God Glorified and Eden's Blessings Exceeded in the Eternal City (2)

There is a saying that you may have heard: “Don’t be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good.” Johnny Cash even wrote a whole song about it. Well, while well-intended, I think that statement could be misleading. It assumes at least a couple of things.

That thinking about heavenly things makes followers of Jesus live less fruitful lives. That if we think about the things that are above we become distracted and ineffective here on earth.

That it’s actually possible to do that—to think about heaven too much. That there are actually followers of Jesus who think about heavenly things so much that it makes them less effective in glorifying God in all their lives.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’ve met anyone like that. Have you? Someone that thinks about heaven so much that that’s all they spend their time doing. I haven’t met anyone like that. I’m not sure if that's because it isn’t possible, and by that I mean that in our sinful nature we are bent to get distracted and engulfed with what is going on around us and to walk by sight rather than faith, or I’m not sure that you and I haven’t met anyone like that because thinking about heavenly things actually makes us more fruitful and gives us more joy and blessing in this life and the life to come.

Colossians 3:1–2 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Well, that seems to be contradictory to that statement, doesn’t it?

Listen to what C. S. Lewis states in Mere Christianity, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.”

It doesn’t seem like we can think of heaven enough.

Aim: To help you think of heaven more than you currently do. To stir you to ponder the glory and wonder and joy of seeing God face-to-face that you may endure this life with rock-solid, rebar-enforced joy until you enter the life to come. And for those of you who aren’t following Jesus, I would like to convince you that there’s no place you would rather be than in the presence of Christ forever.

Main Point: Those who have been redeemed by the Lamb, by Christ, will experience unfathomable and glorious blessings in the eternal city.

Context: Revelation is apocalyptic literature where God gives the Apostle John visions of what is to come when Jesus comes again to judge the living and the death and to bring about the restoration of all things. Prior to the passage we are in today, Jesus, the Lamb who was slain, conquered by defeating Satan, death, and sin for his people for the final time. All evil is conquered. The old heaven and earth has passed away and the new heaven and earth have come. Jesus says to John, “Behold, I am making all things new” and then he gives John a vision of the New Jerusalem, the new eternal city where God will dwell with his people where they will experience the fullness of his glory.

Just after the passage we’ll be in today, Jesus tells John that he is coming again soon to encourage the saints to endure and to conquer by being faithful to him so that they reach their final desired destination—heaven with God.

You went through a series in Hebrews in 2019 and 2020. Why were those believers able to endure the hardships of this life? Because they know that they themselves had a better possession and an abiding one (Heb 11:13-16)

And my aim today is to help you to see the glory and joy and blessings of that place so that you feel more than ever that you are a stranger and an exile here on this earth. Now, I’m not going it itch every scratch, answer every question.

I am going to break this passage into two parts.

One where we will look at the conditions in the celestial city. What it is like there. (v. 21:22-27)

What the blessings will be that we will experience in it (22:1-5)

Conditions in the Celestial City (v. 21:22-27)

No need for a physical temple because God and the Lamb are there (v. 22)

John had just seen earlier in chapter 21, how the heavenly city has become the holy of holies. Now, if you remember what the holy of holies, or the most holy place was in the temple, it was the place where only the high priest could enter once a year to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat and atone for both his sin and for the sin of the people. God said that his presence would appear in this place. You could say this was the place where God’s throne was on earth. There was a veil that separated the holy of holies from the rest of the temple—a barrier between God and man.

And we know that Jesus, The Great High Priest, offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sin of his people, removing the veil for all those who trust in him, that they may have direct access to God’s mercy seat, his throne.

So when we get to this part of the vision where John says that he saw no temple, he isn’t saying that he didn’t see any sort of temple, but that he didn’t see a building.

So look at what he says: He says that there is no temple building in the city. Why? It isn’t needed because the temple is Lord God Almighty and the Lamb.

The temple was the where God’s people would go to worship him. But in the heavenly city the place where they go to worship God is God himself! His heavenly dwelling place.

We just celebrated the incarnation, Immanuel, God with us. How the word became flesh and dwelt among us. What John is talking about here is us going to dwell with God in heaven.

Now, currently our sin, and our bodily limitations, get in the way of use fully experiencing God like we will in that day. While we still dwell in the earthy tents that are our bodies, we are hindered from fully experiencing God because we still are clothed in mortality.

2 Corinthians 5:1–5 ESV

1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So what does this mean for us?

We can look forward to experiencing God like we never have before.

Well, this makes me think of times that maybe we could call grace events—moments when we can most clearly see the Lord for who he is and what he has done for us and we are overcome with joy to the point of weeping. Now, I don’t know about you, but when I’ve had those experiences, they are exhausting. They only last so long, and I think a part of that is because our mortal bodies could not handle the full experience of joy in God that we will experience in heaven without failing.

So God the Almighty and the Lamb being the temple means that God’s people will be able to come and worship God in their midst like they never have before, that we can only imagine now.

No need for the sun or the moon because God’s glory shines brighter (v. 23-24)

The Lamb as the lamp (v. 23).

John says that the city has no need for the sun or the moon to light it up, because God’s glory shines brighter. Now, he doesn’t say explicitly that there is no sun or moon, just that there is no need for them.

Why? Because the glory of God gives it light and its lamp is the Lamb.

Here on earth, light is necessary for life. Almost all energy used for human life comes from the sun. In other words, if we didn’t have the sun, we would die. The earth would be too cold to inhabit, and even if it wasn’t, we wouldn’t be able to see what we were doing and would die.

But see what John is seeing here. There will be no need for the sun to sustain life anymore because the giver of life will himself be present. The sun, which is necessary for life here an earth, will be rendered useless because God and the Lamb will be there in all their glory.

John 1:4–5 ESV

4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The light of the glory of God gives life and cannot be overcome by darkness. No clouds, no rain, no eclipse. The darkness cannot overcome it.

"If the light of God the creator has dawned, of what use are the created lights, the sun and the moon? Of what good is their pitiful reflected light when he who is light itself (John 1:5) is present?"-Oswalt

Just as builder of the house is worthy of much more honor than the house, the creator of the light, of the sun, shines much brighter in all his glory than any light he made.

The glory of the Lord is sufficient to give life to all it shines upon.

And do you know when the glory of God shines brightest? God’s glory shines brightest through the Lamb who was slain and what he accomplished on the cross and through his resurrection. This was God’s plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, both in heaven and on earth.

Colossians 1:19–20 ESV

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

And I believe that is what this next verse is describing. The inheritance that Christ purchased.

God glorified because of his mercy to the nations (v. 24)

Verse 24 shows us what Christ will ultimately accomplish.

By the light that God and the Lamb give, eternal life that radiates through the Lamb, the nations will walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.

Now, most often when John writes of the kings of the earth in Revelation he is referring to those who are enemies of God, who flee when judgement from God comes, those who have committed spiritual adultery and worshipped other Gods.

But in this verse we see that at least some of the kings of the earth, the one’s who were God’s enemies, come to give glory to him, to worship him. They have repented and have turned from their ways to worship and give glory to God.

Now, while this should be striking, it shouldn’t be surprising.

Romans 5:8–11 ESV

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Application: This is the scandal of the gospel. God saves sinners...

All glory to be to Christ. That was you. That was me.

How many of you have ever had the absolute privilege of seeing someone come to Christ or leading someone to Christ? I have to tell you, I think the greatest joy I have ever felt has been in moments when that has happened. In hearing testimonies of those whom I have shared the gospel with, who were once enemies of Christ and now are saved and call him Lord and Savior and are being baptized. And you know what I think makes those moments so precious? Not only do we see God’s power to bring others from death to life in Christ, but are reminded of the gospel’s power in our own lives, and that we were once enemies of God.

How much greater will that be when we see people from every tribe and language and people and nation storming the new Jerusalem to worship the Lamb, even more so as we see those who shared the gospel with us, and those who we shared the gospel with. We’ll see loved ones who are no longer with us. Maybe, if God is merciful, the miscarried babies, maybe all the babies that have been aborted throughout history will be there. All those who are views as dispensable to the world. How sweet will that moment be, when we can glory in our Redeemer and his mercy towards his enemies, to those who deserve nothing from him.

No need to close the gates because God has destroyed all evil (v. 25)

In those times, a city’s gates would be open during the day for people going in and out doing business, but they would be closed at night to keep unwanted visitors and threats out in order to protect the residents of the city.

Think about the riots in Minneapolis this summer. My wife and I live about 3 blocks from the 3rd precinct where the riots began. Sure, there were protests during the day. But the destruction came at night. That’s when sin and evil exploded.

John writes here that there is no night there in the city, night has been banished, meaning that the gates will never be shut because there is no reason to be afraid, not of death, or danger, or threats. No opportunity for evil.

In the new city, there will be no night, no more evil. There will be no more danger to Gods people. The light of the glory of God will shine upon everything and there will be no more death, mourning, crying, pain because there will be nothing to cause them. All of those things will have passed away. Jesus will have wiped every tear from our eyes.

There will be only day and the gates to the city will always be open, and God’s people will have eternal unhindered access to God.

What does this mean for us?

Ever feel the weight of the evil and the brokeness in this world? Take heart. In this world we will have tribulation but take heart, He has overcome the world and on the final day all the tribulation will be gone.

Admittance into the New Jerusalem (v.26-27)

In these verses John tells us who the people are who will have unhindered access to God—he gives us a contrast between those who will enter heaven and those who won’t.

He says that the kings of the earth will bring into the city the glory and honor of the nations. In a sense, the kings of the earth will cast down their crowns before God. Glory and honor in Revelation is always associated with worship, and it always belongs to God and to the Lamb.

Those that are able to enter are those the come to worship him—to give tribute to him who has given them mercy.

Nothing unclean or shameful (v. 27)

But then we see who will not enter.

Just like those who were physically unclean were unable to enter the temple in OT times, the spiritually unclean will be unable to enter the heavenly city.

Who are these people that will not enter? Anyone who doe what is detestable and false.

Revelation 22:14–15 ESV

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

This is a warning for people to repent and to turn to God for mercy. Those who don’t receive Christ will suffer under the wrath of God with weeping and gnashing of teeth forever.

Only those who have received Christ by sovereign grace will enter heaven. Those who enter are those are are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Who have conquered by the blood of the Lamb.

Now, we could focus all day on that phrase...”but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” and God’s sovereignty in choosing and calling those who will be saved, but I don’t think that is the main point here.

Application: Press on. Fight the good fight. So much of the thrust of revelation is to encourage the saints to endure in giving glory to Christ because God will defeat all evil in the end. I think this verse is meant to encourage believers that if you are written in the Lamb’s book of life, you will endure to the end.

Philippians 1:6 ESV

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:28–30 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

In that day all any temptation to think we can be separated from the love of Christ will be gone. We will have eternal rest and comfort.

Application: receive Christ: So I ask you today, are you right with God? Are you going to get to enter this glorious city and dwell in the presence of your creator forever?

Revelation 3:20 ESV

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Jesus is knocking at the door. Will you receive him as a faithful servant who knows him? Who loves him? Who treasures him and has him in for a meal? Or will you reject him as your enemy. If you hear this and your heart is being stirred he is calling you. Receive Christ as your Lord and Savior today, that he may forgive you of your sins, that you may enter into eternal life with him. I urge you, don’t wait. Be reconciled to God.

Our Experience in the Eternal City: Eden’s Blessings Exceeded (22:1-5)

Revelation 21-22 is one bookend of the Bible, with the other being Genesis 1-2.

The blessings to come in the eternal city will far exceed Eden’s blessings. Here John sees a river, the tree of life, no curse, and a unique experience with God and the Lamb.

Living water, pure and free, from the throne (v. 1-2a)

In the garden of Eden, there was a river that flowed out of Eden from a mysterious place. We are not told from where. Here we are told that this river, the river of the water of life, is flowing directly from the throne of God and of the Lamb. God and the Lamb are the source of eternal life.

This living water is pure as crystal, and free to all who would have it from the throne of mercy and grace. Anyone who drinks of this water is cleansed and refreshed once and for all. Ever-flowing. Some translations say “pouring out”. Gushing. This is a symbol of the unending blessing of eternal life that believers will experience in the new heavens.

Even now, believers taste of this water in this present age, but it’s fullness awaits us in the new heaven and the new earth.

Tree of life with healing and eternal provision for the nations (v. 2b)

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God cast them out before they were able to eat of the tree of life.

Genesis 3:22 ESV

22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”

God doesn’t even finish his sentence. God couldn’t allow them to live in their sinful state forever. He would not allow mankind to be separated from him forever. Instead he graciously prevents that from happening and casts them out.

The tree of life, once banned from guilty humanity will now satisfy the city’s residents during all 12 months of the year. Because the inhabitants will be free from sin, they will be able to feast on the tree of life and live forever! Something Adam and Eve were not able to do.

In other words, there isn’t a moment that there needs will not be met. Eternal provision.

Not only that, but it seems as if there is more than one tree, probably a multitude of this type of tree on either side of the river, possibly to accomodate those will number more than the stars in the sky.

All of our needs will be met and we will be healed forever.

He suffered and died on the cursed tree, and by his wounds we have been healed, so that we may one day eat from the tree of life forever and live forever in a sinless state, unlike Adam and Eve, and unlike how we are now. Forever healed.

No curse (absolute security) (v. 3a)

Earth was cursed for Adam and Eve’s sin. Guilt, strife, struggle for survival, sickness, sorrow, and death resulted.

What was the curse that God pronounced on Adam and Eve?

Childbirth was cursed. It would be painful.

Marriage was cursed. The most intimate human relationship fractured. This wasn’t so with Adam and Eve before the Fall.

The ground was cursed. Work would not be hard and frustrating.

Worst of all, the curse of death.

In the new creation none of these will remain because

Galatians 3:13 ESV

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

Birth will be fully complete and redeemed in that the all who will be there will be those who were born-again of God as new creations.

Marriage will be redeemed. There will be no marriage between man and woman, but only the perfect marriage of Jesus and his beautified, blood-bought Bride, the Church.

Work and the relationship between humans and nature will be redeemed: No more hardship and frustration acquiring what we need.

There will be no more death.

Rather than having animal skins to cover the shame of our sin like Adam and Eve, there will be no more shame for there will be no more sin. And no more sin means no more curse. No more curse means no more threat of judgement because the curse and all of its effects will be broken.

How do we know this? Because it says we will have a restored relationship with God through the Lamb. Direct access to his throne.

Restored relationship with God and the Lamb (v. 3b-4)

The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it.

In other spots in Revelation, when God’s throne is mentioned it stresses the inaccessibility of a transcendent God. Here we see the nearness of God to his people.

Adam and Eve got to walk with God in the cool of the day. They had contact and conversation with him… but God would come and walk with them at limited time of the day.

The privilege of priestly service (v. 3b)

But then, in the heavenly city, we will have ending access to the throne to worship him as a kingdom of priests.

Because we have access to the throne, we shall see his face.

We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (v. 4)

Moses couldn’t see the Lord’s face and live. He was only able to see his back or else he would have been destroyed. He had to cover his face when he talked with the people because of the glory he experienced when he spoke with God in the tabernacle. It was frightening to the people, for fear that they might be destroyed because he was holy and they were not..

All those who follow Jesus have seen God with eyes of our heart.

2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

For now, in this life we walk by faith, not by sight.

But in that day, we will see him face to face. This will be the greatest blessing of the age to come.

Now, what will that moment be like? That’s hard to imagine isn’t it. It’s not like we can put a face to the name. But scripture tells us what his disposition, what his countenance toward us will be.

What will his face look like when we see it?

This verse recalls the blessing God gave to Aaron in Numbers 6:24-27...

Numbers 6:24–27 ESV

24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 27 “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

The Lord will look upon his people in delight, having promising eternal protection with his name written on our foreheads as it was on Aaron’s turban that said “HOLY TO THE LORD.”

Zephaniah 3:14–20 ESV

14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. 16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. 17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. 18 I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. 19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. 20 At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.

He will rejoice over you with gladness.

He will quiet you by his love.

He will exult over you with loud singing.

God and the Lamb will rejoice over us? Exult over us with loud signing?

What will that be like? I don’t even know how to describe it. Maybe the greatest love song ever. With a smile on his face, singing, “I love you. I redeemed you. I saved you. You are mine forever! You will dwell with me forever! There is no more evil! Only joy in my presence! You conquered by my blood and made it to your final destination!”

With no threat to us of being destroyed by the one who dwells in inapproachable light. In that moment, when we see him face to face, our joy will be complete, forever.

How can that be? Because we will be his Bride, those who are then made perfect because he loved us so much that he died for us. There will be no more sin, no more mistakes, no more physical weakness or imperfections, cancer, miscarriages, death, feeling distant from the Lord.

There will be utter relief and rest and peace for the saints. He’ll smile upon us as he says, “Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master.”

We would do well to think of that moment more often. To dwell on that. What that will be like.

The eternal delight of the ones who have conquered by the Lamb (v. 5)

Verse 5 serves as a summary of John’s vision in the heavenly city.

There is no night. no effects of sin (night, the gates shut, impurity, shame, deceit) They will be gone forever. There is only the light of life that shines forth in favor upon the saints from the Lord God.

We will rule with him, (exercise sovereignty over the new creation in a similar way that Adam was meant to), but this time we get to do it in the full, complete presence of God the Almighty and the Lamb, our Redeemer and Savior. We will not reign like earthly kings that get overthrown or die and give way to the next. We will reign in life with him forever and ever.