Focusing on our Destination
Notes
Transcript
We have been this week to:
The Mountain of Development: With Moses and the people of Israel
The Mountain of Despair: With Elijah as he fled from Jezebel
The Mountain of Declaration: with Peter, James, and John viewing the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ.
THE MOUNTAIN OF DECISION: with Peter, James, and John begin commanded to awake from the sleep and watch and pray while Jesus battled Satan with temptations to His Mind, Body, and Spirit.
Tonight we are going to finish this revival meeting on the Mountain of Destination.
According to God’s Word every person who is saved is a “pilgrim and a stranger” in this world,
1 Peter 2:11 (KJV 1900)
11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
As we make our way through this world, we are headed home,
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye 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 unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
But, along the way, there are many elements of this life that trouble us and hinder our progress.
Evil bullies like death, disease, discouragement, depression, and the devil make our journey home treacherous and difficult. But, when I read about our Mountain of Destination in Revelation 21, I am reminded that every one of the things that trouble us here will not be allowed to follow us home.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Now, I know that some of you are defeated, discouraged and disillusioned today. I want you to know that what you are going through will end some day and you will be home!
The Bible tells us that it will be better then,
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
Listen very carefully, before we can appreciate the Physical Aspect of the New Heaven we have to understand the Spiritual Aspect of the New Heaven.
Understand, chapter 20 has ended with The Great White Throne Judgment. The Tribulation Period has passed, the Millennial Reign has ended. God has judged all the lost and cast them along with Satan, death, and hell into the Lake of Fire. The Bible says this is the Second Death.
Remember, Man that is only Physically Born will die Physically and Spiritually.
Man that is born Physically and Spiritually will only die Physically.
What John Saw:
What John Saw:
Revelation 21:1 (KJV 1900)
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.
New Heaven
New Heaven
All the heavens above—the sun, moon, stars, and planets—are going to be destroyed and remade. God is going to make a new heaven.
Think what this will mean.
There will be …
no more violent thunder storms, typhoons, hurricanes, or destructive rains and weather
no more stars or solar systems that are burned outAll of the heavens above will be remade, created anew and made alive.
Think how glorious and beautiful the heavens look now when we look up on a starry night. But imagine what they will be like when God recreates them in all the glory and magnificence of a perfect universe. All things within the universe will be alive and reflect the glory and splendor of God Himself.
All the heavens above—the sun, moon, stars, and planets—are going to be destroyed and remade. God is going to make a new heaven.
Think about the light and brilliance and splendor and glory of all the heavenly bodies when God recreates the heavens.
Think about what it will mean to have a universe full of living planets and stars and solar systems.
We cannot imagine the glory and beauty. It is beyond our finite minds.
But note the significant point: the Scripture declares emphatically that the heaven is to be remade and recreated into a new heaven,
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.
New Earth
New Earth
The earth is going to pass away. There is going to be a new earth.
The present earth is defective; it is cursed.
The earth suffers under all kinds of natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, destructive storms, floods, scorching heat, deserts, famines, diseases, and death. But the day is coming when God is going to remake the earth. God is going to create a new earth.
Think what this will mean.
No more disasters or destruction.
No more thorns or thistles or unfertile and unproductive soil.
No more hunger or thirst.
No more disease, decay, erosion, or death.
The new earth will flourish and be fruitful, bearing all the good that can be imagined.
Think how beautiful, green, lush, productive, and fruitful it will be.
Think how peaceful, serene, and comfortable it will be.
Think of the security and provision, the abundance and overflowing of every good and perfect gift—the fulness of life that will be possible upon the earth.
The earth will be new, perfected by God in every conceivable way.
Little bit a creation thrown in here.
Genesis 1:1–2 (KJV 1900)
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Day 1 - God formed Time and Day 4 - God filled Time.
Day 2 - God formed Space and Day 5 - God filled Space.
Day 3 - God formed Matter and Day 6 - God filled Matter.
But notice when reversing the curse of sin upon the HEAVENS and the EARTH, God recreates them but He doesn’t recreate TIME.
NOTICE VS. 2
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.
Just like God created a Garden in the middle of this beautiful HEAVENS and EARTH, God now creates a City to be with His people.
There will be the new city of God, the holy city, the New Jerusalem.
The idea is that the New Jerusalem will be the capital city in the new heaven and earth. It will be the place where the very presence of God is symbolized. God’s presence, of course, will be manifested everywhere in the new heavens and earth, manifested in all of God’s glory and majesty. But the holy city will give believers a place with which to identify as they serve God throughout the universe.
The next verse shows this. The heavenly city is the tabernacle, the very presence of God that comes down to dwell with man.
The Lord’s throne will sit in the New Jerusalem and from there He shall rule and reign throughout all eternity. Note that the city comes down out of heaven. It is not constructed here on earth; God has it built in heaven and then moves it to earth.
Note also that it is said to be as beautifully prepared as a bride is for her husband. This points both to the beauty of the city and to our longing desire to have God’s presence right here on earth with us.
What John Heard:
What John Heard:
Revelation 21:3 (KJV 1900)
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.
Communion With God:
Communion With God:
There will be immediate fellowship with God. The very tabernacle of God will be set up right here on earth.
The tabernacle is a picture of the tabernacle of the Old Testament, the worship center of Israel, the place where the very presence and glory of God dwelt in a special way.
The picture is this: when the New Jerusalem, the capital city of eternity, is moved to earth, then the very presence and glory of God will dwell and live right here upon earth. When the New Jerusalem is established upon earth, God’s glory and presence will be forever upon earth.
God’s presence will never again be dulled or removed from the presence of people.
The one thing for which we long is the presence of God, the glory and fullness of God in all the abundance of life.
You may not know it, but the longing of your heart is for God.
We try to fill that longing with all sorts of worldly pleasures and possessions, but nothing satisfies—nothing but God, His presence and glory.
Until you allow God to fill your heart, you go through all kinds of negative experiences:
lack of purpose, meaning, and significance
emptiness, questioning, and wondering about life
routineness, dullness, and feeling drained
insecurity and fear and failure
But when man gives his life to God, he begins to fellowship with God and to experience all the fullness of life.
The point is this: in the new heaven and earth the presence and glory of God will dwell with man all the time. Man will never be without the presence and glory of God. He will always experience the fellowship of God’s presence and glory.
Note how strong the fellowship will be:
Four things are said:
The tabernacle of God, the very presence and glory of God, will be with men.
God will dwell with them.
They will be His people.
God Himself will be with them and be their God.
Think how wonderful it will be:
We will never be without the presence and glory of God!
We will be in His presence immediately and be able to talk and share with Him face-to-face: to fellowship and commune with Him, laugh and rejoice with Him, praise and worship Him, serve and work for Him—all face-to-face.
God says He is going to live and dwell with us; He is going to take over the management of our lives, guiding and directing us day by day throughout all eternity. This is what eternity will be like, what the new heaven and earth will be like. The presence and glory of God will be living and dwelling with us right here on earth.
Completion of God:
Completion of God:
There will be the perfection of all things.
Note two things.
Life Perfected.
Life Perfected.
This means that the body of man will be perfected; so will the environment and earth. Life will be totally different from what it is now. The very life and utopia for which man has longed will be a living reality. All the sufferings and evil of life and all the bad and negative experiences of life will be gone.
Scripture explains the change in the most beautiful and striking way: it declares that “God shall wipe away all tears from their [believer’s] eyes.” Imagine a world so perfected that there would never again be a tear shed.
Look at what Scripture says:
Revelation 21:4 (KJV 1900)
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.
There will be no more death: no more aging, murder, killing or war. No more miscarriages or dying children, no more dying mothers or dying fathers. No more funerals or cemeteries or burial grounds. Every one will have a spiritual body, a body that will be perfected, made incorruptible and immortal, perfect in strength and honor. There will be no death in the new heaven and earth. God will wipe away the tears of death.
There will be no more sorrow: no more brokenness, disappointment, regret, guilt, failure, weakness, inferiority, inadequacy, or incapability. No more homelessness, starvation, hunger, or thirst. There will be nothing to make us sorrowful. We will be capable and able, successful and fruitful, confident and secure. There will never be a regret or failure to make us sorrowful. We will be perfected. We will be able to live and serve to the fullest degree without any shortcoming whatsoever. God will wipe away all the tears of sorrow in the new heaven and earth.
There will be no more crying: no more disappointment, arguing, fussing, cursing, divisiveness, drugs, evil, immorality, separation, bitterness, burdens, or heartache—no more bad things that cut the heart and cause the heart and eyes to cry. Every life will be perfected. Everyone will be perfected and live together in love, joy, and peace—never causing hurt to another person. God will wipe away the tears of crying.
There will be no more pain: no more diseases, accidents, distress, pressure, abuse, beatings, fights, afflictions, or agony. No more emotional or physical pain. No more of anything that causes pain of any kind. God will wipe away the tears of pain.
But note why. It is because God recreates the universe. It is because “the former things are passed away.” God cannot state it any clearer: the earth as it is now is going to pass away.
How do we know for sure that God is going to recreate the universe?
How do we know that God is going to perfect life for us?
The next point tells us.
God Promises
God Promises
Revelation 21:5 (KJV 1900)
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.
God assures us that He is going to perfect all things.
He gives us three assurances.
God Himself assures us. Note that God Himself spoke from the throne of heaven and declared emphatically that He was going to make all things new:
God’s Word assures it. God gave a double declaration. He declared that His Words are true and faithful.
By true, He means true as opposed to false. He is not lying. He is God; therefore, what He says will happen.
By faithful, He means that He will do exactly what He says. We can all count on it.
And note: God instructed John to write down all that He said. God wanted us to know about His promise of a new heaven and earth, of a perfected body and life, and He wanted us to be assured of His promise.
Revelation 21:6 (KJV 1900)
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.
God’s sovereignty assures it. How? By the power and sovereignty of God. God declares, “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.”
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and means the beginning, and Omega is the last letter and means the end.
God is declaring that He is the beginning and the ending, the Creator of all things. All things have their beginning in Him. And He is the end of all things, the consummation and goal and the end and objective of all things. All things find their meaning and being in Him. And He spans all things just as the beginning and end span all things. Therefore, He can do as He wills.
The point is this: God has willed a new heavens and earth. Therefore, He has already spoken it into being. He has already declared, “It is done.” The clock is set and the event fixed. The minutes of time are ticking away, and the hour will come when the set time arrives.
Citizens of God:
Citizens of God:
There will be the citizens of the new heavens and earth.
Note that God Himself is still speaking.
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.
What He is saying is important, so important that He must make the declaration Himself. It is too important to have an angelic messenger declare the message. (God tells us who the citizens of His new heavens and earth will be. But note something else as well: He tells us who will not be.)
He warns us that not everyone will live in the new heavens and earth, not everyone will be acceptable to Him. But He shows us how to make sure that we are acceptable, that we do receive the right to become citizens of the new heavens and earth.
How?
The Citizens:
The Citizens:
1. The citizens of the new heavens and earth will be those who thirst for life.
God says that He will give the water of life to all those who thirst after it. That is, the person who thirsts after life will be the person who will receive the water of life. God is going to give life to the person who thirsts after it; He is going to give the fountain of the water of life and give it freely.
To thirst after life means that one thirsts …
to know the life that God wants man to live
to know the life that God gives
to know the fulness of life that is in God Himself
to know the hope of life that God has planned for man
to know the perfection of life that God longs for man to liveSimply stated, to thirst after life means to thirst after the life that God gives, to thirst after God Himself. It means …
to know God; to fellowship, commune, and share with God
to know the salvation, forgiveness, and cleansing of God
to know the hope, assurance, and security of God
to live for God, to obey and follow GodThe person who thirsts after God will be a citizen of the new heavens and earth.
2. The citizen of the new heavens and earth will be the overcomer.
The overcomer is the person who overcomes this world and remains faithful and loyal to Christ. It means the person who remains pure and follows the Lord Jesus Christ. The overcomer is the person who conquers all the temptations and trials of life.
Two great promises are made to the overcomer:
He will inherit all things, all that the new heavens and earth offer.
He will be a son of God.
The Cast Offs:
The Cast Offs:
People who continue in their sins and reject Christ will be doomed to the lake of fire.
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.
The fate of the people who will be rejected and doomed to the lake of fire is clearly spelled out.
What a tragic list it is.
The fearful or cowardly: those who do not confess Christ because they fear what others might say; those who are afraid to give up the world and deny self; those who fear taking a stand for Christ; those who fear to fellowship or become identified with Christians.
The unbelieving: those who do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world; those who reject Jesus Christ and His death upon the cross for their sins; those who profess Christ, but live hypocritical lives, who show by their sinful behavior that they do not really believe Him.
The abominable or polluted: those who are worldly and who live worldly lives; those who reach out to touch and taste the impurities and lusts of the world; those who are stained and contaminated and polluted with worldliness; those who refuse to separate from the pleasures and possessions of this world and refuse to turn to God.
The murderers: those who kill people and destroy the lives of so many others in the process.
The whoremongers or immoral: those who are sexually impure; those who commit fornication or have sex before marriage; those who commit adultery and homosexuality and all other sexual acts that God forbids; those who look and lust, read and lust, think and lust.
The sorcerers: those who engage in astrology, witchcraft, devil worship, spiritism, séances, palm reading, fortune telling, and all other forms of false beliefs that claim to reveal and control one’s fate, life, and destiny.
The idolaters: those who worship idols, whether idols made with one’s hands or just conceived in one’s mind; those who have an image of what God is like and worship and follow that image instead of following the God revealed by the Scriptures; those who put the things of this earth before God; those who give their primary attention and devotion to someone or something other than God.
The liars: those who tell falsehoods and do not tell the truth; those who deceive and mislead others; those who are gossipers and talebearers and who pass rumors along.
Any person who does not repent and turn away from all these things—who does not turn to God for forgiveness and forsake these things—will never enter into nor be a citizen of the new heavens and earth.
Where does this person go? Scripture is clear:
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.
If we quit now, we could say it has been good.
John Saw a New Heaven and New Earth.
John Heard God was Communing with Us, Completing Us, Making Us Citizens.
But you know what is better than seeing and hearing?
Jesus said “He that eyes to see let him see and He that has ears to hear let him hear”
But now we come to our last mountain.
The Mountain of Destination-
What John Experienced:
What John Experienced:
Revelation 21:9–10 (KJV 1900)
9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Verses 12-21 He experiences the Gates and Walls, The Size and Dimensions, the foundations, the streets and the Worship.
But beginning in verse 22 He mentions some things that He didn’t experience.
John describes what he does not see (21:22–25, 27).
This is where the experience really takes place.
There is
No Temple.
No Temple.
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
No believer will be without the full and perfect knowledge of God’s Spirit and presence. Therefore, there will be an unbroken worship, communication, and sharing with God and Christ. No matter what service or work the believer will be performing, and no matter where the believer is serving throughout the universe, he will be in unbroken fellowship and communion with God. Therefore, there is no need for a temple and its ceremonies and rituals to pull the human mind into the worship of God.
There is
No need of the sun.
No need of the sun.
Revelation 21:23–24 (KJV 1900)
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.
The citizens walk in the light of the city.
This would mean …
that they walk in the light of the glory of God
that they walk in the light of the knowledge of God, the full and perfect knowledge of God
that they walk in the light of perfection, perfection of purity and righteousness and perfection of wisdom, knowing exactly what to do and how to do it
There are
No closed gates.
No closed gates.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
The citizens will have constant, unbroken access to God (v.25). The gates are never closed and there is no night in the spiritual world. There is always perfect access into the presence of God, and there is no need for sleep or rest. We will have perfect bodies with perfect strength. In addition, the Holy Spirit of God will fill us to the fullest. The Holy Spirit will give us a perfect knowledge and consciousness of God’s presence. He will focus our hearts and minds upon God in a constant, unbroken worship. He will give us an unbroken fellowship and communion and worship of God.
There is
No impurity or evil.
No impurity or evil.
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.
Believers will be guaranteed a perfect life and service.
Believers never have to worry about heaven being imperfect or defiled.
God is not going to let an imperfect person into heaven, no matter who he is. He is not going to let heaven become contaminated with a single sin.
Heaven will always be heaven—perfect, absolutely perfect.
No person who has ever sinned will ever enter the city, not until the person accepts the cleansing of Jesus Christ. Unless he accepts the cleansing of Jesus Christ, he is guilty of sin. He still bears his own sin and the pollution of it. Therefore, if God let the polluted person into the heavenly city, the person would contaminate heaven. Heaven could no longer be perfect, clean, or pure.
Therefore, God will always keep out any person …
who defiles (is unwashed from his sin)
who does what is shameful (detestable, immoral things)
who lies or deceives
The only person accepted into the heavenly city are those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. The person who accepts the sacrifice of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, for his sins—that person will have his name written in the Lamb’s book of life. He will be a citizen of the great Heavenly Jerusalem.
Tonight, don’t just see and hear, but I want you to experience what God has already done and provided for you through Jesus Christ.
Revelation 22:17 (KJV 1900)
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.
Are you willing tonight to come?
