1 Out of This World Series: Come, Lord Jesus

Transcription

1 Series: Out Of This World Come, Lord Jesus Revelation 21:1-21 Dr. Jon McNeff, Senior Pastor April 25, 2010 Note: The following are the pastor s notes used in preaching this message. This is not a complete, word-for-word transcription of what was preached. These notes serve as a companion to the complete message, which is available by listening to the audio version. What is the greatest word in English language? money food me love wife kids health heaven? largely ignored me centered but heaven is the grand destination of the Bible I. THE NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH Revelation 21:1-8 Revelation 21:1 Then 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. new is kainos not chronological, but qualitative A. The disappearance of the first heaven and first earth New earth? what happened to old one? Scripture indicates it is a new earth not a rehab creation care misses the mark In the Old Testament (O.T.) Isaiah 65:17 For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. also Isaiah 66:22 For just as the new heavens and the new earth Which I make will endure before Me, declares the Lord, So your offspring and your name will endure. Also in the New Testament (N.T.) 2 Peter 3:7-12 v. 7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire v. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. v. 12 we are to be looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! Heaven = ouranos more than 500 times in Scripture 50 times in Revelation 1 Corinthians 12:2 says there are three heavens 1) the earth s atmosphere (Genesis 1:20; Job 12:7) 2) Interplanetary space (Genesis 15:5; Psalm 8:3) 3) the dwelling place of God (Deuteronomy 4:39; Psalm 14:2; Acts 7:55) The new heaven in Revelation 21:1, the passages in Isaiah, and the reference here to pass away indicates a completely new creation the earth is too touched by sin to enter a perfect world Heaven will pass away with a roar roidzedon = with a loud hissing, with roaring speed an onomatopoeia word made from a sound Homer used it of the whizzing of an arrow in flight this will be a single act of uncreation by God the sounds of the imploding atoms will be deafening WHOOOOOSHSHSHSH!! 2 Peter 3:10 the elements will be destroyed with an intense heat elements to belong to a rank or series the series of things that hold together the universe Greeks said these were earth, air, fire, and water includes the earth and space The elements will be destroyed luo = to loose the elements will be loosed with intense heat pictures the molecular disintegration of matter atomic implosion the entire physical earth with its buildings, civilizations, ecosystems, and natural resources and the surrounding celestial universe will be destroyed the elements will actually melt with intense heat everything will dissolve from atomic meltdown 2 Peter 3:10 concludes the earth and its works will be burned up works are added to the list for destruction ergon pictures the accomplishments of man all trades, occupations, 1 Out of This World Series: Come, Lord Jesus

2 services, production, manufacturing, commerce, education, politics, military, arts and media all that has made humanity function will be burned up eurisko to find, be exposed, or manifested i.e. laid bare before the wrath of God Some say this indicates a purging, not a complete destruction of the earth as was the case with the flood in 2 Peter 3:6 they point out the ESV translates burned up as exposed NIV says laid bare but this ignores the strong words of the rest of the passage the roar the destruction by loosing the melting heat that destroys the earth and space as we know it Psalm 33:6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of his mouth all their host. If God can create by the breath of His mouth He can also decreate The destruction of the earth is the same event seen in Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. fled pictures the sudden and violent termination of the universe no place was found for them i.e. the earth and sky displaced, then vanish from existence B. The new heaven and new earth The new heaven and new earth are completely new not a re-model first indication Revelation 21:1 no sea water is necessary to maintain life without it we perish our bodies are 90% water the earth s surface is 75% water our bodies and environment will no longer be dependent on water The new heaven will be new solar system no sun spots flaring out no shooting stars burning up The new earth is seen as separate from the new Jerusalem: Revelation 21:10 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. indicates a vantage point of the new Jerusalem from a mountain on the new earth 21:24 the existence of nations and kings who come in and out of the new Jerusalem through gates which are always open indicate going back and forth between the capital city and the new earth 22:3 There will no longer be any curse on this earth no sin, no weeds, no decay, no entropy, no serpent C. The new Jerusalem Revelation 21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. this is the third Jerusalem The first was O.T. Jerusalem in ruins for 25 years before John wrote revelation renamed Aelia Capotolina in A.D. 135 by Rome lay dormant until 1947 when it was reborn in our modern world The second is the millennial earthly Jerusalem that housed the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ The third is the thoroughly new heavenly Jerusalem Psalm 41:8 God promises to establish her forever and so He does! D. God with us Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them dwell is the same word as tabernacle God will pitch His tent among man God s promise from long ago Ezekiel 37:27 My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. but a righteous, holy God cannot cannot dwell among sinful man the solution was for God to become a man John 1:14 the Word became Out of This World Series: Come, Lord Jesus 2

3 flesh and dwelt among us His pitched His tent among us and took the punishment for our sin so His dwelling could be permanent! E. New life Revelation 21:4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying or pain; the first things have passed away. there won t be anything to cry about! no sadness no regret no loneliness no separation no disappointment no sorrow no pain no disease no death! these are all the first things that have passed away completely new way of life! II. THE CAPITAL OF HEAVEN A. Her character Revelation 21:9-11 Revelation 21:2 is amplified in 21:9 Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. bride = nymphe the unmarried virgin waiting to become a wife in the Jewish culture the bride and groom were engaged up to a year before the wedding she was a nymphe even though they were legally married after the ceremony and consummation she became a gune wife The wedding ceremony took place at the marriage supper of the lamb in Revelation 19:7 the consummation of the ages has come the redeemed of all time became the bride of Christ For the church: The betrothal took place in eternity past when God pledged to redeem and purify His people The presentation took place at the rapture when the bride of Christ, the church, was presented to the bridegroom The wedding ceremony took place in Revelation 19:7 at the marriage supper of the Lamb lasts through the millennium The consummation of the marriage is now about to begin the long-term joy of living as husband and wife is now about to begin in the eternal state the bride is the merged people of God of all time O.T. believers, N.T. church, martyrs of Tribulation She is adorned to order or arrange in all her beauty the bride at the reception this is a complete picture of intimate relationship between God and His people This is the fulfillment of 1 Corinthians 15:23-24 where Christ conquers all and turns His work over to the Father But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. Revelation 21:10-11 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, having the glory of God Hebrews 11:10 the city whose architect and builder is God. It came down out of heaven from God its origin is clearly from God the full expression of the glory of God at its fullest physically, relationally, redemptively, eternally B. Her description Revelation 21: Its brilliance Revelation 21:11 Her overall brilliance represented the sum total of the attributes of God seen in blazing glory it was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. not ancient jasper which was opaque more like a diamond new Jerusalem is like a huge diamond from the sky refracting the facets of light in every direction like flying over New York City on a clear night 3 Out of This World Series: Come, Lord Jesus

4 Revelation 21:23-26 no need of light the glory of God illumined it nations will walk by its light no night there 2. Its design Revelation 21: It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Twelve gates names of the 12 tribes of the sons of Israel were on them God s promised to Abraham in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Romans 9:4-5 it was through the Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Revelation 21:14 The 12 foundation stones bore the names of the 12 apostles Ephesians 2:20-21 the doctrinal basis for God s redemptive plan was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord The entrance into new Jerusalem is symbolically guarded by representatives of Old Covenant and New Covenant The foundations and gates indicate the city is not some amorphous floating cube it can be entered and left 12 angels serve as heavenly doormen to serve those who enter and leave probably to go outside and play among the planets! Revelation 21:15 The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall. shows ownership like the measuring of the Temple in Revelation 12 City is a square not a pyramid like pagan temples in Babel, Egypt, or Mexico the apex was associated with worshiping the sun or stars always condemned in Scripture the cube on the other hand, was the design of God for the Holy place where God was to be worshiped Revelation 21:16 It was 12,000 stadia wide, long, and high slightly over 600 ft. per stadia between 1,400-1,500 miles cubed set in U.S. it would stretch from Canada to Mexico and Colorado to the Atlantic and just as high! Out of This World Series: Come, Lord Jesus 4

5 Henry Morris calculated there have been over 40 billion people who have lived since Adam calculates another 40 billion will be born during the millennium adds 20 billion who died at or near birth roughly approximates 100 billion people past, present, and future if 20% of them are saved high number? that calculates to each person getting a 72 acre cube in heaven! 1 The wall was seventy-two yards thick then, to stress the literal nature of these measurements he adds, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. Revelation 21:18 The material of the wall was jasper (diamond like); and the city was pure gold, like clear glass (same with the streets in v. 21 pure gold ). The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone following is a list of the most rare, beautiful jewels known to man yet they are like dirt in the new Jerusalem Revelation 21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. you ladies have these little dinky pearl necklaces the massive 12 gates of New Jerusalem will each be made out of a single pearl over 1,400 miles high! the pearl is the only gem made from living flesh a grain of sand is stuck in an oyster the resultant growth over the irritant is a symbol of the beauty of covering a wound the pearls will be an eternal reminder of the covering of the wound of the cross in the blood of Christ Questions for Further Study 1. What are some of the common beliefs about heaven among non-christians? 2. What does 2 Peter 3:10 teach about the destiny of this earth? 3. What are some of the characteristics of the new heaven and new earth in Revelation 21:1-9? 1 Henry Maddison Morris, The Revelation Record, (Wheaton, Illinois, Tyndale House Publishers, 1983), Out of This World Series: Come, Lord Jesus