Rev21

Rev 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

I have, since shortly after beginning to teach the Primaries class in '92, believed that the oceans of the Earth were not here or were all one span, when the LORD created the Earth. (Not being perfect, I might be wrong.) As I understand it, the Earth, just like the Saved Man and Woman, will be restored to it's intended state. (Folks tend to think the Earth was flooded by the 40 days of rain and I tell you that if that was what our Almighty Master wanted, it would have been that way. But, the waters under the Earth, also, erupted from under the Earth. (See the Flood texts in Genesis.) There were no seas or oceans when God created the Earth and it was perfect.)

Rev 21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

Rev 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,

Rev 21:4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."

Rev 21:5 And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He *said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."

Rev 21:6 Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.

Rev 21:7 "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

Here we find such Life Application and reason for Faith. The cute, little ditty, 'I know how this all ends because I read the end of the book,' has real meaning to the Faithful... we really do win! Ever since I volunteered to serve in South Vietnam, people have cautioned me to be careful because I might die. In verse 16 Jesus informs us that it is He we need to be mindful of, not ourselves. He is the beginning and the End so as long as I serve Him, I cannot die, period.

In the service to my country, I learned that good leaders are,also, good followers. At the age of 24 I served under a few 19 year old Officers and though I sometimes pulled them aside for Survival Lessons, I followed these, very, brave young men where they led. With the NVA, in the north end of South Vietnam, tracking us with SAM Radar, Shooting at us with Quad Fifties and every manor of Small Arms, B40 Rockets and an assortment of weapons, still I followed... could I, should I, ever not trust and follow my Saviour?

Rev 21:8 "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

There are Annihilationists among us today, claiming the name of the Christ as their own. Are they saved? I cannot judge that! Are they wrong? According to the 'whole' Word of God, yes, they are. We have read, in God's Word, Rev. 20:4&5, that, even, the Lost are resurrected. They remain in the Grave until the Thousand Year Reign is fulfilled by our LORD and then they stand the Great White Throne Judgment. From there they suffer the Second death, the eternal, unending death... forever dying, not exterminated.

Rev 21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,

Rev 21:11 having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.

Rev 21:12 It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.

Rev 21:13 There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west.

Rev 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Rev 21:15 The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall.

Rev 21:16 The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.

The normal position of the Average Man (not Christian) is that Heaven cannot be all that large... if it is real. For the Bride of Christ... it is real! God's Holy Word says it and I believe God's Word! Life Application? Who in their right mind would choose a life in a Lake filled with burning Brimstone over a life, both for eternity, in Heaven?

Rev 21:17 And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.

Rev 21:18 The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

Rev 21:19 The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;

Rev 21:20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.

Gold, so pure it can be seen through like glass. My take? Yes, that is what I read when I read this and diamonds and all other precious stone in the foundation and the walls, now, let's look at the gates.

Rev 21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

Rev 21:22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

The gates must be awesome and then the streets are paved with Gold! We are given these references to stir us because there is nothing to compare Heaven with, it is unlike anything else.

Rev 21:23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Rev 21:24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.

Rev 21:25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed;

Rev 21:26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;

Rev 21:27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

So, we need to be perfect to enter? No! Our righteousness is the imputed righteousness of the Christ, received, only, when we submit to the Lordship of Jesus. If you feel the need for more information on receiving Jesus, please ask me.