Revelation 22:18-21

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18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. ~ Revelation 22:18-21

Today, we complete our study of the book of the Revelation. In today's text the Lord Jesus Himself offers an extended word of testimony regarding the authority and finality of this prophesy. He had commissioned John to write it, but He was the author of it. You will remember that the book of the Revelation is a prophecy. In Revelation 1:3 we read, "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy." 

In v.18 of today's text we read, "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. "

With this last book of the Bible, the canon of Scripture is closed. And, the warning here, is to those who add to Scripture. Those who tamper with truth to falsify it, to mitigate its message, to alter it are going to feel the vengeance of God. 

In v.19 we read, “And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.” 

It’s equally dangerous to take away from Scripture. There are some people who wouldn’t want to add to it, they just want to take away from it.

Interestingly, the words "takes words away" is a play on words. You take away from the words of this book, and God’ll take away your part in heaven, the part you might have had if you hadn’t tampered with Scripture. Now, a true believer would not tamper with Scripture. Anyone who is on the way to heaven is going to treat Scripture with great respect.

You see, God’s word is absolute, true, faithful, permanent, and complete, not to be altered, not to be changed, not to be added to, not to be taken away from, and true believers understand that.

The fact that this warning is here indicates people would be prone to tamper with Scripture. It also indicates that men would deny its validity because it is so specific prophetically, and that has been true. But it also indicates to me that the Holy Spirit wants to make a final sweeping statement about what you do with Scripture altogether. And the bottom line is God has written it; don’t erase it and don’t expand it.

In v.20 we read, "He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

At the writing of 2 Peter, there were false prophets who scoffed at the coming of Christ, they mocked the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. In 2 Peter 3 they asked, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation."

In v.21 we read, "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen."

It is just like the Lord to end this book with "grace." His point is everybody, all the time, be ready, watchful and alert, because He comes in an hour that no man knows, and in an hour when you think not. Until that hour, there is grace.

Revelation 22:12-17

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12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” 17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.  ~ Revelation 22:12-17

We are sadly coming to the end of our study of the book of the Revelation. We have just one more passage after today's. 

Our text today begins with the promise of the Lord's return. And then, heaven will finally be our permanent home. And, with this promotion will come for the believer in Christ, rewards. Not only will we live in that place of perfection and safety and security for all of eternity, in addition, we will be given certain rewards when we get there. The main thing we must remember with this subject is this: God rewards faithfulness, not fruitfulness.

In v.12 of today's text we read, "Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done."

No one gets into heaven based upon our good works, we are not saved by our good deeds done here on earth. In fact, our justification will be and is based solely on Christ's finished work on the cross. But, when that day comes when we stand before Him, we will give an account for our sanctification. And, remember, sanctification is the process we enter when we are born again. And, through this process God is changing us and equipping us to fulfill His calling on our lives while on this earth. So, the point of our sanctification is ministry or influence in the lives of others for eternity. This will be rewarded in certain ways in heaven.

In 2 Corinthians 5:10 we read, "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive for the things done in the body, whether they are good or useless."

And then, according to 1 Corinthians 3:9-15, we discover that our activities in this life after becoming believers in Christ will be gold, silver, precious stones or wood, hay, and stubble. You see, at that time, God will test our works, and the gold, silver, and precious stones will survive the fire because they will represent eternal value. The rest will be the other deeds done out of our lives that weren’t necessarily evil, but had no eternal value. Only that which will have eternal value will survive. And it’s on the basis of that test that we will be rewarded accordingly. The rewards that we will receive in glory will impact our capacity to worship God and serve Him in heaven for eternity. The more faithful we are here, the greater will be our reward there. 

In v.13-14 of today's text we read, "13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city."

In these two verses, right on the heels of talking about our rewards for the good works that we did as believers while on the earth, the Lord reminds us that our justification or our rightness and acceptability before Him is solely based on Christ's work on the cross. Our justification or ticket into heaven is a free gift earned by the perfection of Christ.

In v.15 we read, "Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood."

The word "dog" in the New Testament occurs 5 times and is always used in a negative way. Dogs represented things hated, impure, sinful and disgusting in the days of the writing of the Bible. The Apostle John uses the word here to describe those who rejected the free gift of salvation. It is interesting that the list of sins in this verse is very similar to the list in Revelation 21:8. And, notice the word "practice" for it denotes that these are sins that make up these people's lifestyle. I have idols in my life but the idols do not define me most. Those who have come to know the Lord Jesus are being defined by Him most. 

In 1 Corinthians 6, the Apostle Paul writes that there are some people who are not going to make it into the kingdom, and here they are: “Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers shall inherit the kingdom of God.” Again, these sins denote these people's lifestyle, and they have such a lifestyle because they know not the Lord Jesus.

Then, in 1 Corinthians 6:11 we read, “And such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Anyone can be included in the redeemed, it can happen to anyone who comes with their thirst to the Lord Jesus. The key is that we have come to realize our need for the Savior and we receive from Him this free gift of forgiveness of sin and we invite Him into our lives. The posture of willingness allows the Lord to do His work in our souls from the inside out.

Today's text ends with v.16-17 which reads,"16 I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” 17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life."

In Matthew 5:6 we read, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” It all starts with a spiritual hunger, a spiritual thirst.

Our souls were dry, and our hearts were parched. This led us to a barren place in our deepest being. This is what got us to the point that we cried out to Him in the first place. And, whoever wants and desires His salvation, gets it when we ask for it. And, this is an unlimited invitation, anyone can come.

In Matthew 11:28, the Lord Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” 

In this verse the Lord Jesus uses another metaphor to describe the same thing. Not thirsty but weary. Not needing water but needing rest. And all we have to do is come. If you sense the need and you’re eager to come, and you desire to come, then come. God saves, but not apart from our desire. Salvation, then, is offered to those who know they are parched and barren and who desire to have their life changed.

Revelation 22:6-11

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6 The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets,sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.” 7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.” 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9 But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!” 10 Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. 11 Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.” ~ Revelation 22:6-11

In Genesis 1, the sun was created. In Revelation 21-22, there will be no sun. In Genesis 1, the night was distinguished from the day. In eternity, there will only be light. In Genesis 1, the seas were created. In Revelation 21, there will be no sea. In Genesis 3, the curse is announced. In Revelation 22, there shall be no more curse. In Genesis 3 death is given birth. In Revelation 22, death is eradicated. In Genesis 3, man is driven from the tree of life. In Revelation 21-22, the tree of life is accessible to man. In Genesis 3, sorrow and pain begin. In Revelation, no longer will there be sorrow, pain, death, and tears. The undoing of sin is the story of the Bible.

In v.6 we read, "The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place."

We can always trust God's word for it has always come to pass. The problem is, we are conceived with a hardened heart to God.  And, God is the decisive cause of the unhardening of the human heart. But, we must respond with a willing heart in order for the miracle of a changed heart toward God to take place. When the Lord Jesus becomes the object of our faith, it is then that God can begin to work in and through us most profoundly because faith in Him is the opposite of Original Sin which began with our rebellion from Him. After we have been "Born Again" and if we practice patience in our faith in Him, we will see that His word is not only true, but it is also most powerful. It is His word that changes the most hardened of hearts.

In v.7 of today's text we read, "Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll."

In context, the Lord Jesus says three times "He is coming soon." A thief never makes an announcement that he is coming to our house to rip us off. The thief counts on the home owner not being present when he comes. This will be the case with the Rapture of the Church. 

In light of this truth, in today's text, we are given three challenging responses. Here in v.7, we are given the first response which is: we ought to have a walk that corresponds with the revealed truth that He is coming quickly! The moment we believe the truth that the Lord Jesus is coming again, we should have a different orientation to life. As a result of being made alive to God through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, this world looses its hold on us. The hold of the Lord God will begin to arrest our hearts away from the longings of this world. And, as a result, our lives or our walk will begin to increasingly be defined by Him.

In v.8-9 we read, "8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9 But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!"

The second of the three responses to the return of the Lord Jesus will be worship. God didn't give us this book of the Revelation to enable us to build clever eschatological charts. God gave us this message so that we might live in the light of of the truth of the Rapture. And, when we do that, we will keep the words of this prophecy, which is to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Worship is not a one time event, it is a lifestyle. Worship is living the kind of life that God says is the truth. We worship God when we give worth to His word by obeying it. This does not mean we will be perfect, it simply means that God's word will define our choices.

This is what the Apostle John meant then in 1 John when he wrote, "everyone who has this hope of His return purifies himself even as He is pure." What we have learned in our study of the book of the Revelation should change the way we walk and worship. As we read about what is coming down on planet earth and what God has in store really ought to make us less temporal and more eternal in our choices and in our perspective. Our lives speak much louder and believable messages than our lips.

In v.10 we read, "Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near."

The third response is that we ought to be witnessing. The message we have been given must not to be hidden. We must not seal it up. We must not keep it to ourselves. Prophecy is a tremendous motivation in witnessing. In fact, how can we read about the Tribulation, hell and God's judgment of sinful man, and not be moved by it to warn people to avoid it? 

Finally, in v.11 we read, "Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy."

When we share the truth with people, we must remember that they will respond positively or negatively. Some will hear the truth and will reject it, and some will hear it and believe it. Our responsibility is to share the truth with others, and it is their responsibility to believe it. Our destiny is not determined by our genetics. We make a choice to follow Jesus Christ or to reject Him, and, that, and that alone, will mark our destiny. We can lead a horse to the water but he must make the choice to drink it.

Revelation 22:1-5

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1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. ~ Revelation 22:1-5

Today, we transition into the final chapter of the book of the Revelation. And, today, we conclude our study of The New Jerusalem by continuing our look on the inside of this incredible dwelling of the redeemed. 

In v.1-2 we read, "1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."

In heaven, there will be no more sea. And, this river will not be a river like we know rivers to be. In order to have a river, we would have to have a sea, because the river would have to go somewhere, and then it would have to dissolve into something, and it would have to be evaporated and picked up and brought back and put back in the head waters to make the river go again. There would have to be some cycle that moved the water. But, in The New Jerusalem, there will be no sea, nor will there be a hydrological cycle as we know it. 

This river will be filled with the water of life which will be clear as crystal. That speaks of its purity. It will be ever flowing and it will be ever cascading because it will come down from the throne of God and of the Lamb. This river's water will tumble down, like a waterfall, across this crystal city, splashing across the transparent gold. 

The water of life will be pure and holy, and it will flow down through the city from the throne of God. The water of our heavenly paradise will symbolize eternal life. And, everyone who  drinks of this water shall never thirst, for it will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.

According to v.2 the water will flow down the middle of its "street." And, on each side of the river, there, the tree of life will be. This tree will symbolize healing and blessing. And, the tree of life will bear twelve kinds of fruit, every month, and the leaves of the tree will be for the healing of the nations.

The twelve different kinds of fruit means heaven is going to be filled with variety, changing all of the time. And then a most interesting comment. "The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." From this word “healing” we get our word therapeutic. Kind of like vitamins, only we don’t take vitamins because we’re sick, we take them because vitamins make us feel better. There will be provided for us in heaven continual energetic life which will produce life to its fullest.

In v.3 we read, "3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him."

No more curse will there be. This means no more tears, death, mourning, crying, and pain because the Lord Jesus will reign. And, He has conquered sin and death. His reign will produce in us a desire to serve. In Luke 12:37 we are told, "The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!" Out of His great love for us, our King, the Lord Jesus, will serve us, producing in us, a great desire to serve Him!

In Revelation 7:15 we read, “they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne shall spread His tabernacle over them.” 

This will be the reason there will be no temple or tabernacle in The New Jerusalem, because He will spread His presence over all of us. His presence is His glory and His glory is His presence.

In v.4 of today's text we read, "They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads."

In Exodus 33 we learn, “If anybody looks on My face, they’ll die; they’ll be consumed. No man can see Me and live.” 

In heaven, we will be able to look at the blazing glory of God in all its fullness and not die, because we will be covered with His holy presence. To see God’s face as sinners would be to be consumed by His holy anger. But in heaven, we will be like Him, and we’ll see Him in all His glory.

The fact that His name shall be on our foreheads shows that we will be His personal possession. There will be no doubt who we will belong to, and we will belong to Him forever.

In v.5 of today's text we read, "There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever."

Darkness veils, it hides, and it confuses us because it limits our perception. And, when our perceptions are limited, we get confused, and perhaps, made afraid. Fear is at the root of all of our abnormalities. The fear of being alone, the fear of being found out are just a few expressions of our fear. The glory of God will chase away our fears. Our need to put on a good face before others will be destroyed by the glory of God come to rest in our being.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 we learn that God chose us as the firstfruits for salvation, through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth, to which he called us through our gospel, so that we may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

The word "glory" is described in the Bible with its usage of several different words. The most prominent is the Hebrew word "kabud" which means "heaviness." And, this heavy presence of God provides for its recipients stability and security. This explains why there is a clear connection in scripture between "glory" and "service." When we find our identity in the presence of God, we will act out of that acceptance. Gone will be the fear, gone will be the insecurity. And, when we have shared in His glory, we will operate according to His culture.

Finally, according to Romans 8, the whole creation has been subjected to the corruption which comes through sin, and they are all eagerly expecting and looking forward to the glory of the revelation of the sons of God. This means after we have shared in the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, once we have shared in His glory, all of creation will be delivered from the effects of sin and death.

Revelation 21:22-27

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22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. ~ Revelation 21:22-27

In yesterday's text, we considered the view of The New Jerusalem from the outside. Today, we will look at it on the inside. All through the book of the Revelation we have seen a temple in heaven described. That temple remains throughout the millennium, as the original of which the earthly temple is a copy. 

In v.22 we read, "I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple."

Literally the city will dwell within the temple, which is the very presence of God and Christ. In the new heavens and earth there will be no temple because the true temple, of which the one in the old heavens is a picture, is the True Man, the Lord Jesus Himself. God in man that will be the temple! 

In v.23 we read, "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp."

In eternity Jesus Christ, the Lamb, will have the glory that He had before He came to earth as the Messiah. He prayed, "Lord, give to Me the glory that I once had with You before the world was." Here, in today's text, the prayer is answered. Light emanates not only from the Father but from the Son. The Lamb will be its light. 

When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, He was God, but His deity was veiled. He still created miracles. He could still read minds but it was veiled. So much so that every now and then the veil was lifted and it blew the disciples mind. While on the Mount of Transfiguration they saw the Lord Jesus transfigured in brilliant light like the light of the sun. In eternity, the veil will be lifted and the Lamb will be the light.  

We will share the honor of being the dwelling place of God. And from Him will come radiant light. We will see all things by Him who is the truth. So glorious will He be that there will be no need for the sun or the moon. It does not say they are not there; it simply says there is no need for them in this city of God. There will never be night there because heaven will be lit continually by the glory which is God in man. 

The new earth will not be an earth like we know now, because the earth as we know it now depends upon the sun and the moon. It depends upon time for the sun to shine, and time for darkness to run its normal cycles. So, whatever goes on in that new earth will be dependent upon a completely different structure, a completely different creation than anything we know today. 

In v.24-25 we read, "24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there."

Notice the access of this city will be to everyone. All the nations, all ethnic peoples who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ. The word nations is ethnoi or ethnic groups. Gentiles, Jews, people from every tribe, every tongue, every nation gather together. In other words, heaven will not be limited to one group. There will be no prejudice in heaven. There will be no class warfare in heaven, just all of the people of God without any division. All as one in the Lord Jesus Christ.

In v.26-27 we read, "26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life."

The gates of heaven will never be shut because there will be no night there and therefore no need for protection. Cities close their gates at night because they are in danger. But there will be nothing to destroy in this new city to come. The kings of the earth will bring their glory in, not to compete with the glory of God, but to have it revealed by the light of God. Nothing impure will enter because only the redeemed will be admitted.

In heaven, everything that now makes us groan will be done away with. We will find ourselves in the very presence of God, where the purest and truest kind of plea­sure is possible. Whatever pleasures we have known here on earth while living under the curse of sin will seem insignificant compared to the pure delights of heaven. When our souls are made new we will finally be able to glorify God perfectly and enjoy Him perfectly, as He intended. Since nothing is better or greater than God, the pure enjoyment of Him will be the very essence of bliss.

Revelation 21:15-21

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15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. ~ Revelation 21:15-21

Today, we continue our study of our future home, the New Jerusalem. Today, we will consider the makeup of the New Jerusalem from the outside. Tomorrow, we will look at it from the inside.

Everyone wants to be whole, but who provides the most complete definition of wholeness. Wholeness is a complex issue because it involves all of what makes us human: body, soul and spirit. The biblical word for "wholeness" is holiness. And, when we let God define us, we will be wholly. In fact, when we read wholeness in place of holiness everywhere we find it in the Bible, we will be much closer to what God meant regarding what it means to be holy. 

Interestingly, these two cities that are being contrasted at the end of time, Babylon and the New Jerusalem, make the point in a contrasting way. When evil reaches its zenith, it forms a prostitute-city which destroys its inhabitants and itself. When righteousness reaches its highest point, it forms a bride-city that creates wholeness in its inhabitants which will endure forever.

In v.15 we read, "The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls."

When God measures something, He is declaring His ownership of it. The number twelve is used everywhere in today's text. The number twelve is the number for government or rule in Scripture. And, today's text reveals God's fulfillment to the promise in Isaiah 9:6 which reads, "The government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." 

The New Jerusalem will be a city of symmetry, just as long as it will be wide and just as tall as it will be long. It will be perfectly proportioned and wholeness will be known by all of its occupants! The New Jerusalem will illustrate there is no blemish in God. He lives in harmony with Himself. His disposition is what we all long for.  He is filled with joy, love and peace. He lives in wholeness. And He looks at us in our brokenness and says to us, "You, too, shall be whole."

In v.16 we read, "The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long."

The Apostle uses the Greek word "tetragon" translated "square" in this verse. A tetragon is a four-sided perfect cube. The New Jerusalem will be twelve thousand stadia cubed. That will make the city 1500 miles wide, 1500 miles deep, and 1500 miles tall. The distance from Florida to Maine is 1500 miles. And, as a result  the new Jerusalem will be able to house well over 20 billion people if only 25% of the city was given over to residents. 

In v.17 we read, "The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick."

This verse gives us the measurement of the thickness of the wall surrounding the New Jerusalem. A cubit is 18 inches, that's 72 yards or 216 feet. The New Jerusalem’s walls will be very thick: 144 cubits thick. The number 144, of course, is 12 times 12. Found 187 times in the Bible, the number 12 appears in Revelation 22 times. The gates and the wall will represent the rule of the redeemed, of both Israel and the church. This was His promise to both, to reign with Him in eternity. 

By the way, the angel used human measurement. The wall will not be there for protection. It will be there for adornment, illustration the completeness of the redeemed. 

In v.18 we read, "The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass."

Gold is opaque, not transparent or translucent. But, the gold in heaven, we will be able to see through. Radiating from the Lamb, there will be translucent, transparent gold on the streets with clear diamond-like walls. The transparency of the gold speaks of its purity. All things in heaven will be whole or holy or pure.

In v.19-20 we read, "19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst."

In the foundation, there will be a whole lot of colors. And notice, everything will have perfect symmetry, order, balance. The measurements and the materials of the new Jerusalem will describe God who is a God who brings order, symmetry, and balance. The New Jerusalem will be God's answer to humanity. In many ways, it will remind us of His crucified Son.

In v.21 we read, "The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass."

The gates will be made of big pearls. There will be twelve gates, each one will be a gigantic pearl. Pearls speak of beauty out of pain. Beauty comes from pain in an oyster. A pearl is formed when a tiny grain of sand gets inside an oyster's shell and the oyster becomes very uncomfortable. To relieve its discomfort the oyster covers the irritant with a soft lustrous nacre that hardens into a beautiful, glowing pearl. 

Each pearl will come from one pearl which describes beautifully how the redeemed come from the pain of the Lord Jesus. The pearls illustrate each believer who came out of the pain that the Lord Jesus suffered as He went through the anguish of the cross. The pearls will be for all of eternity a reminder to the redeemed of His pain and shame that He bore for us.

God determined in eternity past to heal man's brokenness and to make us whole again. And, He will remind us throughout eternity through these great gates that His Son is the whole One, and He has shared His wholeness with all those who willingly choose to be defined by Him.

Revelation 21:9-14

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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.” 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. 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. 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. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ~ Revelation 21:9-14

Today's passage provides a description of our future home. It's described from the outside in. At this point, the rapture is over, the tribulation is over, the judgments are over, the millennium is over, and a new heaven and a new earth have been created. We are now in eternity, outside of time.

In his book, The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis wrote, "I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now...Come further up, come further in!" We all long for home, we all long for that place of complete comfort and safety. We all long for heaven.

In v.9-10 of today's text we read, '"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.” 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."'

Here, the Apostle uses a metaphor to describe the place where the followers of the Lord Jesus will spend eternity. One of God's favorite names for His children is His bride. Marriage is the closest possible relationship on earth, and it is the metaphor that God chose to describe His relationship with His people. This means God desires intimacy with us. He doesn't want distance between us. He wants meaningful interaction. 

Trust is at the heart of intimacy. The more we trust someone, the closer we let them get to us. The degree to which trust is compromised in a relationship is the degree to which intimacy evaporates.

In John 14, the Lord Jesus told us that He was going to prepare a place for us. Now, there had to have been a place already existing for Him to go to and prepare a place for us. It would make sense then that this New Jerusalem is the Father's house and that if we were to die right now, we would go to this place that He went to when He ascended back to the Father. And this, our new home will come down out of heaven as a bride walks down the isle in a wedding. 

In v.11 we read, "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 Jasper was the last stone on the breastplate of the High Priest in the Old Testament. Perhaps, God is highlighting the idea that the least will fit in to this magnificent city. Of course, that which will make us all fit in is the precious blood of the Lord Jesus.

The first characteristic highlighted here about our future home will be "the glory of God." This will mean that her brilliance will be like a most precious stone. The Greek word used in this verse translated "brilliance" describes something in which light is concentrated and from which light radiates.  

In Revelation 21:23 we read, "The city had no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light." 

Rather than reflecting the rays of the Sun like the moon or rather than the sun generating light by combustion, the source of light in our future home will be the Lamb. It's God Himself and His light will radiate into all of eternity. And, to John, it looked like a crystal clear jasper stone.

In v.12-13 we read, "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. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west."

The high wall of the city speaks of intimacy and separation. Intimacy with the Lord and separation from evil. The wall will shut out all other things and people. No intruders will be able to ever enter. The whole of Scripture with one voice speaks of God's desire to have what he calls "a people for my own possession." 

Everything created is his possession. But those bought by the precious blood of His Son will be peculiarly God's own possession. That is because He has made us to correspond to Himself. He can share with us the deepest things in His life and heart. We will satisfy Him and fulfill Him just as a bride satisfies and fulfills her husband.

Our future home will have four sides and it will be laid out like the tabernacle in the Old Testament where there were three tribes on each side with three gates with the names of the tribes of Israel all centering toward God who is in the center on the throne. 

The foundations of the gates had the names of the twelve apostles on them. And, angels will be there to welcome us. In Hebrews 1 angels are described as servants of God's children and they'll be standing at the gates.

In John 10:9 we read, " I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture." 

This verse portrays the widespread ministry of believers throughout the eternal ages. The new universe will surely be bigger than it is now. Billions of galaxies, far larger than our own galaxy of the Milky Way, will fill the heavens as far as the eye can see by means of the greatest telescopes we have, and still we have not reached the end. That means that there will be new planets to develop, new principles to discover, new joys to experience. Every moment of eternity will be an adventure of discovery. The gates will be named for the tribes of Israel as a perpetual reminder that "salvation is of the Jews." Access to the city will be through Israel. The Messianic age was predicted and promised to Israel. The prophets came from Israel. The Old Testament and the New Testament are so combined, the foundation of the New Testament is the Old, and God had a unique covenant with the twelve tribes of Israel. And to show our spiritual heritage for all of eternity, there will be the tribes of Israel inscribed on the gates of the New Jerusalem.

In v.14 we read, "The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."

Now, this verse celebrates the covenant relationship God has with the church. The covenant is the New Testament. In fact, in Ephesians 2 we read, "Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints, members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles." 

Our faith is built upon the doctrines, the teachings, the eyewitness accounts of the apostles who physically spent more than three years with the Lord Jesus Christ. From a human standpoint, what God provided through them is the foundation of the faith. In Acts 2 they taught the church the apostles' doctrines. And, for all of eternity in our future home, the foundations of the city will have the names of the twelve apostles whom God will honor.

Revelation 21:5-8

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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.” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” ~ Revelation 21:5-8

We continue our study of the book of the Revelation, and, today, we will consider our eternal state. Our anticipation of heaven is the only reality that can make life here and now have any lasting meaning. And as we come to the conclusion of the Bible, we come to God's description of heaven. God closes out His book with a dramatic presentation of the unbelievable reality of heaven.

After the thousand-year millennial reign of Christ on the earth, and the time when God will judge all the ungodly at the great white throne, and Satan is finally rendered null and void, and the universe will be destroyed, God will make a new heaven and a new earth. 

In v.5-6 of today's text we read, "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.' 6 He said to me: 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life."'

God brackets this book with, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End." Everything in between comes from Him. These are words of truth that help us to believe in Him. On the cross, the Lord Jesus said, "It is finished," and man's redemption was settled and was made complete.

For the statement, "It is finished," John uses one word in the Greek, tetelestai, which literally means "PAID IN FULL." The Lord Jesus Christ achieved what no one could: He paid, in full, the penalty for all of mankind's sin. 

In today's text, John, the Apostle, describes two classes of people: the occupants of heaven and the non-occupants of heaven. These occupants of eternity are described in two ways. The first is described as "the thirsty." The second are described as "unbelieving." In order to get into heaven we have to be thirsty. That is, you have to see your need to drink from God's well. 

The Lord Jesus said to the woman at the well, "whoever drinks of this water will thirst again but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give will never thirst. The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." 

And then the Lord Jesus said to the Jews in the temple in Jerusalem, "if anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink." Those who have a parched enough soul and admit it, will be those who will be in heaven.

In v.8 of today's text we read, "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

The second group is described in such a way that they are defined by their evil desires which have become practices. Cowards don’t confess the Lord Jesus as their Savior. And, since they have no personal relationship with Him, they will have no saving faith. The only saving faith is the faith that has as its object the Lord Jesus Christ. And, these, the second group, will be defined by their evil deeds, the evil deeds of their flesh. The difference between the two will be: the group that gets into heaven are in Christ and are being defined by Him. They are not perfect, they are not earning anything. It's a gift for the receiving. The second group just wasn't willing.

Revelation 21:1-4

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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. 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. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 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.” ~ Revelation 21:1-4

The lighter our grip on the things of the earth, the greater our anticipation of heaven. The greater our grip on the things of this world, the less we will think about heaven. The American culture of wealth, comfort, self-gratification and indulgence, has stunted the church spiritually.

The home of the believer in Christ is heaven which is mentioned 55 times in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 4:1 we read, "After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this." 

After this, from the vantage point of heaven, the Apostle John writes about the Tribulation all the way through to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we come to Revelation 21. This is after the Second Coming, after the millennial reign of Christ on the earth for a thousand years. In fact, we have switched dimensions here in Revelation 21. We have left time and now we are in the eternal dimension. 

In v.1 of today's text we read, "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."

It is obvious that God will create a new heaven and earth. "And there will no longer any sea." One of the biggest reasons that God created this world with a salty sea is because it is a great antiseptic to cleanse the earth and make life possible for us on the earth. Were it not for the salty ocean, life on this planet would have ceased a long, long time ago. It is the salty ocean that purges, cleanses, and preserves the earth. The sea is an antiseptic in which all the pollution and filth that man pours into it is absorbed and cleansed. But, in the new earth and the new heaven, there will be no more pollution, no more filth, no more need for cleansing. 

Currently, we live in a very watery world. Two-thirds of the earth is water. Most of our bodies are water. Most of plant and animal life is water. Ours is the only planet in the universe that we know of that has the amount of water needed to sustain the biosphere that we have that is dependent on water. If we don't drink water, we will die. They say we need 8 glasses a day, otherwise we risk dehydration. So we are dependent upon the use of water. 

There is much water on our earth now, and, in the millennium, there will be an abundance of water, but we're told here there will be no sea. So the new heaven and the new earth will not operate on the principal of water. There will not be the demand in our celestial bodies for water as there is in the bodies that we have now. Also, we know that seas separate people from one another. In our new home, there will be no separation. 

In v.2 of our text we read, "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband."

The new Jerusalem will be the capital city of eternity. It will be God's headquarters. Later in this chapter, we are given  the dimensions of The New Jerusalem. It will be 1500 miles cubed, just a little smaller than the moon. And, it will be a bride prepared for her husband. And, though it will be a place, it is described in terms of its populace. It will be a bride city. The people of God will inhabit it. And it will be greatly adorned. It will be most beautiful, just like a bride on her wedding day.

In v.3 we read, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."

It has always been God's heart to hang out intimately with His people, but there's always been something in the way. That something is sin. In the Old Testament, God set up a tabernacle where His presence dwelt in the middle of the twelve tribes of Israel. Then there was the temple and the Shekinah glory of God dwelt within that place. When God sent His Son into the world, John tells us, "He tabernacled among us and we saw His glory." In heaven, there will be no more separation. God will relate directly with His people in intimate fellowship. 

We know today that the present universe in its farthest reaches (even farther than the Hubble telescope can show us), is governed by the same laws. One of them is the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the law of entropy, which says this present universe is running down. It is all decaying; losing its energy and growing cold. But in the new heavens and the new earth the law of entropy will be reversed. Instead of running down, the universe will gain energy and manifest a unity, stability, symmetry and a beauty that the old heavens and earth never had.

In v.4 we read, "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."

The Apostle John can’t really comprehend something what he is being told. And, like him, we can’t comprehend this. So, John has to tell us what it won’t be like and use what we know as a starting point, and back off from there.

There will no longer be any tears in heaven. We will experience nothing sad there. There will be nothing disappointing. There will be nothing unfulfilling. There will be nothing lacking. There will be nothing wrong. There will be nothing to fear. 

Death will be gone. Nobody will ever die. And there will no longer be any mourning. There will not be anything to get depressed about. There will not be anything to get distressed about, because, on the cross the Lord Jesus Christ, took away our sin and our sorrow and death. 

In heaven, we will have new and perfect bodies -- bodies that will never age or become weak or die, because they will be like Christ’s glorious body after His resurrection. We will be in God’s presence forevermore, and no sin can exist in His presence. God is absolutely holy and pure; as the Bible says, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing” (Habakkuk 1:13).

Revelation 20:11-15

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11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. ~ Revelation 20:11-15

Today, we come to one of the great questions ever: What will happen to us after we die? We all live, most will die, and all will be resurrected. But, not everybody lives the same way. Not everybody dies the same way. And, not everyone will be resurrected in the same way. 

In v.11 of today's text we read, "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them."

The earth and the heavens will flee from the presence of its maker. In John 5:22 the Lord Jesus said, "The Father has committed all judgment to the Son." So, it will be the Lord Jesus who will sit upon this throne of majesty and He will gather all the dead before Him. There will also be some living people from the millennium who will be there as well for it needs to be determined as to whether their names are in the book of life or not. When the Lord looks at those who have trusted in Him, He will see His righteousness applied. But, for those who did not trust in Him, when He looks upon them, they will yet be in their sin because their sin will not have been atoned for.

It is needless that anyone goes to the lake of fire. No one is thrown into it against his or her will. They will have chosen the lake of fire by refusing the free offer of salvation through the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is and there will be no other choice. If your name is written in the book of life, you will enter into eternal life with God for eternity. If your name is not written in the book of life, then your ultimate fate is the lake of fire for eternity. This is the second death of which John wrote about earlier in this chapter.

In v.12-13 we read, " 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done."

In the Bible, God uses different words for the word "life." The first is bios and another is Zoe. Bios means the material world that is around us, standard of living, and possessions. It focuses on the externals. The New Testament rarely uses this word when it mentions real life. It's used, but rarely, and almost always negatively. 

For example, the Lord Jesus said there was the seed that fell among thorns. It was choked up by the pleasures of this life. The biological life choked up the spiritual life. Everybody has biological life. But, not everyone has eternal life. The Lord Jesus said unless you are born again you will never see the kingdom of God. It comes by the new birth, by being born spiritually from above. But, the question is not do I have eternal life; the question is where will I spend my eternal life? Everybody will live forever. The human soul goes on and on. But death is real. Death is mentioned 394 times in the Bible. 

So, there is something worse than physically dying. It is called the second death. Death simply means separation when you die physically. Your soul and spirit is separated from your body but there's a further separation called the second death. That's the separation from the presence of God forever. It's the worst.

In the Garden, before man sinned, God said, "In the day that you eat of this fruit, you will surely die." The death Adam and Eve brought into this world is the corruption that makes us die physically. What most fail to see is the first death came with a second death. And, after the thousand years of Christ's reign on earth ends, there will be another resurrection. It's the resurrection of all the lost, all the unsaved, all the ungodly from the fall of man onward. 

In v.14-15 we read, "14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire."

All live, most die, and all will be resurrected. The word resurrection is used about 40 times in the New Testament. It literally means a rising of a corpse from the grave. When the Lord Jesus said, "Lazarus, come forth," and when he came forth, it was a literal rising from the dead. When we die, our soul will leave our body. The body will be left to decay but the soul, the real us, will continue in a conscious state of being. If you're a believer in the Lord Jesus, you will spend your eternity with the Lord. If you're an unbeliever, you will spend your eternity in hell. Our destiny will depend on what we did when we were faced with the gospel of Jesus Christ as the provision for our sin. 

We all live, most will die, and all will be resurrected. But there will be a big difference in how we are resurrected. We all have life but not everybody has been born again to spiritual life. We all die but we do not have to face the second death. If we are born once, we will die twice, and, if we are born twice, we will die just once. 

Revelation 20:7-10

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7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. ~ Revelation 20:7-10

Since Satan will be confined to the abyss for a thousand years, his temptations will cease. As a consequence the earth will be greatly improved. Men will live together in harmony and peace. There will be no more war. But, sin will still be present, even when the devil is gone. A thousand years of peace and blessing will demonstrate, beyond question, original sin. This means all people are born into sin and each one has an evil nature. Man is not a sinner because he sins, he is a sinner and therefore he sins.

During the Millennium, it will be obvious "The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." This is why everyone needs salvation. Without the Lord Jesus, we are all desperate and hopeless.

At the end of the Millennium, according to v.7-8 of today's text, "Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore."

The only people who will enter the Millennial Kingdom will be those who have made the decision to trust the Lord Jesus as their Savior. And, we will have glorified bodies, and, we will have the ability to carry out God's will perfectly. And, God will release Satan from the abyss to give man free choice. In fact, how will anyone have free choice unless there are two ways to choose. 

Now, everyone who enters the thousand year reign of Christ, the Millennium, will be righteous, will be a believer. It seems, the Bible indicates, that the day of the Lord, the tribulation period, takes care of all of the wicked. By the time the Tribulation has ended all of the wicked upon the earth will have been destroyed. Isaiah 60 informs us "all of Your people be righteous and will possess the land forever." 

Only believers will enter but many of them, of course, will still be in their physical bodies, and, in the Kingdom, they will have children. Their children will have to confess Christ to be saved, like anybody in this current age would. But, many of them will reject Christ, showing the depth of original sin.

Though, during the Millennium, righteousness will rule, and peace will prevail, the human heart will still be present and will still be able to choose. And, ultimately, some will rebel. The point is this: people reject the Lord Jesus Christ not because of their environment but because of their nature. We sin because we are sinners by nature and by choice. Not because of environment.

This final revolt of society will be the result of Satan deceiving the nations throughout the earth. Once he is released, he will organize an army and he will yet again deceive many. When the Lord Jesus came the first time, man rejected Him, because they loved their sin too much. They loved darkness rather than light. 

In v.8 Gog and Magog are mentioned. Gog is typically seen as a ruler. Magog was the grandson of Noah. Magog was the second son of Japheth. Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Japheth’s second son, the grandson of Noah was Magog. So, Magog was the child of Japheth, and he created a great kingdom north of the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. In ancient times, it was known as Scythia. Today, it is known as Russia. After the release of Satan from the abyss, there will be a rebellion, and, this could be the battle that is described in Ezekiel 38-39. Many debate that point.

In v.8 we read, amazingly, “In number they are like the sand on the seashore.” I find it so tragic that there will be a massive number of people who will join Satan’s rebellion, even after it has been proven that God is good and can be trusted.

During the Millennium, there will be a population explosion. People will live long lives, conditions will be perfect. There will no natural enemies. Diseases will not proliferate. As a result people will know wholeness like never before. Yet, even during these conditions of health and safety and peace, Satan will deceive and gain followers.

In v.9-10 of today's text we read, "9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

Hell was designed for the devil when he fell. It was not designed for people. The Lord Jesus referred to hell as an "everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels". Sadly, many will decide to go yet again with Satan. And, to God's credit, they will be given free choice, and He will honor their free choice. He will have to, to be equitable and loving. This is the devil's last stand and with his demise, sin and death will be no more.

Revelation 20:4-6

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4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. ~ Revelation 20:4-6

In our text for today, there are three distinct groups mentioned: Those seated on thrones, the Martyrs of the Tribulation and the unbelieving dead from the Tribulation.

Those that are seated on the thrones are those "who had been given authority to judge." 

In Daniel 7:18 we are told the saints of the Most High shall receive and possess the kingdom forever and ever. Then in Daniel 7:22 we see that when the ancient of days came, time came for the saints to possess the kingdom. Then in Daniel 7:27 we learn the kingdom and dominion and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. 

Also, it was the Lord Jesus who said in Matthew 19:28, "I tell you the truth, at the restoration of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." 

The disciples of the Lord will, with Him, judge the twelve tribes of Israel! So the Old Testament saints and the twelve apostles were all promised a position of ruling and reigning with the Messiah in His coming kingdom.

But, there's more. In 1 Corinthians 6 the Apostle Paul informs us the Church will also judge the world. And, in 2 Timothy 2:12 the Apostle also tells us that those who endure we shall reign also with Him. Then, in Revelation 5, there is the song that is sung before God and before the throne and the Lamb. The church sings, "You have made us kings and priests to our God and we shall reign on the earth." 

So we've got Old Testament saints, we've got twelve apostles over twelve tribes of Israel and we've got New Testament saints ruling over the world. They will all be included in this group who will reign with the Lord. 

The second group mentioned in v.4 of today's text is made up of those "those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands." 

This is the same group we saw in Revelation 6-7 who were put to death because of their faith in Christ. They refused to bow before the authority of the antichrist or to worship him. They will live again, we are told, and reign with Christ a thousand years. 

Then there is this third group. "The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended." 

This is a reference to the unbelieving dead, who will appear before the Great White Throne which is described at the end of this chapter. These will come back to life when the Millennium is over.

In v.6 of our text we read, "Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years."

John clearly establishes the fact that there is more than one resurrection. In 1 Corinthians 15 the Apostle Paul writes of the Lord Jesus that He was "the first fruits from the dead." So the first resurrection reaches back to include the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and those raised with him at that time. 

Matthew 27:52-53 tells us that at the time the Lord Jesus was raised "many of the bodies of the saints came out of the tombs." They, too, were part of that group of the first fruits which was offered to God as the initial installment of the first resurrection.

Then, in 1 Corinthians 15:23 we read, "then, when he comes, those who belong to him will be raised." When Christ returns, to catch the church up to himself, that will be the next segment of the first resurrection. Over 2000 years lie between, but time is no factor in any eternal event. 

Then, 1 Corinthians 15:23 reads, "then the end will come." This is referencing the final resurrection before the Great White Throne will happen. 

So, there are clearly two resurrections taught in Scripture. In John 5:29, the Lord Jesus Himself referred to a "resurrection of life" and a "resurrection of judgment." The "first resurrection" involves only those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. These will be resurrected to life for they know the forgiveness of their sins. Thus John says, "Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years."

Sadly, there will be those who will be resurrected to face the judgment of God. They will do so because they rejected the free gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. On the other hand, the Lord Jesus Christ is not one of many ways to approach God, nor is He the best of several ways; He is the only way, because He is the only one who has ever overcome sin and death by resurrecting from the dead.

Revelation 20:1-3

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1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. ~ Revelation 20:1-3

In our last study, we saw the prophesied climax of human history, as we have known it, which will culminate with the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in visible power and glory to reclaim the earth from the devil. 

Twice in today's text we read the phrase "a thousand years." It actually is used six times throughout this chapter. The word "millennium" means "a thousand years." Luke 1:32-33 informs us that when Christ returns to the earth He will establish Himself as king in Jerusalem, sitting on the throne of David.  

In Jeremiah 23:5-6 we read, “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I shall raise up for David a righteous branch, and He will reign as King and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called, the Lord our righteousness. Behold, the days are coming.’”

Jeremiah 3:17 and Zechariah 14:16 both allude to a time when all nations will come up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles which is the only Jewish feast in which non-Jews are invited to participate! This will happen during the Millennium which will be a time when there will be no distinction between Jew and Gentile! 

In v.1-2 of today's text we read, "1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years."

It is clear that this binding of Satan will occur after the second coming of the Lord Jesus. In addition, the binding of the devil will not be done by the Lord Jesus. Notice, the binding will be done by an angel whom the Lord Jesus sends with a great chain. The angel not only will bind Satan with the chain, but he will throw him into the Abyss and he will lock the door.

Many wonder why the need for a Millennium. The millennium is needed to redeem creation from the curse of sin and from the judgment of God. In Genesis, paradise was lost by the curse that was put upon man for their rebellion and sin. In Revelation, paradise is regained on the earth. The curse is removed, not only that but God will have leveled His own judgments upon the earth during the tribulation and pretty much trashed the earth. And so the earth will need God's help.

Also, the millennium is needed to fulfill all of God's promises to Israel. God promised David in 2 Samuel 7 a perpetual throne that can only be fulfilled in the Messiah. He reiterated that promise and confirmed it with an oath in Psalm 89. 

The kingdom is predicted in the Psalms, in virtually all of the prophets, Major Prophets and Minor Prophets, that there would be an earthly kingdom, as well as a heavenly kingdom. And the millennium is phase one to God's promises. There will be an earthly kingdom that will last a thousand years; at the end of that time the earth will be destroyed. Then, God will create a new heaven, we'll read more about that in Revelation 21, and a new earth because now all of the promises to the nation of Israel are fulfilled and the earth, though restored, will still be tainted by sin and must be recreated and we'll see that later. 

Another reason the millennium will be needed is that it will reveal the depths of man's rebellious nature. The problem is not on the outside of man, the problem is on the inside, sinful nature of man. The millennium will prove that because they're gonna have a perfect environment, in the end, many will still choose to not believe in God. 

As our text reveals, the Millennium will be needed to toss Satan into the abyss. With Satan bound during this time of the Kingdom, the world will be dramatically altered. The whole demonic world will be incarcerated along with their leader, and the Lord Jesus Christ will set the agenda for all of the world to see His goodness. It is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance.

In v.3 of today's text we read, "He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time."

Now, all seven times the abyss or bottomless pit appears in Revelation, it refers to the place where fallen angels and foul, evil spirits are held captive. The place where they await their final incarceration, from which they can never be relieved. It is called the lake of fire. 

In Isaiah 24:21-22 we read, “So it will happen in that day that the Lord will punish the host of heaven.” The Lord will punish in that day the wicked angels. “And they will be gathered together like prisoners in the dungeon and will be confined in prison. And after many days, then they will be punished.”

Satan will be bound “to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended.” 

During the Millennium, Satan's deceptions will be over. And, when people reject Christ, and they will, it will not be because they are deceived. It will be because they love their sin. During the Millennium, there will be no injustice. There will be peace everywhere, and righteousness will prevail.

One of the main outcomes of the Millennium will be that Satan is not fully to blame for the sin of mankind. We have been given a will to freely operate within. Just as Adam and Eve were born sinless, and yet still sinned, so too will those who are born during the Millennium will have the opportunity to act as they will. Satan can only deceive, he cannot make us sin. And, when people at the end of the Millennium reject God, they will be shown to be responsible for their choice.

Satan will be kept in the abyss, it says in v.3, “until the thousand years were ended.”

After the thousand years is over, the Lord will destroy completely the universe and create a new heaven and a new earth in eternal perfection, unstained by sin, and that will become the everlasting Kingdom.