Out With the Old, In With the New
What in the World is Going on? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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There are two words translated as “new” in the NT - Chronos - referring to new in time, such as a new car, and Kainos - meaning new, not only in time, but in superiority of quality compared to the old.
As we begin reading the opening verses of Revelation 21, we are bombarded with the word “new” and the idea of newness. If you were to ask me to describe eternity to you in one word, I would use the word God uses: New. In the first 8 verses we are introduced to several “new” experiences, and in every case the word means new to the point of superiority to the old. Read with me...
First we are introduced to a...
New Heaven and Earth v. 1
New Heaven and Earth v. 1
A new heaven and earth are necessary because...
The old has “passed away”
Literally the word has the idea of going away or perishing
The old heaven, if speaking of third heaven where God dwelt, was the site of rebellion, not once, but twice as Satan and his angels tried to overthrow God.
If The reference is to the first heaven, the atmospheric heavens, then it will need to be destroyed because it is now the residence of Satan
Ephesians 2:2 “2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”
The old earth is also the site of battles and rebellion against God, laying in ruins from man’s rebellion
Peter tells us, 2 Peter 3:10–11 “10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,”
Paul tells us in, speaking of Jesus, Colossians 1:16–17 “16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
Peter mentions that the heavens (the atmosphere) are going to nosily and fervently (hotly) melt away...
While some suggest a nuclear holocaust, Paul refers to the fact that Jesus is the creator of all things, including the atom, and by His power all things “consist” or hold together, therefore it could be that He will simply stop holding them together!
Either way, we get a new heaven and a new earth. Notice that...
The new heaven and earth will be...
Pure
There will be no curse - Revelation 22:3 “3 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:”
Revelation 21:8 “8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
There will be no sin in the New heaven and earth
Take a minute this afternoon and just reflect on what that will be like!
Here is the best part, they will be...
Eternal
This earth, is temporary
Like our bodies it is wearing down, but the new heaven and earth will be eternal and able to suit our new bodies.
Notice that there will be “no sea”
I cannot leave this verse without talking about this
No one is certain what this means exactly, but I’m convinced its a reference to the topography being different. I believe that from anywhere on the earth you will be able to travel by land with no great bodies of water separating you .
It’s not that there won’t be great bodies of water, they will just be localized - most likely.
The point of this is that God is going to provide a new heaven and earth to be inhabited for eternity, most likely by those millennial saints. They will have kingdoms, but one king. There will be nations, but one leader. Perfect peace, perfect harmony. But what about us? Where will we dwell? We will dwell in the...
New Jerusalem v. 2
New Jerusalem v. 2
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
compare this with Revelation 21:9-10
9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Who is the Lamb’s bride? The church! The city is not the bride, but the bride’s eternal dwelling place. Notice the...
Splendor of New Jerusalem
The glory of God permeates the city
Revelation 21:11 “11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;”
Revelation 21:22–23 “22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
Revelation 22:3–5 “3 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: 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”
The precious stones described
Already we’ve seen jasper and that the street (just one street) paved with pure gold, but notice the walls
Revelation 21:18 “18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.”
The foundations Revelation 21:19–20 “19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.”
The gates Revelation 21:21 “21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”
If the splendor of New Jerusalem isn’t enough to excite you, consider...
Size of New Jerusalem
Revelation 21:14–17 “14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. 17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.”
This is a unique construction for sure!
It appears to be cubical in shape
The walls, by the most conservative estimate, are 1380 miles, in each direction, including up!
Next we’re moved by the...
Safety of New Jerusalem
There is the mention of walls and gates
In John’s day both of these spoke of safety
But in eternity they will not be necessary
The gates will never close because there will be no enemy to guard against! Revelation 21:25 “25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.”
Satan, the beast, the false prophet are in the LoF
All the demons of hell are in the LoF
All the sinful of all the ages are in the LoF
One last truth to discuss about the New Jerusalem, that is, the...
Saints related to New Jerusalem
The names of Israel are written on the gates
Revelation 21:12 “12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:”
This speaks to two truths:
Our OT heritage in the NT
We would not be here without Israel!
We are spiritual descendants of Abraham as they are physically descended
The second truth is that while the OT saints will have their inheritance on the earth, they will also have access into NJ.
The names of the Apostles are written on the foundation
Revelation 21:14 “14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
Ephesians 2:20 “20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;”
It was their faithful continuation of the gospel ministry that has led to our being saved today.
Thank God for His faithful apostles!
Notice also how NJ relates to...
The inhabitants of the New Earth
Revelation 21:24 “24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.”
The tribulation and millennial saints, along with the OT saints will inhabit the new earth for eternity basking in the light coming out of NJ!
What a glorious sight this will be! I tell you, eternity will not be boring! But wait! It gets even better! In addition to the new heaven, new earth, and new Jerusalem, there will also be a...
New Relationship v. 3
New Relationship v. 3
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
In eternity there will be new distinctions to be made in our relationship with God. There is a new intimacy with God...
God’s “tabernacle” is with men and He will dwell with them
God’s claim - “They shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them”!
God’s tenderness is seen in verse 4
In eternity we can say good by to tears of sadness
In eternity we can say goodbye to death - there will be no funerals in eternity!
God’s promises is seen in verses 6-7 - Revelation 21:6–7 “6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”
God’s provision is seen in Revelation 22:1–2 “1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
This is the first time since Genesis 3 that the tree of life has been mentioned
There is not a lot mentioned about it here, but that its “leaves are for the healing the nations”
The word “healing” means therapeutic
The idea is that this miraculous tree will offer some form of beneficial purpose in eternity - but be cautious because the Bible does not say specifically what that purpose will be.
In eternity there will be a close, intimate relationship with God, we will dwell with Him, fellowship with Him, see Him. He will love us, care for us, comfort us, and provide for us. Words fail me to fully explain this to you! All I can say is what God has said in Revelation 21:5
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Conclusion: It will go something like this: The rapture will happen, the church will be gone. The tribulation will begin and those not in the rapture out will endure those terrible years. The Antichrist will ascend to power and influence over the entire world and just as he is about to destroy Jerusalem, Jesus returns, ends the rebellion, casts the B. and FP into the LoF and locks Satan away for 1000 years. For 1000 years Jesus reigns and at the end Satan is loosed leads a rebellion and finally will be cast into the LoF with all his followers at the GWT. Then we enter eternity in the NH, NE, and NJ where we will spend time without end serving our God.
When this time comes, and it will come, where will you spend eternity? With God or in the Lake of Fire?