Revelation 21

¹ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” ⁵ And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶ And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. ⁷ The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. ⁸ But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” ⁹ Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” ¹⁰ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, ¹¹ having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.¹² It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—¹³ on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. ¹⁴ And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ¹⁵ And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. ¹⁶ The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. ¹⁷ He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. ¹⁸ The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. ¹⁹ The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. ²¹ And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. ²² And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. ²³ And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. ²⁴ By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, ²⁵ and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. ²⁶ They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. ²⁷ But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

I almost entitled this sermon, “Everything You Think About Heaven is Wrong.” Randy Alcorn once gave an unsettling example of this dynamic:

A pastor once confessed to me, “Whenever I think about Heaven, it makes me depressed. I’d rather just cease to exist when I die.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I can’t stand the thought of all that endless tedium. To float around in the clouds with nothing to do but strum a harp . . . it’s all so terribly boring. Heaven doesn’t sound much better than Hell. I’d rather be annihilated than spend eternity in a place like that.”[1]

Well. That is a strange thing to say, to be sure, especially for a pastor! But, mostly, it is sad. It is sad because that pastor’s words are predicated on such an avoidable misunderstanding. Let us consider what Revelation 21:1-8 tells us as we begin to approach this important issue. We will do so by considering three images present in Revelation 21:1-8.

New Creation

The first image of Revelation 21 corrects our faulty understanding of heaven as some kind of disembodied ghost-like state of existence “up there” somewhere with clouds and gold and harps. Listen:

¹ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

You will notice, I hope, first of all, that Revelation 21, just like John 1, parallels Genesis 1:1-2. (John seems to have had a penchant for utilizing the first words of Genesis to make wider points about Jesus and His redemptive work. Consider:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. (Revelation 21:1)

Notice:

• the repetition of “heaven/s and earth” and

• the parallelism between “the waters” and “the sea.”

By employing the imagery of Genesis 1, John was making a very important point: that the new reality we will enter into at the consummation of the ages is not non-physical and ghost-like but rather physical and a new creation. This is not clouds and whisps and phantoms. No, it is real and solid! The next verse in Revelation 21 continues this idea:

² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

The latter half of Revelation 21 will unpack this idea further, but, for our purposes, let us note that what we have is new creation, not the abandonment of creation! Just think of it: in Genesis 1 we find over and over and over again that God proclaims creation “good.” Why would we think, then, that God’s redemptive work would result in the abandonment of that which He considers “good”? Paul, in Romans 8, spoke too of fallen creation’s yearning for renewal:

¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Ah! Creation too waits for a better day! Notice that Paul importantly links the coming of the new earth with the resurrection of the bodies of God’s people. We will have new bodies in the new creation. “Heaven,” as it turns out, is profoundly physical!

Our ultimate reality is not the abandonment of creation for un-creation, it is rather the union of heaven and earth into a new reality, a new creation, where the original and good intent of God is realized and inhabited. Leon Morris observes of these verses that “after the new Jerusalem descends there appears to be no difference between heaven and earth.”[2]

In his fascinating book, Surprised by Hope, New Testament scholar N.T. Wright writes:

Heaven and earth, it seems, are not after all poles apart, needing to be separated forever when all the children of heaven have been rescued from this wicked earth. Nor are they simply different ways of looking at the same thing, as would be implied by some kinds of pantheism. No, they are different, radically different, but they are made for each other in the same way (Revelation is suggesting) as male and female. And when they finally come together, that will be cause for rejoicing in the same way that a wedding is: a creational sign that God’s project is going forward; that opposite poles within creation are made for union, not competition; that love and not hate have the last word in the universe; that fruitfulness and not sterility is God’s will for creation.[3]

If we do not get this right we will become Gnostics. Gnosticism is a very old and very pernicious false teaching. The Gnostics believed, among other things, that physical creation was inherently evil and should be discarded. Let us understand: Gnosticism is not the teaching of scripture! In scripture the earth is renewed and transformed into a new earth and joined with heaven.

So we must come to think rightly about this. The ultimate and final destination of the people of God is not on a holy spaceship off of the earth. Rather, it is the union of heaven and earth in a new creation that will be marked by the people of God living in the presence of God with joy!

Healing presence.

In this new heaven and new earth, God will be present! Here we come to some of the most beautiful words in all of scripture:

³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Once again we find Revelation’s penchant for shouting! It is “a loud voice” that proclaims this good news: “the dwelling place of God is with man.” In this new creation we come into the fullness of the restoration of our relationship with God. We were restored to God at Calvary, to be sure, but now we enter the full fruition of that great work. Whatever separation there was on this side of the veil of tears is now done away with and we enter fully into the eternal embrace of God.

This is, in part, what verse 1 meant by “and the sea was no more.” John, writing Revelation in exile on the Isle of Patmos, was fully aware of how the sea separated and kept him from loved ones and from the church. In the new creation, there is no more sea. What is more, the sea, to the ancients, was the haunt of demons and spirits and the forces of chaos. G.K. Beale has listed the numerous ways that “the sea” is used in scripture:

the origin of cosmic evil (especially in the light of OT background; see 4:6; 13:1; 15:2; 16:3), the unbelieving, rebellious nations who cause tribulation for God’s people (13:1; Isa. 57:20; cf. Rev. 17:1-2, 6), the place of the dead (20:13), the main arena in which the world’s idolatrous trade takes place (18:11-19), and a literal body of water, part of the old creation (5:13; 7:1-3; 8:8-9; 10:2, 5-6, 8; 14:7).

The many negative realities listed here will too be done away with in the new creation, the new heaven and the new earth. We will be with God! The images of verse 4 are powerful:

⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

God will wipe your years away.

Death will be defeated.

No more mourning.

No more crying.

No more pain.

The old, fallen, rebellious order of pain is gone. We are now in our eternal home with God, in new creation!

The righting of all wrongs.

Walking hand-in-hand with the wiping away of all tears is the abolition of all wickedness from the new creation.

⁵ And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶ And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. ⁷ The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

This new creation will be a holy place, a place of virtue and goodness and kindness and justice and joy! Why? Because the crucified Christ is with His people! Jesus, “the Alpha and the Omega,” gives eternal water to the thirsty “from the spring of the water of life without payment.” And notice that there is no sin there:

⁸ But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

In the new creation, God’s perfect will will be actualized in and among His children. The effects of the Fall, the fruit of the Fall, and the ongoing sin that perpetuates the Fall will be no more. As those who reject the Lamb enter judgment, those who receive the Lamb enter eternal life!

Then the chapter ends with a repetition. Once again, Revelation doubles back to give us more detail, this time on the New Jerusalem and its contrast with fallen, wicked creation.

⁹ Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” ¹⁰ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, ¹¹ having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.¹² It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—¹³ on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. ¹⁴ And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ¹⁵ And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. ¹⁶ The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. ¹⁷ He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. ¹⁸ The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. ¹⁹ The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. ²¹ And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

See here the beauty of the New Jerusalem, the beauty of new creation, the beauty of the redeemed people of God and, in them, the beauty of the Savior who redeems!

Do you remember how we said last week that Revelation will often say something then double back and unpack it further? This is plainly seen in Revelation 21, where the New Jerusalem is referenced in verse 2 but then unpacked in more detail in verses 9 and onward. G.K. Beale has broken down the parallelism between the two sections nice.

The bride of v. 2 is developed in vv. 9-11; the tabernacle of v. 3 is developed in vv. 22-24; the water of v. 6 is developed in 22:1; and the fate of the sinners of v. 8 is developed in v. 27.[4]

How beautiful this is! How awesome this is! The beautiful Lamb and His beautiful bride are joined in the new creation in eternal bliss! The glory of God, which John likens to various jewels and stones, radiates in this new creation!

The New Jerusalem, we are told, has twelve gates bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel and twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles. This is significant: the tribes and the apostles, Israel and the church. In other words, all of God’s people dwell together as one and the old divisions are finally seen to be what they should have been seen to be earlier in the life of the church: no more. And then, the end of chapter 21:

²² And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. ²³ And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. ²⁴ By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, ²⁵ and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. ²⁶ They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. ²⁷ But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Ah! There will be no temple and also no churches, for God Himself and the Lamb will be the temple! Will have direct access to God and dwell in His presence! You will not have to “go the temple” to see God, you will simply have to turn around!

And then the beautiful truth: “its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.”

Home!

New creation!

Forever and ever!

An eternity of life together in the renewed, restored, new earth, dwelling in the goodness of God and the fellowship of one another!

A time is coming when tears will stop!

A time is coming when the pain will stop!

A time is coming when the strife will stop!

May it be so here and now as we await for its completion in the culmination of all things!

All because of Jesus, church! All because of Jesus!

One day, we who are in Christ will be home.

 

[1] Quoted in Duvall, J. Scott. Revelation (Teach the Text Commentary Series) (p. 298). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[2] Morris, Leon L. Revelation (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) (p. 233). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

[3] Wright, N. T. Surprised by Hope (p. 105). HarperOne. Kindle Edition.

[4] Beale, G. K.; Campbell, David. Revelation (p. 476). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.