Video Transcript: The New Creation: Heaven on Earth

But it's more true to say that a renewed creation, a new creation, is our final destiny. It's okay to speak about heaven. But our final destiny is going to be not just heaven, but heaven on earth. 

Jesus speaks about inheriting the earth Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth, not just heaven, but the earth. Jesus teaches us to pray Your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And the Apostle Paul speaks of creation being set free, the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God, for the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption, and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. So the creation itself is going to be liberated by God on the day when he liberates the children of God, completely. 

The earth, not just heaven, somewhere else is our destiny. God did not send His Son into the world says Jesus to condemn the world, in order that the world might be saved through Him, not just individuals out of the world, but the world itself.

 The world God made is to be saved through Jesus Christ. In Revelation, a song is sung to God, and to Jesus in particular you were slain, and by your blood, you ransomed people for God, from every tribe, and language and people, a nation, and you've made them to be a priest, kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign where on the earth, creationist be redeemed, and we're terrain in that redeemed creation, our final home is on earth. And heaven comes down to earth when Jesus comes to earth, and makes all things new. 

Now, there are passages in the Bible, which speak of a great fire coming to coming to the earth at the end. But that doesn't mean that it's just obliterated and wiped out, it means that it is purified and prepared for its new destiny. God's original creation won't just be wiped out and totally replaced with something unrelated. This world is kind of like our bodies. In that sense, this world will die, but then it'll be resurrected and transformed. And it'll still be this world in one sense, in that it's a resurrected world and not just a replacement world, when God raises us and our bodies. He doesn't just ditch everything and make us into somebody that never existed before he takes who we were, and transforms who we were and what our bodies were into what he intended them to be. But he doesn't just start from zero again, and with the world and the earth he created, he doesn't just trash it, and decide he's going to start with something totally different. 

He purifies it, and resurrects it. Eternal pleasures in the new creation. Well, they're going to come from the maker of all the delights in this world. And so one thing to be reminded of is, if you say, Well, I have a hard time getting excited about the future, because this world has many good things in it. And it's a shame just to think of all of them going away, and then me living in a bright fogbank somewhere being expected to enjoy it. Well. Keep in mind that everything that is truly good and truly wonderful and tasty and delicious, and delightful in this world comes from the hand of God, and in the world to come. It'll be this world as it was meant to be. And it will be you and I as we were meant to be. And then we will know what creation redeemed is all about. heaven comes to earth. Revelation portrays that in chapters 21 and 22. And I'd like to just read through those with you now, and then we'll get into some more details. 

Revelation 21 says, 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. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning or crying or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who is 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. 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. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God, and He will be my son. 

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. 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. 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, having the glory of God its radiance, like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great high wall with 12 gates, and at the gates, 12 angels, and on the gates the names of the 12 tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed. 

On the East three gates on the North three gates on the South three gates, and on the West three gates. And the wall of the city had 12 foundations and on them were the 12 names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb. And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of a goal to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies four square 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. It's about 1400 miles. He also measured its wall. 144 qubits are about 200 plus feet by human measurement, which is also an Angels measurement. The wall was built of Jasper while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. 

The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel, the first with Jasper, the second Sapphire, the third Agate, the fourth Emerald, the fifth Onyx, the six Carnelian, the seventh Chrysolite, the eighth Berlyl, the ninth Topaz, the 10th Chrysoprase, the 11th Jacint, and the 12th, Amethyst, and the 12 gates were 12 pearls, each of the Gates made of a single pearl. And the streets of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass. And I saw no temple in the city for its temple is the Lord God, the Almighty, and the lamb. In 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. By its light will the nation's walk and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. And its gates will never be shut by day, and there will be no nightmare. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations 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. 

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, through the middle of the street of the city. Also on either side of the river, the tree of life, with its 12 kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month, the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 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, they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 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, want a passage, there is much more there than I can speak about in this talk. 

But I want to highlight four main things about heaven on earth. First, the picture of a bride, I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb. Second, the picture of a city I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem and we get some details in the vision of that city. Third, a temple. It's the dwelling place or the tabernacle of God is with man. In one sense, there won't be any temple there. But in another sense, it is the tabernacle of God and God Himself is its temple. And finally, a garden. The angel showed me the river of the water of life and also on either side of the river, the tree of life. Let's begin by talking about heaven on earth as the bride the picture of a bride united with her husband. Already back in the prophet Isaiah God spoke to Isaiah and Isaiah rejoiced in God. And it gave that picture of a bride and the bridegroom coming together, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall exalt in my God, For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness as a bride groom decks himself, like a priest, with a beautiful headdress. And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. We're all dressed up in Jesus righteousness, and in His perfection, and we're dressed up to meet Him as our beloved forever. And not only do we delight in him, but scripture says that God delights in us, his people as his bride, for Zions sake, says, Isaiah, I will not keep silent and for Jerusalem 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 lands shall be married.

As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your god rejoice over you. Now scripture says, there will be no marriage in heaven or in the new creation as we know it here on earth. But that's not the cause. Marriage has no value, it's because of the thing that marriage was always about, is now going to have reached its fullness as we relate to God himself with perfectly light in a perfect relationship. These promises that come in Isaiah are promises to Jerusalem and to the land of Israel. And yet they reach their completion, not in just 1000 year millennium before eternity, they reach their fullness in the new creation. That's an important point to understand that heaven on earth in the book of revelation comes in chapters 21, and 22, which are after the millennium that is described in Revelation 20. I've argued already elsewhere that the millennium is what we're living in now with Satan bound and Jesus raining and not yet the perfection of things. But at any rate, the point I want to make here is that Isaiah is speaking of God's promises that apply not just to a particular 1000 year period for the nation of Israel, but to the eternal state of heaven on earth. Revelation night teen says Let us rejoice and exalt and give Him the glory.

For the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure you hear those echoes from the prophet Isaiah, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me right this blessed, blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Jesus in His parables spoke of a marriage supper and of being ready for that marriage supper so does revelate revelation and other parts of Scripture. A second picture is the picture of the holy city, the New Jerusalem, and Heaven as pictured as a city. Sometimes cities are pretty miserable places with the worst elements of human filth, with the worst kinds of human crime. 

But cities can also be places where much of the best of human civilization is gathered and concentrated. And in the New Jerusalem, we'll have the best of what God intends for the city and not like old Babylon the worst. One thing to appreciate about appreciate about the New Jerusalem is just how different it is from old Babylon. New Jerusalem as pictured in Revelation is a pure bride, the wife of the Lamb old Babylon is a whore fornicating with earthly kings. The New Jerusalem shines with God's light for the nation's old Babylon seduces and deceives and darkens the wisdom of nations. The New Jerusalem attracts kings. Old Babylon dominates kings and forces and compels them. New Jerusalem values and preserves cultural treasures. 

The Wealth of Nations is brought in the beautiful things of the nations are brought in old Babylon well, old Babylon has a price for everything but doesn't know the value of anything. Markets. Everything is described as selling horses and cinnamon and spices and a long, long list of other stuff that is bought and sold under the dominion of old Babylon, including bodies and souls of men, bodies and souls are for sale. Everything's for sale in old Babylon in New Jerusalem. What is truly valuable is valued and people are not for sale. There is no sorcery no filth, no falsehood in the New Jerusalem, old Babylon sorcery, filth, falsehood.

New Jerusalem has the water of life flowing down the main street of the city and that water of life is pointing to the Holy Spirit, the living water of God. Old Babylon is drunk with the blood of the saints. With the new Jerusalem, there's an invitation, a command to enter into its blessings in relation to Babel and get out while the getting's good get out of her, because Babylon is doomed. The New Jerusalem stands firm and strong, forever, old Babylon. The last word you hear about Babylon is fallen, Fallen is Babylon the Great, and there's a whole poll about its disastrous collapse. And so the Bible urges us to not get attached to the old world, the old Babylon and the old civilization, and it's collapsing ways. 

But to look forward to the new city, where what God intends to be true of the city reaches its fullness. In this city. It's a united community, you see that picture, you have 12 Angels, one of each of the gates, you have the names of Israel's 12 tribes on the gates, you have the names of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ, on the foundations of that city. And so you see, the United Community of the Old Testament people of God, of the New Testament people of God, and those who have been led to faith by the 12 apostles, and their teaching, and the community that includes not only the people of God, but the angels of God, all in this beautiful city, and represented by their leaders, but including angels and people of all ages, it's a place of total security. The walls are massive. If this picture has to be taken, literally, you'd say that Jerusalem, the New Jerusalem has walls that are more than 200 feet thick. Now 144 cubits would be 12 times 12, is 144. 

So it's very likely a symbolic number of complete thickness and security. But at any rate, is a place where nothing bad can ever get in nothing violent or vicious can ever successfully attack. Oh, and by the way, there aren't going to be any attackers anyway, it has these huge walls, and yet the gates can always be open. And because there will never be any attacker. Another picture of the New Jerusalem is that it's a place of such cultural beauty and splendor, it attracts persons, and it attracts splendors from all the nations in a way that we don't quite grasp. It may well be that what delights God in our world now. And even some of its cultural riches, are somehow preserved, and brought in in purified and transformed ways into the new creation. 

We don't know exactly what it means. But it does mean that all that is done now for the glory of God may shine with an even greater glory in the future. And in that city, there's a government and there is delegated royalty, the throne of God, and of the Lamb is central the Lord God and Jesus Christ reigned supreme. But there's also delegated authority where God delegates to his people, thrones, and we sit on thrones, and we rain wisely over creation. And by the way, that's what we were originally created to do. Adam and Eve were given dominion, to rule over the animals and to rule over the rest of creation. And since our fall into sin, we humans have lost a lot of our powers and what powers we still have. We've used quite badly in many cases, for the detriment of creation. But in that new city, when we're reigning with Jesus Christ, and we've been made perfect, we'll use our delegated authority wisely. And well. In the Old Testament, there were promises to the great city of Jerusalem. 

On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well aged wine, and He will swallow up on this mountain, that is the Mount Zion where Jerusalem is built, he was swallowed up on this mountain, the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations, He will swallow up death forever. And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces. And those words, of course, are echoed again, in the last part of the book of Revelation where God wipes away every tear from our eyes and the New Jerusalem is a place not of weeping but of rejoicing. God says, In Isaiah 4 behold, I create new heavens and a new earth again, that's echoed in Revelation, where John is shown a new heaven and a new earth for behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. 

But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy and our people to be a gladness I 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. No more shall there be in 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, 100 years old and the sinner 100 years old shall be cursed. So if you died at 100, you'd be thought, Oh, what did he do wrong? Or why did he die so young? That's kind of the picture that Isaiah is giving in his prophecy, but he's actually hinting at something even more than just very long life. In old covenant terms, he's pointing to something that God is going to reveal even more fully. In the full revelation. God goes beyond the promise of long life and makes it a whole lot longer, unending, and eternal. 

Scripture says Jesus brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And so the glimmers of light that came through Isaiah have reached a full blaze of light and Jesus Christ, and we know that we live forever. 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. Before they call I will answer while they are yet speaking, I will hear the wolf and the lamb shall graze together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and thus shall be the serpent's food, they shall not hurt or destroy, and all my holy mountain, says the Lord. Now remember, this whole prophecy is about a new heaven and new earth, and in Revelation, that picture of the new heaven, and the new earth comes in chapters 21, and 22. 

So it's not just speaking of 1000 year millennium, it is speaking of the eternal state, when it's speaking of these animals, living in harmony of people living in health, and harmony, what a beautiful picture of heaven on earth. Even the Old Testament saints weren't just looking forward to a good land, and to what they might have in Israel for a time Abraham was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God, if they had been looked thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return that as it is, they desire a better country that is a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city, there are some people who say that God's promises to Israel won't be fulfilled, unless there is a literal 1000 year reign, where Jerusalem and Israel is top dog. Oh, come on, God has come up with something much better, in which will fill all those great promises a better country, a heavenly one, where heaven comes down to earth and lasts forever. God is not ashamed to be called their God, because he's prepared for them a better city than any city we could imagine. He prepared that for Abraham. And for Abraham's offspring, the people of Israel, and for all who are children of Abraham, by faith in Jesus Christ.

So we've seen that heaven on earth, in some respects is like a bride being united to her husband, or like a great city. Another picture of heaven on earth is the temple. Behold, the two dwelling place, literally tabernacle of God is with man. And this is another very beautiful picture of what heaven on earth is going to be like. The New Jerusalem notice, is shaped like a cube. And you might not have thought too much of that at first when you hear it but what else is shaped like a cube, the Holy of Holies, in the tabernacle, built by Moses, on God's instructions, was a perfect cube. The Holy of Holies in the temple, built by Solomon, according to God's instructions, was a perfect cube. And now, this great city is one huge cube, one gigantic, Holy of Holies. The cities and the streets are made of gold, just like the holy things in the tabernacle were made of gold, and like the holy things in the temple were made of gold. 

Now, the lowest things in the city are made of gold, because it's all one great holy of holies. The 12 jewels that are spoken of in Revelation correspond very closely to the jewels in the Old Testament, that were on the high priest's breastplate. Were all high priests. Now, the Bible says that we're priests, to serve our God and Father, forever in a huge Holy of Holies and seeing God's glory directly. Back in that time, only on the Day of Atonement only once a year, could one person go into that holy of holies Jesus tore the veil apart in the moment of his death, and gave us direct access to our Father in Heaven in prayer. But when heaven comes down to earth, we will be in a huge Holy of Holies where God's shining glory is directly evident to us and we will not perish, but we will flourish in the presence of that glory, the glory that no one can see and live, we will see and live forever. 

And so God's holiness and nearness that were prophesied and the prophets of old, come to reality when heaven comes to earth, the prophet Zechariah said, On that day, there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, holy to the Lord, everything is holy, even the horses, and the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar. So the special bowls for the altar are no holier than just the pots that were just being used for this, everything is made holy now, the name of the city from that time on says, Ezekiel shall be, the Lord is there. That's how Ezekiel ends his book, and what a wonderful prophecy, to have a city that's just called God is there, The Lord is there. In that city, and in that great temple, and in that great holy of holies, there is a sense of the Ark of the Covenant, the Ark is gone, gone forever. But what the Ark represented, remains forever. I saw no temple in the city says John, for its temple is The Lord God, the Almighty, and the lamb. 

Now, in the Old Testament, the Ark symbolized gods in throne moment, the location of God's reign and his presence on Earth. And it was so dangerous, that anybody who got too close or handled it wrongly, or looked into it was immediately struck dead. It was called the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the Charibin. And in this picture, we have the Ark among us, the Lord who is enthroned, makes his throne, the throne of God and of the Lamb is in it in this great huge Holy of Holies. And his servants will worship him. All that the Ark ever meant is fulfilled and more in the New Jerusalem. And really, the best promise of all of a temple as they will see his face. Psalm 27, is one of my favorite songs. 

One thing I asked her 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, and I will seek. And I have wanted more than anything else, to see God's face. Ever since I was nine years old, and I came to fuller knowledge of Jesus Christ is my Savior, and dream of heaven. My heart has been haunted by heaven, and not just by the goodies of heaven, but by a desire for God. I think God means it to be that way. He's implanted in us a desire for himself and for his face. And that desire is going to be fulfilled in that temple in that holy of holies, where we see his face and rejoice in him forever, I'm sometimes asked, well, are we going to see God the Father, or we're going to see the Holy Spirit or we're going to see God? Well, I know for sure that our eyes will see Jesus Christ, because Jesus took on a human nature that is visible and touchable. 

And whether we're going to be able to see something of God with our eyes, or whether God gives us a different sense, which we'll see or perceive or detect Him and His angels, I'll let God worry about that. But we're going to have the ability to perceive God fully, in one sense, as clearly as we possibly can, in another sense, never fully because creatures like us could never take in the fullness of God forever. Never because God is infinite, and we're not. But we'll be discovering and seeing and learning more of him forever, and ever and delighting in him. And then a final aspect of heaven on earth that's pictured in Revelation that I want to talk about is the picture of a garden. 

The angels showed me the river, the water of life, and also on either side of the river, the tree of life. And that's a thing that brings us to the end of the Bible, but also right back to the very beginning of the Bible, the Garden of Eden. In the Garden of Eden, there is the tree of life and there that tree of life is again in Revelation. In the Garden of Eden, a river flowed out of Eden, to water the garden and in the New Jerusalem in the new garden, the river of the water of life flows. The Garden of Eden had gold and precious stones. The New Jerusalem is paved with streets of gold, and with precious stones on its gates and foundations. The Bible speaks of the precious stones that were in Eden the garden of God, and we now have Eden restored and not just Eden restored, but even in its full flowering Eden, in a sense was sinless. But it was not yet the full perfection of what God intended his creation to be. Adam and Eve were to develop it. 

And in the new creation, it will be developed more fully by the descendants of Adam and Eve and, more importantly, the descendants of Jesus Christ, who are found in Him by faith and will develop that garden in beautiful ways. Paradise will be regained, and not just regaining the Garden of Eden but magnifying it. Remember that in the book of Genesis, God created light, before He created the sun or the moon, some scientists and scientific types of gripe about that say, oh, impossible. Hey, Paradise does not need the sun or the moon, because it will have plenty of light, the God who said Let there be light, before he made a sun or moon can be the light of his new creation. In the Garden of Eden, humans imaged God's glory and we ruled creation on God's behalf. In the new garden, we will reign forever and ever, we will take up the scepters that we lost with our fall into sin, and we will rule again, and rule well as Adam and Eve were called to do. No animals are to be killed or eaten in Eden. In the original Garden of Eden, they were not to be killed or eaten, and in God's new garden, death shall be no more. And the wolf and the Lion and the Lamb and the serpent all will lie down together, and little children can play with them. And there will be no more death in the human realm or in the animal realm.

The Lord my God will come set Zechariah and all the holy ones with him on that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, that's the river of the water of life. The prophet Ezekiel spoke of that river and he said, on the banks on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food, their leaves will not whether or 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. Now, we won't need to be healed of anything, because we won't be sick or injured anymore. But just in case, whatever brings life and health and restores your energies, and your body will be abundantly present to us. Now often in the Bible, water is a picture of the Holy Spirit's work. And so it's always hard to know exactly how literally to take certain things, maybe one of the ways the Holy Spirit will minister to us will be through the flowing of wonderful streams of water that give us kind of a physical representation of who he is. And what he does for us. We don't know how all this will work. Whatever it is, it's going to be wonderful, and it's beautifully portrayed by the Lord in that new paradise with that fruit. And with that drink, we can eat and drink freely, we're invited to do so. 

The Garden of Eden was blocked from Adam and Eve after they had sinned, and a chair of who was guarding the entrance to it so nobody could get out the tree of life. But in this New Paradise, since curses gone, there is no sword, to block us from the tree of life. We can eat of its fruit, and drink freely of the water of life, and live forever. Because now we're in the new improved garden of God, to the one who conquers, I will grant to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the paradise of God. That's one of the beautiful promises early in the book of Revelation, when you conquer in the name of Jesus Christ and overcome the world and walked by faith in Him, then the paradise of God and its Tree of Life, are yours for the eating and for the taking. And near the end of the book of Revelation, the invitation let the one who desires take the water of life. Without price God gives it freely come and take it. Heaven on Earth. Rejoice as a bride rejoices in the coming up her husband. 

Rejoice in a city that is really all that a city is meant to be. Rejoice in the presence, the tabernacle of God with men and God making his home with us. Rejoice that eaten and better than eaten, has been renewed and restored and expanded and made to last forever. What a blessing it is to know that the meek will inherit the earth. What a blessing it is that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him to renew that creation. And right now, we groan for the day when the creation is set free. But that day is coming and when it is when Christ comes again, and brings Heaven to Earth. This Earth will be what God intended it to be. We will be who God intended us to be. And we will live and reign and rejoice in our God forever.