back to indexWed Bible Study - Revelation Lesson 25
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Next Wednesday we do not have Bible study here because it's Thanksgiving week. 00:00:16.040 |
And so next week we have a break and then the week after that we'll be finishing up 00:00:21.320 |
And then after that, December 6th will be our last session where we're going to be reviewing. 00:00:27.640 |
So we're going to be reviewing the 22 chapters that we went over. 00:00:30.440 |
So it's going to be a little bit longer review. 00:00:32.660 |
But our last day of Bible study for Revelation is going to be December 6th. 00:00:36.660 |
And part of the reason why we're finishing a little bit earlier is because our home Bible 00:00:41.520 |
So if we don't finish on the 6th, they will end up having Bible study during the Christmas 00:00:45.940 |
that the week that they should be getting break. 00:00:48.740 |
So either way, it works out because we have only one more chapter to go after today. 00:00:54.740 |
So we have this chapter and then Thanksgiving break and then the week after that, Chapter 00:01:00.040 |
Okay, so let me pray first and then we'll jump right in. 00:01:02.640 |
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the blessing that we have. 00:01:15.720 |
We thank you, Lord, that even in where we live, that we have the freedom to be able 00:01:20.600 |
to meet with you, to study to our heart's content, to fellowship, to build your church 00:01:28.000 |
and all the opportunities that we can imagine. 00:01:30.440 |
You've allowed us to be able to be in a position where we can access all of these things. 00:01:36.280 |
Help us not to take any of these things for granted, especially your word, that we would 00:01:41.200 |
study it, meditate on it, and apply the things that, Lord God, that we are studying. 00:01:51.380 |
All right, so for the next two weeks, as we look at Chapter 21 and 22, we're looking 00:01:57.980 |
at the new heaven and new earth and new Jerusalem. 00:02:03.940 |
It is the most clearest and the heaviest concentration on the teaching of heaven in any other parts 00:02:13.060 |
So obviously this is an important doctrine, an important part of everything that God has 00:02:18.120 |
been doing, kind of culminated up to this point to get us to heaven. 00:02:22.500 |
But I think the doctrine of heaven probably is just as misunderstood as doctrine of hell. 00:02:30.340 |
Because so much of how people imagine heaven is from the secular community, it's from 00:02:35.140 |
the movies that you watch or from books that you've read or just generally from the culture. 00:02:41.180 |
And so a lot of Christians don't know the distinction between what came from the Bible 00:02:49.260 |
And so I think it's important for us to understand what it's saying in Chapter 21 and 22. 00:02:54.100 |
And there are obviously bits and pieces that are taught in other passages, but the heaviest 00:02:58.720 |
concentration, the clearest teaching of heaven is in these two chapters. 00:03:04.200 |
So hopefully as we're studying it, that you can decipher, maybe you had certain thoughts 00:03:08.460 |
of what you were to expect when you get to heaven and compare that to what you were reading 00:03:15.620 |
Was that biblical or was that you get that from somewhere else? 00:03:18.700 |
So again, I run into people all the time, whenever we talk about heaven, they think, 00:03:23.020 |
"Yeah, when I get to heaven, it's going to be like this." 00:03:24.900 |
It's like, well, that's more of our imagination than actual teaching. 00:03:46.980 |
So verse one begins by saying, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first 00:03:52.180 |
heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more." 00:03:56.000 |
So whatever was here before this period, he says that the new heaven and new earth is 00:04:02.860 |
And this is the final destination of redemptive history, new heaven and new earth. 00:04:07.120 |
So obviously everything that we've been studying up to this point is to lead us and get us 00:04:12.780 |
So ever since the fall of mankind, everything that God has been doing is to bring us to 00:04:19.740 |
So when the scripture says he's the alpha and the omega, right? 00:04:32.740 |
Jesus himself said, now the significance of this, Jesus himself said that he was departing 00:04:38.260 |
from his disciples to go prepare a place for his disciples, right? 00:04:43.780 |
So John 14, two to three says, "In my father's house are many rooms. 00:04:48.260 |
If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 00:04:51.940 |
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself 00:04:58.500 |
So what we're studying today is a new heaven and new earth is where Jesus is preparing 00:05:05.500 |
And again, in Isaiah 65, 17, it's prophesied, "For behold, I create a new heaven and a new 00:05:11.460 |
earth and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind." 00:05:22.060 |
Isaiah 62, 22, "For as the new heavens and the new earth that I may shake remain before 00:05:28.100 |
me," says the Lord, "so shall your offspring and your name remain." 00:05:31.740 |
I think a final, I think I have one more, yeah, sorry. 00:05:37.740 |
In 2 Peter 3, 13, "But according to his promise, we are waiting for a new heavens and new earth 00:05:44.100 |
So again, new heaven and new earth has that language and that description has been implanted 00:05:51.420 |
And so chapter 21 and 22 is a specific teaching concerning that doctrine. 00:05:57.900 |
And heaven is described as a physical place, right? 00:06:11.960 |
The scripture does not describe heaven as some place after you die and then your spirit 00:06:16.940 |
just kind of wanders off and then you're kind of in this eternal state of mind. 00:06:22.660 |
That's not how heaven is described in scripture. 00:06:26.140 |
Scripture describes heaven as a physical place. 00:06:29.100 |
So when the new heaven, the old earth and old heaven passes away, the new heaven and 00:06:43.380 |
So the physical place, part of the reason why we say it's physical, Enoch and Elijah, 00:06:49.900 |
if you remember, these two people don't die and they actually get raptured and in their 00:06:55.220 |
physical state they get up to heaven, stated in Genesis and 2 Kings. 00:07:02.220 |
Jesus himself in Acts 1-9, after his resurrection, did he have a physical body? 00:07:12.240 |
He had a physical body but it wasn't a normal body, it was a glorified body after the resurrection. 00:07:18.460 |
It was not physical like the way you and I have it, but it is physical in the sense that 00:07:24.980 |
And so in his glorified body, he went up and he ascended and then he promised that as he 00:07:31.820 |
So when he comes, he's going to come in that glorified body where he was able to sit and 00:07:35.980 |
have a meal with the disciples, have conversation. 00:07:39.300 |
It wasn't just some mystical spirit that resurrected. 00:07:42.860 |
And so not only did Jesus resurrect and physically go to heaven, the scripture says that we will 00:07:48.060 |
also be resurrected in the same way Jesus was resurrected and in that resurrected body 00:07:55.660 |
So the new heaven and new earth, as heaven is described, this is not, again, not simply 00:08:04.260 |
a state of mind, but the reality is physical. 00:08:11.300 |
Romans 8, 19-22, this is a passage that we looked at a while back, but it says, "For 00:08:15.460 |
the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 00:08:20.020 |
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willing, but because of him who subjected 00:08:24.940 |
it in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain 00:08:29.820 |
the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 00:08:32.060 |
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth 00:08:36.620 |
So this is a description of what happened to creation itself because of the fall, right? 00:08:41.780 |
Remember, he says after they fall in Genesis chapter 3, God describes the fall of creation 00:08:48.980 |
where he's going to work and toil and instead of bearing fruit, what's going to come out 00:08:59.100 |
And so he describes a fallen state as working hard and not being able to bear fruit, okay? 00:09:05.780 |
And so not only did mankind fall, but all of creation was subjected to futility. 00:09:12.700 |
And so when Christ comes, he said he's bringing a new heaven and new earth. 00:09:16.260 |
So basically he's recreating, restoring what God intended. 00:09:23.380 |
Hebrews 12, 26-27, "At that time, his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 00:09:28.980 |
yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens." 00:09:32.100 |
This phrase, "yet once more," indicates the removal of things that are shaken, that is 00:09:36.260 |
things that have been made in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 00:09:40.460 |
Again, he's talking about restoring what was lost and the new heaven and new earth is going 00:09:51.380 |
The earth and heaven will not be completely done away with, but will be restored and renewed. 00:09:57.100 |
So the language is not that he's going to take the old earth and completely destroy 00:10:00.660 |
it and then something completely new is going to come. 00:10:03.300 |
The language that is used here, the Greek word "kainos" for new, is not referring to 00:10:10.100 |
new as in chronological, but in qualitative sense, meaning that the earth, the creation 00:10:17.060 |
that was subjected to futility is going to be renewed. 00:10:23.360 |
So he's not replacing it, he's renewing it, and that's the language that he's using here. 00:10:28.060 |
So heaven is a physical place that once the millennial kingdom is done away with, the 00:10:33.980 |
white throne judgment takes place, and then the final state of mankind is God's going 00:10:38.240 |
to bring a new heaven and new earth, and so it's going to be a physical place here, right? 00:10:44.740 |
But it's obviously going to be a different state, but it's going to be physical. 00:10:55.640 |
So the heaven that he is talking about, and I wanted to explain this and I'll talk a little 00:10:59.300 |
bit more about this later, the heaven that he is talking about here is not talking about 00:11:06.340 |
He's not saying that that heaven is going to be passing away and a new heaven is going 00:11:12.340 |
The heaven he's talking about when he says heaven and earth, the Bible often describes 00:11:16.220 |
heaven as material and immaterial, or the earth and the sky. 00:11:23.380 |
So he's not talking about heaven as in where God sits, what you and I think. 00:11:28.260 |
So the Bible oftentimes uses the language of heaven and earth, meaning all of creation. 00:11:34.620 |
Okay, you're looking at me like you have no idea what I'm talking about. 00:11:39.180 |
When the Bible describes, in this particular passage, in context, he's not saying heaven 00:11:44.860 |
where God is sitting on the throne, all the vision that John had of God sitting on the 00:11:49.380 |
throne and being worshipped and the creatures flying around and worshipping him, holy, holy, 00:12:00.020 |
It did not face decay because of the fall of men. 00:12:04.900 |
When he says heaven and earth, he's talking about all of creation, the earth and the sky. 00:12:14.340 |
So just wanted to clarify that he's not talking about heaven that we know of where God sits 00:12:21.220 |
He's talking about all of creation is going to be renewed. 00:12:29.020 |
So obviously, the earth that you and I know is going to look very different, right? 00:12:34.380 |
The two thirds of the earth is covered by water. 00:12:37.420 |
So if you don't have the sea, that means the earth is going to be a lot more land than 00:12:44.960 |
Because there's no water, there's not going to be any need for separation by land with 00:12:54.740 |
And as it says in verse six, that God will be the source of the water that we need. 00:13:00.420 |
Verse six it says, "And he said to me, 'It is done. 00:13:02.340 |
I am the Alpha and Omega, and beginning and the end, to the thirsty I will give from the 00:13:08.220 |
In other words, there's no need for external water because God himself is going to provide 00:13:16.380 |
So the description is a new heaven and new earth, right? 00:13:19.700 |
And then starting from verse, what verse is it? 00:13:28.580 |
Is the new Jerusalem separate from new heaven and new earth? 00:13:48.580 |
John MacArthur actually calls the new Jerusalem the capital of heaven. 00:13:59.380 |
That's one of the theories because he describes a new heaven and new earth and then he's talking 00:14:06.580 |
I think new Jerusalem is another way of referring to new heaven and new earth. 00:14:15.460 |
And if you look at it, the reason why he calls it Jerusalem is because that's the name of 00:14:22.780 |
So we're going to approach it this evening not as two separate things, but again, the 00:14:36.140 |
There are three separate times that Jerusalem as a city is mentioned in the Bible. 00:14:41.300 |
The first is the city of David, which is what we call it now, the physical city of Jerusalem, 00:14:47.060 |
city of David is referred to as the city of Jerusalem. 00:14:53.020 |
The second time the city of Jerusalem is mentioned is at the millennial kingdom where Christ 00:14:58.420 |
comes and the messianic rule is going to take place during the thousand-year reign of Christ. 00:15:05.820 |
And at that time, the base would be the new Jerusalem. 00:15:09.980 |
And then the third time is here, where he's referring to the eternal and final state, 00:15:18.140 |
So new Jerusalem is just another word to describe heaven. 00:15:37.820 |
So Jerusalem is described as a bride prepared for the bridegroom. 00:15:41.740 |
And then in verse nine, it says, "Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven 00:15:46.820 |
bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me saying, 'Come, I will show you the bride, 00:15:53.820 |
So again, in the New Testament, the church is called the bride, but in the final state, 00:15:59.980 |
it says that the city of Jerusalem is going to be his bride and then ultimately his wife, 00:16:05.460 |
meaning that there's going to be intimate connection with God and the city. 00:16:18.700 |
The new Jerusalem is measured in, I think it's verse nine through 21, takes a long list 00:16:24.780 |
of the different heights and the walls and various things. 00:16:31.860 |
If you take the measurement literally, it describes a cube. 00:16:40.140 |
It would be maybe a one-fourth size of the earth, but cubed. 00:16:49.940 |
Again, if we take it literally, that's what it's describing. 00:16:54.740 |
It would be about 1,400 miles, and every measurement is the same. 00:16:59.640 |
So again, 1,400 wide, 1,400 high, 1,400 deep. 00:17:08.300 |
Now if this is a physical kingdom and he actually has the measurements as 1,400, is it 1,400? 00:17:36.200 |
Okay, so then that measurement is right then. 00:17:45.040 |
And so if it's a physical kingdom, literally, could people fit, right? 00:17:54.180 |
Guy actually did a study on this, and there's always people who will go this extra step 00:18:00.680 |
So this guy named Robert Rouse, and he wrote an article called "The Immensity of the New 00:18:05.580 |
Jerusalem," and based upon the measurement, this is what he says. 00:18:09.680 |
One estimate of the total number of humans that have ever lived on the planet up to this 00:18:13.100 |
point is figured around 106.5 billion people, right? 00:18:18.420 |
So for the sake of argument, if we assume each and every one gets a place in the city 00:18:22.620 |
that leaves enough room for everyone to have a house that's about 1,500 feet on each side 00:18:29.660 |
or 2.25 million square feet on each level and around 150 stories tall. 00:18:34.500 |
In other words, it seems there will be more than enough room for everyone. 00:18:37.900 |
So this is based upon 106.5 billion people up to this point, but we know that that's 00:18:48.100 |
The number of Christians is far less than that, but based upon these numbers. 00:18:56.440 |
Somebody actually argued about the Noah's Ark. 00:19:02.820 |
They're looking at the measurement of the Noah's Ark and they found out that about, 00:19:07.340 |
what are they, 96% of all species that we know of are under the size of a cat. 00:19:14.060 |
And so we think of like, "How can these elephants and these whales fit in?" 00:19:17.140 |
And he said, "Only a very small percentage are actually that big. 00:19:21.760 |
So when you consider and put them all together," they said, "they could easily fit in the ark." 00:19:25.980 |
Again, that's, you know, there's people who are that precise. 00:19:31.340 |
These are engineers that's like, "It could be possible," or architect, and they've actually 00:19:38.580 |
But just, you know, out of curiosity, if it is a physical kingdom and it's described as 00:19:43.020 |
1,400 miles square, it is physically possible to fit all Christians in there that has ever 00:19:51.480 |
If you notice the description of their measurements, if you get to, I think it's verse 13. 00:20:03.020 |
Verse 13 describes on the east there are three gates, on the north there's three gates, in 00:20:06.580 |
the south there's three gates, in the west there's three gates. 00:20:08.820 |
And he describes how in each of these gates there's three. 00:20:13.680 |
This is the picture of the tabernacle in the Old Testament. 00:20:18.140 |
And so in the Old Testament description of the tabernacle, he commands the 12 tribes 00:20:28.320 |
And then inside, like this area, these are all the Levitical tribes, right? 00:20:34.840 |
And so this is how God commanded them to make sure when they camp and then when they take 00:20:40.140 |
off, they all have to take off in order, and then when they encamp, they have to come back 00:20:44.660 |
So they weren't just randomly camping around the tabernacle. 00:20:47.260 |
God told them specifically to sit and to camp around this way when they were camped. 00:20:51.740 |
And so if you look at the description of the New Jerusalem, the New Jerusalem sounds a 00:20:55.780 |
lot like the way that the tabernacle and the Israelites were connected, okay? 00:21:02.220 |
With the three gates on each side and the angels and sitting on each one of them. 00:21:07.740 |
So again, all of these things that we see in the Old Testament is reflected in the New 00:21:16.260 |
I'm going to go over how the Bible describes this New Jerusalem. 00:21:27.300 |
God's redemptive plan is going to be finished. 00:21:30.460 |
Again, in 1 Corinthians 15, 24, it says, "Then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom 00:21:37.320 |
to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 00:21:41.340 |
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 00:21:47.940 |
For God has put all things subjection under his feet, but when it says all things are 00:21:52.440 |
put in subjection, it is plain that he is expected who put all things in subjection 00:21:58.980 |
When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to 00:22:02.500 |
him who put all things in subjection under him that God may be all in all." 00:22:07.260 |
So if you notice how many times he says all things, all subjection, all of it, over and 00:22:12.020 |
over again, meaning that it's going to be complete, right? 00:22:16.340 |
That everything that rebelled against God is going to be judged and it's going to be 00:22:21.180 |
It's going to experience the second death in the lake of fire as it was described in 00:22:26.080 |
So only that which is pure, everything that is put under his subjection, right, that was 00:22:32.040 |
in rebellion, once that happens, he says eternity is going to come. 00:22:35.200 |
So he mentions over and over again, all, everything. 00:22:38.680 |
There's not going to be anything that enters into Jerusalem that has any taint of any kind 00:22:44.960 |
All that is going to be weeded out and judged before that happens. 00:22:52.780 |
The reason why heaven is heaven is because it is the place where God dwells, right? 00:22:58.060 |
So this is why we're talking about how the new heaven and new earth is going to be renewed 00:23:03.220 |
and then this Jerusalem, the throne of God is going to be where Jerusalem is, where heaven 00:23:09.740 |
This is where he's going to make his dwelling permanently, right? 00:23:12.780 |
God will be there, it says, forever and ever. 00:23:24.540 |
And what makes heaven unique is not because of the creation, it's not because of the beauty, 00:23:37.380 |
And everything that was created because of the fall is going to be destroyed, right? 00:23:46.580 |
Heaven is attractive because that's where God's glory is. 00:23:49.340 |
If we fell short of the glory of God and you and I are experiencing basically living away 00:23:55.220 |
from God because we're away from his glory, the whole purpose of redemption is to bring 00:24:02.940 |
And so heaven is a place where we're going to be experiencing his glory in his fullness 00:24:11.020 |
So you can imagine saying like, when I get to heaven, I wish I was a little bit taller 00:24:15.060 |
or skinnier or I could dunk and I'm going to have a mansion and you can say all this 00:24:20.500 |
stuff and I'm going to eat Korean barbecue and never gain weight and you can imagine 00:24:24.780 |
all of these things that you wish you could have, right? 00:24:31.780 |
What is described is the ecstasy and the joy and all that comes along is because we're 00:24:37.980 |
going to be in the presence of his glory for eternity. 00:24:40.100 |
And that's how the Bible describes it as a place, a city where he's going to be shining. 00:24:48.620 |
The scripture tells us, and again, this is not in Revelation, but the scripture tells 00:24:51.840 |
us that our God dwells in unapproachable light. 00:25:00.940 |
First Timothy 6, 16, "Who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no 00:25:09.740 |
And Exodus 33, 20, "God himself said, but he said, 'You cannot see my face, for man 00:25:17.880 |
But in heaven, we're going to be in his presence. 00:25:20.900 |
We're going to be in this light for eternity. 00:25:24.960 |
This is all a description of fallen man, that we are not able to approach him because of 00:25:32.300 |
So now we have been clad, well, we can have this relationship, but we are not in our final 00:25:44.580 |
Presently, even the glimpse that we do have of him is dim. 00:25:51.540 |
First Corinthians 13, 12, "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. 00:25:55.860 |
Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." 00:26:05.420 |
Everything that you and I imagine about God is from a distance, dimly. 00:26:18.320 |
But even now, even as we study the Bible, there's a lot of wrestling, like, "What does 00:26:26.700 |
Part of it is because we are watching him and hearing him from a distance. 00:26:32.400 |
But when we get to heaven, there will be no debate as to God's desires, his will, his 00:26:40.320 |
You don't have to ask anybody, "What does God being holy mean? 00:26:47.440 |
You don't have to ask anybody because you're going to physically experience that firsthand. 00:26:55.440 |
Sermons are going to be done in heaven, right? 00:26:58.280 |
Because you don't need to hear sermons because you're going to hear from God directly. 00:27:05.360 |
And ultimately, we will not only hear from him, not only know him, he said, we will actually 00:27:11.480 |
"Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared. 00:27:15.980 |
But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him because we shall see him as he 00:27:21.800 |
So what is the cause of our transformation according to this passage? 00:27:32.080 |
We shall become like him because we will see him. 00:27:34.800 |
So part of the reason why we aren't changing is because we're not seeing him. 00:27:39.120 |
We only see a glimpse of his glory, so we get the taste of sanctification. 00:27:43.880 |
But when we get to heaven, because we will see him as he is, we will be transformed. 00:27:48.280 |
So being in the presence, full presence of his glory is going to transform us, right? 00:27:54.560 |
And that's going to happen in the New Jerusalem that's described here. 00:28:00.720 |
So all the things about sanctification and I wish I could be this, I wish I could be 00:28:06.120 |
that, you know, like in Philippians 160 says, "He who began a good work will carry it 00:28:10.440 |
on to completion until the day of Christ," right? 00:28:14.720 |
And basically it's saying that your struggle of sanctification is going to happen, you're 00:28:19.160 |
never going to find completion until the day of Christ. 00:28:24.560 |
When he comes, all that struggle, all that struggle against sin, all of that is going 00:28:31.360 |
to be made complete when we see him face to face. 00:28:39.280 |
It's not going to require accountability, right? 00:28:42.040 |
You don't need small groups, you don't need pastors, you don't need elders, right? 00:28:47.160 |
Seeing his glory face to face is going to cause you to be transformed. 00:28:59.280 |
The people who are thirsty will be able to drink without pay. 00:29:18.320 |
The thirst here is not just talking about water, right? 00:29:22.320 |
Jesus talked about that, remember, in John 4, 13 to 14? 00:29:27.320 |
He said, "The water that you drink is going to cause you to be thirsty again, but the 00:29:31.000 |
water I give you, if you drink of it, you'll never thirst again." 00:29:37.200 |
He's talking about this thirst that's created from being away from God, right? 00:29:44.220 |
So every single one of us, there is a hungering for longing for meaning, longing for companionship, 00:29:55.400 |
At the core of who we are, longing to live, at the core of who we are, every single one 00:30:02.040 |
of us, there is a longing that's driving your life, isn't there? 00:30:07.360 |
Longing to be a better husband, longing to live in safety, longing to be loved, longing 00:30:13.800 |
to have friendship, whatever that longing is, that longing was created because of the 00:30:21.360 |
And God uses that longing to bring people to himself, right? 00:30:25.640 |
He says, "In heaven, that thirsting, that hungering is going to be satisfied by God 00:30:32.280 |
That he's not going to say, "Hey, come and ask me whatever you want." 00:30:36.200 |
Say, "You know, I really wanted to have a good family," or whatever it is, and say, 00:30:41.600 |
He said, "No, all the longing is going to be met by Christ himself." 00:30:45.960 |
In fact, it's described as this living water that's going to be coming from the throne 00:30:51.880 |
If you read chapter 21, you probably read that already, right? 00:30:55.240 |
That the living water that Jesus is promising is actually coming from the throne itself. 00:31:03.240 |
So whatever longing that we have that we are looking for in this world, he said, ultimately 00:31:07.560 |
it's going to be fulfilled in Christ, in Jerusalem, ultimately. 00:31:13.840 |
It's not going to be your mansion, it's not going to be your athleticism, it's not going 00:31:17.480 |
to be your looks, it's not going to be whatever it is that we kind of superficially attach 00:31:25.040 |
He said, "Ultimately, all our longing is going to be met in Christ, without pay." 00:31:31.040 |
Just because you're in his presence in Jerusalem, this is what's going to happen. 00:31:38.680 |
But what's interesting is, if you read through the description in chapter 21 and then part 00:31:43.560 |
of chapter 22, is that heaven is described more of a place that does not have these things 00:31:52.960 |
It doesn't describe trees, it doesn't describe buildings, it doesn't describe... 00:31:57.480 |
It does describe all these, the walls and the height and measurements, all of that. 00:32:02.600 |
Other than jewelry, these precious stones that it described, it doesn't describe the 00:32:09.080 |
It doesn't describe what the roads are going to look like. 00:32:11.580 |
It doesn't describe what kind of fruits, it doesn't describe what kind of food you're 00:32:15.920 |
going to have, are you going to wear clothes? 00:32:20.000 |
There's not a lot of descriptions about what it's going to look like, but there's a lot 00:32:30.200 |
First thing, again, this is not in chronological order, but first thing that we know, it says 00:32:39.040 |
That was the first thing that Adam and Eve lost when they sinned. 00:32:42.880 |
He said, "If you eat of this tree, you shall surely die," and that's exactly what happened 00:32:46.680 |
because they got separated from the author of life. 00:32:50.800 |
Everything that they've experienced, everything that mankind has experienced outside of God 00:32:59.120 |
We think of death as physically not breathing. 00:33:05.840 |
Death is darkness, death is being away from God's glory. 00:33:09.760 |
If God is the source of life and you're not connected to that life, then there's death. 00:33:15.960 |
If you have a computer, if you don't plug it in, it may look like a computer, it sounds 00:33:26.480 |
like a computer, the screen looks like a computer, but without electricity, it's dead. 00:33:37.520 |
That's how the Bible describes all mankind, that we're kind of walking around with the 00:33:42.640 |
source of life being disconnected, and so everything that you and I experience is death. 00:33:50.520 |
It's kind of like if you have a computer and there's no electricity and you're trying to 00:33:56.040 |
figure out what to do with this computer, what would be a computer good for without 00:34:24.760 |
All mankind who've been separated from God is not living the life that God intended you 00:34:28.320 |
to live, is trying to make do with this physical body, the short period of time that we have. 00:34:41.920 |
And so we're all trying to make do with what we don't understand, right? 00:34:51.520 |
What gives life to the body isn't there, so we're taking this flesh and trying to bring 00:35:04.600 |
So when we go to heaven, the author of life in his full glory is going to be there forever, 00:35:12.560 |
and when we enter, we're going to see him as he is, and as a result, we're going to 00:35:15.560 |
be transformed, and the first thing that's going to disappear is death. 00:35:20.560 |
You're going to experience life to the fullest. 00:35:22.760 |
Even now, we experience life in glimpses, right? 00:35:26.720 |
And I think in periods when we experience God in times of worship, when the Word of 00:35:32.080 |
God opens your eyes and you hear his voice, when you feel connected to the author of life, 00:35:41.600 |
But in Jerusalem, it's going to be permanent, constant, right? 00:35:50.360 |
So it says, 1 Corinthians 15, 54, "When the perishable puts on the imperishable and the 00:35:54.480 |
mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is when death is swallowed 00:36:00.520 |
Again, Hebrews 2, 14, "Since therefore the children share in the flesh and blood, he 00:36:04.240 |
himself likewise partook of the same things that through death he might destroy one who 00:36:11.520 |
What he accomplished, ultimately accomplished on the cross for us is that he swallowed up 00:36:15.200 |
death for us, that we may experience this life in the new Jerusalem. 00:36:20.000 |
There's going to be no mourning, no crying, no more pain. 00:36:25.240 |
So in other words, all the mourning and crying and pain that you and I know of is directly 00:36:35.640 |
And the only reason why we're talking about how suffering is good for us is because suffering 00:36:41.040 |
If suffering causes you to curse God, suffering is not good. 00:36:49.160 |
The reason why Christians talk about suffering as good is because suffering causes us to 00:37:00.640 |
But suffering was created because of the fall. 00:37:05.840 |
So I was just sitting and thinking, what causes you to mourn? 00:37:23.320 |
I mean, you probably, you know, this is not a unique experience to certain people. 00:37:30.480 |
Sometimes people ask me, "Oh, isn't being a pastor hard?" 00:37:55.500 |
It just happens to be I'm a pastor and you guys are other things, but I don't think sin 00:38:01.080 |
is exaggerated for a pastor than other people. 00:38:07.680 |
Everybody experiences mourning and crying, right? 00:38:18.840 |
Suffering is not unique to the Egyptians or the Muslim world. 00:38:24.880 |
And he said, "When we get into New Jerusalem, in the presence of His glory, all of that 00:38:30.520 |
Isaiah 53 promises, it says, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and 00:38:36.600 |
And as one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised and we esteemed Him not. 00:38:41.840 |
But He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten 00:38:51.840 |
Upon Him was the chastisement, brought us peace. 00:38:59.320 |
So ultimately, what you and I experience is, again, it's not simply deliverance from hell, 00:39:05.880 |
but it's deliverance from human experience, right? 00:39:10.240 |
And so again, you know, I don't have to mention it. 00:39:15.640 |
Every single one of you have scars, deep scars, some of you. 00:39:25.480 |
But there's not a single person in this room that don't have deep scars, because you're 00:39:34.760 |
And until we're delivered from this body and from this fallen world, that's human experience. 00:39:39.040 |
And He said, "In Jerusalem, it will be wiped out." 00:39:44.760 |
So all this superficial thing about living in a mansion is like, it's not the mansion 00:39:58.320 |
In fact, Jesus said, Matthew 4, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." 00:40:10.560 |
There's no need for the temple because God Himself is going to be there. 00:40:20.040 |
There's no need for the sun or light, because God's glory will light the world, verse 23. 00:40:26.800 |
Again, prophesied in Isaiah 60, 19, "The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for 00:40:33.320 |
brightness shall the moon give you light, but the Lord will be your everlasting light, 00:40:42.720 |
You know, the Bible, obviously, we need the physical light to live, but the Bible also 00:40:57.200 |
Think about how much of disagreements, hatred, bitterness, how much of that is a result of 00:41:11.360 |
Because we have a hard time discerning what is right and wrong. 00:41:14.680 |
How many times have you thought that you are absolutely right and found that absolutely 00:41:22.960 |
Things that we make, things that we do, because our head is muddied. 00:41:30.600 |
We have a hard time discerning righteousness, and that's why God gives us all these different 00:41:34.720 |
things to go through to figure what is right and what is wrong. 00:41:46.260 |
We have our brothers and sisters in Christ, right? 00:41:50.060 |
And so God gives us all of these things, all for what? 00:41:57.920 |
So because it's that hard for us to discern right and wrong. 00:42:02.460 |
And the moment that you think that you have it figured out, he says, "Watch out, because 00:42:09.640 |
Because pride is the first thing that you bolster up before you fall. 00:42:16.360 |
So when he says there's no need for the sun or the light, he's not simply just talking 00:42:21.240 |
about the physical sun, although that probably is in reference to that, but there's going 00:42:38.200 |
You're going to understand without opening your mouth. 00:42:46.040 |
All of that is going to be much easier when righteousness and God's light is going to 00:42:50.800 |
be the source and he's going to make everything clear. 00:42:58.520 |
And again, the walk in the Bible is just not talking about like, "Oh, the lights are turned 00:43:04.880 |
And so again, related to what we just said, that his glory is going to shine and all of 00:43:12.000 |
the nations are going to be able to live because of his, right? 00:43:15.780 |
So his glory is going to be the sustenance that's going to feed us. 00:43:22.880 |
All the kings and their glory will be brought into the city, meaning all that was in creation 00:43:31.000 |
that was worthy of any kind of glory is going to be sucked up into this new Jerusalem, right? 00:43:48.000 |
What is a gate for, at least at that time and even now? 00:43:54.080 |
Keep away your enemies for protection, right? 00:44:00.960 |
First of all, all the enemies are wiped out already, so there are no enemies. 00:44:06.160 |
Whether there will be real gates that's going to be open, I don't know. 00:44:16.120 |
And even if the enemies weren't gone, we're in the presence of our God. 00:44:24.240 |
If I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil if God is with 00:44:30.480 |
And so our eternal shepherd is going to be with us in his full glory. 00:44:40.040 |
You're going to be able to live in peace and safety and not live with fear. 00:44:52.280 |
Remember you guys were night owls, maybe thinking like, "Oh, no night?" 00:45:09.320 |
And I know some of you, maybe you're night owls. 00:45:12.520 |
But even if you are night owls, you sleep at one or two o'clock, right? 00:45:17.000 |
Because your company doesn't open up at three in the morning. 00:45:26.400 |
So there's no need for night because there's no need for recuperation. 00:45:36.760 |
We're going to be in the Sabbath, what God intended. 00:45:44.720 |
In the Garden of Eden, if Adam and Eve had a sleeping pattern, I'm not sure if that was 00:45:53.880 |
And God brought them into his Sabbath to rest. 00:45:58.620 |
But that Sabbath was broken at the Garden of Eden. 00:46:01.120 |
And it's that Sabbath that God came to restore. 00:46:03.680 |
And that ultimate Sabbath is going to be at Jerusalem. 00:46:11.460 |
So one of the things that I always wrestle with, and I think I've talked about this before, 00:46:18.000 |
is that because I'm in a position where I do a lot of counseling with people, and there's 00:46:23.400 |
a lot of you, it's not just some of you, a lot of you have gone through some horrible 00:46:31.860 |
You don't share with one another because it's not something that you just sit down and share 00:46:36.080 |
But a lot of you have suffered a lot of horrible stuff in life, whether it was a family breakup 00:46:42.600 |
or some kind of assault or something horrible happened to a lot of us. 00:46:48.080 |
Very few people in the church don't have scars. 00:46:53.520 |
And there's this unrest inside our heart trying to be restored. 00:46:58.720 |
And so you seek counseling, and you seek accountability, you seek this and that, and we're all searching. 00:47:06.280 |
And early on in ministry, I tried so hard, like, what can I say? 00:47:12.680 |
And then get them through and then walk them through these passages. 00:47:15.840 |
And I came to the conclusion that restoration ultimately is not here. 00:47:28.800 |
The best that we can do is to give you hope that there is an end, that there is restoration. 00:47:36.960 |
In fact, I don't think it was intended for you to find it here. 00:47:41.800 |
Because ultimate restoration of this unrest in your heart that was created because of 00:47:46.520 |
sin, maybe your sins or sins of somebody else, that ultimate restoration is going to be when 00:47:55.280 |
And so when I realized that, I realized that the best that I can do is to give them hope 00:48:00.680 |
in pointing to Christ, in sharing the gospel with them, that salvation is coming. 00:48:07.720 |
You see him now, but the ultimate salvation is coming. 00:48:14.940 |
You may live with that scar until the day you die. 00:48:17.660 |
You may live with that unrest in your heart until the day you die, but it's coming. 00:48:22.220 |
When the new Jerusalem comes, when Christ comes in his full glory, he says, "We're going 00:48:32.960 |
Part of the reason why is because there's going to be no rebellion, no sin in Jerusalem. 00:48:36.660 |
Nothing detestable is going to be coming into this place. 00:48:39.400 |
And then finally, again, "No unrepentant sinners," in verse 8. 00:48:47.700 |
And only those who are written in the book of life, only true believers, not simply churchgoers, 00:48:55.280 |
not people who are raised in the church, but true believers where their sins were cleansed. 00:49:01.320 |
And true children of God are going to be in Jerusalem. 00:49:05.360 |
And we're going to experience what everybody hopes the church would look like. 00:49:09.840 |
I hear people saying all the time, "Oh, church should be different." 00:49:14.240 |
It should be different, but a lot of times it isn't different because we're not there 00:49:22.080 |
But there's a huge difference between the church community and outside the church because 00:49:28.560 |
whatever sin you experience in the church, it's restrained sin. 00:49:36.120 |
The Holy Spirit and the Word of God is restraining us. 00:49:38.960 |
Even when we are in anger, there's a restraining. 00:49:41.840 |
If you've ever worked in a secular place and somebody gets mad at you and there is no restraint, 00:49:47.280 |
if you're talking about sexual impurity, you see it in the church, but it is restrained. 00:49:53.840 |
Even though it comes out, even though we experience sin, even in the church. 00:49:57.480 |
But you ever be in a place where a bunch of men gather together, and I'm just saying men 00:50:01.680 |
because that's my experience, where there is no restraint, it is not the same. 00:50:12.540 |
So whatever we're experiencing now, it is at some point, because we are being restrained, 00:50:18.840 |
but when we get to heaven, there's no need for restraint because all of it is going to 00:50:23.440 |
No uncleanness, no rebellion, no unrepentant sinner will be there. 00:50:29.200 |
And all of us are going to have full access to God's glory. 00:50:34.520 |
So in conclusion, 1 John 3, 2-3, it says, "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what 00:50:41.620 |
But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He 00:50:46.280 |
And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as he is pure." 00:50:49.600 |
And this is related to the discussion questions that I have. 00:50:54.020 |
In light of what we know about where we're headed, like how much of our life is dictated 00:51:02.460 |
by this hope of His second coming, or how much of our life is short-sighted, you know, 00:51:08.600 |
like eager for whatever vacation that we planned, or maybe even our, you know, putting away 00:51:17.360 |
Sometimes it could be very short-sighted, but long-term wise, do we have a larger picture 00:51:22.280 |
And finally, 2 Peter 3, 11-13, "Since all these things are thus to be dissolved," meaning 00:51:28.200 |
this current earth and heaven, "what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness 00:51:35.380 |
and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which 00:51:40.160 |
the heavens will be set on fire and dissolve, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they 00:51:45.800 |
But according to His promise, we are waiting for new heavens and new earth in which righteousness 00:51:53.140 |
I believe that the reason why we're given the book of Revelation is this, you know. 00:52:00.080 |
We try so hard to figure out, like, "Oh, when is it going to happen? 00:52:07.340 |
Is that the, you know, and all of these things are intriguing, and I don't think there's 00:52:10.500 |
anything wrong with it, but the ultimate goal of the book of Revelation is to get us to 00:52:16.100 |
this, that the things that we get so easily entangled by, that so easily get excited about, 00:52:27.980 |
You're investing in a bank that's about to go bankrupt, right? 00:52:33.280 |
You put money in there, and a year later, that bank is not going to exist. 00:52:49.180 |
So why would you put your money in that bank?" 00:52:52.340 |
So the goal of the book of Revelation is to remind us that this world is decaying. 00:52:57.880 |
So remember, we talked about the scene of heaven and scene of earth. 00:53:04.580 |
Destruction, fire, famine, disease, war, and that's how the earth is pictured. 00:53:10.880 |
And then you see heaven, peace, God is reigning on the throne, being worshipped. 00:53:14.380 |
And he said that picture is going to be brought down to earth, and that's the Lord's prayer, 00:53:21.900 |
Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 00:53:23.260 |
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:53:26.420 |
So it's the picture that we saw of God on his throne coming down in a new Jerusalem. 00:53:33.080 |
And so the goal of the book of Revelation is to bring us to this point. 00:53:36.560 |
If you and I know and believe that this is true, how should we now live? 00:53:43.780 |
So the discussion question for tonight is, what is something new you learned about heaven 00:53:52.180 |
So how much of something that you've imagined to heaven, is it consistent with what you 00:53:57.140 |
What is something new that you've discovered? 00:53:59.700 |
How does heaven differ from the way the world imagines it? 00:54:03.300 |
Maybe you knew it, but when you talk to maybe secular people or maybe watching movies and 00:54:08.460 |
they describe heaven, what is the difference to how the Bible describes it? 00:54:12.300 |
Third, how often do you think about going to heaven? 00:54:16.220 |
Some people may even think it's morbid to even talk about that, because to go to heaven 00:54:21.640 |
And yet the scripture says to put our hopes on that, whether we go because we die or whether 00:54:28.740 |
we go because he comes, he says to fix our eyes upon that. 00:54:32.820 |
And does it have any impact on the way that you live on day to day? 00:54:37.620 |
And then fourth, what aspect of heaven do you look forward to the most? 00:54:42.320 |
So let me pray for us and then I'll let you guys get into your small group. 00:54:50.220 |
Heavenly Father, we thank you for reminding us of where we're headed. 00:54:56.540 |
The rewards, Lord God, of being near you for eternity. 00:55:01.840 |
If there's any of us in this room, Lord God, are still foreign to a relationship with you, 00:55:11.400 |
I pray, Father, that you would help us not to simply file these things away, but to carefully 00:55:17.500 |
examine our hearts and our thoughts, what it is that we are hoping for, what it is that 00:55:23.340 |
we are investing in, that we may live in light of what we are studying and what we know. 00:55:29.560 |
I pray that you would bless the time of our discussion. 00:55:32.220 |
I pray that we may be honest and open and that you would use, Lord, our fellowship and 00:55:37.980 |
your word that you've already implanted in our hearts to judge the thoughts and intentions 00:55:44.460 |
If there's any hurtful ways in us, reveal it to us. 00:55:47.940 |
I pray, Father God, that you would encourage, strengthen, and remind us of the hope that