Rev 21, Eternal Order - Part 1

• This is the only part of scripture that describes the eternal order. It is hinted at in the Davidic Covenant which promised an eternal Dynasty, an eternal Kingdom, and an eternal throne
• Technically, the millennial kingdom does not satisfy those promises since it is only 1000 years
• Everything about the eternal order is described in these two chapters


Rev 21:1-8 (ESV) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  4  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6 And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7  The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8  But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.



• What is different about the eternal order?
• No sea
• First declaration: God dwells with man
• Fruchtenbaum argues it will be a mineral garden (covered with precious stones and gems) as in Satan's second abode (Ezek 28:11-16)
• Ezek 28:11-16 (ESV) Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me: 12  "Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God:

"You were the signet of perfection,
 full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
 every precious stone was your covering,
 sardius, topaz, and diamond,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire,  emerald, and carbuncle;
and crafted in gold were your settings
and your engravings.
 On the day that you were created
they were prepared.
14 You were an anointed guardian cherub.
I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;
in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
15 You were blameless in your ways
 from the day you were created,
till unrighteousness was found in you.
16 In the abundance of your trade
you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
and I destroyed you,  O guardian cherub,
from the midst of the stones of fire.

• There are some verses which do mention the new Jerusalem
• Gal 4:26 (ESV) But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
• Heb 11:9-10 (ESV) By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
• It is described as the eternal abode of God, of Angels, and of all redeemed
• Heb 12:22-24 (ESV) But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
• It is not clear that this city actually rests on the planet or whether it is a satellite that circles the earth. The language could fit either case (even the open gates)
• (Also in first declaration) The removal of tears and death goes back to the removal of the curse
• Gen 3:16-19 (ESV) To the woman he said,

"I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
 in pain you shall bring forth children.
 Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you."

17 And to Adam he said,

"Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
 of which I commanded you,
'You shall not eat of it,'
 cursed is the ground because of you;
 in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
 for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return."

• We were never intended to live in heaven but rather on earth (or at least, in this universe)
• Second declaration (vs 5-8)
• First, God affirms it (he is faithful and true)
• Second, there is provision of the waters of life
• Third, our inheritance is reaffirmed
• Fourth, the inheritance of the unbeliever is the second death, the lake of fire
• APPLICATION: This is our future. I fear it does not really grip us or me. Do I live as if I believed it or is it just a nice idea? If I truly believe it, I would express it in words of thankfulness and I would work to live in a manner worthy of my inheritance


Rev 21:9-21 (ESV) Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11  having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16 The city lies foursquare; its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement. 18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. 19  The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.



• Why do we go back to the bride?
• There have been multiple uses of the bride simile
• Israel was Jehovah's wife and in fact, God uses a picture of two wives (sisters) to describe Israel and Judah
• The Church is the bride of Christ
• Now we see the city described as the bride, the wife of the lamb (notice both terms used, OT and NT)
• Therefore the city, which holds believers from the OT, the NT, and the tribulation all come together into one bride, this new city, the New Jerusalem
• Another possibility since this occurs after the wedding feast, is that the church is now a wife
• There are a number (Fruchtenbaum identifies eleven) of details noted concerning the new Jerusalem
1. The glory of the city. It has the Shechinah glory. It is clear as a crystal
2. The city has four walls with twelve gates
1. Typically walls emphasize protection
2. The twelve gates are name after the 12 tribes of Israel
3. The city has twelve foundations
1. Foundation emphasizes permanence
2. The twelve foundations are named after the 12 apostles
4. The city's dimensions are given
1. The dimension emphasize the spaciousness
2. It is 1500 miles high, long, and wide
3. The wall is 216 feet thick
5. The city is composed of a number of elements
1. The wall is Jasper (green)
2. The city is transparent gold
3. The 12 foundations:
1. Jasper--green
2. Sapphire--blue
3. Chalcedony--greenish
4. Emerald--green
5. Sardonyx--red and white
6. Sardius--fiery red
7. Chrysolite--golden yellow
8. Beryl--aqua green
9. Topaz--greenish yellow
10. Chrysoprase--golden green
11. Jacinth--violet
12. Amethyst--purple
4. Each gate will be made from a single pearl
5. The streets will also use transparent gold
• APPLICATION: God has always emphasized beauty in his creation. Also, community is very important to God. He places all believers in one city.


Rev 21:22-27 (ESV) And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.



• Continued
6. Besides no ocean, there is no temple. And it does not say no sun or moon, rather it has no need for the sun or moon for light. God provides the light
1. We will see later, a lunar calendar, and a sequence of time
2. Lunar calendar suggests the moon is still there
3. Sequence of time suggests that time is NOT destroyed in the eternal order
7. The entrance to the city is never closed
1. Again, there is this mention of nations and of kings
2. It is not clear who the kings of the earth are, but it is clear that God's view of life includes people, activity, and purpose
• Next week, we will discuss the last 4 items, 8 through 11
• APPLICATION: Heaven will be an exciting time. There will be purpose and activity and interaction with others. That's what life is. It is not found in the entertainment of the sinful world, but is found in meaningful and purposeful interaction with believers