. That will no longer be the case in the new heavens
and the new earth. There, all will be right; all will be in harmony.
There will be no more curse. What will that be like? I believe
that Mark's account of the temptation of Jesus gives us a bit of a hint, And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and
was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered
unto him. Mark 1:13 Notice that the
wild animals were in perfect harmony with Jesus. He was not a sinner, you see.
He was a perfect man. As such, as far as the animals were concerned, the curse
did not apply to him. Can you picture the wild animals crowding about him? Can
you see him scratching the lion behind its ear? You and I will enjoy such a
relationship with the entire creation one day.
…and his servants
shall serve him.
I like that. The New Jerusalem is a place of wonderful service
and activity. Have you ever wondered where the idea came from that pictures
Heaven as a place where people listlessly float about on little clouds while
they clutch their little harps … which, by the way, only has four strings? That
sounds more like Hell than Heaven, does it not? One of the most unbiblical and
misinformed concepts of Heaven is that it is a place of idleness. NOT! Glory to
God, his servants shall serve him there. Reminds me of the song,
There is joy in serving Jesus. Heaven is a place of real, significant,
and fulfilling service for the Savior. 22:4
…and
they shall see his face.
There is a mountaintop experience worth waiting for! We will see his face.
I don't think we will ever tire of looking upon him, do you? When this becomes a
reality, over and over again Jesus' words from
Matthew 5:8
will be fulfilled in us: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
…and his name shall
be on their foreheads.
This identifying
mark will proclaim to all intelligences for all time … just who we belong to.
May I ask you a question? How do you think of yourself? Do you say, I'm just
one of God's children, I belong to Christ? If so, good for you. Those who
talk that way are right where they ought to be. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is
in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were
bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which
are God's. First Corinthians 6:19-20 22:5
…John concludes by
restating that there is no night there, no need for a candle
or sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they
shall reign forever and ever. Again,
we are reminded that the New Jerusalem and the new heavens and the new earth
will be a place of dominion with Christ. There are many scriptures that back
this up. Here is one of them: This is a faithful saying: for if we died with him, we shall also live
with him. If we endure, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he
also will deny us. Second Timothy 2:11-12 Just before Jesus
left our world, he said he was going away to prepare a place for us (John
14:1-3). Here in Revelation 21 and 22, he has given us the thrill of a bit of a
tour of it. It has been a wonderful glimpse, has it not? We found it to be a
very large, warm, and familiar place as well as a place of incredible beauty.
But the best part of all is, it is a place where we saints will experience
wonderful intimacy with our Lord Jesus Christ and his Father. Blessed indeed are
they who have the right to enter the gates of this city. Scripture
taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved. 
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