A Tour of the New Heaven and New Earth--Heaven Series

            In our neck of the woods, we’re not all that fond of cities. We like the shopping and the restaurants in places like Wichita or Kansas City, but on the whole we would just as soon avoid cities if we could. When we think of cities, we think of traffic jams, overcrowding, and crime. Many of us could have moved to a city at some point in time, but we prefer to live in a place like Montezuma.

            So when we read Revelation 21-22 and learn about our future home with God, we may feel a small sting of disappointment when we discover that most of the information describes a very big city! We might prefer to read about a grain elevator made of gold, but I think any disappointment will quickly disappear as we read these inspiring chapters.

            Today, we’re going to go on a tour of the New Heaven and New Earth as they’re described in Revelation. We’ll read about a spectacular city with its foundations and walls, and we’ll get a glimpse of what may lie beyond those walls. Join me in Revelation 21:1. We’ll read through 22:5, and I’ll stop and offer some comments along the way.

A Tour of the New Heaven and New Earth

            “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” When you hear the words “passed away,” don’t think “went out of existence.” Think of the way that our bodies “pass away”—they die, but then they are resurrected in power and strength. I think our universe will have a similar transformation. I fear that I may have chosen my words poorly last week because I may have given you the impression that our universe will cease to exist, and then the new heaven and new earth will be created, but I don’t think that’s correct. I don’t believe this earth will be removed, but rather renewed—or in a very real sense, resurrected (in a very similar way to our bodies).

            Last week, we read in 2 Peter 3 about destruction by fire that will come upon our world. I believe we should conceive of that event as being similar to the way a wildfire or a forest fire cleanses an area and allows new growth and new life to spring up. I believe that is God’s plan for our world.

            The text goes on to say that in John’s vision, “the sea was no more.” That is a significant observation because the dominant feature of our planet is the sea! But this observation reminds us that our present-day seas or oceans are actually a result of God’s wrath! All of that water is from the flood of Noah’s day, an event that displayed God’s judgment upon mankind. But in the New Earth, that reminder of judgment will be taken away. Now that doesn’t mean that there won’t be lakes and ponds perhaps, because in just a bit we’re going to read about a river, but the New Earth will no longer have water as its dominant feature.

The Holy City—the New Jerusalem

            [READ v. 2] The fact that this city is called the “new” Jerusalem reminds us of the special place that Jerusalem has occupied in God’s plan. It was the capital of the Jewish nation, the seat of David’s throne—on which the Lord will reign in the Millennium. It was the site of Christ’s death and resurrection and the birthplace of the church, and one day it will be the place where Jesus will first set foot when He returns to this world. And so this city will bear the name of Jerusalem, where so many significant events have taken place.

            In v. 3, we begin to read some of the most familiar verses of this entire section [READ vv. 3-4]. “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’” Obviously, that excludes the former things like death which were just said to have passed away. Those things will have no place in the New Heaven and New Earth, but the creation itself will be renewed into a new beauty that surpasses its old beauty.

            [READ v. 5b-8] Here we see a great distinction made among mankind. I will touch on this a bit more at the end of the sermon this morning, but for now simply note this—there is not one, universal destiny for mankind. Some people will be in Heaven, but some people will not. Please allow the gravity of that thought to sink into your heart, and we will revisit this reality in just a bit.

The Description of the City

            [READ v. 9-14] Notice that the city has a memorial for both of the groups through whom the Lord has primarily done His work in this world—the nation of Israel and the church. The names of the 12 tribes of Israel were on the gates of the city, and the names of the 12 Apostles were on the foundations.

            [READ v. 15-16] These dimensions describe a massive city, one that is actually larger than many countries in our world today. If this city were situated in the middle of the United States, it would stretch from the Gulf of Mexico into Canada and from the Appalachians to the Rockies! And notice that v. 16 says its height is the same—about 1,380 miles. Some of you may have heard about the man who recently broke the record for highest skydive. He was a mere 24 miles off the ground. The boundary between the atmosphere and outer space is commonly said to be 62 miles, so this measurement would seem to suggest one of two things—either the New Earth will be vastly larger than the present earth, or the composition of the atmosphere will somehow be different. Commentators disagree about whether the city will have a cube-like shape with all of its buildings reaching that height, or whether it will have more of a pyramid-like shape, like the city of Mont-St-Michel on the northwest coast of France. I’m inclined to think that it will have a pyramid shape with the throne of God serving as the focal point at the top, but either way, there will be plenty of room for all the saved people of the Earth to live there. If we were to divide the height of that city into stories and give a generous 20 feet to each story, the city would have 396,000 stories!

            [READ v. 17] That statement about measurement simply reminds us that the angel was using the same measurements that we use. The wall measures about 216 feet, which is very tall by our standards, but puny compared to the overall height of the city, but as we’ll see, the wall isn’t there for defense anyway—it serves a decorative purpose.

            [READ v. 18-21] Its hard to even imagine the beauty of such a place, especially as we read that it will constantly be reflecting light that shines from God Himself.

            [READ v. 22] The purpose of a temple, at least in the Bible, is that it is a place where the perfect God consents to have contact with imperfect humans. Think of it like a great hall in a palace where a king or queen may occasionally greet the public. A temple is a place of access to God, but it is a place of restricted access, where certain protocols and procedures have to be maintained. But in the New Heaven and New Earth, we will enjoy perfect fellowship with God, so such a place will not be needed.

[READ v. 23-26]. The mention of nations and kings in these verses raises some very interesting possibilities. Commentators have offered no less than 10 possible interpretations of these statements! Do they refer to nations in this world or do they refer to some kind of national identities in Heaven? I admit that this is some speculation, but my take on it is this—I think these verses refer to national identities in Heaven, whether they are retained from this life or whether we are re-organized into people groups in Heaven, and the kings would be believers who are appointed to lead those groups. If this is true, it would suggest that at least some of us—if not all of us—will settle on the New Earth outside of the New Jerusalem, but we will come together there for special times of worship and celebration. Thus, the New Jerusalem would have a role like that of Jerusalem in the Old Testament, where it was the gathering place for special times of worship, though most of the Jewish people actually lived elsewhere. The statement that the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it could describe something like a state fair in which people gather from far and wide to display their accomplishments and achievements.

So again, my take is this—we will be organized in some way into people groups, and some of us will be appointed to lead those groups. If it seems shocking to you to think that there may be leaders and subordinates in Heaven, just consider this—God has placed a leadership structure in everything that He has created! Angels apparently have a leadership structure, if we judge by the titles that are used to describe them in the Bible. Israel had a leadership structure, first with Moses and the elders of the tribes, then with a king. The home has a leadership structure, the church has leadership structure—even the members of the Trinity have a leadership structure for themselves. When Jesus walked the Earth, he said, “I can do nothing on my initiative…I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me (John 5:30).”  God the Father and God the Son have the same attributes and abilities, but for the purpose of carrying out their plan for creation they have embraced an authority structure in which the Son carries out the will of the Father.

Now I confess that my interpretation of these verses could be wrong, but the next verse gives us a detail about which we can be absolutely certain [READ v. 27]. Once again we are warned that Heaven is not the universal destination for mankind. There are some who will not enter it—more on that thought in just a moment.

The River of Life

            As we move into chapter 22, the description now moves from the city as a whole to the central feature of the city—a river flowing from the throne of God [READ 22:1-2]. This breathtaking scene describes a wide street with a river flowing down the middle of it, lined on both sides by the tree of life. It seems that the tree of life is not simply one true but a particular variety of tree, like when we speak of apple trees or pear trees. Verse 2 says its leaves were for “the healing of the nations.” We should not take that to mean that there will be sickness in Heaven, but apparently our bodies will still need some kind of sustenance. It could be that we will receive some kind of medicine from those trees when we first enter Heaven, or our bodies may need some kind of ongoing sustenance—in the same way that Adam and Eve ate food when their bodies were still perfect. Either way, this area will apparently be like a Central Park in the city that we will get to enjoy.

            Finally, we read these words [READ v. 3-5]. Thus, the Bible ends the same way it began—with mankind sharing in God’s reign over His creation. The great drama of the Bible comes full circle as God completes His work of redemption, and humanity lives with God in the way that we were supposed to from the beginning—enjoying His presence, and reigning over the domain that He has entrusted to us.

            It is amazing when we discover that God’s original intention for us has not been set aside; His plans have not been thwarted. Instead, He will achieve them in spite of all opposition. So just as God intended, we will glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.

            But in the midst of this glorious vision, we cannot escape the reality that some people will not be allowed to enter Heaven. This is a sobering reality, but God extends to us all a gracious offer to find life through Him. In 21:6, the Lord states that he will give to the thirsty a drink from the water of life without payment, but there is a vital implication here—we must realize our need for it. Thirst is a metaphor for a real and imminent need; the need for water cannot go unmet for long before it has deadly consequences.

            In the same way, we must realize that we have a real and imminent spiritual need—the need to have our sins forgiven by God. Through our sins, we have broken God’s law, and as a fair and honest judge He cannot simply overlook these moral crimes. He must see that a fitting punishment is carried out. But because He loves us, He was willing to take our punishment for us and offer us a pardon, which He has done by sending the Lord Jesus, His own Son, into this world to die on the cross as the punishment for our sins and to rise from the grave as our hope for forgiveness and eternal life.

            The Lord will give us His pardon—He will give us the water of life—if we will simply acknowledge our need for it by repenting of our sins and placing our faith in His promise. If we do not receive His pardon, the only other option is that we will pay for our sins ourselves, and that sentence is described in v. 8 as being a place in the lake that burns with fire.

            We have a real and imminent need in our lives, and if we will accept God’s offer of salvation through Jesus, He will not turn us away! We will have a place in that great city—the New Jerusalem—which will be great because God is there. And as He promised, He will be your God, and you will be His child. Do not allow your imminent need of forgiveness to go unmet—trust in Christ today!