1. The book of revelation is a book of judgement and hope. We have spent much time on considering how the wicked will be judged and how God will destroy all evil including the one from whom all evil flows. As we said last week God’s judgement is complete.
2. And now we spend our last two weeks of our study considering the positive, glorious outcome of those judgements. We will consider our eternal state of existence. And what a glorious life it will be!
3. John begins the chapter by saying that he saw two things. In verse 1 he saw a new heaven (firmanent) and a new earth. And in verse 2 he saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem. Very little is said about the new heaven and the new earth. That is because the focus is more on the Holy City.
4. But there are a few things we can say about the new heaven and the new earth. We are told that the first earth had passed away. But this does not mean that the first earth, the earth as it is today, is totally destroyed or annihilated. It will be destroyed by fire so that all impurities, all sin, all the consequences of sin, including death and pain will be no more. The passing away of the old and the coming of the new can be compared to the resurrection of the body. The new creation is not a creation out of nothing but a renewal.
5. The sea will be no more. The sea is that which separates continents and peoples. There may be a renewed sea but if there is it will no longer be a barrier between peoples.
6. The new creation will be radically different. A transformation. As we said, sin and its effects will be gone. All divisions will be gone. All creation will be united in Christ. It will be a time of perfect bliss and unity.
7. We cannot find the words to describe the new earth and the new heaven and the new earth. It is beyond our earthly language. And so it is described as to what will not ne there.
Rev 21:4 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."
8. The New Jerusalem is not the same as the new creation but it will inhabit all of creation. Is this a literal city that John sees? The answer is no.
First, because what John is seeing is a vision. And much of what is seen in visions is symbolic.
b. Second we need to remember that the city is also described as the bride of the Lamb. And a bride is not a literal city.
c. Thirdly, we also need to remember the symbolic meaning of Jerusalem. In the OT is was the capital of the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people. In the NT it was the church of Jesus Christ (still is). But in the end, it is the perfected church
9. The New Jerusalem is the church triumphant in its perfect glory. This city is the NEW Jerusalem, different from the old Jerusalem. A city is a place of community and fellowship. In the OT our fellowship with God was more or less external. God was with His people. In the NT that became more internal as God, the Holy Spirit dwelt with His people. The church today is in fellowship with God but because of our sin that fellowship is not perfect. And the church contains hypocrites and unbelievers. But the New Jerusalem will be perfectly holy and we will have a perfect fellowship with God.
10. In verse 3 John hears a loud voice. He announces that the dwelling place or tabernacle of God is with me and He will dwell with them. The great blessedness of the city is that it is the dwelling place of God. I the OT the tabernacle was the sign of God’s presence, His fellowship with His people and His covenant promises. Now His covenant promises have been fully realized they see God face to face. In vs. 5, God, seated on His throne, says "I am making everything new." 1 Cor 2:9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."
11. This promise is a promises of a blessed life that we cannot begin to comprehend. Vs. 7 says we will inherit all this. All these new things will be freely given to us. And we will be renewed as well so we will be able to possess all these things and enjoy them and use them.
12. We will be perfectly satisfied. T him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. This refers to those of us who are thirsty in this life we now live in. Our thirst for God and the blessings He gives. God will constantly supply all that is necessary to have and to enjoy eternal life.
13. The water gives life, it quickens us and refreshes us and gives us complete satisfaction. But what is this water? Jesus provides the answer.
John 7:37-9 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
14. In a deeper sense, this water represents the Holy Spirit by whom all the spiritual blessings of salvation are bestowed or brought upon the church as a whole and upon believers individually. He is the living water which flows constantly from God through Christ.
15. Vs. 7 adds more to the promise. To he who overcomes, to he who is a believer, "I will be his God and he will be my Son." This is an individual promise to each one of us. We are sons of God already but we will be sons of God in the fullness of what it means. We will legally be His sons with all the rights of a son and heir. And ethically and spiritually we will perfected be God’s son, like Him, conformed to the image of God’s son.
16. Just another note on verses 5 and 6. The one on the throne says that these words are faithful and true. He says it is done. And that He is the Alpha and the Omega. The purpose of all of this is to confirm that this will be true. God is sovereign. He sits on the throne. Nothing can change God’s will. All things are under His authority.
17. The passage does not exaggerate what God will do for us. We may exaggerate things and use hyperbole. A 6 inch fish soon becomes 36 inches. But what God promises is true in its fullest sense. As we said before, the problem is not one of exaggeration or overstatement but of understatement. Our words cannot fully explain how great it will be.
18. Then one of the angels carried John to a mountaintop where he could observe the bride, the Holy City coming down out of heaven. Again we remind you that this is a vision not to be taken literally.
19. The shape of the city is a perfect cube. It is 1400 miles long, 1400 miles wide and 1400 miles high. At 60 mph, it would take a whole day and night to go from one side of the city to the other.
20. A wall either 220 feet high or wide surrounds the city. It has 12 gates, on which are written the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. In between the gates are 12 foundations on which are written the names of the 12 apostles. The foundations are made of different precious stones.
21. We already said how the city represents the church triumphant. The church which is now in its perfected, glorious state. The names of the apostles on the foundations remind us that the foundation of the church was built through the apostles’ work. But we need to remember that only Christ is the cornerstone.
Eph 2:19-22 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
22. The perfect dimensions of the cube represent the perfection which the church has now attained. The wall is not needed for protection since its gates will never be closed. Because of the glory within it, nothing impure will ever enter it. The symbolism of the wall is probably to show that the city is complete and finished.
23. The numbers are symbolic. The number 12 is the trinity (3) times the number of creation or the creature (4). The four living creatures represent creation and the number 12 symbolizes the elect or the church. Also the number 10 is significant. Each side of the cube is 12x10x10x10 stadia or furloughs long. 10 is the number of completeness. The church is complete in every sense of completeness.
24. The precious stones and the street of gold all show that the glory ofGod fills the city.
25. There is no need for a sun and moon although we are not told that there will be no sun or moon. The city needs no temple. The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. God will be fully present and fully known by all.
26. Vs. 24 and 26 lets us know that the citizens of the city include people from many nations. Many races and ethnic groups and peoples.
27. Brothers and sisters, this is our inheritance. It is where we will spend eternity. In perfect fellowship with one another and with God.
28. When we think of this we are able to endure the sufferings of this present life. We are able to endure. That is why God gave John this vision. To encourage us. And to glorify God and thank Him for His goodness. Praise be to His name!
29. May we more than ever be more ready to serve Him and suffer for Him. May our eyes not be on this world but on the one to come. The Holy City, the new heaven and the new earth.
