Revelaon Lesson+#17+ A+New+Heaven+and+a+New+Earth+ (21:+1+ +22:+5)+ ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 1
. Review WithChrist sreturnandhisdecisivevictoryoversatanandhis crew,christandhiscompanionsreignedfor1,000years.he imprisonedsatanduringthis?me,butthenattheendofthe 1,000years,hesethimfree todeceivethena?onsofthe earthoncemoresatan sthirddefeatwasfinal,however,and hispunishmentwasswieandsevere:hewastossedaliveinto thepoolofburningfireandsulfur. Lesson#16presentedthe millennialkingdom, Christ s1,000 yearreign.ofallthetopicsinrevela?on,thisisperhapsthe mostdifficulttofitneatlyintorevela?on soverallpaoernand structure.inthislessonweexaminedthedifficul?es,andwe proposedasolu?on,viewingthe millennialkingdom throughst.augus?ne sperspec?veasthe Ageofthe Church. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 2
Preview Withthe LastJudgment thewoefulstoryofsinfulhumanity ends.inlesson#19wewitnessthebirthofanew+heaven+and anew+earth,for the+former+heaven+and+the+former+earth+had+ passed+away (21:1).Scripture slinearnarra?vecomesfull circleasthenewjerusalemdescends out+of+heaven+from+ God (21:2).WeareinanewEden,whereGoddwellswith us,wherethereisnomoresin,nomore death+or+mourning,+ wailing+or+pain (21:4),whereweareGod speopleandheis ourgod(21:3). Revela?on21takesusonatourofoureternalhome. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 3
AttheendofIsaiahweread: See,+I+am+creang+new+heavens+and+a+new+ earth;+the+former+things+shall+not+be+ remembered+nor+come+to+mind.++instead,+shout+ for+joy+and+be+glad+forever+in+what+i+am+ creang.++indeed,+i+am+creang+jerusalem+to+be+ a+joy+and+its+people+to+be+a+delight;+i+will+rejoice+ in+jerusalem+and+exult+in+my+people.++no+longer+ shall+the+sound+of+weeping+be+heard+there,+or+ the+sound+of+crying. + (65:17_19) FromGenesisthroughRevela?on,the trajectoryofscripturehasledustothis veryplace,thisneweden,wheresinand deathnolongerexist,aplaceofeternallife andblessedness,asgodintendedit. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 4
St.Peterspeaksofthis,aswell. Sibngon deathrow inthe Mamer?nePrisoninRomeinA.D. 68,PeterponderswhyChristhas notyetreturnedashepromised, andheconcludesthat... + with+the+lord+one+day+is+like+a+thousand+ years+and+a+thousand+years+like+one+day.++ The+Lord+does+not+delay+his+promise,+as+ some+regard+ delay, +but+he+is+paent+with+ you,+not+wishing+that+any+should+perish+but+ that+all+should+come+to+repentance. ++ + (2Peter3:8_9). ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 5
Peterisconfident,however,that theendwillcome,preciselyasthe prophetsforetoldinagespast: But+the+day+of+the+Lord+will+come+like+a+ thief,+and+then+the+heavens+will+pass+away+ with+a+mighty+roar+and+the+elements+will+ be+dissolved+by+fire,+and+the+earth+and+ everything+done+on+it+will+be+found+out. + (2Peter3:10) So,jumponthe BibleBus aswe takeatourofoureternalhome ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 6
NewHeaven EarthTour + ++ + + + ++ + + + + +Photography+by+Ana+Maria+Vargas+ ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 7
+ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, God s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them [as their God]. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away. (21: 1-4) ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 8
No?cethatthisisnotsimplya transformed+heavenandearth,but a+ new+heaven+and+a+new+earth, +for the+ former+heaven+and+earth+had+passed+ away. St.Petermadereferencetothisinhis 2 nd epistlewhenheassuredusthat the+ heavens+will+pass+away+with+a+mighty+ roar+and+the+elements+will+be+dissolved+ by+fire +(3:+10).+++Wewitnessedthistotal destruc?onoftheearthwith Revela?on s3setsof7seals,trumpets andbowls. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 9
AsChris?answerightlyunderstand thatifwehaverespondedtogod s freely_givengraceandplacedourfaith inhisson,jesus,whodiedthatoursins maybeforgiven,thenwhenwediewe willleaveourbodiesburiedintheearth andbewithchristinheavenasspiritual+ beings. AsSt.Paulsays: [W]e+know+that+while+we+are+at+home+in+the+ body+we+are+away+from+the+lord+.+.+.+[but]we+ would+rather+leave+the+body+and+go+home+to+the+ Lord. ++ (2Corinthians5:6_8) Thatisonlytemporary,however ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 10
Revela?ontellsusthatourulmate+ des?na?onisnotinheaven,butona physicallyre_createdearth,aplace wherewewillliveeternallyinnewly_ resurrected,physicalbodies,perfectly designedforoureternalhome. OnthisnewearthGodwilldwellwith us[skhnovw,+skae^no ^oh,literally tent withus ],ashedweltwithadamandeve inthegardenofeden,strollingwith them at+the+breezy+me+of+the+ day +(Genesis3:8),enjoyingtheir company.onthisnewearthgodwill wipeeverytearfromoureyes,andthere willbenomore death+or+mourning,+ wailing+or+pain +(21:4). ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 11
Sureenough,ourlinearnarra?ve thatbeganingenesishascomefull circleinrevela?on,andweareright Notme. backinthegardenofeden albeit inanewly_createdone AndIno?cedthat the+sea+was+no+ more. ++Somuchfor ourwalksatthe beach ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 12
Lookslikewe d beoersellour divegear + ++ + + + + ++ + + + + ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 13
+ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, God s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them [as their God]. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away. (21: 1-4) ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 14
Thesameprophecythatpromisesanew crea?onalsopromisesanewjerusalem,one thatwillbe+ a+joy+and+its+people+.+.+.+a+ delight (Isaiah65:18).AsJohnseesthenew earthdescending,heseeswithinitthenew Jerusalem coming+down+out+of+heaven+from+ God,+prepared+as+a+bride+adorned+for+her+ husband +(21:2). The HallelujahChorus ofrevela?on19 proclaimed the+wedding+day+of+the+lamb +and welearnedtherethatthe bride+has+made+ herself+ready (19:7). NowthatChristhasdefeatedtheenemyand rescuedhisbeloved[thechurch]fromsatan s clutches,theroyalweddingcanproceed and weareontheinvita?onlist ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 15
+ The one who sat on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Then he said, Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and true. He said to me, They are accomplished. I [am] the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water. The victor will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God, and he shall be my son. But as for cowards, the unfaithful, the depraved, murders, and deceivers of every sort, their lot is in the burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death. (21: 5-8) ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 16
AsJesusexpiredonthecrosshesaid,tetevlestai, It+is+finished +(John19:30);whentheseventhangel pouredouttheseventhbowl,avoicefromthe thronesaid,gevgonen, It+is+done +(16:17);andnow thattheweddingofthelambisabouttotakeplace, thevoicefromthethronesaystojohn,gevgonan, They+are+accomplished +(21:6). TheGreekinJohn19:30istelevw[te^le ^oh], meaningthattheendgoalhasbeenachieved.we gettheenglishword telescope fromtelevw:whatis inthedistanceisbroughtbeforeoureyes. TheGreekinRevela?on16:17and21:6isgivnomai [gee ^no^my],meaningthatthefinalstepina sequenceofeventshasbeencompleted. Inthefirstinstance,Jesuslooksaheadonthecross, knowingthathisdeathensuresthefutureoutcome; inthelastinstances,thefutureoutcomehasbeen achieved.john sprecisedic?on hiswordchoice Isverydeliberateandonceagain,brilliantlyprecise ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 17
+ The one who sat on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Then he said, Write these words down, for the are trustworthy and true. He said to me, They are accomplished. I [am] the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water. The victor will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God, and he shall be my son. But as for cowards, the unfaithful, the depraved, murders, and deceivers of every sort, their lot is in the burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death. (21: 5-8) ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 18
JesusistheAandW,thefirstandlastleOers ofthegreekalphabet.heisthebeginningand theend,andasthefirstandlastleoersofthe alphabetencompassalltheleoersinbetween, Jesusis allthatcanbesaid. Tothethirsty,Jesuswillgive life_giving water [literallydwvswejk thæß phghæßu datoß thæß zwhæß, will+give+out+of+the+spring+of+the+ water+of+life ].Placing willgive [dwvsw]in theforwardposi?onemphasizesthefactthat the wateroflife isafreely_givengie.nice syntac?caltouchonjohn spart Thenikavw [nee^kah ^o,the victor ]will inheritthesethings.recalljohn suseofthe samewordintheleoerstothesevenchurches: the victor willinherittheblessings. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 19
Andthenwereadsomething trulyastoundingnotonlywill thechurchbecomethebrideof thelamb,buteachofusinthe Notme. Churchwillbecomeanadopted sonoradaughterofgod Thatisastounding Jesuscalledushis friends injohn s gospel;herehecalls ushis brothers. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 20
+ The one who sat on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Then he said, Write these words down, for the are trustworthy and true. He said to me, They are accomplished. I [am] the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water. The victor will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God, and he shall be my son. But as for cowards, the unfaithful, the depraved, murders, and deceivers of every sort, their lot is in the burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death. (21: 5-8) ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 21
Thatisnottosaythatcommibngacts ofcowardice[deilovß,day^lo s], unfaithfulness[a pistoß,ah ^pee^stos], depravity[bdeluvsso,bde^loo s^so], murder[foneuvß,fo^nyu s]and decep?on[yeudhvß,psyu^day s] guaranteeaplaceinthe burning+pool+ of+fire+and+sulfur. Thoseareallsins thatgodmayforgive,ifoneturnsto Christinfaith. Rather,rejecng+Christandlivinga lifeapartfromgod,alifethatleadsto suchacts,iswhatplacesoneonthe pathtohell. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 22
Apersonwhogenuinelyrespondsto God sgraceandacceptshisgieof redemp?on,willstriveto live+in+a+ manner+worthy+of+the+call +hehas received(ephesians4:1). Althoughsuchapersonmay some?messlipupandsin,sinwillnot characterizehislife;itwillnotbethe dominantcolor,toneandtextureofhis moralandethicallandscape. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 23
+ One of the seven angels who held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came and said to me, Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. Its radiance was like that of a precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal. It had a massive, high wall, with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed and on which names were inscribed, [the names] of the twelve tribes of the Israelites. There were three gates facing east, three north, three south, and three west. The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (21: 9-14) ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 24
ANewEarth, Apocalypse+(miniatureillumina?on,YatesThompsonMS10,fol.36r),c.1370_1390.+ Bri?shLibrary,London. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 25
Oneofthesevenangelswhoheldtheseven lastbowlstakesjohninavisiontoahigh mountain,whereheseesthenewjerusalem thebrideofthelamb comingdownoutof heaven,stunninginherradiance. Thecitylookedlikeapreciousstone,like jasper,clearascrystal.fibngly,thegreek wordfor jasper ise aspiß,[ee _ah_spes],isa feminine+noun.todayjasperreferstoan opaquequartz,butinancient?mesitwas typicallyatranslucentgreen,oeencompared toanemerald. 1 1 Intheepicpoem,The+Nibelungenlied,madefamousby RichardWagner s19 th centuryoperacycle,thewarrior Hagen acrosshiskneedidlay/aswordthatshownfull brightly,/fromwhoseknobdidplay/thelightofglancing jasper/greenerthanbladeofgrass (29 th Adventure HowHeAroseNotbeforeHer, 1783). ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 26
+ One of the seven angels who held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came and said to me, Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. Its radiance was like that of a precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal. It had a massive, high wall, with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed and on which names were inscribed, [the names] of the twelve tribes of the Israelites. There were three gates facing east, three north, three south, and three west. The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (21: 9-14) ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 27
TwelveGatesoftheNewJerusalem, Bamberg+Apocalypse+(illumina?on,Msc.Bibl.140,fol.55r),c.1000_1020.+ BambergStateLibrary,Germany. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 28
Thefinalchapters(40_48)ofEzekiel describeanewjerusalemwithtwelve gates,namedaeerthetwelvetribesof Israel(48:30_35): NorthSide: Ruben,Judah,Levi EastSide: SouthSide: Zebulun WestSide: Joseph,Benjamin,Dan Simeon,Issachar, Gad,Asher,Naphtali ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 29
Itwouldbereallyniceifthenames oneachofthegatescorresponded withtheorderinwhichthetribes campedaroundthetabernaclein Notme. Numbers2withtheHolyofholiesat thecenter,butunfortunatelythey don t. Darn,thatwould havebeennice.dr. C.wouldhaveloved that ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 30
Tabernacle NewJerusalem EastSide Count EastSide Judah 74,600 Joseph Issachar 54,400 Benjamin Zebulun 57,400 Dan 186,400 SouthSide SouthSide Reuben 46,500 Simeon Simeon 59,300 Issachar Gad 45,650 Zebulun 151,450 WestSide WestSide Ephraim 40,500 Gad Manassah 32,200 Asher Benjamin 35,400 Nahtali 108,100 NorthSide NorthSide Dan 62,700 Reuben Asher 41,500 Judah Naphtali 53,400 Levi 157,600 ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 31
ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 32
+ One of the seven angels who held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came and said to me, Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. Its radiance was like that of a precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal. It had a massive, high wall, with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed and on which names were inscribed, [the names] of the twelve tribes of the Israelites. There were three gates facing east, three north, three south, and three west. The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (21: 9-14) ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 33
BeatusdeFacundus. TheNewJerusalem, Apocalypse+(illumina?on,Ms.Vit.14.2,fol.253v),1047.+ BibliotecaNacional,Madrid. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 34
Ephesians2:20tellsusthatthe Churchis built+upon+the+foundaon+of+ the+apostles+and+prophets,+with+christ+ Jesus+himself+as+the+capstone. +++ Inasimilarfashion,thewallofthe newjerusalemhastwelveqemevlioß [the^mee ^lee^os], founda?onstones, andoneachisthenameofoneofthe twelveapostles. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 35
Presumably,Judasisnotoneof them,butwe renottold whethermaohiasorpaulisthe Notme. 12 th.toobad,thatwouldhave solvedanaggingpuzzle Ha,ha,ha Thatwouldhave beenarealboon todr.c. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 36
These+foundaon+stones+were+laid+by+Herod+the+Great+(c.+19+B.C.)+for+the+augmented+2 nd + Temple s+plaborm.++the+single+stone+at+the+top+right+is+45+feet+long+x+9.8+feet+high+x+15+ feet+wide,+weighing+in+at+approximately+520+tons++western+wall+tunnel,+jerusalem.+ + Photography+by+Henry+Gerson+ + ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 37
+ The one who spoke to me held a gold measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city was square, its length the same as [also] its width. He measured the city with the rod and found it fifteen hundred miles in length and width and height. He also measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits according to the standard unit of measurement the angel used. The wall was constructed of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass... ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 38
TheMeasuringRod, Apocalypse+(miniatureillumina?on,YatesThompsonMS10,fol.37r),c.1370_1390.+ Bri?shLibrary,London. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 39
EarlierinRevela?onJohnwashandeda measuringrodandtold: Come+and+measure+the+temple+of+God+and+the+altar,+ and+count+those+who+are+worshiping+in+it.++but+ exclude+the+outer+court+of+the+temple;+do+not+ measure+it,+for+it+has+been+handed+over+to+the+ Genles,+who+will+trample+the+holy+city+for+forty^two+ months. ++ (11:1_2) InJohn svisionthetemple,s?llunder construc?on,representedthechurchbefore Christ sreturn.now,christhasreturned, Satanandhiscrewhavebeendefeated,and thechurchhasbeencompleted aradiant brideawai?ngherhusband. Now,anangelwithagoldmeasuringrod measuresthecompletedcity. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 40
+ The one who spoke to me held a gold measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city was square, its length the same as [also] its width. He measured the city with the rod and found it fifteen hundred miles in length and width and height. He also measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits according to the standard unit of measurement the angel used. The wall was constructed of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass... ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 41
ThenewJerusalemdescendingfrom heavenmeasures1,500milesinlength, widthandheight:itisanenormous, perfectcube Theactualmeasurementisstadivwn dwvdeka ciliavdwn, twelve+thousand+stadia, recallingthe144,000(12,000x12),the symbolicnumberofgod speoplewhobear hisname. TheonlyotherperfectcubeinScriptureis theholyofholiesinthetabernaclethat MosesandthepeoplebuiltinExodus.It measured10cubitsx10cubitsx10cubits(or 15feetx15feetx15feet). TheTabernaclethatMosesbuiltwasan exact+replica+ofthegenuinetabernacle, whichisinheaven(hebrews8:1_6). + ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 42
Holyofholies (10cubitsx10cubitsx10cubit ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 43
TheHolyofholiescontainedtheArk ofthecovenant,anditwasthe dwellingplaceofgodonearth. Onlythehighpriestcouldenterthe Holyofholies,andonlyone?me eachyearonthedayofatonement, Yom+Kippur. InRevela?on,thenewJerusalemis thenew+holyofholies.asgod s redeemedsonsanddaughters,we areinvitedintohishometolivewith himforever ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 44
Wow ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 45
+ Inaddi?on,thewallsmeasure144cubitsin height,(144x18inches=216feet).notonlyare theyenormous,butthe144cubitsperfectly mirrorthe144,000stadia Bycomparison,theGreatWallofChina, althoughmeasuring13,170milesinlength, standsonlyabout25feetinheight; thefor?fiedwallsofancientdanroseto about30feetinheight;and in1535sultansuleimanirebuiltthe defensivewallsaroundjerusalemwithan averageheightofaround40feet. 1 1 AlthoughHerodotusclaimedthatBabylon swalls were56mileslong,80feetthickand320feethigh, thosenumbersseemwildly+exaggerated[seethe+ History+of+Herodotus,Book1,178.] ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 46
TheGreatWallofChina(atJinshanling) hips://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/great_wall_of_china+ ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 47
Dr.C. The+reconstructed+walls+of+ancient+Dan.+ Photography+by+Ana+Maria+Vargas+ ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 48
TheDamascusGate,oneofsevengatesleadingoutoftheOldCitytoday.Theroadoutside thegateleadstonablusandfromtheretodamascus,135milesnorth.thecurrentgateand walls(above)werebuiltbysultansuleimaniin1537. Photography+by+Ana+Maria+Vargas+ ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 49
+ The foundations of the city wall were decorated with every precious stone; the first course of stones was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh hyacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made from a single pearl; and the street of the city was of pure gold, transparent as glass. (21: 15-21) ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 50
Gates Stones Apostles BeatusofFacundus. TheNewJerusalem, Apocalypse+(illumina?on,Ms.Vit.14.2,fol.253v),1047.+ BibliotecaNacional,Madrid. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 51
+ Thepreciousstonesare: Jasper i aspiß [ee _ah_spees] Sapphire savpfiroß [sahp _fee_ros] Chalcedony calkhdwvn [khal_kay_don ] Emerald smavragdoß [smah _rahg_dos] Sardonyx sardovnux [sahr_doh _nuks] Carnelian savrdion [sahr _dee_on] Chrysolite crusovliqoß [khru_so _lee_thos] Beryl bhvrulloß [bay _rul_los] Topaz topavzion [toe_pah _zee_on] Chrysoprasecrusovprasoß [khroo_so _prah_sos] Hyacinth uôavkinqoß [hu_a _keen_thos] Amethyst ajmevqustoß [ah_meh _thoo_stos] ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 52
Thesearethevery+stoneswornon thebreastpieceofthehighpriest, eachonesymbolizingoneofthe twelvetribesofisrael ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 53
That ssocoolasthehighpriest worethebreastpiecewith12 jewelsoverhisheart,sodoes Notme. Godimbedthe12jewelsinthe veryfounda?onofthenew Jerusalem,ourhome. Godcarriesus overhisheart, too.ilikethat ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 54
+ The foundations of the city wall were decorated with every precious stone; the first course of stones was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh hyacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made from a single pearl; and the street of the city was of pure gold, transparent as glass. (21: 15-21) ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 55
And,hence,the pearlygates ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 56
+ The foundations of the city wall were decorated with every precious stone; the first course of stones was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh hyacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made from a single pearl; and the street of the city was of pure gold, transparent as glass. (21: 15-21) ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 57
...andyou ll findthestreets areguardedby UnitedStates Marines Dr.C., backintheday (USMC,1966_1972). ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 58
+ I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb. The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and to it the kings of the earth will bring their treasure. During the day its gates will never be shut, and there will be no night there. The treasure and wealth of the nations will be brought there, but nothing unclean will enter it, nor any[one] who does abominable things or tells lies. Only those will enter whose names are written in the Lamb s book of life. (21: 22-27) ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 59
Ofcourse,thereisnoneedfora templeinthenewjerusalem,forthe golden,bejeweledcityisnotonlya templeitself,buttheholyofholies, thedwellingplaceofgodandofthe Lamb. Theirpresencepermeatesthecity, aslightpermeatesdarkness.inthe newjerusalemjesusis,indeed, the+ light+of+the+world +(john8:12);in him, there+is+no+darkness+at+all +(1 John1:5). InChrist,thelighthastriumphed. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 60
+ Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of its street. On either side of the river grew the tree of life that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month; the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there anymore. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will look upon his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more, nor will they need light from lamp or sun, for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever and ever. (22: 1-5) ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 61
TreeofLife, Apocalypse+(miniatureillumina?on,YatesThompsonMS10,fol.38r),c.1370_1390.+ Bri?shLibrary,London. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 62
John svisionofthe river+of+life^ giving+water weavesthreadsof Scripturetogether,crea?ngan intricatepaoernofcolorsand textures. InGenesis2:10wereadthatariver risestoedentowaterthegarden,and itstreesare delighbul+to+look+at+and+ good+for+food, includingthe tree+of+ life+in+the+middle+of+the+garden +(2:9). Aswenoted,Revela?onbrings Scripture slinearnarra?vefullcircle, andthisisabeau?fulexampleofhow it sdone. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 63
InEzekiel svisionofafutureeschatological temple,hesaw water+flowing+out+from+ under+the+threshold +(47:1),asmallstream thatgraduallybecomesanimpassibleriver with a+great+many+trees+on+each+side +(47: 7).Ezekieldescribesthetreesthattheriver nourishes: Their+leaves+will+not+wither,+nor+will+their+ fruit+fail.++every+month+they+will+bear+fresh+ fruit+because+the+waters+of+the+river+flow+out+ from+the+sanctuary.++their+fruit+is+used+for+ food,+and+their+leaves+for+healing. + InJohn svisionthe treeoflife flourishes onbothsidesoftheriver,aswell.inthe newjerusalemwewitnessthecomplete healingofbody,mindandsoul,lifeeternal asgodintendedittobefromthestart. ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 64
InthenewJerusalem asingenesis12 lifeisasgod intendedit,very good,indeed ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 65
Ques?onsfordiscussionandthought ++ 1. InJohn svisionheseesanewheavenandanew earth,witha new+jerusalem+coming+down+out+ of+heaven+from+god. ++Whathappenedtotheold one? 2. ThenewJerusalemisaperfectcube,measuring 12,000stadia(1,500miles)oneachside.What doesthissuggest? 3. Whatdothenamesonthe12gatesand12 founda?onstonessuggest? 4. Thejewelsonthe12founda?onstonesrecall12 jewelsearlierinscripture.whatarethey? 5. Thepresenceofthe treeoflife inthenew Jerusalemsuggestswhat? ANewHeavenandaNewEarth 66
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