The New Heavens and New Earth
There's A Man Going 'Round Taking Names • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 3 viewsThe new heavens and new earth after God's Judgments
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God has finished revealing what he sees in the Roman Empire, He has dealt with Satan, the two beasts, their followers, the vision of John shifts to a future where God has also dealt with and removed the curse placed upon creation because of sin. Bringing the conclusion of Revelation to a wonderful and glorious future hope in eternity.
Let’s read Revelation 21:1-9
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them,
4 and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”
6 And He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
7 “He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
9 And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I shall show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
Are you ready for the message God has for us?
Cool let’s dig in!
What John sees
What John sees
With the new heavens and the new earth God is not throwing away the first creation to give himself a second chance.
Like to see if he gets it right this time.
What we are seeing is the complete transformation of heaven and earth by means of God abolishing the terrible destructive and tragic effects of sin.
N.T. Wright, “ The new world, in other words, will be like the present one in the sense of its being a world full of beauty, power, delight, tenderness, and glory.”
This new world will not have death, tears, and all the things that cause them.
At the center of this vision is God, who loved the first creation so much that he sent his son the lamb to redeem and renew it.
At this point in the vision God himself will address John.
Through the writing of John God gives a message to his churches and us also.
We are reminded of the love and tenderness of God Revelation 21:4
Revelation 21:4-5 John is told to write these word because they are faithful and true. A promise from God himself to his called, chosen and faithful
4 and He shall awipe away every tear from their eyes; and bthere shall no longer be any death; cthere shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; dthe first things have passed away.” 5 And aHe who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am bmaking all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for cthese words are faithful and true.”
A message of hope to churches still suffering at the hands of Rome.
This new world is going to be a place where sin does not exist. All the problems we face in this world will no longer exist. All because sin will be no more!
Just imagine that for a moment! Let it sink in!
God has dealt with the problem and now there is a new place for us.
Gordon Fee, “Although it is difficult for earthlings like ourselves to comprehend the full nature of such an existence, the attraction of it lies at the very heart of what it means to be human; life without pain and weeping.”
What awaits the people of God is beyond anything our mortal minds can imagine.
This place is not for everybody
This place is not for everybody
Make no mistake there are some who will not share in the joy of such a place.
Those outside, those not allowed entrance there is a place prepared for them as well, that in some ways is the opposite of the new heavens and the new earth.
8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
John is provided a description in verse 8 of those not allowed.
These are people who have chosen to live this way in spite of the message of the Lamb.
For those who choose to live in unbelief, open rebellion, sexual immorality, and idolatry the lake of fire awaits.
This second death is a not a ceasing of existence this is eternal separation from presence of God!
We have seen the description of this place already -
20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.
Revelation 20:10
10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Despite what people may want to believe there exists a place where people will be eternally separated from God. They chose this place according to Revelation because of how they chose to live and act in this world.
8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
This is why there is an urgency to the gospel message!
The New Jerusalem
The New Jerusalem
Next is a vision of new city for the people of God.
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
11 having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.
Bruce Metzger, “In the description of the city and its magnificence, the author presents at the same time a vision of heaven in a tapestry of symbolism that describes the church triumphant in its perfect and eternal glory.”
This is the place where the people of God and God himself dwell together. A time we all look forward to!
This new Jerusalem becomes the holy place now available to all of God’s people for all time!
John is seeing the fulfilled promise of a restored Jerusalem from Isaiah 54:11-12
11 “O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, Behold, I will set your stones in antimony, And your foundations I will lay in sapphires.
12 “Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies, And your gates of crystal, And your entire wall of precious stones.
All of this is used to indicate how awesome the “new Jerusalem” is, where God and the lamb sit on the thrown.
Where God’s people serve him!
The new jerusalem stands in contrast to the idolatrous oppressive city of Babylon, revealed to be Rome, mentioned earlier in Revelation.
Michael Gorman, “What is particularly striking about this final urban vision is not its size or who and what is present, but what is also absent from the city.”
As we consider this vision it is interesting what is not there!
No sea - the symbol of chaos and evil
No death
No tears, mourning, or crying
No evil, unclean, or accursed things or persons
No temple because its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb, and everyone has access to God’s direct presence!
No sun, moon, or other luminaries, and yet there is no night there!
No closed gates! I grew up with a song:
Where the gates swing outward never
Just a few more years with their toil and tears,
And the journey will be ended;
Then I’ll be with Him, where the tide of time
With eternity is blended.
I’ll exchange my cross for a starry crown,
Where the gates swing outward never;
At His feet I’ll lay ev'ry burden down,
And with Jesus reign forever.
Revelation gives clear indication that this place will be unlike anything we could experience or even imagine in this life!
Conclusion
The altars are now open
Why not surrender everything to Jesus?
You need to ask your self based upon Revelation 21 where will you be on the other side of eternity?
There is still time for repentance, a change in the way you live your life.
You are here today and have this opportunity, come to the altar and let the savior in!
Bring Jesus in and watch as he changes you from the inside out. You cannot do this yourself.
Where do you want to go, the lake of fire or the New Heavens and New Earth where you will worship God in the New Jerusalem?
Why not start the change by accepting Jesus into your life today?
Or maybe there is someone here who is still holding on to some part of their life that they have yet to surrender, why not come to the altar today a give it to Jesus?