THE NEW HEAVEN
Revelation 21-22
Revelation #22
Today we move from time into eternity—from the old creation to the new creation. We are going to talk about the new Heaven.
This is our final sermon in the Book of Revelation. I hope you have enjoyed the series. Next week Glenn and I will begin opening up the Book of Acts which powerfully demonstrates the awesomeness of God in the days of the early church. We will focus during the sermons on the relevancy of the Life and Power of God for today.
A lot of stories and jokes about Heaven—and St. Peter sitting at the gate. Note true. St. Peter doesn’t sit at the gate. Still some great stories.
Fred arrived at the Pearly Gates ready for his interview with St. Peter. As Peterran down the questions on his clipboard, he came to this one: “Can you share any experience in your life on Earth when you did anything that was purely unselfish?”
Fred answered quickly. “Yes, One day I was walking along when I saw a little old lady being attacked by a group of motorcycle thugs. I ran toward her and jerked her from the grasp of a huge, burly, bearded brute. Then I kicked over his Harley to distract him while I hustled her into the arms of another passerby for safety. Then I turned back to the gang and started fighting the whole bunch of them, tooth and nail. I got in some terrific punches. I kicked the ringleader in the skins and have another a great shot right in the gut with my fist.”
St. Peter was impressed. “Tell me, “He asked, “when did this happen?”
Fred looked at his watch. “Oh, about two minutes ago.”
Reminds me of the lady who arrived at the gate and met St. Peter. After several days in heaven she had a question for Peter. She walked over to the gate and during a lull in the processing she said. “I’ve noticed that St. Mother Theresa’s halo is really not very big—and Princess Di’s halo is enormous.”
“That’s not a halo—that’s a steering wheel!”
How do children picture Heaven? Here are some contributions as given in the “Pastor’s Story File”:
●SLIDE #: It is a place where there is a lot of money lying around. You could just pick it up, play with it, and buy things. Think I am going to buy a basketball, and I am going to play basketball with my great-great grandmother. –Eric, age eight.
Today we will overview the final two chapters of Revelation: We will experience:
●SLIDE #: A Taste of Heaven;
●SLIDE #: and a Taste of Jesus
●SLIDE #: A Taste of Heaven (Revelation 21:1-22:6)
●SLIDE # 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 there was no longer any sea.
Why will God make a new heaven and a new earth? What is wrong with the old ones?
Satan and sin have been there. Satan fell there – Job 2.
Still has access to heaven. Won’t be cast out until Rev. 12.
●SLIDE #: [parallel universes] New earth: Wonder how many times he has done this.
There will one day be a vast holocaust. But instead of vast emptiness, God pictures a new and glorious world emerging from the ruins. God’s aim is transformation!
Wonder about the gospel story: “Lamb slain before the creation of the universe.” (Revelation 13:8)
Died on a cosmic cross and acts out the manifest drama of the cross on every planet that goes sour and needs a savior.
End will be the same on every one of those fallen planets. Man finally uncovers the secrets of the atom and in his fallen state eventually destroys himself.
●SLIDE #: Where is the eternal heaven located? 10 dimensions moving into Eleven dimensions.
●SLIDE # REVELATION 21:3-4: And 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. He 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.”
No more tears and suffering. Even little children suffer.
●SLIDE # We have talked about The crystal Lake around the throne.
●SLIDE # and tears in the bottle.
●SLIDE # REVELATION 21:6-7: He 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. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
●SLIDE # Fantastic things await Overcomers—those who believe in the Son of God.
Revelation 2:11: They avoid the Second Death.
Revelation 2:17: They receive hidden manna and a white stone with a secret name.
Revelation 2:26: They have power over nations.
Revelation 2:28: They receive the Morning Star—Jesus.
Revelation 3:5: They receive a white robe of righteousness and are not blotted out of the Book of Life.
Revelation 3:12: They stand as pillars in the temple of God.
Revelation 3:21: They sit with Christ on His throne!
After great Chicago fire of 1871, evangelist Dwight L. Moody went back to survey the ruins of his house. A friend came by and said to Moody, “I hear you lost everything.”
“Well,” said Moody, “you understood wrong. I have a good deal more left than I lost.”
“What do you mean?” the inquisitive friend asked. “I didn’t know that you were that rich.”
Moody opened his bible and read Revelation 21:7.
●SLIDE # REVELATION 21:9-14: One of the seven angels … showed me the Holy City…. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates …
Brilliant like a diamond: Every biblical writer who had even a glimpse of heaven was totally overwhelmed.
●SLIDE # Four Biblical writers tried to describe. It’s brilliance overwhelmed them.
Ezekiel
Stephen (Acts 7): “Saw Heaven and face looked like an angel.”
Paul: “Caught up to heaven and was set on fire with a desire to depart and be with Jesus. His reaction: “I can’t put it into words.”
John
We’re trapped in a three-dimensional world. Heaven will be a release to a new dimension that allows us to see every aspect of God: That’s all I can say. It’s just a stab. We’ll never comprehend until we receive our glorified bodies and get there!
●SLIDE # REVELATION 21:15-16: The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The 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 in length, and as wide and high as it is long.
Heaven is symmetrical – a large cube.
12,000 stadia = 1500 miles. 1500 miles long, wide, and high.
●SLIDE # Roughly equal to the area from Maine to Florida and from the Atlantic Coast to Denver, then 1500 miles high.
●SLIDE # You say, “Will there be room enough for all of us?”
Heaven is as wide as God’s love – There will be big “VACANCY ” signs in Heaven – There is room for everyone there.
Let me show you how much room.
Heaven is a city with 2,250,000 square miles. And that is only the bottom level!
City of Tucson is 154 square miles.
London is only 140 square miles.
Based on ratio population of persons/square mile in Tucson, Heaven could hold 6 billion people!
Based on the density of London, a cube city the size of Heaven could hold 100 thousand million people. That’s 100 billion.
And those are unglorified. Glorified! Who knows? With our glorified bodies we will just pass through each other
Right now Heaven has room for every soul that has ever walked upon the face of the earth since the beginning of time. And that is only the first floor!
●SLIDE # Christ says, “Narrow is the way and straight the gate and few there be that find it.” There will be plenty of room!
Some of you are searching right now. Give you an opportunity at the end of this service to receive Christ. You have searched long enough. Your searching is over.
By the way, what material is used in the construction of the streets and buildings?
●SLIDE # REVELATION 21:18: The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.
●SLIDE # REVELATION 21:21: The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
It’s a large cube with streets crisscrossing at all levels.
Ever seen clear gold? Can’t imagine that! Everything in Heaven is transparent because we will be able to see God from everywhere in the city.
“Streets of gold” puts our materialism in proper perspective. What we strive so hard on earth to attain, gold, they use to fill the chug holes with in Heaven.
Reminds me of the story of a man who spent half of his life getting rich. He was greatly distressed hearing that he could take none of it to Heaven. He pleaded with God to make an exception.
Finally, God said, “Look, whatever you can fit into a black garbage sack you can bring into Heaven.”
The man redoubled his efforts to accumulate gold. When he died, dragging his garbage sack toward the pearly gates, two angels stopped him. “Excuse me,” said one angel, “Nobody’s allowed to bring anything into Heaven.”
The man proudly announced, “I have received special permission from God to do so.”
The angels were curious as to what was so important: “Could we look in the sack?”
The man nodded. Both angels peeked down into the bag, but quickly looked up in amazement.
Then one of them sputtered: “Pavement!”
●SLIDE # REVELATION 21:21: The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl.
Why Pearls for gates? Symbolism there. Pearls are made by wounded animals. In fact, a clam must give his life to produce that pearl.
The only way into Heaven is through a gate. Every time we enter Heaven, we’ll be reminded of the wounds of Christ, who gave us his life, which took away our sins.
Symbol of us: We suffer and hurt and god has made something beautiful with our lives.
●SLIDE # REVELATION 21:23: The 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.
Now move inside the city to discover that it is like the Garden of Eden.
●SLIDE # REVELATION 22:1-2: Then 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 down 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.
Garden of Eden had four rivers, Heaven has just one and it flows out from the throne of God.
The River symbolizes eternal life manifested through the Holy Spirit. Jesus referred to this often: “I will give you living water…Out of your innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”
●SLIDE #: Three Trees: Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil; Tree of Life; Cross
Now have Tree of Life that gives off fruit every month. Most trees on earth blossom with fruit once or twice a year; but these give a fresh crop of fruit every month. Talk about a Fruit of the Month club!
Let’s Answer Some Often Asked Questions About Heaven.
●SLIDE #: Will we recognize our loved ones?
Yes! – more by WHO they ARE than by that they look like!
1 John 3:2 – “Not yet appeared what we shall be…”
●SLIDE #: Will there be families in Heaven?
Many say “no.” based on Jesus “no marrying or giving in marriage” Interpret to mean no families. Doesn’t say that.
Saying no new marriages. Says nothing about those married on Earth. Only passage deals with this. Hate to say no families in heaven based on this passage. I believe that there will still be families in heaven. Moms, dads, brothers, sisters, etc.
●SLIDE #: Will we have full understanding in Heaven?
Yes. 1 Cor 13:12 – Glass darkly – then face to face.
●SLIDE #: Do loved ones in Heaven see us and know what’s happening on Earth?
“YES!”: Martyred saints want revenge.
Luke 15:7 – “rejoicing in Heaven over repentance of one lost soul.”
●SLIDE #: What will we be doing in Heaven?
Worshipping and praising God
Serving
Fellowshipping
Learning
Resting: Rev 14:13 – “rest from labors” Luke 16 says “now Lazarus is comforted and you are tormented.”
●SLIDE #: A Taste of Jesus (Revelation 22:7-21)
●SLIDE #: “There are four things I want you to keep in mind as you await my return.”
1. Keep My Word Pure. Rev 22:7, 18-19
2. Keep A Servant’s Heart. Rev. 22:12,
3. Keep Pure. Rev. 22:11b, 14
4. Keep Looking For My Return. Rev. 22:20
John 14:1-6 is a most precious picture, both of Heaven, and of the moment of death when we transition from life into eternity.
●SLIDE #: John 14:1-6
JOHN 14:1
The Sun is about to set at midday for the 11 disciples in that tear-stained room. Their world is about to come crashing down in chaos all around them.
Read John 14:2
“My Father’s House” = another name for Heaven.
When I was young and left home, the best thing that I could possibly so was to go back to my father’s house – that’s home. hen we go to heaven, it’s not like some big palace – “Ah, Oh”, just go right in and “flop”, throw your coat off; kick your shoes off, it’s home – “My Father’s House.”
“Many dwelling places” – your text may say “mansions.” That translation has given Christianity the wrong idea for years. Hear “mansions” and dream that Heaven is like some new real estate development. Be a guide at the gate. Peter lets you in and says “your mansion is 2 blocks this way and then 4 over to the left.” Be a golf cart to drive you there.
“Dwelling place” refers to New Testament times when the son would be married. Father would attach another wing onto his house and son and daughter-in-law would live there. Another son married, another attachment. Finally when all were married it would be all closed in around a patio. Not a tenement house – but full living compartments all built around the same patio.
When we get to heaven it’s not going to be that God lives here and I live 8 blocks away! We’ll be in the Father’s house. We’ll have the same patio.
Christ’s great promise to disciples and to us is that He’s gone up to heaven to get it ready for us!
JOHN 14:3
Isn’t that fantastic? Not only does He promise to go up there and get it ready, He’s going to come back and get us and take us up there. The Lord doesn’t send someone else to get us. “If I go, I’ll come again.” Listen – He does it Himself.
Two-fold reference here:
1. Talk about Rapture and also
2. Talking about death when soul goes to be with Him.
●SLIDE #: Wayne and Linda Barteau went with friends and children to the movie across town at Cineworld 4. Had 2 cars. Movie over about 10:00 PM. Got into cars to leave, Wayne and Linda in different cars. Linda thought daughter Julie, age 7, was with Wayne and vice versa. Went to friends house. No Julie. Raced to theater, walked in.
Here was Julie with the manager out on the sidewalk. No tears. Linda runs up and hugs her. “So sorry” – Julie, “What are you sorry about, Mom? I knew that you’d be coming back.”
That’s the kind of trust that we can put in God.
Jesus says, “Listen, I’m coming back! It may get dark. May look like it’s getting pretty close to night and it may look like I’ve forgotten you but I’ll be back, trust Me! I’m getting it all ready. When it’s done, I’m coming to get you.”
●SLIDE #: Invitation of Jesus to come. Rev. 22:
CLOSING MEDITATION
Think of –
Stepping on shore and finding it Heaven!
Of taking hold of a hand and finding it God’s hand.
Of breathing a new air and finding it celestial air.
Of feeling invigorated and finding it immortality.
Of passing from storm to tempest to an unknown calm.
Of waking up and finding it Home.