THE BEAUTY OF HEAVEN
REVELATION 21:1-27
OPEN
As we begin our study of this portion of God’s Word, I want you to take just a moment to focus your thoughts on the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen. It might be a place in the mountains. Maybe you’ve been to some exotic location like a tropical island. It could be something you’ve seen while snorkeling in the Caribbean. Maybe it’s a magnificent forest or a field of flowers. You may have visited the Grand Canyon or the Painted Desert. It could be that you loved your visit to Alaska or some other locale.
Whatever that place means to you, imagine the difficulty of describing it to someone without the aid of still photographs or video footage. You want them to feel what you felt and see what you saw but you just can’t come up with words that do an adequate job. It would be frustrating for you and for the person trying to understand what you experienced.
You now know what it’s like to be in the shoes of the apostle John. In the 21st chapter of the book of Revelation, he tries to tell the followers of Christ what he experienced when the beauty of heaven was shown to him.
Rev. 21:1-27 – Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “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. 4 He 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.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”
“ 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” 9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 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. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.
19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 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.
There’s a lot of interesting and intriguing statements in that passage. We could get bogged down in the details and miss the point. The point is that heaven is a beautiful place. It’s a real place that is so wonderful that it defies description. It’s where we should want to spend eternity.
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity: “If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought the most of the next.” He then concludes: “It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this [one].”
Our challenge today is to become heavenly minded so that we can be the most effective witnesses for Christ and his kingdom that we can be. Let’s take a closer look at the beauty of heaven.
THE BEAUTY OF A NEW COMMUNITY
In the book of Genesis, we’re told that God created the universe in a span of six days. Most of that time was spent in creating this earth – its geography, its plants, and its inhabitants (human and otherwise). Go back to your thoughts on the most beautiful place on this planet. As beautiful as any of those places are, none of them can compare to our new community in heaven.
Keith Green would talk about the completion of creation in six days and then ask his audience: “Can you imagine what heaven will be like? Jesus has been working on heaven for 2,000 years!” And sure enough it’s true.
Jesus says in Jn. 14:1-3 – “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 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. 3 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.” And the apostle John tries to tell us in Revelation about what he saw and how awesome it really is.
Heaven is a community of impressive design. It’s been designed by God. In a passage describing Abraham’s faith, we read in Heb. 11:10 – For he [Abraham] was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Following that verse, the writer of Hebrews is speaking about all of the people mentioned in what has been termed “the great hall of faith”.
Heb. 11:13-16 – All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing 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.
Heaven is a community of impressive brilliance. The amazing part is that no light is necessary. Neither natural light nor artificial light is needed. Rev. 21:11 tells us that the glory of the Lord will provide all the light we’ll ever need. John says: It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. And because of that, he says in Rev. 21:23 – The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light.
Do you remember the Christmas story? Not the movie about Ralphie and his quest for a Red Rider BB gun. I’m talking about the Christmas story recorded in the Gospels. Specifically the part where the angels appeared to the shepherds and scripture says, “the glory of the Lord shone around them”? The same glory that shined on that field near Bethlehem will shine forever in the New Jerusalem.
It’s a community of impressive structure. John says the walls appear to be made of jasper. Jasper is a multi-colored stone of great beauty. He also says that these walls are approximately 200 feet thick giving its residence a place of safety and security. And then he says that these walls are also clear as crystal.
He moves on to describing the gates. He says that there are twelve gates into this new community: three gates in the east, three in the west, three in the north and three in the south. Each gate is made from a single pearl and each gate is inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. John is impressed by the craftsmanship and skill of the design and construction of each part of this new community.
John then describes the foundation. He says it’s made up of what looks like twelve precious stones. They’re the same stones as described in the Old Testament that comprise the breastplate of the high priest.
Each of these stones presents a fusion of color. I read about a man who visited a distinguished artist’s studio. The artist had his Bible open and it was turned to Revelation 21. He was arranging squares of colored glass. The artist explained: “I’ve made a great discovery. These pieces of glass are the same colors as the precious stones that make up the foundation of the New Jerusalem. When they’re placed in the order as described by John, they form a perfect harmony of color. If a convention of artists were called together to produce the perfect color scheme, they couldn’t improve on it.”
John says that each of the twelve stones is inscribed with the names of the twelve apostles. The inclusion of the names of the twelve tribes on the gates and the twelve apostles on the foundation is a reminder that Christ died for all – regardless of race or heritage.
Every city has streets. Some are dirt, some are gravel, and others are paved. John says the streets in heaven look like they’re paved with gold. It’s not just any gold. John says it’s comprised of “pure gold” that’s as transparent as glass.
In large cities they have skyscrapers with walls made of glass. There’s a process that coats the outside of the glass with gold dust and when the sun shines on the glass, it looks like the building is made of gold. When you go inside and look out, you look right through the gold-tint. If human beings can do that, what can God do?
It’s a community of immense size. John says the angel measures it with a measuring device made of gold. It turns out that this new community of heaven is perfectly symmetrical. It’s exactly the same all over.
When I was kid, I used to fight with my sister and even my friends over who got the glass with the most milk or the biggest piece of cake. To avoid the conflicts, we’d carefully measure the milk in the glass or the piece of cake to make sure we were being fair. Even then we argued that the other person got more than we did. In heaven, no one is more important than anyone else. It’s all perfectly measured, cut, and assembled.
Heaven seems to be a HUGE place! In our measurements, it comes to 1400 miles long, 1400 miles wide and 1400 miles high. The length and width described here would equal the distance from Maine to Florida and from the Atlantic Ocean to Colorado.
It’s also a community of immunity; immunity from suffering, sorrow, and sickness. There’ll be no disease, no death, no crying, no wars – neighbors will get along, and there’ll be no worries about division within the church. There’ll be no taxes and no garbage to dump.
It’s a community of imperishable beauty. Heaven is for eternity and its beauty never fades. Jesus tells us in Mt. 6:19-21 – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Ps. 16:11 – You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. When we follow Christ, we have the promise of a new community.
THE BEAUTY OF A NEW COMPANIONSHIP
The best part of heaven is that we’ll see Jesus face to face. He’s always with us when we’re his followers through his Holy Spirit. But when we get to heaven, our relationship with Jesus will be the deepest, sweetest, and most fulfilling it will ever be.
John uses the imagery used elsewhere in Scripture that portrays our relationship with Jesus as a marriage relationship. Marriage is and should be the most intimate of all relationships.
My wife knows me better than any person on earth. She’s knows what I like and what I don’t like. She knows my passions and my purpose. I hope that I know her as well as she knows me.
Because the relationship between Christ and his people is analogous to a marriage relationship, I believe Satan attacks marriage vigorously and relentlessly. Jesus, Paul and John all use wedding imagery in Scripture.
I’ve participated in a lot of weddings. In fact, I’ve done everything in a wedding except be a flower girl, bridesmaid or a bride. I see where John is going here.
I think my wife is beautiful all the time. But I will tell you she seemed most beautiful on our wedding day. Wedding days are big events for two reasons. First is the preparation. Most brides take a great deal of time in preparation. They spend a lot of time and money getting ready for the wedding. They go to great lengths to ensure that their dress, their hair, their makeup, the flowers and the decorations are as perfect as possible.
Second, it’s because of the anticipation. The waiting is nerve-wracking. The guests sit around chatting nervously. The groom and his party pace the floors in the waiting area. The bride and her bridesmaids are talking nervous chatter. But then it happens. The instrument plays the right chord and it’s show time! The wedding and marriage have started.
The wedding is supposed to be about the relationship. Heaven is called the marriage supper of the Lamb in Scripture. The relationship that counts is the one we have with Jesus Christ. Life here should be about relationship with Jesus because eternal life is all about Jesus. It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s all about Jesus.
Author and preacher John Piper in his book God is the Gospel puts it this way: “The critical question for our generation—and for every generation—is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?”
At times I’ve fallen into the trap where I’ve focused on what I’m going to be doing in heaven – getting to meet the people I read about in the Bible, renewing relationships with loved ones who got there before me, and enjoying the beauty and awesomeness of heaven – I forget it’s about Jesus. Jesus will be the only celebrity in heaven.
So, Jesus wants me here and now, not in the next life but in this life, to be so in love with, so committed to him, that if I got to heaven and he wasn’t there, heaven would be a disappointment.
CLOSE
A Sunday school teacher was trying to teach her class about how to et into heaven. She wanted them to understand that you can’t earn your way there. It’s only by the grace of God through faith in Christ. So she decided to quiz the class to see if they understood.
She asked, “If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all that money to the church, would I get into heaven?’’ All the children shouted, “NO!!!
Then she asked, “If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would I get into heaven?” Again the answer was, “NOOOO!!!”
She smiled thinking they got it. So she asked, “Then how do I get into heaven?” The children looked back at her stupefied until a five year old boy shouted, “Ya gotta be dead first!”
All of us are going to die. Even me. And I look forward to going home to heaven. I look forward to meeting those departed saints who loved me and mentored me and meant so much to me. And I look forward to meeting those people I’ve read about and studied about in the Bible. Most importantly, I look forward to meeting Jesus face to face. As the song says, “What a day that will be.” I definitely want to see Jesus there but I also want to see you there, too.
God’s grace is so amazing. If our hope, our trust, our faith is in Jesus Christ, we can look forward to our heavenly home – a home that can never be foreclosed on, destroyed by fire, or blown away by heavy winds. It’s our beautiful and eternal home.
A popular song years ago had people singing: “Oh Lord, I want to be in that number…” What number? “When the saints go marching in.” Don’t you want to be part of that number when the saints go marching in?
(Parts of this message adapted from materials by Dave Stone
