Activity of the Saints in the Eternal State — John Stubbs

Revelation 21 and the Eternal State

Now if you turn please yet again to the book of Revelation, we have looked to God for guidance in regard to this last meeting and I want to read in Revelation chapter 21, the 21st chapter of the book of Revelation and we will read together just for the whole section down to verse number 8 but we will be dealing specifically with the first 5 verses Revelation 21 Out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them.

And they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away.

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write, for these words are true and faithful. He said unto me, It is done, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

That's all we intend to read of the good word of God, and we trust the very passage we have read will be blessed to us. And again we look very much to God for his help tonight. In view of this present week of ministry on some future events, I thought it would be a very good thing to conclude this present series of meetings by a little look at the eternal state, when time will be no more.

That is, the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ is not the golden age, is not the perfect age, as some may think. It is but the gateway or entrance into God's unending day, the eternal state. May I say that the passage that we have read together from verse 1 to verse number 8 brings before us the day of God, brings before us the eternal state.

From verse 9 of Revelation 21, the Spirit of God, as sometimes is the case in this last book of the Bible, the Apocalypse, the book of Revelation, it goes back. And so from verse 9 to the end of the passage we have the millennium, that which would refer, I judge, to the millennial period.

But Revelation 21 verses 1 to 8 brings before us the eternal state. Now outside of the book of Revelation or this passage, there are at least two more specific references in the New Testament to the eternal state.

One is 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 28, where Paul uses the term God shall be all in all. God shall be all in all. Now that is Paul's description of the eternal uncharted period, the unending day of God, the eternal state.

It's a period when God indeed, the triune God I take it, will be all in all. Then in 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 11 and 12, Peter uses an expression about the eternal state. He calls it the day of God.

And in his exhortation in that passage, you may remember, he says looking forward, looking for the day of God. The word really should be earnestly desiring. The verse, if I remember rightly, says looking for and not only looking for but hastening unto the day of God.

Some have tried to give a meaning to that and have tried to suggest that in some way or another, the believer's life, behavior and conduct can hasten that day. Now that would be entirely a wrong interpretation of the passage.

God's purpose, his prophetic program is fixed in his eternal counsel. And in that sense does not depend on how we behave. So we mustn't read that into Peter's description of the eternal state. Paul, it's the period when God will be all in all.

But Peter, in 2 Peter 3, it is looking for, hastening unto, a better rendering of that would be earnestly desiring the day of God. I wonder, child of God, are we as believers in our lives earnestly desiring the day of God?

It's a wonder. That's a very challenging question to me and I trust it is to you. Earnestly desiring the day of God. And Peter goes on to tell us what will characterize the day of God. Well, the sun will never set.

It's a perennial day. It's the great end to which God is working in his prophetic purpose and program. To introduce, at the end of the millennium, when time is no more, the day of God. Notice the emphasis on the description there.

Paul, God shall be all in all. Peter, the day of God. Are you surprised, therefore, in Revelation 21, we read of God, God, God, God. So Peter describes the eternal state as the day of God. And then he goes on to say it's a period wherein righteousness will be at all.

In the authorized version, it's like this. Righteousness will dwell. But righteousness will more than dwell. The word is, it will be at home. I needn't tell the Christians here tonight in Waukesha. The righteousness is not at home, even in this present dispensation.

Grace reigns through righteousness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. That's the teaching of Rome. And in the 1 ,000 years reign of Christ, otherwise known as the millennium, righteousness will reign. But in the eternal state, righteousness will be completely at home.

Evil will have been eradicated. Sin will have been overcome completely. God's hand will have been reached. Righteousness. So 1 Corinthians 15, verse 28, it's the period when God shall be all in all. 2 Peter 3, it's the day of God wherein righteousness will be at home.

The New Heaven, New Earth, and the End of the Sea

Now in Revelation 21, in regard to the eternal state, I want you to notice how it begins. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. Now what does this mean?

Will you allow me to give my interpretation after a good many years of carefully considering this? Because I do respect some brethren who teach that the earth will be, and the heavens, completely destroyed and annihilated in the future.

And they would teach that what is in view in Revelation 21 and other passages in the New Testament is something completely distinct and new and different from the old heavens and earth. I don't see that.

This word new is the idea of fresh. For example, when we were saved and we became a new creation in Christ Jesus, we did not pass out of existence. We underwent a change, a change of regeneration. More than that.

The old world in Noah's day, Genesis 6 and 7, perished by the flood. Not the material structure of the world, but the people, the inhabitants. And yet the world, the earth itself, had a baptism of water.

What did the water do? The flood in Noah's day. It purged the earth, cleansed the earth. And Noah commenced a new life in a new face of the earth. The new earth in that sense. But even the flood did not destroy and annihilate the old world, no.

Be a child of God. What the flood did then, the fire will do in the future. Earth then had a baptism in water. Earth yet will have a baptism in fire. But it will not be totally annihilated and destroyed.

It will be a new heaven and a new earth. It will be changed in its condition. It will be a new environment. A new character to the heavens and the earth. It will be fresh. And what is the first thing that John tells us?

That will be no more. He tells us. And there was no more sea. What an astounding, amazing statement. Three quarters of the world. A sea. Sea is usual, land is the exception. The sea is the lifeblood of the nations.

It is the great purger. This world now cannot do without the sea. And where is John when he writes this? He is on the Isle of Pax. Cut off from his brethren on the mainland. Not able to break bread with them and have fellowship with them.

But there he is, isolated, imprisoned for the testimony of Jesus and the word of God on the Isle of Atmos. He is surrounded by the sea. He is a fisherman himself. And yet he writes. I preached this many years ago in Peterhead, a fishing town in the northeast of Scotland.

Many of the brethren then were fishermen. And there's a few still there, fishermen. Big fishing fleet there. I had a week of prophetic meetings. A little different line to what we have been considering this week, but prophetic meetings nevertheless.

One old fisherman, probably about nearly 90 years of age, came up to me. And he said, because I preached on this, no more sea. He said, we've enjoyed all the meetings all week. But it's very hard to take in.

Sea was in his blood. He loved the sea. He lived by the sea and from the sea. Well, I reminded him that John was a fisherman too. No. I came across these lines a long time ago. Summer ocean, how I'll miss thee.

Miss the thunder of thy roar. Miss the music of thy ripple. Miss thy sorrow, soothing shore. Summer ocean, how I'll miss thee. When the sea shall be no more. Interesting words from the poet. But the word of God is true.

Whether we shall miss the sea. You're pretty far from the sea here, I know. But we're right almost next to it. Here we accept the word of God. The eternal state is going to be one vast. What's the sea speaks of separation.

And thank God in that eternal day, that day of God, in the eternal state, there will be no more separation. Wonderful to think the loved ones, believers in Christ, our friends, our family, our husbands, our wives, our brothers and sisters, whose loss we still mourn as it were and miss them greatly.

Thank God there is going to be a day of reunion. And thank God we're going to be with them and with Christ forever. And there's not going to be any more separation. Lovely. That's tremendously comforting.

The sea speaks of mystery. I have no doubt that while we must interpret this literal, no more sea. Yet the sea is symbolical in the word of God. Thy way is in the sea. Oh, the mystery of God's ways. We do not understand God's ways today.

They are strange to us. Why God does a certain thing. Mysteries are not always solved down here. Of some mysteries and especially the mystery of his love and certainly the mystery of the being of Christ and God.

There's no finality with God. There's no one behind God. Mysteries, certain mysteries will remain. But the mysteries down here on earth, that we don't have an answer for and we can't explain. It can only be explained then.

And we must rest then. Yes, the sea speaks of separation. Yes, the sea speaks of mystery. And the sea speaks of restlessness. Once or twice I recall preaching on that verse from the evangelical prophet Isaiah.

Is it the last verse? I think it is of Isaiah 57. The wicked are like the troubled sea. They cannot rest. How easily a storm can arrive at sea. Very suddenly. In a while before so calm and placid, now erupting in turbulent waters and storm.

No more sea. Thank God. While the sea may speak of the rebellion of sin and sinners and restlessness, in God's unending day in the eternal state, there will be no more sea. All restlessness will have gone.

No more sea. You know, brothers and sisters, it's a tremendous thought, isn't it? A tremendous thought to say the very least. I've discovered when looking at the eternal city in Revelation 21 and thinking about the eternal state, there are seven exclusions.

Seven Exclusions from the Eternal State

Seven things omitted. No separation. No more sea. No suffering as we will see in verse 4. No shadows. There's no sun or light here. The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon. Revelation 21 verse 23.

There'll be nothing then to cast a shadow. There'll be no dark corners in the glory. How wonderful. No shadows. Let there be shadows down here. But none up there. No sin. For not that defiler shall enter that city.

No earthly sanctuary. For John says in verse 22, I saw no temple therein. The presence of God will be accessible. The presence of God will be everywhere. God himself will be a sanctuary. There'll be no holy and most holy place, like in the tabernacle or in Solomon's temple.

All that will have gone. The presence of God will be in. And enjoyed by all. Chapter 22 verse 3. There'll be no more church. Look at verse 2. And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Oh, I like this. I take this to be a picture of the church. The church is seen as the bride in Revelation 19. And don't forget this statement in verse 2, describing then the eternal state, the millennium, the 1 ,000 years has run its course.

Isn't it wonderful to think? The church. Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. The church, the bride of Christ, is still seen as the bride. Even after 1 ,000 years, she's still there in that relationship, in the freshness of bridal affection and dignity.

She's still the bride. Isn't that great? Even though I've been married for 45 years, you know, it's kind of nice to think that maybe my wife still is a bride to me. Maybe the truth is otherwise. She's my wife.

It's a great day. The marriage day, isn't it? It's wonderful to think that the church will ever be in that intimate, blessed, sweet relationship with Christ. The bride. The bride in freshness. No wrinkle or any spot or any such thing, says Ephesians 5.

She will never get old. Isn't it wonderful? Prepared as a bride, adorned for a husband. You will notice in verse 2 that this heavenly city, a picture of the church, a symbol of the church, doesn't actually touch the earth.

She comes down from heaven, and I take it will be over the earth and will cast her light upon the millennial earth. You see, the church is heavenly. I think there's going to be and will be a coming and going between this heavenly city, this satellite city.

A coming and going between that city and earth and the part of saints. This city will be seen and visible to the eye up there in the air. Seen by those on the millennial earth. And saints will be in that city because as believers we will form the bride.

And the bride will be in that city. But in view of our kingdom responsibilities throughout the millennium, we will visit the earth. But that doesn't mean we're going to stay on the earth. We'll always be there.

No! We're heavenly people. We belong to heaven. We're heavenly in character. I wish we could be heavenly more, heavenly in our ways, in conversation, in dress, demeanor. We're pilgrims and strangers here.

Strangers not at home, as often the old preachers said. Pilgrims going home. How true that is. I wonder if we have a loose hold on the things of time and sense in this world all around. I remember a man, hearing about a man going to visit a celebrated Jewish author.

Liked his books. Wanted to meet him. Tracked him down after a good deal of searching. And when he was invited into the gentleman's house and sat down, he was amazed because I think he sat down in a box or something like that.

And he said to this Jewish author, Where's your furniture? And he says, I don't have much furniture. I'm just passing through. And you? He thinks we could take the leaf out of his book. I'm not having a flick at the new furniture.

I don't mean that. What's our attitude? Are we holding tightly onto the things of this earth and this world? Does that dominate our spirit and control our lives? So it is noticeable that the city described in verse 2, the bride, she doesn't touch the earth.

But that doesn't mean that saints who dwell in the city will not visit the earth. There will be, for the first time in the millennium, perfect communication between heaven and earth. Like John chapter 1, isn't it?

Angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. Ever since man fell, man sinned, throughout the painful history of mankind, right to today, there has never been any real, permanent communication with heaven.

But there will then. Look at verse 3. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell there. I like that. You know, this rather surprises me, fellow believer, tonight.

Because, don't forget, these verses are describing the eternal state. You know, I would have thought, describing the eternal state, that John would have said, The temple of God is with men. Well, you know as well as I do, I didn't tell you tonight.

The tabernacle structure was a portable, movable structure in the desert. The temple idea, like Solomon's temple, was more permanent. Why then does John say, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men?

I think it suggests to us, beloved, I come back to this point, the presence of God will be accessible to all. Remember the picture of the tabernacle in the book of Exodus, chapter 25 onwards, and the book of Numbers, chapter 1 and 2, and the camps of the tribes of Israel around it, and the tabernacle was the center of the devotion and life and time and everyday doings of the people, as well as the priests.

It was the center of the people. God's presence will be enjoyed everywhere in the eternal state, in this vast continent that has no sea. You may go and travel in that time, because I think we will travel.

And don't forget, we'll have glorified bodies. And these glorified bodies in that future will be capable of doing things we can't do now. You got it? I wonder what kind of picture you have of heaven, beloved.

Sometimes when I talk to Christians, it's strange. One or two may say, and have said to me, you know, being in heaven forever, forever, forever and forever, won't it become somehow monotonous? Won't we become kind of weary?

And some pictures that even Christians have of the eternal state in heaven is, well, we're going to have long white robes, and we're going to have a metal crown, a golden crown on our heads, and we're going to do blissfully nothing forever, and relax on long golden couches.

The Activity and Service of the Saints

Is that your picture of heaven? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, because Revelation chapter 22, the last chapter says, his servants shall serve him. Is that a bit of a shock to you? You ask me what kind of service it will be?

Scripture, I've quoted in Revelation 22, there'll be no night there, and his servants shall serve him, means this. The activity of the sense in the eternal future. If you wanted a little title to complete the series, the appearance of the saints at the rapture, the assessing and appraising of the saints at the Bema, the adorning of the saints at the marriage in heaven, the appearing of the saints in glory with Christ at his second advent, and now, the activity of the saints.

This much I do know, and do not forget this. My present service for the Lord, and how faithful I may be in it, and the niche I occupy in it, will determine the kind of service I have up there. Is that understood?

My service now, is preparing me for the kind of service I will have then. I'm afraid there'll be no lazy saints in the glory. No blessed non-activity. No reclining on golden couches forever. You'll be busy.

And your being there will never become wearisome to you, burdensome to you. There'll be no such thing as monotony in the glory. Because one thing will keep us going all the time. I can use that word, time.

It's this. That I believe throughout the eternal state, there'll be a constant unfolding and revelation, and unveiling of the glories of the Lord. There's such a fullness and sufficiency in the Lord Jesus.

His glories are so many. We'll be continually occupied with the freshness and fullness. What will heaven be for us? The eternal state. It'll be the place where the longings of Christ will be realized.

We will be with Him. It'll be the place where the lovingness of Christ will be revealed. It will be the place where likeness to Christ. Do you remember that verse in Psalm 17? I love it. Verse 15. From the Old Testament, one of the few hints in the Old Testament, hints that the Old Testament gives of immortality, of a future life, of a life apart from this world and beyond the grave.

What is it? As for me, David said, I will behold thy face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy great birth. Those three thoughts I've given to you, which I have personally enjoyed, are all there in Psalm 17, verse 15.

It's the place where the longings of Christ will be. Where the lovingness of Christ will be unveiled. Where likeness to Christ. We shall be conformed to His. So that in eternity, the beauty of Christ will not be unfolded.

It'll be unfolded. Unfolded. What a prospect. How good it is to be saved and linked with Christ. Because of Calvary. And what effect this should have upon our lives and upon our service. God shall dwell with them and they shall be His people and God Himself shall be with them and be their God.

More likely we could say in verse number 3. But look at verse 4. The things that will be absent. Scripture does not satisfy our curiosity. Certainly it tells us here what will not be there. God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

No More Tears, Death, Sorrow, or Pain

What will be the effect of the divine presence? This is what we have in verse 4. The effect, the blessed effect of the divine presence and joy in that unending day of God. No more tears. God will wipe away every kind of tears of thought.

Not from the face, but from the eyes. And who is it that will wipe the tears away forever? Whether they have been tears of frustration, tears of despondency, tears of fear, tears of bereavement and sorrow, tears of disappointment, whatever.

Every kind of tear will be wiped away by God Himself. Heaven is a tearless place. Mind you, I believe God will never, never, never forget the tear that glistened in our eyes. And write down our tears.

There'll be tears that we just couldn't understand why it is that we are in such a situation and circumstance even to shed tears. You know Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7 when I referred to that verse the other night didn't I?

Let those that have wives be as though they haven't died. But he also says let those that weep be as though they've wept not. He's not saying it's wrong to marry. No, no. Neither is he saying it's wrong to shed tears.

But right into the Corinthians he's really saying to the listeners, look, the tears that you may have shed or are shedding now could be the last tears you'll ever shed. Why? Christ is coming. And when He comes we're in this eternal state.

God shall wipe away every kind of tear from the eyes. Doesn't the psalmist in Psalm 56 speak about a bottle of tears? You'll not treat me as a heretic tonight if I say to you that I believe that God has two bottles in heaven.

Two bottles. He's got a bottle of our tears. He never forgets them. He loves us. He cares for us. But I believe this. He's got a bottle of them. He never, never will forget the tears shed of His Son and the weeping of His Son over Jerusalem and the tears and the sobs of the Lord Jesus as He stood.

You see the idea of the bottles this God will not forget. The sense in which God treasures our tears. Don't you find that tremendously comforting? And very real. It's a tearless place. No more tears. No more death.

There shall be no more death. See this is describing the suffering that we experience in this world. In the world of time and sense. To refer to 1 Corinthians 15 again doesn't Paul say the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

No coffins. No shrouds. No undertakers. If you call them that over here. No funerals. No doctors. No more death. You know I think we have a wonderful picture of the ultimate overcoming of death by the Lord Jesus in Luke chapter 7.

Do you remember? The city of Nain. And the dear widow woman that had one only son. There are two processions in Luke chapter 7. There's the funeral procession coming out of the city of Nain with the weeping widow.

And then there's the other procession of the Lord Jesus and the disciples following him. And they're soon to meet. I was on that very road. It hasn't changed. They call that city it's still there today.

Naive. You can just imagine the Lord with his disciples moving up to the gate. He went inside the city. This is what it said. I love it. And when the Lord it does not say and when Jesus saw her. It doesn't even say and when he saw her.

It says it describes it like this. You see that stresses his absolute his power over death. What happened? You know the story well from Sunday school days, don't you? How that it testified and said young man I say unto thee arise and he arose and he restored her to the mother.

What joy! But what happened? The Lord Jesus stopped the procession and march of death. That's exactly what he's going to do in the future. That's a little parable picture in Luke chapter 7 of what the Lord is going to do in the days to come.

He's going to stop the march. No more tears. No more death. No more sorrow. Thirdly, you see here in this world we have the sorrow without the meaning. But in heaven in the eternal state we will have the meaning without the sorrow.

This is what God is going to do. God's great end indeed will be reached. The day of God will begin and will be ushered in. So much sorrow down here beloved. I often think that Matthew's gospel in chapter 27 describing the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you remember that after he rose from the dead, Matthew particularly, and he's the only gospel that tells us this, tells us of saints that arose from their graves and appeared to many. Why does he mention it?

Matthew has the dispensation gospel, the great prophetic gospel, the gospel for the Jews. I think he tells that. That the death and the resurrection of Christ is really the guarantee and the sample of the time that will come when death will be no more and when he will remove all sorrow.

No more tears. No more death. No more sorrow. No more crying. The word here is distress. No wail of war. What a glimpse of heaven. What a foretaste of the glory to come. Your scripture doesn't satisfy our curiosity.

It does tell us the things that would be absolute. Sometimes we do say, don't we, I wonder what it's going to be like to breathe heaven, just to be there. I wonder what heaven will be like. A Christian doctor went to visit the dying Christian patient of his.

As he stood beside his bed in the bedroom, rather lying in the bed, dying, said to his doctor friend, Brother, he said, can you tell me what heaven will be like? He hesitated for a moment, and he heard a whining and a scratching at the door of the bedroom.

And the doctor went over, turned the handle of the bedroom door and opened it, and the dog ran away. Straight away jumped onto the bed and licked his master's face. The doctor, a good friend, visited that house many times.

He knew that that dog had never been allowed in, never ever entered into that bedroom. He said, Brother, you asked me what heaven is like. I don't really know. Just as this little dog didn't know what the bedroom was like, didn't know what it was like inside, what he would find there, but the little dog knew one thing, its master was there.

Now, we don't know everything about heaven, but we have a master in heaven. And we know that our master will be there. He'll be there. A little phrase is it from a hymn where Jesus said, tears, heaven, how good to be linked with the Lord Jesus.

I say again, how good to have such a prospect. No more tears, no more death, no more sorrow, no more crying. And also, of course, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away.

What a curse pain is, ever since the fall of man. The drug industry working overtime to find new remedy. Pain, pain, pain. How hard to bear. What a terrible, terrible, terrible consequence of the fall.

Pain. And yet, though the Lord Jesus Christ was absolutely innocent, pure, holy, and send us upon the cross, what pain He endured. Not the pains of death too bitter, my redemption, says the hymn, to procure.

Thank God for the saints. Thank God He endured the cross, and for the pain He was willing to put on His Saviour, I say to you again. Even pain would be forgiven. Now we can't understand why we have pain, and why the Lord allows it in even the life of the believer.

None of us, even Christians, and it's a simple thing to say, and a very certain thing to say, but we do say that the believer is not immune from pain. Sovereign love appoints the measure and the number of our pain.

And is pleased when we find pleasure in the suffering He ordains. Never lose sight of His care, and His love, and His interest in you. Even pain. Oh, John. You describe to us a wonderful world. Wonderful ideal, perfect conditions.

But John, is this not some kind of dream world? Some fantasy world? Some utopia that really can't be? In case you think that says John in the next verse, look at verse 5. He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.

And he said unto me, Write, what is this please you? For these words are true and fair. This is not some dream world. This is not some imagination and fantasy of John. He's writing by the inspiration of the Spirit of God.

He has given us a delightful, encouraging, precious glimpse into the eternal world. Into the day of God. And the eternal glory of my dear fellow believer should learn our fame. And the very prospect should be an incentive to do more than we have done in the past.

For the Lord Jesus Christ. No mercy, no separation, no suffering, no shadows, no sin, no earthly sanctuary like the temple and no curse. Seven things. Seven exclusions. I trust this meditation has been a message, will be a blessing, and may God enjoy it.