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the new heaven and the new earth
in Revelation chapter 21. You can turn there. Certainly
they had a funeral service for her on the 9th. I just thought
in light of her passing, it would be good to remind ourselves not
only of what she presently enjoys, but what God has laid up for
his people in the eschaton, in the latter age and the age to
come. So I wanna read Revelation 21,
I'll read to 20 to five, it's not that long. And our focus
will be Revelation 21, one to eight. So beginning in verse
one, Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven
and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more
sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city,
new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared
as a bride, adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from
heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will
dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will
be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every
tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death,
nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain,
for the former things have passed away. Then he who sat on the
throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me,
Write, for these words are true and faithful. And he said to
me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of
the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes
shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall
be my son. But the cowardly, unbelieving,
abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters,
and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns
with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Then one
of the seven angels who had the seven bulls filled with the seven
last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, Come, I will
show you the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away
in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me
the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from
God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious
stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also, she had a great
and high wall with 12 gates and 12 angels at the gates and names
written on them, which are the names of the 12 tribes of the
children of Israel. Three gates on the east, three
gates on the north, three gates on the south and three gates
on the west. Now, the wall of the city had
12 foundations and on them were the names of the 12 apostles
of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had
a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The
city is laid out as a square. Its length is as great as its
breadth. And he measured the city with
the reed, 12,000 furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height
are equal. Then he measured its wall, 144
cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.
The construction of its wall was of jasper, and the city was
pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of
the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The
first foundation 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, jacenth, and the
twelfth, amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve
pearls, each individual gate was of one pearl, and the street
of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. But I saw
no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are
its temple. The city had no need of the sun
or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated
it. The Lamb is its light, and the
nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and
the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into
it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day, there shall be
no night there, and they shall bring the glory and the honor
of the nations into it. but there shall by no means enter
at anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie, but
only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. And
he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle
of its street and on either side of the river was the tree of
life, which bore 12 fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every
month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of
the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there.
They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives
them light, and they shall reign forever and ever. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, thank
you for this wonderful description of the new heaven and the new
earth. Thank you for this temple city that descends from heaven,
this new Jerusalem. God, encourage us as we move
our way through this passage of Holy Scripture, not only in
light of the death of our dear sister, but in light of the impending
reality of our coming death. It is appointed unto men once
to die, and then comes judgment. And how we thank you that because
of the provision given to us in and through the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ, we will be able to stand before God Most
High in judgment. We will hear, enter into the
joy of your rest. We will hear most blessed and
wonderful things. And God in heaven, may this indeed
encourage us in this lower world. Strengthen us now, bless our
time together. Again, forgive us for all sin
and guide us by your spirit. And we pray through Jesus Christ,
our Lord. Amen. Well, as we come to this particular
section, I would suggest that this is a unit. So from chapter
21, verse 1, to chapter 22, verse 5, it is one unit. You have the vision of the new
heaven and the new earth here in chapter 21 at verses 1 to
8, and then the description of the temple city of God in 21.9
to 22.5. The specific elements of the
vision mentioned in chapter 21 verses 1 to 8 are further developed
later in 21.9 to 22.5. The New Jerusalem of 21.2 is
described in 21.9 to 21. The truth that God dwells with
man, as stated in verse 3 of chapter 21, is amplified in verses
22 to 27. And the renewal of heaven and
earth spoken of in verse 5a is developed ultimately in chapter
22, verses 1 to 5. So it holds together, it ties
together, but for the sake of time, as I said, we'll just take
up those first eight verses. As well, there is a contrast.
between what we have here in chapter 21 verses 1 to 8 and
what was previous in chapter 20 at verses 11 to 15. There
you have the consignment of the wicked into everlasting fire
at the great white throne judgment. If you notice in chapter 20 at
verse 14, then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death. And anyone not found written
in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. So there
is a marked contrast between the destiny of the unrighteous
and the destiny of the righteous. So let's look at the new heaven
and the new earth under four considerations. First, the new
heaven and the new earth introduced in verse 1. Secondly, the bride
prepared for her husband in verse 2. Third, the announcement of
blessing in verses 3 to 4, and then finally the voice from the
throne in verses 5 to 8. Now, some of you, all of you
perhaps will know that there's various ways of interpreting
the book of Revelation. I'm going to probably share mine
with you, but whatever I say, it doesn't have to bind your
conscience, but rather it is simply the rationale for why
I interpret certain things in this section the way that I do. it doesn't ultimately deter or
affect the end result. God has in store for his people
wonderful and glorious things. No matter how we come to the
book of Revelation, no matter how we interpret, I don't think
I should be that broad. I would suggest the orthodox
options are best applied when it comes to the interpretation
of the book of Revelation. But however we look at what's
going on, we have to all affirm that God has laid up for us wonderful
things in the age to come. So let's look first at the new
heaven and the new earth. Notice in verse one, now I saw
a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea.
Now, in the Bible, we see in terms of a broad approach to
eschatology, the word eschatology simply means the study of or
the doctrine of last things. So when we talk about eschatology,
the broad sort of marks of it in the New Testament, there's
a distinction between this age and the age to come. Jesus refers
to that in Matthew chapter 12 at verse 32 and the Apostle Paul
does in Ephesians 1 verse 21. So there's this age, this age
that we are presently involved in and then the age to come.
This deals with the age to come. Though having said that, elements
of the age to come have broken in upon us in terms of new covenant
blessing, in terms of new covenant fulfillment, in terms of the
good things that God has for us. When he mentions that there
was no more sea, in the book of Revelation, and also in the
prophets of the Old Testament, the sea at times, not always,
the sea was created by God, and it's good, but at times, it represents
either chaos, or it represents rebellion against God, and in
some senses, it represents Gentiles. And by Gentiles, I don't mean
just non-Jews, but typically those who are not worshipers
of the true and living God. So John points to this new heaven
and new earth, and he says that there will be no more sea. The passing away of the first
heaven and the first earth oftentimes cause people to think there's
going to be a brand new heaven and a brand new earth. I don't
take that particular position. Again, some do, I'm not gonna
condemn them, but I think what we're looking forward to is renovation. It's not a complete discontinuity
where God blows up the old heaven, and he blows up the old earth,
and he makes something brand new. In the book of Romans, in
chapter 8, the apostle Paul indicates that not just man in sin, but
the creation itself is in bondage, and the creation itself is yearning
for that redemption. And I think the creation itself
is yearning for what we find here in Revelation 21 in terms
of a new heaven and a new earth. Now, notice secondly, in terms
of the bride prepared for her husband. Verse 2, he says, Then
I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Now brethren, here's where I take a particular interpretation of
this passage. What the book of Revelation is
about, as far as I can tell, is the divorce of apostate Israel,
and it is the marriage of the church. In other words, what
we find in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, when Jesus prophesies
concerning the destruction of the temple, that comes on the
heels of a previous statement by our Lord where He says, Therefore
I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and
given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. Old Covenant Israel
was apostate. Old Covenant Israel needed their
temple cleansed at the initial beginning of Jesus' ministry
and at the end. They had engaged in rebellion
against the living and true God. So Christ, as prophet, announces
that He's going to take the kingdom from them and He's going to give
it to a nation that will bear fruits consistent with it. That
nation is the church. But you are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that
you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of
darkness into His marvelous light. So using that imagery, then,
I, John, saw the holy city, knew Jerusalem. The contrast is with
old Jerusalem. And if you go back to chapter
11 in the book of Revelation, I would suggest that this is
a very helpful key to utilize in understanding the book of
Revelation as a whole. Notice specifically in chapter
11 at verse 8. And their dead bodies will lie
in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom
and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. The Lord was crucified
in Jerusalem. Spiritually referred to as Sodom
because Sodom was apostate. Sodom was wicked. Sodom engaged
in great sin and was cut off by God Almighty. That's what
first century Judaism had become. That's what apostate Israel had
become. They had become the new Sodom.
Later on, this language of great city is appended to Babylon. Again, I think that's a reference
to Jerusalem. And what John is saying in Revelation
21 to now that the great city of old has been cut off for their
rebellion against the covenant God, the new Jerusalem, the people
of God, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ have been incorporated
into the covenant promises of God Almighty. And so what we
have in this book is the divorce of apostate Israel and the marriage
of the church. If you go back to Revelation
chapter 19, notice specifically in verse seven, let us be glad
and rejoice and give him glory for the marriage of the lamb
has come and his wife has made herself ready. And to her, it
was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright
for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. Then he said to
me, Right, blessed are those who are called to the marriage
supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are
the true sayings of God. So John saw the holy city, New
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as
a bride adorned for her husband. That preparation comes from God
himself. It is the grace of God in the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the proclamation of the
truth, the belief in the truth by people such that God has now
prepared them to be inhabitants of this new Jerusalem. And if
this seems a bit odd, look at Galatians 4 in your own time.
The apostle makes a dichotomy between the Jerusalem that now
is and the Jerusalem which is above, the mother of us all.
As well in the book of Hebrews in chapter 12, you have not come
to Sinai, but rather you have come to Zion. So what we have
is the cutting off of apostate Israel and the marriage supper
of Balaam. That doesn't mean that there's
no Jews in the church. If they believe the gospel, they
repent of their sins, they receive all the blessings and the benefits
that Christ has for his people. So the divorce of Israel, the
marriage of the new Jerusalem. Now let's move on. Look thirdly
at the announcement of blessing. Try to set the stage in terms
of the interpretation. Now let's look at what God has
for man. In the first place, communion
with him. Look at verse 3a. And I heard
a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God
is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be
his people. God dwelt with Adam and Eve in
the garden. That, my brothers and sisters,
was a temple. God dwelt with his people in
the tabernacle. After that sacrificial system
was put in place, they made the sacrifice, the faithful went
in, and they enjoyed the presence of God. When Solomon builds the
temple, that Shekinah glory, again, representative of Yahweh
of Israel, comes down and resides upon the temple. God dwells ultimately
with us in and through his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The word
became flesh and did what? He dwelt among us and we beheld
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father,
full of grace and truth. The Lord willing, if we all make
it to next Sunday, the next section in John's gospel, I already alluded
to it this morning. This is the main point. Destroy
this temple and in three days, I will raise it up. They say
it took 46 years to build this temple and you're going to raise
it up in three days? John the theologian tells us
he was speaking about the temple of his body. The temple existed,
the tabernacle existed, typologically to point us forward to the Lord
Jesus Christ. When we enter into that next
age, look at what we find in 21-22. But I saw no temple in
it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. So the communion of God with
man, we certainly enjoy that now. One of the blessings that
we find in the book of Revelation in chapter one is that Christ
is found in the midst of the lampstands. And John interprets
the image for us. The lampstand is the church.
So Christ is in the midst of the church. We see God present
with his people in this new covenant setting. Go back to Ephesians
chapter 2, where it's vividly displayed by the apostle in a
keenly Trinitarian way. In Ephesians 2 at verse 19, Now
therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens
with the saints and members of the household of God. You Gentiles
who at one time were not the people of God, you who at one
time had no hope, You had no Christ, you had only the wrath
of God and his fury awaiting you. He says, you are no longer
strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints
and members of the household of God. Having been built on
the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being
fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. in whom you
also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in
the Spirit." So it's no stretch to say that in public worship,
when the people of God gather together, we go to the Father,
through the Son, in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
But brethren, what we have a taste of in terms of that age that
is broken into us now is laid up or rather there is much more
laid up in the future. Notice 21.3, I heard a loud voice
from heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God, the dwelling
of God is with men and he will dwell with them. just like Adam
and Eve communed with God in the cool of the day. What you
have in the Bible is a storyline. You have paradise lost in Genesis
1 to 3, forfeit by the first Adam. And then you have paradise
restored in these latter chapters of the book of Revelation because
of the last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ. What Adam failed to do,
the Lord Christ is victorious and triumphant. such that we
will be in the presence of God Most High. Now brethren, this
is the fulfillment of covenant blessing. We as Reformed believers
like covenant. We as Reformed believers see
covenant as the central architecture of the Bible. It's sort of the
skeleton that holds it all together. And with reference to the promise
of God in the various covenants made, this is one of the chief
features. I will be your God, and you shall
be my people. Consider Leviticus 26, verses
11 and 12. I will set my tabernacle among
you, and my soul shall not abhor you. I will walk among you and
be your God, and you shall be my people. Jeremiah 31 33 I will
put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts and
I will be their God and they shall be my people Ezekiel 37
26 to 27 Moreover, I will make a covenant to peace with them
and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them I will establish
them and multiply them and I will set my sanctuary in their midst
forevermore My tabernacle also shall be with them. Indeed. I
will be their God and they shall be my people Brethren, as believers
in Jesus Christ, isn't this the chief delight? Isn't the having
of God and us being halved by God the apex of covenant blessing? The reality that they shall all
know me from the least of them to the greatest of them? Their
lawless deeds I will forgive. The reality that the law of God
is internalized in their heart. And we experience that now. In
this age, we have tasted of the powers of the age to come. It
breaks in because of God's grace, such that when we meet together
with public worship, or when we read our Bibles, or when we
pray, or when we engage in family altar, Can't we testify, perhaps
not as much as we'd like to, but can't we testify that the
nearness of God is my good? That's what the psalmist says
in Psalm 73. Brethren, the nearness of God
is the best blessing the creature could receive. And while we get
a foretaste now, and while we get blessed provision now, it's
not what it's going to be. There's an already, but there's
a not yet. And John points to this not yet
reality for the encouragement of the people of God, for their
strengthening in the faith, and for their perseverance. And you
will see how that functions as we move through the passage.
The ultimate realization of this promise is in the new heaven
and the new earth. Again, Revelation 21, 22, but
I saw no temple in it for the Lord God almighty and the lamb
are its temple. Revelation 22, three, and there
shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the lamb
shall be in it and his servants shall serve him. So when he announces
these blessings, we have the communion of God with man, it
is reminiscent of the fulfillment of covenant blessing, but then
notice the removal of the effects of the curse. You know, you've
ever gone to some place where it's not only what's at that
place that makes it good, but it's what's not at that place
that makes it good, right? If you don't like a particular
food item, for instance, you choose a restaurant where they
don't have that particular food item. You go where they have
what you want, and you find your blessing not only in the fact
that you get what you want, but you're not having to deal with
that which you don't want. So in terms of the new heaven
and the new earth, in terms of the new Jerusalem, it's not just
the presence of God. Though, again, even to say it
like that is feeling like a betrayer. It's not just the presence of
God, but it's the removal of the effects of our sin. In Revelation
7, you see this great multitude assembled before the Lord God
Most High, and they cry out, salvation belongs to our God
and to the Lamb who sits on the throne. Well, they stand before
Him day and night. They're not looking at their
watches. They're not struggling to keep their eyes open. They
are glorified in the presence of God, and therefore there's
no sin, there's no distraction, there's nothing to hinder them,
and they have access to God, and they worship and praise.
Look at what is not there in the New Jerusalem that ought
to really encourage us. Look in the first place at verse
4. It says, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. You may cry a lot and you may
not, but I think you get the point. The idea is, is that God
himself, look at the language, it's very conspicuous. When you
as a parent see your child fall and then you come to minister
to that child, specifically, that is a very special moment.
You don't send him to the neighbor to get a band-aid to put on his
knee. No, you as the parent function in that capacity of the healer. And that just solidifies that
bond between parent and child. Well, notice in our passage,
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Everything that
has evoked tears, everything that has promoted that grief
of spirit, everything that casts us down, every sorrow, every
trouble, every trial, every travail and affliction, the Lord God
Himself will wipe away those tears. Notice, secondly, the
fact that there will be no more death. Death is an abnormality,
for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord. God gave Adam a prohibition,
and he appended to that a threat. The day that you eat from the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, dying you will die. And when Adam rebels against
God, when Adam transgresses God, when Adam goes against God, he
plunges his entire posterity into the pains of death. And
yet when we get to the new Jerusalem, we'll not get a call from our
brother who said that his dear wife has passed away. When we
enter into the new Jerusalem, the last enemy, according to
1 Corinthians 15, that Christ destroys is death itself. So it's not only what is there,
but it's also what isn't there that is most encouraging for
the people of God. Notice thirdly, there will be
no more sorrow. There'll be no crying. The sorts
of things, again, that affect us in this lower world. Difficulties
in family, difficulties in life, difficulties at work, difficulties
in church, difficulties wherever we find ourselves. Those things
that provoke in us, those things that evoke in us a sorrowful
disposition. You see it back in the Psalms
with David. He talks to himself. He says, why aren't thou disquieted,
O my soul? And then he encourages himself,
hope thou in God. But the reality is, brethren,
is that the road to heaven is oftentimes paved with great affliction
and great sorrow. But when we, by grace, enter
into that new heaven and that new earth, when we enter into
that new Jerusalem, when we are in the presence of God Most High,
there will be no sorrow. There will be no sort of consternation. We won't have to check our watches
and say, when is this going to end? Isn't it beautiful? Newton
put it this way, when we've been there 10,000 years, bright shining
as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when
we first begun. Brethren, we have everlasting
life. We have eternal life. What is held up here for the
consideration of God's people in terms of what awaits them
in that future state is not fleeting. It's not temporary. We're in
this world for 80 or 90 or 100 years, and it seems like an eternity. but it's not, it's a drop in
the bucket. The eternity that we are headed
for is not one marked by sorrow, it's not marked by death, and
it's not marked by tears. And then notice the fact that
there will be no more pain. No more pain. Why? For the former
things have passed away. See, in this renovated new heaven
and new earth, when this new Jerusalem descends out of heaven,
like a bride adorned for her husband, what enters in there
is not sin. not the effects of sin, not the
effects of the curse. We see that in chapter 22. There
will be no more curse. In this sin-cursed world, there's
hardship. In this sin-cursed world, there's
trial. In this sin-cursed world, there's
death. But in that age to come, there will be no more of that. Turn back to Revelation 7 for
just a moment to get another glimpse at this reality. Revelation
chapter 7. specifically at verse 13. Then one of the elders answered
saying to me, who are these arrayed in white robes and where did
they come from? And I said to him, sir, you know.
So he said to me, these are the ones who come out of the great
tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in
the blood of the lamb. Isn't that beautiful? We put
in our dirty robes into the blood of the lamb and they come out
white. They don't come out red, they come out white. It is the
blood of Jesus Christ, his son, that cleanses us from all sin. Verse 15, They are before the
throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple. And
he who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall
neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore. I suppose that's a promise
that our brethren in other countries appreciate more than we do. We
can go to Superstore, we can go to Costco, we can go to Walmart,
we can go to Savon. I'm not plugging any in particular.
I'm simply saying we can go get food whenever or wherever we
want it. But brethren in Sudan, for instance,
or Ethiopia, for instance, those who are redeemed by the blood
of the Lamb probably read verse 16 in a way that you and I, or
they appreciate it in a way that you and I don't. We can certainly
appreciate Revelation 21, no more pain, no more sorrow, no
more death, no more tears. But these brethren who are going
hungry so often read this and they probably delight. Beware
of being so super spiritual that you don't appreciate the bounty
of God and his provision for his people. They shall neither
hunger anymore nor thirst anymore. The sun shall not strike them
nor any heat. for the lamb who is in the midst
of the throne will shepherd them." Think about that. You throw your
dirty robes into blood and they come out white. Notice in verse
17, the lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them.
It's typically the other way around. Doesn't the shepherd
lead the lamb? Well, the Lamb is both Lamb,
the one who was offered as a sacrifice, and He is the Shepherd. And He
will lead them to living fountains of waters, and God will wipe
every tear from their eyes. So back to Revelation 21. We
move finally, fourthly, in terms of the broad approach, the voice
from the throne in verses 5 to 8. Notice the completion of all
things in verse 6. And he said to me, it is done. Now the word that the apostle
uses is different than what we find when the Savior says from
the cross, it is finished. When the Savior says that from
the cross, it is finished, He is suggesting, or not suggesting,
rather He is declaring. He cries this out. I mean, this
is like just about before He dies. He's been up all night. He's been scourged twice. He's
been crucified. He's been mocked. He has suffered
the wrath of God on the cross. And nevertheless, He cries out
with a loud voice, it is finished. And the language of the Lord
at that point, it's a beautiful word, and it means completely
fulfilled, completely finished, but it's in the perfect tense.
So in other words, what has happened in the past, or what has happened
in terms of Christ and His crucifixion, has abiding and perpetual results
for all persons, all time. In the papyri or the archaeological
finds, they would see this word. The Greek word is tetelestai.
And that's what Jesus says in John 19. And they would find
this over and over again on receipts. It was a commercial term. The
debt has been paid in full and it abides and it lasts because
the debt has been paid in full. Now John the Apostle here uses
different language, but it's thematically connected. The concept
is the same. in the sixth saying from the
cross, the Lord Jesus cries out in triumph and victory. That's
how we're supposed to hear verse six. And that comes as good news
to those of us in this lower world who at times suspect that
the church will ultimately lose. We look around and we get discouraged.
We look around and we get weary. We look around and we wonder.
But never forget, the Christ who promised to build his church
and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it, has given
us the book of Revelation to underscore not his defeat, not
our defeat, but rather his triumph and victory. So many Christians
today approach the book of Revelation as if it's a document about doom
and gloom, that it's only supposed to promote heavy and melancholic
thoughts. No, it is about Christ victorious,
Christ triumphant. It's the crown of Christ that
is preeminent in the book of Revelation. So he said to me,
it is done. Now notice the consummator. I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will
give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. Because God is who God is, he
can secure this promise. He can bring it to realization
and he does bring it to fulfillment. Now notice this promise to overcomers
in verse 7. Here's where I said this document
was given not only to encourage the people of God, but to call
upon them to persevere. Look at verse 7. He who overcomes
shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall
be my son." Now, brethren, as Reformed believers, we believe
in the perseverance of the saints. Not because the saints are great.
I mean, brethren, MacArthur's right. If we could lose our salvation,
we would. We are preserved by God's grace
and we persevere by God's grace. And one of the means that God
uses to encourage us are warnings at times, Hebrews 6, Hebrews
10, and just exhortation. And here a promise to those who
overcome, you shall inherit, he who overcomes shall inherit
all things and I will be his God and he shall be my son. Now, with reference to this,
go back to Revelation 2. Revelation 2, we cannot forget
the letters to the churches in Asia Minor. This will also help
us with the next verse. But notice in Revelation 2, at
verse seven, this is the church of Ephesus. He who has an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him
who overcomes, I will give to eat from the tree of life, which
is in the midst of the paradise of God. Notice the next church
in Smyrna. Verse 11, he who has an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who
overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. Notice the
next one, Pergamos, verse 17. He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will
give some of the hidden manna to eat. The next church is Thyatira,
verse 26. And he who overcomes and keeps
my works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations. The next church, chapter three,
Sardis, you see that same emphasis in verse five. He who overcomes
shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name
from the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father
and before his angels. The next church, Philadelphia,
look at verse 12. He who overcomes, I will make
him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no
more. I will write on him the name
of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem,
which comes down out of the heaven from my God, and I will write
on him my new name. And then the final church, Laodicea.
Look at verse 21, to him who overcomes, I will grant to sit
with me on my throne as I also overcame and sat down with my
father on his throne. Jesus, what are you trying to
tell us? Yeah, that's right, you guessed it. Overcome, persevere,
not pull up your bootstraps, knuckle under and just show us
that grit and determination, but walk by God's grace, standing
in God's mercy, fortified by God's spirit, persevering to
the very end. That is why God from the throne
can offer this blessed promise that he who overcomes shall inherit
all things and I will be his God and he shall be, notice,
my son. My son by adoption. Jesus is
his only begotten son by nature. We are adopted sons and daughters
by grace, according to Ephesians 1, 3, and 4. And then notice
finally, I mentioned earlier, the glory of the new heaven and
new earth is not only seen in what is there, but also what
isn't there. Look at verse eight, but the
cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in
the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second
death. Now, I think most of those vices
are pretty obvious. I think we'd all say, oh, of
course, unbelievers, abominable persons, murderers, sexually
immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars. Yeah, of course,
we expect them to go off into hell. This morning, before the
morning service, as I often want to do, I went up to get a drink
of water, and I saw a spider about that big. I don't kill
spiders because I think spiders are good. I think they do good
things. They eat other bugs. So I was
taught as a youth not to kill spiders. Call me weird. But I
know that some people are afraid of spiders. This thing was a
monster. One of the kids in the church could have rode on its
back. When the apostle says cowardly, does he mean that people who
are afraid of spiders aren't gonna be in the New Jerusalem?
Does he mean that people who need a nightlight on because
they're a little bit shaken up by the dark are not gonna be
in the New Jerusalem? Have you ever been out in the
woods? Perhaps you've gone hunting or camping and you've turned
a corner and there's a bear. I mean, again, brethren, there's
a lot of us who aren't necessarily eight foot tall and bulletproof
when we see a bear. That can be a little bit scary.
Is John saying that if you fear for your life in the face of
a grizzly, you're not gonna enter the new Jerusalem? That's not
the emphasis. The contrast to cowardly is the
overcomer. He who overcomes shall inherit
all things. I will be his God and he shall
be my son. So when he starts verse eight
with, but the cowardly, that's the contrast. That is the one
who at one point perhaps made a profession, but because of
pressure recanted. He made a profession, but because
of peer pressure or riches or whatever it may be, the parable
of the soils is instructive here. He does not follow through. In
1 John 2, the apostle tells us, they went out from us, but they
were not of us. For if they had been of us, they
would have continued with us. But they went out that they might
be made manifest that none of them were of us. So in verse
8, I think it functions in a couple of ways. It's a warning to the
professing people of God. Press on. Persevere. Seek by
grace to live in a manner that is consistent with your calling
in the gospel. Don't live in this kind of sin.
Don't live or truck in this kind of activity. But as well, it's
an encouragement to the believer because these persons, those
steeped in this conduct, are not going to be in the New Jerusalem. In other words, it is a place
wherein righteousness dwells. Verne Poythress describes it
this way, both as a warning and as a guarantee. Verse 8 notes
that the wicked will be excluded from the New Jerusalem. This
exclusion summarizes the point already made in chapter 20, verses
11 to 15, the great white throne judgment. The standard of God's
justice, as well as the holiness and the peace of the new Jerusalem
requires the exclusion of evil. No sin or second fall into evil
will disturb the permanent security and bliss of the new world. It
will be cut off, it will be excised, it will be gone. This is a land
where in righteousness dwells. Well, in conclusion, in the first
place, if you're not a believer here tonight, notice in 20-21-8,
the cowardly, and then he says, unbelieving. We're not saved
because we're good. We're not saved because we're
lawful. We're not saved because we have righteousness. We're
saved by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Unbelief
is horrific. And may I exhort and encourage
you to believe. Listen to Jesus or listen to
the end of the book in verse 17 of chapter 22. The spirit
and the bride say, come. and let him who hears say come,
and let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take
the water of life freely. In other words, don't stay, he
doesn't say, the spirit and the bride say stay, and let him who
hears stay, and let him who thirsts not come. Whoever desires, don't
come and don't take the water of life freely. I think that
sometimes people read their Bibles that way. Sometimes men preach
the Bible that way. Stay away. Oh, there's no hope
for you. There's no grace for you. That's
not what you find in this book of Revelation. There is mercy
offered in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, we ought
to be encouraged. What this particular passage
points to is the consummation of all things. I mentioned the
word eschatology earlier. Eschatology is usually looked
at in two heads. One, a cosmic eschatology, and
two, individual. Cosmic has to do with the end
times. Cosmic has to do with the return
of Jesus Christ. Cosmic has to do with the judgment
of the living and the dead. Cosmic has to do with the entrance
of the new Jerusalem, the new heaven, and the new earth. And
I would suggest that the older creeds and confessions of the
church make eschatology simple. The Apostles' Creed, I believe
the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen. The Nicene Creed, and I look
for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to
come, amen. The Athanasian Creed, from whence
he shall come to judge the quick and the dead, at whose coming
all men shall rise again with their bodies and shall give account
for their own works. And they that have done good
shall go into everlasting life, and they that have done evil
into everlasting fire. So this is a view of cosmic eschatology. I want to end with a bit on individual
eschatology. Margarita was a doll. She was
an encouragement. She was a saint. She was just
infectious in terms of her joy and her happiness. I mean, you
guys, you can all nod, right? She was a delight. That call
on Wednesday night was shocking. John said, our sister's gone
to be with the Lord about an hour ago. That's a tough call
to make for him. That is a tough thing for him
to witness. But as we ponder scripture, yes,
we see the new heaven, we see the new earth, we see that new
Jerusalem, that renovation that God has promised, that consummation
of the age, that time when God will wipe away every sorrow from
our eyes. And that's corporately, that's the church of Christ in
the presence of God, enjoying all the blessings and the benefits
that he gives to us. But with reference to individual
eschatology, or what we might call the intermediate state,
if you or I drop dead right now, what does the Bible tell us?
What happens to us if we die? Well, I just want to rehearse
a few passages by way of encouragement. Job 19, 26 and 27. And after my skin is destroyed,
this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall
see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another, how
my heart yearns within me. Isn't that beautiful? Does our
thought, not of death, someone once said, I'm not afraid of
dying, I just don't wanna be there when it happens. You know,
the thought of death is horrific in many ways, to be sure. But
when we know that Christ has removed the sting of death, it
ought not to be as horrific. And Job understood this, and
Job's heart yearned within him. The psalmist, again, Psalm 16,
9-11, Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices. My flesh
also will rest in hope, for you will not leave my soul in Sheol,
nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. You will
show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness
of joy. At your right hand are pleasures
forevermore. Consider Psalm 1715. As for me, I will see your face
in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake
in your likeness. New Testament, what was Jesus'
words to that thief on the cross? Today, you shall be with me in
paradise. Our sister has gone on to a much
better place. People say that at times relative
to unbelievers, and I don't think they have a clue. I don't think
they have any idea whatsoever. But when we say she's gone on
to a better place, we absolutely positively mean it. In 2 Corinthians
4.17, the Apostle sort of compares what we go through now in this
present age with reference to when we enter into Emmanuel's
land. He says, for our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory. In 2 Corinthians 5.8, the Apostle
says, we are confident, yes, well-pleased rather, to be absent
from the body and to be present with the Lord. Now, when you
survey the life and the ministry of the Apostle Paul, you're not
struck with a man who has a death wish. You're not struck with
a man who's threatening to engage in suicide by cop. No, he's not
that man. He's not wishing to die. But
he understands comparatively what we have in the here and
now and what we have when we pass into Emmanuel's land. In the book of Philippians, he
indicates this. He knows that there is the potential
that he could die while he's in prison. It's not as strong
a conviction as he has in 2 Timothy, which incidentally, that's when
he does die, in that second imprisonment. But in Philippians, he's hard-pressed.
If he dies, it is that much better. But if he remains on in the flesh,
then he will see fruit from the Philippians. So he says, I am
hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and
be with Christ, which is far better. Now, literally, the apostle
just sort of heaps up words to make it as good and superlative
as it can possibly be. It is far better. Now, if you're
thinking Philippians, just a couple of verses prior to verse 23 is
verse 21. That's not just a math lesson.
He says, for to me to live is Christ, and to die is what? It's to gain. So for our sister,
having passed in to the presence of God Almighty, all of these
blessings, all of these provisions, all of these good gifts have
been bestowed on her. So the apostle says we grieve,
but not like the world. We understand she has gone to
a better place. Samuel Rutherford made this observation. He is not lost to us who is found
in Christ. He has not gone away, but gone
before. That's the truism. That's the
blessing. And the reality is that one day
we shall be together in the presence of our blessed God, wherein righteousness
dwells. Let us pray. Our Father, thank
you for your word and thank you, God, it's not just the blessings
that you give us in this age, but you have so much laid up
for us in the age to come. I pray for your blessing upon
each and every one of us. I pray that you would encourage
our weary hearts. I pray that you would cause us
in grace to persevere, to overcome and to continue to go forward
in the fear of the Lord. And we do pray once again for
our brother, John, that you would just minister to him, that you
would comfort him, that you would encourage him and strengthen
him with might in the inner man. And God, as he weeps, as he sorrows,
as he grieves, which we know he will, God, may he always be
reminded that she is now in the presence of God most high. And
may this be a great balm to his weary soul. And we ask in Jesus'
name, amen.
