All Things New - Revelation 21:1-8
Notes
Transcript
Introduction: God is going to make all things new (Look at Revelation 21:5 – read it). Who doesn’t like to receive something new? I do! New things are fun to receive. Who doesn’t like new things on their birthday or new things on Christmas morning? I do! Well, as we approach our text, we discover that after the final judgment (Revelation 20:11-15) God is going to make all things new, and these new things will become our inheritance.
What is God going to provide for His people – the saints? Look at the list with me:
I. A new heaven and new earth – 21:1
I. A new heaven and new earth – 21:1
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea.
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea.
What did John see? He saw,
A. A new heaven and a new earth
I looked at these words and the phrase: “out with the old and in with the new” came to my mind. God is going to do away with the old, and He is going to bring in the new.
Some theologians think that God is going to renovate the old heavens and the old earth, but that is not what the Bible teaches. It teaches that God is going to recreate a new heaven and a new earth. This idea is found four times in the Bible (Isaiah 65:17, 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13; revelation 21:1).
Back in Genesis 1, God created the heaven and the earth, and He said, “It is good” (Genesis 1:4.9.12.18.21.25.31). Well, we know that at the Fall of man (Genesis 3) that everything went south. The whole world was thrown off center, and the result was thorns and thistles, and pain in childbearing. Even the earth presently groans to be delivered from the bondage of decay. How does the earth groan? Earthquakes, volcanos, hurricanes, tornados, and other events (See Romans 8:20-22).
B. The first heaven and the first earth had passed away.
What comes to your mind when you read the words, “passed away.” I read those words and see, death. The first haven and the first earth will die, or to put it nicely, it will pass away.
In Psalm 102:25-26 we read,
Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed.
In Isaiah 51:6 we read,
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, And look at the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, The earth will grow old like a garment, And those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not be abolished.
The Apostle Peter also provided us with insight as to how God was going to remove the former heaven and earth and prepare for the new heaven and the new earth. We read in 2 Peter 3:7-13,
But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
C. Also, there was no more sea.
What is meant, “no more sea”? Well, I believe that it means that the new earth will be nothing but land! There will be no land divisions as we have today. Because the seas will be gone there will be plenty of space for all the redeemed throughout the ages.
What’s the second thing John saw? He saw,
II. The holy city, New Jerusalem – 21:2
II. The holy city, New Jerusalem – 21:2
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
John is the one who is receiving this revelation, this vision of what the redeemed will enjoy in the future – their new home. It is called…
A. the holy city, New Jerusalem,
Have you ever been to a new city? I don’t think we can enter a new city. Think it through, cities are usually developed over time, and once the second building has been erected within the city – it’s no longer new.
This is not the case with the holy city, New Jerusalem. It will be a brand NEW never used city. John is seeing it for the first time. This is the city that Abraham was looking for when he searched for a city whose maker and builder was God.
B. coming down out of heaven from God,
The holy city, New Jerusalem comes down from heaven. It comes from the very abode of God. Do any of your recall the words of Jesus from John 14? Here is what Jesus said to his followers,
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” (John 14:1-4)
The New Jerusalem is the place Jesus went to prepare for all who love Him. Do you love Jesus Christ today?
C. prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
This is telling us how beautiful the New Jerusalem will be. The New Jerusalem will be prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. It will be a dazzling city of utmost splendor. It is so beautiful that we are going to take another chapter just to deal with the New Jerusalem and all her splendor.
All of God’s people shall dwell in the New Jerusalem. This will be where we will dwell with God for eternity.
III. God’s presence with them – 21:3
III. God’s presence with them – 21:3
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
John not only saw certain things, but he heard certain things. What did John hear?
A. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying,
I can only assume that this loud voice is the voice of an angel. It is a herald's voice speaking on behalf of the king.
B. “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
The word “Behold” is a word that means to sit up and take notes. It is telling us that something important is about to be said. What is going to be said needs our undivided attention? We read,
The tabernacle of God is with men,
Are you aware that this happened one other time in Scripture? Back in John 1:14, we read,
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
The word “dwelt” carries the idea of pitching tents, encamp, take up one's abode.
One author I was reading wrote,
“God the Son came down to dwell among men to save them. The Holy Spirit came down to dwell among men to comfort them. God the Father comes down to dwell among men to fellowship with them.” (Liberty Bible Commentary).
C. and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people.
God comes and dwells with His people. How important is it to have a father in the house? God knows the importance of family. He will be our God, and we shall be His people – sons and daughters of God!
D. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
This makes it very clear that God Himself will be with us, and that He will be our God. You see, there is a day when we will have only one God.
IV. A list of “no mores” – 21:4
IV. A list of “no mores” – 21:4
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Look at all the no mores in this verse:
· No more death
· No more sorrow
· No more crying
· No more pain
A.T. Pierson’s provides us with the following description. “There shall be no more curse – perfect restoration. The throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it – perfect administration. His servants shall serve him – perfect ordination. And they shall see his face – perfect transformation. And his name shall be on their foreheads – perfect identification. And there shall be no more night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord giveth them light – perfect illumination. And they shall reign forever and ever – perfect exultation.” (Cited in The End Times in Chronological Order by Ron Rhodes, Pages 222-223).
Praise God that the day is coming when all former things shall pass away. Good reddens
V. All things new – 21:5
V. All things new – 21:5
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
A. Behold, I make all things new
God called the first heavens and the first earth into existence out of nothing, and He will do the same for the new heaven and the new earth. It won’t be a patch job, but all things will be NEW!
B. Write, for these words are true and faithful
People today are asking, “What is true?” They want to know if there is anyone who speaks the truth anymore. Do you ever find yourself asking that question?
I want you to know that God’s Word is true. Scripture is true. This means that it is 100% trustworthy. It is dependable. You can count on what you read in the Bible.
God’s word is also faithful. What you and I read in the Bible will be carried out completely. God requires that a steward be found faithful because He is faithful, and knowing this means that His word is also faithful.
VI. A fountain of life – 21:6
VI. A fountain of life – 21:6
And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
What do we have in this verse? Look with me at the words,
A. It is done!
And I would add, it will be done just as we read here in Scripture.
B. I am the Alpha and the Omega – the Beginning and the End.
Here we find out who is speaking to John. It is Jesus Christ. He is the Alpha (the Beginning) and He is the Omega (the End), or the fulfillment of all things.
C. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts
We need to remember that all of this is prophetic, so the offer here is still available even as I speak from behind this pulpit. God wants to give you water that springs up into everlasting life. Thirsty people come!
And, finally, become we conclude I want us to see that there are two types of people mentioned in verses 7 and 8. The first are those who freely accept Jesus Christ’s offer of the water of life. The second are those who refuse and reject the offer of salvation. Let’s look at them together:
1. The Overcomer – 20:7
He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
We read,
a. He who overcomes
The Apostle John spoke of the one who “overcomes” in 1 John 5:4,
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.
b. Shall inherit all things
How awesome is this thought? What is God’s is now mine? Sweet!
c. And I will be his God and he shall be My son.
Having placed faith in God makes Him our Father and having God as our Father makes us His children – we are sons and daughters of God.
Please make sure that you are an overcomer!
2. The Unbeliever – 20:8
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
a. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars
God reminds us over and over in His good book that certain people will never inherit all things. Who are they? Look at the list provided for us in this verse:
· cowardly
· unbelieving (some translations add: and sinners).
· abominable
· murders
· sexually immoral
· sorcerers
· idolaters
· liars
God reminds us of the eternal home for the wicked. We read,
b. Shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
I dealt in-depth with the second death in the previous chapter when we looked at the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). The second death is one’s final place of punishment for rejecting salvation offered through Jesus Christ. It is consignment in the lake of fire – hell.
It is important if you are reading this, watching this online, or hearing me speak that you come to Jesus Christ for salvation today. Now is the day of salvation – don’t put it off. You may not have another opportunity. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart and life today, right now.
Conclusion: Wow! What a message here in Revelation 21. God is going to make all things NEW! Not renovation, but RECREATION!
· A new heaven and a new earth.
· A holy city, New Jerusalem (our future home).
· God’s presence with us.
· All of the “no more” list.
· All things new – true and faithful.
All of this can be yours if you will drink from the “fountain of the water of life”. This simply means that you are willing to receive the gift of salvation that God offers us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
You can either be an overcomer through salvation in Christ, or you can remain an unbeliever who rejects repeatedly the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. To know Jesus Christ means that you inherit all things new. To reject Jesus Christ means that you will face the lake of fire that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
You make the choice:
1. “All things new” through receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
2. The “second death” through rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.