KEY NUMBER 14:  THE ETERNAL STATE

Ch-21:1-22:5

INTRODUCTION

D.    THE ETERNAL STATE 21:1-22:5

       1.    The New Heaven and Earth

              a.    Descent of the City 21:1-8

Three Phrases vv. 1-2

THE TEXT

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth;

                   for the first heaven and the first earth passed away,

                   and there is no longer any sea.

Ryrie, Pg. 165 2^nd Paragraph

OUR COMMENT

Ryrie is simply stating that the “New Jerusalem’s” home is in eternity and always has been. It will come down to earth when it, the earth, has been renewed and it was, and is, and will be full of all those who have believed – ever. He made it clear a paragraph earlier that this is the place that Jesus told His disciples that He was going, through His death and resurrection and ascension, to prepare a place for them.

God is with His People v.3

THE TEXT

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying,

“Behold,

       the tabernacle of God

              is among men, and

       He will dwell among them, and

              they shall be His people, and

       God Himself will be among them,

Ryrie, Pg. 1 2^nd paragraph from the bottom

The first characteristic of the new condition is that God is with people, v. 3.

OUR COMMENT

This is a wonderful beginning to this chapter. The eternal dwelling place of God (where He tabernacles) is among His people and He will be among us when we get there.

Old Experiences Eliminated vv. 4-5

THE TEXT

       4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and

              there will no longer be any death;

              there will no longer be any

                     mourning, or

                     crying, or

                     pain;

       the first things have passed away.”

5 And He who sits on the throne said,

“Behold, I am making all things new.”

And He says,

“Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

Ryrie, Pg. 166 Bottom

OUR COMMENT

I can totally identify with Ryrie’s statement that John was probably so overwhelmed that he had to be reminded to keep writing all this down. And for those moments that we sometimes find ourselves in… “Write, for these words are faithful and true!”

New things Experienced vv. 6-7

THE TEXT

6 Then He said to me,

“It is done.”

I am the Alpha and the Omega,

[I AM] the beginning and the end.

I will give to the one who thirsts

       from the spring of the water of life

              without cost.

7 He who overcomes

       will inherit these things, and

       I will be his God and

       he will be My son.

Ryrie, Pg. 167 Top

OUR COMMENT

God says, “It is done.” So, when we get to this moment in our future, we will experience fully, what we now know in part, through God’s revelation of His Son to John. Verse 7 sets it all up for those who are truly His. Everyone will be in the position of being a “Son” of God Almighty. A Brother or Sister to our Lord and King, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings!

Certain people will be excluded v. 8

THE TEXT

8 But for

       the cowardly and

       [the] unbelieving and

       [the] abominable and

       [the] murderers and

       [the] immoral persons and

       [the] sorcerers and

       [the] idolaters and

       all liars,

              their part will be in the lake

                     that burns with fire and brimstone,

                     which is the second death.”

Ryrie, Pg. 167 2^nd Paragraph

OUR COMMENT

Once again we should be reminded that all those around us – neighbors, friends, family, peoples around the world who do not know and willingly, voluntarily believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, as a person of the Trinity of God – are destined to this terrible “second death,” which does not end.

b.    A Description of the City 21:9—27

(1.) The Bride’s city

The Bride

9 Then one of the seven angels

       who had the seven bowls

              full of the seven last plagues

       came and spoke with me, saying,

“Come here,

       I will show you

              the bride,

              the wife of the Lamb.”

Ryrie, Pg. 167 Middle

OUR COMMENT

It’s at this moment that we need to remember Ryrie’s words from the introduction to this chapter: The Heavenly Jerusalem is an eternal place. It is the abode of the “Bride of Christ,” and exists through all time – so it can be referenced to the disciples 2 thousand years ago to today for the current dead in Christ; during the Millennium; and in the context of Eternity.

(2.)  The New Jerusalem 21:10-11a

It’s Glory

THE TEXT

10 And he

       carried me away in the Spirit

              to a great and high mountain, and

       showed me the holy city, Jerusalem,

              coming down out of heaven from God,

11 having the glory of God.

Ryrie, Pg. 167 Bottom

OUR COMMENT

Walvoord reminds us, while speaking of the Glory of God, that “The believer in Christ does not generate the Light of Christ, but he should both reflect and transmit His glory without blurring the beauty and loveliness of Christ.” Our actions with other believers and the un-saved should always be in such a manner as to show forth the “Glory of God,” and not our human failings.

 (3.) Its Construction 21:11b—14

THE TEXT

Her brilliance was like a very costly stone,

       as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.

12 It had a great and high wall,

       with twelve gates, and

              at the gates twelve angels; and

                     names were written on them [the gates],

                           which are the names

                                  of the twelve tribes

                                  of the sons of Israel.

13 There were

       three gates on the east and

       three gates on the north and

       three gates on the south and

       three gates on the west.

14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and

       on them were the twelve names

              of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Ryrie, Pg. 168 Top

 (3.) Its Measurements 21:15—17

THE TEXT

15 The one who spoke with me

       had a gold measuring rod

              to measure the city,

              and its gates and

              its wall.

16 The city is laid out as a square, and

              its length is as great as the width; and

he measured the city with the rod,

       fifteen hundred miles;

              its length and

              [its] width and

              [its] height are equal.

17 And he measured its wall,

       seventy-two yards,

              according to human measurements,

              which are also angelic measurements.

Ryrie, Pg. 168 Middle

OUR COMMENT

The measured city,

       fifteen hundred miles square;

              its length and

              [its] width and

              [its] height are equal.

John Walvoord reports: “The scene which John sees is tremendously impressive… Expositors have differed as to the degree in which this description should be taken literally, some believing that the city is actually nonexistent and presented only as a symbolic presentation of the blessings of the saints in eternity future. Such a view, however, is difficult to harmonize with the specific details given which are nowhere explained in other than the literal sense in the Bible. There does not seem to be any solid objection to the concept that the saints in the new heaven and the new earth will have as their home precisely such a city, glorious in every aspect, reaching to tremendous heights into the new heaven, and embodying characteristics to remind them of their spiritual heritage.”[4]

 (4.) Its Materials 21:18—21

THE TEXT

18 The material of the wall was jasper; and

the city was pure gold,

       like clear glass.

19 The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned

       with every kind of precious stone.

The first foundation stone was jasper;

the second, sapphire;

the third, chalcedony;

the fourth, emerald;

20 the fifth, sardonyx;

the sixth, sardius;

the seventh, chrysolite;

the eighth, beryl;

the ninth, topaz;

the tenth, chrysoprase;

the eleventh, jacinth;

the twelfth, amethyst.

21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls;

       each one of the gates was a single pearl.

And the street of the city was pure gold,

       like transparent glass.

Ryrie, Pg. 169 Last Paragraph

OUR COMMENT

While I’m sitting here writing my comments I am reminded of something very new that many of us would never have ever expected to become a real thing – Aluminum oxynitride – in a thin form… a metal that you can see through like glass. So many things in this book are finally coming true. Keep your eyes on the skies.

 (5.)       Its Relationship to God 21:22-23

THE TEXT

22 I saw no temple in it, for

       the Lord God the Almighty and

       the Lamb are its temple.

23 And the city has no need

       of the sun or

       of the moon to shine on it,

              for the glory of God has illumined it, and

              Its lamp is the Lamb.

Ryrie, Pg. 170 Near the top

 (6.)       Its Relation to the Nations  21:24—27

24 The nations will walk by its light, and

the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.

25 In the daytime

       (for there will be no night there)

       its gates will never be closed;

26 and they will bring

       the glory and

       the honor of the nations into it;

27 and

       nothing unclean, and

       no one who practices abomination and lying,

              shall ever come into it,

but only those

       whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Ryrie, Pg. 171 Top

c.    Delights of the City 22:1—5

The River and The Tree of Life

Fullness of Life and Blessing 22:1—2

THE TEXT

Then he showed me

       a river of the water of life,

              clear as crystal,

              coming from the throne

                     of God and

                     of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street.

On either side of the river was the tree of life,

       bearing twelve kinds of fruit,

       yielding its fruit every month; and

       the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Ryrie, Pg. 171 Top

 (2.) Fullness of Paradise 22:3—5

THE TEXT

3 There will no longer be any curse; and

the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and

       His bond-servants will serve Him;

              4 they will see His face, and

              His name will be on their foreheads.

              5 And there will no longer be any night; and

              they will not have need

                     of the light of a lamp

                     nor the light of the sun,

                           because the Lord God will illumine them; and

                                  they will reign forever and ever.

.

Ryrie, Pg. 171 Last Paragraph

OUR COMMENT

Harry Ironside comments: “The street of pure gold reminds us that our feet will stand on the righteousness of God. In His justice we will stand and walk forever. It is not mere mercy that is the ground of our salvation, but God’s glory has been fully and righteously maintained in the work of Calvary’s cross. Therefore He is faithful and just in receiving all who trust His Son.[5]