Heaven! We all have our own vision of what Heaven is and where it is. Some think of it as a place in the Sky, or some mysterious place we all go when we die. But how do we know? In the 21st chapter of Revelation, we find answers to many of our questions. We are told that Heaven is a definite place in a definite location. We are also told that it is the eternal home of the church. If we have been born again by the Holy Spirit, have been forgiven for our sins by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, having acknowledged Him as our perfect sacrifice, and dedicated our life to serve Him as Lord and Savior, we will have a home where we will live, a address.

     Everything is new; new heaven, new earth, New Jerusalem, new era, and we will be new creatures in Christ Jesus. Without our old nature.

 

     The redeemed have all received glorified bodies like Christ. All things have become new. Since there will be a new universe, this means new methods of things. New laws will be needed to regulate the new universe. Entire lifestyles will change. Some changes are suggested in these chapters.

            1. A total absence of sin and temptation.

            2. The new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven means that the earth and all the new creation will revolve around the new Jerusalem. It will be the center of the universe because it is the dwelling place of God and of Christ.

            3. The law of gravity as we know it will be radically changed. There will be travel between the new Jerusalem and the earth.

            4. the church will have already left the earth and will live in the new Jerusalem.

            5. We will have different types of bodies that the present law of gravity will not affect.

            6. There will be no sun to give light. Therefore, there will be the absence of night. We will have no need to rest with our new bodies.

            7. there will no longer be any seas on the earth. No fish to eat. Man will be vegetarian, just like in the garden of Eden. Revelation 22: 2 says that fruit is the one diet of eternal man.

            8. The presence of Christ and God, together, with the throne of God is visible.

 

        21: 1 and I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the 1st heaven and the first earth were passed away; And there was no more sea.

 

    ” And I saw”- John was a witness. This present order of creation is to pass away in order to make room for a new heaven and a new earth. The old creation was made for the first Adam. Christ, the last Adam, has a new creation for his new creatures

 

      Isaiah 65: 17 says this,” for behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”

 

      Abraham was promised a land forever. David was promised a throne forever. Daniel knew that there would be a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed.

 

     Isaiah 66: 22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, sayeth the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.”

 

    Look at the faith of those Old Testament prophets.

 

     Hebrews 11: 13 these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them a far off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

 

     Actually, we are not going to heaven. Heaven is coming to this earth.

 

     II Peter 3: 13- “nevertheless we , according to His promise , look for new heavens and a new earth , wherein dwelleth righteousness. “.

 

     The chief characteristic of the new earth is the absence of the seas. This will change the climate, the atmosphere, and the living conditions. In the past, the sea has been a barrier and a border for all of mankind. It was used in judgment at the time of the flood. Do you realize that the sea takes up almost 3/4 of the surface of the earth.? Without the sea, the population of the earth can double.

 

     21:2 “And I John saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

 

     This is where those of us who are children of God are going to live. Question? When you talk about going to heaven, what do you think about? It is a definite place. It is a city. It is a planet with it itself. This new Jerusalem should not be identified with the old Jerusalem

 

     “like a bride adorned for her husband” What does this bring to your mind? Remember what the Lord Jesus said in John 14: 2, 3. “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 unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

 

     We have seen the marriage of the Lamb where the bride was the church. We have seen Christ return to the earth. Now we see the gift that Christ gives to his bride. A new home. What a beautiful picture this is. The marriage took place before the Millennium, and the Millennium is now over. It has been a long honeymoon but now it is time for the bridegroom to take his bride home.

 

     Let's look at Ephesians 5: 25, 26, 27. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word. That He might present it to Himself a glorious church not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

 

    I think this is the picture we are getting here in revelation 21. At the judgment seat of Christ all our sin will be dealt with. The rewards will be given out, but there is something else that will be

done there. Jesus is going to cleanse the church with the word. Then look a little further. Paul says that this is a great mystery concerning Christ and the church.

 

    In heaven we are going to be like him. We are going to have glorified flesh like he has. We are going to be one with him. We are part of his body, who are the overcomers “All believers, because of faith”. And we are going to be joined to him. How glorious that we can be with him throughout eternity. No other creatures, including the angels of heaven, are going to have this personal and intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

     PRAISE GOD

 

     3. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God.

     4 and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

 

     “Behold the Tabernacle (or the tent) of God is with men. What is the tent? (John 1: 14) And the word was made flesh and dwelt (pitched his tent) among us.” That same flesh was crucified on the cross and he was raised in his glorified body, just like we will have, and we are going to live with him.

 

      “They shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. “God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.” there are many sad and lonely and hurting people on this earth, but in the new Jerusalem, there are not going to be any more tears. No more death- undertakers will be out of business, even doctors too. No cemeteries in the new Jerusalem either.

 

      5. and He that sat upon the throne said behold I make all things new. And He said unto me, write: for these words are true and faithful. All things!! - think about this for a moment. We will be able to start over again. This time to do it right. No limits to our learning, or growth. Remember Isaiah 9: 7-“of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end.”

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     6. “ He said unto me, It is done. I am alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst, of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; And I will be his God and he shall be My son.

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     Alpha and Omega, this identifies the speaker here as the Lord Jesus Christ, because He is identified as this in the first chapter of Revelation. We will thirst after God and the things of God. We will yearn for it, long for it. Can't get enough of it. What was Jesus’ answer to “I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.” In Matthew 5:6 “blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

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        Who are the overcomers? All believers, because of faith.

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     1 John 5:4 “for whosoever is born of God overcometh the world; And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

 

     This is the promise that we have from God. We are adopted sons of God through our faith, but we will be treated as a natural born child of His when it comes to inheritance there will be no distinction made.

 

      Romans 8 :16,17. v16 the spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. v17 now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and Co- heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his suffering in order that we may also share in his glory.

 

     “he shall be my son”, from verse 7 is translated from the Greek moi ho huios. A very unique and unusual expression. God is the one who says “my son”. Believers of the church are the only people for whom this phrase is used.

 

     v.8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the adulterers and all liars-their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.

 

     Notice that the re- creation of the heavens and earth did not affect the status of the lake of fire and of the lost. They are going to go on into eternity just that way. Notice also that there will be no possibility of sin ever breaking out into the new heavens and the new earth. The potential to sin will be forever shut out of the new creation. Then notice that the lake of fire is eternal. There will be no third resurrection.

 

    Our next lesson will have a description of the New Creation. The New Jerusalem does not come into view until the end of the Millennium and the beginning of eternity. I WILL EXPLAIN MORE NEXT TIME. Hang in there, friends. We are almost done.

 

(Oh Mercy, this is so much fun!!!)

 

LOVE Y’ALL AND God bless.

MAGGIE

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