The Dream Fulfilled
06/03/2007 - Full Circle
Not long ago the Barna Research Group conducted a poll of people's attitudes towards spiritual things. And the results indicated that an overwhelming majority of Americans continue to believe that there is life after death and that heaven and hell really do exist. Although, what people actually believe about heaven and hell varies widely.
A Barna spokesperson said, "They're cutting and pasting religious views from a wide variety of different sources - television, movies, conversations with their friends." And the result is a highly subjective view of the afterlife, disconnected from the biblical view of heaven.
There's a lot about heaven that continues to remain a mystery to us, even after a series like this. But I hope that we've all discovered there's also plenty that we can know. Someone came up to me after the very first teaching in this series from John 14 when we talked about Jesus being the groom and going away and preparing a place for his bride and then coming back again and they said, "Wow! That's really good stuff! So what else is there to learn about heaven? What are you going to talk about the next nine weeks?" Well, hopefully we've discovered there's a lot to learn about heaven, that other dimension, and the resurrection of our bodies and God's future kingdom and rewards for service and the creation of the new heaven and the new earth and seeing God's face.
There's a lot to learn because God chose to reveal it to us in Scripture. And he's revealed it to us because he wants us to know how the great story ends. He wants us to long for our heavenly home because he knows that will motivate us to live for him and his kingdom right here, right now.
I love what C. S. Lewis wrote in his classic book Mere Christianity when he said, "If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men and women who built up the Middle Ages, the English evangelicals who abolished the slave trade, all left their mark on earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one. Aim at heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in.' Aim at earth and you will get neither."
We've been aiming at heaven over these past few months in this series we've called The Dream Fulfilled: Glimpses of the Kingdom. And today we conclude, not only this series, but this trilogy that we began last summer with a teaching I've called "Full Circle," because that's where we've come, full circle.
We started in a garden where God's dream began and we read these words in Genesis 2:8-14 , Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and there he put the man he had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10A river watering the garden flowed from Eden, from there it separated into four headwaters. 11The name of the first is Pishon. It winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12(The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13The name of the second river is the Gihon. It winds through the entire land of Cush. 14The name of the third river is the Tigris. It runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
These are real places with real names … rivers, some whose names we still use today like the Tigris and the Euphrates. God's dream begins in a garden on this earth.
And now let's flip all the way to the end of the story found in the book of Revelation where we read these words in Revelation 21:1-2 , Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea, 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
God's dream begins in a garden, but it ends in a city also on this earth, but it's a new earth. There is a wedding, a joining together, of heaven and earth and it's pictured in the form of a city. In the garden there were two people, Adam and Eve, but in a city there are lots and lots of people. The city is called the New Jerusalem, the "City of Peace," which is ironic because the Jerusalem that exists today in Israel has known nothing but conflict and war throughout its bloody history. But now the New Jerusalem is finally going to live up to its name, "the City of Peace."
But this is no ordinary city. This is a city unlike any other city that has ever been built. Listen as the apostle John describes it in Revelation 21:10-14, And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12It had a great, high wall with twelve gates and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
This is the real emerald city. Forget the Wizard of Oz. This is a brilliant city made of gold as pure as glass that shines with the glory of God. And it's surrounded by a great, high wall built on twelve foundations named after the apostles of Jesus, with twelve wide gates named after the twelve tribes of Israel.
It's a huge city because there are lots and lots of people there, men and women like you and me who have embraced the king. In fact, in verse 16 John says its 12,000 stadia in length, width and height, a perfect cube that's 1,400 miles in each direction. That's the distance between here and Dallas, Texas.
About that city Randy Alcorn observes in his book Heaven, "A metropolis of this size in the middle of the United States would stretch from Canada to Mexico and from the Appalachian Mountains to the California border. The New Jerusalem is all the square footage anyone could ask for."
"We don't need to worry that the kingdom will be crowded. The ground level of the city itself will be nearly two million square miles. This is forty times bigger than England and fifteen thousand times bigger than London. It's ten times as big as France or Germany and far larger than India. But remember, that's just the ground level."
"Given the dimensions of a 1,400 mile cube, if the city consisted of different levels and if each story were a generous twelve feet high, the city could have over 600,000 stories. If they were on different levels, billions of people could occupy the New Jerusalem, with many square miles per person."
"If these numbers are figurative, not literal, and that's certainly possible, surely they are still meant to convey that the home of God's people will be extremely large and roomy." Literally or figuratively, there will be plenty of room in this city for the people of God.
And John says the city will have a wall around it that's made of jasper which is a beautiful, multi-colored stone. And that wall will be 200 feet thick, John says in verse 17. And what's the point of the wall? Well every ancient city had a wall for protection. It was often the first thing that was built and the greater the city, the greater the wall. But no city ever had a wall 200 feet thick and 1,400 miles high. It's too thick to breach and too high to scale. The wall, I think, is God's way of saying, "Nothing will harm you ever again. I will protect you." The wall speaks of God's promise to protect his people forever.
Then John goes on to say in verse 22, I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
This city of God is a perfectly safe place. There has never been a completely safe place on this planet that has ever been inhabited by more than two people. The serpent invaded the garden with his deceit that brought sin and shame. But he won't be able to enter this city. There will be no threat of danger or crime or war. No terrorists. No metal detectors. No need to remove your shoes and leave your creams and lotions at airport security. There will be no night there. The gates will never be shut. Those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life will go in and out as they please. There will be kings and queens coming and going bringing tribute to the King of Kings. But nothing or no one will ever ruin it again.
"The gates are where people enter and leave the city," Alcorn writes. "The vast distances involved - three gates on each of the city's sides, which measure more than 1,400 miles - suggest each gate may go out into a different country, perhaps each with radically different terrain. Imagine the people of every nationality, color, and dress going in and out of the city, some people leaving on a task or mission, some going on an adventure, others coming to a banquet or going to visit friends and loved ones."
"People have told me they can't get very excited about the New Jerusalem because they don't like cities. But this city will be different - it will have all the advantages we associate with earthly cities but none of the disadvantages. The city will be filled with natural wonders, magnificent architecture, thriving culture - but it will have no crime, pollution, sirens, traffic fatalities, garbage, or homelessness. It will truly be heaven on earth. If you think you hate cities, you'll quickly change your mind when you see this one."
Now look at Revelation 22:1-3 , Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3No longer will there be any curse.
When you enter this city you also enter a beautiful garden. And flowing right down Main Street is a crystal clear river, the river of life flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. There's water in this city. Now we might not think that's such a big deal because we don't lack for water here. When we want a glass of water we can turn on the faucet or grab a water bottle out of the fridge and that's no big deal.
But in desert countries like Israel or on the island of Patmos where John wrote Revelation water is a huge deal. In fact, the main concern of any city in the Middle East is water. Where there's water there's life. Where there's no water there's no life. It's that simple. Water is more important than food or oil. The city of Jerusalem today has no river running through it. It never has. Water has always been a huge challenge for that city. For centuries the only water source was the Gihon spring outside the city walls.
But in the New Jerusalem there is a river flowing right down Main Street, inside the walls. This is a picture of life. This city has a water source running right through the middle of it flowing down from God's throne. It's the most powerful symbol of abundant life that John's readers could have ever imagined. That's what the kingdom will be like. It will be teeming with life and abundance more than we could ever imagine.
Jesus said, I have come that you might have life and have it to the full. The new heaven and the new earth are the culmination of that great promise.
But not only do we see a river of life, we also discover a tree of life, which reminds us of the tree of life that was in the Garden of Eden. Only Adam and Eve weren't permitted to eat from that tree after they sinned because if they did they ran the risk of living forever in a state of permanent separation from God. So God posted an armed guard with a flaming sword around the tree of life in the garden, but not so in the New Jerusalem. This tree of life is open to all. It is to be eaten for all eternity. There is no danger anymore. And every month it bears a different crop. It might be apples in January and oranges in February and cherries in March and pears in April and peaches in May and on and on. The leaves are for the healing of the nations and no longer will there be any curse.
So we've finally come full circle. This image of the tree of life brings the whole story of the Bible to fruition. In Genesis 1, the heavens and earth are created. In Revelation 21, the new heaven and new earth are created. In Genesis 1, the sun is created. In Revelation 21, there is no need for the sun anymore. In Genesis 1, night is established. In Revelation 21, there is no night anymore. In Genesis 1, the seas are created. In Revelation 21, there is no longer any sea. In Genesis 3, the man and the woman are driven out of paradise. In Revelation 22, every man and woman, boy and girl is invited to reenter paradise. In Genesis 3, sorrow and pain and death begin. In Revelation 21, there is no more sorrow and pain and death. In Genesis 3, the curse is imposed. In Revelation 22, the curse is lifted in all its forms and finally and forever reversed. It's a beautiful end to the story!
But the best part of heaven as we learned last week is the presence of God himself. He was present in the garden and now he'll be present again in the city. Look at verses 3-5,The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever.
We will see God's face and he will dwell in the midst of his people forever and ever. God's great story ends with a final invitation to you and to me and to everyone, everywhere to come and enter the city and freely receive the water of life.
Now look how the story ends in verse 17, The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let those who hear say, "Come!" Let those who are thirsty come; and let all who wish take the free gift of the water of life. 18I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone of you adds anything to them, God will add to you the plagues described in this book. 19And if anyone of you takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from you your share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. 20He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.
The whole Bible ends with an invitation and the offer of amazing grace to everyone.The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people literally reads as the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. I think it's no accident that the Holy Spirit made sure that the word "grace" was in the final verse of the Bible. And that the last word of the Bible in the original Greek language is the word "all." All of us are invited into the kingdom. All of us are invited to experience God's grace found in the Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Have you received God's grace? Have you responded to his invitation to come into the kingdom of God? If you haven't, you can come right now by believing that Jesus is the King of Kings, the Son of God, who loves you and died for you on the cross to bring you into his kingdom. And three days after he died he rose again and is alive today, waiting to return. The groom is getting ready to come for his bride. Are you ready for him?
Don't wait for Jesus to come to you. He invites you to come to him. And if you have, then you're ready to come to the Lord's Table and commune with him around the bread and the cup, a symbol of the great feast that is still to come.
"In Christ alone my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song. The Cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace. When fears are stilled, when strivings cease. My comforter, my all in all. Here in the love of Christ I stand." Let's sing that together as we prepare ourselves for the Lord's Table.