Revelation 21:9-27 - Don't Miss the Opportunity
At some time or another, we’ve all felt the fear of missing out – abbreviated “FoMO.” Since that acronym entered our language, studies have been done to examine this fear. One group of researchers define FoMO this way: “the pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent.” It’s not just that you’re missing an opportunity, but also, that you know others are enjoying it, and you could be too, if it weren’t for your current circumstances.
In many cases, the fear of missing out is something we need to recognize and resist. We need to learn contentment, and we need to trust God in our situation. But FoMO is good if you’re afraid of missing out on something good – something you need – something that is God’s commanded will for your life, such as the fear of missing out on God’s blessing in the local church.
There have always been pressures and distractions tempting believers to distance themselves from the church. First century believers faced these pressures, and so the author of Hebrews said to them to hold fast to Christ, to keep encouraging each other, and to “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some.” They were compelled to abandon the covenant community, but they desperately needed it.
At some point in your own life – perhaps right now – you may think you don’t need the church. But to embrace that belief will expose you to great harm. God provides so much for His people exclusively in and through His church.
Now, I know that, collectively, the church appears to be in very rough shape. Some see the church as simply hopeless, antiquated, irrelevant, and hypocritical. But God doesn’t see His church the way the world sees it. He has bestowed certain things upon His church that are found nowhere else. And we need to see His church as He does.
As we do, a fear of missing out will stir within us and cause us to seek God along with His people according to His command. The rest of Revelation 21 describes how God sees His church, and with vivid symbols, Christ shows us these wonderful gifts which only the church possesses.
So, an angel who John recognizes from a past vision approaches him and says, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” Jesus spoke this way about His relationship with His church. The apostle Paul did as well. Christ is the groom and the church is His bride.
In the ancient world, a woman would become betrothed to a man before their marriage, and once betrothed, she would wait for the wedding day while the husband-to-be would go to his home and make things ready to bring his new wife to live with him there. Christ our groom has begun to prepare a place for His church, and during these last days we wait for His return.
We wait for the wonderful marriage supper of the Lamb described in Revelation 19, when all sin is removed and Christ receives His people.
Now look at verse [10], John says, “he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.” We learned at the beginning of chapter 21 that New Jerusalem is the Church. That’s abundantly clear in these verses also. What the angel shows John is a glorious sight – a city, verse [11] “having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” The city is pure and beautiful and has a wonderful brightness. This is the church on the last day. Sin is removed; only holiness remains.
You might think, “Oh, but that’s just the future. The church is nothing like that today.” But that’s not quite true. Hebrews 10 says that Jesus Christ, by a single offering, has perfected His people for all time, though we’re still being made holy day-by-day throughout our lives. We are in Christ and He is holy, therefore we are holy in Him even as we strive to be holy.
This is how God sees His church now. He sees what He has done and will yet do in us. And we should see His church this way as well.
But to do that, we need something. Notice again that the apostle John views the church from “a great, high mountain.” William Hendriksen writes, “Only when we stand on the high mountain of faith are we able to see the Church as it exists ideally.” By faith we see the church this way.
Without faith, we will miss the blessings the church possesses.
By sight, people ask, “What’s so unique about the church?” By sight, they say, “What does the church have that I can’t get somewhere else?” By sight, people think, “I don’t need the church to know God or walk with him.” But by faith, we recognize that the church is unique in the plans of God.
Now, the New Jerusalem in John’s vision has “a great, high wall” around it. Verse 14 says, “the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Then these measurements are given in verses 15-17. In short, the city is a perfect cube, with numbers we’ve already seen in Revelation that symbolize exactness and completeness.
Notice verse [18] again, “The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.” Exceptional value is implied. And verse [19], “The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel.” You see the jewels listed there.
What was the significance of the city wall in ancient times? It provided security. It created a barrier and gave protection. An enemy would have to breach the wall to cause harm. The higher the wall, the greater the protection. The thicker the wall – the firmer its foundation – the greater the protection. The foundation of this great wall is the twelve apostles. They were the first elders of the church and the first shepherds of Jesus’ flock. On them Christ established His New Covenant community.
And their primary contribution to the church – even to us today – is God’s holy written Word delivered through them. They told us of Christ and His work, and they guided the early church and interpreted the OT. Therefore in the church, the Word of God must be proclaimed clearly – not telling you what you necessarily want to hear but what you must hear to be saved and sanctified by the living God.
This is for your protection and your preservation.
John sees a wall that is strong, but also beautiful to behold and of tremendous worth. In Psalm 119 in the OT, the psalmist says to God, “The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” And Psalm 19: “the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold.”
You can read the Word of God at home, and you should. You can pray and look to Christ everywhere you go, and you should. But consider again what the writer of Hebrews told his distressed, distracted listeners. He didn’t say, “Just go your separate ways. It’s probably easier that way. We don’t need to be together to be the church. In fact, we’re more vulnerable this way. So give up meeting together and do things on your own.” No! He told them to stick together and encourage each other.
In fact, another way to translate what he said is, “Do not abandon the assembly.” Why? Because there is a sound security which only His assembly – His church – possesses.
In the church, through His Word preached, along with the administration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper – here, through the care and guidance of ordained elders and the service and sympathy of ordained deacons – here, through the prayers of God’s leaders and people – and here, where the shepherds and teachers “equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ – something foreordained by the living God will occur. We will “all attain to the unity of the faith and…the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
And through all that, there is a sound security that is ours – “we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” A sound security in and through Christ Jesus is available here in the church like nowhere else. And you can know that security with God’s people. Don’t miss the opportunity!
John also sees many gates in this wall. See verse 12 again, “twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed.” The names of the NT apostles are on the foundation, and the names of the OT tribes on the gates. This is just one symbol of the continuity from OT to NT. It’s a sign of the unity of God’s people – one people of God, OC and NC. And John sees gates offering entrance from every direction, verse [13], on the east, the north, the south, and the west.
In John 10, Jesus told His disciples, “I am the door of the sheep…If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture…I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me…And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” People come to Christ from all over the world – the four corners of the earth as Rev. has said.
In Romans 15, Paul tells the church, “Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.” There is a warm welcome which only His church possesses. It is a welcome founded only upon the person and work of Christ. Verse 25 says, “its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.”
But you should understand that while entrance is possible, not just anyone can come in. John sees many open gates, but the gates are guarded, and he says, “nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Jesus spoke about gates during His earthly ministry. In Matthew 7, He says, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” We see many people barreling wide open toward the wide gate. It’s so easy for them; it’s so natural. It just feels so right to them. They do so happily. Proverbs 14 tells us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
You don’t have to go that way, though. Do you know what is necessary for passage through the gate of Christ – for inclusion in His covenant community? Simply faith – faith in who Christ is and what He’s done. And true faith will result in a desire to leave sin and follow Jesus.
If the desire to turn from sin is not there, you should question if you have true faith in Him.
To enter through the narrow gate, you must be born again by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, and washed clean in the sight of God. Not everyone wants it, but the offer stands. It stands and it goes out to every nation, every tribe, every language. There is a warm welcome in and through Christ Jesus here in His church like nowhere else. And you can enjoy that welcome with the people of God. Don’t miss the opportunity!
Now, finally, There is a great light which only His church possesses. Verse 11 described the radiance of the church on the Last Day. But that light shines from the church even now. Look again at verse [22]. John says, “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” Old Jerusalem – earthly Jerusalem – had a temple for worship. The temple simply foreshadowed what Christ the Lord embodied. Christ is “Immanuel” – in other words, “God with us.” God’s presence is not confined to the temple.
This is actually where some people can get a bit mixed up. They reason that they don’t need to go to church or be part of the church to know God. But Christ established His church on the earth with His Word and Spirit and leaders to guide us. You should keep in mind that “church” does not mean “brick and mortar facility.” It means “public assembly.” In John’s vision, no temple stands, but the assembly is still intact.
We learned about this distinction during the COVID pandemic. When congregations were advised not to return to gathering indoors, GS had “drive-in worship.” In the front yard of Jack and Beth Marchette’s home, he set up his old cotton wagon that he converted into a stage, and we set up speakers and our old pulpit, and God’s people drove up and parked to hear the Word preached and to participate in worship.There was no building – no roof or walls. But “the church” was there in that grassy field.
And shining brightly from us was a great light. What was that light that shined so brightly, and shines still today, not just from GS but from every true church according to God’s Word? In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus told the church, “You are the light of the world,” and John’s gospel, he described that light. John wrote, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”Jesus Christ Himself is that great light which the church possesses – just as He Himself is our sound security and He Himself is our warm welcome.
And on the Last Day, look how brightly His light will shine, verse [23], “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.” And verse [26], “They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.” People great and small – from all walks of life, all classes and ranks – will be gathered together before Christ their Savior and Lord. No more divisions, no more favoritism, no partiality. But wait – doesn’t Christ call His church to be that way right now? He has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light! Darkness is dispelled by God’s truth.
During these last days, the church is under great duress, God’s people are pulled away and pushed around by the world, and we can even be torn apart from within. The first century church experienced this as well. And Paul addressed it with the church in the ancient city of Philippi. He told them, “...be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” That light can and will shine brightly from each of us as we follow Jesus out in the world, but how much brighter does that light shine when we are all gathered here together?
Revelation 21 is clear on this fact: that God’s church is special and vital in our lives. Here, through all the means God has ordained and with the people He has redeemed, we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t miss the glorious opportunities which Christ delivers through His beloved church! Trust in Christ now to make you right with God. Leave sin and follow Him, put no confidence in your ability to make yourself right with God. Only trust in Him. And enjoy all the benefits He has for you in the assembly of His people.
Let’s bow in prayer.
In many cases, the fear of missing out is something we need to recognize and resist. We need to learn contentment, and we need to trust God in our situation. But FoMO is good if you’re afraid of missing out on something good – something you need – something that is God’s commanded will for your life, such as the fear of missing out on God’s blessing in the local church.
There have always been pressures and distractions tempting believers to distance themselves from the church. First century believers faced these pressures, and so the author of Hebrews said to them to hold fast to Christ, to keep encouraging each other, and to “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some.” They were compelled to abandon the covenant community, but they desperately needed it.
At some point in your own life – perhaps right now – you may think you don’t need the church. But to embrace that belief will expose you to great harm. God provides so much for His people exclusively in and through His church.
Now, I know that, collectively, the church appears to be in very rough shape. Some see the church as simply hopeless, antiquated, irrelevant, and hypocritical. But God doesn’t see His church the way the world sees it. He has bestowed certain things upon His church that are found nowhere else. And we need to see His church as He does.
As we do, a fear of missing out will stir within us and cause us to seek God along with His people according to His command. The rest of Revelation 21 describes how God sees His church, and with vivid symbols, Christ shows us these wonderful gifts which only the church possesses.
So, an angel who John recognizes from a past vision approaches him and says, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” Jesus spoke this way about His relationship with His church. The apostle Paul did as well. Christ is the groom and the church is His bride.
In the ancient world, a woman would become betrothed to a man before their marriage, and once betrothed, she would wait for the wedding day while the husband-to-be would go to his home and make things ready to bring his new wife to live with him there. Christ our groom has begun to prepare a place for His church, and during these last days we wait for His return.
We wait for the wonderful marriage supper of the Lamb described in Revelation 19, when all sin is removed and Christ receives His people.
Now look at verse [10], John says, “he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.” We learned at the beginning of chapter 21 that New Jerusalem is the Church. That’s abundantly clear in these verses also. What the angel shows John is a glorious sight – a city, verse [11] “having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” The city is pure and beautiful and has a wonderful brightness. This is the church on the last day. Sin is removed; only holiness remains.
You might think, “Oh, but that’s just the future. The church is nothing like that today.” But that’s not quite true. Hebrews 10 says that Jesus Christ, by a single offering, has perfected His people for all time, though we’re still being made holy day-by-day throughout our lives. We are in Christ and He is holy, therefore we are holy in Him even as we strive to be holy.
This is how God sees His church now. He sees what He has done and will yet do in us. And we should see His church this way as well.
But to do that, we need something. Notice again that the apostle John views the church from “a great, high mountain.” William Hendriksen writes, “Only when we stand on the high mountain of faith are we able to see the Church as it exists ideally.” By faith we see the church this way.
Without faith, we will miss the blessings the church possesses.
By sight, people ask, “What’s so unique about the church?” By sight, they say, “What does the church have that I can’t get somewhere else?” By sight, people think, “I don’t need the church to know God or walk with him.” But by faith, we recognize that the church is unique in the plans of God.
Now, the New Jerusalem in John’s vision has “a great, high wall” around it. Verse 14 says, “the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Then these measurements are given in verses 15-17. In short, the city is a perfect cube, with numbers we’ve already seen in Revelation that symbolize exactness and completeness.
Notice verse [18] again, “The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.” Exceptional value is implied. And verse [19], “The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel.” You see the jewels listed there.
What was the significance of the city wall in ancient times? It provided security. It created a barrier and gave protection. An enemy would have to breach the wall to cause harm. The higher the wall, the greater the protection. The thicker the wall – the firmer its foundation – the greater the protection. The foundation of this great wall is the twelve apostles. They were the first elders of the church and the first shepherds of Jesus’ flock. On them Christ established His New Covenant community.
And their primary contribution to the church – even to us today – is God’s holy written Word delivered through them. They told us of Christ and His work, and they guided the early church and interpreted the OT. Therefore in the church, the Word of God must be proclaimed clearly – not telling you what you necessarily want to hear but what you must hear to be saved and sanctified by the living God.
This is for your protection and your preservation.
John sees a wall that is strong, but also beautiful to behold and of tremendous worth. In Psalm 119 in the OT, the psalmist says to God, “The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” And Psalm 19: “the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold.”
You can read the Word of God at home, and you should. You can pray and look to Christ everywhere you go, and you should. But consider again what the writer of Hebrews told his distressed, distracted listeners. He didn’t say, “Just go your separate ways. It’s probably easier that way. We don’t need to be together to be the church. In fact, we’re more vulnerable this way. So give up meeting together and do things on your own.” No! He told them to stick together and encourage each other.
In fact, another way to translate what he said is, “Do not abandon the assembly.” Why? Because there is a sound security which only His assembly – His church – possesses.
In the church, through His Word preached, along with the administration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper – here, through the care and guidance of ordained elders and the service and sympathy of ordained deacons – here, through the prayers of God’s leaders and people – and here, where the shepherds and teachers “equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ – something foreordained by the living God will occur. We will “all attain to the unity of the faith and…the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
And through all that, there is a sound security that is ours – “we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” A sound security in and through Christ Jesus is available here in the church like nowhere else. And you can know that security with God’s people. Don’t miss the opportunity!
John also sees many gates in this wall. See verse 12 again, “twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed.” The names of the NT apostles are on the foundation, and the names of the OT tribes on the gates. This is just one symbol of the continuity from OT to NT. It’s a sign of the unity of God’s people – one people of God, OC and NC. And John sees gates offering entrance from every direction, verse [13], on the east, the north, the south, and the west.
In John 10, Jesus told His disciples, “I am the door of the sheep…If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture…I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me…And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” People come to Christ from all over the world – the four corners of the earth as Rev. has said.
In Romans 15, Paul tells the church, “Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.” There is a warm welcome which only His church possesses. It is a welcome founded only upon the person and work of Christ. Verse 25 says, “its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.”
But you should understand that while entrance is possible, not just anyone can come in. John sees many open gates, but the gates are guarded, and he says, “nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Jesus spoke about gates during His earthly ministry. In Matthew 7, He says, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” We see many people barreling wide open toward the wide gate. It’s so easy for them; it’s so natural. It just feels so right to them. They do so happily. Proverbs 14 tells us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
You don’t have to go that way, though. Do you know what is necessary for passage through the gate of Christ – for inclusion in His covenant community? Simply faith – faith in who Christ is and what He’s done. And true faith will result in a desire to leave sin and follow Jesus.
If the desire to turn from sin is not there, you should question if you have true faith in Him.
To enter through the narrow gate, you must be born again by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, and washed clean in the sight of God. Not everyone wants it, but the offer stands. It stands and it goes out to every nation, every tribe, every language. There is a warm welcome in and through Christ Jesus here in His church like nowhere else. And you can enjoy that welcome with the people of God. Don’t miss the opportunity!
Now, finally, There is a great light which only His church possesses. Verse 11 described the radiance of the church on the Last Day. But that light shines from the church even now. Look again at verse [22]. John says, “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” Old Jerusalem – earthly Jerusalem – had a temple for worship. The temple simply foreshadowed what Christ the Lord embodied. Christ is “Immanuel” – in other words, “God with us.” God’s presence is not confined to the temple.
This is actually where some people can get a bit mixed up. They reason that they don’t need to go to church or be part of the church to know God. But Christ established His church on the earth with His Word and Spirit and leaders to guide us. You should keep in mind that “church” does not mean “brick and mortar facility.” It means “public assembly.” In John’s vision, no temple stands, but the assembly is still intact.
We learned about this distinction during the COVID pandemic. When congregations were advised not to return to gathering indoors, GS had “drive-in worship.” In the front yard of Jack and Beth Marchette’s home, he set up his old cotton wagon that he converted into a stage, and we set up speakers and our old pulpit, and God’s people drove up and parked to hear the Word preached and to participate in worship.There was no building – no roof or walls. But “the church” was there in that grassy field.
And shining brightly from us was a great light. What was that light that shined so brightly, and shines still today, not just from GS but from every true church according to God’s Word? In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus told the church, “You are the light of the world,” and John’s gospel, he described that light. John wrote, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”Jesus Christ Himself is that great light which the church possesses – just as He Himself is our sound security and He Himself is our warm welcome.
And on the Last Day, look how brightly His light will shine, verse [23], “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.” And verse [26], “They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.” People great and small – from all walks of life, all classes and ranks – will be gathered together before Christ their Savior and Lord. No more divisions, no more favoritism, no partiality. But wait – doesn’t Christ call His church to be that way right now? He has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light! Darkness is dispelled by God’s truth.
During these last days, the church is under great duress, God’s people are pulled away and pushed around by the world, and we can even be torn apart from within. The first century church experienced this as well. And Paul addressed it with the church in the ancient city of Philippi. He told them, “...be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” That light can and will shine brightly from each of us as we follow Jesus out in the world, but how much brighter does that light shine when we are all gathered here together?
Revelation 21 is clear on this fact: that God’s church is special and vital in our lives. Here, through all the means God has ordained and with the people He has redeemed, we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t miss the glorious opportunities which Christ delivers through His beloved church! Trust in Christ now to make you right with God. Leave sin and follow Him, put no confidence in your ability to make yourself right with God. Only trust in Him. And enjoy all the benefits He has for you in the assembly of His people.
Let’s bow in prayer.
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