Home > Resources > Sermons > Revelation
Since the time of Plato, writers have pondered the ideal world, or what Sir Thomas More called, “Utopia.” It would be free from trouble, anxiety, and need. Each person would have what others had; each would get along with the whole community; virtually no laws would be needed because each would do the right thing for the common good. Ironically, and perhaps quite intentionally, the word “utopia” comes from two Greek words, ‘ou’—meaning ‘not’ or ‘no’ and ‘topos’ meaning ‘place.” So utopia literally means “no place,” that is, it’s a place that doesn’t exist. Still, that has not stopped people from trying to create utopias—often by force, even in our own day [I found the Wikipedia article on "Utopia" helpful].
Such a pursuit tells us something of the longing of the human heart. Though fraught with sin and selfishness, there’s still a longing for something better where need doesn’t exist, where pain and death have no place. The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us that God “has also set eternity in their heart,” which accounts for this innate desire for something better than all we find in this life (Eccl. 3:11). That desire is not just in Christians, it’s common to the human heart because of what the Creator has put in it.
The Hebrew prophets fanned this desire through their visions of the future where the Lord God would subdue the effects of sin and the fall, bringing about an existence that makes Plato and More’s Utopia fade into oblivion.
The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine. And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations. He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken (Isa. 25:6-8).
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing and her people for gladness. I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; and there will no longer be heard in her the voice of weeping and the sound of crying… The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and the dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the Lord (Isa. 65:17-19, 25).
And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one (Zech. 14:9).
The Apostle John understood these prophetic visions with greater clarity than their original spokesmen. He saw redemptive history and recorded it in the vivid metaphors of the Apocalypse so that our senses might be able to grasp something of God’s eternal purpose for the Church. He shows us the triumph of the Lamb of God through His atoning death and resurrection, and ultimately, shows us the full application of Christ’s redemptive triumph as the nations are judged, and Satan, death, and Hades are cast into the lake of fire. Then he takes us beyond the Day of Judgment to gaze upon what yet lies ahead for all of the redeemed. Here he describes a new heaven and a new earth and a new Jerusalem, because the Lord God makes all things new. But the word “new” that he uses four times in the first five verses of our text doesn’t mean “new in kind,” but rather “new in quality.” The old order of heaven and earth, marred by sin, “fled away, and no place was found for them.” “Behold, I am making all things new,” declares the Lord. Newness in quality marks eternity for believers. With all of the images that come to mind about eternity through hymns, pop songs, and legend, eternity can be confusing! What’s eternity about for the redeemed? That’s what John settles for us in our text.
Revelation 20:11 has already set the stage for our text. “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.” The reason for earth and heaven fleeing from the majestic presence of the Creator goes back to the fall in the Garden of Eden. The whole cosmos felt the effects of sin’s entrance into the world so that it now anxiously longs for the consummation of Christ’s redemptive work to be applied in full measure upon the creation (Rom. 8:18-25). But it was God that created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1), and He declared this creation, “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Sin’s entrance into the world stretched its destroying tentacles into every part of the created order. God would never call sin good. Before sin entered, everything in creation was good in God’s sight, so it therefore had the innate qualities that mirrored the Creator. Sin changed all of that for the creation so that Christ’s redemptive work was necessary to secure a people for God and to deliver the creation from sin’s effects. That’s why John tells us that earth and heaven fled from the Lord on His throne, and in the next paragraph tells of “a new heaven and a new earth.” The first passed away making room for the new.
Let’s face it; the opening statement in verse 1 challenges our imagination! “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.” We have nothing with which to compare that statement other than the present heaven and earth. And rightly so: for what John speaks of is not a replacement of heaven and earth but the complete renewal of heaven and earth. The word “new” (kainos instead of neos) doesn’t focus on newness in time but rather “newness in terms of quality… a change in quality or essence rather than something new that has never previously been in existence” [Greg Beale, NIGTC: Revelation, 1040]. Perhaps the best way to understand this is to consider the resurrection body. Believers will be raised bodily, which is one of the hallmarks of our faith. In the same way that Christ was raised from the dead, even so believers will be raised. He had an actual body that could be touched and handled (1 John 1:1-2), that could eat and enjoy food (Luke 24:41-43), and could be recognized bodily (John 20:16; 21:7). He had a body but one changed in quality to be fitted for glory. Paul sums up this bodily resurrection of the believer. “It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” And then he explains what he means, “As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly” (1 Cor. 15:42-49). Our bodies are fitted for earthly existence, and in eternity, they are fitted for heavenly existence—yet still recognizable bodies, not disembodied spirits.
So what he emphasizes in the first verse is the same essence as we find in the resurrection of the body. Heaven and earth will be new in quality and essence rather than a totally new existence. Here we see “the Creator’s faithfulness to his creation,” as Richard Bauckham expressed it. He further points out that the Creator’s faithfulness to His creation brought about the flood by which He cleansed it from the evil that existed, yet until the consummation of the ages, He will not totally renew the creation [The Theology of the Book of Revelation, 51]. Anthony Hoekema put it so clearly, “What John sees is not a universe totally other than the present but one which has been gloriously renewed” [The Bible and the Future, 284]. This is critical, for, as George E. Ladd pointed out, “Biblical thought always places man on a redeemed earth, not in a heavenly realm removed from earthly existence” [A Commentary on the Revelation of John, 275].
The somewhat puzzling clause, “and there is no longer any sea,” actually helps to amplify the newness in quality of heaven and earth. In Revelation, the “sea” represents the source from which the beast arose to bring chaos and destruction on the earth (13:1), just as Daniel saw the four nations that brought chaos on other nations arising from the sea (Dan. 7:3). In two other places, John describes the beast as arising from the abyss (11:7; 17:8), demonstrating the implication for his use of the sea. As long as the “sea” exists, then the potential for “the reversion of creation to chaos” exists [Bauckham, 53]. So for John, “the sea no longer is” (literally), means that there is no longer a source for chaos when God establishes the new heaven and new earth. The sea also conveys the idea of separation, something that John keenly felt on the Isle of Patmos in separation from the churches. But the elimination of the sea implies no more separation of believers; no barriers remain to hinder fellowship and worship as the body of Christ [cf. Beale, 1041-1043].
John stirs our attention when he sees the holy city coming down from heaven to the renewed earth, noting both its source from God and its eternal destination in the new earth. “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” He actually calls the new Jerusalem a bride. Notice that the angel, in verse 9, tells John that he will show him “the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” Then what he sees is a metaphorical description of the holy city, Jerusalem “coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God” (21:10). So, is it an actual city or is it the bride of Christ? We will consider that more in our next study, but suffice it to say, that John’s metaphorical language has not stopped. He explains through this picture that the focus of the redemptive work of Christ, the renewing of heaven and earth is the Church, His bride. All of history has moved to this grand point of the marriage between the Lamb of God and His bride. The intimate relationship with the Lord throughout eternity finds vivid form in this picture for the Church.
The “holy city” that comes down out of heaven from God does not do so without preparation. She is “made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” That beckons us to the language of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5 concerning Christ and the Church. “Just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless” (Eph. 5:25-27). To be “made ready” literally, means to be fully prepared by God (perfect passive participle). What He has been doing through the ages through the suffering, trials, and persecution on one hand, and the grace, power, and sufficiency through the gospel on the other, is to get His bride ready for the grand presentation in the new heaven and new earth. In a similar context, Paul wrote, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18). Christ prepares His bride for her presentation before the Father in the new heaven and new earth. Let us not become so enamored with this world that we neglect to discipline ourselves and to persevere as believers toward that great day!
God’s great promise to Abraham on behalf of his descendants stated, “I will be their God” (Gen. 17:8). And to David, God promised his heir, “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me” (2 Sam. 7:14). Through Jeremiah, God promised in the new covenant, “You shall be My people, and I will be your God” (Jer. 30:22). To Ezekiel whom it seems that John’s vision especially unfolded, this same promise came, “And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people” (Eze. 37:26-27). The coming of Christ identified His name Immanuel, “God with us” (Matt. 1:23). Paul used the image of the church as a temple to further explain that God dwells with His people (Eph. 2:21-22).
That’s the language of verse 3: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.” Here is the ultimate fulfillment of every detail in the covenant with Abraham, David, and the new covenant. God dwells with His people. The language is especially telling. First, he uses “tabernacle” in alluding to the wilderness tabernacle where God revealed Himself to Israel. But it was not “among men.” The tabernacle remained separated from the population of Israel, and could only be entered by those of the Aaronic priesthood. Though God was with them, He was not “among men” in the same sense described here. Second, “He will dwell among them.” The word “dwell” is literally, “tabernacle” used as a verb. God will tabernacle among His people. He permanently abides among His people; nothing can remove His strong presence! Third, He claims the redeemed as “His people,” as distinct from all of the other people of the world whom He will judge according to their works. Finally, he reemphasizes, “God Himself will be among them.”
The new heaven and the new earth are set forth as the permanent dwelling of God’s people with the Lord God in their midst. Consequently, do we speak of our future existence on the new earth or in the new heaven? We must answer “Yes” to both! The separation between heaven as the place of God’s dwelling and earth as our dwelling, changes completely in eternity. Old Testament writers hinted at the future by God dwelling temporarily in a tabernacle in the wilderness and then later in the temple in Jerusalem. Yet Solomon rightly confessed that the magnificent temple he built could not contain the Lord God (2 Chron. 6:18). New Testament writers prefigured this by the Holy Spirit dwelling corporately in the church (1 Cor. 3:16; Eph. 2:19-22). But a voice from the throne makes the staggering declaration in verse 3. “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them.” In other words, God who dwells in heaven brings heaven to earth in the new heaven and new earth. No separation exists as we presently know. Leon Morris rightly pointed out, “In fact after the new Jerusalem descends there appears to be no difference between heaven and earth… Heaven will, so to speak, come down to earth” [TNTC: Revelation, 244]. Hoekema agrees, “Since where God dwells, there heaven is, we conclude that in the life to come heaven and earth will no longer be separated, as they are now, but will be merged. Believers therefore continue to be in heaven as they continue to live on the new earth” [285].
John explains what the new heaven and new earth are like by telling us what cannot be found there. The negative explains the positive picture since we struggle with comprehending what lies beyond our knowledge and experience [cf. Wm. Mounce, NICNT: Revelation, 372]. “And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” It’s not tears of joy but tears brought on by death, suffering, sorrow, and pain that God wipes away. The totality of this is evident by the singular “tear” being wiped from “their eyes,” that is, the eyes of all the residents of the new earth. Nothing that grieves or pains the mind can exist in the fullness of the Lord God dwelling among His people. We will not cry over death any longer for “death will not be” (my translation). We will not cry over loss for to be in Christ’s presence is eternal gain without the possibility of need. Believers, like Eman Muhamad el-Sayed, a 26-year old Christian lady in Egypt, will no longer be tortured and tormented by Islamists trying to force her to recant her faith in Christ. She will shed no more tears. She will experience no more pain or suffering as a Christian [“Egyptian Police Torture Christian Convert Woman,” Compass Direct News, July 18].
Christians in ancient Asia Minor found encouragement in John’s words concerning the future, knowing that there would be no cause to mourn over loss or cry in anguish or pain in persecution. “The first things have passed away,” declares all of that over. Let’s be quite honest with ourselves; we cannot fully comprehend a new heaven and new earth where none of the effects of sin exist. But consider this: There’s no more wrestling with our thought life and the sinful attitudes that grieve us so deeply. There’s no more struggle with the temptation to indulge in the things of the world. There’s no more agony over failing in faithfulness to Christ. There’s no more laziness when it comes to worship and meditation on the Lord. There’s no more concern for persecution or opposition or oppression. “The first things have passed away.” There’s no more grieving the loss of a child or a parent or a friend. There’s no more sorrow at the diagnosis of cancer or Alzheimer’s or stroke. There’s no more anxiety over terrorists or thugs or criminals or enemies. There’s no more pain associated with disease or deteriorating joints or tragic news that breaks the heart. “The first things have passed away.” No more! He has wiped every tear from their eyes! “God Himself will be among them!”
As though we’re not already staggered, John heaps on more! God makes all things new!
Nothing lies outside the effects in the consummation of Christ’s redemptive work. That’s what is conveyed by the One sitting on the heavenly throne. “Behold, I am making all things new.” Just as we saw with the One sitting on the great white throne, even so on this throne, whether we say that it is God on the throne or Christ on the throne, both ring true, for God the Father rules through Christ His Son. The present tense, “I am making,” is known as a “prophetic present,” that carries us into the time when God makes all things new [Beale, 1053]. As “He who sits on the throne,” our God has the power and authority to make “all things new.” Here’s an emphasis on the totality of the grand consummation of the ages. The Lord God is bringing all of creation to the point when He removes “every sinful impurity” and retains “all that is holy and good” [Cornelius Venema, The Promise of the Future, 482]. Nothing less than completely restoring the creation to its pre-fall state, and purifying all that retains the glory of God in the present creation, is His work. Again, the word for “new” does not mean new in kind but new in quality. This offers a fascinating continuity between the present world and that which is to come. Venema has written some helpful, stimulating thoughts in this regard:
Far from being an empty and desolate place, the new creation will be enriched with the sanctified fruits of human culture. Nothing of the diversity of the nations and peoples, their cultural products, languages, arts, sciences, literature, and technology – so far as these are good and excellent – will be lost upon life in the new creation. Life in the new creation will not be a starting over, but a perfected continuation of the new humanity’s stewardship of all of life in the service of God [481].
Why else would Paul exhort us, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things” (Phil. 4:8)? He certainly had more in mind that nice dreams, rather he points us to the tangible things in this life that redound to the glory of God and the edification of the saints. John’s implication is that the newness in quality in all of these things will be fitting for eternity. We may find that hard to digest. That’s seems to be why the Lord added, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” You can count on what God has declared for the new heaven and new earth.
We can be certain that our God will carry out this renewal of heaven and earth for He has declared, “It is done.” With prophetic view, John sees the future as present, and hears the divine declaration that every detail planned long ages ago, every prophetic promise concerning the consummation of redemption “is done.” Our Lord declares the reason for this by repeating the name stated in the first chapter. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.” In other words, every detail of the cosmos lies in His power and purpose. As “the beginning and the end” He is also everything in between. As Kistemaker explains,
God through Christ is fully in control of every situation, so that the words spoken here are a source of comfort for believers who endure hardship and persecution for the sake of the gospel. From beginning to end God is the Sovereign ruler in the universe that he has made and upholds by his power. He is Lord of the future that points beyond the final judgment to a new creation [NTC: Revelation, 559].
Are you thirsty for real life in Christ? Do you desire to live eternally with Him and to serve Him forever? He promises, “I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.” Jesus Christ has secured life forever for those that trust Him as Savior and King. He has borne the cost so that God freely offers life to all that believe.
This new heaven and new earth belong to those who inherit it through the covenant promises in the gospel. It’s not for those who merely profess to be Christian or those who merely belong to a church. The Lord specifies who receives the eternal inheritance. “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.” The same promise that God gave to David, He gives to all that are in Christ. Notice that the theme of “he who overcomes” that we’ve seen throughout Revelation remains constant. He both promises and warns in such a statement. The promise is clear: the overcomers—those that persevere in the faith—receive the eternal inheritance. But the warning is just as clear. Those that shrink back, those that profess a step toward Christ but then return to the world will not receive the eternal inheritance. Real Christianity perseveres because in real Christianity God preserves His children.
Verse 8 ends with a warning, especially to those that would pretend to be Christians. Some in Asia Minor shrank back into the world. Because they feared persecution they denied the faith. In doing so they revealed that their hearts were still enslaved to sin and dark with unbelief. That seems to especially be the implication of “the cowardly and unbelieving…and all liars.” Though all unbelievers are included, John particularly shows that the gospel is not to be trifled with; if one confesses Christ as Lord then he must be willing to follow Christ even to the death. God gives grace to do so. He has no pleasure in the one that shrinks back to the world (Heb. 10:38-39). “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
What lies ahead for those in Christ defies human vocabulary! But so does the eternal torment for those who reject Christ. The only way that the second death cannot touch you is to be in Christ through faith. Only those relying upon Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection will inherit the eternal life described in this chapter. Are you in Christ?
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by South Woods Baptist Church.
Please include the following statement on any distributed copy:
Copyright South Woods Baptist Church. Website: www.southwoodsbc.org. Used by permission as granted on web site. Questions, comments, and suggestions about our site can be sent here.
Copyright 2008, South Woods Baptist Church, All Rights Reserved