Slides: The New Creation: Heaven on Earth

The New Creation: Heaven on Earth
By David Feddes

Inheriting the liberated earth

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt 5:5)

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:10)

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God…the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:19-21)

Reigning on the earth

God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:17)

“…you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. (Rev 5:9-10)

Creation redeemed

• Our final home is on earth. Heaven comes down to earth.
• God’s original creation will not just be wiped out and replaced. This world (like our bodies) will die but then be resurrected and transformed.
• Eternal pleasures in the new creation come from the Maker of all delights in this world.

Revelation 21:1 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.”

9 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.

22 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. 

22:1 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.

Heaven on Earth

• Bride: “I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” (21:9; see also 21:2)
• City: “I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem” (21:2).
• Temple: “Behold, the dwelling place [tabernacle] of God is with man.” (21:3)
• Garden: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life… also, on either side of the river, the tree of life” (22:1-2).

The bride’s delight in God

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)

God’s delight in his bride

For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet… You shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married… as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you (Isaiah 62:1-5).

(Promises to Jerusalem and the land of Israel reach completion not in a millennium before eternity, but in the new creation)

The marriage supper

7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (Revelation 19:7-9)

Heaven on Earth

• Bride: “I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” (21:9; see also 21:2)
• City: “I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem” (21:2).
• Temple: “Behold, the dwelling place [tabernacle] of God is with man.” (21:3)
• Garden: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life… also, on either side of the river, the tree of life” (22:1-2).

City

     New Jerusalem                                                           Old Babylon
pure bride, the wife of the                           whore fornicating with earthly kings (17:1-2)
Lamb (21:2,9)                                                             

shines with God’s light for                           seduces and deceives nations (17:3, 19:2)
nations (21:4)

attracts kings (21:24)                                  dominates kings (17:18)

values and preserves                                  markets everything, even
cultural treasures (21:26)                            bodies & souls (18:11-13)

no sorcery, no filth, no                                 sorcery, filth, falsehood (17:4,5; 18:23)
falsehood (21:8, 27)

water of life (21:6; 22:1)                               drunk with blood (17:6)

Enter its blessings (22:14)                           Get out now!(18:4)

stands strong forever                                   “Fallen, fallen” (18:2)

City: New Jerusalem

• United community: twelve angels at gates; names of Israel’s twelve tribes on gates; names of twelve apostles on foundations
• Total security: massive walls, but never need to shut the gates
• Cultural beauty: attracts persons and cultural splendors from all peoples
• Delegated royalty:  throne of God and Lamb is central, and God’s people reign wisely over creation, as we were originally created to do.

OT promises to Jerusalem fulfilled

6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine… 7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces. (Isaiah 25:6-8)

17 For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. 20 No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. (Isaiah 65:17-20)

(In the full revelation, God goes beyond  the promise of long life and makes it much longer: unending and eternal.)

23 They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. 24 Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 65:23-25)

OT saints desired a better country

10 Abraham was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God… 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:10-16)

Heaven on Earth

• Bride: “I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” (21:9; see also 21:2)
• City: “I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem” (21:2).
• Temple: “Behold, the dwelling place [tabernacle] of God is with man.” (21:3)
• Garden: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life… also, on either side of the river, the tree of life” (22:1-2).

Temple

• New Jerusalem is cube-shaped, like the Holy of Holies in tabernacle and temple. It is one gigantic Holy of Holies!
• City and streets are of gold, like the holy things in the tabernacle and temple.
• Twelve jewels correspond to those on the high priest’s breastplate: all are now high priests, forever in a huge Holy of Holies, seeing God’s glory directly (shekinah).

God’s holiness & nearness

And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the Lord.” And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar. (Zechariah 14:20-21)

And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The Lord Is There. (Ezekiel 48:35)

Temple and ark

I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. (21:22)

... the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim.  (1  Sam 4:4; see 2 Sam 6:2; 1 Chron 13:6; Psalm 99:1; Isaiah 37:16)

The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. (Rev 22:3)

My heart’s deepest desire

They will see his face (Rev 22:4)

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple…  My heart says of you, “Seek his  face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek. (Psalm 27:4,8)

A heart haunted by heaven: desiring God   

Heaven on Earth

• Bride: “I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” (21:9; see also 21:2)
• City: “I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem” (21:2).
• Temple: “Behold, the dwelling place [tabernacle] of God is with man.” (21:3)
• Garden: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life… also, on either side of the river, the tree of life” (22:1-2).

The garden of Eden

• Tree of life (Genesis 2:8)
• “A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden” (Genesis 2:10).
• Gold and precious stones (Genesis 2:12)
• Precious stones “in Eden, the garden of God” (Ezekiel 28:13)

Paradise regained and magnified

• God created light before he created sun or moon. Paradise does not need sun or moon to have plenty of light (Rev 21:23; 22:5)
• In Eden, humans imaged God’s glory and ruled creation on God’s behalf (Gen 1:26-28). In the new garden, “they will reign forever and ever” (Rev 22:5).
• No animals were to be killed or eaten in Eden (Gen 1:29-30). In God’s new garden, “Death shall be no more” (21:4).

Paradise regained and magnified

Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him… On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem (Zech 14:5,8).

And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.” (Ezekiel 47:12)

Eat and drink freely

• Sin’s curse removed; no sword will block us from the tree of life. We will eat of its fruit, and drink freely of the water of life.
• “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7)
• “Let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” (Rev 22:17)

Heaven on Earth

• Bride: “I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” (21:9; see also 21:2)
• City: “I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem” (21:2).
• Temple: “Behold, the dwelling place [tabernacle] of God is with man.” (21:3)
• Garden: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life… also, on either side of the river, the tree of life” (22:1-2).