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1:14What comes to mind when you hear the word heaven? Probably one of the most important things about you. What is your view of God? What comes to your mind when you hear the word God? But likened to that, Is what comes to your mind when you hear the word heaven? What is your vision of heaven? And who has established that vision in your mind? Where does it come from? Well, it's a privilege for us today to be able to step into the text and be able to let the scripture, let John, let the Spirit of God, through the Apostle John, give us a vision of heaven. You know, if you look around our world today, it's easy to get discouraged. You need a vision of heaven. I need a vision of heaven. We need an accurate vision of heaven.

2:15You know, I think about the pilgrims, remarkable people that left their old world behind and left it all behind in the pursuit of a freedom to worship God as they believed the scripture dictated. They were called the nonconformists, separatists. They left everything and they came to this land here, which they called the New World. And it was interesting that after a journey of 66 rough days, they were able to make it. And there were some times when it didn't look like they were going to make it.

3:05Could you imagine what it would have been like in that voyage when they finally got to the point where they could look off into the distance and see the land to which they were going? Of course, that land which they saw has now become our homeland. Songs would be written about it. Oh, beautiful for spacious skies. America, America, God has shed His grace upon thee. The Bible speaks of a far greater homeland, a land far more beautiful than anything we have ever beheld here.

4:02It's a vision of heaven, and we get to step into it this morning. The Bible tells us the story of how God comes to rule the nations. He sent his Son into the world that had been darkened by sin, and he sent his son into the world through the seed of the woman who would come from the nation of Israel, who then took a bride from the peoples. Of all the nations and brought them into a loving relationship with his father.

4:37And the world to come, the heaven to come, is our heavenly Father's gift to us. It is a paradise of paradises, a glory of glories. And we get to start seeing a vision of this this morning. You know, it's interesting when you start looking at hymn books, how many songs are not written about heaven. In fact, even in many indexes, the topic heaven doesn't even show up. You would think that's odd, isn't it? But there is really very little about in Scripture that really gives us a vast and vivid picture of what heaven is like. It's just something way beyond what we're able to take in. The metaphors fail us. And most of our understanding of heaven is about what it's not. We understand we're in a fallen world. We understand what sin is. We understand the kinds of cities that man builds. But then we know heaven by contrast. Well, it's not that. It's not that. It's not that.

5:50There's very few places where we go and it starts telling us what heaven is. And we get to do that this morning. Where we are in the book of Revelation, you remember in the previous chapters in Revelation, they served large part as a negative example of what to avoid. Avoid Babylon the Great. Avoid being like her. Do not bow to her gods. Don't associate with those. Come out of. You get all of that imagery and exhortations in the book of Revelation. But these next couple of chapters do the opposite. They show us in large part a positive example. They show us what we are part of, who we are to associate with, and who we will associate with, and what to look forward to.

6:41You remember, these words were first written to the seven churches in Asia Minor. They were getting hit on all sides. You talk about a world falling apart around you, it was the seven churches. It had become open season on Christians in many places. And even the Roman Empire had turned its legal authority against them and the whole emperor worship cult. They were being abused in many fronts. Many of the churches and people in the churches were taking a compromising path.

7:30Get along with the world around you, indulge in the fleshly indulgences, become like the world, and you can avoid conflict with the world. How do you encourage churches like this? Well, this is large what the whole book is written for: to encourage these churches. How do you encourage them to stand firm? How do you comfort people who, because of the faith, have suffered great loss? How do you equip them to press forward with the grace and joy and stamina of heaven? How do you do that? How do you get these that are pelted on all sides, being hit hard? How do you pick them up and set them on a course of running in grace and beauty for the glory of the gospel and our heavenly Father's sake? How do you do that? The Holy Spirit knows how to do it.

8:34He gave them an authentic vision of heaven. And that authentic vision of heaven shaped them, encouraged them, comforted them. And it has done so with every church since then. Every time period since then, all the way to the end. It's a Same vision of heaven strengthens every generation to endure. And see, John saw, in our text this morning, John saw two things and he heard four things. Very simple. And John wanted his audience to see what he saw and to hear what he heard so that they could share his vision, so that they could be characterized by the joy that is coming, so that they could stand firm in their day. Look, life isn't just about getting by, it's about running the race that God has set before you in grace and glory for his name.

9:48You see, you and I need a vision of heaven. You need a vision of heaven to give you hope for the future. You need a vision of heaven to give you security in your presence, in your present. You need a vision of heaven to give you joy in your daily circumstances. You know, I love the statement about the Proverbs 31 woman. She looks to the future and she smiles. Some versions say she laughs. She can look ahead because she is so steeped in faith. She knows the heart of her heavenly Father that she can look ahead and look at life with all. Of its difficulties and all the perplexities and all the things coming against her, and she can smile because she knows her God, and that is who we are to be. This is why you need a vision of heaven. And friends, if you are in Christ, you are a citizen of heaven. It is your homeland, it is your fatherland, and soon we are all going to be gathered there.

11:01And so, this vision that we get to look into this morning, it's for you, it's for me, it's to encourage, it's to comfort, it's to equip us. So, I hope you'll embrace this vision, that you will let John's vision be your vision, so that you will live as a citizen of heaven today. That's who we are. So, let us live in that light. Well, as I said, John's vision of heaven comes in two parts: what he saw and what he heard.

11:38Nothing too fancy. We'll just walk through it. John's vision of heaven, first of all, begins with what he saw. Notice, verse 1, what he saw. He saw a new heaven and a new earth. Verse 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 sin. So you can circle the word, I saw. This is what he saw: a new heaven and the new earth. New.

12:07A new one. The idea, recently made. Something that hasn't been used, something new, something fresh, something new on better, something new and better. Emphasis is more upon the quality. It's something completely new. It's not something that's been merely renovated. It's not Earth 2.0. It's not just rearranging the furniture a little bit. It is new. A whole new order. I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away. It passed away. It departed. It went out of existence. You remember we read when that happened. Look back at chapter 20, verse 11. Then I saw a great white throne, and him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. When God Almighty steps into judgment and he calls forth those to be judged, earth and heaven disappear. Here's the dead. We're out of here. That kind of thing.

13:22It fled. It went out of existence with the judgment. It's the same word, this departing, this passing away, in John 6, 6, 6, 6, 66, describing the departure of the masses. They went away from following Jesus. His teaching was too much, so they departed. They went away. Same language here. The heaven and the earth passed away. It went away. And there is no longer any sea. No sea. Now that's interesting. We know we're talking about a whole different order here than the one we know. And why is the sea specifically mentioned? Well, it's significant. He sees a new heaven and the earth, and there is no ocean. That's significant.

14:21Why is this mentioned? Well, it's significant, but in ancient times, some saw the sea as this untameable evil, or even something that gives rise to all of the evil. There's a great fear of the seas. Even the Bible compares or uses the sea as a metaphor for the seemingly untameable, for something that is untameable. And it will compare the raging of the oceans to the rage of the nations. And so the sea oftentimes is a symbol of disorder that.

15:00Which is not at peace or unrest, something untameable. And so, some things are clear in this text that are not going to be part of the new order. Number one, we know the axis of evil is not going to be part of the new order. The false trinity, the beast, the false prophet, and Satan, they're all in the lake of fire. Also, all of those inclined and susceptible to listen to the voice of evil, they too are in the lake of fire. They will not be part of the new order, and neither will the sea. All of these absences accentuate the very different order of the new creation. It's entirely different.

15:57But the focal point of this chapter is not upon the heavens and the earth, but upon the new Jerusalem. And that's what John is going to see next, and that's what's going to be emphasized in these coming chapters. So, John's, first of all, he sees a new heaven and a new earth. Second, he sees a new Jerusalem, a new Jerusalem. Look at, again, verse 2. And I saw, you can see the circle there, I saw, 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 only continuity, at least physically, between the new and the old is Jerusalem.

16:51The new creation and the old creation, there is a new Jerusalem. But even Jerusalem is considered, called, referred to as new. It's not a part of the heaven and earth that passed away. It too is new. And what happens? I mean, look, the God who can speak matter into existence and determine its final form just by the words of his mouth, whether it be the old earth, the creation originally in six days, or whether it be the miracle at the loaves and fish where he is able to speak into existence sardines that never swam, bread that never went through a kneading process, or he is also able to speak into existence the new Jerusalem with all of its glory and with all of its splendor. But there are a few observations we need to make about this new Jerusalem. First of all, it is a place. It is a place.

18:06Heaven is a place that occupies physical space. What John saw represents a physical state, not some abstract, ethereal description of the church. And there are those who would see this new Jerusalem, this is the church. And then you start getting some really strange interpretations with the foundation stones and the gates and all of this. You know, that's hard. You start getting into a very abstract, ethereal way. How do we relate this to the bride? No, it is. Heaven is a place.

18:48It's not some platonic, ethereal place, state. Jesus said he was going to go prepare a place for his people. You remember in John 14:1, do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you. A place. It is a place where God dwells. It's a place where God dwells with his people, and his people will dwell with each other. It is a place. But notice. It's also a city. It's a city. And I saw the holy city.

19:37It's a city. And what comes to your mind when you think about a city? What a beautiful picture of heaven. It's a city. Well, you've got the infrastructure to support a population and its needs. That's part of a city. But a city is more than just meeting the needs, it's about a community. It's about interdependent relationships. We are people and we have an interdependent relationship with each other. A city also speaks of the interconnected social activities of a population. What a beautiful scene. A city. Heaven is a city.

20:23But notice it's also a holy city. And I saw the holy city. You see, the old city, the old Jerusalem was tainted by sin. The new one is not. You remember, the old Jerusalem was compared to Sodom in Revelation 11:8, and their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is mystically called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. There in Revelation 11, it's speaking of the old Jerusalem, even comparing it to Sodom at this juncture in its history.

21:13And in contrast to Babylon the Great, the major city that's been dominating these last chapters of Revelation, the rise and the fall of Babylon the Great. Remember what Revelation 17:5 says about Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth. That's the city that man builds. If man can run his course and do what he wants and give expression to a city, this is it. Babylon the Great. But the New Jerusalem is a holy city, in contrast to that.

21:56But you know, a city is also a place of identity, isn't it? College station, home of the and if you're in Waco, Sycambers, we won't go down. You get the idea of identity. Well, the New Jerusalem is where a holy kind of people live. It is good that there is a place where the holy. People can live. It is good that there is a place for Abel to forever be separated from Cain. It is good that there be a place where the Abels of this world are separated from the Cains of this world. When you're looking at the text and you're going through Revelation, it becomes very clear that evil relentlessly seeks to corrupt and harm those who love God. So it is right and good that there is a place where the Abels of this world can be removed from the Cains. It's a place where joy and righteousness and innocence can dwell forever without anyone taking an advantage, harming, corrupting.

23:22Another thing about the new Jerusalem is that it's a gift. Look back, verse 2. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. Coming down. It's descending. It's disembarking like a bunch of people on a big, huge ship, cruise ship, getting disembarking, barking, coming down. That's what he's seeing, descending, this city coming down from heaven. Notice out of heaven. Look at the text coming down out of heaven. It is from, out of the heaven. Its origin is from above. It is not something that's rising from the earth. It is something that's coming down from above. Its character and its quality is that of heavenly origin.

24:24But notice that it's a new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, but it's from God. It's from God. It's personally from Him. It's from the mind of God. It's from the heart of God. It's from the glory of God. It's from the kind disposition of God. It is His gift to His people. Let this vision settle in your mind of what is ahead. Those of you who are in Christ Jesus, but it's a beautiful gift. Look at this. Made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. It's a comparison.

25:07She is coming. This city is like a bride adorned for her husband. Comparison. Adorned. It's probably the most beautiful image we can think about. It's likened to the beauty of a loyal bride. A willing bride, a loyal bride, a loving bride, with all of her sparkle, with all of her radiance, excitedly and joyfully awaiting presentation to her husband. That's the image of this city. Decorated is the word. Decorated. A bride having been decorated for her husband, having been made beautiful, attractive. This is what God has in store for this city. He intends, he wants it, he purposes this city to be attractive to his people into the highest degree.

26:16It's beautiful. What's interesting here is a different word for bride is used than in chapter 19 and verse 7. Do you remember in chapter 19, verse 7, it says this: Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready. This word is a little different here. It's actually translated as daughter-in-law in Luke and in Matthew, as a bride, as a daughter-in-law adorned.

26:58So when you start putting Both. If you look at 21 verse 9, look at this. Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, Come here, and I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. Both words are used there. What is all this pointing to? What we're talking about, this new Jerusalem, is it's the bridal city where the bride is going to reside. Talking about a bridal city, just like Babylon was a city, but it had inhabitants that characterized the city. You couldn't separate the two. Their structures and everything were an expression of union with Satan. Well, this bridal city is a place, but it's also a people, a bridal city.

28:01Something else about this city, it's a bond between heaven and earth. You know, going on, the rest of Revelation, there isn't a distinct distinction between heaven and earth. They meet, city comes down, earth and heaven joined. One. Oneness. It's the fulfillment. Matthew 6:9, pray this way, your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Well, this is the scene. Heaven comes to earth. The earth belongs to the Lord, and all of it, everything in it.

28:43Much more is going to be said on this city. But for now, just John saw a new heaven. John saw a new earth. John saw a new Jerusalem. And next, in the next couple of chapter verses, he's going to have this vision explained. And he's going to hear four statements that emphasize the significance of what he's seen. So, first of all, when we think about John's vision of heaven, it involves what he saw. But then it involves what he heard. Look back at verse 3.

29:25And I heard a loud voice from the throne. I heard. I heard a loud voice. Not sure who it is. Probably an angel. It's clearly not God because in verse 5, God's going to speak. And he who sits on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. So this is a different voice, but notice it's coming from the throne. So it's certainly a voice of authority in proximity to the throne. But what is this voice doing?

29:58He is helping John in. Interpret what he's seeing. He's seeing this great city come down. What does all this mean? What is this? Why is it coming? What's its purpose? And so this voice is going to explain that to John and to us. Number one, what he heard. He heard that the New Jerusalem is God's tabernacle. Look back at verse 3. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, look. Look, ye saints. The sight is glorious. Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men. The New Jerusalem is God's tabernacle. And he says it. He explains it. Behold, get a hold of this. Look at this. The tabernacle of God, the New Jerusalem, is among men.

31:02Tabernacle. It would be an appropriate translation to say, behold, the tent of God is among men. The booth. The booth where God dwells, the tabernacle. You know, we've been informed about the tabernacle. You remember the The presence, the Shekinah presence of God in the tabernacle. As the Israelites came out of Egypt and walked through the land, to the land, and through the land, God was with them. That was a copy. This is the reality. The Holy of Holies coming down, and more is going to be said about it. The cube.

31:56We'll come to that in the verses ahead. Comes to earth. Second thing he heard. Look back at the second part of verse 3. And he will dwell among them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be among them. What's the purpose of the tabernacle? It was to dwell with. What's the purpose of the new Jerusalem? To dwell with his people. And God will dwell with his people. This is what John heard. God, and he will dwell among them.

32:41God is going to dwell with his people. And that's the same word for tabernacle. God will tabernacle among them. He will take up residence with them. We get that picture of that holy of holies as being that place where only. The priest could enter in once a year, but this scene here in the New Jerusalem, it's big enough for all people, all God's people. And that'll play more out in the verses ahead. But notice that he will dwell with them, look back, because they belong to him. Verse 3: And they, they themselves, shall be his people, and God, God himself, will be among them.

33:34You know what makes a place great? Is it not the people? Think back on your finest memories, times in your life. And I can almost assure you that it's not going to be about the place as much as the people who were in that place. And the people are what make that place special. Think about heaven. It's that God is there. That's the big emphasis in these chapters. God's presence is there in a perfect holiness, confirmed holiness. It'll always, uninterrupted fellowship with each other and with God. Perfect unity.

34:30The city is secondary. It's the person who's there that makes it all glorious. You see, this bridal city, the new Jerusalem, is where God's desire for intimate, uninterrupted fellowship with his people is going to happen. Oh, we get glimpses of that now, even here, but not like this. This is perfect, confirmed, in holiness, never again, interruption. That's what's coming. It's where he enjoys uninterrupted fellowship with his people. It is also where his people enjoy delighting in God's immediate presence forever.

35:22That's the bridal city. That's heaven. So, having explained this voice, having explained what the new Jerusalem is and what its purpose is, the voice goes on to explain the implication of what living in God's immediate presence has for his people. So, next, notice what he heard. Verse 4: and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, every tear. God will wipe away every tear. That's what he heard. God is there. God's immediate presence is there. And God is going to remove each and every tear. And the word for remove or wipe away is a very strong one. He will erase each and every tear. He will remove. He will blot out. He will do away with.

36:30Psalm 56:8 tells us that God keeps track of our tears. He puts them in a bottle. He keeps them in his book. He will remove every tear and every cause for tears. A very blunt way to say it that is true to the text. He will obliterate every cause for tears. Because God's there. That's a consequence of being in his presence. When you behold the majesty and goodness of God, it obliterates occasion for tears. And moreover, you can think about this. It's not just about the tears. His people are going to be overwhelmed with goodness and joy. There's going to be no recollections of sorrow. There's going to be no. Recollections of the regrets, the memories, or memories of remorse, or things that are going to trigger memories of all of that.

37:39And so the voice goes on to elaborate how this is with the fourth thing that John heard. Notice what he says: 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. These are the things that give rise to tears. They have gone away. The first things have passed away. The first things occasioned grief, sorrow, loss, separation, remorse, regret. It's interesting to notice that as we're working our way through these chapters here, there are seven no-mores in the eternal state, seven things which are no more that are part of the new creation. We already looked at the first, there is no more sea. Four more of the no-mores are mentioned in this text, in this verse. There's no more death, no longer any mourning or crying. Or pain. Death is in the lake of fire. No more death. No more separations of any kind, whether physical or spiritual. Alienation from one another because of sin.

39:18Loss of a loved one because of death. There will be no more mourning. No longer. No further. Mourning has a limit. No more sadness, no more grief, no more lament. There's no more crying, no more wailing, or shouting, these expressions of intense grief and also occasion tears. No more pain, no more hard labor. Or we could put it like this: no more stressful anguish because of exhaustive work or distress caused by the curse. There is no more of that. Why? Is there no more of this? Because God is there.

40:24God is there. And in His immediate presence, None of these things can exist. God is, if I could characterize being heaven in one word, it's joy. It's joy. The very opposite of tears. So if you're in His presence, you experience something of His joy. But there's a need for the new creation on this kind of order. Why? Because sin ruined the old creation. Sin alienated this world from its Maker. Sin made this world a place of rebellion and a habitat for the enemies of God. And so you can look around, landscape, human structures, and even geologic features.

41:29And even the constellations in the sky could trigger memories of a world characterized by sin, suffering, crying, and pain. Those who worship the stars, the certain geological features and the high places, all of these, all of these, where it's their going away, even the constellations. There will be nothing that triggers tears or memories. Otherwise, sin has a foothold in the new heavens and the new earth. You know, even a good place can bring back bad memories for some.

42:14You could be in a paradise, and if something bad happens to you in that paradise, then every time that paradise comes to your mind, so does that horrible thing that happened. And that's exactly why the old creation completely disappears, and a new one, untainted by sin, appears. That's heaven. That's the new heavens. What is your vision of heaven? We've looked at what John saw. We looked at what John heard. And I can tell you this with certainty: John's vision of heaven needs to become your vision of heaven.

43:05And John wanted you and I to see what he saw and to hear what he heard so that we could share his vision of heaven, so that we could be characterized by heaven's joy even now as we, like faith, in faith, look forward to this day, to this city whose builder and architect is God. That's what Abraham did. Let this vision of heaven transform you as it transformed those in the first century and gave them the strength and the courage and the comfort to run their race in grace and joy for the glory of our Heavenly Father, regardless of what happens. Run. Life isn't just about getting through.

44:04It's about running in grace and joy. His presence is here now, not like this. We will experience this one day, but even now, his presence is with us. Same God, same joy in his presence, and we can live like that today. One day it's going to be permanent. Let our joy be that of a pilgrim beholding the new world. We can see it from afar. We can see it from where we are right now, just looking through the lens of Scripture. We can behold it.

44:43It's the land of the new world. Babylon the Great is a city built by man, but Philippians 3:20 says, Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, This vision of heaven gives us a vision of our homeland, our fatherland, our land of origin. That is where we have been born from above. You see, Scripture informs us that we are part of a great company of people.

45:25Do you believe that? Do you really believe the words of Scripture? We are part of a great company of people. And not only that, scripture informs us that the greatest angelic powers minister for our benefit. Think about that. The greatest company of people, the greatest heavenly powers. We have also been given the most glorious principles to walk in while we sojourn on this earth. There aren't any principles more glorious than those that came from God's own mind and his own heart. Those are ours.

46:08The profoundest wisdom in all the universe directs us and guides us and has promised to never leave us as we sojourn. What does all this mean? Well, we don't need to fear people. We don't need to fear the future. We don't need to fear fear. To fear what may happen in our lifetime, our inheritance is sure. We can run with grace and with joy with the full support of heaven. That's what real living is about. This is the abundant life. And you and I are called to live it. That's why he gave it. And there are some of you here today that are outside of Christ. You do not know Christ. All of everything that I said about this new heavens and the new earth, you're not there. You are part. Your future is in and under the great white throne judgment in an eternity separated from him forever. But this is given to you so that you will come to him. This is an invitation to you today to come out and join this great company of people in our Savior's blood who've been washed and cleansed.

47:34And for many of you, I hope this vision of heaven, those of you who are in Christ, who have grown comfortable with lesser living and mediocre ways, I pray that this would awaken something in you to run, to get up and go in grace and glory. The full support of heaven. The inheritance is sure. The company is great. Principles are ours. The wisdom guides us. Let's respond. Let this vision of heaven shape the way we live this week.

48:21Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we just thank you for this glimpse into the eternal. Father, beyond where we live today, we know a day is coming. And as Abraham knew enough to leave his world behind, Father, your scripture, your word, your communication is adequate for us to leave our world behind and to with joy press forward and lean into that and be all in. Father, forgive us of our sins. Forgive us so many times where we have been satisfied with lesser living. And Father, awaken us. Let this vision shape us as it did those believers in the early churches and believers ever since then. Father, may it have, may your word this morning have its way in us. In Jesus' name, amen.