End of it All (Revelation 21:1-8)
Walk through the Word 2023 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 3 viewsNotes
Transcript
Introduction (Revelation 21:1-8)
Introduction (Revelation 21:1-8)
Biblical History
Revelation is the last book of the Bible and is showing the goal of human and redemptive History.
“The final vision of Revelation (21:1–22:5) highlights the primary goal and theme of the entire book and all of Scripture: God’s presence among his people in the new creation. From the time sin and death intruded upon God’s good creation, God purposed to defeat his enemies and live among his people in a new garden city. This final vision of Revelation represents the fulfillment of the promises to those who overcome (Rev. 2–3), the full realization of the throne-room worship (4–5), the answer to the martyrs’ prayer (6:9–11), the goal of the judgments (6–16), and the outcome of the final conflict with evil (17–19).” (Duvall, J. Scott. Revelation. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)
Revelation 21:1-8 is a proclamation of the New heaven, earth and Jerusalem.
John’s Message. (What John Saw.)
Angel’s Message. (What John Heard.)
God’s Message. (What John Wrote.)
Message from John. (21:1–2)
Message from John. (21:1–2)
What John saw. (1-2)
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…” (1)
New Heaven and New Earth (21:1)
Revelation 21:1 (ESV)
1 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.
New Heaven and New Earth
New - “③ pertaining to that which is recent in contrast to something old, new; ⓑ in the sense that what is old has become obsolete, and should be replaced by what is new.” (Arndt, William et al. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature 2000: 497. Print.)
John just talked about the wrath of God being poured out in Judgment. (Rev 14-20). Peter summarizes the judgment and creation of the New heaven and earth.
2 Peter 3:9–10 (ESV)
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
2 Peter 3:11–13 (ESV)
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Promised by God (Isa. 65:17; 66:22)
Isaiah chapters 65 and 66, prophecy the judgment of God against the wickedness of mankind. We also see the promise of God to create a new heaven and earth for the righteous to live.
Isaiah 65:17–19 (ESV)
17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.
Isaiah 66:22–23 (ESV)
22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain. 23 From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord.
John is seeing this new Heaven and Earth.
New Jerusalem (21:2)
Revelation 21:2 (ESV)
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Holy City (Rev 11:2; 22:19; Isa. 52:1); New Jerusalem (Rev 3:12)
This new Jerusalem
Isaiah 52:1–2 (ESV)
1 Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. 2 Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
“Significantly, the new creation is both a place and a people. The holy city, or new Jerusalem, comes down out of heaven as a gift of God (Isa. 52:1; 61:10; 62:5; Rev. 3:12; Gal. 4:26; Heb. 11:10; 12:22; 13:14; cf. 4 Ez. 8:52; T. Dan 5:12; 2 Bar. 32:2–4). Rather than God’s people “going up to heaven,” the new heaven and new earth descend to them.” (Duvall, J. Scott. Revelation. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)
“Just as Babylon in Revelation represents the people of Rome and not simply its location, and just as “Jerusalem” in the Old Testament usually included the people and not simply the site, “new Jerusalem” undoubtedly includes the people of God. This city is the “bride” (21:2), just as we know the church is (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:23).” (Keener, Craig S. Revelation. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999. Print. The NIV Application Commentary.)
Prepared
“Since the new creation is the temple city where God lives among his people, the new Jerusalem is also depicted as a bride beautifully adorned for her husband (cf. 19:7–8; 21:11–27; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:23; Isa. 61:10; 62:5). The wedding imagery reflects God’s relational presence among his people as one of faithful love and intimacy.” (Duvall, J. Scott. Revelation. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)
The people of God are both adorned by God and self. (God saving and transforming, Believers putting off old self and putting on new self)
Revelation 21:2 (ESV)
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 19:7–8 (ESV)
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
The first thing John sees is the new creation and the people of God united with Him.
Message from the throne. (21:3–4)
Message from the throne. (21:3–4)
What John heard (3-4)
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying...” (3)
God’s presence with His People (3)
Revelation 21:3 (ESV)
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “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.
Dwelling Place - tent n. — a portable shelter, usually made of fabric or animal skin stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs. (Tabernacle)
Dwell - to settle (pitch a tent) v. — to take up residence or dwell in or as if in a tent; sometimes conveying temporariness.
John 1:14 (ESV)
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
God comforts his people (4)
Revelation 21:4 (ESV)
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.”
When God creates the New heaven and earth and dwells with man, He will bring peace and comfort with him for our suffering in sin.
God will comfort us in our suffering.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
He will comfort us in our suffering from sin (from others and self inflicted)
In Revelation 7, There is a section of Praise by the multitude saved from the great tribulation that connect God’s salvation with comfort from pain and sorrow. (Revelation 7:9-17)
Isaiah 25:8 (ESV)
8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
John understands this comfort as including no more death, morning, crying or pain.
“Former things passed away.”
Refer to this world in which sin is a part.
Sin also brings with it sorrow, pain, persecution, and death. (Romans 6:23)
“The ultimate glory of “heaven,” therefore, is not its physical features, which will be described in some detail in the next part of the vision, but lies with the fact that human sorrow is banished forever, because the old order of things has passed away. Although it is difficult for earthlings like ourselves to comprehend the full nature of such an existence, the attraction of it lies at the very heart of what it means for us to be human: life without pain and weeping (no more funerals, if you will!).” (Fee, Gordon D. Revelation. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2011. Print. New Covenant Commentary Series.)
Message from the one seated on the throne. (21:5–8)
Message from the one seated on the throne. (21:5–8)
What John wrote (5-8)
Revelation 21:5 (ESV)
5 And 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.”
Message from God (seven statements)
God is going to have John write down seven statements about who he is and what is and what he is doing.
First 2 statements (5)
Revelation 21:5 (ESV)
5 And 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.”
First, He declares what he is doing, “Making all things new.”
This is God declaring that he is doing what he has promised and what John has seen (vs. 1).
God is doing what he Promised.
Isaiah 43:18–21 (ESV)
18 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 20 The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, 21 the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.
Second, His message is Trustworthy and True.
Trustworthy - pertaining to being worthy of belief or trust, trustworthy, faithful, dependable, inspiring trust/faith (Arndt, William et al. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature 2000: 820. Print.)
What God is saying, “Behold, I am making all things new." is an accurate to what he is doing and something we can rely on.
When John is writing this, it is a message of Hope for what God is going to do. “I am making...” is a declaration of what he is doing and will complete.
2 more Statements (6a)
Revelation 21:6a (ESV)
6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
Third, “It is done!”
Finished Judgment and Restoration
In this text, referring to the new creation
Last Bow Judgment
Revelation 16:17 (ESV)
17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!”
“We find similar expressions when Jesus cries “It is finished” on the cross (John 19:30) and with the completion of the seven bowl judgments (16:17).” (Duvall, J. Scott. Revelation. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)
Fourth, God’s in control.
“I am the Alpha and Omega.”
Alpha (letter) n. — the first letter of the Greek alphabet. Omega (letter) n. — the last letter of the Greek alphabet.
Used by God in Revelation 1:8 “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”
Used by Jesus in Revelation 22:12–13 “‘Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’”
Referring to God’s identification of self in the book of Isaiah.
Isaiah 44:6–8 (ESV)
6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. 8 Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.”
“God identifies himself as the sovereign ruler of the universe with the titles “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (cf. 1:8, 17; 22:13; Isa. 44:6; 48:12). The one who controls both ends of history also stands sovereign over everything in between.” (Duvall, J. Scott. Revelation. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)
Next God gives and invitation and a warning (6b-8)
Fifth, Invitation (6b)
Revelation 21:6b (ESV)
6b To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
God is offering Salvation to all willing to come to Him.
Isaiah 55:1–3 (ESV)
1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
God’s invitation at the End of the Bible.
Revelation 22:17 (ESV)
17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
Sixth, Blessing to the Faithful (7)
Revelation 21:7 (ESV)
7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
Conqueror - to win in the face of obstacles, be victor, conquer, overcome, prevail (Arndt, William et al. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature 2000: 673. Print.) Used by John in the book of Revelation to refer to faithful followers of Jesus.
“God assures “those who overcome” or conquer (ho nikōn) that they will inherit the blessings of the new creation and, most importantly, live as God’s children in his presence forever. Their inheritance includes the blessings promised to the overcomers in the seven letters (e.g., 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21).” (Duvall, J. Scott. Revelation. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)
Seventh, Warning to the Sinners (8)
Revelation 21:8 (ESV)
8 But 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.”
This is a warning for those who reject God and continue in sinful behaviors.
Lessons from God (Application adapted from: Teach the Text Commentary Series. by Duvall, J. Scott, Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton.)
Lessons from God (Application adapted from: Teach the Text Commentary Series. by Duvall, J. Scott, Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton.)
The present creation will be totally transformed into a new heaven and new earth.
God will one day live in intimate communion with his people.
The glorious new creation will exclude sin and all of its painful consequences.
Only those who overcome will inherit the new creation.
The Bible is full of invitations to repent and start a relationship with God including all the benefits God offers with that and a warning of Judgment to those who reject God and continue in sin.
Revelation 22:6–7 (ESV)
6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.” 7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Revelation 22:12–17 (ESV)
12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” 17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
Revelation 22:20–21 (ESV)
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
Benevolence
2 Peter 3:14–18 (ESV)
14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.