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Text Sermons : Zac Poonen : (The Final Triumph) 21. Chapter 21

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Verse 1: "And 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.

The Bible begins with the words "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). But that heaven and earth were defiled by the sins of the angels and the human race. So God will destroy that heaven and earth, as we read in 2 Peter 3:10:

The heaven 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".
It will be a mighty atomic explosion. When one atom is split, the energy generated thereby is enough to destroy a whole city. Imagine what it will be like when God splits all the atoms on the earth!!

Then God will make a fresh beginning. Once again, as at the beginning, there will be no sea, but only the heaven and the earth.

Peter goes on to say,

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat (2 Peter 3:11, 12).
The day of God mentioned here is different from the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is when Jesus comes and establishes His thousand year reign. At the end of that day of the Lord, the heavens and the earth will be destroyed and then will begin the day of God.

But according to His promise, we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13).
During the 1000-year reign of Jesus, there will still be sinners with unrighteousness in their hearts. But when eternity begins with a new heaven and a new earth only righteousness will be found in it. This verse can also be translated as, "....n which righteousness feels at home". We all know that there is a lot of difference between living in a house and feeling at home there. In some people's homes, we feel at home. In other people's homes, although they may be hospitable, we don't feel at home. Righteousness does not feel at home here on this earth at present. But a day is coming, when righteousness will at last feel at home, in the new heaven and the new earth. To prepare us for that kingdom, God has begun to do a work in our hearts.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation". What we see in Revelation 21 is this same new creation. The work that God does in creating a new heaven and earth is the same work that He does when He makes us His children. He establishes His kingdom within our hearts - a kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit - where righteousness feels at home. If righteousness feels at home in your life then you have entered into this new-creation life, not otherwise.

And just as God will one day burn up the old heaven and the old earth with fire, He will also burn up the remnants of the Adamic nature within us and make us totally like Jesus - when Christ returns - so that we can be prepared for that new heaven and new earth. That is the work that God has already begun doing in the hearts of those who are purifying themselves as Christ is pure.

Jesus said in John 14:2,

In My Father's house are many dwelling places. I go to prepare a place for you.
He has gone to prepare a place for those who are sick and tired of sin and unrighteousness, and who are longing for righteousness. Jesus Himself loved righteousness and hated iniquity, and the home He is preparing is for those who have the same attitude.

Verse 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.

Jerusalem is called the holy city unlike Babylon which is called a great city. This is the bride of Christ. She is adorned for her Divine Husband. We read that word "adornment" in 1 Peter 3:4, where Christian women are told to adorn themselves, not with gold, braided hair and fancy clothes, but with a gentle and quiet spirit which God values greatly. It is those who have learned gentleness and humility from Jesus who are adorned. The bride of Christ does not have any external glory or greatness, but rather inner character. We do not possess gentleness in our nature. We are all harsh, rude, crude and proud by nature. But once we receive Christ, the Holy Spirit begins His work of adorning us with humility and gentleness. The only question now is whether we are allowing the Holy Spirit to do that work in our hearts.

Verse 3: And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them.'

God has always wanted to dwell among men. And His desire is finally fulfilled. In 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, God says,

I will dwell in them and walk among them....herefore come out from their midst and be separate, and do not touch what is unclean and I will welcome you and I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me".
There is a condition for God to dwell among men: We must stay away from all that is unclean.

Verse 4: And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.

The curse is finally removed totally. Even in the millennium, people will die. But finally in eternity, there will no longer be any death. There will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain.

Verse 5: And He who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' And He said, 'Write, for these words are faithful and true.'

The book of Revelation is full of new things - a new name, a new song, a new heaven, a new earth - and now all things are made new.

John was told to write it all down, so that God's people can know what their future home is going to be like.

Verse 6: And He said to me, 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.'

All that Christ died and rose again for is finally fully accomplished. He is the Beginning and the End. He said "It is finished" on the cross. Now we see the fulfilment of the work begun there: "It is done".

God's promises are only for those who thirst. Jesus said in Matthew 5:6,

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied".
The springs of the water of life refer to the manifestation and the experience of the Holy Spirit. They are freely given by God to all who thirst - and they don't have to pay for it - either with money or with good works or with 'tarrying' or fasting or anything. It is without any cost.

Verse 7: He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be His God and he will be My son.

There is a difference between a child and a son. God says here, "He will be my son" - NOT "My child"!! The Father is delighted to hand over His entire inheritance to His sons, saying,

My sons, I have proved you and tested you. Now everything that I have created is yours".
How blessed it will be in that day for the overcomers.

Verse 8: But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

Those listed here are in contrast to the overcomers mentioned in the previous verse. These are the ones who did not overcome. There are eight classes of people mentioned here who will be cast into the lake of fire.

Notice the category of people that heads the list. We would probably have put murderers at the top of the list. But murderers are only Number Four and immoral persons are only Number Five.

At the top of the list here are the cowardly - the people who were afraid of the opinions of men and who therefore compromised. These are the ones who, before they took any step, asked themselves, "What will So-and-so think of me if I do that?

It is not enough to give up murder and adultery. We must cleanse ourselves from cowardliness too. God hates this because it is idolatry - worshipping the creature, seeking the honour of men, and being concerned about man's opinion rather than God's.

The overcomers are those who have overcome the eight sins listed here.

First of all they overcome cowardliness.

Second in the list are the unbelieving. This has two meanings - those who do not trust God, and those who are unfaithful in their lives. When God says something, if we don't believe it, that is insulting God and it is sin.

Third in the list are the abominable. This refers to people who indulged in sexual perversions, - abominable, filthy things, that even animals would not do.

Fourth are the murderers. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer. Those who hate their brothers will finally go to the lake of fire.

Fifth are the immoral persons. These people may not have sinned in this area publicly. But they did not "pluck out their eyes" or "cut off their hands", and radically eliminate sinful lusts from their lives.

Sixth are the sorcerers - those who played around with magic, astrology, what the stars foretell, palm reading, ouija boards, demonic games. The word 'sorcerers' in the Greek is 'pharmakeus', from which we get the English word 'pharmacy' - those who deal with drugs. So this also refers to those who sell harmful drugs that destroy people. (We saw this mentioned in chapter 9:21 too)

Seventh are the idolaters - those who give anything other than God the Number One place in their hearts. This includes those who worship money, pleasure or anything of this world.

Finally, eighth in the list are all liars. In all the other categories, the word "all" is not mentioned. But when it comes to liars, it says "all liars". Why? Because there are many types of lies - black lies and white lies!! And just in case the white liars think that it refers only to the black liars, the Holy Spirit assures them that all liars are included. Every category of liar - grey, brown or yellow - all liars will burn in the lake of fire. Lying dwells deep in our flesh. Blessed are those who cleanse themselves from it wholeheartedly now.

Verse 9: And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me, saying, 'Come here, I shall show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.'

The angel mentioned here showed John the bride, the one who overcame all these sins. She had the same flesh as the ones who went to the lake of fire. But she was an overcomer, because she followed in the footsteps of Jesus, trusted in the Lord, and mortified the deeds of the body through the power of the Holy Spirit

Verses 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. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal clear jasper.

The first thing mentioned about the church - the holy city - here is that she had the glory of God. That was what John mentioned about our Lord too in John 1:14:

We beheld His glory, the glory as the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth".
The bride partook of grace and truth from Christ and was thus increasingly filled with the glory of God. She is spoken of as crystal clear. This means that she was transparent, without any hypocrisy. She had cleansed herself from guile. She was transparent. What she was on the outside she was on the inside too.

Verse 12: It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are those of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.

It is interesting to note that the description of Jerusalem, the church, begins with the wall. What would we have begun with? With the high towers perhaps. But the Holy Spirit begins with the wall. The wall was "great and high" and this speaks of separation from the world and from all that is unclean.

Outside (the wall) are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying (Revelation 22:15).
Blessed are those who build the wall, great and high, around the church even today. Because then it won't be easy for people to climb over and get into the church. They will have to come through the narrow gate (which is the size of a needle's eye!!). We must not make it easy for those who love the world and money and for those who don't want to give up their sins to become a part of the church. We must point such people to the narrow gate - just like Jesus did to the rich young ruler who loved money more than God and yet wanted to have eternal life! The way to life is narrow and there are few who find it. There are multitudes of preachers - hirelings - who have broadened the gate and lowered the wall for people to get into their church. But that is THEIR church and not the church that Jesus is building. Jerusalem has a great and high wall.

Jerusalem had twelve gates. Here the Holy Spirit is NOT picturing the narrow gate of salvation, but something quite different. Isaiah 60:18 tells us

Your walls shall be called Salvation (salvation from sin and separation from the world) and your gates shall be called Praise".
There are twelve gates - three each in the north, south, east and west. This teaches us that we must always enter God's presence, whichever side we come from, with a spirit of praise and thanksgiving always. There is absolutely no room for murmuring, grumbling or complaining in the church. These are the first two things mentioned about the new Jerusalem - the wall of separation and the gates of praise. These are the TWO things we need to constantly speak about in the church.

It is interesting to see that the names written on the twelve gates are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, This teaches us clearly that Old Testament saints will also be a part of the bride of Christ - no matter what the dispensational Bible-scholars may say about that!!!

Verses 13, 14: 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 these were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The twelve apostles of the Lamb are not the foundation of the city, but the foundation of the wall. The foundation of the city is Jesus Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 3:11). The apostles were the foundation stones of the wall, because they were the ones who laid the foundation first of all for the high wall of separation. It is on that foundation that we build the high wall of separation today.

Verses 15, 16: And the one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall. And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as its width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.

The city is a cube. In the Old Testament tabernacle, the Most Holy Place was a cube, exactly fifteen feet in height, length and width. In the temple too, the Most Holy Place was a cube. The city of Jerusalem will have no outer court or Holy Place. It will be entirely the Most Holy Place alone. This teaches us that the Bride comprises of those who have valued fellowship with God more than anything else - (for God dwelt in the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle). In the outer court and the Holy Place, people concentrate on serving God, whereas in the Most Holy Place, we worship and fellowship with God. There, we sit, like Mary, at the feet of the Lord, and worship Him and listen to His words.

Jerusalem being a cube also symbolises that those who are a part of it have as much depth to their lives as length and breadth. In other words, God sees as much depth in their inner lives as people see in their outer lives.

Most Christians' lives however are like a square, and not a cube. Their front face - what people see - is large. But if you were to look inside, there is no depth. Their squares becomes bigger and bigger as their reputation increases before men. But in the day of judgment, when God turns all these squares sideways it will be seen that many of them were as thin as paper. They were not cubes at all, but only squares. Such people will not be a part of Jerusalem. We must fear to live with merely a reputation before men. It is better to be a very small cube than to be a large square.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Verses 17, 18: And he measured its wall, seventy two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. And the material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

Again we see the emphasis is on purity - clear like transparent glass. God is not looking for perfect people to populate Jerusalem with, but for sincere people - those who have no guile in them.

Verses 19, 20: The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stones. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.

Precious stones are not formed overnight. They are formed over a period of many years, under tremendous pressure, hidden from the eyes of men, deep under the surface of the earth. And this is how the saints of God are formed to fit into the new Jerusalem - through the many pressures of daily life and circumstances. They humbled themselves under these pressures, and as a result, over a period of many years, they became precious stones.

In Ezekiel 28:13, we read that Lucifer was decorated with these very stones. But he was cast out of God's presence. These stones then appear in the garment of Aaron, the high priest Exodus 28:17-20. This symbolised that what Lucifer had lost was going to come to man through Christ, whom Aaron typified. And those stones are finally found in the bride of Christ. That glory of God has come to the church, the new Jerusalem.

Verse 21: And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

Every gate is a pearl. Pearls too are formed through the reaction of an oyster to a foreign substance entering its body. Everything is a picture of glory that has come through suffering - as Jesus told the two disciples who were walking to Emmaus:

Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory? (Luke 24:26).
The street of the city was pure gold. In heaven we are not going to put on gold, we are going to walk on gold. Here on earth, people place a high value on gold. They wear it on their heads. But it will be under our feet in heaven - and it is under the feet of those who are heavenly-minded, even today! These are the ones who have overcome the lust for gold and are ready for heaven!

The street of the city was like transparent glass too. We know the difference between glass and water. Water can be made impure easily, by just putting something into it. In fact, almost all the water in the world is impure. But glass cannot be made impure by putting something on to it. Dirt just washes off glass without any problem. That is a picture of how our eternal state will be. We are going to be in a place where it will be impossible to sin again. In this world, we may fall, but in heaven it will be impossible.

Verses 22-27: And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it. And in the day time (for there shall be no night there) its gates shall never be closed; and they shall bring the glory and the honour of the nations into it; and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come to it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

The light of heaven will be God Himself. There we will not need anything else to give us light or to make us happy. God will be All-in-all and He will be sufficient for our every need. We will not need the sun or moon or any other light. This is picture-language that shows that to be a part of this Jerusalem is the greatest glory that one can ever imagine on earth - far greater than the glory of any earthly king or nation. No liar however will be found inside that city. Have we realised the tremendous privilege it is to belong to Christ's Bride?

In John 3:12, Jesus, speaking to Nicodemus said

If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how shall you believe if I tell you heavenly things".
There are many things the Word of God tells us for our life on earth. And many find it difficult to trust the Lord even for those earthly things. For example, even though Jesus clearly taught that the God Who provides for the birds, will provide for us, yet anxiety grips the hearts of many believers concerning earthly things. If it is so difficult for us to believe what the Lord has said about earthly things, then it will be impossible for us to understand much of the things of heaven! So it is good to humble ourselves and to recognise that many things concerning heaven and the eternal state that are mentioned in Revelation are not matters on which we can speak dogmatically and with a perfectly, clear understanding. We see through a glass darkly. One day everything will be clear.

We can be absolutely certain of one thing though: It's going to be far more glorious than we can ever imagine. When the Queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's glory, and came to Israel to see it, she exclaimed, in amazement, "Even half was not told me of what I have seen here. This is far more than I had thought" (1 Kings 10:7). When we get up to glory and see the eternal state, we shall say similar words.

It is not necessary for us to understand every detail about the eternal state. Because of the limitation of our minds, we will never be able to understand everything about heaven and eternity. The important thing is to be certain that we will be a part of the new Jerusalem.

We sing in a chorus, "Heaven came down and glory filled my soul". God wants to give us a little foretaste of heaven in our hearts, here and now, through the Holy Spirit. Here are some examples of what I mean:

The city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb":
We don't need any external circumstances to make our joy full. Our joy is always full now, because we are in the Lord. He ALONE is our light. We need no other. We don't need the approval of people, or health, or wealth now, to make us happy. We don't need any earthly sun or moon to shine on us, because, the Lord God Himself has become our joy and our light.

"The nations shall walk by its light": Whatever this may mean literally in the future, today it is true that the church is to be a light for all the nations of the earth.

"There shall be no night there": The Lord wants us to walk in the light always. There must never be a moment of darkness in our lives,

"Its gates shall never be closed": There must an open-heartedness to all people at all times. The gates of the church must always be open to all people.

"Nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall even come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life": The church must take a strong stand against uncleanness penetrating into it. Jesus said that all that is big and great in the eyes of men is an abomination in the sight of God (Luke 16:15). So all those who are interested in what the world considers big and great - e.g., worldly music and worldly methods - must not be permitted to bring such abominations into the church. Likewise, no lying must be tolerated in the church. Liars may sneak in, but they must tremble and fear when they hear the Word in the meetings of the church.

In the church we value all whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life! No-one is excluded - even if they don't agree with us in everything. Our fellowship in the church is based on life and not on intellectual agreement.





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