Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Rev 21:1 and following. Indeed, the page is turned. The story of the first creation has come to an end. The eternity of glory begins when God will be “surrounded by blessed creatures made capable of knowing and understanding Him… in the enjoyment of their own happiness, when time will be no more.” Then the sea (symbol of the confusion and separation of peoples) will have ceased to exist. All the redeemed will have arrived at the port, that is, at heaven. But God hardly reveals to us what we will find there; Rather, He tells us for our consolation what we will no longer find there: In this new world, death will be abolished (1 Cor 15:20-57); there will be no more night or curse (Rev. 21:22-22:5); no more mourning, crying, and sorrow, all these consequences of sin will have ended, for God’s dwelling will be with men forever.
But later on is presented to us by the seer a point of the utmost importance: “And I saw no temple in it; for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple.” This is not a gap; on the contrary, it is proof of the most immediate communion with God. A temple would suppose an intermediary; the absence of a temple is therefore a gain and not a loss for the city. This is what establishes a great difference between the earthly Jerusalem and the celestial city; indeed, if there is in Ezekiel’s description, one thing more remarkable than another, it is the temple. It is understandable: a temple is suitable for the earth; but here there is none. The heavenly city, which is the complete expression of the blessing above, has no temple, because it is a temple as a whole. As far as it is discussed, the Lord God is the temple, and the Lamb.
“And the city does not need the sun or the moon to illuminate it.” Nor should this be seen as a loss. For the city and the land on earth, the light of the moon will be like that of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times as great (Isaiah 30:26), but here there are none of these luminaries; the lights created are no longer for the city above, “for the glory of God has illuminated it, and the Lamb is his lamp.” What a huge gain!
“And the nations will walk by his light.” It is clear from this that they are not in the city. “And the kings of the earth will bring her their glory,” not in her, but to her, that is, it is simply the expression of the homage they pay her. “And its doors will not be closed during the day: for there is no night there. And he will be brought the glory and honor of the nations. And there will be no filthy thing entered into it, nor that which makes an abomination or a lie; but only those written in the book of life of the Lamb.” All that morally ill is unfit for the holy city finds here its just condemnation; but, at the same time, sovereign grace must also be affirmed.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
A new heaven and a new earth:
- New Heavens
Isaiah 65:17 For I will create new heavens and a new earth; We will no longer remember the past things, They will not come to mind. Isaiah 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth I am about to create will subsist before me, says the Lord, so will your seed and your name subsist. 2 Pet 3:13 But we await, according to His promise, new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will dwell. Rev 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared, and the sea was no more.
- The Church as a Bride
Isaiah 62:5 As a young man unites with a virgin, so your sons will unite with you; And as the bride makes the joy of her fiancé, so thou shalt make the joy of thy God. 2 Cor 11:2 For I am jealous of you with a jealousy of God, because I have betrothed you to one spouse, to present you to Christ as a pure virgin. Rev 19:7 Let us rejoice and be in joy, and give him glory; for the wedding of the lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself, Rev 21:2, and I saw descend from heaven, from God, the holy city, the new Jerusalem, prepared as a bride who has adorned herself for her husband. Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him who hears say: Come. And let him who thirst come; that he who wills, take water from life, free of charge.
- Spiritual ornament
Ps 45:14 Every resplendent woman is the daughter of the king in the interior of the palace; She wears a gold cloth garment. Sng 1.10 Your cheeks are beautiful in the middle of the necklaces, Your neck is beautiful in the middle of the rows of pearls. Isaiah 61:10 I will rejoice in jehovah, My soul will be delighted with joy in my God; For he clothed me with the garments of salvation, He covered me with the mantle of deliverance, As the bridegroom adorns himself with a diadem, As the bride adorns herself with her jewels. 1 Pet 3:4 but the inner adornment hidden in the heart, the incorruptible purity of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which is of great value before God. Rev 21:2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descend from Heaven, from God, prepared like a bride who has adorned herself for her husband.
- Joys of the future life: the evils of the present time will have disappeared
-No more sea Ap 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared, and the sea was no more.
-No more sadness Rev 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, and there will be no more mourning, no cry, no pain, for the first things have disappeared.
-No more weeping Rev 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, and there will be no more mourning, no cry, no pain, for the first things have disappeared.
-No more pain Ap 21:4 He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and death will be no more, and there will be no more mourning, no cry, no pain, for the first things have disappeared.
-No more curse Ap 22:3 There will be no more anathema. The throne of God and the lamb will be in the city; his servants will serve him and see his face,
-No more night Rev 22:5 There will be no more night; and they will need neither a lamp nor a light, because the Lord God will enlighten them. And they will reign in centuries of centuries.
-No more death Rev 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, and there will be no more mourning, no cry, no pain, for the first things have disappeared.
From all of the above, we note that after opening the veil over the eternal state, the Spirit goes back to the period of Christ’s reign. He presents us with a city that is no longer Rome or Babylon but holy Jerusalem, “the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” This whole description is symbolic. Our present senses cannot perceive, nor can our minds conceive, what belongs to the new creation (1 Cor 13:8-13). How to explain, for example, to a blind man from birth what colors are? So God takes what is most beautiful and rare on earth: gold, precious stones, to give us some notion of what heaven has in store for us. The luminary and the jasper wall tell us of the manifestation of the glories of Christ in and through the Church. This is illuminated by the bright light in the lamp: the glory of God “concentrated” in the Lamb. In turn, the holy city spreads this divine light for the benefit of the millennial earth. This is what John 17:20-23 suggests: “The glory you have given me, I have given them… I in them and you in me; To… that the world knows…” And how would he enter “no filthy thing” into the place where the Lord dwells (2 Cor 6:14-7:1)? And those who will have stayed outside? Their part will be the second death, the darkness, the tears of remorse in an eternal distance from the presence of the holy God. There will be the unbelievers; but also the cowards: those who never wanted to decide frankly for Christ. And also liars and hypocrites. Allow us for the last time to ask you this question: Where will you be for eternity? In heaven and our prayers accompany you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “the happiness of elected officials; certainty of the prophecies of this book. »
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.