REVELATION
SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 21.1 Introduction
Gleanings from the Book of
Revelation:
A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
The
REVELATION TO JOHN
Chapter
Twenty-One
Eternity
Unveiled: The New Creation
Introduction
The Millennium is over. Satan has been
judged and the wicked have been cast into the eternal Lake of Fire. The curse
and every last vestige of sin has been removed. The earth has been expunged and
purified by fire. And, the history of time has commenced.
As the final two chapters of the Book of
Revelation and the Bible are approached, it becomes evident God does not leave
anyone in the dark as to the fulfillment of His promises and plans for life
beyond the end of the world. In His foreknowledge, before God's original
creation of the heavens and the earth, He foreknew mankind would become sinners
and reject Him. So, He made several provisions:
1. He provided a plan of redemption through His
Son Jesus Christ
2. He always left a remnant of God-fearers whom
He determined to be obedient to His will
3. He provided a plan to redeem a cursed earth
void of sin evil and death
4. He describes the eternal and consummated
Kingdom of God on the new earth for encouragement to the saints
5. He assures believers the new Heaven and
Earth shall exceed the glory of the first Paradise
6. Jesus will be the Shekinah glory that dwells
among its inhabitants and there will be no need for light
7. He has determined eternity to be forever and
ever, in perpetuity, a world without end and infinite
Timeline before the New World
1. The Millennium Kingdom is over (cf.
Revelation 20:11)
2. Satan and his cohorts have been judged (cf.
Revelation 20:10)
3. The Great White Throne Judgment is finalized
(cf. Revelation 20:15)
4. The passing away of the old heavens and
earth (cf. Matthew 24:35; 2 Peter 3:7; 1
Corinthians 13:9-10; Revelation 20:11)
5. The fullness
of time has arrived (cf. Ephesians 1:10)
6. The second earth is restored to the
perfection of God’s first Edenic
paradise before Adam and Eve polluted it with sin (cf. Isaiah 6:5-7; Acts 3:21)
7. The bodies of the saints will be like
Christ’s (cf. John 3:2-3)
Seven New Things in the Last Chapters
1. A new Heaven (cf. Revelation 21:1)
2. A new earth (cf. Revelation 21:1)
3. A new dwelling place for Christ’s Bride (cf.
Revelation 21:2)
4. A new Jerusalem ( cf. Revelation 21:2-3)
5. A new Temple (cf. Revelation 21:22)
6. A new Light (cf. Revelation 21:23-26)
7. A new Paradise (cf. Ezekiel 47:1; Joel 3:18;
Zechariah 13:1; Revelation 22-1-5)
The Absence of Seven Things
1. No more sea (cf. Revelation 21:1)
2. No more death (cf. Revelation 21:4)
3. No more mourning (cf. Revelation 21:4)
4. No more weeping (cf. Revelation 21:4)
5. No more pain (cf. Revelation 21:4)
6. No more curse (cf. Revelation 22:3)
7. No more night (cf. Revelation 22:3)
7 Comparisons between Genesis and Revelation
A. Genesis
1:1 - In the beginning God created the
heaven[s] and the earth.
B. Revelation
21: 1 - And I saw a new Heaven and a new earth: for the first
heaven[s] and the first earth were passed away. . .
A. Genesis
1:10
The gathering of the waters and the sea
B. Revelation
21:1
The sea is no more
A. Genesis
1:5
God called the darkness night
B. Revelation
21:25
For there shall be no more night
A. Genesis
1:16
God made two great lights: the sun and the
moon
B. Revelation
21:23
The City has no need neither for the sun nor
the moon
A. Genesis
3:16ff
God established and multiplied sorrow
B. Revelation
21:4
There shall be no more sorrow
A. Genesis
3:14
The curse and death enter the world
B. Revelation
21:4
There shall be no more death
A. Genesis
3:24
The Tree of Life no longer can be accessed
B. Revelation
22:2
The Tree of Life is regained and remains
permanent
Prophecies Regarding the New Heaven and
Earth
Old Testament
Isaiah
65:17 - “For behold, I [will] create new
heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.”
Isaiah 66:22 – For as the new heavens
and the new earth, which I will make, shall
remain before Me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
New Testament
Luke 1:32-33 - He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the
Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of his father David: And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His Kingdom
there shall be no end.
2 Peter3:13 - Nevertheless we, according
to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Furthermore, God has pre-determined, through
His Doctrine of Election, that His
Son Jesus Christ would be the ruler of this universe. By inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, His prophet Isaiah explains it best:
Isaiah
9:6-7 - For unto us a child
is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with
judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the
LORD of hosts will perform this.
Hence, the promised fulfillment of God’s
redemptive plan will come to pass.
Outline of the Last Two Chapters
1. The New Heaven And Earth (Revelation 21:1-8)
2. The New Jerusalem’s Description (Revelation
21:9-22:5)
3. The Epilogue from the Glorified Lord
(Revelation 22:6-21)
a. The Last Message to John (22:6-19)
b. The Last Promise in the Bible (22:20a)
c. The
Last Prayer in the Bible (22:20b)
d. The Last Benediction in the Bible (22:21)
1. The
New Heaven And Earth (Revelation 21:1-8)
(Verse
1)
And I saw a new Heaven and a new earth: for the first Heaven[s] and the first
earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
In his next vision, John beholds a new Heaven and new Earth.
John had seen the doom of the wicked and now he sees the bliss of the blessed.
Very little information is given in Scripture regarding the
new Heaven and Earth. This new creation, however, is not to be confused with
the Millennium. The old earth and everything that had existed in outer space
has been burned away
What is written, God wants us to know. Acknowledged are some
facts:
Only two entities will occupy outer space
A. The new Heaven and Earth
B. The eternal Lake of Fire
So, the abyss of Hell eternally exists with the new Heaven
and Earth.
Heaven and Heavens
As
previously mentioned, the Bible speaks of three heavens:
1. The first heaven
The atmosphere around the earth, i.e., the sky containing
clouds, rain, and birds of the air (cf. Isaiah 55:9-10)
2. The second heaven
The stratosphere contains everything that appears in outer
space (cf. Psalm 91:1)
3. The Third Heaven
A different dimension than time and space where God sits on
His Throne –The abode of God (cf. Psalm 11:4; Matthew 6:9)
Now, of course, we know the Bible does not contain any
contradictions since it is the Word of God, but there seems to be a lot of
confusion centered around three passages in Scripture. [Refer to above prophecies]. Consider
the nouns Heaven and Heavens:
A. Isaiah 65:17 – In this
passage, Heavens is used as a masculine plural noun: šā·ma·yim (Hebrew, Strong’s
8064) meaning
heights, sky or Heaven
B. 2 Peter 3:13 – In Greek, Heavens is used as an accusative masculine plural noun: Ouranous (Greek, Strong’s
3772) meaning sky,
Heaven, or eternity.
C. Revelation 21:1 – Yet here, Heaven is used as a nominative
masculine singular noun: Ouranon (Greek, Strong’s
3772) meaning
sky, Heaven, or eternity.
Simply stated, Heaven or heavens are used interchangeably
throughout the Bible. In Hebrew, context determines the difference. Also, if
the definite article proceeded, it would be rendered “the Heavens.”
Peter gives detail as to what happens to our earth:
2 Peter 3:10 - But the day of the
Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will
pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and
the works that are in it will be burned up.
Peter beholds no first and second
heaven, for they are removed by God. What is left is purged by fire and laid
waste to the earth. It is a pristine new earth ready to be fashioned like His original
intention without the stain of sin – A new Eden so to speak.
The Sea
While
living on the Isle of Patmos, all John saw was the sea around him. But, the
very next thing John envisions is “there
was no more sea.” The absence of the sea will change the climate,
atmosphere, and living conditions.
Many
postulate the missing sea will allow for a greater population as a result of
the growth in the Millennium. The entire nation of Israel along with almost
innumerable hosts of Gentiles will comfortably dwell together on the new earth.
So, no longer will the sea be a barrier for mankind.
Life
in the present earth depends on water. For example here are some facts:
1. Approximately three-quarters of the earth's
surface is a sea
2. There are 330 cubic million miles of ocean
on Earth
3. 96.5 is saltwater, 3.5 is freshwater
4. 1.5 trillion tons of rain falls on the
earth’s surface every day
5. A person’s body contains 65% water
6. A person's blood comprises 90% water
7. All plant, animal, and human life cannot
exist without water
The Old Creation
In
the old creation, God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit of God
created man in their image. Their original intent was for men to think like
Christ. However, the stain of sin broke the relationship and gave us a carnal
mind which is in enmity against God (cf. Romans 8:5-7).
The New Creation
Now,
in the new creation, we will have the mind of Christ. “Let this mind
be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (cf. Philippians
2:5). Not only will we have the mind of Christ, but we will be like Him. Says
John:
1 John 3:2 - Beloved, now are we
the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that,
when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him
as He is.
Jesus’ Glorified Body
Jesus
comforts us by giving us a glimpse of what the transformed gloried body will
look like. Here are three examples:
1. At His Transfiguration, Jesus was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the
sun, and His raiment was white as the light. (cf. Matthew 17:2)
2. After His Resurrection, Jesus stood amid His
disciples and said to them, “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see,
for a Spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” (Luke 24:39)
3. After doubting Thomas saw the Lord:
John
20:27 - Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy
finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not
faithless, but believing.
Our New Glorified Bodies
1. Our Natural Body will be raised up a
spiritual body (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:44)
2. Our vile body will be fashioned like unto
His glorious body (cf. Philippians 3:24)
3. Our bodies will be
imperishable/incorruptible (2 Corinthians 15:42)
4. Our bodies are like the angels of God in
Heaven (cf. Matthew 22:30)
5. Our bodies will bear the image of the Man of
Heaven, i.e., Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:49)
6. Our bodies will be raised up with power (cf.
1 Corinthians 15:43)
7. Our bodies will not be found naked, for we
will be clothed with our heavenly bodies (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:2-3)
“Given our new resurrected bodies, we will dwell in an
eternally new Heaven and earth that will be based on a completely different
life principle than what we know now in this created universe.” [John McArthur]
In the continuing Bible study, the New
Jerusalem is described.
QUESTIONS:
1. What is God’s final plan for redemption?
2. What are the two entities left in space?
3. Does the new Heaven and Earth have time?
4. What are the three heavens?
5. What does John see, heavens or Heaven?
6. What did Jesus look like at His Transfiguration?
7. What will man look like in the new creation?
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