Heaven

Over the last few weeks we’ve been looking at a series we’ve called The Last Things, considering four themes – death, judgment, heaven, and hell. We’ve looked at death and judgment; tonight, this morning rather, we’re thinking about heaven. And then in two weeks time, next Sunday being Stewardship Sunday, two weeks time we’ll think about the last part of the series. We’ll think about hell. So do take a copy of the Bible from the pew racks in front of you and turn in them to page 1041. We’re going back to the book of Revelation, this time to the twenty-first chapter, and we’ll read down to the eighth verse. Before we do that, would you bow your heads with me as we pray together?
 

Lord our God, we pray as we consider the glories of heaven, as You show them to us in Your holy Word, that You would also show us the great glory that gives all the others their brilliance and beauty. Show us the Light that makes everything else in heaven shine with the reflection of its radiance. Show us the heart of heaven, that which makes heaven, heaven. Show us Jesus Christ, the Lamb who is all the glory of Emmanuel’s Land. And then as we see Him, please will You bring all of us to Him in true faith that we may be with Him where He is one day soon, forevermore. In Jesus’ name we pray, anen.

 

Revelation 21 at the first verse. This is the Word of Almighty God:

 

“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. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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. 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.’

 

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.’ And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 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.’

Amen.

 

One morning, 1932, residents of Sydney, Australia woke to find one word written on the sidewalk in beautiful, copperplate script, written in chalk – the word, “eternity.” From that moment on, for the next thirty-five years or so, every morning Sydneysiders as they’re called would wake up to find inscribed on walls and on the sidewalk the word, “eternity.” Over and over, “eternity; eternity.” About five hundred thousand times across that period the word appeared in the streets of Sydney until the man who wrote “eternity,” this anonymous person, became something of a legend in Sydney. Eventually, however, a newspaper was able to break the story. It turns out a Mr. Arthur Stace, who had been a petty criminal and an alcoholic, was converted to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the weight of eternity began to press down upon him and he was anxious that the people of Sydney should begin to feel it for themselves. He kept writing the word, “eternity; eternity; eternity.” He devoted himself to reminding the materialistic society of Sydney of the pressing weight of eternal issues.

 

The Bible has the same perspective. Ecclesiasts 3:11, “God has set eternity in the hearts of men.” Eternity echoes in our consciences, reverberates in our deepest longings. One Newsweek poll that I read about found that 77% of Americans believe in heaven and 76% of them are sure they’re going there. We believe in heaven, but who will go there and what will it be like? Well I want to turn with you to Revelation 21 and to listen to God Himself tell us what it will be like. It is really tempting in these days to want to turn to other streams of information, alleged information. The trade in Five Minutes in Heaven books are a testimony to our fascination with heaven. What will it be like? If you’re a Christian, of course, to read with any credence, to give any sort of credence to those books is actually to testify that you do not believe the Bible to be sufficient to tell us everything God wants us to know. If the Scriptures do not tell us all the details about heaven it is because God doesn’t want you to know them and no end of life hallucination can fill in the blanks. And so we do need to turn to the real source of faithful and reliable truth about heaven and this is one place where the Scriptures talk to us about it – Revelation 21.

 

I had originally set out to expound the whole chapter and then I realized that the opening eight verses give us a number of themes that are expounded in the rest of the chapter. And as I looked at those eight verses I realized the opening two verses set out all the same themes that are expounded in the rest of chapter 21 and chapter 22. So we’re going to focus on verses 1 and 2. Don’t be fooled; that doesn’t mean the sermon will be particularly short today! Don’t get your hopes up now! Revelation 21 verses 1 and 2. And I want you to see in particular the three metaphors by which heaven is described here that are expounded in different ways in the remainder of the book of Revelation. First, we’re told heaven will be a new creation. A new creation. Secondly, heaven will be a new city. A new city. And then thirdly, heaven will be a profound marriage.  New creation, a new city, and a profound marriage.

 

I. Heaven Will Be a New Creation

 

First of all, heaven will be a new creation. Verse 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.” Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Revelation 21:1, at the end, God creates “a new heaven and a new earth.” The Bible does not end with the end of the world; it ends with the beginning of a new world. And we’re told the old will pass away. Why will it pass away? Because Genesis chapter 3 – our sin has subjected the world to decay and disorder; suffering and death; toil and weariness; sickness and pain. That’s the world we now live in, isn’t it? Romans 8 actually says creation is “subjected to futility.” That’s sometimes how we feel about our world – futile. Creation, Paul says, “groans, longing to be swept up into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Well here, in the opening verse of Revelation 21, is the day when the glorious liberty of the children of God dawns for all creation. Here’s that day. John shows us what it’s like. If you look down at verses 4 and 5 he tells us a little more about it. “The Lord will wipe away every tear from our eyes, death will be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’” The life we now know, a life of loss and grief, of regret and heartache and pain, where death intrudes and suffering is universal, that life will be forever finished one day. God Himself will dry all our tears, as it were, with His own finger and He will heal all our wounds and He will make everything new.

 

No More Chaos

And did you notice that curious little detail there in verse 1 about there being no more sea. Some of you, I know, love the beach. Don’t worry. I don’t think John really means there will be no bodies of water in the new creation. It’s not that there’s some problem with beaches that John just has to be sure they’ve been eradicated from the new creation. That’s not the point. Actually, if you read through the book of Revelation you will see that the sea in the symbolism that John is working with is the place of chaos and disorder. It is a malicious, threatening, malevolent thing. It is the seat and source of evil. So back in chapter 13, the beast who arises to threaten the people of God and deceive the world, this image of implacable evil, he arises up out of the sea. You see what John is really saying to us? In the new creation there will be nothing, nothing to threaten the peace and the happiness of the people of God under the reign of God in the new world God will give. No chaos. No disorder. No malice. No evil. It’s actually this aspect of heaven, this place of beauty and rest, that continues to have a persistent place in the fabric of popular belief. No matter how secular a culture we become we cling on to this idea of heaven; we long for it. Remember that poll – 77% believe in heaven; 76% are sure they get to go. We’re longing for this place; we believe in it even when we don’t believe in much else.

 

II. Heaven Will Be a New City

 

But do notice, if you would, in the second place, the next metaphor that John uses. Heaven is more than just the end of the curse, more than just the restoration and renewal of creation. It is, John says, “a new city,” actually, “a holy city.” Do you see that in the text? Verse 2, “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.” This is the place where the people of God dwell and it is a holy city. We may love the idea of heaven but here’s the challenging part of the Biblical picture of heaven. It is a place of perfect purity. It is a holy city. Later on, John describes the city that he sees with typical symbol-laden imagery. Look down at verse 11. The city, he says, “had the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal.” Now if you had read through the book of Revelation in one sitting that description would immediately ring bells. Back in chapter 4 when John himself is ushered in his vision into the throne room of Almighty God and he looks at the one seated on the throne of the universe, he says he saw one “whose appearance was like jasper and carnelian.” Here is some attempt on John’s part to describe the majesty and beauty of God and now at the end of the book as he sees the new creation, the holy city, as he sees heaven, he says heaven itself shines. The dwelling place of the people of God shines with the echo and the mirror of the character of God Himself. The holiness of God shines back to him and shines from one to the other in the city of God as all its citizens are made to reflect the radiance and splendor of His character. It is a holy city.

 

The Holiness of the City

And if you look at verses 15 to 17, John is shown the dimensions of the city. It is a perfect cube. Do you notice that? 12,000 stadia in every dimension. That’s significant because it’s a deliberate echo of the dimensions of the most holy place that was at the very center of the temple that was built in Jerusalem, the place where God’s presence was said to dwell, where God would meet with Israel, where atonement for sin was made. It was covered and overlaid in gold, a place of sacred holiness and purity, where only the high priest may enter. But here we’re told the whole city is the holy place and the foundation stones, verses 19 through 21, are described as each one being a jewel, a perfect jewel, with the names of the people of Israel inscribed upon them, like the jewels on the high priest’s breastplate that he wore when he was in the most holy place. All the language and imagery here is designed to communicate to us that the city of God, heaven itself, is the most holy place. What is heaven like? Nowhere unclean. Nowhere profane. Everywhere the holy of holies. Everything holy to the Lord. It is the holy city.

 

And why is it holy? Look at verse 22. “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it for the God of glory gives it light and its lamp is the Lamb.” We were singing about it just a moment ago. “The Lamb is all the glory of Emmanuel’s Land.” It is holy. It shines in purity and righteousness because of the one whose purity and holiness and righteousness fills it. It is the holy place because God and the Lamb are there.

 

And as we take all of that in, we need to ask ourselves this vital question. “If heaven is the holy of holies, if heaven is the new creation where the curse on sin is removed and undone forever, what kind of person will God permit to dwell there?” Verse 27, “Nothing unclean will ever enter it nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” There are no sinners in heaven, not one. It is the holy city; the most holy place. The unclean and the detestable and the false, all liars are excluded. John says, verse 8, “their portion will be the lake that burns with fire and sulfur which is the second death.” So who dwells in the holy city? Only those whose names are in the book of life! Only they have citizenship; only they are welcomed in. Here’s the question:  Is your name in the Lamb’s book of life? Is your name in the book? Has the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, made a place for you? Your passport for entry to that city cannot be your own effort. You notice, don’t you, that the city comes down out of heaven from God.

 

Heaven Comes Down

What is John telling us with that little detail? Isn’t it simply this – heaven is not the product or the fruit of your efforts to climb to Him. It is not the end result, the consequence of your best labors. It comes down from heaven to God. It is not your ascent to Him. You remember the story of the Tower of Babel, don’t you? The peoples of the earth gather together and they resolve to construct a great tower, a ziggurat, in order to ascend under their own energy and effort and by their own wisdom to God. It is a monument to their self-reliance and their self-righteousness. It is a towering folly, quite literally, and was in the end made subject to the wrath and curse of God. There is no way to get to heaven’s glory by your own efforts. You can’t get there under your own steam. You can’t get there at all! You must be brought there. It must be given. It comes down out of heaven from God. It’s all a gift, do you see? It is a gift! Actually the only works that are mentioned here are works that exclude people. Can you see that? Your passport for citizenship in the world to come can’t be your best attempts to climb to glory. Your only hope must be that Christ has inscribed your name in His book. It must be that the Lamb has made provision for the salvation of your soul, that He has robed you with His obedience, that He has cloaked you and covered you with His righteousness, that He has atoned for your sin at the cross. You don’t qualify for heaven; neither do I. Only the Lamb qualifies. Only the Lamb is so pure as to merit this glory. But for those whose names are in the book, the righteousness of the Lamb, the qualifications of the Lamb are reckoned as if they were yours and the gates of heaven are flung wide to you.

 

III. Heaven Is a Profound Marriage

 

It is a new creation, a new and holy city, then finally heaven is a profound marriage. You see that in verse 2? “I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Heaven will be the final, perfect union of the people of God with the living God in Jesus Christ. And so in verse 3 you see a description of that union in terms of the language of the covenant God made millennia ago with Abraham. “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, they will be His people, God Himself will be with them as their God.” It is in consequence of this profound and consummated intimacy and union between the people of God and the Lord of covenant love that He “will wipe away every tear from our eyes and death will be no more nor crying, nor pain, and the former things will pass away.” These are gifts we will enjoy in heaven but they have no independent existence. They’re only ours because we have Jesus, because we’re with the Bridegroom. And because we’re with the Bridegroom death must flee! Because we’re with the Bridegroom tears are dispelled. Because we’re with the Bridegroom there’s no despair but only joy. It’s because of our proximity to Jesus that death is done and tears can’t remain and sorrow gives way to rejoicing. John is seeing the heavenly wedding ceremony. You can picture it, can’t you? The trumpet blares and the doors of the sanctuary open and framed in the doorway is the Bride, the Church of Jesus Christ. She is radiant and beautiful, adorned in spotless white. And as she is brought, as it were, down the aisle to the Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ cannot take His eyes from her.

 

The Keeping Love of Christ

I rather suspect some of us are here living under a crushing burden of shame. You can barely look yourself in the mirror in the morning. It’s hard for you to imagine the Lord Jesus Christ delighting to fix His eyes you on much less you fix your eyes with delight on Him. Perhaps you’ve tried to reform your ways and you’ve failed. Maybe you’ve tried to drown your sorrows, only making them worse. Maybe you’ve attempted to escape. You’ve lied to yourself; you’ve lived a lie but you know you can’t hide from yourself much less from the Lord. And so today you’re here but you feel dirty and unclean and ashamed. Like the publican, you remember him in Jesus’ parable, who would not even so much as lift his head to heaven but beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” Perhaps that’s your cry. You feel the depth of your sin and need and you’re ashamed. If it is, you see John’s message? If you would but turn for mercy to Jesus Christ He will betroth you to Himself in love. He will say to you, “I will take you for Myself in sickness and in health, in joy or in sorrow, in plenty or in want, never, never to be parted from you. I will be a Bridegroom to you to cherish you and love you and keep you.”

 

And there’s a promise. Do you see the promise? You feel dirty and guilty and unclean. How could anyone love you? Jesus the Bridegroom is saying, “If only you would trust Me you’ll find out that I have loved you with an everlasting love. You were loved in your unloveliness. And when you come to Me, I will begin a work in you. You will begin to be prepared as a bride. I will adorn you. I will deal with your sin and make you clean until the day dawns when you are led to Me at the great, final wedding celebration and we will be together in union and communion that will be unbroken and unbreakable, with nothing to interpose itself between us as it does here in life. No sin. no doubt. No fear. You will be prepared as a bride for your husband and we will live together in joy forever.” That is God’s promise to all who will trust in Christ. Though your sin be as scarlet, it may be whiter than the wool for there is a Savior for you in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The hope of heaven is the hope of a new creation. We all want it, don’t we? No more death, no more disease, no more despair. Who will participate in that world? Only those whose names are in the Lamb’s book of life who have taken Christ to be their Savior. But those who take Him as such have Him as a Bridegroom who binds Himself to them forever to be a God to them, to dwell with them, and to take them as His people. Let’s pray together.

 

Father, we praise You for the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church, and we pray for one another that You will help us for the first time, or anew, to come in faith to trust the Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus, to save and rescue us from our sin, to inscribe our names in His book, and to give us a place in the world to come. For we ask it in His name, amen.