The Saints Will live and reign with Jesus for eternity.

Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.

10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

Revelation 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Golden Text- Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Lesson Overview-

This lesson closes this unit of Bible study and explores the glorious everlasting future prepared for those redeemed by Christ. Te visions disclosed to John in The Revelation come to a dramatic conclusion with all the promises of God made to His people fulfilled. John saw God’s final judgements on the ungodly and the everlasting rewards given to the righteous. This lesson will examine John’s vision of the coming New Jerusalem and the wonders of the new creation. As we study what heaven and earth will look like when God’s reign is unimpeded (not obstructed or hindered), as believers in Christ we should be filled with hope and joy over what awaits us.

THE BRIDE OF THE LAMB

Revelation 21:1-10

A. All Things Made New

21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Some Bible scholars believe that the current heaven and earth will be replaced while others believe that the current heaven and earth will be renovated. While we do not have a definite answer on this, we can be sure of one thing, ALL THINGS WILL BE MADE NEW.

John notices and makes a point to record that there is no sea in the new world. For the ancients, the sea was regarded as a dangerous and foreboding (a feeling that something bad will happen) place. I believe that John, while in the spirit, was trying to make sure not to leave out one detail that would make us want to spend eternity in the New World. While it may seem simple to some, it was important enough to John to record that there is not a sea in this New World. No uncertainty, no instability, no danger.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Later in the lesson, the new Jerusalem is identified as the Bride of the Lamb, which we know to be the church. Thus, the Holy City here is referring to community of God’s people redeemed by Christ. We can understand this better if wee keep in mind that a city is made up by people who love in it. All the material structures of a city would not be a city without people.

“Pain is a part of life that will tend to be a part of beauty.” I believe we have all heard the statement that beauty is pain. I was reminded of this thought when reading this scripture. We often wonder why that we have to face difficulties in life, but we must remember that the pain that we face here on earth is only preparing us to be the bride that Christ is worthy to have.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Here is the greatest promise of the New World. And God himself shall be with them. That alone sums up every promise of the new world. The pretense of God will never be interrupted by outside circumstances.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

These scriptures are the result of the promise in Verse 3 of God himself being with us. The merging of the heavenly city with the realm of the new earth will be the fulfillment of God’s promises.

B. Everlasting Destinies

6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

This water relates to the life giving quality of the Holy Spirit through spiritual salvation, the baptism in the Holy Spirit and ongoing spiritual renewal and refreshment through companionship with God. This continual drinking of the Spirit is the key to being an overcomer. In the New World we will be able to come to this fountain of life freely.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

By partaking of this water of life, they will have eternal life, and will inherit all things God promised to them through Christ. What hope that we have as the children of God. Not only hope in this present world, but also a hope in the life to come. In this moment in eternity we will realize that we truly are heirs to all the promises of God. Each of His promises will be fulfilled in this moment.

8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

We must also realize the other outcome in eternity is just as real as the promises for the children of God. This promise for eternity is for those who have refused to repent and accept God’s offer of salvation through God’s offer of salvation through trusting Jesus Christ. Their eternal destination will be “the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

THE LIGHT OF THE LAMB

Revelation 21:22-22:5

A. The New Temple

22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

In the New Jerusalem a temple will not be necessary because God’s presence and nearness will completely fill the entire city so intensely that it will light the city for eternity.

The Holy of Holies in the OT was Ann enclosure completely shut off from light, and had no lamps inside to give light. The high priest of Israel was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies only once per year on the Day of Atonement, and the only light there was shed forth by the glory of God manifested above the mercy seat (the lid) of the ark of the covenant. Likewise, the New Jerusalem, the everlasting Holy of Holies, will have no need of light from the sun or moon because “the glory of God will lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof”.

24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

Again we are reminded that there will be no darkness in the New Jerusalem.

26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

The only inhabitants of the New Jerusalem will be those whose names “are written in the Lambs book of life”.

B. The New Eden

22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

This literal river suggests the continual flow of the Holy Spirit and the life, blessings and spiritual power that the Holy Spirit gives. The river is a reminder that the people are still dependent on God the Father and Jesus Christ for their life, just as they always were.

2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

This tree refers to the eternal life given to all of God’s people. The healing leaves indicate the absence from anything that brings physical or spiritual harm. We must realize that even our spiritual bodies will be dependent on the Lord for life, strength and health.

The New Jerusalem is depicted in John’s vision as not only being a city, but a city which is also a garden, where the river of life flows and trees of life bear fruit incessantly (without interruption; constantly). The biblical account of human history ends as it started, in a garden. The first Eden was watered by four rivers, and the new Eden will have the river of life flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb.

3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

The result of the healing power of the river and the trees of life will be that there will be no more curse. That is to say, the curse of sin which hovers over this present world with deadly consequences, will be completely absent from the new world God will make for his people.

4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

On this new earth, God’s people will see and live with Jesus, the Lamb of God, who lovingly redeemed them by his death on the cross. Their greatest happiness will be: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).

This verse shows and tells us that we will be identified with Christ. We will be reminded that if it was not for His sacrifice, we would not be able to spend eternity in His presence.

5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

The light of Christ is so significant that John reminds us again that there will be no night, and there will be no need for any other source of light.

THE INVITATION OF THE LAMB

Revelation 22:12-17

A. The Choice

12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Here in the last chapter of Revelation, Jesus speaks again, appealing to any who will hear him. This is the second of three times in the last chapter of the Bible that Christ himself speaks to remind, not only the believer, but anyone who will listen that he is coming again. We do not know the hour or the day of His return, so we must strive to be ready at all times.

When Christ does return he will “give every man according as his work shall be”.

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

From Christ all things began, and in Him all things find their purpose.

14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

After Jesus speaks to remind us of His soon return, John hears an angel speak to remind us of the blessing that those who choose to obey the commandments of Christ will receive by having the right to the tree of life and the ability to enter through the gates into the city.

15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Unlike the followers of Christ, the unbelievers will be excluded from the Holy City.

B. Come!

16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

The last mention of the Holy Spirit in the Bible shows Him inspiring the bride to invite all who desire spiritual salvation to come to Christ. The church, through the Holy Spirit, now has the power to deliver this invitation and spread the message of the coming Christ throughout the world until He returns.