The End - Revelation chapters 21 and 22

Read Revelation chapter 21:1-5; chapter 22:1-5

1) Describe life in the New Jerusalem.

a) Rev. 21: 1-3, Rev. 22: 3-4 - See God face to face. After the tribulation, the Second Coming - The New Jerusalem comes down from heaven to the spotless new earth. Who dwells in the new Jerusalem? God Himself. After millennia of separation, God makes His home among humanity. God Himself will be in our midst. Do you know what that means? We can see Him, we can talk to Him, we can worship Him, we can praise Him, we can sing to Him – join the heavenly choir in singing praises with no song books, we can bask in His glory, take in His awesome majesty, or just stand there in awe at the wonder of it all.

b) Rev. 21: 4-5a – God will wipe away all tears. From now on, no more tears. Only joy/happiness.

c) No more death – What causes death? Diseases (cancer, heart disease, strokes, ALS, MS, Alzheimer’s – share about Uncle Travis/pancreatic cancer, Wayne liver failure age 22, Jimmy’s wife ALS mid-30’s). What else causes death? Famine, murder, war, terrorism (no planes crashing into buildings). None exist in New Jerusalem.

d) No more mourning - Mourning – long term sadness/depression. What causes you to be depressed? Stress, anxiety, fears, worry brought on by job related burdens (deadlines, quota to meet), financial burdens, parental responsibilities, spouse responsibilities. All these factors, individually or in combination, can lead to depression/cause one to be sad/melancholy for a long period of time. In New Jerusalem, there is no stress, no anxieties, no worries, no fears therefore no mourning/depression.

e) No more crying - What are some things that bring tears to your eyes? What causes you to cry? Saying goodbye – I hate saying goodbye to someone close who I won’t see for a long period of time. Ex. Family when I moved to Richmond. Nieces and nephews.

f) No more pain – What causes physical pain? arthritis, headaches, backaches, bursitis, tendonitis. What causes emotional pain? rejection. Feeling unloved, unwanted.

g) No more evil (Revelation 20 – From the beginning of time, followers of God have experienced suffering due to evil in the world. Many of them have looked to heaven and ask God for justice. In His Word, God made a promise to them: “Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord!” On Judgment Day, God deals with evil once and for all. Everyone who has suffered at the hands of evil from Abel to the present will be avenged. Satan and his followers are thrown into the Lake of Fire forever.

In New Jerusalem there is no more death; instead there is eternal life.
In New Jerusalem there is no more mourning/depression; instead there is eternal happiness.
In New Jerusalem there is no more crying, instead there is eternal laughter.
In New Jerusalem there is no more pain, instead there is eternal perfect health.
In New Jerusalem there is no evil, instead perfect holiness.

Read Relation 22:1-5

h) Healing of the nations - From the beginning of time, one group of people has shown contempt for another group of people – contempt has taken the form prejudice, racism, discrimination, segregation, genocide, wars between peoples. Ex. European vs. Asian, white vs. black, red vs. white, Russian vs. American, Jew vs. Arab, Irish vs. British, African tribe vs. African tribe. In New Jerusalem, this contempt/hatred between races, cultures, and nations will no longer exist. There will be a healing of all the nations – black, white, Asian, African, Arab, Jew, and all other races and nationalities will experience healing under the leaves of the tree of life. All nations, tongues, and tribes will be as one worshipping and praising God.

i) No more curse – vs. 3. After man fell in the garden God did a lot of cursing. He cursed the serpent to slide on its belly and eat dirt; He cursed the woman to have a painful childbirth; He cursed the earth with thorns, thistles, weeds, poison ivy, etc.; He cursed man to labor and toil for his food. These curses produced stress, anxiety, fear, worry, pain, and ultimately death. In New Jerusalem, curse is no more. No pain, no stress, no toil, no anxieties, no poison ivy, no death.

j) No more night/darkness – When are we most afraid? When it’s dark. Darkness instills fear. When light comes fear goes away. In New Jerusalem, there is no night/no darkness. There is always light. Light is not provided by a candle or the sun. Both temporary sources of light. Light provided by the glory of God Himself.

Who are the ones enjoying life in the New Jerusalem? Rev. 21:27 says it is the ones whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. How do you get your name in the Book of Life? You must be born again. How do I do that? John 3:16. For those of you whose names are already written in the Book of Life and you are going through the storms of life (heartache, depression, sickness, pain.) Know that it is only temporary. The bad things do not last forever.

2) What warning does John give in Revelation 22:18-19? A warning to anyone who will add to or take away any words written in the book. There will be serious consequences.

3) Revelation 22:20-21. How does the Book of Revelation end? Jesus saying He is coming soon. John saying come on back.
4) You are a member of one of the 7 churches of Asia. What could you have gained from hearing John’s visions of heaven, beast, false prophet, the Great Tribulation, Armageddon, Great White Throne Judgment, and the New Jerusalem?

Encouragement, hope, faith.

The world the seven churches lived in. Ruled by a beast (Domitian). Head of a world-wide empire. Capital - Rome. Ruled over many nations. Much like Babylon the Great - mother of harlots and abominations. One world currency – had face of emperor and an inscription proclaiming his deity. Christians refused to worship Domitian. They had a negative view of Rome. Greatly persecuted. Seemed hopeless. Evil was triumphant. The Enemy was winning. 60 years had passed since Christ ascended into heaven and promised to return. They were in desperate need of hope. The Book of Revelation offered that hope.

5) Today, what do you gain from reading John’s visions of heaven, beast, false prophet, the Great Tribulation, Armageddon, Great White Throne Judgment, and the New Jerusalem?

Worship, the beauty of heaven, power of the Enemy, greater power of God, danger of pride/hearts hardened toward God, perseverance in times of adversity, value God places on living out our faith (godliness), bonuses of citizenship in the New Jerusalem, impetus for witnessing.

Read 2 Peter 3:3-14