“Heaven…Inside & Out”
Unveiled Hope • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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This week and next will wrap up our series in Revelation: Unveiled Hope
And last week and again today…we are looking at HEAVEN…Inside & Out.
So please turn in your Bible to Revelation 21 & 22
HUMOUROUS STORY…
Fortunately, we do not enter heaven by knowing how to spell.
We can only enter heaven by the Saviour's blood,
Not by any work we can do…but solely by what He has done.
Getting to Heaven…is our #1 priority along with getting others to Heaven.
Why? Because it’s FOREVER
We're dealing with what is called the “Eternal State” in Revelation 21-22,
Revelation 21:6 God declares “It is done…” It's over…This is it…Time is done.
Everything God wanted to do…He has done.
Saving souls…
Judging the world…
Millennial kingdom…
7-year tribulation…
Great white throne judgment…
Millennial kingdom, over.
Now ETERNITY begins.
So what will that be like?
What will the eternal state be like?
We began last Sunday In Revelation 21:1-8, with the new Heavens & new Earth introduced to us…
Now in the rest of Revelation 21-22 we have details of new Jerusalem.
OPEN HOUSE…Essentially…a WALK-THROUGH of new Jerusalem…
PEW Research did a poll done a few years ago now…asking people about Heaven.
47% believe heaven...isn't a real place.
40% actually said…it's a real place.
10% believe everybody goes to Heaven, no matter who they are and what they have done.
25% said only good people…go to Heaven…
BTW…if true…none of us would be going there, including myself.
Heaven is NOT for good people…Heaven is for saved people…for forgiven people.
And if you've been forgiven…you are saved…you are going to heaven.
So what I want you to do this morning to IMAGINE heaven from what we have here in this text.
I want to give you 7 THINGS to KNOW about Heaven…capital city, New Jerusalem.
I pray they will Encourage…Comfort & Keep your HEART STEADY on Jesus…
…that you may LIVE in JOYFUL ANTICIPATION of your ultimate, eternal home.
1. Heaven is…a PREPARED PLACE…Revelation 21:2
First, notice that it is prepared. Turn back to Revelation 21:2. We looked at this last week.
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
John sees “…the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven…PREPARED as a bride…”
Every bride prepares for her wedding…it requires much thought, preparation and planning.
“prepared” = infers that much thought has gone into this city. That is how God works…
When God created the heavens and the earth… it required planning, preparation…6 days
What a great job He did…Imagine 2000 years of His work!
So this tells us God is not haphazard. “…this place is prepared.”
John 14:2 Jesus said, "In my Father's house, there are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."
Matthew 25:32 tells us Hell is prepared for the devil and his angels…Heaven is prepared for you.
{BTW…this is a really good thing to think about…especially when a believer dies.}
2. Heaven is…PORTRAYED as a BRIDE…Revelation 21:2, 9
v.2 “…coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
“bride” image used thru Scripture refers to God’s people…(Isa. 54:6; 62:6; Jer. 2:32; Rev. 19:7;22:17)
This city is pictured as a “Bride…the wife of the Lamb.”
See: Ephesians 5:25-32. Heaven is described as a BRIDE because…the Church is living there.
The Bride living in the place prepared by God…not just the Church…but all the redeemed OT & NT saints combined…YES…WE WILL RECOGNIZE PEOPLE IN HEAVEN!
“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like him, because we shall see Him as He is.”
Heaven…portrayed as a BRIDE…pure, gleaming, bright, astoundingly beautiful, graceful, breathtaking
Notice the word that comes after…"adorned" = decorated, decked out.
Every wedding I have done…every bride has been decked out to the max! Always look amazing.
A bride adorned for her husband.
How are we…the Bride…the Church…being prepared? Ephesians 5:25-32
Christ Gave Himself up for her…on the cross
Christ is Sanctifying His Bride…
Christ is Cleansing her by the washing of water with the Word.
He wants to Present you in splendour…without spot/wrinkle or any such thing
That you and I may be holy and without blemish. (Little by little He’s changing me…”
Why is New Jerusalem Pictured as a BRIDE?
Is it only because of her beauty? Not only because of the beauty…but because…
The bride and groom relationship is the CLOSEST, most INTIMATE of all human relationships.
Here's my question. Is your relationship with Jesus Christ like a bride and groom?
Is it that intimate?
Or is it a little more distant?
Is God simply the man upstairs or is He my Lord and my God?
There’s a intimacy…a close relationship with Him.
If not, that needs to change because this bride, this city, is like a bride adorned for her husband.
So Heaven is PREPARED…PORTRAYED…
3. Heaven’s…SOURCE…Revelation 21:10
Third…After the preparation…John tells us the SOURCE…ORIGIN of Heaven.
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,
This is not a man-made city…this is a God-made city…God prepared it. God presents it.
If God makes this city…it won't be tainted by sin.
Ex.4000 yrs ago Abraham…by faith…longed for this city. Hebrews 11:10
Abraham looked forward to a city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
This is the city Abraham longed for.
Imagine John 90+ years old…seeing the vision…
Exiled on Patmos…not to live much longer…
Given a vision…he has seen tragedy, travesty, judgment, tribulation on the Earth.
But now he sees this.
Heaven is PREPARED PORTRAYED and
4. Heaven is…ASTOUNDINGLY BEAUTIFUL!! Revelation 21:11-14
It is over-the-top beautiful. Look at v.11, just the first sentence.
11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
a. “Having the GLORY of God…”
How would you describe the glory of God? To what can we compare the glory of God?
Glimpses of God’s glory…the tabernacle and temple of OT? Moses experienced it on Mt Sinai
Peter, James and John experienced it when Jesus was transfigured before them. (Mark 9:2-13)
Today God’s glory dwells in His people…and in His church. MAKE THAT A DAILY PRAYER!
In Heaven…the glory of God will be 100% undiminished, full-screen, unedited, take-your-breath-away glory of God, “…having the glory of God.”
John describes v.11 “…its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal."
He describes it as radiance…the word pho-stair …basically means light source.
So light is pouring out of this holy city new Jerusalem..
And John describes what he sees as jasper… clear as crystal.
Commentaries point out that jasper is a stone that is not clear. It's opaque. If you find jasper.
But John says here…it's like jasper, but it's clear as crystal.
Ex. worth of a diamond…is not just in its size and cut but also for its clarity. So if a diamond is cloudy its probably not worth much. This jasper stone clear as crystal.
b. “The WALL of Heaven…”. Revelation 21:12a, 14, 17-19,
v.12a “It had a great high wall…”. v.14 “The wall of the city had twelve foundations…”
Some may ask: Why is a wall necessary? Not for protection/security…but for BEAUTY.
Now, go down to v.18 "The wall was built of jasper…”
v.19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first (foundation) was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite…”
Commentaries describe the colours…ranging from blue to deep green to white to brown to blood red to sea green to yellow, to yellow gold, to rich purple, and to deep violet.
We really can’t be dogmatic about each colour and what they possibly might represent.
So probably the main thing to notice here is it is very very detailed…and very beautiful.
The walls & foundations of Heaven will make every rainbow look pale in comparison.
This place is unbelievably beautiful. The foundations are beautiful.
c. The GATES of Heaven…Revelation 21:12-14, 21, 25
You notice the symmetry…the perfect proportions of heaven.
12 gates…12 angels…on each gate…the names of the 12 tribes of Israel are inscribed. (v.12)
So there is an OT representation…the tribes, NT representation…the apostles.(v.14)
v.21 "The 12 gates were 12 pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl,
BTW…notice they are not pearly gates…they are gates of pearl. One gate is one pearl.
The gates are probably as high as the wall. v.17 the wall is measured at 144 cubits=216 feet high.
So you've got each gate of this city at least 216 feet high, one single pearl.
God made that pearl. I know pearls typically come from oysters….God makes these.
Pearls have been considered a “royal gem” produced when an irritating grain of sand within its shell.
v.25 But the pearl gates of the heavenly city…will never be closed… because there will be no danger of anything entering that would disturb or defile her or the ones who live there.
d. The CITY & STREETS of Heaven…Revelation 21:18, 21
v.18 “...city was pure gold like clear glass”
v.21 “...street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass."
Have you ever seen transparent gold? I haven't either.
You can’t see through Gold (opaque).
Gold is dense. Gold is heavy. But this is gold you can see through.
Know that God is a God of BEAUTY…
He will lavish His beauty on the city He is preparing for His people.
Let me give you another highlight…
5. Heaven is…ENORMOUS…Revelation 21:15-18
We are actually given the dimensions measurements…of the Celestial City…ITS IS STAGGERING!!
The gold rod (reed) is like an ancient measuring tape.
Notice the city is laid out as a SQUARE. v.16
The city measured 12,000 stadia (furlongs)…length…breadth…and its height are all equal.
v.17 “He also measured its wall, 144 cubits, by human measurement.”
a CUBIT is approx. 18” so 144 cubits = 216’= 65 metres (most likely the thickness of the wall)
v.18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.”
Look at the measurement given in v.16.
“And he measured the city with his rod 12,000 stadia (furlongs).
a stadia (furlong) = is 607 feet or one eighth of a mile.
12,000 stadia/furlongs is about 1,380 miles, (2,208 km)
v.16 "Its length, its breadth, and its height are equal." I.e. a perfect cube,1,500-mile cube.
[The size of New Jerusalem 2208 sq km on all sides…also going up 2208 sq km. ]
“New Jerusalem will be 15,000 times the size of modern-day London, England, or roughly the size of our moon. It could be composed of 396,000 stories. At 20 feet per story, each story about half the size of the United States. If you divide that into separate condominiums, you would have plenty of room for all who have ever been redeemed from the beginning of time onward. E. Lutzer
So it's Prepared…Pictured as a Bride…It is Beautiful…and it is Enormous.
6. Heaven is PERFECT! Revelation 21:22-27
It's perfect. You've never seen a perfect city ever in your life…but you will.
This is a perfect city.
Look at v.22-26
We’ve seen the outside of the City…and now we get a brief look inside the city.
No temple…it was unthinkable in ancient times to have a city without a temple or 20+ temples.
Every city had a temple.
Not in Heaven. You don't find a temple…you don’t find a church either.
There's no temple there.
WHY? Because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
So you have direct access to God 24/7.
No lights…no more night…
Nobody will ever say, Hey, can you turn off the light?
You don't need it…because Heaven is always lit up.
Light emanates from it.
This city, New Jerusalem, is called the holy city, the great city, and one having the glory of God.
Nothing Unclean…
Look at v.27 Nothing unclean …nor anyone who does what is detestable or false…but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
You put all those together, and what you have is the PERFECT city.
It's the great Holy city filled with God's glory. It is perfect.
PERFECT because God's glory is perfectly displayed.
It's perfect because God's presence is perfectly there and experienced.
7. Heaven is…FOREVER…Revelation 22:1-5
Last thing to note, it's permanent. It's forever. It's the eternal state.
Now, I'm going to take you down to chapter 22 really briefly.
We will finish our series here next week.
What we have in Revelation 22:1-5 is a description of the Main Street in New Jerusalem.
Every city has a Main Street. This one will be a garden-like environment.
The street in Heaven, Main Street, is flanked by a river whose fountainhead is the throne of God.
But what I want you to see is the length of time that Heaven's occupants will be enjoying this.
See v.5 And they will reign… how long? Forever and ever.
So in case forever isn't long enough, then add "and ever" to give the idea this is the ETERNAL state.
This is forever and ever, without end.
When we finally get to the end..we will discover it's not the end…It's the beginning.
The end of time marks the beginning of eternity, marks the beginning of forever and ever.
It is next to impossible for you and I to get our minds around the concept of ETERNITY.
We try, but there's a simple reason you and I can't really fully explain it.
We're constrained by time and space. It's the dimension we're in.
Eternity is an entirely different dimensional structure.
We can't conceive being locked in time and space of eternity.
We can try but falls short. I've heard different explanations.
If a bird took a grain of sand from Earth and flew to the moon 380,000km, drop it off, went back to the Earth, got another, flew to the moon, dropped it off, went back, got another grain of sand, flew to the moon, dropped it off, got another grain of sand. By the time he transported the entire planet Earth to the moon, that's the first second of eternity. Hard to get our minds around it.
But still, hard to get my head around it's just as hard or easy for me to read “forever and ever."
John Newton nailed it beautifully: "Amazing Grace" "When we've been there 10,000 years, bright, shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun."
The end is just the beginning.
It's always new and always a fresh start and forever and ever.
One day you may hear that David Virr has died. Don't you believe it. That's fake news.
The truth is I will be more alive, and I will have finally arrived at that moment in time.
WRAP UP…As we close, I want you just to think about your own personal life. Only you can do that.
Think about the decisions you've made…where you are today…where you stand before God.
Are you a little bit nervous about all things eternal?
You can turn your nervousness into knowing…the Bible says you can know for certain that you have eternal life. John said, "I write these things that you might know that you have eternal life."
So as we close, if you've never personally said yes to the Saviour, or if you maybe did something when you were younger, but today you're not walking with Him, you're not living for Him, and you need to come back to Him, you settle that right here.
PRAY…
Let's pray together. Father, in this place, at this time as we gather in this room.
Lord, I thank You for each one, but we pray for each person here to say yes to Jesus if they haven't already…so that not only will they have peace…purpose…joy…but Heaven afterwards.
That they will live…knowing that when they die they, will be with You in heaven.
And all the glories of Heaven, the kingdom age on a restored Earth, the eternal state…we’ve only scratched the surface.
You haven't even told us the details of what new heavens look like and the new Earth looks like.
But we have enough. We're peeking around the corner.
And there's enough for us to know, yeah, I want to go there. That's an awesome place.
But it's more than the place. It's people, people we have known…we have loved…have gone before us…they are waiting for us, and then the Saviour Himself personally waiting to see us face to face. I pray, Lord, that you would awaken hearts to that reality.
