Rev 21:1-8
SS Lesson for 05/22/2011
Devotional Scripture: 2 Cor 5:1-10
The lesson detail and outline came from a previous SS Lesson dated 05/13/2007. This week's lesson reviews how God is going to make All Things New. The study's aim is to realize that God deserves our praise, for He will make all things new. The study's application is to worship our Lord Jesus in spirit and truth because He will make our lives brand new.
If I Ruled the World
"If I Ruled the World” was a song made famous in America in the early 1960s by Tony Bennett. The lyrics opine that “if I ruled the world” things would be very different. Every day would be springtime, and every person would be singing a new song. There would be beauty, happiness, and sunshine everywhere. How much better everything would be “if I ruled the world”! On the negative side, ideas like this are a criticism of God. If there is a God, why doesn’t he make the world better? If God is good, why does his world have wars, famines, earthquakes, and floods? Why is there sickness, pain, and death? If only we could be God for a little while, we are tempted to think, we could make everything so much better. On the positive side, such ideas sound like they come straight out of the book of Revelation. In the new order of things, when the new Heaven and the new earth are finally what God really wants them to be, everything will be much better. Everyone will sing a new song (Revelation 5:9; 14:3). Joy and happiness will be in our hearts, because God will have wiped away every tear and banished every sorrow and pain. Instead of singing sappy songs about how we would rule the world, we would do well to pray all the more fervently, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
Lesson Background
In John’s great vision, events march toward a final showdown between good and evil. John foresees the day when God’s kingdom wins the final triumph (Revelation 19). Everyone will stand before God’s throne to be judged. The devil, the beast, and the false prophet—as well as death and Hades and all those whose names are not in the book of life—are thrown into the lake of burning sulfur (Revelation 20). So the slate of evil is wiped clean. The curse of the fallen world is lifted. As the smoke of battle clears from chapters 19 and 20, John sees a glorious new vista. In the new world, God’s people will be blessed with a new order of things. It will be a final paradise where everything is the way God wants it to be. All the sorrows, all the sufferings, all the persecutions are over. The drama of human history reaches its final act—and God gives victory to his people.
Ever since sin entered the world, humans have been trying to restore the conditions of the Garden of Eden. But a cursed earth refuses to yield to the schemes of cursed humanity. To be sure, the image of God has continued in men and has enabled them to achieve remarkable things. Yet every improvement is matched by some unforeseen evil by-product. The earth is made to yield more and better harvests, but catastrophes undo much of the progress. Floods, droughts, fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes, and tsunamis still exact a fearful toll. Medical advances and genetic research bring promise of longer and healthier lives, but medical side effects and resistant viruses counteract much of the progress. Computers have put volumes of information at our fingertips, but hackers implant viruses and steal vital personal information. Scripture tells us of God's plan for the future of His creation, and it assures us that He will yet transform it to accomplish His original purposes. The picture we find in Revelation 21 is more glorious than any of us dare to imagine. We all love new things. A new car or new clothes are reasons for rejoicing. We look forward to the change of seasons, for it provides a new environment. We are now in a season of spring. The spring season suggests new life as blossoms appear on the flowering plants and green grass begins to cover the earth. There is something fresh and beautiful about something new. It also indicates that the past is behind us. We have something new before us. This week we look at how our Lord will transform everything around us into something new. He will give us the New Jerusalem.
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
17 "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create,
22 "As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the Lord, "so will your name and descendants endure. 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me," says the Lord.
13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
During the Millennial Kingdom, sin and death had not yet been vanquished (Isa. 65:20; Rev. 20:9). Now John sees the creation of a new heaven and earth which differs fundamentally from the old order. In a word, the new creation is perfect. There is no more sin or death. Those who populate the new earth enjoy full communion with God.
The OT prophets saw glimpses of the eternal state. The Holy Spirit revealed through them that there would be a new heavens and a new earth (Isa. 65:17; 66:22) and that death would eventually be no more (Isa. 25:8; Hos. 13:14). But their visions of the eternal state were often intertwined with revelation concerning the Millennial Kingdom making it difficult to draw a clear distinction between the two (e.g., Isa. 65:17-20).1 Now, John is shown aspects of the eternal state which are markedly different from the Millennial Kingdom. Beginning with the first verse of this chapter, we are no longer in the Millennial Kingdom: there is no more sin, death, sea, or Temple.2
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth
The conjunction, now (καὶ [kai] ), connects what follows with the previous chapter. The creation of the new heaven and new earth is in response to the destruction of the previous heaven and earth which fled away and gave up the dead (Rev. 20:11). New is καινὸν [kainon] : “in the sense that what is old has become obsolete, and should be replaced by what is new. In such a case the new is, as a rule, superior in kind to the old.”3
An earth which no longer smarts and smokes under the curse of sin,—an earth which needs no more to be torn with hooks and irons to make it yield its fruits,—an earth where thorns and thistles no longer infest the ground, nor serpents hiss among the flowers, nor savage beasts lay in ambush to devour,—an earth whose sod is never cut with graves, whose soil is never moistened with tears or saturated with human blood, whose fields are never blasted with unpropitious seasons, whose atmosphere never gives wings to the seeds of plague and death, whose ways are never lined with funeral processions, or blocked up with armed men on their way to war,—an earth whose hills ever flow with salvation, and whose valleys know only the sweetness of Jehovah’s smiles,—an earth from end to end, and from centre to utmost verge, clothed with the eternal blessedness of Paradise Restored!4
The restorative work prior to the Millennial Kingdom was a regeneration (Matt. 19:28), not an entirely new created order as here. This is demonstrated by the fact that after the Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 20:4-6), the earth and sea still contained all the unsaved dead of history. Although the millennial earth was renovated in order to recover from the judgments of the Tribulation and to restore Eden-like conditions, sin and death remained and the earth, in one sense, remained unclean . In the conflagration of the first heaven and earth, sin and death are completely purged from the created order (Rev. 20:14).
It was revealed to the OT prophets that the first heavens and earth would perish (Ps. 102:25-26; Isa. 51:6) and be replaced by a new heavens and earth:
For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying. No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; for the child shall die one hundred years old, but the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed. (Isa. 65:17-20)
As we mentioned, the visions of the OT prophets often intermingled elements from both the Millennial Kingdom and the eternal state—the different elements sometimes being presented out of their chronological sequence. Isaiah saw the new heavens and earth, but went on to describe a blessed time which includes death and sin. These latter characteristics are incompatible with the eternal state:
Isaiah’s vision, while glimpsing the Kingdom age, the last ordered age in time, is projected into eternity. He saw the Millennium merging into the final state of bliss and having an everlasting feature to it, according to the Davidic Covenant (2S. 7:13, 16). So the prophecy employs language that although applicable to a degree to millennial conditions, will be fully realized on the regenerated earth, which will follow upon the postmillennial10 renovation by fire (2Pe. 3:10-13; Rev. 21:1; cf. Heb. 12:26-28).5
The prophets sometimes saw future events not only together; but in expanding their description of these events, they seem occasionally to reverse the time sequence in their record of the vision. An example of this may be seen in Isa. 65:17-25 . . . It is apparent, therefore, that Isaiah saw together on the screen of prophecy both the Millennial Kingdom and the Eternal Kingdom; but he expands in detail the former because it is the “nearest coming” event and leaves the latter for fuller description in a later New Testament revelation [Rev. 21:1-8].6
Some interpreters, insisting upon a strict chronological order for Isaiah’s vision, mistake the creation described as the regeneration of the earth prior to the Millennial Kingdom:
Most interpreters understand the new heaven and new earth to be postmillennial, as this description succeeds the account of the last judgment. It is necessary, however, in interpreting prophecy to take into account all that the rest of the prophets have written. If this is done, it will be seen that the new heaven and new earth are distinctly revealed to be premillennial9 in the only other passages which contain the prediction (Isa. 65:17-19. 66:22. 2Pe. 3:13). Every student of prophecy knows that there are numerous instances of prophecies given out of their chronological sequence.7
No matter whether the interpreter takes the creation described here to be before the Millennium or after, he is forced to accept a reversal in order between prophetic vision and historical chronology in some passage. Either Isaiah’s vision of the new heavens and earth preceding the Millennium is in chronological order or John’s vision of the new heaven and earth following the Millennium is chronological. They cannot both be true. Fortunately, God has not left us to guess at the answer. He has left us a key with which to solve this conundrum: the destruction of death. Since the destruction of the first earth results in all the dead being given up and Death itself cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:14), we can expect that death will be purged before the new earth is created. This is the chronological sequence of John’s vision: “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death . . . for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4). Since Isaiah’s vision included death (Isa. 65:20) after the new creation (Isa. 65:17), it cannot be in chronological order. Nor does it describe a renovation prior to the Millennial Kingdom:
But one objection may be made to the supposition, that the prophet is here depicting the state of things in the millennium; viz., that this description is preceded by an account of the creation of a new heaven and a new earth. The prophet appears, therefore, to refer to that Jerusalem, which is represented in the Apocalypse as coming down from heaven to earth after the transformation of the globe. But to this it may be replied, that the Old Testament prophet was not yet able to distinguish from one another the things which the author of the Apocalypse separates into distinct periods. From the Old Testament point of view generally, nothing was known of a state of blessedness beyond the grave. Hades lay beyond this present life; and nothing was known of a heaven in which men were blessed. Around the throne of God in heaven there were angels and not men. And, indeed, until the risen Saviour ascended to heaven, heaven itself was not open to men, and therefore there was no heavenly Jerusalem whose descent to earth could be anticipated then. Consequently in the prophecies of the Old Testament the eschatological idea of the new Cosmos does unquestionably coincide with the millennium. It is only in the New Testament that the new creation intervenes as a party-wall between this life and the life beyond; whereas the Old Testament prophecy brings down the new creation itself into the present life, and knows nothing of any Jerusalem of the blessed life to come, as distinct from the new Jerusalem of the millennium.8
We see the same mix of revelation concerning the Millennium and the eternal state in another passage in Isaiah which mentions the new heavens and earth:
“For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the LORD, “So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the LORD. “And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” (Isa. 66:22-24)
There is nothing in this passage of Isaiah which states that the new heavens and earth must precede the Millennium. It merely states that as the new creation will endure before God, so shall the faithful of Israel continue.
the first heaven and the first earth had passed away
Since the previous heaven and earth which passed away were the first (πρῶτος [prōtos] ), this is the first and only true creation of heaven and earth since the original creation (Gen. 1:1). Therefore, the regeneration (παλιγγενεσίᾳ [palingenesia] , again genesis) spoken of by Jesus was a restoration of the original creation which occurred prior to the Millennial Kingdom.
Since the heaven and earth of the Millennial Kingdom were the first, it is not possible to interpret the passages by Isaiah (Isa. 65:17; 66:22) and Peter (2Pe. 3:10-13) as describing a creation event before the Millennium. If that were so, this would have been the second heaven and earth that had passed away. Moreover, the earth of the Millennial Kingdom contained the dead of all history (Rev. 20:13) and so cannot be a new creation as described by Isaiah, Peter, and John.
An important aspect of the revelation given by Peter concerns the result of the conflagration of the first heaven and earth:
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2Pe. 3:10-13) [emphasis added]
Here is another evidence that Peter cannot be describing the renovation preceding the Millennial Kingdom. Peter informs us that the new heavens and new earth will be characterized by true righteousness. Unlike the millennial earth, there will be no sin or death.
With the passing of the first heaven and earth, we find fulfillment of Jesus’ predictions concerning the permanence of God’s word:
For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. (Matt. 5:18 cf. Luke 16:17)
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. (Matt. 24:35 cf. Mark 13:30; Luke 21:33)
The purpose of God, as set forth by His written word, extends not just beyond this life, but beyond this entire created order. His words are more certain than the physical reality around us. The temporal nature of this present world is to be a powerful motivator for the Christian to invest in heavenly priorities:
But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away. (1Cor. 7:29-31)
Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless. (2Pe. 3:11-14)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes
1 See Millennial Passages where we discuss keys to identifying millennial passages from those which describe the eternal state.
2 There may also be that there is no more sun and moon (see commentary on Revelation 21:23).
3 Frederick William Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 394.
4 J. A. Seiss, The Apocalypse: Lectures on the Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1966), 487-488.
5 Merrill F. Unger, Unger's Commentary on the Old Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2002), Isa. 65:17-25.
6 Alva J. McClain, The Greatness Of The Kingdom (Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books, 1959), 138.
7 Jerome Smith, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1992), Rev. 21:1.
8 Carl Friedrich Keil, and Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2002), 7:624-625.
9 Premillennial view- The premillennial view holds that Christ will return to earth literally and bodily prior to the millennial age (Rev. 19, 20). Upon His Second Advent, a kingdom will be instituted on earth wherein He will reign from Jerusalem on the promised throne of David. During this period, various promises associated with the OT covenants made with Israel will be fulfilled. These literal OT promises are not redirected to the church in the present age to be spiritually fulfilled. Although there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile in the manner of salvation, promises made to national Israel which remain unfulfilled will find their fruition during the reign of Jesus following His return to earth. The kingdom of God on earth is seen to be brought about by the dramatic and sudden intervention of God to actively overthrow the kingdoms of man and is not achieved solely through the spiritual work of the Church.
10 Postmillennialism view- “Simply put, postmillennialism is a view of eschatology teaching that Christ’s return to earth will occur at the end of the Millennium. . . . Postmillennialism . . . expects the gradual, developmental expansion of the kingdom of Christ in time and on earth. . . . Christ’s personal presence on earth is not needed for the expansion of His Kingdom. . . distinction should be made between liberals who promote a postmillennialism through humanism (i.e., the social Gospel of the past) and evangelical postmillennialism that promotes progress through the church’s preaching of the gospel and application of Mosaic Law. . . . Postmillennialism fails to account for the fact that if there is going to be a fulfillment of millennial conditions predicted in the Bible, it is going to be only as a result of a revolutionary intervention of Jesus Christ at His Second Coming in order to introduce new factors that are discontinuous with the present age.”
The newspaper ad of a house for sale read, “3br, 2ba, newer kitch, ocn vu.” Anyone familiar with real-estate jargon can translate 3br into “three bedrooms” and 2ba into “two bathrooms.” Ocn vu is plain enough: it means that if you climb on a chair in one of the bathrooms and look out of the upper corner of the window, you can view the ocean in the distance—easily adding $10,000 to the price! But what is a “newer kitch”? Kitch stands for kitchen, of course. But what about that slippery word newer? Newer than what? That bit of real-estate jargon means that the kitchen is not as old as the rest of the house. Thus it signifies that the house has had its kitchen redone sometime in the indefinite past. John tells us that the dwelling place he saw in his vision will not be merely newer—as a piece of real estate that had been updated a while back. Rather, it will be qualitatively new—different in every important way from what we have known before. Everything that could remind us of the pain and sadness of this old, fallen world will be completely gone. Our new, heavenly dwelling place will be really new!
You may wonder who will live on the new earth. The Bible does not specifically deal with this. However, 2 Peter 3:13 states that righteousness will dwell on the new earth. Revelation 21:24 says that "the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it (the New Jerusalem): and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it." It is obvious that the new earth will experience the peace it has found elusive throughout its long, violent history.
2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
Some suggest the sea is omitted from the eternal state because of its negative connotation. It was the sea, overflowing with rain and the fountains of the deep, which judged the world at the flood (Gen. 7:11). The sea covered Pharaoh and his army at the Exodus (Ex. 14:28). Leviathan, the fleeing serpent who would be slain, made his home in the sea (Isa. 27:1). The wicked are compared to the troubled sea (Isa. 57:20). The four vicious Gentile powers seen by Daniel arose from the sea (Dan. 7:3). The final beastly ruler, the Antichrist arose out of the sea (Rev. 13:1). Another possibility is that the sea represents the need of cleansing due to sin which will no longer be necessary in the eternal state.1
The lack of sea in the eternal state offers a helpful guide when interpreting the OT. In passages describing times of great blessing, if the sea is mentioned, then we know the passage cannot relate to the eternal state, but must describe conditions of the Millennial Kingdom.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes
1 “Water, for example, was used for cleansing—hence, the laver in the tabernacle and the sea in the temple. There is no more need for cleansing in the new earth, however.”—Henry Morris, The Revelation Record (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1983), Rev. 15:3.
2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
1 Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again.
10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,
12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
11 I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people
23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."
8 I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God."
10 and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.
13 Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you,
5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
6 And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful .
24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful .
14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.
I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
Freely is δωρεάν [dōrean] : “as a gift, without payment, gratis . . . undeservedly, without reason.”1 The water of life is redemption, portrayed in many different aspects throughout the Scriptures. “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness” (Zec. 13:1). These are the wells of salvation which Isaiah spoke about (Isa. 12:3). The water of life is only available from God, the fountain of life (Ps. 36:6). He is the “fountain of living waters” (Jer. 2:13).
In the wilderness wandering, Moses’ struck the rock (representing Christ, 1Cor. 10:4) from which life-giving waters came forth (Ex. 17:6). The promise of redemption by the Holy Spirit is compared to life-giving water (Isa. 44:3; John 7:37-38).
Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:10-14)
Those coming out of the Great Tribulation were led by the Lamb to living fountains of waters (Rev. 7:14). During the Millennial Kingdom, living water flowed from the Millennial Temple (Eze. 47:1, 8-9; Joel 3:18; Zec. 14:8). A pure river of water of life flows from the throne of God and the Lamb in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:1). The final invitation given by the Spirit and the bride in the book of Revelation is to take the water of life freely (Rev. 22:17).
Because redemption is infinitely costly, only God could pay the price. The price was the death of God in the person of the Son of God (Rev. 1:18). It was the Lamb who redeemed (ἀγοράζω [agorazō] , purchased) sinners from among men by His blood (Rev. 1:5; 5:9). Since the price has already been paid in full (John 19:30), no man can add to the finished work. To even suggest such a possibility is to devalue the life of the Son of God and declare His purchase inadequate. The joyous result of God’s work is that eternal life, which would otherwise be infinitely expensive, is now available simply for the asking:
Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Isa. 55:1)
This is the essential difference between religion and relationship. Religion looks to find, in the puny self effort of man, something of value to present before God by which man may be justified. Relationship sees man’s utter incapability and throws itself upon the grace and mercy of God, accepting that which God has already provided as a remedy. Self-righteousness, which is no real righteousness, is the primary stumbling block leading to God for it recoils at the idea that restoration to God is completely without cost:
Independent, rebellious man says the opposite—“Something in my hand I bring.” This is the one thing common to all systems of religion. They quarrel and fight to the death over the question as to what that “Something” is to be: but they are all at one agreement that it must be something. and as the weary conflict has gone on, and will continue to the end.2
If this gift is free, without cost, how can it be that so many refuse to accept it? The answer is found in their lack of thirst. It is free for him who thirsts! Do you know the Lamb as your redeemer? Are you thirsty for this water which will become a fountain in you springing up into everlasting life? It is available for the asking to all who come to Him in humility and need.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes
1 Frederick William Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 210.
2 E. W. Bullinger, Commentary On Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1984, 1935), Rev. 22:5.
8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
But the cowardly
Cowardly is δειλοῖς [deilois] : “timid [ones],”1 “persons showing fear in a shameful way.”2 The word is used to describe lack of faith (Matt. 8:26; Mark 4:40).
During the Tribulation, the Beast worshipers took his mark, partly out of fear of losing their lives (Rev. 13:15). They were among those who, because of fear, saved their lives, but ultimately lost both their soul and body in hell (Matt. 10:28). The wicked and lazy servant hid his talent in the ground out of fear rather than investing it for the Lord’s benefit. He was cast into outer darkness (Matt. 25:25; Luke 19:21). Those who deny Jesus before men, possibly out of fear, will not be confessed by the Son of Man before God and His angels (Luke 12:8-9). Many of the religious rulers believed in Jesus, but for fear of being put out of the synagogue by the Pharisees, would not confess Him. They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:43).
This passage concerns those who are among the unredeemed, it is not a threat that believers who struggle with fear at times are in danger of the Lake of Fire. Those who are born-again have not been given a spirit of fear, “but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2Ti. 1:7).
unbelieving
Unbelieving is ἀπίστοις [apistois] : ones without faith. Those who did not believe the truth are condemned (2Th. 2:12). Those who are unbelieving have a defiled mind and conscience. They often profess to know God, but by their works they deny Him (Tit. 1:15-16). Lack of faith in the Son results in eternal condemnation:
He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. (John 3:36)
He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. (1Jn. 5:10)
There are no unbelieving among the overcomers: “And this is the victory which has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1Jn. 5:4b-5).
abominable
Abominable is ἐβδελυγμένοις [ebdelygmenois] : “abhorrent, detestable [ones],”3 “loathsome [ones].”4 The passive participle indicates they have become abominable because they participated in activities which are considered abominable to God. They are considered unclean and, therefore, will never enter the holy city (Rev. 21:27). The cup which the Harlot held was full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication (πορνείας [porneias] , see below) (Rev. 17:4).
Abominable activities under the Law of Moses include: partaking of unclean animals (Lev. 11:10-42); homosexual behavior (Lev. 18:22; 20:13); bestiality (Lev. 18:23-26); improper consumption of an offering (Lev. 19:7); idol worship (Deu. 7:25-26); child sacrifice (Deu. 12:31; Deu. 18:10); offering an imperfect sacrifice (Deu. 17:1); worshiping other gods, including astral bodies (Deu. 13:13-14; Deu. 17:3-4); sorcery, witchcraft, soothsaying, interpreting omens (Deu. 18:12); cross-dressing (Deu. 22:5); offering money gained through sinful practices in the house of the Lord (Deu. 23:18); taking a woman back after having divorced (Deu. 24:4); and many more. All of these activities have a common attribute: they are behaviors which arouses God’s anger because they contravene His law. In this sense, abomination and rebellion are related. See commentary on Revelation 17:4.
sexually immoral
Sexually immoral is πόρνοις [pornois] : fornicating ones5 , used of a man who has sexual intercourse with a prostitute (1Cor. 5:9). The same root word describes the Harlot: πόρνης [pornēs] . During the Tribulation, the earth dwellers refused to repent of their sexual immorality (Rev. 9:21).
sorcerers
Sorcerers is φαρμάκοις [pharmakois] : “one who prepares and uses drugs for magical purposes or ritual witchcraft sorcerer, poisoner, magician.”6 During the Tribulation, the earth dwellers refused to repent of their sorceries (Rev. 9:21). See commentary on Revelation 9:21.
idolaters
Idolaters is εἰδωλολάτραις [eidōlolatrais] : those who take part in idol-worship or consult false prophets.7 Jezebel seduced God’s servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols (Rev. 2:20 cf. 1Cor. 10:19-20). See commentary on Revelation 2:20.
liars
Jesus told the Pharisees, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. . . . there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44). The coming of the lawless one, the Antichrist, was with all power, signs and lying wonders (2Th. 2:9). Those who continue to lie will ultimately fall prey themselves to lies: they will not come to the truth (2Th. 2:11-12). Eventually, their own conscience becomes seared (1Ti. 4:2). All who reject salvation are ultimately liars: “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?” (1Jn. 2:22). The truth of God has been made known to men through general revelation, but men actively suppress the truth (lie) in unrighteousness. Knowing the truth, they promote false ideas such as God doesn’t exist or that His existence cannot be known (Rom. 1:18). See commentary on Revelation 20:12.
shall have their part
Not having the Holy Spirit, these do not inherit the kingdom of God and, by nature, practice the works of the flesh (Rom. 8:1-5; Gal. 5:16):
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal. 5:19-21)
For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. (Eph. 5:5-7)
But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine. (1Ti. 1:8-10)
Those described by this list are ones who continued in these activities without repentance. In writing to the church at Corinth, Paul emphasizes the forgiveness which remains available for the godless in this age of grace, if they would but turn to God in faith and be cleansed of their sin:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1Cor. 6:9-11) [emphasis added]
the lake which burns with fire
Which burns is καιομένῃ [kaiomenē] , passive participle: the lake being presently burnt with fire. Emphasis is placed upon the ongoing reality of the fire. All the unsaved dead, who were not found written in the Book of Life , were cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:15).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes
1 Frederick William Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 173.
2 Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 105.
3 Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 138.
4 Friberg, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, 89.
5 Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 693.
6 Friberg, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, 397.
7 Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 221.
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
John’s first-century world was a place of brutality. As much as one-third of the population of the Roman Empire was in slavery. Perceived threats, such as the new Christian religion, were confronted with force. Much of the wealth was in the hands of a few; most of the people lived hand-to-mouth in poverty. Disease and famine were frequent; no one could hold back death for long. As Ecclesiastes 1:4–9 reminds us, generations come and generations go, but things don’t really change all that much. There is nothing new under the sun. Slavery still exists in many places; we still live in a world of fragile peace; disease and famine still take the lives of millions every year. Even with all the advances in medical technology, many never reach the age of 70 of Psalm 90:10. The way we were is the way we still are, and that is why we long for the new order of things. But things are going to change! The way our world is now is going to change into the way God wants it to be. He promises an everlasting kingdom. Everything wrong with the old fallen world will be fixed; every pain and sorrow will go away. In God’s world, there will be no sickness, no tears, no death. This wonderful new order of things is much like the original order of things, the way things were before sin entered the picture. God, who does not change (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17), has always wanted to provide a paradise of bliss for his people. Thus, the story of paradise lost is finally the story of paradise regained. Everything that God ever wanted for us—everything God ever promised to us—will at last be realized in Heaven.
This is a wonderful world God made, but it is wearing out and winding down. Sin stains every corner of it; like a rundown diner, it needs to be refurbished. Better yet, it needs to be demolished and rebuilt. Someday that will happen. According to this week's text, God Himself declares, "I make all things new." New. There is something thrilling about that. New car. New home. New bodies. I could use a new body. For the past couple of years, the one I own has been rebelling. I thought it was indigestion, but it was a heart attack. I thought my computer screen was dimming, but it was my eyes. And the things that I hear in the church foyer on Sunday morning are beginning to sound garbled. People know that if I give a strange response to their statement or question, it is because I did not hear it correctly. I will admit I am getting old. The Apostle John understood old. When he wrote the words of Revelation 21, he was probably in his eighties or nineties. God gave him a glimpse of the future, a foretaste of glory divine. Having lived through many years of the horrors of being persecuted by the Roman emperors and exiled on the island of Patmos, John must have been encouraged by his vision of the new world coming. He must have felt at a loss for words to describe it. It was so beautiful. How could such a glorious place be depicted? He described the holy city as a beautiful bride adorned for her husband, and his detailed description is awe inspiring. One might be tempted to respond, "Wow!" The new world will have everything we could ever want; yet John's emphasis was on what the holy city would not have. "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" (Rev. 21:4). I do not believe we will miss any of those things. But John says there will be something else missing in heaven: sinners, unbelievers. Every unbeliever has a right to refuse heaven. God will not force anyone to share the new world with Him. Still, He has commissioned His people to tell of the advantages of heaven so that everyone can enjoy it with Him. For almost two thousand years the faithful have tried to make the invitation clear. The holy city is an expensive place to live, but the price was paid by our Saviour. We can freely offer accommodations to all who will trust Him. Do not grow tired of sharing the good news and trying to convince loved ones and friends that God wants them in His family. It will be worth it all someday. No matter how difficult life may become for you, do not lose the joy of looking forward to your retirement home. But remember one thing. When you get to the heavenly city, it will not be the residence you will be most interested in. Your concern will not be the architecture or style. No, you and all the throngs of the faithful will long to see the Carpenter, Jesus.
1. Christ established a new world order that will be fully revealed in eternity (Rev. 21:1)
2. We believers are the bride of Christ; let us adorn ourselves in holiness for Him (vs. 2)
3. If the Holy Spirit dwells within us now, we should long to dwell personally with God one day in the holy city (vs. 3)
4. We can persevere through troubles now, knowing that in Christ's city there will be no more death or sorrows (vs. 4)
5. Christ has made all things new for us. We must walk by faith in His newness of life (vs. 5)
6. Faith rejoices in God; unbelief cowers from judgment (vs. 6-8)
We all enjoy getting something new. A new car is great; a new house is better. But what God has planned for Christians is a new life with Him in heaven. That is a radically different kind of new from anything we have ever known.
The first thing we need to understand is the meaning of the word "new" in verse 1. The Greek language has two main words that can be translated "new." One of them means brand-new. A car that just rolled off the assembly line would be described by this word. The other word for "new" means new with regard to quality. Someone who buys a reliable and proven older car from someone else might use this word. It is the latter word that is used here. The significance of understanding the meaning of the word "new" relates to describing accurately what God will do. It is not that the new heaven and earth (and the New Jerusalem) are brand-new. We could say they are refurbished. They are qualitatively different. God will restore His creation to what it was at its origin. Just as Eden was perfect, so the whole earth will again be perfect.
The word "tabernacle" simply means "dwelling place," and that is the idea here. God's dwelling place will be with His people. When Jesus was on earth, He dwelled with people. That is why one of the names prophesied about Him was "Immanuel" (Isa. 7:14). The Hebrew word means "with us [is] God." In the eternal state, our God will be with us forever. In fact, the greatest tragedy about hell is the absence of God. Yes, there will be terrible suffering, but the fact that no one in hell will ever see the face of Jesus is the worst thing possible.
Tears are often a sign of sorrow. While there may be tears of joy, tears usually show some kind of sadness. In the eternal state, God will end tears of sadness and the pain that goes with them. That is a tremendous thought to consider. Many of us have endured tremendous suffering in our lives. Some have been at the deathbed of a loved one who rejected Christ up to the very end. Yet one day sadness like that will be gone. As humans, for good or bad, memories are sometimes all we have. Yet God is able to erase the bad memories, which are rooted in sin of some kind. The future that we will enjoy with our Lord will be incredible. That is something to look forward to.
Our world is in turmoil. That is the case because of sin. But one day, when God makes "all things new," everything will be different. That will be the case because God has the ability to set all things right. He made everything good in the beginning, and He knows how to make it all good again! The statement "I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life" (Rev. 21:6) shows that God is able to overcome all the evil of this world to do what is good in His eyes. That is an incredible thought, but it is true. He is the "Alpha and Omega." He is all-powerful. There is nothing He cannot do. That is another reason He is worthy of our worship!