PROPHETICALLY CORRECT
…ABOUT ETERNITY
Revelation 20:7 – 22:5
Introduction
What happens after you die? It’s a question everyone wrestles with at one time in their life. While it’s a good question, it is based on an assumption that is untrue. People assume they are already alive… But they are not!
The Bible tells everyone who ever was born of human parents that they were born "dead in trespasses and sins." You are walking, talking, breathing, thinking, living… It’s hard to accept that you are dead while you seem so much alive. How can you be dead?
The Bible describes death three ways: There is physical death, spiritual death, and eternal death. We all immediately understand physical death. We do not all immediately understand spiritual or eternal death.
The best and simplest way to understand all three aspects of biblical death is to remember what God told our parents, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
Genesis 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
The moment they ate of it, they actually died – just as God warned. They died even though they remained alive. Adam and Eve died spiritually; they were separated from God by sin. Then they began to die physically; and without God’s intervention, they would have died eternally.
God’s intervention was to send Jesus Christ into the world of men. He offers spiritual life to any and all who would believe on Him for salvation.
Multitudes believe and receive eternal, spiritual life; the joy of Heaven awaits them! But multitudes refuse to believe and remain eternally, spiritually dead; the judgment of Hell awaits them.
Hell and heaven are the final topic in our series on prophecy. We’ll organize our thoughts around two points: #1 Eternal Death In Hell Is The Judgment Awaiting You Who Trust In Good Works To Save You, and #2 Eternal Life In Heaven Is The Joy Awaiting You Who Trust In God’s Work To Save You.
#1 Eternal Death In Hell Is The Judgment
Awaiting You Who Trust In Good Works To Save You
(20:7-15)
Let me bring you up to date on God’s prophetic calendar. We live in what is called the Church Age. The Church Age will end when Jesus Raptures the church. Then follows the seven year Tribulation on the earth – the last three and one-half years being sometimes called the Great Tribulation… Then follows the Second Coming of Jesus Christ at the Battle of Armageddon… Then follows the Millennial Kingdom - the one thousand year reign of Jesus on the earth.
At the end of the thousand-years two events occur: A rebellion and a review. You read about both of them in the closing verses of chapter twenty:
A rebellion will take place at the end of the thousand-years:
Revelation 20:7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison
Revelation 20:8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.
Revelation 20:9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.
Revelation 20:10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Multitudes of people are born during the thousand-year kingdom. Jesus will be ruling the earth from Jerusalem; you and I, in our glorified eternal bodies, will be ruling and reigning with Him. Conditions on the earth will be as close to perfect as possible. Why ruin things by releasing Satan? To give men, women, and children the free choice to love Jesus!
Satan is released. "Gog" and "Magog" are probably a reference to Satan’s chief leaders on the earth. Gog seems to be a demon king and Magog are a people, probably related in history to the ancient Scythians. These names appear in Ezekiel thirty-eight and thirty-nine as leading a coalition of nations against Israel. That battle occurs before the Second Coming of Jesus, at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. The reference to "Gog" and "Magog" here is not that battle.
Satan and his earthly leaders and the multitudes of unbelievers storm the "camp of God’s saints" and the "beloved city." God sends "fire" out of heaven to "devour" them! Satan is then cast into "the Lake of Fire," his final place of torment for all eternity. The "beast and the false prophet" were thrown in there at the very beginning of the thousand year reign of Christ.
Next, a review will take place:
Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
Revelation 20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
Revelation 20:14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Revelation 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
All those who have died trusting in something or someone other than Jesus to save them will stand before this judgment and have their "works" reviewed.
This is the Great White Throne judgment. The "sea," "death," and "Hades" all "give up" their dead. The sea and death probably refer to the location of the physical bodies of these dead; Hades is the location of their souls.
Books are opened. One is the Bible; Jesus once said, "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him; the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day." Another book is the Lambs Book of Life. It has written in it the names of all those who receive Jesus as their Savior.
A third book is a book containing the works of men. I take this to mean the good works they thought they could perform to work their way into heaven on their own merit. God keeps a careful record of your works if you are not a believer. In the end, He will review them. They will prove insufficient to get you into heaven.
The Lake of Fire is the final place of eternal torment for unbelievers. It is what we commonly call "Hell." No one is ruling there; it is not a kingdom, but an endless captivity and separation from the presence of life and light that characterize God.
God sends no one to the Lake of Fire. It is by their choice that they go there. God is love; but He is also holy and must judge sin. His love and His holiness are both satisfied by the death of Jesus on the cross. But you must believe God for your salvation. He is the Savior of all men - - especially those who believe.
You don’t have to go there!
#2 Eternal Life In Heaven Is The Joy
Awaiting You Who Trust In God’s Work To Save You
(21:1 – 22:5)
A heavenly city awaits believers. It is described in terms of its life and its light:
Revelation 21:1 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.
Sin affected everything in creation. The earth and the universe that surrounds it cannot simply be reformed; it must be transformed.
It’s interesting to me that many of our vacation dreams involve island or beach locations. We want to get away from home and hang out by the ocean. Not so in eternity - our home itself will be the most glorious place in eternity!
Revelation 21:2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
The New Jerusalem is the crowning jewel of the new creation - and it is your home! It is being "prepared" in heaven by Jesus, "as a bride adorned for her husband." The city is not the bride; you are. The city is an adornment that reveals the wonder of His love for you.
Revelation 21:3 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.
God’s original purpose for the human race will be restored - to enjoy a personal, face-to-face relationship with Him. Do you enjoy God?
Revelation 21:4 "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."
Revelation 21:5 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."
You’ve probably heard it said that there is very little description of heaven in the Bible. These two verses are all the description you really need! Life today is characterized by "death," "sorrow," and "pain." It produces "tears" and "crying." Jesus will "wipe away every tear." Have you ever had someone wipe away your tears when you were crying? It’s a tender gesture that only someone who is very close to you should attempt. It is symbolic of their desire to alleviate your sorrow. With Jesus, it’s not symbolic - it’s sincere in the truest sense as all of your pain and suffering come to an abrupt end. Everything will be made "new." You will have one final fresh start from which you will never need another. It’s "true" - because Jesus is "faithful" to keep His promises.
Revelation 21:6 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.
Revelation 21:7 "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
Jesus identifies Himself as the "Alpha and the Omega" four times in the Revelation. They are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; Jesus is everything God desires to communicate to you, both now and forever.
Jesus promises "the water of life freely to him who thirsts." He first made that offer in the Gospel of John. It is the offer of the life-giving Spirit to those who receive Him as Savior and Lord.
Believers are called "overcomers." First John 5:4 says you overcome by "faith" in Jesus Christ.
Absent from eternity will be all those who rejected His offer:
Revelation 21:8 "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."
This is a summary of the kinds of things unbelievers get entangled with. They rejected Jesus as Savior and Lord and were cast into the Lake of Fire.
Jesus offers eternal life. Eternal life is not just living forever; everyone will live forever. He offers eternal life as a quality of life, both now and forever.
The rest of our text describes eternity in terms of its light. Jesus - His glory - is the light of the city and of the universe.
Revelation 21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."
Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
You’re never told that the New Jerusalem is on the earth. It seems to hover over the earth!
Revelation 21:11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
Precious jewels and gems are construction materials in heaven! The city is built in such a way as to reflect the glory of Jesus. They have the correct properties needed to reflect His glory to every part of the new heaven and the new earth.
Revelation 21:12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
Revelation 21:13 three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.
The city is for the Church but its gates have the names of the "twelve tribes of Israel." It was through Israel that you and I were able to enter eternity. It is through the King of the Jews that the whole world is offered salvation.
Revelation 21:14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The "twelve apostles" are the foundation of your faith. Their teaching in the Word of God is the bedrock you live by.
Revelation 21:15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.
Revelation 21:16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.
Revelation 21:17 Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.
Our best guess is that the city is a cube. It may be more than four dimensional - which puts it in a realm I can’t really comprehend. If it were only four dimensional, it would measure about fourteen hundred miles in every direction. If it had, say, twenty billion inhabitants, then based on these measurements each of you would still have a block of space with seventy-five acres in every direction!!
Revelation 21:18 The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
Revelation 21:19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
Revelation 21:20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
Revelation 21:21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
Gemstones are rare, precious, and beautiful. We put them in settings and give them as gifts to those we love, to adorn them. The New Jerusalem is a magnificent setting, an adornment for you and I.
Revelation 21:22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
Revelation 21:23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
A "temple" is a place where men come to offer sacrifice in order to gain access to God. There will be no need for one in eternity. You will have immediate access to God; in fact, Jesus will be visible from any vantage point - like the daylight sun in our current universe.
Revelation 21:24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.
Revelation 21:25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).
Revelation 21:26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.
Revelation 21:27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
The New Jerusalem, while open to all, is especially the home of the Church for all eternity. Old Testament saints, angels, and any other created beings will inhabit the new earth and constantly be reminded of Jesus Christ’s love for you.
Revelation 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Revelation 22:2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Apparently there will still be calendars in eternity! Every month the "tree of life" will yield a different fruit. Adam and Eve chose to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil rather than the Tree of Life; it was a bad choice! In eternity we will eat of the Tree of Life -not from necessity, but to commemorate God’s gracious redemption of the universe after sin had entered it. Eating and drinking always speak of sharing intimate fellowship and relationship.
Revelation 22:3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
Revelation 22:4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.
Revelation 22:5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
Light is emphasized over and over. Life and light are the two things that elude mankind today. We build cities that imitate life and light - like Las Vegas. The life is empty at best, evil at worse; the light is artificial and always under assault from darkness.
That’s why you and I seek the future city whose builder and maker is God - with Jesus as its life and light.
Conclusion
The first Christian bumper sticker I ever put on a car said, "Ready or not - Jesus is coming!"
You read something similar in the closing verses of the Revelation of Jesus Christ:
Revelation 22:7 "Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book."
Revelation 22:12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Three times you are reminded that Jesus is coming, and that He is coming "quickly." "Quickly" here means both soon and suddenly. His coming for the Church in the rapture is soon, and once He comes the events we’ve discussed on God’s prophetic calendar will unfold suddenly.