WHEN JESUS COMES AGAIN –
LIFE ON THE NEW EARTH
April 22,
Pastor Mike Barnett
Revelation 21:1-27 (pg. 878)
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the
first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any
sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her
husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne
saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.
They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no
more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has
passed away."
5He who was
seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he
said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
6He said to
me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the
water of life. 7He who overcomes will inherit all this,
and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8But the
cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those
who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the
fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
9One of the
seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and
said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and
high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from
God. 11It shone with the glory of God, and its
brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as
crystal. 12It had a great, high wall with twelve gates,
and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the
twelve tribes of
15The angel
who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates
and its walls. 16The city was laid out like a square, as
long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be
12,000 stadia[a]in length, and as wide and high as it is
long. 17He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits[b] thick,[c] by man's measurement, which the angel was
using. 18The wall was made of jasper, and the city of
pure gold, as pure as glass. 19The foundations of the
city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first
foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth
emerald, 20the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the
seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase,
the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[d] 21The twelve gates
were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the
city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
22I did not
see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its
temple. 23The city does not need the sun or the moon to
shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the
earth will bring their splendor into it. 25On no day
will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26The
glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27Nothing
impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or
deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelation 21:1-27
·
The Greek
word translated “Heaven” is used in three ways in the Bible:
1. The aerial or
atmospheric heavens – a cosmological usage.
Genesis 1:1 says:
1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2. The sidereal or starry
heavens.
1 kings
27 "But will God really dwell on earth? The
heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple
I have built!
3. The eternal abode of
God – as used in the Lord’s prayer: “Our Father in Heaven”.
·
Revelation 21
is speaking of this eternal home for all the believers in Christ!
·
Think of a
moment what will this mean for Adam and Eve.
·
When the new earth comes down from Heaven, the
rest of us will be going home, but Adam and Eve will be coming home.
·
Only Adam and
Eve have lived on three earths, the unfallen one, the fallen one we currently
live on and the redeemed one we are going to live on with our new resurrected
bodies when Christ comes again.
·
A common misunderstanding
about the eternal Heaven is that it will be ______________________(unfamiliar)
but that couldn’t be further from the truth since is called the “___________
________________” (new earth).
WHAT WE FALSELY ASSUME
ABOUT HEAVEN:
·
The world
teaches Heaven is non-earth - The Bible teaches that when Christ comes again, _____________________(Heaven)
will descend and be ___________________(united) with the New ___________________(Earth).
Revelation 21:1-3 says:
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the
first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any
sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her
husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne
saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.
They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4
·
The world
teaches Heaven is unfamiliar, otherworldly -The Bible teaches Heaven is ________________(familiar)
and_________________(earthly).
·
The “New
Earth” by definition will not be a non-earth, but a ________________(real)
earth - The earth spoken of in scripture is the earth we already
________________(know) – with dirt, rocks, tree, flowers, animals, people, and
a variety of natural wonders because an earth without all these things would
not be earth.
·
The Greek
word translated “earth” is ge, from which we get geology.
·
It is used of
land, soil, and the world itself. The word connotes physicality.
·
We are told
in Revelation 21:1-5 that the first earth will pass away and that new one will
be made.
·
The Greek
word for “first” earth is “prote” meaning ______________________(prototype)
suggesting a vital ___________________________(connection) between the two
earths.
·
The first
earth serves as a _____________________________(prototype) or pattern for the
New Earth. There is ______________________(continuity) between the old and the
new.
·
Therefore
shouldn’t we expect new trees, new flowers, new rocks, new rivers, new
mountains, and new animals.
·
The world
teaches we will be disembodied spirits without a body - the Bible teaches we
will have new ______________________ ______________________(resurrected bodies)
that our spirits will inhabit.
1 Thessalonians 4:1-18 (pg.
836) says:
13Brothers,
we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve
like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14We believe
that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus
those who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the
Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the
coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud
command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and
the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who
are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage each other with these words.
·
The world teaches
Heaven will be foreign to us - the Bible teaches that Heaven will be ____________________(home)
for us.
John 14:1-4 (pg. 763)
says:
1"Do
not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God[a]; trust also in me. 2In
my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I
am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that
you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the
place where I am going."
·
·
The world
teaches Heaven will be leaving favorite things behind.
·
The Bible
teaches we will retain the good that God created and the best is still lies
ahead.
·
The world
teaches that there is no time and space in Heaven - The Bible teaches there is _________________(time)
and _________________(space) in Heaven.
·
The world
teaches Heaven is a static and boring place - the Bible teaches that Heaven is
a __________________(dynamic) and __________________(exciting) place - There
will be no ____________________,(boredom) ______________________,(apathy) or
______________________(complacency) in Heaven.
·
In Heaven…on
the New Earth, there will be full satisfaction for every holy longing and
aspiration.
·
The world
teaches that the music/worship in Heaven will be dull, heavy and repetitious –
The Bible says we will sing a ______________ ___________________(new song).
·
Mark Twain
ignorantly stated: “(The music) It goes on all day long and every day, during a
stretch of twelve hours…..The singing is of hymns alone, nay, is of one hymn
alone. The words are always the same; in
number they are only about a dozen; there is no rhyme, there is no poetry….”
·
Mark Twain
did not interpret this passage appropriately, for the Bible says…IT WILL BE A
NEW SONG…BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW”. Revelation 5:8-10, 21:5
·
Heaven’s
music and worship to God will far surpass earth’s finest achievements.
·
Lovers are
never board in each others company! We will be in God’s presence for eternity.
1 Peter 1:8 says:
8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even
though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an
inexpressible and glorious joy.
·
The world
teaches there is nothing to do except to float in the clouds - The Bible
teaches there will be God in Heaven to ________________________(worship) and _________________________(serve),
a universe to ____________________(rule), purposeful ____________________(work)
to accomplish and ____________________(friends) to enjoy.
·
Christians
will be busy in Heaven and not sitting around on a cloud, plucking the strings
of a golden harp.
·
Heaven is not
boring and bland, there is a lot of excitement to look forward to in Heaven.
·
There will be
much more to Heaven than rest and contemplation.
·
One of
Heaven’s rewards for faithful service on earth will be the
_______________________(delegation) of various spheres of ______________________(authority)
and __________________(work).
Luke 19:12-27 (pg. 743) says:
12He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant
country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13So
he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.[a]'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I
come back.'
14"But
his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want
this man to be our king.'
15"He
was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to
whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
16"The
first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.'
17"
'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been
trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'
18"The
second came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.'
19"His
master answered, 'You take charge of five cities.'
20"Then
another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid
away in a piece of cloth. 21I was afraid of you, because
you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did
not sow.'
22"His
master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You
knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and
reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then didn't you put my
money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with
interest?'
24"Then
he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the
one who has ten minas.'
25"
'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!'
26"He
replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for
the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. 27But
those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here
and kill them in front of me."
·
Heaven is not
a resort for the _____________________(lazy) - God lives in Heaven and He is ________________(always)
at _______________(work).
John
17Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his
work to this very day, and I, too, am working."
·
The world
teaches Heaven will be a boring place - The Bible teaches Heaven will be a
fascinating place.
·
The World
teaches there is no learning or discovering; instant and complete knowledge.
·
The Bible
teaches there will be an eternity of learning and discovery.
·
The world
teaches that in Heaven there will be a loss of desire.
·
The Bible
teaches in Heaven there will be a continuous fulfillment of desire.
·
The world
teaches the absence of terrible, but presence of little we desire.
·
The Bible
teaches the presence of the wonderful – full of everything God desires for us,
and nothing He does not.
NOTE: No wonder Satan
does not want us to learn the truth about Heaven. If we fall in love with that place
and look forward to the future that God has for us, we’ll fall more in love with
God, and we’ll be empowered to follow him with greater urgency.
ILLUSTRATION: As a bride
lives daily in anticipation of the bridegrooms arrival, coming to take her to
the house he has built for her, we should think daily about Jesus and about
Heaven. Instead of feeling abandoned, the bride feels honored because she knows
that she will live in the home of the Bridegroom and lovingly constructed it
with her in mind. She may experience some loneliness and difficulty, but she
knows he has not forgotten her and what he is doing for her will assure her
future happiness. Her present happiness depends on trusting him, believing that
he will come to take her home, where they will joyfully live together forever.
·
Jesus is a ______________________(carpenter)
from
John 14:1-4 (pg. 763) says:
1"Do
not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God[a]; trust also in me. 2In
my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I
am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that
you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the
place where I am going."
·
Jesus has
experience building!
·
Jesus is
making a new world and a new home for us, a remodel of the old earth on a grand
scale.
·
How great
will be the planet he calls the new earth – the one he says will be our home
and his.
·
The
resurrection of the body…declares that God will make good and bring to
perfection the human project he began in the Garden of Eden.
·
The world
teaches most everybody goes to Heaven - The Bible teaches that narrow is the
gate and very _____________(few) go to Heaven on the new earth.
Matthew 7:13-14 says:
13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the
gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through
it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that
leads to life, and only a few find it.
·
The world
teaches that people can turn into angels when they die – the Bible says the
angels have already been _________________(created) by God and there is a _____________(fixed)
number of them….Angels are angels and people are people!
·
While we do
not know how many angels there are – we are told they are a numerous as the
stars.
·
While Heaven
on the New Earth will be similar in some ways to the earth we know, there will
be some _________________________(absences) of things that exist on the current
earth.
IN HEAVEN THERE WILL BE…
1) No ___________________(
Revelation
22I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord
God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
·
The beautiful
temple was the outstanding feature and glory of the earthly
Matthew 24:1 says:
1Jesus
left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call
his attention to its buildings.
·
To ancient
Exodus 25:8 says:
8 "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I
will dwell among them.
·
In Heaven,
there will no longer be any need for a special building set apart for the
worship of God, for God himself is the temple.
·
The earthy
temple is replaced by the immediate ______________________(presence) of the
omnipresent __________________(God) – We will finally see him
_____________(face) to ____________(face).
1 Peter 1:8 says:
8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even
though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an
inexpressible and glorious joy.
·
So we can bid
farewell to troublesome building funds and denominational differences and
“worship Him in spirit and truth!”
2) No _______________(Sea)
Revelation 21:1 says:
1Then
I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth
had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
·
A Sealess
Heaven seems appalling to some of us.
·
But in the
ancient world, the sea connotes fear and death.
·
Without a sea,
storm and shipwreck would be a thing of the past.
·
To the exile
or emigrant, the sea means separation from home and loved ones, and the
severing of cherished friendships.
·
As he wrote
of his vision of heaven, John was himself experiencing the loneliness of an
exile on the
·
The restless,
never-ceasing surge of sea symbolizes the uncertainty and unwelcome changes of
life.
·
The sea
cannot be controlled and mastered by people – it can be a devastating force –
killing thousands in massive storms and Hurricanes.
·
The sea in
ancient times also separated nations and people – in Heaven, there will be no
such separation.
·
THE
IMPORTANCE BEHIND THERE BEING NO MORE SEA IN HEAVEN IS THAT THERE WILL BE NO
______________________(DIVISION) AND ______________________(SEPARATION)
BETWEEN THE NATIONS AND PEOPLE GROUPS ANY LONGER!
·
Instead of
sea, there will be a beautiful river flowing from the throne of God and of the
Lamb down the great street of the city of
·
On each side
of the river there grows the tree of life, which yields its fruit every month.
Revelation 22:1-6 (pg.
879) says:
1Then
the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal,
flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2down the
middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the
tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.
And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3No
longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in
the city, and his servants will serve him. 4They will
see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
·
As we know
where you have a river, you have lake. So if there are rivers on the new earth,
there must certainly be lakes and where you have lakes you have fish.
·
God could
certainly make sharks and whales live in freshwater if He wanted to.
·
I bet the
fish in heaven will be even more beautiful than the fish we see now.
3. No ___________________(death).
·
Certainly
people will not die in Heaven.
·
What about
the animals?
·
I am
personally hoping you can still catch, kill and eat fish on the new earth.
Revelation 21:4 says:
4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will
be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has
passed away."
4. No more ______________________(mourning)
and _____________________(crying).
·
Here on
earth, we know the pain of loosing a loved one and how devastating it can be.
·
Parents will
not have to grieve the loss of seeing their children die at a young age no
more!
5. No
________________(pain).
·
No more cruel
traffic accidents with their painful aftermath.
·
No more
arthritis
·
No more
illness
6. No
___________________(hunger) or ____________________(thirst).
Revelation
16Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat.
·
Two of the
most agonizing experiences people can suffer will be banished.
·
Think of what
this will mean to the starving millions of
·
No one in
Heaven will ever again feel the pangs of hunger or the agony of thirst.
7. No __________________(Tears)
Revelation 21:4 says:
4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will
be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has
passed away."
·
He will wipe
away all tears – those arising from our own sin and failure, or from sorrow or
bereavement, or those caused by others.
·
Because there
will be no more crying, there will be no more tears, or the occasion for them.
8. No
_________________(night)
Revelation 22:5 says:
5There will be no more night. They will not need the
light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.
And they will reign for ever and ever.
·
After a long
and tiring day, how welcome is the darkness of nighttime – one of God’s choicest
blessings.
·
Our weary
bodies need the rest of night to reenergize our strength for the demands of the
new day.
·
But our new
bodies will no longer need the recuperative process of sleep.
·
There will be
abundant activity in heaven on the new earth, but without fatigue or
exhaustion, for our bodies will be like his.
Philippians
21who, by the power that enables him to bring
everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will
be like his glorious body.
·
There are
many senses in which night is beneficial, but there are negative attributes in
our sinful society today.