The King Is Coming - 10

The New Heaven and New Earth

Introduction - “The last word of Revelation 20 is “fire.” It refers to the eternal fires in the lake of fire and to the eternal abode of all those who reject Christ.” (Robertson)

In the last lesson we considered what the Bible describes for us concerning the judgement of Satan, and also the judgement of Man.

From the fearful words that are given to us in that chapter concerning the consummation of this millennial reign of Christ, we now turn to a time where our thoughts are of eternity.

Let’s read together Revelation 21:1–8.

“1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 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. 3 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 shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Let’s Pray

In chapter 21 and 22 we find the end of God’s recorded revelation to man.

These final chapters take us into eternity.

They also record for us the summation and final message of God to man.

Leading up to this is the introduction of the New Heaven and the New Earth.

As we begin to look at these final events, notice first of all:

The Passing Of This Earth and This Heaven

Verse 1 records for us “1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

Along with this verse we must read Revelation 20:11 and 2 Peter 3:10–14

“11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.” (Revelation 20:11)

“10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” (II Peter 3:10-14)

These verses speak of a time when the heaven and earth will pass away.

We believe the heaven spoke of here, is not the third heaven, God’s abode, but rather the sky of earth.

AT Robertson, the Greek Scholar, stated this, “The old physical world is gone in this vision. It is not a picture of renovation of this earth, but of the disappearance of this earth and sky (not heaven where God dwells).”

Remember the Words of the Lord Jesus Christ. He stated in Matthew 24:35 “35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

Isaiah 65:17 tells us, “17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: And the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”

We discover further word from the Lord in Isaiah 66:22 “22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, Shall remain before me, saith the Lord, So shall your seed and your name remain.”

“Just as God brought this world into existence out of nothing, so can He turn it into nothing and create a new heaven and a new earth.” (Robertson)

Psalm 102:25–27 (As quoted in Hebrews 1:8-12) “25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: And the heavens are the work of thy hands. 26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: 27 But thou art the same, And thy years shall have no end.”

There is not much spoken about in the Scriptures concerning the new heaven and new earth other than the fact of them.

In fact one of the only statements given to us concerning the new heaven and new earth is that there will be no more sea.

The idea that is being conveyed here is by the Lord in verse 5 where He states,“5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”

“The eternal state is clearly indicated in the absence of sea, for frequent mention of bodies of water occur in millennial passages (cf. Psa 72:8; Isa 11:9; Isa 11:11; Ezk 47:10; Ezk 47:15; Ezk 47:17-18; Ezk 47:20; Ezk 48:28; Zec 9:10; Zec 14:8). The evidence of Rev 21:1 is so specific that most commentators do not question that the eternal state is in view.” (Walvoord)

In addition in the book of Revelation, the sea is seen as a symbol of the heathen, with the Beast rising up out of it.

Isaiah 57:20 associates the wicked with the sea which states, “20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.”

And perhaps lastly, since we are entering into eternity the sea itself represents something contrary to rest as the sea is always moving and always troubled.

Not only do we see the New Heaven and New Earth the Bible gives us but a glimpse of what eternity will be like.

In this we see:

The Picture Of New Things

As we move further into this chapter and the next, we understand we are looking at the eternal state.

We have moved beyond the Millennium. The millennium ends with the Great White Throne Judgment.

“The new city which John saw coming down from God to the new earth will be the home of the redeemed.” (Robertson)

The description of this city is given to us in Revelation 21:19–22:6 Let’s read those verses together:

“19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. 22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. 6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.”

“[this city] will be the dwelling place of our Lord, for He is coming to dwell with His people. This place is so glorious that God uses negative statements to describe it.” (Robertson)

Withstanding the beautiful stones, transparent gold and pearly gates, there are remarkable statements concerning eternity.

The first is:

1. No Sin

The first negative that is given to us is a place where there is no sin.

The Bible says in chapter 21 verse 27, “27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

2. No Curse

Revelation 22:3 “3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:”

We understand and remember the curse was pronounced first in Genesis… when we come to the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy we understand that there were blessings for following after God’s holy law and curses for sin. The message is simply this, where there is sin there is a curse. As we look at this list of items that will no longer be present it becomes apparent that all of these were a result of sin.

3. No Sorrow

Revelation 21:4 “4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying…”

4. No Pain

Revelation 21:4 “4 … neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

“In eternity there will be no sickness, no need for hospitals, no drives to raise money to combat diseases such as cancer or heart disease. There will only be everlasting health.” (Robertson)

5. No Seperation

Revelation 22:4–5 “4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”

6. No Darkness

Revelation 22:5 “5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”

7. No Death

Revelation 21:4 “4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, …”

The Plea Of The Holy Spirit

As we come to this final place in the Scriptures we encounter some closing statements by God.

Let’s read Revelation 22:17-21.

Sometimes people will pick up a book and become so intrigued by the message of the book that they flip to the end to find out the finish of the whole story.

In the book of Revelation, the Lord sums up the message of the Bible—-—and there are three sections we ought to make special note of.

The first is found in:

The Last Invitation

Revelation 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

This invitation is to come to the Lord. You will notice one word in particular mentioned three times: ‘come.’

The message of the Bible is God's invitation to man to be reconciled to Him through the atoning work of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Because He has paid our sin debt on the cross of Calvary, there is a way to be reconciled to Him. And He says to all, ‘Come.’

The invitation can be traced all throughout the Scriptures.

Think of when God invited Noah into the ark: In Genesis 7:1, “And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.”

As we move through God’s written revelation, we think of the words found in Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

The Lord Jesus Christ extends an invitation to the weary. In Matthew 11:28, He says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

In John 6:37, we see a blessed promise, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

Here in our text is a chorus of invitations,

The Holy Spirit of God says, “Come.”

The Bride of Christ, the Church, says, “Come.”

The one who hears and is redeemed says, “Come.”

And then we see that whosoever is thirsty is invited to “Come.”

The word ‘freely’ reminds us of our free Salvation. It is the gift of God. In Ephesians 2:8–9 we read the words, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Paul’s message of salvation was the gospel message. In Acts 20, he summed up his preaching by telling the Ephesians elders, Acts 20:20–21 “And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Turn from your wicked ways and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, His death, burial and resurrection. He shed His blood on the cross of Calvary for your sin, He died after declaring it is finished, He was buried and three days later---He rose again…triumphant over death, hell and the grave… “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31) Paul stated

“God swings the door of salvation wide open. He invites all sinners to come and to drink of the water of life. What is the water of life? It is salvation through faith in Christ. How do we take it? Freely, without money and without price. It is for everyone.” (Robertson)

The Last Promise

Revelation 22:20a “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. ...”

The Last Prayer In The Bible

Revelation 22:20 “... Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”