<< Previous | Index | Next >>"THE BOOK OF REVELATION" All Things Made New (21:1-8) INTRODUCTION 1. Chapter twenty ended with... a. The ultimate defeat and eternal torment of Satan together with the beast and false prophet - Re 20:10 b. The present earth and the heaven having fled away, with no place found for them - Re 20:11 c. The great white throne judgment in which all stand before God to be judged - Re 20:11-14 2. Chapter twenty-one begins with John's final vision... a. Of a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away - Re 21:1 b. Of the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God - Re 21:2 [Thus begins John's description of the eternal destiny of the redeemed. This would have been great interest to the original recipients of this book, and should certainly be of great interest to us today! Let's begin with...] I. THE NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH (1) A. AS DESCRIBED IN THE TEXT... 1. John sees a new heaven and a new earth - Re 21:1a 2. The first heaven and earth had passed away, and there was no sea - Re 21:b -- Remember what was said earlier about the earth and the heaven - cf. Re 20:11 B. OBSERVATION AND INTERPRETATION... 1. The description of a new heaven and new earth is used to provide great hope and comfort to Christians concerning their eternal destiny 2. This is certainly nothing new, for both Old and New Testament provided similar promises to increase anticipation of the future a. Isaiah's prophecy to Israel, concerning new heavens & a new earth - Isa 65:17; 66:22 b. Peter's reference to the promise of new heavens & new earth - 2Pe 3:13 3. Many think that it refers to refurbished heavens & earth, but I lean toward a completely new creation a. Jesus said heaven and earth will "pass away" - Mt 24:35 b. Hebrews says that things that are made will be removed - He 12:26-27 c. John said "fled away", "found no place for them", they had "passed away" - Re 20:11; 21:1 d. "no more sea" has been variously explained, but I like this one: 1) "The sea to the ancients was not so much expressive of majesty and grandeur, as something dangerous, destructive, restless." - David S. Clark, The Message From Patmos 2) "Isaiah says, 'But the wicked are like the troubled sea, that cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.'" (Isa 57:20) - ibid. 2) "But that heavenly life will be calm and peaceful, no storms to break, no uncanny dangers to lurk and threaten." - ibid. 3. So perhaps it simply indicates a very different creation of this "new earth" -- If a totally "new creation", it will certainly be suitable for our resurrected bodies that will be spiritual, immortal and incorruptible! - cf. 1Co 15:42-44,50-53 [At this point one might wonder, "But I thought we would spend eternity with God in heaven!". Let's continue to examine what is said here in Revelation, especially regarding...] II. THE NEW JERUSALEM (2) A. AS DESCRIBED IN THE TEXT... 1. John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven - Re 21:2a 2. It was prepared as a bride adorned for her husband - Re 21:2b -- Remember what was said earlier about the New Jerusalem - cf. Re 3:12 B. OBSERVATION AND INTERPRETATION... 1. The description of the holy city, New Jerusalem, also provides great hope and comfort to Christians concerning their eternal destiny 2. This likewise is certainly not a new concept, for the writer of Hebrews makes mention of it: a. As that city which Abraham and the patriarchs looked forward to - He 11:10,13-16 b. As that city which Christians looked forward to - He 12:22-24; 13:14 3. Note carefully: that John describes this city as "coming down out of heaven from God" - Re 21:2a a. As Jesus said, "which comes down out of heaven from My God" - Re 3:12 b. As would be described later again as, "descending out of heaven from God" - Re 21:10 4. Note well: This hope, the holy city New Jerusalem is currently in heaven a. A hope perhaps referenced to by both Paul and Peter - Col 1:5; 1Pe 1:4 b. But when ultimately realized by the redeemed, three times it is described as coming down "out of heaven from God"! -- As we will see, the redeemed will not spend eternity in heaven with God, but God will spend eternity with the redeemed in the holy city, New Jerusalem, which "comes down out of heaven"! [So let us continue to see how this all is described further by a loud voice from heaven...] III. THE PROCLAMATION FROM HEAVEN (3-4) A. AS DESCRIBED IN THE TEXT... 1. "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men" - Re 21:3 a. "He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people" b. "God Himself will be with them and be their God" 2. "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" - Re 21:4 a. "There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying" b. "There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away" -- Words of great promise and comfort, for those for whom the words are intended! B. OBSERVATION AND INTERPRETATION... 1. Again, note carefully what it is said about holy city, the New Jerusalem - Re 21:3 a. "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men" b. God's dwelling place will be with men 2. Notice the direction of the relationship between God and the redeemed a. God is with men, He will dwell with them, He will be with them b. Not we will be with God, but that He will be with us! c. Where? In this holy city, the New Jerusalem, which three times is described as "coming down out of heaven" - Re 3:12; 21:2,10 d. Where? In the new heaven and new earth referenced to by Peter! - 2Pe 3:13-14 3. And of course, notice how God will wipe away every tear from our eyes - Re 21:4 a. By removing any more occurrence of death, sorry, crying, pain b. Such former things have passed away, just like the old heaven and old earth! - cf. Re 20:11; 21:1 -- Here is the ultimate fulfillment of God's desire for mankind! - cf. Lev 26:11-12; 2Co 6:16 [What wonderful blessings proclaimed for the redeemed who remain faithful unto death! But this proclamation for the righteous is reinforced by God Himself, along with a warning for the wicked...] IV. THE PROCLAMATION FROM THE ONE WHO SAT ON THE THRONE (5-8) A. AS DESCRIBED IN THE TEXT... 1. "Behold, I make all things new" - Re 21:5 a. "Write, for these words are true and faithful" b. "It is done!" 2. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End" - Re 21:6-7 a. "I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts" b. "He who overcomes shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be My son" 3. "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars..." - Re 21:8 a. "Shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone" b. "Which is the second death" -- Again, words of great promise and comfort, for those for whom the words are intended, along with a terrible warning for others! B. OBSERVATION AND INTERPRETATION... 1. Consider the words "I make all things new", they likely reference: a. The new heaven and new earth, along with the holy new Jerusalem b. How the tabernacle (dwelling) of God is with men (as opposed to men being with God in heaven) c. How God will wipe away death, sorrow, pain, for the former things have passed away 2. Consider the words "for these words are true and faithful" a. They are repeated again in the next chapter - cf. Re 22:6 b. Do they serve as "bookends" for what is written between Re 21:5-22:6? c. That what is described therein pertains to what is real (true) and trustworthy (faithful)? d. I.e., while much (if not most) of Revelation should be understood as symbolic (cf. "signified", Re 1:1), the words from Re 21:5-22:6 might actually depict what will be reality! e. They do describe things found in books like Hebrews and 2 Peter which are not figurative 3. Consider the wonderful promise to those who "thirst" and "overcome" a. The fountain of the water of life will be given freely! - cf. Jn 4:10; Re 7:17; 22:17 b. The one who overcomes shall inherit all things and be God's son! - cf. Ro 8:15-17; 1Jn 3:1-3 4. Consider the terrible promise for those who are "cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars" a. They shall have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone - Re 21:8 b. To suffer together with the beast, the false prophet, and Satan himself! - cf. Re 20:10,15 -- The eternal destiny of both the redeemed and the condemned are summarized in these verses! CONCLUSION 1. The words in this section of Revelation describes things that will be new and different... a. A new heaven and new earth, with a holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven b. With the final destiny of those who overcome in Christ, and of those who refuse to believe in Him! 2. In our next study, we will consider more in detail what is promised for those who overcome in Christ... a. The holy city, New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven b. In which God and the Lamb will dwell with the redeemed in Christ Are we making preparation to spend eternity with God and the Lamb in the holy city, the New Jerusalem?<< Previous | Index | Next >>
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