Possessing God’s Promises Part 3 Series

Part III

Revelation 21:9-21

Purpose: To highlight the glory and permanence of eternal life.

Aim: I want the listener to be in awe of the glories that await believers.

INTRODUCTION: Let’s take a bird’s eye view of the entire book of Revelation:

Chapters 1-3 Jesus is the Lord over the church

Chapters 4-20 Jesus is the Lion over the nations

Chapters 21-22 Jesus is the Lamb among believers

When I worked in the business world, most of that time I was a salesman. Salesmen are taught the importance of stressing the "OB’s" or owner benefits of what they are selling. Peter came to Jesus one day and asked what the "owner benefits" were of Christ’s followers.

Peter said, "Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You." And He said to them, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life." (Luke 18:28--30).

REVIEW:

1:1-20 I. John’s Vision of the Past "the things which you have seen"

2:1-5:14 II. Christ’s Vision of the Present "the things which are"

Ch.6-22 III. John’s Vision of the Future "things which will take places"

6-7; 12-14 A. Satan’s war against God’s creation- the first six seals

8-11; 13:11-18; 15-18 B. Savior’s war against Satan: The wrath of God- the seventh seal

Ch.19-20 C. The worship of God

Ch.21-22 D. The wonder of eternal bliss

Vs.1-8 1. God makes all things new

LESSON:

Vs.9-11 2. God unveils a new paradise: the new Jerusalem

These verses give us a fuller description of what we saw in the first three verses of this chapter.

Warren Wiersbe gives us an interesting contrast between the first three chapters of Genesis and the last two chapters of Revelation.

Genesis Revelation

1:1 Heavens and earth created 21:1 New heavens and earth

1:16 Sun created 21:23 No need of the sun

1:5 he night established 22:5 No night there

1:10 The seas created 21:1 No more seas

3:14-17 The curse announced 22:3 No more curse

3:19 Death enters history 21:4 No more death

3:24 Man driven form the tree 22:14 Man restored to paradise

3:17 Sorrow and pain begin 21:4 No more tears or pain [1]

Vs.9-10 a. It is God made "from God"

Jesus died for our sins and He prepared our eternal dwelling place. Our salvation is all of God. "In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2--3). So now we will see the house that Jesus has prepared for us.

Back in verse 2 we saw that the New Jerusalem was LIKE "a bride adorned for her husband" and here the bride IS the New Jerusalem. It is clear from what we will learn today that this is a literal city, but in one way it is hard to separate the bride’s dwelling place from the bride. Peter told us that God’s spiritual house, which later becomes the Bride of Christ, begins with Jesus as "a living stone" is made up of believers who are also "living stones" (1 Peter 2:4-5).

It is also interesting to note that the same angel who showed John the city of Babylon in chapter 17 shows him the city of God. The same God who hates sin and annihilates His enemies also forgives sinners.

Vs.11 b. It is glorious "glory of God...brilliance"

jasper. A transliteration, not a translation, of the Gr. word. Rather than the modern opaque jasper, the term actually refers to a completely clear diamond, a perfect gem with the brilliant light of God’s glory shining out of it and streaming over the new heaven and the new earth (cf. 4:3). [2]

What makes the New Jerusalem so wonderful, so glorious, is that it contains the unending presence of the Lamb of God. "No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory " (Isaiah 60:19).

John is trying to describe the indescribable, picture the unimaginable, and explain the unexplainable.

Vs.12-21 3. God describes this new paradise

In these verses we see the outside of the city. In chapter 22:1-5 we will see what the inside of the city looks like. As we go through this description of the New Jerusalem we will see seven groups of twelve: tribes of Israel, foundations, apostles, gates, angels, pearls, and fruit.