IN THE LAND OF FOREVER
REVELATION 21:1-8
THIS IS THE LAST MESSAGE IN OUR SERIES ON THE END TIMES. OUR END TIMES CLOCK MAKES ITS FINAL CHANGE AND WE BEGIN IN A LAND WHERE TIME IS INSIGNIFICANT. OUR CLOCK NOW STANDS AT:
THE APOSTLE JOHN IS CREDITED WITH WRITING AT LEAST FIVE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE. AMONG THEM IS THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, AND THE BOOK OF REVELATION. IT HAS BEEN SAID BY SOME THAT THE GOSPEL OF JOHN IS A GREAT TRAGEDY, BUILDING ON THE TORTURE AND DIFFICULTIES JESUS WENT THROUGH CULMINATING WITH THE CROSS.
PERHAPS IF YOU DON’T CONSIDER THE RESURRECTION AS THE FINAL WORD OF THE BOOK IT COULD BE A TRAGEDY. BUT JOHN ALSO WRITES THE BOOK OF REVELATION, AND IN CHAPTER 21, HE BEGINS TELLING US ABOUT OUR HOME.
WHEN LESLIE AND I HEAD TO MINTO THERE IS AN EXCITEMENT IN ME THAT BUILDS. I BREAK THE TRIP UP INTO FOUR PARTS. THERE’S NOT MUCH EXCITEMENT AS WE REACH BATHURST WHICH IS THE FIRST PART. I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST BATHURST, BUT WE HAVE MADE THAT DRIVE SO OFTEN, AND I KNOW A GREAT DEAL OF THE DRIVE STILL AWAITS.
WHEN WE GET TO MIRAMICHI, I BEGIN TO GET EXCITED. THIS SECOND PART OF OUR JOURNEY MEANS THAT WE ARE HALFWAY THERE. WE SEE FAMILIAR LANDMARKS THAT WE HAVE OFTEN SEEN, AND IT MEANS TO ME THAT WE ARE GETTING CLOSER HOME.
BY THE TIME WE REACH DOAKTOWN I'M REALLY EXCITED. WE ARE JUST ABOUT AN HOUR AWAY, BUT THAT HOUR SEEMS LIKE AN ETERNITY. I FEEL LIKE DOROTHY IN THE WIZARD OF OZ, “THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!”, AND I BEGIN TO THINK OF THE THINGS WE WANT TO DO WHEN WE GET THERE.
WE FINALLY GET TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF MINTO AND HAVE TO REDUCE OUR SPEED TO 50 KPH. I HAVE TO RESIST THE TEMPTATION NOT TO SPEED AS WE ENTER THE TOWN. WE SOON SEE THE HOUSE AND THE DRIVEWAY, AND THEN WE ARE HOME. THERE IS WEARINESS WITH THE DRIVE, BUT RELAXATION AT BEING HOME.
I’M SURE YOU COULD ALL TELL THAT SAME TYPE OF STORY AFTER TAKING A JOURNEY AND COMING HOME. THE QUESTION THOUGH I WANT TO PONDER THIS MORNING IS WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE THAT SAME DESIRE FOR OUR HEAVENLY HOME?
DO YOU EVER CONSIDER HOW TIME SEEMS TO FLY NOW? IS IT BECAUSE CHRISTMAS IS COMING, OR ITS GETTING CLOSE TO THE TIME IT WILL SNOW? I BELIEVE THE ANSWER IS ONE THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE EVEN CONSIDERED. I THINK THE REASON THAT WE SAY THAT TIME FLYS, IS BECAUSE MOST OF US ARE CLOSER TO THE FINISH OF OUR LIVES IN THIS WORLD, THAN WE ARE THE BEGINNING. OUR TIME THEREFORE IS MORE IMPORTANT TO US, AND WE ARE LEARNING TO TREAT EACH MOMENT AS SPECIAL.
HOW DO WE MAKE EACH MOMENT SPECIAL? HOW DO WE LEARN THE LESSON OF SOLOMON WHO SAID THAT THERE IS A TIME AND SEASON FOR ALL ACTIVITY UNDER THE HEAVENS.
WE USUALLY THINK THAT HOW WE LIVE IN THE PRESENT DICTATES WHAT OUR ETERNAL HOME WILL BE LIKE WHEN THE BIBLE TEACHES US THAT IT IS EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE.
1 CORINTHIANS 2:9-10:
HOWEVER, AS IT IS WRITTEN: “WHAT NO EYE HAS SEEN, WHAT NO EAR HAS HEARD, AND WHAT NO HUMAN MIND HAS CONCEIVED”— THE THINGS GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM—10 THESE ARE THE THINGS GOD HAS REVEALED TO US BY HIS SPIRIT. THE SPIRIT SEARCHES ALL THINGS, EVEN THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD.
WHEN WE LOOK THROUGH OUR NATURAL EYES, WE CAN’T CONCEIVE OF THE BEAUTY OF HEAVEN. BUT WHEN WE DARE TO LOOK AT OUR ETERNAL HOME, IT CAN CHANGE THE WAY THAT WE LOOK AT THINGS HERE.
I LIKE TO WATCH PROPERTY BROTHERS. THEY TAKE WRECKS OF HOUSES AND TRANSFORMS THEM INTO BEAUTIFUL HOMES. THE INCREDIBLE THING I NOTICE AS THEY ARE SHOWING PEOPLE THE BUILDINGS THEY WANT TO BE BOUGHT, THE PERSPECTIVE BUYERS TO NOT CONSIDER WHAT THE HOUSE MIGHT BECOME, THEY JUST SEE WHAT IS THERE NOW. THIS ROOM IS TOO SMALL, I HATE THE PAINT COLOUR, THIS CABINETRY WILL HAVE TO GO. THEY SEE EVERYTHING WRONG IN THE PRESENT BUT HAVE NO EYES FOR THE FUTURE.
THEN THEY ARE SHOWN WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE WHEN IT IS DONE. WE’LL TAKE THIS WALL DOWN, PUT IN NEW FLOORING, CHANGE THE PLUMBING, AND MAKE IT THE HOUSE OF YOUR DREAMS. IT ALWAYS ENDS THE SAME WAY, TEARS OF HAPPINESS AS THE FAMILY IS NOW HOME.
WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW OUR VIEW OF THE PRESENT TO DICTATE WHAT OUR ETERNAL HOME WILL BE LIKE. RATHER WE SHOULD ALLOW WHAT OUR ETERNAL HOME WILL BE LIKE TO DICTATE HOW WE VIEW THE PRESENT.
JESUS HAS GONE TO PREPARE A VERY SPECIAL PLACE FOR US. JOHN 14 STATES:
JOHN 14:1-3:
“DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED. YOU BELIEVE IN GOD; BELIEVE ALSO IN ME. 2 MY FATHER’S HOUSE HAS MANY ROOMS; IF THAT WERE NOT SO, WOULD I HAVE TOLD YOU THAT 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.
I WONDER, DARE WE TRUST THE MASTER CARPENTER TO PREPARE THIS WONDERFUL PLACE FOR US? WILL WE PUT OUR FAITH IN HIM AND BELIEVE THAT HE WILL NOT LET US DOWN?
JOHN TELLS US IN REVELATION 21 THAT HE SAW A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH. THE OLD HEAVEN AND EARTH HAS BEEN DESTROYED DURING THE TIME OF THE TRIBULATION. THIS NEW EARTH WILL BE WITHOUT THE CURSE OF SIN.
WE SHALL ALL LIVE THERE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. WE SHALL NOT AGE, NOR KNOW ANY INFIRMITY OF ANY KIND. WE SHALL NOT TASTE DEATH AGAIN, NOR FEEL THE HEARTACHE DEATH BRINGS.
REVELATION 21:4: HE WILL WIPE EVERY TEAR FROM THEIR EYES. THERE WILL BE NO MORE DEATH’ U OR MOURNING OR CRYING OR PAIN, FOR THE OLD ORDER OF THINGS HAS PASSED AWAY.”
THE NEW JERUSALEM WILL BE ESTABLISHED THERE. WHILE SCRIPTURE DOESN’T DECLARE IT, I FELL THAT THIS MIGHT BE THE INTERMEDIATE HOME OF THE RAPTURED, TRIBULATION, AND OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS UNTIL THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ETERNAL KINGDOM.
THINK OF THE SIZE OF THIS CITY. BY TODAYS STANDARDS IT WILL BE 1500 MILES LONG BY 1500 MILES WIDE BY 1500 MILES HIGH. CAN YOU IMAGINE LIVING ON THE GROUND FLOOR AND WANTING TO VISIT SOMEONE ON THE TOP? YOU MAY THINK IT WOULD TAKE FOREVER, BUT REMEMBER, THERE IS NO CONCEPT OF TIME IN HEAVEN AND EVERYTHING IS PERFECT. SUPERNATURALLY IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO BE FROM THE BOTTOM TO TOP IN A SECOND. IT’S HEAVEN WHY ISN’T IT POSSIBLE?
THE NEW JERUSALEM IS DESCRIBED IN THE REMAINING VERSES OF CHAPTER 21. I WON’T READ THEM BECAUSE I HAVE SO MUCH TROUBLE PRONOUNCING THE SPECIAL STONES IN THE FOUNDATION. MY WIFE CAN I CAN’T. WOMEN HAVE THE ADVANTAGE HERE AS THEY KNOW THE NAMES OF THESE SPECIAL STONES, FROM JEWELRY STORES. I TRIED TO LOOK SOME UP IN THE DICTIONARY BUT MEN AND WOMEN UNDERSTAND THINGS DIFFERENTLY. WOMEN LOOK AT A PIECE OF JEWELRY AND SAY HOW LOVELY. AS A MAN I LOOK UP THE PRONOUNCIATION OF THE WORD IN THE DICTIONARY, AND NO MATTER WHAT I READ I ONLY UNDERSTAND ONE THING: EXPENSIVE. THE LONGER THE DEFINITION THE MORE EXPENSIVE. MEN WILL SWEAT BULLETS WHEN THEY READ THIS PASSAGE BECAUSE OF THE EXPENSE.
WE ARE TOLD IN VERSE 5 THAT HE IS MAKING EVERYTHING NEW. RAVI ZACHARIAS IS OFTEN ASKED WHAT THE FIRST THING IS THAT HE’S GOING TO SAY WHEN HE ARRIVES IN HEAVEN. HE SAID HE HATED THE QUESTION. IT IMPLIES THAT WHEN HE SEES JESUS HE’S GOING TO SPEAK.
HE SAID “WHAT AM I GOING TO SAY? I’M NOT GOING TO SAY ANYTHING. I’M JUST GOING TO STAND THERE AND TAKE IN THE AWESOMENESS OF THE MOMENT. I’M GOING TO STAND WITH THE ONE WHO CREATED EVERYTHING AND DID IT WITH THE SOUND OF HIS VOICE. THEN I’M GOING TO REMEMBER THAT HE LOVED ME. IF YOU KNOW OF WORDS THAT CAN DESCRIBE THIS EVENT, THEN YOU ARE MORE OF A SCHOLAR THAN I.”
THE BEST WORDS OF ALL ARE FOUND IN VERSE 6. JESUS SAID “IT IS DONE.” THIS PHRASE OCCURS ONLY TWICE IN SCRIPTURE BOTH INDICATING THE FINISHING OF A TASK.
ONE OF THE LAST STATEMENTS OF JESUS WHEN HE WAS ON THE CROSS WAS “IT IS FINISHED”. PERHAPS HE WAS TALKING OF THE PROCESS OF HIS DEATH BEING COMPLETED. MORE LIKELY THOUGH HE WAS SPEAKING OF HIS MISSION. WHY DID JESUS COME TO THIS EARTH? TO BE A SACRIFICE FOR MANY.
JOHN 1:12-13:
YET TO ALL WHO DID RECEIVE HIM, TO THOSE WHO BELIEVED IN HIS NAME, HE GAVE THE RIGHT TO BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD—13 CHILDREN BORN NOT OF NATURAL DESCENT, NOR OF HUMAN DECISION OR A HUSBAND’S WILL, BUT BORN OF GOD.
JESUS ACCOMPLISHED THIS THROUGH HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS. IT WAS FINISHED AND NOTHING MORE NEED BE DONE ON HIS PART. HE WAS THE PERFECT SACRIFICE, AND BY ACCEPTING HIM AS LORD AND SAVIOUR HE CAN BE OUR SACRIFICE AS WELL.
THE FINAL PLACE IT IS USED IN SCRIPTURE IS HERE IN V. 6. IN THIS VERSE JESUS CLAIM SUPREMACY OVER ALL THINGS. HE IS THE BEGINNING AND HE IS THE END.
HE IS TELLING US THAT THERE IS NOTHING MORE THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. OUR ETERNAL HOME THAT HE WENT AWAY TO PREPARE IS READY. THE NEW JERUSALEM IS READY. JUDGMENTS ARE DONE, REWARDS HAVE BEEN GIVEN AND FOR THE REST OF ETERNITY WE WILL BASK IN HIS GLORY
VERSE 8 TELLS US THOSE WHO WILL NOT BE THERE. I DON’T KNOW IF WE WILL REMEMBER THE UNSAVED OR NOT. IF WE DO WE WILL REMEMBER THEM IN PERFECT JUDGMENT, AND BY THAT I MEAN THAT WE WILL REMEMBER THAT THEY HAD MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES TO ACCEPT CHRIST, AND MADE A DELIBERATE CHOICE NOT TO FOLLOW HIM. IT COULD BE POSSIBLE THAT OUR MINDS WILL BE ERASED OF ANYTHING THAT COULD CAUSE PAIN OR HEARTACHE FROM THIS WORLD.
I KNOW MANY OF YOU MAY WANT TO ASK QUESTIONS OF WHAT HEAVEN MAY BE LIKE. WILL WE RECOGNIZE EACH OTHER? WHAT KIND OF BODIES WILL WE HAVE? WELL TO GET INTO THOSE QUESTIONS YOU WILL HAVE TO START COMING TO OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS AS THIS IS WHAT WE ARE GOING OVER THERE.
THE QUESTION YOU MUST ANSWER NOW IS ARE YOU READY TO GO TO HEAVEN? HAVE YOU ACCEPTED JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOUR? DO YOU KNOW BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT, THAT IF THE NEXT BREATH YOU TAKE WOULD BE YOUR LAST, THAT YOU WOULD GO INTO THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST AND HEAR THOSE WONDERFUL WORDS “WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT.”
IF THERE ARE SOME DOUBTS IN YOUR MIND THEN TODAY IS THE DAY TO SOLIDIFY YOUR ETERNAL STATE. TODAY YOU CAN KNOW THAT YOU ARE SECURE IN CHRIST.
The New International Version. (2011). (1 Co 2:9–10). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
The New International Version. (2011). (Jn 14:1–3). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
The New International Version. (2011). (Re 21:4). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
The New International Version. (2011). (Jn 1:12–13). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
