REVELATION 21 - 22:5
NEW JERUSALEM,
THE ETERNAL HOME OF THE SAINTS
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We come now to
the final section of the book of Revelation.
THE VISION OF JESUS CHRIST IN
ETERNITY
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. 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
Hebrews 11:10,
speaking of Abraham’s hope,
… for he waited for the city which
has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
He will also
show us a bit of the
new earth upon which it will set. So, what we are about to read
is very special. Our Lord has given this to us to whet our appetites a bit until
we actually occupy 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 newEarth
that has yet to be created.
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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?
Now if you are wondering … Why is there no
sea?... I believe the explanation probably lies in two areas. First, there
is the issue of practical usability. About seventy-five percent of our present
Earth is covered by water which renders it unusable. But, that will not be the
case with the new Earth. The vast majority of its extensive landmass will be
very much available for our use. Second, 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. So, they are a grim and constant reminder of that past
judgment. As Peter puts 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 on
and on … 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. As he says here,
the former things have
passed away.
In
August, 2009, my wife and I went on an Alaskan cruise and were privileged to see
the famous Glacier Bay. It was
wonderful to take in the vastness and grandeur of that part of the world. One
morning while Carol and I were eating our breakfast and gazing out upon the
amazing mountains, glaciers and forests around us, the
new earth, of which we are
reading about here in Revelation 21, came to my mind. It occurred to me that one
of the hallmarks of that new creation will doubtless be its size. Judging from
some of the 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
Matthew 5:5,
will 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.
Suddenly, John saw a
sight extraordinaire. An immense
sparkling creation ("city" fails to adequately describe it), was descending …
descending … downward to rest upon the new earth. The greatest thing about the
new heavens and the new earth will most certainly be this
place. Jesus told his disciples he was going away to prepare
a place for them (John
14:12). This is that place. Its name is
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 any sojourner 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 and is
waiting for us.
21:3
Suddenly, 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 speak 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. Our Lord further assures us here that there will be no more
death, sorrow,
crying or
pain.
The ravages of sin will no longer exist in that happy place. Our deliverance
from its very presence 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 that with the
second Bowl judgment all of the remaining creatures of the sea were destroyed.
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 that 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 like 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?
The Father's
voice continued,
Write, for these things are faithful and true. Again, we not
only have his spoken word but we have God's written Word on these things. May we
step aside once more? The Father’s statement here reminds us of what a wonderful
thing it is that he has seen to it that his words were written down and
preserved for us. As we have it in
First John 5:13,
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 blessings, beloved. Don't forget to read your Bible.
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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 proclaims, It is done. This is extremely important 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 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. 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 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
Don't you know
he got some looks as the echo of that cry died out! 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 God's words from
Isaiah 55:1-3,
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 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 45:22,
Look unto me, and be ye saved,
all the ends of the earth: for
I am God, and there is none else.
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 ministering 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 3:7-8). If you have
not yet come to Christ and you can hear the Spirit of God inviting you to
come to Christ, do it right 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 is imparted 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.
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Rev. 21:9-14
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last
plagues came [NU omits:
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 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
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
The New
Jerusalem:
…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 our Father's house. As you have it in
First Peter 1:5,
…who are
kept by the power of God through
faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
…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
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 after one 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.
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. The:
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
…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. Their 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 and 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
1, 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
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 even
though the other Apostles voted him in as so (Acts 1:26).
_________________________________________________________________
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.
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 million, 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 contains 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 in college titled,
Population Problems. It was designed to demonstrate how overpopulated the
world was and what might be done about it. 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 at that time
into it with room to spare! 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 it's
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
...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 … 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
...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.
...the street of the city was pure
gold.
First, notice there is only one
street in
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
picture it … ever inviting the inhabitants of the city onward and upward to the
high throne of the Father and the 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
[NU omits:
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
[NU omits:
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
[NU adds:
profane, nor one who causes]
an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of
Life.
21:22
...The best thing
about 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 covering, the Mercy Seat. New
Jerusalem has no such
place. From gate to gate, wall to wall, top to bottom and side to side … the
whole city is the
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
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.
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 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
become. It sums it up nicely. It 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.
...The kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.
Verse twenty-six also states, they shall bring the glory and
honor of the nations into it. Who do you think these kings
and their nations will be? And, who do you think
they are in verse
twenty-six? These statements, coupled with 22:5, where it says that the saints
shall
reign forever and ever, make it clear that the new earth will be
a populated place. We are not told who
they will be, however. Will they be a brand new race of beings? Perhaps.
It hasn't been revealed yet. But
they will be there. That's
exciting, don't you think? Living for eternity in
the
new heavens and the new earth and reigning with Christ there is
certainly not going to be dull, brother.
21:25
The gates of Heaven will never be shut and there will be no night there. No one
will ever have to wait for
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
...there shall by no means enter it
anything that defiles.
Only those who are written in the Lamb's
Book of Life
can enter
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 fact that
New
Jerusalem 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
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. The description here of our eternal home is
given to encourage and 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 3:1-3
_________________________________________________________________
Rev. 22:1-5
And he showed me a
[NU omits:
pure]
river of water of life,
clear as crystal, 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
New
Jerusalem. However, now it
gives us something of the warmth and softness of our great bejeweled
city. We read:
And he showed
me a river of water of life... New Jerusalem
has water and trees and fruit. John says that he saw a magnificent
river of water of life there. Can you see it? Smell it? Flowing from its
source at the high throne of God … this amazingly beautiful river cascades down
through thousands and thousands of miles of the city. Along the way, it
doubtless takes on all of the interesting and lovely forms that such rivers
manifest here and now on Earth. I can picture its rapids, waterfalls, deep
emerald pools, and meandering streams … can you?
Psalm 46:4, speaks specifically of it saying,
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 backyard! 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, 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 flows 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
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 goes?
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 Banyan tree out of Africa. It is
just one tree, not trees. If I understand the Banyan 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
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
the 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
There will be
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 in God’s new creation one day.
John continues:
...and
his servants shall serve him. I like that.
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 have 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 that old 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.
Now, that is a mountaintop experience worth waiting
for! Amen? 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 a child of God, I belong to
Christ!? If so, good for you. Those who see themselves 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
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.