Gen 1:1-2:25

Background:
• Each book of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament, called the Torah [instruction] by the Jews) originally received its title in the Hebrew Bible from the first word or words in the book.
• (There are three divisions in the Hebrew Bible: The Law (Torah), the Prophets, and the Writings.
• The Torah was originally one book, but the Septuagint divided it into the five books that we have.
• The Jews regarded the stories in the Torah as divine instruction for them as well as the commandments and sermons since they too teach theology and ethics.)
• The Hebrew word translated "in the beginning" is beresit. 
• The English title "Genesis," however, has come to us from the Latin Vulgate translation of Jerome (Liber Genesis). The Latin title came from the Septuagint translation (the Greek translation of the Old Testament made about 300 years before Christ). "Genesis" is a transliteration of the Greek word geneseos, the Greek word that translates the Hebrew toledot. This Hebrew word is the key word in identifying the structure of Genesis, and the translators have usually rendered it "account" or "generations" (2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, 27; 25:12, 19; 36:1, 9; 37:2).
• Author: Moses  1525-1405BC


Gen 1:1-5 (ESV) In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.



• When does everything start?
• It does not say, but sometime after creation of the heavens
• It does say the earth "was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep …"
• Certainly it is a physical description
• Possibly a spiritual description prior to the beginning of creation and representing of some previous activity (angels revolt)
• Do you see the hints of the "trinity" in the first three verses?
• V1- God created ...
• V2- The Spirit of God was hovering ...
• V3- And God said ...
• John 1:1, 14 (ESV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
• What is the problem with "light" appearing on the first day?
• Ross' solution is given in the text -- the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters
• From the Spirit's perspective, the thinning of the atmosphere would show light until it was clear enough in the 4th "day" or age to see the sun and the moon
Genesis 1:14–19 (ESV) — 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
• Great debate on the meaning of "day" or Hebrew "yowm"
• It can refer to 12 hours, 24 hours, or an age
• Gen 2:4 (ESV) These are the generations // of the heavens and the earth when they were created, // in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
• Also, evening and morning can also be an idiom for "a specific beginning and end"
• "Evening and morning" is an idiomatic expression in Semitic languages. Like all idioms, its meaning is nonliteral but clearly understood by native speakers. The phrase "evening and morning" can, like yom, denote a long and indefinite period. The Old Testament itself unambiguously uses the "evening and morning" phrase in just such a way. In Daniel 8 we read the account of Daniel's ram and goat vision and the interpretation given by Gabriel. The vision covers many years; some commentators believe the time has not yet been completed. Daniel 8:26 says, "The vision of the evenings and the mornings that have been given to you is true, but seal up the vision for it concerns the distant future" (RSV). In Hebrew manuscripts, "the evenings and mornings," is not in the plural but in the singular, identical to the expression we find in Genesis 1. Translated literally, the verse would red, "And the vision of the evening and the morning that has been given you" Here we have a clear indication from scriptural usage that this phrase does not demand a 24-hour-day interpretation and can refer to an indefinite epoch. (Dr Otto J Helwig) From <http://www.leaderu.com/offices/o_helweg/eve-morn.html>
• Reason No. 1 — The “… And was Evening and Was Morning” Phrase Was Not Used to Mark a 24-Hour Day: Hugh Ross (a proponent of the Day-Age View more>>) asserts “[a]ncient Hebrew most often marked 24-hour days with ‘evening to evening’ and occasionally with ‘morning to morning’.” The “… and was evening, and was morning” phrase in Genesis 1 is unique thereby alerting “the reader that these days may have been periods other than 24-hour days.” [Hugh Ross, A Matter of Days, pg. 76 (2004)] From <http://factsandfaith.com/do-the-and-was-evening-and-was-morning-x-day-phrases-in-genesis-1-compel-a-yec-view/>
• The Words “Boqer” and “Ereb‘” Appear Together in Several Verses that Do Not Refer to a 24-Hour Period:Robert C. Newman and Perry Phillips (proponents of the more>>) point to several verses in which the words “morning (boqer)” and “evening (ereb)” appear and clearly do not refer to a 24-hour period: 1) Psalm 90:6 compares the short life cycle of men to grass that “though in the morning (boqer) it springs up new, by evening (ereb) it is dry and withered”; 2) Psalm 30:5 says: “Sing to the Lord …. For [God’s] anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night (ereb), but rejoicing comes in the morning (boqer).” [Robert C. Newman & Perry Phillips, Genesis One and the Origin of Earth, 2nd Ed., pgs 58 (2007)] From <http://factsandfaith.com/do-the-and-was-evening-and-was-morning-x-day-phrases-in-genesis-1-compel-a-yec-view/>
• Personally, I am not convinced that it has to be a 24 hour period nor am I convinced that the "day" has to refer to millions of years (although the latter is my leaning)
• I do agree that the text says "God created"


Genesis 1:26–31 (ESV) —
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.


• The sixth day is retold in more detail in chapter two
• This is very common Jewish technique, to retell the story but with a different emphasis
• What happens on the sixth day?
• God creates the animals
• God creates Adam
• God blesses them
• God commands them to be fruitful and multiply
• God commands them to subdue the earth (meaning to conquer, to command, and to cultivate)
• God gives Adam dominion over living creatures
• God gives him vegetation to eat
• God gives the animals vegetation to eat as well
• (not seen here) God gives Adam the responsibility to care for the garden
• (not seen here) Adam names the animals
• (not seen here) Adam recognizes that he is alone
• (not seen here) God creates Eve
• What is God's view of the entire creation (possible verses 3 through 31)?
• Good
• What does this imply?
• No sin yet
• What does it mean to be made in God's image and likeness?
• We resemble God but we are not the same as God
• Capacity  to choose, to love (tied to freedom), to express emotions, to make moral choices (tied to freedom)
• Note that he clarifies image, with the words "male and female"
• I can't prove it, but I've always felt that certain aspects of God's image are better expressed in a single gender
• Example: Men can appreciate beauty, but woman seem to have God's understanding of beauty


Genesis 2:1–3 (ESV) —
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.


• What is different about the seventh day?
• Note that it does have a number in front (this is an argument people will use to prove that when a day has a number in front, it is always a 24-hour period)
• It does not have a beginning and an end
• Hebrews 4:4 seems to suggest that it is ongoing


This story has seven scenes that a change in actors, situations or activities identifies.  Moses constructed this section of Genesis in a chiastic (palistrophic, crossing) structure to focus attention on the central scene, the Fall. The preceding scenes lead up to the Fall, and the following scenes describe its consequences.




• A Scene 1 (narrative): God is the sole actor, and man is passive (2:4-17).
• B Scene 2 (narrative): God is the main actor, man plays a minor role, the woman and animals are passive (2:18-25).
• C Scene 3 (dialogue): The snake and the woman converse (3:1-5).
• D Scene 4 (narrative): The man and the woman are primary (3:6-8).
• C' Scene 5 (dialogue): God converses with the man and the woman (3:9-13).
• B' Scene 6 (narrative): God is the main actor, man plays a minor role, the woman and the serpent are passive (3:14-21).
• A' Scene 7 (narrative): God is the sole actor, and man is passive (3:22-24).




Genesis 2:4–14 (ESV) —
4 These are the generations
of the heavens and the earth when they were created,
in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.


• The first verse here is where we get our Greek title
• Observations:
• No rain, mist watered the earth
• God planted the garden in Eden (in the east)
• And God made to spring up every tree (it doesn't say whether they were instantaneous or over time, but it does not say, they were created full grown)
• Two purposes of trees
1. Pleasant to the sight (God appreciates beauty)
2. Good for food (God appreciates good food)
• Two other trees
1. Tree of life (in the midst of the garden)
2. Tree of the knowledge of good and evil
• Four rivers flow out of Eden
• This is pre-flood description of the earth
• Some of the rivers are known (some believe the Nile is one as well)


Genesis 2:15–17 (ESV) —
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 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.”


• What does God command to man imply concerning the creation?
• (already discussed) To subdue and have dominion (to rule in a positive sense, i.e., a good ruler takes cares of his responsibilities)
• (already discussed) To fill (word could mean to replenish)
• Vs 2:15 work it (God created man to work)
• Vs 2:15 keep it -- guard, protect, and take care of it (Hebrew shamar) (God created man to protect)


Gen 2:18-25 (ESV) Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." 19  So out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

"This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man."

24  Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.



• There is something unusual in verse 18 at this point in the book?
• God calls something "not good"
• Note that it is not sin, just not good
• Who's idea is it for man to have a partner?
• It is God's
• It is a result of "not goodness" of aloneness or isolation (man is made for community)
• When does God act on His statement?
• Not until Adam recognizes his own need
• God typically has a reason for delay or inaction. Usually, it is so we would see what God already knows
• Interesting to note, that when you give a man a job to do, he continues doing it even when it might be inappropriate.  Adam's job was to name things so he names Eve, woman
• Adam was actually classifying things as opposed to giving things personal names


APPLICATION: (working backwards)
1. Marriage is a good thing
1. Singleness is not wrong but not necessarily good either
2. Aloneness is not good
3. Marriage should bring about separation from one family and the beginning of a new family
2. Community is a good thing
1. Similar to aloneness, but also because we are made in the image of God
2. The Trinity is a community
3. Work is a good thing
1. As long as you also know when to stop
2. It is part of our creation and design. When you avoid it, you actually injure yourself (in some way, possibly your spirit)
4. We have a responsibility to the earth to manage and care for it
1. That does not mean to worship it. Only God is to be worshipped
2. It does mean to protect it. We were given a beautiful planet and we should act to keep it that way. Example: I find it fascinating that so many young people are for protecting the environment but they do not even hesitate to litter in most situations
5. However long or short God took to create, the bible says he created
1. It does not specify how he created either
2. We believe that God created it out of nothing. The scripture is not specific on a lot of the details

Revelation 22, Eternal Order - Part 2

Review: Previous chapter, Rev 21, describes 7 of 11 major aspects of the New Jerusalem in the eternal order


Rev 22:1-5 (ESV) Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3  No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4  They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.



• So, continuing our description of the city, what else do we see?
8. The river of life
1. The river is as bright as crystal (suggesting in is perfectly clean)
2. It is in the middle of a broad street in the city
3. It originates from the throne of God and of the Lamb
9. The tree of life
1. It is so broad that it reaches both sides of the river
2. The tree was in the garden prior but after the fall you could not eat of it. Eating of it allowed you to live forever. Now you can again eat of the fruit (Note: there are still 12 months)
3. The leaves provide healing for the nations (Gentiles). Possibly the tree is what renews your body (the word translated healing is therapeutic)
4. Raises an interesting question -- What if you do not have access to the tree of life, like those in the Lake of Fire?
10. The curse will be completely gone
1. The world will be as God originally intended it (no more weeds)
2. We will worship God through our lives, not just in a worship service
11. God's glory will reside in the city
1. No need of night, lamp, or sun
2. God will be the light in the city (New Jerusalem)
3. The worshippers will reign (positions of authority and work) under God's authority
• APPLICATION: This world is not the way God intended it. Our lives are not the way God intended it. Somehow, we forget God when life is going well, and then we curse him when something bad happens. We want him to control our life so that nothing bad happens, but we don't want him in our life when things are okay. We pray and go to him in bad times, but we completely forget to read his word or pray in the good times, and then wonder why he allows things to go wrong with our lives


EPILOGUE
Rev 22:6-9 (ESV) And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place."

7 "And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book."

8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9  but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."


• A lot of these last verses repeat messages from the first chapter, this is what we commonly call the Epilogue



Origin of the prophecy: God & Jesus	1:1	22:6
Subject of the prophecy: coming events	1:1	22:6
Mediator of the prophecy: an angel	1:1	22:6,8,16
Writer of the prophecy: John	1:1,4,9	22:8
Genuineness of the prophecy: true prophecy	1:3	22:6,7,9,10,18-19
Vehicle of the prophecy: a prophet	1:1,9-11	22:8,9,10
Addressees of the prophecy: bond-servants	1:1	22:6
Destination of the prophecy: churches	1:3,11	22:16,18
Blessing of the prophecy: for obedience	1:3	22:7,12,14
Warning of the prophecy: for unfaithfulness	1:7	22:11,12,18-19
Center of the prophecy: Christ	1:2,5,9	22:16,18,20
God of the prophecy: Alpha & Omega	1:17	22:13
Chief character of the prophecy: God	1:5,7	22:12,13,16
Hope of the prophecy: soon return	1:3,7	22:7,10,12,20

(from Thomas Constable's Notes on the Bible. Copyright © March 4, 2014 by Thomas L. Constable. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)


• Observations from Angel and / or Jesus?
• Angel reiterates the trustworthiness and truthfulness of the message
• God (it was his idea) sent his angel to show his servant what must soon take place. Fits with purpose in chapter 1 (also why I see churches as also prophetic)
• Jesus, inserts or is quoted, reiterates the blessing but with a slight difference
• Assumes you read it to get this far
• Now, you must heed it
• Observations from John?
• I heard, I saw, and implied I wrote it down
• John falls down at the angel's feet
• Second time that John is rebuked for falling down at a "fellow" servant's feet (19:10)
• Angels are fellow servants to John, other prophets, and those who keep the words of the book
• Angel reiterates the truth: worship God
• APPLICATION: Error of Satan, an angel, was to take worship from God. It is always a grave error to take worship away from God


Rev 22:10-15 (ESV) And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11  Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy."

12 "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.  13  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15  Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.



• Why the command "not to seal up?"
• The time is near (in contrast to Daniel)
• Also, coming soon in verse 12
• The book is applicable even back in 90 AD (the church sections were applicable whether or not they recognized the prophetic aspect, they would have seen their church in the typical or universal application) -- although, the prophetic interpretation makes it even more applicable
• Verse 11 is interesting, why?
• God does not force behavior
• Christianity cannot be forced upon someone, unlike Islam or (religion)
• Sin will be judged
• What does it mean to wash your robes?
• It is an indication of believing in Christ
• Access to the tree of life -- eternal life
• Can enter the eternal city by the gates (freedom to live with God)
• Outside of God's promises are those who deny God's rule
• Dogs is also used in scripture for many impure and immoral sins, to include homosexuality (Deut 23:17, 18)
• You do wonder if there will still be original sin even in the eternal age or if the comment was a present day quote extended into the future
• APPLICATION: We don't have to be afraid to talk about the end times (don't seal it up). Actually, it can be a great opportunity to witness. You can even use the idea of rapture to make people think. Who knows--we could be raptured in their lifetimes, and that event may cause them to seek God.


Rev 22:16-21 (ESV) "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

17 The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

20 He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen.



• Only place in scripture where we have the phrase "I, Jesus"
• Stresses Jesus' role in this particular book
• "My angel" is the person who does most of the relating to John. He works for Jesus
• The spirit is the HS and the bride is the church of Jesus Christ
• The message is "come"
• We, who are reading, need to invite people to come
• The message is written to what type of people? to the "thirsty"
• Recognized they have a need
• Recognized that they are not satisfied
• The water of life is without price (and yet also priceless)
• Huge warning
• Don't add or take away--will be visited with the plagues described in the book
• Unbeliever will lose a chance for salvation
• Believer will lose some reward in the future (only possibility)
• Salvation is a gift but rewards are a payment
• Closing is the reminder, "I am coming soon"
• It has been almost 2000 years, which is but a day or two in God's eyes
• APPLICATION: We should live as if Jesus was coming in our lifetimes

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