“The Great Unveiling: Great Expectations”
Revelation 21:1 – 22:5
Revelation is really the tale of two cities – one of the beast and his followers and one of the Lamb and his followers. Almost every week we’ve dealt with the evil city of the beast. Today we have the pause that refreshes and renews.
At this point in Revelation, the earthly struggles are over. Satan and his followers are in the lake of fire forever; God is on his throne forever. The only issue still remaining is the state and place of the redeemed. Though words cannot really describe it, John shares what he has seen. As Herman Lockyer wrote, his words here “Call for contemplation more than interpretation, for reverence more than research.” (1) Paul said it best when he wrote, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him…” (1 Cor. 2:9)
In the verses we just read we find some great expectations - what we can expect from God and what God can expect from us. First, let’s contemplate OUR EXPECTATIONS OF GOD. And the first expectation we can have is (3) “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband…” (10) “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.” We can expect A PREPARED PLACE. A future home has long been an expectation for God’s people. Even Abraham had this hope: “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God…they were looking for a better country – a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” In fact, JESUS HAS GONE TO PREPARE OUR HOME. Recall Jesus’ words in John 14:1-3, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” It’s the imagery of the engagement period. The groom returned home to prepare his house and land. Then, about a year later, he returned with the wedding party to pick up and marry his bride, and processes back to their new home. That’s what we can expect from God.
Secondly, we can expect NEWNESS from God. “New” is a key word throughout this passage. It is all parallel to Genesis 1 – we’re hearing “Let there be” all over again. The earth and the world as we know it are tainted with sin and all the effects of sin. Something totally new is needed. And John sees it! Yet words are inadequate, so John deals with what we know and paints a picture of the opposite.
For example, he said there will be no more sea. The sea in Revelation stands for separation, destruction, and unrest; they will all be gone. Sin and human turmoil will be non-existent. As verse 4 puts it, “He (God) will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” When was the last time you cried? The last time you were in pain? The last time you mourned? There is coming a day when “no more!” God doesn’t just wipe the tears – He removes them! Those former things, THE RESULTS OF SIN, WILL BE GONE, done away! Think of the worst things in this world – sickness, pain, hunger, thirst, tears, turmoil, separation, death, temptation; they will be erased forever! Forgiveness will be the rule of the day – our sins will be forgiven! There will be no more scars, no more sores, and no more pain – physical, mental, or emotional. Suffering, in all its forms – gone! Hospitals, death, funerals, grief – gone! Wheelchairs, canes, crutches – gone! Suicide bombers, twin tower attacks, army invasions, guns in schools, car bombs, terrorists, missiles, airstrikes - gone! Mental and physical handicaps – gone! Blindness, deafness, dumbness – gone! Parkinson’s, MS, diabetes, arthritis, rheumatism, paralysis, heart disease – gone! Cancer – gone! AIDS – gone! Rape, abuse, and violence – gone! Financial failures and business bankruptcies and stock market roller-coasters – gone! Racial hatred, prejudice, social injustice – gone!
As Peter put it (II Pt. 3:13): “Righteousness (where everything is in right relationship with God) will be a home.” Imagine: “Home – where no one ever has a heartache; Home – where no one ever gets angry; Home – where no one ever gets lonesome; Home – where no one gets tired; Home - where no one ever gets sick; Home – where no one ever dies; Home – where no one ever says ‘good-bye!’” God will make all things new!
See how far we’ve come far away from the evil city? From the heavens and the earth to a new heaven and earth; from the “darkness” He called night to “There shall be no night there;” from “Thou shalt surely die” to “Death shall be no more;” from “I will greatly multiply your pain” to “Neither shall there be any more pain;” from “Cursed is the ground for your sake” to “There shall be no more curse;” from “Driven from the tree of life” to “the tree of life appears;” from Satan appearing to Satan disappearing; from the wilderness to the high mountain; from the city of death to that of life; from imperfection to perfection; from man being cast away from God’s presence to Satan being cast away! It will be new! We can expect that from God!
A prepared place and newness. Then we also can expect to find FELLOWSHIP. Verse 3: "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” God has always dwelt with His people. He appeared to Moses on the mountain in a special way; He appeared to Israel in a cloud and pillar; He appeared to the high priest in the temple; He appeared to the world in Jesus Christ; now He will appear as Himself in the midst of His people. It will be a society of PERFECTLY REDEEMED PEOPLE IN PERFECT HARMONY WITH GOD. And that also means that our earthly companions will be there as well! We will be reunited with all those loved ones who’ve gone on before us – permanently reunited – never to be separated again! My friend Cam will be there! All those dear saints at whose funerals I’ve presided will be there! My in-laws will be there! My Sister will be there! My parents will be there! And we’ll all be in perfect eternal harmony with God. Listen again to chapter 22: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” Perfect harmony – a total interpenetration between God and people. Emmanuel – God with us – fully realized. God will be in all and through all.
Have you ever had a “God moment” – one of those moments when you knew beyond a doubt that God had worked things out as only He could? I picture this new life as a constant SERIES OF “GOD MOMENTS.” According to John’s vision every moment in this new holy city will be a God moment. I love how C. S. Lewis portrays this new life. In the final paragraph of his classic story The Last Battle he wrote “The things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
The fourth expectation we have here is that this will be A HOLY CITY in which we dwell. 21:9-24 describes, in great detail, what it will be like. It’s a city come down from heaven; it’s a creation of God and therefore REFLECTS GOD HIMSELF! And John mentions many building materials here – materials thought of so highly on earth that people fight and kill to obtain them! Yet in heaven they are but the building materials!
We could spend a great deal of time dissecting John’s description – but let it suffice to mention what it means for us. The numbers are again SYMBOLIC – DEMONSTRATING THAT THE CITY IS DESIGNED PERFECTLY TO BE MORE THAN ADEQUATE. The stones show us the magnificent glory and beauty. The walls and gates guarantee the sense of total security. And they give us a sense of welcome – the gatekeepers are the heavenly porters who come to greet and assist us! And the measurements remind us again that there will be room for all of God’s people – none will be omitted. Truly there will be no east or west! Just one great fellowship of love! We can expect that from God!
Finally, we can expect a beautiful IDENTITY. (22:3) “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.” The vision reminds us we will be CONSTANTLY SERVING AND WORSHIPPING GOD. And what a joy that will be! I can remember our youth sponsors, when we served in Sioux Center, decided to honor their young people – about 150 in all – with a very special, formal banquet and program. Nothing was spared! The youth came dressed in their best. And what a night it was! And the sponsors never had a greater night than that – they felt the joy of serving others and watching them experience joy! It’s the joy a child experiences when he or she does something for mom and dad and feels so very proud. That’s what service and worship of God will do for us. It will be as natural as minnows swimming in water and bees flying to flowers!
And our identity will also include BEING FULLY CHRIST-LIKE! On earth, that’s a goal we strive for; in heaven it’s given to us! 22:4 tells us we shall see God’s face: “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” The apostle John reminded us (1 Jn. 3:2) that we shall see Him as He is and we shall be like Him! The city will bear His resemblance and so will we! The Lord will cause His face to shine upon us, forever! We will live in an eternal benediction! As the hymn-writer put it, “What a Day that will be!” We can expect that from God!
It would be great to stop right here. Let’s bask in the sunlight soaking up the rays of glory, so to speak. But that would be to share only part of the story. There’s more here. Heaven may be a great place, but it’s a prepared place for a prepared people. We must be prepared for that life to come. GOD HAS EXPECTATIONS FOR US even as we live this life in the here and now! First of all, God expects LOYALTY. 21:7: “He who overcomes will inherit all this . . .” Have we been loyal enough to be overcomers? At what point do we give in? What does it take to get us to be disloyal or unfaithful to Christ? Years ago I was talking with a lady who was a teacher in the Kalamazoo Public Schools. It was in the midst of teacher’s strike. She was sharing how she personally was not in favor of it, and in fact was opposed to it. She said she was feeling so guilty because she would not carry pickets and really wanted to go to work, but couldn’t bring herself to go. She even got dressed and ready each morning, but the thought of those taking names of “betrayers”, of someone shooting pictures, of the abuse and names she’d have to hear kept pulling her away. And I wondered what I would have done if I had her feelings? And I wondered even further what I’d do if it wasn’t a teachers strike for which I was being persecuted but my religion. Would I dare face the powers that be? Could I bring myself to be loyal? What’s my breaking point? What’s yours? Loyalty!
God’s second expectation for us is PURITY. (21:8) “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (21:27) “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Peter, in his 2nd epistle, said that since all the evils things and material things are going to be dissolved, we need then to be people of holiness and godliness. We must live distinctively enough that we do shine as lights, that we are that salt that flavors the world. The world needs to see a difference! A moment ago I referred to 1 Jn. 3:2 where John said we shall be like Jesus for we shall see Him as He is. The very next verse says that those who have such a hope purify themselves as Jesus is pure.
How many times haven’t we as parents and grandparents said to our children and grandchildren, “When I was young they would never have shown that on TV?” And we chuckle and laugh it off by saying times have changed! Yet the real truth of the matter is they have – we’ve lost our witness and we bear some responsibility! If each generation lets go of just one rung on the ladder of purity, there will soon be no purity left in the world!
Thirdly, This whole chapter emphasizes that God expects us to LIVE WITH EXPECTANCY. We know what it’s like to be expectant. Think of a wedding, which is part of the imagery here. The preliminaries are over, the prelude is all done, and the wedding party is in place. There’s a moment of silence as everyone awaits the arrival and entrance of the bride. We can’t wait. We long to see her in all her beauty. Expectancy is waiting those long, nine months for that child to arrive and come outside the womb. It’s waiting for that serviceman to come home on that train or plane and it never seems to arrive. Expectancy is attending a prayer meeting for rain and bringing your umbrella along so you won’t get wet afterwards! Expectancy is an elderly person knocking on the door of Heaven so long and so hard, knowing that sooner or later He will answer and she will be home at last. We need to have the same kind of BREATHLESS ANTICIPATION ABOUT THE GLORY TO COME.
When Paul wrote the Philippians he shared that he didn’t know if he would be allowed to live or not. He even mentioned he’d really like to go to heaven and be with Christ. But he also said if that was not to be, he was ready and willing to do what needed doing here! I wonder how much we desire to go and be with Christ? Are we really ready? Not just “are we saved,” but also do we so desire it that we can welcome it right now? I know I often wrestle with whether or not I could say those words with Paul. Could you right now prefer death over life?
It was that attitude that allowed Paul to believe that the trials and tribulations of this life are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. It inspired him to write (2 Cor. 4:8-9 & 16 – 18): “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed… Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” That’s godly expectancy.
And that’s it. We have expectations of God, and He has some of us. He’ll meet our expectations. Will we meet His? Let Christ live His life through you and in you. Ask for the Holy Spirit to be your partner and guide each day. As the hymn says, “Let us then be true and faithful, trusting, serving everyday; just one glimpse of Him in glory will the toils of life repay. Onward to the prize before us! Soon His beauty we’ll behold; soon the pearly gates will open, we shall tread the streets of gold.” Amen.
(1) Herman Lockyer, Revelation: Drama of the Ages, Harvest House Publishers, Irvine, CA, © 1980 by Harvest House Publishers, p.302
