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The Millennium and Beyond
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Revelation 21: "The Holy City"
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Link to Printer Ready PDF Version of this document. |
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Chapter Highlights
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Chapter Aids
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Topical Index
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We have looked at the Church Age, the Tribulation Period, and the Millennium. Now we turn to what lies beyond. Is heaven a real place? Is there evidence of a better life for the human race? What about eternity? These are the questions we will now see answered.
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Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
Here John glimpsed the new heaven and new earth (Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13). He noted that they will replace this present heaven and earth, and one of its features will be the absence of large bodies of water.
Bible experts believe there will no longer be large bodies of water to allow for:
- more room for people
- to change the climate, reduce storms
- eliminate social barriers.
Key Symbols:
- New Heavens and New Earth
- will replace the present heaven and earth
Remember This…
- Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them (Revelation 20:11).
What Others are Saying:
- John Hagee: This world will not continue forever. The Second Law of Thermodynamics, otherwise known as the Law of Entropy, declares that all organized systems tend to disorder after time. Like all things, the earth, along with this physical universe, will wear out. 21-1
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Revelation 21:2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
Here the Church will spend eternity. We have learned about the wedding of the Lamb (the marriage of Jesus and his Church). We have also learned that there will be a great marriage supper here on earth when Jesus comes back. Now we will look at the bride's new home (John 14:2, 3). It will be a Holy City (Hebrews 11:13-16). A city separated unto God for a special purpose. A city without sin. It will be called the New Jerusalem because Jerusalem has always been the City of God (Psalm 87:2, 3). God is the source of this city and it will be fresh, elegant, radiant, and adorned like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
Key Symbols:
Remember This…
- I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God (Revelation 3:12).
What Others are Saying:
- Hal Lindsey: The new earth as a whole will not be the principal residence of the believers, though they will have free access to it. The New Jerusalem is where Jesus has been preparing mansions for his own and is the capital from which he will rule. 21-2
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Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
Currently, the Holy Spirit dwells (1 Corinthians 6:19) in the hearts of all believers, but when the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven things will change. A loud voice will announce that God will dwell with his people instead of in his people. God will actually live in the New Jerusalem where he will establish a fixed and permanent relationship with his Church.
What Others are Saying:
- Arno Froese: This heavenly Jerusalem, "the Holy City," "the Holy Jerusalem," is the ultimate dwelling place of God with man. 21-3
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Revelation 21:4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
He will wipe every tear from their eyes does not mean crying will occur in the heavenly city. It means things will be so different that there will be no need for tears, because there will be no death, loneliness, depression, pain, or suffering.
The old order of things has passed away is a reminder that God will bring an end to sin and death. Everything associated with human sorrow will pass away.
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Revelation 21:5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
Following the Millennium, Jesus will not fix or repair this old creation. He will recreate everything. This is more than a verbal promise because he says, Write this down. It is a divine declaration from one who cannot lie.
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Revelation 21:6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
The new creation is inevitable because it is the spoken Word of Jesus. He proved his power to create when he fashioned all things at the beginning of creation. As the Alpha and Omega, he is the first and last word in all things. All authority is his. What he declares will be done.
All who thirst after God (Matthew 5:6) will be given the privilege of freely drinking (John 7:37, 38) from the water of life. Their thirst for God will be abundantly satisfied (John 4:13, 14).
Remember This…
- "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8).
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Revelation 21:7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. All true Christians are overcomers. God is their God. They are his children (1 John 3:2) and joint heirs (Romans 8:16, 17) with Jesus.
What Others are Saying:
- Tim LaHaye: One of the most wonderful concepts in the Bible is the father-son relationship between God and a Christian. This verse indicates that it will go on forever in heaven as on earth. 21-4
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Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
The list of those who will not enter the heavenly city includes:
- the cowardly, those who are too embarrassed, ashamed or afraid to accept Jesus as Lord
- the unbelievers, those who reject Jesus
- the vile, those who defile themselves with abominable sins such as stealing, taking the Mark of the Beast, taking drugs, and drunkenness
- the sexually immoral, fornicators, adulterers, homosexuals, and rapists
- those who practice magic arts, astrologers, Satan worshipers, witches, and warlocks
- idolaters, those who worship anyone or anything other than God
- liars, those who deceive the lost, falsely accuse Christians, falsely claim to be a Christian, or add to or take away from the Bible
Key Point:
- All unbelievers will be cast into the fiery lake of burning sulfur which is the second death.
What Others are Saying:
- J. Vernon McGee: The Lake of Fire is eternal, for it is the second death, and there is no third resurrection. 21-5
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Revelation 21:9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
God's nature has more than one characteristic. He loves and judges; saves and condemns. Both of these characteristics are demonstrated here. Imagine, one of the same angels who poured out a bowl of God's wrath is now inviting John to see God's love for his Church.
We already have established that the bride is the Church, but here the angel refers to the city as the bride of the Lamb. In God's eyes, the Holy City and the Holy People are synonymous. The physical identity of the Holy City will include rivers, trees, streets, and mansions, but the true identity of the city will be the Lamb and his bride.
Remember This…
- A special union (Revelation 19:7) will exist between Jesus and the Church similar to the union that exists between a bridegroom and bride upon their marriage.
Key Point
- God loves and judges; saves and condemns.
Key Symbols:
- The Holy City
- his holy people
- physical identity
- rivers, trees, streets, and mansions
- true identity
What Others are Saying:
- Wim Malgo: It is simply because of all the saints and glorified ones who dwell in it. Without these saints this city would not be the bride of the Lamb. 21-6
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Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
While John was in the Holy Spirit (Revelation 1:10; 17:3), the angel carried him away to a great mountain where he could have a clear view of this marvelous city. It is being built in heaven, but God will cause it to descend to the new earth. How far it will descend is a matter of debate. Nothing is said about it coming to rest on the new earth. It may do that, but it also may remain suspended above. One thing is for sure: what goes on in the Holy City will be more important than what takes place on the new earth. The Holy City will be the headquarters of the new creation.
Key Symbols:
What Others are Saying:
- Rick Joyner: Trances can range from those that are rather mild, so that you are still conscious of your physical surroundings, and can even still interact with them, to those where you feel like you are literally in the place of your vision. This seems to be what Ezekiel experienced rather frequently (Ezekiel 1:3; 24:26), and what John probably experienced when he had the visions recorded in the book of Revelation. 21-7
Remember This…
- John was in the Spirit (an ecstatic spiritual state) which put him in close touch with God and made him able to see visions.
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Revelation 21:11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
The presence of God in the Holy City will cause it to shine with his glory. His pure light (John 9:5) will burst forth in brilliance like the sparkle of a large and expensive jewel. What kind of jewel is not said, but it will look like jasper (Revelation 4:3; opal, diamond, or topaz) and be crystal clear. Jasper is the first stone in the breastplate of the High Priest. It is opaque and translucent like a diamond, and is a symbol of purity and holiness.
Key Symbols:
- Holy City
- shone with the glory of God
- brilliance like a precious jewel., clear as crystal
What Others are Saying:
- J. Vernon McGee: The diamond seems to fit the description better than any other stone known to man. 21-8
- Hal Lindsey: The glory and brilliance of Christ and the Father are all that's needed to illumine the entire universe. 21-9
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Revelation 21:12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
The Holy City will be surrounded by a thick, high wall with twelve gates. I'm sorry, but Saint Peter won't be standing at the gates, angels will. The name of each of the twelve tribes of Israel will be written on a gate.
The wall will be for security. The same can be said of the angels guarding the gates. The names of the twelve tribes of Israel will be a reminder that the Messiah, the Scriptures, and salvation came through the Jews. Without them the Holy City would not be needed, and the Gentiles would be without hope.
Why does the Holy City need security? No one knows the answer. Some suggest it is a symbol that not everyone has access to God. Only God knows.
Key Point
- Salvation and the Bible came through the Jews.
Key Symbols:
- The Holy City
- great high wall
- twelve gates (angel at each)
- name of each tribe of Israel on a gate
Remember This…
- Satan tries to copy everything
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