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Summary
We are reminded that this present world is not our home, and that God has prepared something far greater for those who trust in Christ. Revelation 21 unveils five new realities awaiting believers in the eternal kingdom: a new creation, a new city, a new presence, a new peace, and a new protection — all grounded in the faithful and true character of God.
Key Lessons:
- True believers are pilgrims on this earth, and a growing discomfort with the world is a sign of spiritual maturity, not something to be ashamed of.
- God’s eternal purpose — to dwell with his people in unhindered fellowship — runs from Genesis to Revelation and will finally be fully realized in the new heaven and new earth.
- The new creation will bring the complete eradication of sin’s effects: no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, because God himself will wipe away every tear.
- Entry into the eternal kingdom is not by human effort or philosophy, but only through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, the only gate into God’s kingdom.
Application: We are called to hold our tent pegs loosely in this earth, press forward in faith, cultivate a homesickness for heaven, and share the invitation for others to come to Christ before it is too late.
Discussion Questions:
- In what ways do you feel like a stranger or pilgrim on this earth, and how does that feeling connect to your faith and hope in God’s promises?
- Which of the five new realities — new creation, new city, new presence, new peace, or new protection — stirs your heart the most, and why?
- How can meditating on the eternal kingdom practically change the way you live, work, and relate to others this week?
Scripture Focus: Revelation 21:1-8 is the central passage, revealing five new realities of the eternal kingdom. Supporting passages include Hebrews 11 (believers as strangers and exiles), John 14:1-3 (Jesus preparing a place), 2 Peter 3 (the destruction of the old creation), Isaiah 65 (the promise of new creation), Romans 8 (groaning for redemption), and Psalm 23 (God’s presence through the valley).
Outline
- Introduction
- Homesick for Heaven
- The Promise of a Prepared Place
- The Desire for the Eternal Kingdom
- New Reality #1: A New Creation
- New Reality #2: A New City
- New Reality #3: A New Presence
- New Reality #4: A New Peace
- The Effects of Sin’s Curse Removed
- Three Declarations and Two Promises
- The Gift of Salvation: Come and Drink
- New Reality #5: A New Protection
Introduction
Let me have a word of prayer and then we’ll begin. Let’s pray.
Father, this morning we do thank you again for bringing us together. I pray, little father, you’d be with those who are on vacation this week. I pray that you would give them rest as they start thinking about September and all the activities that go on then.
And I pray, Lord, you’d bring us back again to worship and to praise you, to learn your word, and to become servants in Christ’s church that are humble and that could be used by the Holy Spirit of God at any time. I just thank you, Lord, for your kindness and blessing to us, especially, Lord, in you giving us new things.
Things that, Lord, even our mind can’t fully comprehend, but you, because of your word, you tell us these things will take place. And I pray, Lord, as we think of them, I pray it would bolster our faith. It would cause us to go the next step, the next mile, and to endure this race that we’re in as a Christian and finish well at the end.
And I pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.
I think everybody likes new things.
I remember I was 17 years old and I went and bought a brand new car. You say, “How did that happen?” My parents didn’t help me. I would get up at five o’clock in the morning since I was 12 or 13 years old and deliver papers. I had a paper route, and then I had to go collect the money from the people. That was harder than the paper route—collecting the money.
But anyway, I did save up enough to buy a brand new car, and it was a Chevy Vega and it was $2,400, brand spanking new. That’s a thing in the past and that does age me a bit. But the thing is that new things—when you get in a new car or you get new clothes or you have a new house—new things are kind of exciting and we look forward to it.
But what about a new creation? What about that?
Homesick for Heaven
This Lord’s day, we’re going to look at what the Bible says about the new creation. It’s my hope that these scriptures will stir your heart so that you would be a little bit more homesick for heaven and a little bit more dissatisfied with your present existence on the earth.
Now that may sound strange, but if you even become a little bit more dissatisfied, then you’ll be in a long line of godly men and women who have gone ahead of you. It is not unusual at all for a spiritual pilgrim while on this earth to arrive at a place where they genuinely feel that they don’t fit and they’re not home yet.
Do you feel like that? Have you ever felt like that since you’ve come to Christ? Do you really feel comfortable on this earth? For some reason, you never really feel quite at home.
Well, listen to what it says in Hebrews 11. It says, “All these died in faith without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”
After traveling over the Middle East and Palestine, these godly men and women never felt quite at home. That’s because for them this present earth could not satisfy them. The reason why is because they caught a glimpse by the eye of faith of the beauties of the promised city of God.
So those who believe in God’s promises by faith had a desire for a dwelling place that was eternal. Again, the book of Hebrews tells us this: “But as it is, they desired a better country, that is a heavenly one. And therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God because he has prepared a city for them.” So by faith, they were eager for something beyond this earth.
While this is an unnatural way to think, this is the very thing that God begins to work in our hearts—a feeling that we shouldn’t put our tent pegs too firmly in the ground on this earth because we’re just not home yet.
“God begins to work in our hearts a feeling that we shouldn’t put our tent pegs too firmly in the ground on this earth because we’re just not home yet.”
We’re just not home yet. You and I are just pilgrims passing through. God has a work for each and every one of us to do until that time. While we’re doing that, we’re looking ahead because God’s prepared a home for us—much different than right here. Just like the bluegrass singers write, this is a mighty world we live in, but the truth is we’re only passing through.
So when you get home, you can do all the resting you want.
The Promise of a Prepared Place
We’ll all have a Sabbath rest as the Bible calls it. And when we’re there, we’ll be with the Lord forever. And remember from the scriptures that the kingdom of God is a real place for real true worshippers to enter into it. And Jesus reminded his disciples of this when he was leaving this earth.
He said, “Don’t be sorrowful. I go and prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, and where I am, there you may be also.”
See, that’s a promise that God gives us. Not only his immediate disciples, but us today receive the same promise. Jesus informs his disciples that they would come where he was going, not at that moment, but at some time in the future. He’s preparing a place for them, a place where they can enter into and dwell with him forever.
“Jesus informs his disciples: I go and prepare a place for you, and I will come again and receive you to myself.”
That was always the promise in the word of God for his people. According to God’s word, the eternal kingdom, the kingdom of heaven is not a delusion. It is not a fantasy. It’s not an illusion. It’s a very real place in scripture.
God dwells in heaven. The Savior ascended into heaven and is preparing a place for all those who will follow him. All who will proclaim him. All who will persevere in him until the day they go and be with him.
He is preparing a place for us. Now in the last chapter of Revelation, chapter 20, we saw the destiny of the doomed and the lost—the lake of fire. In this chapter, we begin to see and probe the destiny of the final home of the redeemed, and that is the eternal kingdom of God. This is the end of God’s program.
The Desire for the Eternal Kingdom
And it’s been my observation that not everyone is eager to go to the kingdom of God. Not everyone is eager to go to heaven. Perhaps they fear the unknown, or perhaps they didn’t receive much teaching on it or really never thought much about it.
They don’t know what is beyond the grave, and they’re all right with that, but they try not to think about it. It could be that they’re having so much fun on earth that they don’t want to leave it. They’re putting all their marbles in this basket, the earth, and they don’t desire to see Jesus. They don’t have any desire for the Father’s kingdom.
These scriptures this morning should cause you to re-examine that kind of thinking. Revelation tells us in chapter 22 that there’s a Christian hope and desire that God starts implanting in our hearts. What is it? It’s this: they will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads.
The point is, Christians want to see the Lord. Now we see him by faith, but we want to see him in reality. That’s where scripture is going to bring us. But if you’re not in scripture and you’re not under the word of God and you’re not thinking about these things, you don’t think like that.
“Christians want to see the Lord. Now we see him by faith, but we want to see him in reality.”
God wants to transform our minds so we would know the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The Bible gives us enough information to deepen our desire for such a tangible place—a place that is secure, stable, permanent, and eternal.
It is a great, immeasurable city, the Bible tells us, and has been prepared for God’s children. It’s our very own residence. The final chapters of the Bible ought to really stir every blood-bought believer, every saint, to become a little more homesick for the kingdom of God. Homesick for the end of the story. Homesick to see Christ face to face.
This desire will make us grow more in Christ-likeness. The more we grow in Christ-likeness, the more we will grow to see Christ and be ready for that time. Even Romans 8 tells us, “And not only this, but we also ourselves, having the first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting eagerly for the adoption as sons and the redemption of our bodies.”
What a natural thing for a believer to think that we’re not to feel comfortable on the earth. Paul says, “For me to live is Christ and to what? To die is gain.” We kind of grow in our spirit to want to go away from here to be with Christ in the eternal kingdom of God. This is really quite natural for growing in Christ-likeness.
Don’t ever think it’s strange that you feel strange on the earth. Don’t think it strange that you feel sometimes alone on the earth. Don’t think it’s strange that you feel like you never really are comfortable on the earth, because that’s exactly the way you ought to be feeling as you grow in Christ and as you understand more of the word of God and our relationship to him.
The more you see what’s going on in the world, the more you say there’s something drastically wrong and I’m not too comfortable anymore to even view those things or hear those things. You turn the news on for a half hour and you’re totally discouraged, right? All the stuff going on and all of the quick information that we have at our fingertips. Three earthquakes just happened this past week. Tsunamis coming, wars all over the place. This is crazy stuff, and we have too much information.
If we don’t have biblical information on our mind, we can quickly get depressed. In Revelation 21, John describes our house as a city. He describes it as a place of corporate living—a city with walls and gates and streets and a river with buildings and people.
It will be a perfect place. It will be a place without flaw. It will be a very different place than we’re used to here. It will be a brand new place unlike what we’re used to today on this earth.
In fact, if you look at Revelation 21:5, it says this: “He who sits on the throne says, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And he said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’”
The whole scripture has been pointing to this very moment so that God’s original purpose can come to pass. Now, as sin and its effects are totally eradicated, totally gone, totally in the past. Everything will be new for all those who know Christ.
I really want you to look this morning at five new realities regarding the state of believers. Here’s the first one: a new creation.
Revelation 21:5: “He who sits on the throne says, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’”
New Reality #1: A New Creation
Here’s the first reality: there will be a new creation, and this creation will be prepared for us. Look at Revelation 21:1. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.”
From this passage, there will be an amazing transition that’s going to take place. The term “passing away” actually means to go away, and the Lord will get rid of the old and make it all new. The old heavens will be completely destroyed, and in their place God will make a new heaven and a new earth.
Just as it says in 2 Peter, “But according to his promise we are looking for a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” Could you imagine that? To be in a new heaven and new earth where there’s nothing but righteousness, there’s no unrighteousness.
God has promised something. But that’s a real old promise. In fact, Isaiah in the Old Testament told us about this promise. He writes, “For behold, I create a new heaven and a new earth. And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.” That was in Isaiah 65:17.
We’re talking about 700 years before Christ. That was already in the mind of God and ready to be embedded in the mind of the people of God. God always wants his people to know that these new things are coming.
So according to Isaiah, the things that have gone before us are not even going to be remembered.
The Destruction of the Old Order
Second Peter also says this: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up.”
So the heaven and the earth will pass away. They will disappear and it will happen in a roar with the whizzing sound of the rapid destruction of something where everything is dissolved.
In fact, the Greek word in Peter for “pass away” means to loosen up—that God loosens up what keeps everything together. Some said that this maybe is the nuclear glue that keeps atoms together without them breaking apart. But here they come loose.
And the passage really specifically says that the elements will come loose. The word “elements” comes from the Greek word that means to stand in a row. The elements include the earth, the air, the fire, the water, the sun, the moon, the stars, the atomic particles.
They’re all destructive of nature and they will simply disintegrate. They will burn up. They will break loose from each other. God’s keeping it together.
And when God says you’re done, it all falls apart.
So consequently from the passage of scripture in Peter and in Revelation, heaven and earth will be completely destroyed. Heaven and earth will now have a new heaven and a new earth. There will be a totally new creation.
“God’s keeping it together. And when God says you’re done, it all falls apart.”
No More Sea: No More Separation
Now look again at Revelation 21:1. At the end of the verse, it says, “And there will no longer be any sea.” You ask what’s that? What does that indicate? Well, there have been many, many interpretations to this, but I think that it goes along with the creation.
Just remember, let’s think about the sea for a minute. The sea naturally divides great continents. They divide the earth into sections. All the nations right now are separated from each other.
The Bible is saying here that in the new heaven and the new earth there will be no natural boundaries that will divide mankind from each other. Also, the hydrological system will not be needed anymore according to the word of God because the ocean will no longer be needed to supply evaporation through the clouds and rain and rivers and springs.
The point is that people and animals, whatever they need—be it water or anything else—they will eventually get it from the throne of God.
If you look at Revelation 22:1, it says this: “Then he showed me a river of the water of life clear as crystal coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
So here there are no seas. There’s no need for the separation of the nations or of peoples. Instead, there’s a coming together.
We get the sense from the scripture that this place will be nothing like what we have known here on the earth. Everything will be new. There will be a new heaven, a new earth, a new city, the holy city Jerusalem.
“There will be a new heaven, a new earth, a new city, the holy city Jerusalem. Everything will be entirely new.”
New Reality #2: A New City
There’ll be a new creation. We’ll look more about that in the next chapter. But the next thing, the second thing that we will look forward to as believers in Revelation 21:2 is a new city.
And look what it says in verse two. “And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” So the city of the bride, the city that comes down from God’s heaven, made ready and put in order, is a holy city. It is a prepared city. It is an adorned city. It’s a beautiful city that the holy city is a bride who has been brought back to her husband’s love and rebuilt with precious stones.
The new Jerusalem will be the heavenly home of Christ’s bride, which is not only the church, but all the people of God. The people of God will be there. And it will be the home of the glorified saints. And the Lord Jesus Christ has been preparing this place for a long time. He’s been looking forward to this time. He’s been looking forward to this event.
So God’s heaven, a new heaven and earth are joined together and made one. That heaven and earth are finally united again. No separations. And God sovereignly now reigns in that place.
No separation between God and people. No separation between people and nations with big water masses in between. And just like a faithful husband dwells with his wife and prepares for her, God now dwells with his people. And so he creates the new Jerusalem.
It is a much better way to live life than looking backward or dragging your past into everything you do. Even Paul says, “I press on leaving those things behind. I press forward.” See, that’s a biblical way of thinking. And that’s the goal. That’s what we ought to be doing as believers, to be pressing forward.
If there’s too much living in the past, it will not be healthy for you physically, spiritually, emotionally, or any other way.
“The whole word of God has been looking forward to what will be, and that’s what we ought to be doing.”
New Reality #3: A New Presence
See, we ought to go forward. We ought to look ahead of ourselves, for the whole word of God has been looking forward to what will be, and that’s what we ought to be doing. There is definitely a new city. But thirdly, I want you to notice there’s a new presence.
This next verse right here perhaps is the most significant passage in all the word of God. The reason why is because it makes the most fascinating pronouncement. The pronouncement tells us that God will dwell with his people and the saints will dwell with their God.
The saints will enjoy unbroken fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ forever. We will become really homesick when we grasp the reality that there will be these new conditions prepared for us in that place.
Look at this third condition that we will enjoy: a new presence in verse three. Note this in your Bibles: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be among them.’”
This passage really says the same thing in several different ways. John was rattled by this loud voice that comes from the throne of God from heaven. He heard probably the most important announcement ever proclaimed from heaven. It says this in verse three: “Behold the tabernacle of God is among men.”
Now the tabernacle is really simply a word that means to pitch a tent. We first heard this particular word in John 1:14 where it says, “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and full of truth.”
So the word “dwelt” really means that Jesus came to the earth. He pitched his tent here for a short period of time. He tabernacled amongst his people. This means that God comes to his people. He walks with his people. He is present with his people in the person of Jesus Christ.
But that doesn’t mean that the whole program is done when those things took place. Obviously, we know it wasn’t finished yet.
Here in the passage, God comes to dwell with us, but pitching a tent is a bit misleading because it seems to suggest a temporary thought. This is more than just pitching a tent. This is a permanent dwelling. This is God coming to earth.
This new earth is the kingdom of God, with the earth coming together with no separation and God tabernacling amongst people. He comes to the earth with them, and it says in the second part of the verse that God will be a personal companion to his people.
Notice what it says in verse three: “They shall be his people.” People used in a plural sense means in eternity all ethnic and racial distinctions will disappear and we will be one people. There will be no boundaries, and God will be among those people. God is there, and that is going to be the joy of our hearts.
Really, the great thing about the new heaven and the new earth is Christ is there. God is there in his fullness. We’re there in resurrected bodies that can be in the glory of God without being destroyed. That is the great thing about it.
“The great thing about the new heaven and new earth is Christ is there — and we’re there in resurrected bodies that can be in the glory of God.”
God’s Plan to Dwell with His People
Matthew told us the name Emmanuel means God with us. It’s always been in the mind of God for these things to take place. And we will enjoy a new intimate personal union and communion with our God. That’s what we’re going to be doing.
Here’s the full and final working out of what God intended from the beginning: that he would dwell with us with no hindrances, with no obstacles, with no fences, and nothing that is going to stop us from worshiping him, from dwelling with him. It has always been God’s intention to dwell with human beings, who are the highest creation from the hand of God. It’s always been his intention to walk with his people, and we see that from Genesis to Revelation—he has been desiring to do that.
We see that in the garden. God walks with Adam and Eve until sin came in and separated them from God.
Then we see Israel set up camp. Later on, God dwelt with Israel in the tabernacle in the wilderness. The tabernacle was in the middle of the camp. All the tents around that camp could go out their front door and see the glory of God, the Shekinah glory of God. They knew God was present with them. That didn’t last long either because of the people’s disobedient sin.
Then the Bible tells us that God dwells in the body of his people, the church, by his spirit. It says, “I will be with you.” That was the beginning of it. And then in the millennial kingdom, God dwells in the New Jerusalem on the new earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That also ended.
It’s always been God’s plan to dwell with his people and have us dwell with him in unhindered fellowship and worship. All believers will ultimately dwell in God’s presence and enjoy him forever. That’s why we ought to start right now enjoying the Lord and worshiping him. Even with all the obstacles we have, even dealing with remaining sin and the sin that’s in the world, we still always have to pursue this and look forward because God’s presence is the focus in this passage of scripture.
It will immediately affect our condition and also the reward that we will receive now and in all eternity.
“It’s always been God’s plan to dwell with his people and have us dwell with him in unhindered fellowship and worship.”
The Bible is telling us we will dwell in a city that looks like a charming virtuous bride. We will dwell in a city in which God tabernacles amongst his people. We will dwell in a city of grace and glory. We will dwell in a city and also enjoy lasting peace.
New Reality #4: A New Peace
And that brings me to the fourth condition to look forward to in verses 4-7.
A new peace will encompass his people. And what’s that going to be? Well, because we are in the presence of the prince of peace, there will be an absence of the usual unpleasant things that we experience every day on this earth. Look at verse 4 of Revelation 21.
It says, “And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be any death. There will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain. The first things have passed away.”
Is that not an encouragement that God will wipe away the tears of suffering and sacrifice, that the destructive effects of sins will be removed completely? Just think for a moment about all the illnesses and the sufferings and the sorrow and the loss you and I go through in these bodies and on this sin-cursed, sick world. Earthquakes, hurricanes, natural disasters are all a result of the creation groaning because of sin. Even creation itself wants to be set free.
But it’s not going to happen yet. Not until there’s a new heaven and new earth. There will be earthquakes. The Lord Jesus told us in the gospels there will be wars. There will be death until God completes his program.
That sin came into the world and with it, it brought death. These things have wreaked havoc in every nook and cranny of this particular universe. Every day of our lives, we feel the effects of living in a fallen, sinful world.
That’s why we don’t feel at home because sin robs us of what we gain every single day. It happens to us. But think about your life. I think about my life.
We’re on the mountaintops very few times in our lives. We spend a lot of time in the valley.
Even King David wrote, “I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” So he knew what it meant to walk in the valley. He also knew that God was with him. And he knew that at the end God would give him what he desired—that he would dwell in the house of the Lord forever. That’s Psalm 23, the most famous psalm in the world.
But if you look at the details of it, you say, “Wow, he understood something. He knew something.” And that’s something we all need to know.
Psalm 23: “He knew that at the end God would give him what he desired — that he would dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
The Effects of Sin’s Curse Removed
Well, all this happens because men disobey God and we’re cast out of his presence.
Why do we have all the problems that we have? Because we don’t obey and follow what God says. See, that’s actually what sin is.
We reap the results of what we sow.
But it won’t be so in the eternal kingdom.
And that’s the hope we have.
He’s going to wipe away every tear.
And if you look back at verse 4, it says, “These first things have passed away. They’re gone. They’re done.” Even Isaiah again tells us, “And sorrow and sighing will flee away.” If we want to conclude what it says there in Isaiah and in Revelation, it means that we’re going to be happy and joyful all the time.
Now, that’s hard to understand right now. We can’t even say amen to that. Instead, we have to say, “Oh, me.” Because we’re not happy all the time.
But one day we will be happy always and we’ll never have to attend another funeral or visit someone in the hospital or the nursing home or sit by the bed of someone dying of cancer or some disease or getting a phone call at night about some tragedy that happened to one of your loved ones.
In fact, we won’t even get a common cold.
The heavenly place will be absent from everything that could possibly bring a tinge of sorrow or pain to the heart, to the mind, to the body, to the soul. No war, no poverty, no injustice, no hunger, no starvation. That’s what God promises.
That’s what we’re to look forward to.
That’s the hope that we have.
“One day we will be happy always and never attend another funeral or sit by the bed of someone dying — that’s what God promises.”
That’s what he’s preparing for us. We have to conclude what a great God we serve. What a good God we serve to even tell us this. He gives us this in the word of God. So we’re not ignorant of the truth of what will be.
Three Declarations and Two Promises
Now, how do we know that we’ll even have these new conditions or experience these new conditions? Well, the Bible answers that there are three declarations coupled with two promises in verses 5 and 6. Notice what it says. Look at your Bibles. It says in verse 5, “And he who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And he said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’”
See, the sovereign God and ruler of the universe declares three final things. Here’s the first declaration. Notice what it says: “I am making all things new.” In other words, nothing of the old sinful world will remain to remind us of the former pain and suffering and the things that sin has caused.
These declarations are all based on something. They’re based on the true and faithful character of God. You can’t base anything better than on that.
The sure, reliable word of God that the writing here is intended to increase the longing of our hope. Because of the divine certainty of God’s reliable words, he reveals his character. Not only that, but we also know of his historical actions from the past, the present, and the future. In other words, everything—all things that God said would come true has come true and will come true.
That should encourage us on our earthly journey to endure and do the work of God.
There’s a second declaration in verse 6, and it says this: “He said to me, ‘It is done.’ It is done.”
That’s the declaration. He says, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.” So God’s revelation from the first to the last letter, all history from start to finish—the Lord is over both ends of history. He started it, he will finish it. And everything in between, he’s involved with. See, that’s what God’s done. He doesn’t leave anything undone.
There are also three other times in Scripture that this term “it is done” has been used. It’s been used at the cross. What did Jesus say?
Jesus had received the wine and he says, “It is finished.” And he bowed his head and gave his spirit. In other words, he finished the job of redemption in his first coming. Nothing else has to be done anymore. It was complete.
“He finished the job of redemption in his first coming. When you receive Christ, you get a full package of redemption — a complete salvation.”
Christ had come to bring salvation. And when you receive Christ, you get a full package of redemption. It’s a complete salvation.
A second time it’s used in Revelation about the wrath of God being finished. Another time in Revelation it talks about the wrath of God being finished. It’s over.
The Gift of Salvation: Come and Drink
So all those things in this declaration means that it’s over. It’s done. The finality of God’s proclamation is actually a very sweet one that God has brought us to the dawn of a new age, the eternal kingdom of God.
There’s a third declaration in verse six. Notice what it says, and this one is connected with two promises. It says, “I will give to the one who thirsts of the spring of the water of life without cost.” You notice the declaration is “I will give.” What is he talking about here? He’s talking about the gift of salvation.
If you notice, the gift of salvation is given to those who thirst. This is the picture of faith. I want for God to be my God. And the invitation is given to those who are thirsty: come and be satisfied. It will cost you nothing.
Get your thirst satisfied by Christ who paid the full price for you to be saved from God’s wrath and have your sins wiped away forever through repentance and faith. Anybody who gets saved has a thirst for truth. You may not know what you’re looking for at that point, but the Spirit of God knows what you’re looking for.
He brings you and the word together where you realize this is what is true. Not everybody’s looking for it, but I tell you what, the Spirit of God creates a thirst in your heart to want a relationship with the God who created the heaven and the earth, with the God who created you, with the God who can send you to hell.
The Lord does this. He gives to those who repent of their sin—repentance toward God the Father and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—because Jesus Christ is the solution to our sin. He is the one who wiped it away. He is the one who gives us the victory, who washes that sin away so it never can condemn us again in the presence of God.
“He gives to those who repent — repentance toward God the Father and faith in Jesus Christ, who washes sin away so it can never condemn us again.”
He is the one who does that. But there’s a second promise in our text in verse seven. He says, “And he who overcomes will inherit these things. I will be his God and he will be my son.”
There’s a difference here in this passage. This gift of salvation is that I want to be a child of God. I don’t want to follow anything else. I don’t want to follow my own philosophy of life. I don’t want to be caught in some religious system that says I have to do this to be saved and I got to make myself saved. No, I want to be a child of God.
This gift of salvation he gives to those who overcome and persevere to the end—not because of their perseverance, but because of what Christ had done for them. That is your gift. And what is the gift? “I will be your God and you will be my child.”
What does that mean? We were all illegitimate children because of sin. But when we became a Christian, we were adopted into God’s family. When he adopts us, we reap the full benefit of adoption.
What is the full benefit of adoption? Everything Christ owns, we now own. We are guaranteed to be in the family of God. When you’re in the family of God, nobody can touch you because you’re God’s kid. You got royal blood running through your veins.
“When God adopts us, everything Christ owns we now own. We are guaranteed to be in the family of God.”
The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. But those who do not fear God, those who are unbelievers, those who still lust for sin, those who reject Christ have no place and no part where God dwells amongst his people.
New Reality #5: A New Protection
And that’s what the next section of scripture says. The next passage in verse eight, and this is the last thing, we have a new protection.
A new protection.
Now, not only will there be a new presence and a new peace for us, there will also be a new protection. Look at verse eight. And I just look at what it says in verse eight.
Here’s the sad inheritance of unbelief.
Unbelief is the deadly sin.
Who Will Be Excluded
It is the deadly sin because if one does not believe in Christ, they are doomed to the lake of fire. So, who’s going to be excluded from all these promises, all these declarations? Who are going to be excluded?
Notice in verse eight, and I’ll take each one of them: the cowardly. Who are those? Those are those who give up in the fight and do not conquer. They become afraid. They’re not going to be there.
And then the next one, the unbeliever. The unbelieving are not going to be there. Who are they? Well, they’re the unbelievers who are also afraid. And these are the doubters, the deniers, the defiers, the hesitant, the ones who straddle the fence. I don’t know if I really want Christ. Maybe someday.
Those are the hesitant. But what? If you hesitate too long, it may be your doom. If the Lord is calling you, you’re being convicted of your sin, the spirit of God is giving you the taste and you develop a thirst, you got to come. Don’t put it off.
Also, it’s those people who think they’re so intelligent they know better than God. And there’s a lot of people like that. Oh, I thought about that and I don’t really think the Bible’s true. It’s a bunch of fairy tales. I don’t think God is real. God is whoever you want God to be.
There’s a lot of that out there. But when you come to scripture, you have to give that up real quick because the Bible lays it out for us to know that there is a real God. And he’s really serious about things. But he’s a God of mercy. He’s a God of grace. He’s a God of love. But he will not allow the guilty to go unpunished.
“He’s a God of mercy, a God of grace, a God of love — but he will not allow the guilty to go unpunished.”
That’s who he is. That’s from the beginning of the Bible to the end of the Bible. He is the same.
But notice the next person who won’t be there: the abominable. Who’s that? That’s the person whose very nature has been polluted by the lifestyle of monstrous and non-natural sinful practices and vices. They won’t be there.
And then the next one: murderers. Who are they? Those are people who have made their souls harbingers of hate and destroy the life and reputations of other people created in the image of God. Murderers will not be there.
Also, next one: immoral persons won’t be there. Those who lived sexually perverted lifestyles contrary to God’s plan and purpose, they won’t be there.
Next one: sorcerers. Who are they? These are people who practice spirit worship, witchcraft, magic, fortune-telling. And all those are usually mixed with some kind of drug use and practices. There’s other things that go on there too. But even now when I was a kid, there was never an advertisement about fortune tellers on radio or TV. Today, they’re prominent—fortune tellers and people involved with that kind of thing. And people think that, oh, that’s not a big deal if you want to do that. No, that—all that stuff is demonic. Demons are behind all of it.
And if they can confuse you, if they can create more doubt in your heart, if they can keep you right where you’re at, well then he won. But God doesn’t want you to stay there. He wants you to break loose from that.
And then the next one is idolaters. Those who are worshippers of idols and images who commit spiritual adultery. This will be prevalent in the world, for the world bowing to antichrist’s image—it’s going to be prevalent then. And those who break the first and second commandment won’t be there.
And then notice the next one: all liars. Well, that includes everybody. But it’s really those who habitually deceive others, that this is their mode of operation. The person who slanders people, who gossips about people, who twists the truth, who loves to promote falsehoods to people.
These people are emissaries of their father, Satan, who’s been a liar from the beginning. John 8.
So within the kingdom of God, none of these—and this is not an exhaustive list—but we get the idea from scripture that if you’re doing your own thing, you won’t make it to the kingdom of God. If you got your own philosophy of salvation, if you’re trying to save yourself, you’re not going to be there.
You got to give it all up. That’s the whole point. You give it all up. You come to Christ and what you gave up is nothing to compare to what you receive when you become a believer. And everybody who grows in the Lord and knows the word of God understands that.
“What you gave up is nothing compared to what you receive when you become a believer.”
So if I were to put a gun to your head and I say denounce Christ, I pray God would give us the grace to be able to say no, I can’t because this is the truth. Where am I going to go? You have the words of eternal life. I can’t go anywhere else. Matter of fact, if you take my life, to die is gain. I’m with the Lord.
Look over to Revelation 21:27. I’m not going to look at that verse today, but look at what it says there. It says, “And nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
So the Lord has a registry. I don’t see your name there. Or come on in. Your name’s there. You came to Christ. It’s there.
So these all will be shut out of the holy city and have their portion in the lake of fire. And this is the final windup of the old systems and the destiny of proud, presumptuous man without God.
That’s what the thinking is. And man left to himself will destroy himself. You got that right? We’re in this advanced world. We have more information, more technology, more ways to do things. And is it better morally, spiritually, ethically? No. It’s worse. People have gone from bad to worse.
And it’s not going to get better because men cannot create a utopia. Men cannot create what God can do. They cannot do it. They will destroy themselves. And it will be just a mission of pride. Who’s better than the next person? And if you don’t cooperate with me, I kill you. I move you out of the way. That’s what I do.
The Only Way In
So, here’s the promise. Here’s the protection that is given to us. The saved, the blood-bought, born-again believer will spend eternity on the new earth in the new Jerusalem.
The lost, the unbeliever, all the ones that are mentioned here in verse 8, will spend their eternity in a place where it burns with fire and brimstone, or fire and sulfur.
Isn’t this enough to make you yearn to go there?
When you get to the place where you close your eyes in death, do you know where you’re going? You’re confident in that. It’s not because of anything you’ve done. You may have regrets even then, but because of what Christ has done.
Christ, the one who rose from the grave, is the first fruits of the resurrection. He will give you that same life and that same hope, and he will keep his promises. God does not break promises.
He cannot break promises because of who he is.
So isn’t it enough to make you yearn to go there? Who wants to pass this up?
But I say this: you can’t get in by your own way. You can’t get through the back door. You can’t climb over the wall with your own philosophy of doing things.
You got to go through the shepherd’s gate. The one who stands in front of the shepherd’s gate—and there’s only one entrance—is a person called Jesus Christ. He is the shepherd of the sheep.
There’s no way to enter into such a place as this and to hold on by faith to these promises unless you come through Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You called on him. You asked him to save you. You asked him to forgive you of your sin.
You asked him to give you eternal life in his spirit. You asked him to be your Lord.
The Bible tells us that such a place is only given to those who are true believers in Jesus Christ and those who have believed in his sacrificial death and his glorious resurrection.
“There’s no way to enter such a place unless you come through Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, believing in his sacrificial death and glorious resurrection.”
He’s gone to prepare a place for us, and he’s going to come back and take us there.
It’s our job now to get ready to go. Do you have your bags packed? I pray you do, because that’s where we’re going to look at as we approach the end of Revelation.
Those who are true believers in Christ Jesus have a lot to look forward to, which should bolster their faith. While your faith is being bolstered, you have your tent pegs in this earth a little bit loose.
Why? Because you’re preparing to go home. You’re not just camping. You’re camping here, but you’re going to your permanent dwelling.
Those who have not yet become true believers, may these scriptures make you thirsty for Christ. May you come in humble repentance and faith and trust him as your Lord and Savior. If you do that, the Bible says he will in no wise cast you out.
He didn’t come to save the righteous. No, he came to save the ungodly, the unholy, the wicked person, the rebel, the disobedient one. He came to save you and me. In other words, that’s who we were.
But in Christ Jesus, we’ve been forgiven. Amen.
Let’s pray.
Lord, this morning there are many sobering things in scripture and many encouraging things. I thank you, Lord, for the word of God. I thank you for the book of Revelation.
I thank you, Lord, for the truths that you give us so that we can be prepared, we can be ready, our faith can grow, and we can know that you are a God of truth. You are not a God of unrighteousness and untruth.
We can trust what you say and know that everything you say will happen exactly the way you say it.
Thank you, Lord. I pray that you’d bless each and every one of us here, wherever we may stand. For those of us who are true believers, confident in these truths and promises, and for someone who stands uncertain—I don’t know where I stand with Christ—I pray, Lord, you remove them from that thinking and move them to the place where they come and receive you as Lord and Savior.
For all of us, Lord, while we’re pilgrims and strangers on this earth, give us that encouragement. Help us to keep our eyes in heaven on you and in your word so our minds are transformed in a way that we would seek out every day your good and acceptable and perfect will.
Lord, may you use us in the church to be servants and to use our gifts to build it up. May we wait for you as we are working for you. Whether you take us in death or you take us at the second coming, whatever it may be, Lord, we know to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for these great, eternal, precious promises you give us in the word of God.