Title: NEW JERUSALEM
Text: Revelation 21:2-7, "2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of
heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:
for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water
of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."
Truth: When we tire of the turmoils of the present, how wonderful to hear, "Behold, I make all things new."
All things will be made new. An inner city for the soul, a golden city, and a crystal one descending from
God out of Heaven.
What blessings and hopes for mankind are unfolded by the descent of this city
of God! God shall dwell with men. They shall be His people. He shall be their God.
Al things will be made new. The New Jerusalem will for all eternity be a success! The old one failed.
It was spoiled by the wickedness of men.
Let me illustrate: "Certain warehouse property was selling. The building had been empty for months and
needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the
interior.
"As he showed a prospective buyer the property, Clegg took pains to say that he would replace
the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage.
"’Forget about the repairs,’ the buyer said, ’When I buy this place, I’m going to build something
completely different. I don’t want the building; I want the site.’
"Compared with the renovation God has in mind, our efforts to improve our own lives are as trivial as
sweeping a warehouse slated for the wrecking ball. When we become God’s, the old life is over
(2 Cor. 5:17). He makes all things new. All he wants is the site and the permission to build."
In the New Jerusalem, everything will be at peace and under the full enjoyment of God’s presence. What
a safe and happy city it will be! Oh! New Jerusalem, guided and ruled by God in every detail. There sin
will have been banished. There will be a life of brotherhood, and most importantly the absolute supremacy
of Christ.
Now, comparing and contrasting the two cities under consideration in this treatise may give shock and
awe concerning the first city and a wonderful anticipation of someday being a resident of the second city.
The first city Enoch, built by Cain, was located in the land of Nod (Gen. 4:16-17). It was the land
to which Cain fled or wandered after the murder of Abel. Nod, in this context, means wandering.
Cain had attempted to defy God. Now he wanders being continually restless and uneasy.
According the the Word of God rest can be found only in God.
An unknown author penned these appropriate lines:
"Return therefore to thy rest, O my soul,
to thy rest in God; else thou art for ever
restless."
Cain! You build that city (Enoch). Build. Build. Build. Establish that headquarters of apostasy.
Cain, you have forsaken God. You have pitched your tent in this decaying world.
Now that you have disobeyed God’s command to be a fugitive and vagabond; are you attempting
to drown your guilty conscience in the noises of axes and hammers?
The spirit of Cain was the spirit of ungodliness that manifested itself in the following:
worldliness
Earthly side of things became a priority
ignoring the spiritual and the divine
materialism as a substitute for God
attempt at independence from God
The spirit of Cain was the spirit of unrighteousness. He acted in untruthfulness, injustice, and violence.
What saith the Scripture? 1 John 3: 11-12, "For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning,
that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And
wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous."
Jude 8, 11, " Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of
dignities. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain,..."
The spirit of Cain was the spirit of unbrotherliness. He killed his brother. We could say that the corpse of
Abel was the foundation stone of that first city that was built in the attitude of cruel egotism. Cain’s bloody
red finger marks are on the city--it is the blood of his brother Abel.
The city was one of excessive greed, adulterated and an impure mixture of ambition and cruelty.
Very selfish huh?
Selfishness illustrated: "Ralph L. Woods: An ambitious farmer, unhappy about the yield of
his crops, heard of a highly recommended new seed corn. He bought some and produced a
crop that was so abundant his astonished neighbors asked him to sell them a portion of the new
seed. But the farmer, afraid that he would lose a profitable competitive advantage, refused.
"The second year the new seed did not produce as good a crop, and when the third-year crop
was still worse it dawned upon the farmer that his prize corn was being pollinated by the inferior
grade of corn from his neighbors’ fields."___C.R. Gibson, Wellsprings of Wisdom.
Cain’s selfishness engendered weakness, wretchedness, and peril. It would throw a strange black shadow
on all the magnificence of civilization. Whatever has the stain of this blood on it will rot, smell, and perish.
(Observation) Our great populations are presently full of wretchedness enhanced by a lack of truth,
equity, and mercy.
The spirit of Cain was the spirit of ungodliness. The spirit of Cain was the spirit of unrighteousness.
The spirit of Cain was the spirit of unbrotherliness.
Often considering the the bad, ugly, and distasteful causes a greater appreciation for the good, pure,
and righteous.
In Genesis we see the first city. It was built by Cain.
In Revelation we see the last city. It is built by Christ.
The city New Jerusalem will display purified and exalted city life. There will be no evil within. The good
life will be brought to glorious perfection. What a grand work of Christ New Jerusalem will be!
The Spirit of Christ into the hearts of New Jerusalem’s inhabitants:
Godly spirituality
recognition of the living God
assurance of God’s existence, government, watchfulness, equity, and faithfulness
The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of brotherliness.
Red marks on this city are from the builder’s own blood.
(Application) Christ laid down His life for us. Can we do any less for the brethren?
New Jerusalem, a wonderful difference. Christ’s Spirit will inspire men, soften their opposing and
hostilities, lighten their burdens, wipe away the tears. He will make the rough places smooth, and
the dark places light. He will make the crooked places plain.
The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of Righteousness. He comes with sweetness of love, majesty of truth
and justice. In the Spirit of Righteousness He has prepared, for the believers, the ideal city called
New Jerusalem.
"Way back, in a review paper, a writer pictured the London of the future: perfect sanitary and political
conditions; no dust in the streets; no smoke in the air; no noise or fog; spaces everywhere for flowers
and sunlight; the sky always pure."___Rev. W. L. Watkinson
The New Jerusalem will far exceed the expectations of the writer just mentioned!
Wherever He (Jesus the Christ) is received he creates--
purity of heart
faithfulness
uprightness of spirit and action
conscientiousness
Conscientiousness defined, Guided by or in accordance with the dictates of conscience; principled.
Conscientiousness illustrated, "During his term as President of the U. S., Lyndon Johnson was somewhat
overweight. One day his wife challenged him with this blunt assertion: ’You can’t run the country if you
can’t run yourself.’ Respecting Mrs. Johnson"s wise observation, the President lost 23 pounds."___Unknown.
In conclusion; we have looked at "the good, the bad, and the ugly." The good of God, the city called "New
Jerusalem," is the best choice. It is the most beneficial. It is the longest lasting (forever). The bad, worldly,
and carnal is only temporary.
Will you spend eternity in the presence of God? Jesus said..., “I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who
believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die
(John 11:25-26 NKJV)."
"I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last (Rev 22:13 NKJV)."
"I died, and behold I am alive forever more, and I hold the keys of hell and death (Rev. 1:18 NKJV)."
"Because I live, you will live also (John 14:19b).”
Please, reader, choose the good with all its eternal benefits. Come to the Lord Jesus repenting.
Receive His eternal salvation and newness of life here and hereafter. Please, do not let the enemy
of the soul, Satan, dissuade your committing and commitment to Jesus. Won’t you come? Today is
the day of salvation.
Lose that excess baggage, whatever it is. Remember the narrative of President Johnson losing 23 pounds.
Become fit for the New Jerusalem.
That "utopia" is not yet: but think of the city of the future (New Jerusalem) where life, laws. institutions,
trade, politics, pleasure, and the righteousness of Christ shall find full and final manifestation.
