The New Creation

This morning I am giving you an end times timeline of everything that we have talked about for the last several weeks. This is what I have according to what I have read and researched. Again, since these things have not occured yet, it is hard to tell everything that will happen. We have to try and interpret the scriptures to get a timeline.

Let’s take a moment and recap what we have looked at the last few weeks.

The story of the Bible beings in the paradise of a Garden in Genesis. And the story ends in the paradise of a city in Revelation

John writes...

Revelation 21:1 NIV

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.

We began this series by looking at Israel. It is the central to God’s plans for building His community. God promises Abraham.

Genesis 12:3 NIV

3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

We also learned that most of the prophecies about Israel have been fulfilled. Israel has blessed the world, by giving us the Savior and the Bible.

After an 1800 year absence, Israel is back in their own land. For the first time in 1900 years, Israel has her own Temple Mount. After 1950 years, Jerusalem is once again recognized as the capital of the nation.

We also learned that signs in the skies have been fulfilled, they signal the beginning of the Tribulation. And Ezekiel’s War, described in Ezekiel 38 and 39, is likely the final prophecy that needs to be fulfilled before the Tribulation begins, could be fulfilled any day, as the nation of Syria is on the verge of collapse, and the three key nations of Russia, Iran, and Turkey, all have boots on the ground inside the borders of Syria, and if Syria collapses, Ezekiel’s War could begin as soon as the next day.

When this happens be looking up because the rapture could be upon us. Or the rapture may take place and then this happens. We don’t know. But Revelation 4:1

Revelation 4:1 NIV

1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

After this moment, we read in the next several chapters of Revelation about a seven year period that we know as the Tribulation.

In the timeline that I have given you, you will find the events of the Tribulation with scripture references.

Last week, we took a moment to look at the glorious time of 1,000 years of peace and Jesus reigning over us.

After this period, Satan will be released and will lead a rebellion and he will finally be defeated forever with a word from the Savior’s mouth, and permanently be cast into the lake of fire.

We have covered a lot of details in the past few weeks, but we are not finished. Today, we are going to finish this story.

If you have your Bibles, go with me to Revelation 21:1-2

Revelation 21:1–2 NIV

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. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

The final event that God has projected for us in His word is the coming of the New Creation. This will be a complete new creation.

2 Peter 3:12 NIV

12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

The new creation is God’s ultimate design and ultimate desire, and our ultimate destination. It’s the place we were made for, the place we are longing for, the place where we will spend eternity.

The New Creation has a New Heaven, a New Earth, and a New City Called the New Jerusalem.

This is the city that we are longing for.

How many of you, these last several months and just over a year, you have wished the world was better? The truth is you were made for a better world. And some day soon you will have a better world.

So, what will this future home look like?

Revelation 21:3 NIV

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

Heaven will be made up of people from every ethnicity. We’ll be diverse, but united, like our church strives to be every day. Heaven will be made up of cultures from every nation, tribe and language.

Revelation 21:4 NIV

4 ‘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.”

We’ll be a healed people. Each of us will have a session with the Lord where He will hear all our pain and wipe it all away. All the evil, all the disappointment, all our sorrows will pass away forever.

Revelation 21:5 NIV

5 He 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.”

God is making everything new. Nothing that was before will be there. Everything will be made new.

Revelation 21:6–8 NIV

6 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 water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Nothing wicked or harmful or false will enter into heaven. Everyone there will be His sons and daughters, completely washed clean because we’ve asked forgiveness and are now fully bathed in His righteousness.

Revelation 21:9 NIV

9 One 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.”

That’s us—the church. We’re the Bride. Jesus is the Lamb. Next time you’re at a wedding, when they play, “Here comes the Bride,” you just think, “that’s us! That’s me. I’m going to be part of the Bride of Christ.”

Revelation 21:10 NIV

10 And 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.

The new creation will come to us. The New Jerusalem will come down out of heaven and become our eternal home.

Revelation 21:11–14 NIV

11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It 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 Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

12 is the number of completion. Nothing will be incomplete there. There will be 12 gates. Looking back in scripture we know that there were 12 tribes of Israel, they are represented by 12 gates. There were 12 apostles representing the church. These are represented by the 12 foundations of the City.

Revelation 21:15–17 NIV

15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 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. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick.

12,000 stadia equals 1,400 miles. Jerusalem will be either a perfect cube, 1,400 miles long, wide, and high, or a perfect 4-sided pyramid, with each side 1,400 miles in length.

The city’s building materials are so perfect, we have trouble even imagining them.

Look at how John describes the rest of the Holy city.

Revelation 21:18–27 NIV

18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. 22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 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. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing 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.

Now go to the last chapter of Revelation.

Revelation 22:1–5 NIV

1 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 2 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. 3 No 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. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There 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.

This is what our eternal home will be like. When we think of living in heaven, we will actually be living on the New Earth.

The hub of the New Earth will be the New Jerusalem. At 1,400 miles by 1,400 miles by 1,400 miles, New Jerusalem will cover a territory as large as the distance from Canada to Mexico and from the Appalachian Mountains to the eastern border of California. The city is nearly 2,000,000 square miles at its base, which is forty times the size of England and ten times as large as France. And that’s just the ground level.

If this pyramid is built like a high rise, with each story twelve feet high, it could have as many as 600,000 stories. Today, New York City has a population density of 27,000 people per square mile. Billions of people can occupy the New Jerusalem, with a population density of several square miles per person. We won’t be crowded, but we will all be living near each other.

River of Life

One of the great wonders of the heavenly city is The River of Life. It’s “clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God.” Jesus, the Lamb, occupies the throne. The River flows down the center of the great street. Water is essential to human life. New Jerusalem is the center of human life.

Water flows downward from the throne, which means God’s throne will occupy the highest ground in the city. Anyone wanting to visit God’s throne need only follow the River upstream.

The Tree of Life

Another stunning feature of the city is its Tree of Life. The Tree stands on each side of the River. This is the Tree that was in the Garden of Eden, but removed by God so that fallen humans could not eat of it and live forever in their sin-bound state.

It’s been in existence since Creation and bears fruit every month. It’s a source of food, and a source of healing. Every person has wounds, and every nation has wounds. They’ll all be healed at the Tree. We will be reconciled to one another by means of this Tree, just as we were justified by the Tree that became Christ’s cross.

The Tree of Life is a single tree, with shoots underground that send up shoots all over the city. Aspen trees are like this. A whole mountain can be covered by one tree whose roots go everywhere, which explains while all the leaves on the entire mountain turn brown at the same time.

Hebrews 11:14-16 assure us that there will be countryside as well as city streets and buildings. The new Earth will have spacious outdoors.

The Mountains

Revelation 21:10 describes “a mountain great and high.” Not the mountain, but a mountain, which means there will be more than one mountain on the new Earth. There will be soaring peaks to appreciate and climb. Imagine the slopes, lakes, waterfalls and meadows these mountains will provide. Recreational opportunities will abound!

Housing

If you’ve dreamed of a new home, be encouraged. On His final night before crucifixion, Jesus told the disciples, “My Father’s house has many rooms...” And “I am going there to prepare a place for you.”

You new home may or may not be attached to other people’s homes. We don’t really know what this great cube or pyramid will be like. But the Lord is creating perfect spaces for each of us based on His knowledge of our personal preferences. Since that the case, I believe I’ll be overlooking water on one side, mountains on another, with grass and trees and family nearby. The good news is, God knows us better than we know ourselves, so when you see your new home, it will be more perfectly suited to you than you can imagine.

Time

Some people think that Heaven is somehow “outside of time.” But Isaiah 66:23 says that mankind will come and bow down before God from one Sabbath to another. And Revelation 22:2 says that the Tree of Life bears fruit every month. and Ephesians 2:7 says that God will show us the incomparable riches of His grace throughout the coming ages.

So there will be weeks and months and ages in heaven. Clearly, we will be living “inside” of time. Which means that Heaven will have things to work towards, events to spur us on to greater attainments and meaningful activities to look forward to.

Foods

What about food?

In Luke 22:29, Jesus told His disciples, “I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom.”

And in Revelation 2:7, He said, “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life.”

With a lack of pestilence and only cooperative weather patterns, imagine the fruits and vegetables the land will produce. In Heaven, the ground will be full of rich nutrients and minerals. We’ll have more flavorful foods to appreciate with our more acute taste buds. The Wedding Supper of the Lamb will be a huge feast. I’m not sure if calories will disappear, but our resurrected bodies will come with enhanced metabolism and sanctified self-restraint.

Animals

If you’re an animal lover, Isaiah tells us that the wolf will lay down with the lamb. so there will be wolves and lambs there - and every other kind of animal too. Yes, including cats and dogs.

Angels

If you’ve dreamed of becoming an angel, you won’t. Humans don’t become angels when we get to Heaven. 1 Corinthians 6:3 says that we will judge angels.

Marriage

If you’ve wondered about marriage in Heaven, in Matthew 22:30, Jesus said, “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage, they will be like the angels in heaven.” Instead of being married to another person, we will all be married to the Lamb. We will be the Bride, He will be the Bridegroom.

Revelation 22:17 NIV

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

In fact, the purpose of marriage on Earth is to prepare us for a close relationship with God one day. Nothing will take away from the rich relationships you may have had with your spouse and family members on Earth. All the tarnish of sin will be washed away there. The perfect marriage you’ve always longed for will be had in your relationship with your Savior. As a result of that relationship, all other relationships will be better than they are today.

Knowledge

1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV

12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

In Heaven we will see things more clearly, and know much more than we do now. Yet only God is omniscient. We will never know everything. We will continue to learn each day, forever.

Work

Will we work in heaven? Well, work is a good thing. The only bad work is work we don’t like. Work can give a sense of purpose, accomplishment and worth. Jesus said, “My Father is always at work to this very day...” Adam worked the Garden, we will work in the New Creation. In Heaven you’ll be given significant assignments for meaningful tasks that keep you growing and enhance the lives of others. These assignments will be doled out based on your performance in this present life.

Rewards

Every service rendered to Christ will result in rewards in heaven. There are even some other rewards so unusual we don’t fully understand them.

Luke 16:9 NIV

9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

One great reward in Heaven will be the friends we made as a result of sharing Christ and serving in the church.

This is just a small sampling of Heaven. There is so much more.

2 Peter 3:14 NIV

14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

The truth is this, Heaven is real. And it is in your future.

We are two weeks away from Christmas. I don’t know about you, but I can remember as a young child being in great anticipation on Christmas Eve. I couldn’t wait until the next morning to rip open the presents and see what I had received. It was hard to go to sleep the night before. I can imagine, someday, when my time has come and I am on my deathbed and I anticipate what the afterlife will be like. What a day that will be?

I am reminded of the words of the old hymn by Jim Hill. The story goes, in the early 1950's, he would write "What a Day That Will Be". His mother-in-law got gravely ill. He was a new Christian at the time, and while he was driving home from work he asked God why this was happening to her. The words to this song began to run through his head and when he got home he grabbed a piece of cardboard and started writing the words down.

There is coming a day, When no heart aches shall come, No more clouds in the sky, No more tears to dim the eye, All is peace forever more, On that happy golden shore, What a day, glorious day that will be.

What a day that will be, When my Jesus I shall see, And I look upon His face, The One who saved me by His grace; When He takes me by the hand, And leads me through the Promised Land, What a day, glorious day that will be.

Life on planet Earth can contain some exhilarating moments. Once it’s done, for those who have trusted Christ, life only gets better. Heaven is a place of unspeakable joy, and a place with eternal rewards!