June 4, 2017
Evening Service

A lot happened in Chapter 20.  Satan was captured and cast into the bottomless pit and sealed in there for 1,000 years.  This called the “Millennial reign of Christ” by many.  Christ and His followers lived and reigned together without any influence of the great deceiver.  At the end of that time, Satan was again released and deceived a great number of people to join him in a final futile attempt to defeat Christ.  The battle was very short and Christ won decisively as fire came down from heaven and devoured them.  Satan again was bound, but this time it is forever as he was cast into the Lake of Fire along with the beast and false prophet for eternity.  We also saw the Great White Throne of Judgement where all the dead stood before it.  They were judged according to a book of their works and their fate was determined by whether their name was found in the Book of Life or not.  Those whose names were not found were cast into the Lake of Fire which is their second death.   Chapter 21 begins with a beautiful scene unfolding before our eyes.

Revelation 21:1-2  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And the sea no longer is.  (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

·         The end of this earth as we know it and the establishment of a “new heaven and earth” is prophecy fulfilled from the writings of Isaiah of the OT and Peter of the NT. Here again we see the church referred to as the Bride of Christ prepared for her husband Jesus Christ.

·         Next we find one of the most comforting offerings of hope that we receive as John describes our eternal home.

 

Revelations 21:3-4 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 will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.  (4)  And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. And there will be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying out, nor will there be any more pain; for the first things passed away.”

·         Words escape me to comment on this wonderful promise we have been given and the hope that it instills within my heart and soul. 

·         It is the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s writing of the New Covenant which was coming where God spoke and said; “I will be their God and they will be my people.”  It also fulfills Jesus’ promise in John 14.

John 14:1-3  Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me.  (2)  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  (3)  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, so that where I am, you may be also.

·         He promises to dwell among us and do away with all tears of sorrow, death, mourning, crying and pain! I don’t know about you, but I won’t miss any of them.

·         Can you imagine a world without all that and so much more!  This is the moment we as Christ followers long for and dream of.  Let not your heart be troubled, this day is coming!

 

Revelation 21:5-7  And He sitting on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”  (6)  And He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who thirsts I will give of the fountain of the Water of Life freely.  (7)  He who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.”

·         The cross of Jesus has made “all things new” for all of us.  It made this moment we are reading about possible.  God’s perfect plan coming to fruition.

·         “To him who thirsts” He gives us to drink of the Water of Life freely.  Are you thirsty tonight?  God is the only One who can quench that thirst.

·         Just as we saw this morning, to the overcomer comes the inheritance of being a member of God’s family; not as a servant but a child. 

 

Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, sexual immoral, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, will have their part in the Lake burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

·         For the overcoming Christ follower, it is a beautiful ending to life long journey.  For those who refused to call upon the Lord and chose these lifestyles over serving Christ it is a different ending to their journey.  Jesus described their judgement this way in Matthew.

Matthew 7:21-23  Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven.  (22)  Many will say to Me in that day, Lord! Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name, and through Your name throw out demons, and through Your name do many wonderful works?  (23)  And then I will say to them I never knew you! Depart from Me, those working lawlessness!

·         Those cast into the Lake of Fire never established their personal relationship with God.  They never truly accepted his offer of salvation and made it their own.

·          These will be cast into the Lake of Fire and experience their due justice.  That time of suffering will be followed by the second death which is the cessation of life or termination of their existence.   Hell fires will burn for eternity but it was created for Satan and his angels’ not unbelieving mankind.  Jesus said this in Matthew:

 

Matthew 25:41 Then He also shall say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.

 

Revelation 21:9-14  And one of the seven angels who had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.”  (10)  And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven from God,  (11)  having the glory of God. And its light was like a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.  (12)  And it had a great and high wall, with twelve gates. And on the gates were twelve angels, and having names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel:  (13)  From the east three gates, from the north three gates, from the south three gates, and from the west three gates.

 (14)  And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

·         Here again John was limited by words to describe this wonderful place.

 

Revelation 21:15-17 And he who talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city and its gates and its wall.  (16)  And the city lies four-square, and the length is as large as the breadth. And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand stadia. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.  (17)  And he measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.

·         This all means the city will be a perfect square of 1,400 miles long and wide with a wall of 200 feet thick.  It will certainly not disappoint us.

 

Revelation 21:18-21  And the foundation of its wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.  (19)  And the foundations of the wall of the city had been adorned with every precious stone. The first foundation, jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;  (20)  the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, hyacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.  (21)  And the twelve gates were twelve pearls. Respectively, each one of the gates was one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, as transparent glass.

·         I don’t believe we can imagine the beauty John is trying his best to describe to us.  We talked about this Wednesday that we would be happy with a tent and dirt roads, but God has something greater planned for us. I believe it will be breath taking and beyond any description.  But the question will be will we even notice?  John now describes the one thing that may get all our attention.

 

Revelation 21:22-27  And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, even the Lamb.  (23)  And the city had no need of the sun, nor of the moon, that they might shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.  (24)  And the nations of those who are saved will walk in the light of it; and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.  (25)  And its gates may not be shut at all by day, for there shall be no night there.  (26)  And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.  (27)  And there shall in no way enter into it anything that defiles, or any making an abomination or a lie; but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

·         There is no building built to be the “house of God” because He will live among us.  His glory will light illuminate the city and there will be no need for the sun or moon.  We will dwell in the light of the Lord forver. 

·         And there shall we be ever with the Lord.  Comfort one another with these words!  Next time you get the blues pull out your Bible and read this chapter.

 

Lord, thank you for the hope that is given to us through this scripture and may one day or faith become sight.