Revelation 21:1-8 (New Heaven and New Earth, Jeff Kliewer)

The Christian Hope of a New Heaven and New Earth

This morning we confess that beneath you, that apart from you we can do nothing, you are divine and we are branches. Help us Lord to abide in you. We pray that you would nourish us this morning by your word.

Make us strong. We pray that you would make us conquerors. We pray that you would help us to catch a vision of the new heaven and the new earth and that we would live not for this world but for the world to come.

We ask that your Holy Spirit would help us to cut ties with this world because our hearts are idol factories.

We make idols all the time.

We get so comfortable here and we begin to build our own kingdoms. We pray that we would cut ties with those things and live for what is eternal. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's read to begin with Revelation 21 verses 1 -8.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more.

Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Also he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.

And he said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without end. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for the murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and silver, which is the second death.

Premillennialism, Cultural Engagement, and the Danger of Giving Up

As we have been studying through the book of Revelation, we have done so from a pre-millennial perspective, meaning that the millennium, the 1 ,000 year reign of Christ on this earth is yet future. Things are going to get worse and worse, not better and better on this earth, until Christ comes and he is the one that will set things right.

In other words, the church will not be able to usher in the millennium. We are not going to make things better and better. Rather, we read in the book of Revelation about, first of all, there will be an apostasy, and then birth pains, and then the rapture of the church, and then the tribulation, seven years of destruction on earth, a battle of Armageddon, and finally, Christ comes, and then he makes things right.

So, we take this pre-millennial approach to scripture, but there is a danger in this position. Now, we take it because that is what the Bible teaches, so it does not matter what the practical outworking of that is, but there is a practical danger for the pre-millennialists.

We could just assume that this world is going to hell in a handbasket, so we might as well just not try. Forget about this world, it is going to get worse and worse. America is doomed, so throw in the towel now and just give up.

That could be a danger, wouldn't it? In fact, some of the very few post-millennialists who are left in America actually tend to be more active than us. One of my favorites that I like to listen to is Jeff Durbin from Apologia Church.

Now, obviously, I don't agree with all of his theology, especially eschatology, but did you know that this small church, similar in size to our church, has rescued hundreds of babies from the slaughter?

They started a ministry called End Abortion Now, and they go out to the Planned Parenthoods and they plead with the parents not to do it. They have rescued hundreds and raised many of those in their own church.

Very active in that fight. They are also very active in making videos, which I have gotten into a little bit recently, but Jeff Durbin and those guys, they make amazing videos. Jeff will often follow a presuppositional apologetics approach.

So he makes this argument about stardust. If someone begins to claim something and make a moral argument, they'll say, well, wait a minute, without God, we're just stardust anyway. So stardust can't hurt other stardusts, and we're just going to go back to stardust, so nothing really matters.

And he tears down their presuppositions by making that argument. In other words, he'll say, by what standard? That's like his catchphrase, by what standard? If someone makes a moral argument, he says, by what standard?

And I like the Babylon Bee, which is kind of like a satire site. Anybody familiar with the Babylon Bee? You should, it's really funny. They put some great satire on it. They have a Jeff Durbin article that came out last week called, Jeff Durbin replies, by what standard?

After his wife says he needs to pick up his socks. So he says back to her, by what standard, I ask you, do you ask me to pick up these socks off the floor? She looks at him and says, just pick up your socks, Jeff.

And of course he says, okay, and does it. Very funny article. He tried to use presupp on his wife and it just didn't stick. But the point is, we as premillennialists do fight for this world. It doesn't follow that just because there's coming a day of tribulation, seven years of tribulation on this earth, that we should just throw in the towel.

In fact, Christians for 2 ,000 years have believed that they were living in the terminal generation.

And I think that I am.

I don't think I'll ever retire from preaching. I believe I'm going to get raptured before I would ever dream of retiring. I think it's getting close. Anybody else think it's getting pretty close?

I think it is.

But even if not, we fight for this world. We're going to see why that is. First, let's look at the first verse. And I want to say that the new world, the new heaven and the new earth, renders much of this world meaningless.

Kind of the stardust argument. Just meaningless. It says in Revelation 21 .1, did you catch this? I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And the sea was no more.

Many people are paranoid about what's happening to this earth. Everything is an existential threat.

Did you catch that?

Existential threat. Global warming is an existential threat. Nuclear proliferation, it's an existential threat. Meaning the very existence of this planet is at risk.

Well guess what?

2 Peter 3 says that this heavens and this earth are reserved for a day of fiery judgment. And Hebrews 1 says that God will roll up this world like somebody rolls up a robe. Like a garment it will be changed.

So we know how this story ends. God will roll it up. And so much of what people run after is a chasing after the wind. Things that will just get rolled up. Every basketball on planet earth is either doomed to wear out before the second coming or at the second coming will be rendered meaningless.

All the pig skin, everything that this world holds so dear is destined for fiery judgment. And the things that we chase after in this life, the idols that we pursue with so much vigor. Many of those things are meaningless.

The Beauty of the New Jerusalem and the Meaning of Present Life

So is anything meaningful? Look at the next verse. I saw the holy city. New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. That imagery of the bride adorned means that a new heaven and a new earth is coming that's going to be beautiful.

Absolutely beautiful.

Just as intended.

If you look out at the world that we live in today. Now I'm surprised guys that you chose second service today. Most people pick first service because it was beautiful out there. Nice cool temperature.

The sky was blue. There was a cool breeze blowing through. One of them that blew over the mic stand. Beautiful out there. This world is glorious. This world speaks to the glory of God. Psalm 19, Psalm 104.

It's all beautiful.

And it glorifies him. How much more of the world to come? Just imagine water. You ever think about water? You take a big sip of water. It just refreshes you from the inside out. It flows beautifully down the stream.

Moreover, you go to a waterfall and just see the splendor of that water just crashing down. And it sounds like thunder. Water is an amazing invention. But before God made it, who could have imagined such a thing as water?

In the same way, in the new heaven and new earth, we're told, Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for us. This new heaven and this new earth is going to be beautiful.

It will have things in it that you never imagined. Creatures at the bottom of the sea that no one's ever seen before. They only exist because it brings God delight that they would be there. Most of the flowers that ever blossom will never be seen by man.

But God delights in their flower. This world is beautiful, but the world to come, moreover. So what's meaningful about this life? If God is going to roll up this world and discard it and exchange it for a new heaven and a new earth, then what matters in this life?

Not everything is discarded. If you look back at the last chapter, what makes it into the new heaven and the new earth? The redeemed of the earth. Those who stood before the great white throne when heaven and earth fled away, they stood there like sheep before the shepherd.

We who believe from this earth will go to that earth. All upon the name of Jesus will be in that earth. And guess what? The events of this earth matter. It matters whether you go next door and share the gospel with your friend or whether you don't.

Because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. If they hear and believe, they will be with you forever in that place. And even the events of this earth matter. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 17 says this.

Our light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory. The suffering that you go through in this life, the hard times, the affliction, even those things are preparing an eternal weight of glory in the next world to come.

Did you ever think about that? That means that nothing that you experience in this life is meaningless. It's not as if you get to heaven and your memory of this earth is just erased. That would render everything meaningless.

But when you get there, you will always, for all eternity, look back on the cross on which Jesus died. Him exposed on Calvary's tree. That event will still be utterly meaningful. And the events of your life were meaningful too.

You say, well, why should we be active in fighting the corruption of our culture?

I mean, it's all going to get thrown away anyway.

So why should we fight unjust laws? I didn't understand the answer to that question until I actually read an author who I think nailed it. His name was Matthew Truhalo. He said this about laws in our society.

Before I read it, just think Obergefell. Is that how you say it? 2015, the Supreme Court ruling that now it's legal for homosexuals to marry in this country.

Remember when that happened?

Just five years ago.

Listen to this. Good law, which affirms or mirrors the law of justice of God, helps men to see their need for Christ. Bad law, that contravenes and spurns the law and justice of God, assists men in ignoring or justifying their sin.

Hence, the laws of the nation go to the very salvation of the souls of men.

So let's make application to that.

Before the year 2015, and most of us who grew up, I was born in the 70s, grew up far before that was a cultural thought. This generation kind of intuitively understood that homosexual relationships were sinful.

But since 2015, elementary kids, middle school kids, growing up in this culture, when the law says that marriage, quote unquote, between a man and a man is good, it is not assumed any longer that sin is sin.

Because the law does not reflect the moral law of God as defined in the scripture, the ethics of the nation have spiraled downward. People no longer know right from wrong, so they don't sense the need to repent and turn to Christ.

When captured by temptation, they succumb to that temptation and they don't feel the pangs of the law. The law is a mirror. It reflects back to us what we really look like. The law is a tutor to bring us to Christ.

And so when the laws of a nation become unjust, it affects the salvation of men. Fewer people turning to Christ. Think about countries of the earth where the law of the land is perverted. You see the difference between North Korea and South Korea.

South Korea may be the most Christian country on the planet versus one of the darkest countries. How did that separation happen? It was political in a sense. And so when we fight for justice in the law of the land, it does affect the world to come.

Not in an absolute sense. Last week we talked about how God is absolutely on His throne. He's the primary cause. But within this world in which we live, there are secondary causes. And within that realm in which we live, what we do matters.

We're not automatons. He's not just pulling puppet strings. We're really exercising our will. So if we battle for the things of this world, we're not laboring in vain. What you do makes a real difference.

God Himself Will Dwell with His People

So let's move on to verse 3. Kind of big picture here, we've seen the rolling away of this world makes so much of this world meaningless. But there is meaning in the new heaven and the new earth because that world will be populated by Christians who have trust in Christ.

And how we fight for this world matters. So verse 3, here's where it gets good.

This is the good thing.

The best thing about heaven. And then verse 4 will be what's not there. What do we have to look forward to in verse 3? I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with me.

He will dwell with them and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them as their God.

God himself.

It just doesn't say theos, God. It says theos autos. God himself. My favorite expression from John Piper is God is the gospel. God is the gospel. The good news is that God himself will tabernacle and dwell with us forever.

Back in the Garden of Eden, that's what was lost. We were separated from God because of sin and everything spun out of control. And we can put our hope in this life. Trying to make things better. In a fallen world.

But until we find our rest in God himself, our hearts will always be empty. You can't put your hope in marriage. You can't put your hope in career.

In sports.

Ultimately, the longing of your heart, the restlessness of your heart will only be satisfied in God himself. That's the promise of the gospel. When Christ came, the word became flesh and tabernacled among us.

There's coming a day where we will be in his very presence. We will touch his hands that were pierced by nails. We will fall down at his feet and worship him. He will be right there in front of us. As real as the person sitting next to you.

He will be there.

And you will be with him forever. That is the best news of the good news. That's the gospel. That Jesus came, tabernacled, died the death that we deserve, rose from the dead, in order that we would be with him.

The righteous for the unrighteous. To bring us to God. In the words of 1 Peter.

The gospel.

The Wiping Away of Every Tear and the End of Suffering

Now, verse 4. For all of you who have suffered loss. Which is all of you. These words are some of the most beautiful words in the Bible. You will need to cling to these words again.

So listen well.

Some of you may have lost a father or mother. Sister, brother. Some of you may be even a son or a daughter. It says here in verse 4. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. And death shall be no more.

Neither shall there be mourning. Nor crying. Nor pain. For the former things have passed away. All pain and suffering is temporary.

It's part of this world.

It gets rolled away. Discarded. For all eternity you will be without pain. See this is why you can endure pain now. It's light and it's momentary because it's achieving an eternal weight of glory.

Where there is no more pain or suffering.

So you endure and you fight. Well now. Because this fight does come to an end.

The pain will come to an end.

I have a recurring dream. In my dream I'm standing in a kitchen.

It's my mom's kitchen.

Dad's kitchen. And my mom is standing there doing something. She's cutting vegetables or something. And we're just talking and enjoying this sweet fellowship. Just talking about nothing. And then it hits me in my dream.

Mom.

Your Parkinson's is gone. Your dementia is gone.

We're talking.

This is wow.

And then boom.

But I tell you what. I don't become sad from that recurring dream. Because I don't look at it as sparks in my brain remembering former days.

Into the world that is coming.

And you've lost loved ones. And every funeral I ever preach I use this verse. Because He will wipe away every tear.

We reunite.

See this is what's worth living and dying for. That we would be together.

Where there's no more tears.

A world without end.

Without pain.

Wow what an offer huh?

We have that to offer to the world.

We have that good news.

No pain but God.

That's what you get.

The Thirsty, the Conqueror, and the Warning to the Unrepentant

So then verses five to eight. Applies it to three different groups. And we'll go through real quickly.

It says.

And he who is seated on the throne said. Behold I am making all things new. The word new appears a lot in this new heaven.

New earth. New Jerusalem.

He's making everything new.

Renewing.

Also he said write this down for these words are trustworthy and true. In other words he's writing it now. So that we would know it now and live by it now. In order that we'd enjoy it then. He said to me it is done.

That's not the word to tell us die. What Christ said from the cross.

This is.

And it just means finish. But before.

Good going.

There was to tell us. You're wearing to tell us. I sure like that. See another couple. To tell us that means it is finished. Christ died on the cross to make you a new creation. You're already. A son or daughter of God.

Through faith in the son of God. And he's going to make a new creation.

A new world.

For the sons of God. Romans 8 says. That new creation. Is for the revealing of the sons of God. So to tell us that I comes first.

Then he'll make a new world.

That's fit. For a sinless new creation. But in Christ you're already do.

He's already done.

He died for your sins. You've already been renewed by the spirit.

Living in you.

So now live for him until he comes.

It says.

In verse six. Here's the first application. To the thirsty. I will give from the spring of the water of life.

Without payment.

There's a lot of people. That are satisfied with themselves. They think they're pretty good people. They're satisfied with their righteousness. They're satisfied with their possessions. Maybe their job goes great.

Their marriage goes great. Kids are doing great. They think they're fine.

Not thirsty.

But to the thirst. Who knows they need something more. That this world will not satisfy. They can't just live. For the mundane. World that's passing away. They need something more. They need God himself.

The thirsty will be satisfied.

But it's not. Remember her.

Why did she come in the middle of the day to draw water. Because she was a sinner. She had six husbands. And none of them were truly her husband. And she was ostracized from the community. The other women came at night.

In the cool of the evening. She went out in the heat of the day.

To draw water.

And without requiring anything of her. Jesus said.

If you knew the gift of God.

And who it is that's asking you for a drink.

Ask him.

He would have given you living water.

See in Revelation 21. Verse 6.

The water of life.

Is offered without pain.

This is a free gift. He's offering eternal life.

The new creation.

To those who are thirsty. But there's a second group. The one who conquers. Will have this heritage. Now that's interesting. We go from the thirsty.

To the conqueror.

That is not.

A.

Condition.

That's a description. The one who conquers. The one that God describes as a conqueror. Not someone who's earned. Heaven by conquering this earth. But the one who's been given. The free gift of life.

And now.

They're described as a conqueror. Because the new life has entered them. And they're a new creation. They live for the next world. They conquer in this. If you have the new birth.

The evidence.

The description on your life. Will be that you will be a conqueror. Doesn't mean you won't fall into sin.

And slip.

And get back up.

You will be identified. As a conqueror. That will be your new identity.

One who conquers.

It says here. You'll have this heritage. I will be his God. And he will be my son. I want that. To be known. For all eternity as a son.

Or daughter of God. But you see.

The conqueror. Is described as such. Because this world. Could not overcome.

Your faith.

This is the victory that has overcome the world.

Even our faith.

And hear me out.

A conqueror.

You'll be described as a conqueror. When you go forth. Conquering in his name.

Not just.

Forgetting about this world. And hanging on until the end. But conquering in this life.

What does that look like?

It means you conquer your fear. You know that your neighbor. Needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. And your fear tells you. You will be rejected. But conquering is to go forth. In his name. Despite your fear.

If you didn't have fear.

There would be nothing to conquer right? The struggles of this life. Temptations to sin. You are more. Than a conqueror. Through him who loves you. More than a conqueror. If I go to my next door neighbor.

And I've gone to my neighbor.

Sharing the gospel.

If I just say.

Jesus died and rose.

How do you think they'll receive that? What do you think?

But if you go.

And say.

Jesus died for sins. For sins. And rose from the dead.

And then you use the law. Of God.

Like a mirror.

Like a tutor to bring them to Christ. You uphold the law of God.

Not the law of man.

They will either curse you to your face.

Mock you.

And slander you to your neighbors. Talking behind your back. What a bigot. Pushing his religion on me. Telling me. What's right and what's wrong.

If you uphold the law of God.

You will be persecuted.

This is what causes offense.

To the world.

But a conqueror is willing to say the truth.

Even if it offends.

Even if the world will reject you for it.

Conqueror.

Overcomes the world.

Lastly.

The last truth. This is not a pretty picture. Says to the cowardly.

Faithless.

Detestable.

Murderers.

Sexually immoral.

Sorcerers. Idolaters. And all liars.

Their portion will be in the lake of fire. Sexually immoral.

Faithless.

All of these things could describe us.

But.

You were washed.

You were cleaned.

You were sanctified by the Lord Jesus Christ.

He gave you a new identity.

You're no longer identified in those sins.

Although.

You're still prone to wonder. Prone to sin. Like that albatross on your back. That sometimes rears its ugly head. That's possible. Your identity has been changed. Here the problem is. This is a person who is identified.

As cowardly.

In other words.

They don't have the new birth. They haven't been made new. They haven't become a new creation. And in their sinful flesh. They are condemned. Look at these words.

Quickly. Cowardly.

Perhaps they counted the cost. But they did not take the offer. They came to saving faith. The faithless. The detestable.

Murderers.

In our culture. Since 1973. Murder has been legal. Roe versus Wade. 60 million babies have been murdered.

In this country.

It says. The sexually immoral. As defined by the law of God.

Sorcerers.

Let me pause and say something about sorcerers.

Are there?

Oh there is. There is on the Disney Channel. A lot of those shows are nothing but sorcery.

And witchcraft.

And that seems like child's play. But I want to tell you. Turn on the nightly news. You are seeing sorcery. As cities burn. How's that? Let me pre-requisite.

Or pre-empt.

Or caveat.

However you say it.

The Bible.

Is against racism.

James.

Teaches to show no partiality. No favoritism. The Bible says to love your neighbor. In fact we're all descended from Adam and Eve. Acts 17 26.

We all come from one man.

So there is no race. We're all the human race.

We all need one blood.

That's the blood of Jesus that washes in.

So we're all the same.

That's what we believe. But there is a movement in our country. Called Black Lives Matter. The assumption. Of that proposition. Is that there is a targeted assault against black people by police.

Systemically.

To hunt them down. And kill in the streets. That assumption. Is folly in and of itself statistically. But that's not what I'm about to say. The organization. Black Lives Matter. Was founded by Marxists.

In 2015.

Audio emerged of Patrice Cullors. Saying about Black Lives Matter.

We are.

Trained Marxists. But here's where sorcery comes into play. Another audio of Patrice Cullors. Involves her saying. This is not just organizing. This is spiritual. And without the spiritual powers behind us.

We could not do what we're doing. She goes on to say. That the reason they have so much power. The spiritual force behind their work. Comes through contacting the dead. She says. The blood. Of those people who were killed.

Are like a libation. And they stand on that blood. And they contact. The spirits of the departed. She says she gets to know many of these spirits. Not at the bottom. Meaning she says. One of them is named Waukesha.

She says Waukesha is the funny one. I don't think there's anything funny about that. She contacts the dead. And in the Black Lives Matter movement. They say. The name. And people are forced to say the name.

Say the name.

Why say your name?

Say the name.

According to Patrice Cullors. They're conjuring. The spirit of the dead. And the more people that say that name. The more power there is.

And so.

You see this country on fire.

Because.

We wrestle not against flesh and blood. But against spirits and powers. Of this dark world.

What's happening?