Revelation 21-New Heaven and New Earth

SLIDE 1 A dying man asked his Christian physician to tell him something about the next life. The doctor fumbled for a reply, when he heard a scratching at the door. "Do you hear that?" he asked his patient. "It's my dog. I left him outside. He has no notion what is inside this door, but he knows that I am here. Isn't it the same with you? You don't know what lies beyond the Door, but you know that your Master is there." A.M. Hunter, Christian Theology in Plain Language, p. 208.

While teaching Randy Alcorn’s “Heaven” an older lady firmly stated, “No one can know what heaven is like.”
Sisters the last two chapters of Revelation is all we need to know.  PRAY

SLIDE 2 Revelation Chapter 21 New Heaven and New Earth

·        Where is your home?

·        God is into details?
Heaven is my home.

 As beautiful and thrilling it will be to be present at the wedding feast of the lamb, there will be an unexplainable joy when we behold the Holy City, New Jerusalem.

SLIDE 3 Warren Wiersbe says “Human history began in a garden and ends in a city like a garden paradise.” He developed a chart comparing the creation in Genesis and the recreation in Revelation.

Genesis	Revelation
Heavens and earth created, 1:1 Sun created, 1:16 The night established, 1:5 The seas created, 1:10 The curse announced, 3:14—17 Death enters history, 3:19 Man driven from garden, 3:24 Sorrow and pain begin, 3:17 17	New heavens and earth, 21:1 No need of the sun, 21:23 No night there, 22:5 No more seas, 21:1 No more curse, 22:3 No more death, 21:4 Man restored to paradise, 22:14 No more tears or pain, 21:4

The exciting thing in the New Jerusalem is what will be missing. No more evil, wickedness, nor greed. No more fear nor curse nor death. No more pain, nor tears, nor sorrow.

SLIDE 4 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. As John watched² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

The saints referred to in 19:7-8 will inhabit the New Jerusalem. The Holy City and the citizens will share the Lamb’s eternal love. All believers will abide in this eternal home for God’s people not only the church, but all redeemed people from all ages. John describes it as a holy city, a prepared city (John 14:1-6) and a beautiful city.

*A tourist was visiting a village priest, as the man looked around the sparse furnishing in the humble abode he ask the man of God, “Where is your furniture?”  The old priest replied, “Well, where is your furniture?” he man stuttered and spouted, “I’m just a visitor I am just travelling through.” The holy man smiled and nodded his head. “Me too!” Ladies Heaven is my home.

http://www.heavenquestions.com/oceans_in_Heaven_.html. 

SLIDE 5  3 "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.”

Wiersbe says the Bible records the dwelling places of God.

·        God walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.

SLIDE 6 Hebrews 11:10 Abraham… was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

 God gave to Moses the exact dimensions and details to build in the desert tabernacle where His glory could reside.

SLIDE 7 Later Solomon and Herod completed elaborate temples to worship and give honor to the LORD. In both temples, the veil stood between men and God. When Israel sinned God departed from those dwellings.

·        John 1:14 says “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” God’s plan for our salvation from Creation.

SLIDE 8  At the exact moment that Christ died, the veil was torn from top to bottom to permit our access to a holy, unapproachable God. No more blood sacrifices to pay for sin. No more priests to intercede. Jesus was the perfect sacrificial lamb. His blood was the price, paid in full for you and me. For every sin-past, present, and future, we are redeemed, justified, and sanctified. Jesus Christ is our advocate seated at the right hand of God making intercession.

On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came to live in the bodies of His disciples. Today God does not live in manmade temples, but in us. 1 Cor. 6:19 “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,” If you received the Holy Spirit He will fill you up to overflowing. Release all your bitterness, fear, and pain. Let Him fill you with joy, unspeakable joy, love overflowing on everyone you meet, and peace that passes all understanding.

SLIDE 9  But on that Day we shall behold Him in all His glory face to face bow at His feet unable to speak. His majesty will render us speechless, joy bubbly over. Heaven is my home.

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."

Glory what a day that will be I can only imagine when His face I see.

SLIDE 10  Why did God create a new heaven? Remember when Lucifer was an angel; when the devil appeared before the throne to accuse Job. The angels constantly battle in the heavenly. God will make all things new. There is no place for satan or his angels.

Rev.21:27 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.

SLIDE 11 ⁵And 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."

In life, we have all been deceived or cheated by salesmen or contractors. We can be disappointed in family or friends. But Christ Jesus can be trusted He is truth, he never disappoints, and He will never leave us or forsake us.

SLIDE 12 NO SEAS In Genesis the seas became a barrier separating what we now know to be continents, dividing the nations of man. John was on an island surrounded by water, separated from other Christians and loved ones. On the new earth, it there will be no sea because the earth will be restored to its original splendor. 64 There will be no more seas but that does not mean there is no water for the River of Life flows from the throne of God. Chapter 22:1

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. What a glorious promise. Heaven is my eternal home.

⁷The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.⁸But 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."⁹Then 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."

SLIDE 13  Twelves in the Bible

Depending on the version of the Bible, you can find reference to the number 12 over 164 times in KJV. Twelve times in Joshua: you may remember our study with the mounds of 12 rocks and ten times in Revelation.The number twelve seems to be very important to God and it represents, in most cases, the number of perfection and authority.

 CLICK on each BULLET

·        Think of the twelve sons of Jacob becoming the twelve tribes of Israel.

·        There were 12 spies sent into the land of Canaan.

·        Joshua choose 12 men from the 12 tribes who carried 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan to build a monument to the Lord (Joshua 4:3).

·        The high priest’s breastplate had 12 precious stones embedded within them.

·        There are 12 Minor Prophets in the Old Testament. 

·        There are 12 historical books in the Bible.

·        Jesus chooses twelve disciples. In the Bible as this number also signified governmental rule or authority.

·        In Revelation 7, twelve thousands from each of the 12 tribes of Israel will be saved near the end of the present world system.

·        Twelve thousand will be taken from the earth so that they may serve the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ (Rev 14:1-5)

SLIDE 14  There are an abundance of 12’s in Chapter 21

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.

SLIDE 15 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. ¹⁴And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. I can’t wait to be home in heaven.http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2014/09/28/what-does-the-number-twelve-12-mean-or-represent-in-the-bible/#ixzz3XteaMogO

SLIDE 16 21:15-16 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

The city lies foursquare meaning the city is a cube.. The size of this city indicates that each border is approximately fifteen hundred miles long. Thus the dimensions of the city would be equal to the area of the United States from North Carolina to Colorado across one side and from the Canadian border to the southern tip of Florida on the other. In addition to the length and breadth, the city will be fifteen hundred miles high. This great size will afford sufficient space for the habitation of the saints from all ages of history. http://www.discoverrevelation.com/Rev_21.html

SLIDE 17 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as 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, transparent as glass.

Twelve brilliantly colored gemstones will reflect the shining radiance of God's glory into a spectrum of beautiful colors that will flash from New Jerusalem throughout the re-created universe.

SLIDE 18 23 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. ²⁶They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.²⁷But 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.

 There is no temple in heaven because God will be with us. No need for sacrifices in the temple because Christ was the supreme sacrifice that redeemed all from their sins forever. Until then ladies we must be light in the world. We must reflect His light through our love for others. Do not hide your light under a bushel but go out tomorrow and shine, shine, shine.

SLIDE 19 Will you choose heaven for your eternal home?