Revelation 21:1–4 - What Remains the Same
What is necessary to walk by faith?
Not simply the faith to believe that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord, but the faith to leave sin and obey His law, and the faith to follow Him as He speaks to you by His Word and Spirit.
What does it take? It takes strength to walk by faith when we discern His will for us. It takes courage, discipline, and patience.
These were the needs of the church when the apostle John recorded the visions of Revelation. And these are our needs today. Jesus understands His people.
Our God knows what we need, and these first verses of chapter 21 speak to those needs. The section of Scripture tells us that on the Last Day – when the final judgment of the wicked is complete and all the enemies of Christ are defeated – there will be some things that are new, while other things will be the same as they are now.
Some things will change, and some will not.
Do you want the strength, courage, discipline and patience to walk by faith now? Then look closer with me at the plans and the power of the God who can provide it.
Verse [1] says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” I've mentioned before that “heaven” in Scripture can mean where the birds are, or where the stars are, or where God is. “Heaven” here is not the royal throne room of God, but rather the sky and outer space. “Heaven and earth” are synonymous with the whole universe.
And John uses a Greek word which should be translated “new,” but a distinction must be made, because the word has the sense of something rejuvenated. Something refreshed – renewed in superior fashion. So, this is not a whole different universe. It will be this earth and these heavens transformed. They will be restored in a manner after the resurrected body of Jesus. They will be freed from death and decay.
Since the fall of Adam, the universe has suffered sin’s consequences. In Romans 8, the apostle Paul writes that, “the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it…For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” The universe we see now will be renovated and delivered from the effects of sin.
Now this next phrase in verse 1 is interesting. John says, “and the sea was no more.” I mentioned last week the dangers of the seas and the fear associated with them. But this could be a reference to the land as God first created it, before the great flood of Genesis 7 and the division of land masses into what we now observe. Genesis 1 states, “God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” We see evidence today of land shifts on the earth since God’s creation of it.
But when Christ returns, what has been broken apart will be put together again. What had divided will be united. Genesis clearly tells us that God’s creation was good in the beginning. Sin has taken a toil on the earth. There has been much change since the fall. But at the re-creation, things will be restored to their proper form.
Also as a result of the presence of sin, this universe in which we live is a dangerous place. Christ teaches us to look forward to a new place. He will bring about great change. God has the plan and the power to create something better than what we know and experience right now. God sees it, and He will realize it. In fact, He will renew all that you see before you. Such is His sovereign control over all that He has made. And He calls you to trust Him.
Now look at verse [2]. John says, “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” What is this city coming down to the new earth? The answer may surprise you. William Hendriksen notes, “This…is very clearly the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, as is also plainly evident from the fact that it is here and elsewhere called the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” This is the unified people of God coming to dwell with Him.
In ancient Israel, the city of Jerusalem was, above all, the dwelling place of God. The temple of God was there, with the holy of holies concealed by a heavy veil. Behind that veil was the holy presence of the one true God. However, with the death of Jesus, the veil has been torn, signifying that the way to God is clear for sinners. And the way is Christ the Son. God no longer confines His covenant presence to one city. Rather, He is wherever His people are.
There’s much more to come about the New Jerusalem in the second half of this chapter, and “new Jerusalem” will make more sense as we go. The Reformation Study Bible, which I recommend to you, has an excellent note on this city. It says, “It is wise not to distinguish rigidly between the inhabitants of the city (the saints) and the city itself (saints together with the glorified creation).” The renewed peoples of God are His dwelling place.
And notice I said, “peoples.” Glance at verse 3, and notice John hears a voice say, “They will be His people.” The word there is actually plural – “peoples.” Why would that be significant? It’s reminiscent of the continual NT language about every nation, tribe, and tongue – many “peoples” forming one people of God. They are His holy bride prepared for Him.
Now, this brings up a good question, which is, “Is verse 1 literal and verse 2 symbolic?” Is this new Jerusalem symbolic, and if so, what does that mean for verse 1? Because we must be consistent with our interpretation. This is where we have to rely on Scripture to interpret Scripture.
We should read any verse in light of all the other verses of the Bible. For example, 2 Peter 3 says, “According to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” That harkens back to Isaiah 65 and 66 in the OT, where God specifically says He will create a new heavens and new earth. So, we know this will take place.
And at the same time, elsewhere in Scripture the church is compared to a building and to a city. Isaiah 26 in the OT refers to God’s people as a “strong city.”Ephesians 2 says that in Christ, God’s people “are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” In Revelation 21, John sees God’s dwelling place ascending to earth.
Now, in other places in Revelation, John has seen groups of people, but here we should ask why John sees a city. And it seems to be because this is a picture of the church’s unity in and before Christ, which at this time is not all that apparent. In the ancient world, the city was a place of security; it was fortified. Life and prosperity were there. Of course, cities are famous for many bad things, too. When you get sinners together, without God’s grace and His law, sin is multiplied.
But the covenant community on earth – the local church – should contradict that. Sometimes it does. I believe it does here at this church. But we’re still prone to sin right now, still vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. We’re still able to fall or be torn apart. But for the renewed, resurrected people of God coming down to the new earth on the Last Day, there will be no more of these vulnerabilities. And this should strengthen our faith.
God has the plan and the power to create not only something better than what you know and experience right now, but also, He has the plan and power to create someone better. Many someones, actually – one unified people, strong and secure because of Him. One people – like a city – holy as He is holy, set apart as He is set apart.
This is the God who calls us to follow His ways today. This is God who calls you to trust Him. This is what He’s capable of, and it’s what He’s committed to: a restored place inhabited by a restored people. And these verses obviously acknowledge the many shortcomings of our world and ourselves. But we follow a risen Lord who is leading us somewhere much better than where we are now.
In Christ, the future is always so bright. With Jesus, there is so much to look forward to with great anticipation. He calls you to trust His ways today and to listen to Him and to obey Him by faith. We don’t have all the answers, but we have many answers. In fact, we have enough answers to walk by faith.
Now look at verse [3] “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.” This affirms our understanding that the new Jerusalem is synonymous with the people of God. God pronounces it from His throne. “He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”
This is a wonderful statement. But though it’s proclaimed when the universe is made new, this reality is not new. It will be perfected on the Last Day, but God dwells with His people now.
His intention to dwell with His people goes back to the OT. He delivered Israel from slavery and established them as a nation in covenant with Him. He set them apart, gave them His law, and told them where they and the world came from.
There was a purpose in this. In Leviticus 26, God told them, “I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. [12] And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. [13] I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves.”
However, so many of the people continually rejected God’s ways. God’s law is good, but the law cannot make people obedient. We naturally go astray. And so God later said, in Jeremiah 31, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people…I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
It had always been God’s plan to redeem His people from their sins. That is why He brought them to Himself and gave them the system of worship and sacrifice. He had given them the tabernacle. But He went further. He Himself tabernacled with them. What does that mean?
John 1 in the NT says this about the Lord Jesus Christ – who John called “the Word” – John says, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” God dwelt among us. The Greek word here means that He pitched His tent – He tabernacled among us – in the person of Christ. Jesus Christ is “Immanuel” – “God with us.”
You see, on the Last Day, some things will be new, but some things remain the same. If you have Christ, well then, Christ is with you now. God dwelling with His people is not a new purpose in the new universe to come – it’s the same purpose of God.
As you attempt to follow Jesus by faith today, He is with you. As you attempt to leave sin and go with Jesus, many things are unknown, but you are not alone.
I don’t know who coined the phrase “faith over fear.” I’m sure that means different things to different people. Life is full of fears that would keep us from obeying Jesus and trusting Him. But Jesus doesn’t just tell us to go – He goes with us. He is “God with us.”
In 1 Corinthians 3, the apostle Paul asked the churches, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” The Spirit of Jesus Christ lives in His people! Will you embrace fear today or faith? Will you live a fear-controlled life or a faith-controlled life? You can be strong and courageous for Christ the Lord because you are with Christ the Lord. If you have Christ, He is with you.
Now look at the final verse. The purpose of God is the same now as it will be on the Last Day, and also, the promise of God is the same now. Verse [4] says, “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.” I said earlier that fear would like to keep us from walking by faith. What are we afraid of?
Failure, unhappiness, missing out, not getting or having what we want, having to wait on God, struggling in some way, suffering in some way. These are all outcomes that result in the same thing: pain. We fear: what if there is pain? Verse 4 reiterates the promise of God that pain is not the final result for His people. We have His promise that any pain on the road of faith will be taken away in the end.
God is not content to leave His people in pain. For a little while now, we suffer at times. And yet He has a plan and the power to make His people strong even through pain. Romans 8 says, “Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Through His presence with us now He produces rejoicing within us even in the midst of pain. In verse 4, God affirms that He doesn’t like pain and that pain is of the old order of things. Pain belongs in the fallen creation. There will be no place for pain in the restored creation.
But you know, even now, in this fallen creation, the new order of things has broken through. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul says, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” A person who is born again by the power of the Spirit of God is not of the old order but of the new. We have this promise now, and on the Last Day, that promise will remain the same.
Where in your life do you need to step out in faith with Jesus, or where do you need to continue in faith with Him? In some seasons, faith seems to be day by day; sometimes, it’s more like moment by moment. But Christ is “Faithful and True.”
We have great insight into the renewed place and people of God to come, along with our understanding of His purpose and promise that remains ever the same, and through these things He gives us the strength, courage, discipline and patience we need to walk by faith when we discern His will for us.
What is His will for you today? Trust in Him and not yourself – leave sin, and go with Him. God has a plan, and Jesus will help you.
Let’s bow in prayer.
Not simply the faith to believe that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord, but the faith to leave sin and obey His law, and the faith to follow Him as He speaks to you by His Word and Spirit.
What does it take? It takes strength to walk by faith when we discern His will for us. It takes courage, discipline, and patience.
These were the needs of the church when the apostle John recorded the visions of Revelation. And these are our needs today. Jesus understands His people.
Our God knows what we need, and these first verses of chapter 21 speak to those needs. The section of Scripture tells us that on the Last Day – when the final judgment of the wicked is complete and all the enemies of Christ are defeated – there will be some things that are new, while other things will be the same as they are now.
Some things will change, and some will not.
Do you want the strength, courage, discipline and patience to walk by faith now? Then look closer with me at the plans and the power of the God who can provide it.
Verse [1] says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” I've mentioned before that “heaven” in Scripture can mean where the birds are, or where the stars are, or where God is. “Heaven” here is not the royal throne room of God, but rather the sky and outer space. “Heaven and earth” are synonymous with the whole universe.
And John uses a Greek word which should be translated “new,” but a distinction must be made, because the word has the sense of something rejuvenated. Something refreshed – renewed in superior fashion. So, this is not a whole different universe. It will be this earth and these heavens transformed. They will be restored in a manner after the resurrected body of Jesus. They will be freed from death and decay.
Since the fall of Adam, the universe has suffered sin’s consequences. In Romans 8, the apostle Paul writes that, “the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it…For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” The universe we see now will be renovated and delivered from the effects of sin.
Now this next phrase in verse 1 is interesting. John says, “and the sea was no more.” I mentioned last week the dangers of the seas and the fear associated with them. But this could be a reference to the land as God first created it, before the great flood of Genesis 7 and the division of land masses into what we now observe. Genesis 1 states, “God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” We see evidence today of land shifts on the earth since God’s creation of it.
But when Christ returns, what has been broken apart will be put together again. What had divided will be united. Genesis clearly tells us that God’s creation was good in the beginning. Sin has taken a toil on the earth. There has been much change since the fall. But at the re-creation, things will be restored to their proper form.
Also as a result of the presence of sin, this universe in which we live is a dangerous place. Christ teaches us to look forward to a new place. He will bring about great change. God has the plan and the power to create something better than what we know and experience right now. God sees it, and He will realize it. In fact, He will renew all that you see before you. Such is His sovereign control over all that He has made. And He calls you to trust Him.
Now look at verse [2]. John says, “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” What is this city coming down to the new earth? The answer may surprise you. William Hendriksen notes, “This…is very clearly the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, as is also plainly evident from the fact that it is here and elsewhere called the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” This is the unified people of God coming to dwell with Him.
In ancient Israel, the city of Jerusalem was, above all, the dwelling place of God. The temple of God was there, with the holy of holies concealed by a heavy veil. Behind that veil was the holy presence of the one true God. However, with the death of Jesus, the veil has been torn, signifying that the way to God is clear for sinners. And the way is Christ the Son. God no longer confines His covenant presence to one city. Rather, He is wherever His people are.
There’s much more to come about the New Jerusalem in the second half of this chapter, and “new Jerusalem” will make more sense as we go. The Reformation Study Bible, which I recommend to you, has an excellent note on this city. It says, “It is wise not to distinguish rigidly between the inhabitants of the city (the saints) and the city itself (saints together with the glorified creation).” The renewed peoples of God are His dwelling place.
And notice I said, “peoples.” Glance at verse 3, and notice John hears a voice say, “They will be His people.” The word there is actually plural – “peoples.” Why would that be significant? It’s reminiscent of the continual NT language about every nation, tribe, and tongue – many “peoples” forming one people of God. They are His holy bride prepared for Him.
Now, this brings up a good question, which is, “Is verse 1 literal and verse 2 symbolic?” Is this new Jerusalem symbolic, and if so, what does that mean for verse 1? Because we must be consistent with our interpretation. This is where we have to rely on Scripture to interpret Scripture.
We should read any verse in light of all the other verses of the Bible. For example, 2 Peter 3 says, “According to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” That harkens back to Isaiah 65 and 66 in the OT, where God specifically says He will create a new heavens and new earth. So, we know this will take place.
And at the same time, elsewhere in Scripture the church is compared to a building and to a city. Isaiah 26 in the OT refers to God’s people as a “strong city.”Ephesians 2 says that in Christ, God’s people “are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” In Revelation 21, John sees God’s dwelling place ascending to earth.
Now, in other places in Revelation, John has seen groups of people, but here we should ask why John sees a city. And it seems to be because this is a picture of the church’s unity in and before Christ, which at this time is not all that apparent. In the ancient world, the city was a place of security; it was fortified. Life and prosperity were there. Of course, cities are famous for many bad things, too. When you get sinners together, without God’s grace and His law, sin is multiplied.
But the covenant community on earth – the local church – should contradict that. Sometimes it does. I believe it does here at this church. But we’re still prone to sin right now, still vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. We’re still able to fall or be torn apart. But for the renewed, resurrected people of God coming down to the new earth on the Last Day, there will be no more of these vulnerabilities. And this should strengthen our faith.
God has the plan and the power to create not only something better than what you know and experience right now, but also, He has the plan and power to create someone better. Many someones, actually – one unified people, strong and secure because of Him. One people – like a city – holy as He is holy, set apart as He is set apart.
This is the God who calls us to follow His ways today. This is God who calls you to trust Him. This is what He’s capable of, and it’s what He’s committed to: a restored place inhabited by a restored people. And these verses obviously acknowledge the many shortcomings of our world and ourselves. But we follow a risen Lord who is leading us somewhere much better than where we are now.
In Christ, the future is always so bright. With Jesus, there is so much to look forward to with great anticipation. He calls you to trust His ways today and to listen to Him and to obey Him by faith. We don’t have all the answers, but we have many answers. In fact, we have enough answers to walk by faith.
Now look at verse [3] “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.” This affirms our understanding that the new Jerusalem is synonymous with the people of God. God pronounces it from His throne. “He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”
This is a wonderful statement. But though it’s proclaimed when the universe is made new, this reality is not new. It will be perfected on the Last Day, but God dwells with His people now.
His intention to dwell with His people goes back to the OT. He delivered Israel from slavery and established them as a nation in covenant with Him. He set them apart, gave them His law, and told them where they and the world came from.
There was a purpose in this. In Leviticus 26, God told them, “I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. [12] And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. [13] I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves.”
However, so many of the people continually rejected God’s ways. God’s law is good, but the law cannot make people obedient. We naturally go astray. And so God later said, in Jeremiah 31, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people…I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
It had always been God’s plan to redeem His people from their sins. That is why He brought them to Himself and gave them the system of worship and sacrifice. He had given them the tabernacle. But He went further. He Himself tabernacled with them. What does that mean?
John 1 in the NT says this about the Lord Jesus Christ – who John called “the Word” – John says, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” God dwelt among us. The Greek word here means that He pitched His tent – He tabernacled among us – in the person of Christ. Jesus Christ is “Immanuel” – “God with us.”
You see, on the Last Day, some things will be new, but some things remain the same. If you have Christ, well then, Christ is with you now. God dwelling with His people is not a new purpose in the new universe to come – it’s the same purpose of God.
As you attempt to follow Jesus by faith today, He is with you. As you attempt to leave sin and go with Jesus, many things are unknown, but you are not alone.
I don’t know who coined the phrase “faith over fear.” I’m sure that means different things to different people. Life is full of fears that would keep us from obeying Jesus and trusting Him. But Jesus doesn’t just tell us to go – He goes with us. He is “God with us.”
In 1 Corinthians 3, the apostle Paul asked the churches, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” The Spirit of Jesus Christ lives in His people! Will you embrace fear today or faith? Will you live a fear-controlled life or a faith-controlled life? You can be strong and courageous for Christ the Lord because you are with Christ the Lord. If you have Christ, He is with you.
Now look at the final verse. The purpose of God is the same now as it will be on the Last Day, and also, the promise of God is the same now. Verse [4] says, “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.” I said earlier that fear would like to keep us from walking by faith. What are we afraid of?
Failure, unhappiness, missing out, not getting or having what we want, having to wait on God, struggling in some way, suffering in some way. These are all outcomes that result in the same thing: pain. We fear: what if there is pain? Verse 4 reiterates the promise of God that pain is not the final result for His people. We have His promise that any pain on the road of faith will be taken away in the end.
God is not content to leave His people in pain. For a little while now, we suffer at times. And yet He has a plan and the power to make His people strong even through pain. Romans 8 says, “Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Through His presence with us now He produces rejoicing within us even in the midst of pain. In verse 4, God affirms that He doesn’t like pain and that pain is of the old order of things. Pain belongs in the fallen creation. There will be no place for pain in the restored creation.
But you know, even now, in this fallen creation, the new order of things has broken through. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul says, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” A person who is born again by the power of the Spirit of God is not of the old order but of the new. We have this promise now, and on the Last Day, that promise will remain the same.
Where in your life do you need to step out in faith with Jesus, or where do you need to continue in faith with Him? In some seasons, faith seems to be day by day; sometimes, it’s more like moment by moment. But Christ is “Faithful and True.”
We have great insight into the renewed place and people of God to come, along with our understanding of His purpose and promise that remains ever the same, and through these things He gives us the strength, courage, discipline and patience we need to walk by faith when we discern His will for us.
What is His will for you today? Trust in Him and not yourself – leave sin, and go with Him. God has a plan, and Jesus will help you.
Let’s bow in prayer.
Recent
Revelation 21:1–4 - What Remains the Same
September 17th, 2024
Revelation 20:11–15 - Brought Up Again
September 9th, 2024
Revelation 20:7-10 - Where Help Comes From
September 3rd, 2024
Revelation 20:4-6 - The Difference Between Life and Death
August 26th, 2024
Luke 18:9-14 – Only Justified Through Christ
August 19th, 2024
Archive
2024
January
February
April
May
June
July
August
Categories
no categories
No Comments