BOOK OF REVELATION
Lesson 49 - Chapter 21 Continued 2

To resume our study of Revelation chapter 21 today I want to begin by quoting Paul in Romans
because in some ways he sums up what we have discussed the last 2 weeks.
CJB
Romans 8:19-24
19
The creation waits eagerly for the sons of God to be
revealed;
20
for the creation was made subject to frustration- not willingly, but because
of the one who subjected it. But it was given a reliable hope
21
that it too would be set
free from its bondage to decay and would enjoy the freedom accompanying the glory
that God's children will have.
22
We know that until now, the whole creation has been
groaning as with the pains of childbirth;
23
and not only it, but we ourselves, who have
the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we continue waiting eagerly to be made
sons- that is, to have our whole bodies redeemed and set free.
24
It was in this hope that
we were saved.
We've talked much about the Genesis Creation because Revelation 21 tells us about the Re-
Creation and there are definite differences between it and the original Creation. We learn that
just as the original Creation involved creating the entire Universe, including earth, so does the
Re-Creation. One of our areas of discussion last week was how the Lord included a certain set
of freedoms within the original Creation so that it, within limits, could itself create. Another topic
was how (whether from Adam's sin or from divine plan) the whole Creation is under bondage to
decay and thus its eventual death is a certainty. So Paul says that it is not only mankind that is
in desperate need of redemption and renewal, but also everything of a physical nature that
exists in the entire cosmos. Therefore the hope of our own personal salvation extends far
beyond ourselves or even humanity.
What Paul explained would happen, John now sees in a powerful vision. What they both
record for us is still far into our future, well over 1000 years from now, because the dissolution
of the existing earth and Universe and its replacement with a new earth and Universe occurs at
the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ that I have been referring to as the Millennial Kingdom.
And when exactly that begins we do not know if one is of the Premillennial doctrinal belief. If
one is Amillennial then you believe the 1000 year reign of Christ began 2000 years ago at the
foot of the cross, and continues indefinitely and the new heavens and earth are mostly
symbolism.
As concerns Revelation chapters 20, 21, and 22 we have to be a little bit cautious about how to
envision the timing and sequence of these several monumental events that lay out the final
moments of history and the entry into an entirely new reality. Is it after the conclusion of the
1000 years that Satan is thrown into the Lake of Fire, or does it happen in the final moments of
the Millennial Kingdom? Does the 2nd resurrection happen before or after Satan's demise, and
in the same light, does the Great White Throne judgment mark the end of the Millennium or is it
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something that happens later? Here's another question to ponder: when God melts the current
earth and Universe back to its elements and reforms it, where will the people be? And, is this
melting and reforming nearly instantaneous or does it occur similarly to the original Creation in
that it was a process occurring over time (a rather short time if you adhere to a Young Earth
Creation doctrine, or a very long time if you adhere to an Old Earth Creation doctrine)? None of
this is addressed in Revelation and all we have available is speculation that I'd rather not
spend much time with. So as we continue today, while some of your questions may be
answered, many more probably won't be.
As but the briefest digest of the first 4 verses of Revelation 21, we find that the old (the current)
earth and Universe have been done away with, and the creation of a new earth and new
heaven have happened (let me remind you that in this case "heaven" is referring to the
Universe, and not the spiritual place where God and the angels live). The new heavenly
Jerusalem has descended upon the new earth, and it is described as being like a bride
prepared for her husband. A booming voice from Heaven has announced that God will now live
with His peoples (plural). This statement means that God, in all His essences, will literally exist
alongside and with His worshippers; no barriers of any kind will extend to separate His
worshippers from Him. By using the term "peoples" (laoi in Greek, a plural), it means that the
ultimate fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham that all the families of the earth....all races,
ethnicities, and languages....not just Israelites, will be blessed through him, has happened.
And finally in verse 4 we're told that death and its accompanying fears and sorrows are a thing
of the past; this is because the old order has passed away. What is the old order? First it
represents all the characteristics of the original Creation, chief among them being that mankind
is part of a Universe of opposites. Second is that the divine order of things was written down
and summed up in the Torah and the Law of Moses. It is a specific order that includes how
humans are to relate to God and to one another, and what to do when we fail. Both of these
main attributes of the old order are now gone upon the Re-Creation. Thus the new heavens
and earth will not endure both life and death..... only life. The new heavens and earth will not
harbor both good and evil.... only good. And as we continue studying the final two chapters of
Revelation we'll see other aspects of the Re-Creation spelled out that demonstrate that the
governing dynamics of universal opposites will end and be replaced with something else.
We've read through Revelation 21 a couple of times so let's just read it in sections as
appropriate.
RE-READ REVELATION 21:5 - 8
Back in chapter 20 verse 11 we were told that "The One" sitting on the Great White Throne
watched as earth and the heavens fled from His presence. We discussed at that time that most
of Christianity says that this person on the throne is Jesus; however I told you that it is the
Father, and I gave you various scriptural proofs for it. Here in chapter 21 verse 5 the term "The
One" sitting on the throne again appears, and embedded within the actions taken are some
attributes concerning who this person is. First it is important to notice that for the first time in
this chapter, it is God Himself that is speaking because His words are given to us in the first
person (I, me). And what He says sounds familiar because we read something similar in the
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1st chapter of Revelation.
CJB
Revelation 1:8 "I am the 'A' and the 'Z,'" says ADONAI, God of heaven's armies, the
One who is, who was and who is coming.
So the God who is overseeing the new earth and heavens is the same God that oversaw "the
beginning" as well as The One who inspired His faithful worshipper, the Apostle John. God
says that He is making everything new. In fact, that He is re-creating everything new is
emphasized by His intervening in John's vision, telling John to be sure to write this down
because the words are true and trustworthy. Then, as if to underline it all, God says "It is
done!". That is, since everything is new, the re-creation is complete and thus every aspect of
redemption is complete. "The One" sitting on the throne goes on to say that He is the A and
the Z, the beginning and the end as in 1:8. All of these named attributes and descriptions have
been regularly used, Old and New Testaments, of the Father. We can also know that since the
subject is the new earth and heavens, regardless of exact sequence or timing, prior to the re-
creation of the Universe Christ gives back His own ruling authority to the Father.
CJB
1 Corinthians 15:23-26
23
But each in his own order: the Messiah is the firstfruits;
then those who belong to the Messiah, at the time of his coming;
24
then the
culmination, when he hands over the Kingdom to God the Father, after having put an
end to every rulership, yes, to every authority and power.
25
For he has to rule until he
puts all his enemies under his feet.
26
The last enemy to be done away with will be
death..........
So the One sitting on the throne is doubtless the Father and we don't have to wonder which
"person" of God is being referred to. When Christ is also involved, He will be mentioned
separately. What else is important to understand is that God is reminding folks that while
everything has been made new, He hasn't. He is the same God, of the same substance, the
One who created the original Creation. He is the God who exists when nothing else does. So
along with the new creation does not come a new, renewed, or different God. It will be we and
everything else about the cosmos that are changed; but not Him.
The ending words of verse 6 ought to be familiar to many, especially to the Seed of Abraham
local congregation, because I speak them at every Sukkot celebration. God says that to
everyone who is thirsty, He will give water free of charge from the Fountain of Life. Listen to
this excerpt from the Gospel of John. And since the same John wrote both the Apocalypse and
the Gospel, then we should expect to encounter similar thoughts and wording in them.
CJB
John 7:37-38
37
Now on the last day of the festival, Hoshana Rabbah, Yeshua stood
and cried out, "If anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and drinking!
38
Whoever
puts his trust in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his
inmost being!"
Essentially, in using those words about water from the Fountain of Life, God is rephrasing the
Gospel. Since the new earth and heavens have already been created, then certainly its
inhabitants are in no need of hearing it. Therefore we should take this sentence as a kind of
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parenthesis that is aimed at the audience of John's Revelation, in John's time and on into the
future. I love that the word "free" or "gift" is included in what God says. The Greek word is
dorean, and while indeed it means "a gift, without cost", it also inherently includes the sense of
the gift being undeserved and unmerited.
And yet not everyone, of course, will get such benefits as being eternally with God. Let me
pause here to mention something. Notice where it is that God says He will be: with His
peoples on the new earth. This is important in a couple of different ways. First is that His
peoples will not be divided up into different realities depending on which people group they
belong. That is, whether formerly Israelite or gentile, all will live with God. Second is that
Believers will not be living forever "in Heaven" with God. A statement made rather routinely by
Believers and given at the pulpit is that when we die we go to Heaven eternally; but that isn't
scripturally accurate. So many Christians have visions of floating endlessly on Heavenly
clouds, lounging at will, looking down at the hapless individuals still running on the treadmill of
life.
Evangelical Christians (especially) like to say that Heaven is our home and not earth. And yet
Revelation teaches us that all during the 1000 year reign of Christ, most Believers will live on
planet earth, and earth will exist more or less precisely as it is today. And now in chapter 21 we
learn that when the old earth is done away with and replaced with a new one, we'll ALL live
there eternally...... not in Heaven. Thus we need to view Heaven in a similar (although not
precise) way as the ancient Hebrews viewed Abraham's Bosom; as a temporary place of
safety and shelter until God completes His work of redemption. Upon Christ's first coming, He
delivered the righteous souls held captive in Abraham's Bosom by allowing them to transfer to
Heaven after Yeshua descended to proclaim Himself to the captives in validation of their trust
for salvation in the God of Israel. Upon Messiah's second coming and the first resurrection, the
souls temporarily residing in Heaven will be sent back to earth in glorified bodies to live out the
Millennial Kingdom period with Him. I'm assuming that souls of the regular humans who live
and then die during the Millennial Kingdom period will reside in Heaven until the second
resurrection and then from that moment forward, Heaven will be forever empty of human souls.
Verse 7 of Revelation 21 explains just who will receive these wonderful rewards of faithful
trusting in Christ during their lifetimes: it is "he (they) who wins the victory". Where have we
heard that before? In the letters to the 7 Believing congregations of Asia.
CJB
Revelation 2:7
7
Those who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the
Messianic communities. To him winning the victory I will give the right to eat from the
Tree of Life which is in God's Gan-'Eden."
CJB
Revelation 2:26
26
To him who wins the victory and does what I want until the goal
is reached, I will give him authority over the nations;
CJB
Revelation 3:5
5
He who wins the victory will, like them, be dressed in white
clothing; and I will not blot his name out of the Book of Life; in fact, I will acknowledge
him individually before my Father and before his angels.........
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There are a number of promises of rewards made to the Believing victors, or over-comers, in
the letters to the 7 "Churches". Some of them are:
1) the tree of life will be available to them
2) they will be part of the new order of Temple
3) they will be part of the New Jerusalem that comes down from Heaven
4) they will have God's name written on them
5) they will be excluded from the 2nd death
God also promises that every victor will be seen as a son to Him. However, for those who are
not faithful to Him, there is another and different set of promises; ominous ones to be sure. An
abbreviated list is supplied in the second part of verse 8 and in some ways it is terrifying.....
even to Believers.... because perhaps we can be brave enough to look into a mirror and say to
ourselves: 'but I have done these things'. Two quick points about that: 1) forgiveness through
our trust in God and in His Son wipes out the penalty for those sins. 2) We must look at this list
less as a list of behaviors and more as a list of freely chosen identities and lifestyles. That is,
rather than our having committed one or more of these sins at some time, this list is about
those who have turned themselves over to these sins and revel in them, making those sins
part of them. It is not so much what someone has done, as who they are.
The list of those excluded from God's deliverance and therefore being barred from the new
paradise begins with what the CJB says are the cowardly. While David Stern may be right to
choose to use the English word "cowardly" that is not what the Greek lexicons say that the
Greek word deilos means. Rather, more literally, it means timid and fearful. I'm not sure why
someone who is timid and fearful would be excluded. However, when we find this word used in
the New Testament in Matthew 8:26 and its parallel in Mark 4:40, it is directly connected with
having little faith. And, interestingly, these passages were said in rebuke to Christ's Disciples!
So the idea seems to be Believers allowing their fears to overcome their faith; the exact
opposite of perseverance. With little else to go on or to otherwise rationally explain why being
fearful or perhaps a coward would exclude one from eternal life with God, I must assume that
this category of the excluded is directed towards Believers (or would-be Believers) who are so
weak in their faith that they fall away in times of trial and tribulation. After all, the first list that
was about rewards was promised to "those who win the victory" (as we find in the letters to the
7 "Churches"), and the second list that immediately follows it represents the other end of the
stick; punishments promised to those who come up short and do NOT win the victory. So
without further evidence I think that is what this first identity or characteristic on the excluded
list is trying to get across to us.
The second characteristic or identity concerns the untrustworthy. The Greek word being
translated here is apistos. It means unbelieving or without faith. It refers to blatant
Unbelievers; those who have never accepted the redemption of God's Lamb. And, in my
opinion, it backs up my contention that the first on the list (the fearful) speaks about Believers,
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although marginal or wanna-be Believers, who had such small faith and trust that they didn't
persevere. Thus that kind of so-called Believer as well as openly non-believing individuals are
excluded from God's presence and eternal grace.
The third characteristic or identity is the vile. The Greek word is bdelusso and it means
exceptionally hateful, abominable or abhorrent. It refers to a broad category of the worst of the
worst sins and sinners. Since this one can maybe cause heart palpitations among Believers,
let me remind you: this is not saying that an abominable sin is an unforgivable sin. In our
passage this is referring to a lifestyle or a chosen mindset that is loathsome to God and so that
person's life reflects the opposite of holiness and righteousness.
The fourth excluded category is murderers. This is pretty straightforward except to say that
these are unrepentant murderers who enjoy preying on others.
The fifth is the sexually immoral. The Greek word being translated is pornos from where we
derive the English word pornography. Interestingly, pornos is a term applied only to males.
Most often it is referring to a male prostitute (always meaning it in the homosexual sense).
However in its most generic sense, it means having sexual relations of any kind that are
immoral. And what is immoral is, of course, defined by the Law of Moses. Thus often in English
Bibles pornos is translated as fornicator. However that is actually a nicer, milder way of sort of
avoiding the intent, which is to call out gay males.
The sixth exclusion is what the CJB says is "those who misuse drugs in connection with the
occult". Most English Bibles say it means sorcerers. In Greek the word is pharmakeia; it
means one who prepares magical remedies. So David Stern has it right; it involves drugs and
the occult. Because of books like the Harry Potter series we sort of laugh off the idea of
sorcery and wizardry, thinking it fun and harmless. However it is a very serious matter before
the Lord and I wish parents who either encourage or at least accept their children reading
those sorts of books would consider this before making that decision. It's not that the child is
going to necessarily become an excluded sorcerer. But anyone who doesn't believe in slippery
slopes simply hasn't lived long enough to know that they're a fact of life and often unavoidable
when some indulgences are entertained.
The seventh is called idolatry and the Greek word is eidololatres; it indeed means the worship
of false gods. Interestingly that same word is used in the Bible to describe a man who craves
money and the decadent things of the world. So as we've seen throughout God's Word, one
cannot devote their lives to acquiring all the extravagant things of the world and at the same
time seek God. We are fooling ourselves when we try. This doesn't mean that should God
decide to bless us with plenty that somehow we are displeasing Him. It's an issue of priorities.
CJB
Matthew 6:31-33
31
"So don't be anxious, asking, 'What will we eat?,' 'What will we
drink?' or 'How will we be clothed?'
32
For it is the pagans who set their hearts on all
these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all.
33
But seek first his
Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
The Eighth and final excluded category or identity is being a liar. The Greek is pseudes and it
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means to be deceitful. So perhaps a better English translation is Deceiver, the chief attribute of
Satan. Deceitfulness and darkness go hand in hand in the Bible as their sources are spiritual.
While especially the first category of excluded people in this verse is likely speaking about
those who profess Christianity, this eighth one may be aiming at that as well. False doctrine is
deceit; and to John, Traditions of the Elders that were the heart of the synagogue system that
dominated Jewish religion in the 1st century pointed people away from Yeshua as the
Messiah and therefore he considered it deceit. During my years of study and research I've
found that much false doctrine is probably intentional or maybe comes from willful ignorance in
that it serves a man-defined purpose. Some doctrinal error is just that: error. It is likely just poor
understanding of the Holy Scriptures.
There were many false Messiahs and false Apostles that proclaimed false doctrines running
around in John's time as Christ warned there were, and would be. Just as today there are
many false teachers and preachers of false doctrines who claim to be doing God's work but in
fact are primarily seeking an opportunity to acquire personal wealth and power. The fate of the
people from all eight categories of sinful identities was that they would be thrown into the Lake
of Fire and suffer the second death. This would be an eternal condition for them, of which they
would remain entirely conscious. Let's read a little more of chapter 21.
RE-READ CHAPTER 21:9 - 14
Although it's been a while since we've talked about Babylon, we shouldn't lose track that, like
with many other sections of the Book of Revelation, strong contrasts are set up between that
which is Godly, and that which is of the Adversary. The New Jerusalem is the Godly contrast to
the wicked Babylon. Listen to the first 3 verses of chapter 17 concerning Babylon and notice
the similarity to chapter 21 verses 9 and 10 concerning the New Jerusalem.
CJB
Revelation 17:1 - 3
1
Then came one of the angels with the seven bowls; and he said
to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great whore who is sitting by many
waters.
2
The kings of the earth went whoring with her, and the people living on earth
have become drunk from the wine of her whoring."
3
He carried me off in the Spirit to a
desert, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast filled with blasphemous names and
having seven heads and ten horns.
More precisely, the opening of chapter 17 speaks about the whore of Babylon, while chapter
21 verses 9 and 10 speak about the bride of the Lamb. The descriptions of each are
personified by women. In the 1st case it speaks of a woman who desires everything this world
and Satan has to offer; while the woman in the 2nd case speaks of a woman (the bride) that is
pure and godly and seeks only after God and the Lamb.
It is from the same group of angels (who carry out the Bowl judgments) that one reveals the
future to John about both the whore of Babylon and the bride of the Lamb. It is the same group
of angels that carry John off in the spirit to see the evil nature of the whore of Babylon, that
also carry John off to witness the descending of the new holy Jerusalem.
Biblically, and often practically, the origin of a thing defines the nature and sometimes the fate
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of that thing. The origin of Babylon the Great is wicked humanity. The origin of the New
Jerusalem is Heaven and so it bears Heaven's nature; but it is NOT Heaven. What it is, is the
ideal Jerusalem; the ideal abode of God's ideal people. It is NOT the old Jerusalem that
ascended to Heaven to get cleaned up, a new paint job, and sent back down. It is a Jerusalem
that has been created by God in the spiritual realm. Since it is descending from Heaven, then
its physical nature could be (and most often is) taken mostly symbolically; although some room
has to be allowed that what "physical" amounts to in the new earth and Universe could be
entirely unlike anything we would deem as "physical" today. So rather than being symbolic,
perhaps this New Jerusalem and the way it is described to John uses the best words available
at his time in history to describe this new reality that has just descended to earth.
While the New Jerusalem is primarily about the redeemed people who live in it, nonetheless
the vivid descriptions of the city itself tell us that the infrastructure is important as well. And
we're told that it shines with God's glory. So if we take the Hebrew word Sh'khinah to be the
divine personification of the glory or splendor of God, then we won't be too far off the mark to
understand its brilliance and radiance. John compared it to a giant perfect diamond. The city
had gates; 12 of them. Each gate was named for one of the tribes of Israel. The city was
clearly a square and on each side were 3 gates. The walls were held up by underlying
foundation stones; 12 of them. And they were named for the 12 Disciples. As Believers we
need to face that the New Jerusalem is awfully Jewish! But, I confess, that sadly most
Christian commentaries I've researched simply dismiss this fact and appropriate the 12 tribes
of Israel and the 12 Jewish disciples to the gentile Church. So for them, the gates and the
foundation stones have nothing to do with Israel, but instead represent the Christian Church.
The other mistaken Church doctrine that is regularly put forward about the New Jerusalem of
chapter 21 is that it is what we read about in the final chapters of Ezekiel. It is also commonly
said that what Ezekiel writes about in that regard is entirely symbolic and so is spiritualized and
has no basis in reality. A couple of things; first the Jerusalem that Ezekiel writes about
beginning in Ezekiel 40 is mostly about the Temple and that is where most of his attention is
focused. Yet Revelation 21:22 says that the New Jerusalem that John sees has NO Temple!
And it is not because John chooses not to address the Temple of the new earth, but rather the
existence of a Temple is of the old order and not the new order so there isn't one. Second, the
Temple that Ezekiel writes about in his book can only be one thing: the Temple of the
Millennial Kingdom when the old order still reigns, sacrifices continue to occur, and a
Priesthood still exists, because after the Millennium the earth will never again have a Temple.
We'll continue with Revelation 21 next time.
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