Hello, and welcome again to the takeaway. I'm your host, Pastor Harry Barrens, and in today's episode, we're going to be looking at Revelation chapter 21, verses 1 to 8, the new heaven and earth. In the last chapter, we saw Jesus putting away all demonic powers while he reigned for a thousand years with his bride on the original earth. In the end, even in a somewhat perfect world with no war, disease, crime, deception, and a perfect ruler reigning over the whole world, sin still infiltrates man's heart to come against God. What we can learn from this is that our environment is not the problem. Sin is and always will be until it's removed completely. At the end of the thousand years, Jesus will indeed put an end to sin and the curse God put on this world. Death and Hades will be thrown into the pit, and death will be no more. In this chapter, we open up into a new heaven and earth where we dwell with God in perfect harmony for eternity. God is going to make all things new, wipe away every tear, and the old sinful world will not be remembered ever again. Now, as we read this chapter, let's try to look at it from the perspective that we are already there. This is our future as God promised it to us, and we need to embrace that truth. When we can look at Scripture from the perspective of being there, looking back versus looking forward, we will see what God sees. It's natural for us to always be looking forward as we are bound by time. But when the pro this promise is fulfilled, we will not be bound anymore. God gives us this perspective, not as something to look forward to, but as something to embrace now. From his perspective, it's already done. Jeremiah 1:5. Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I ordained you a prophet to the nations. As a created being, this is a hard thing to grasp. But our Father in heaven wants us to know that He has always known us and always will. He tells us our future so that we can begin to enjoy the blessings of it today. We don't have to worry about or fear death, disease, war, or famine, as we already know where our journey ends. If we believe what God's word tells us, then what is to stop us from living in such a way as if it's already done? Because the reality is, if God says it, then it is already done. We just haven't embraced it yet. So starting in verse 1, we read, Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. It's only fitting that the Bible ends in the same manner that it started, with God making something new and very good. Genesis 1.1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Once his creation was completed, he said it was very good, Genesis 1.31. Then God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good. This was God's desire from the beginning, that everything would be very good. Now at the end of Revelation, we are seeing the restoration of what God calls very good. I also want to point out that in Genesis we see heavens, plural, and in Revelation, heaven, singular. This leads many to believe that this is talking about the heaven where God dwells. But in fact, this is talking about the atmosphere and celestial heavens that are mentioned in Genesis. The heaven where God dwells will not be destroyed, as it is already perfect and without sin or corruption. In fact, it is unshakable, just as we see in Hebrews 12, 26 to 29, whose voice when shook the earth, but now he has promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven. Now this, yet once more, indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire. As we see here, the things that are made are shakable. We will be inheriting that which is unshakable, that place that Jesus goes to prepare for us. John 14, 1.4. Let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also, and where I go you know, and the way you know. Jesus is not preparing a place for us in heaven, God's dwelling place, that will be burned up. He is preparing a place that will be eternal and unshakable. What we are seeing in verse one is this promise coming to pass. There will be a new earth with all new atmosphere and celestial bodies. It will be perfect and very good. Notice that verse one also says there will be no more sea. On the surface, many will just read this and think there will be no more oceans and continue reading. That may very well be the case, but we have to look a little deeper. As we have read through Revelation, the sea was symbolic for many peoples and nations. Revelation 17, 15. Then he said to me, The waters which you saw, where the harlots sit, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. The new earth will be like the original, in the sense that God created man with one language and one people group. There was no division amongst them until he divided them at Babel. The sea was also a place that the Antichrist came from, and in other scriptures it is associated with heathens or opponents of the Lord that must be conquered. Revelation 13 1. Then I stood on the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Isaiah 57 20. But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. Psalm 89 9. You roll the raging of the sea, when its waves rise, you still them. It is also described as the place for the dead. Revelation 20 13. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades were delivered up, the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one according to his works. So the idea that there will be no more sea is really telling us that there will be no more division of tongues, tribes, and nations, no more evil leaders or deception, no more judgment and no more death. Verses one of this chapter is making it very clear that the new heaven and earth will be perfect and will not have any of the things that made the old earth bad. Now moving on to verse two. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband. Now many have mistaken this passage of the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven as the literal bride of Christ. But the idea that a city is the bride is ridiculous and out of context. We have been told that true believers are the bride, and the new Jerusalem is adorned like or as a bride. This is John describing just how beautiful of a sight this is, just as a wife coming down the aisle for the first time. It's an overwhelming experience and breathtaking. Make no mistake about it. We are the bride, and this is our dwelling place for eternity with him. When Jesus said he was going to prepare a place for us, this is what he was talking about. Not only has he prepared new heavenly bodies for us to dwell in, but a place for us to dwell with him as well. The picture of it coming down out of heaven shows us that he indeed created it in that Father's house, and now it comes down to earth. This is a beautiful picture of our dwelling place and God's dwelling place becoming one. Isaiah 65, 17 to 18. For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the formal shall not be remembered or come to mind, but the glad but be but be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. For behold, I created Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy. Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands, they will perish, but you will endure. Yes, all of them will grow old like a garment, like a cloak, you will change them, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end. Second Peter three, twelve to thirteen. Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. So moving on to verses three and four. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. This is and always has been God's ultimate desire. We are his joy, his handiwork, his delight. Everything God has done has been to restore our relationship with him, because it is the very thing that he enjoys. Spurgeon said, This is the greatest glory of heaven and the ultimate restoration of what was lost in the fall. I do not think the glory of Eden lay in its grassy walks or in the bows bending with luscious fruit, but its glory lay in this: that the Lord God walked in the garden in the cool of the day. Here was Adam's highest privilege, that he had companionship with the Most High. As I said at the beginning of this episode, we need to start living this way today. We have full access to God in prayer and his word by his spirit. We don't have to wait till this day comes, as the promise is ours now. Once you accept Jesus as your Savior, this door is open to you. I can't stress this enough. We have already obtained these promises and we need to start living what we say we believe. The only real question is, do you believe it? Ephesians 2.18. For though, for through him we both have our access in one spirit to the Father, Ephesians 3.12. In him, or I'm sorry, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in him. Hebrews 10, 19 to 22. Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, his flesh. And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Romans 5 2, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace, grace in which we stand, and we exalt in hope of the glory of God. John ten nine, I am the door. If any one enters through me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. Moving on to verse five. Then he who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, Write for these words are true and faithful. Now God himself says these words are true and faithful. Not me, not John, and not anyone else. God says it again. Do you believe it? Notice that this is also a statement in the present tense. I am making all things new. God is currently at work in you and in me and wants us to receive this truth. Second Corinthians 4.16 and 5.17. Therefore, we do not lose heart, even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. Paul didn't say all things will be new. He said they are new. When we accepted Jesus, we instantly entered into the his promises for us. The outward man or the flesh is still perishing, and that's often what we are focused on. But what Paul is saying is that shouldn't be the focus. We should be focusing on the new creation that we have become in Christ and living the way he says we should as the bride. Verses six to eight. And he said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and shall be my and he shall be my son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable murderers, sexual and moral sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake of which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. When Jesus said it is finished at the cross, he wasn't just talking about the sacrifice for sin. He was talking about all things. Ephesians 1 10, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth. In him, at this point, all things have been resolved or summed up in Jesus. It is done. Then again, in verse 6, he says, I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. This is not a future statement of something we will do, but of something we should do now. All that we have read, all the promises and judgments are dependent on whether we drink the living water that is Jesus. What God is saying here is that everything is done, and we can enter into these promises today if we drink from the living water. John 4 14, Jesus said, But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst. But the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. Living water is a symbol of salvation and true knowledge of God that can only come by reading and knowing his word. It is the source of all truth and wisdom, and out of it flows life. When we read verses seven and eight, it is to be taken as a reminder and warning that you have now heard and know the truth as it was presented to you in this book. If you believe it and respond to it, then you are drinking the living water. If you reject it, then you will take part in the lake of fire. There is no in-between here. You are either in or out, and you have no excuse for rejecting the truth. Matthew 12, 30. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters abroad. The only question you need to ask yourself that really matters is are you for Jesus or against him? Do you believe his word or do you reject it? Maybe you are still on the fence and having a hard time deciding if all this is real. I can't, I can tell you this. It takes more than knowledge to believe. It requires a heart that is truly seeking truth. Jeremiah 29, 13, you will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart, if you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. Second, it requires the Father revealing Jesus to you that he is the way, the truth, and the life. Matthew 16, 13 to 17. When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi and asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? So they said, Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He said to them, But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. So the only question you are left with is, Who do you say Jesus is? Let's pray. Father, I thank you for revealing your glory through your word and our place with you. That you have made it possible for us to trust you, knowing that you have given us everything we need to place our faith in you and overcome this world. I ask that you will allow our listeners today to have the eyes of their hearts open, to put their trust in you, to know that Jesus is who he says he is, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, that they will seek you and find you, just as your word says. Father, we love you and thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. I want to thank you for joining us today, and hope this message helped you take a step closer in your relationship with Jesus, and that you have a better understanding for just how much God loves you and wants you to know Him. In our next episode, we're going to be moving on to the second part of chapter 21 and looking at the detailed description of the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven. Just like looking at the blueprints of a house you are about to build and dream of living in, we get the description of our future home so that we can set our minds on it. God does not desire to hide his promises from us, he wants us to fully know what it is he has in store for us so that we can start to take part in that joy today. He wants us to know just how much he loves us and what he has planned for us. This is not to be a surprise. Instead, it will be a welcome home. Now, before we go, I want to encourage you to visit us at thetaway. 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