Revelation 21

Revelation 21:1-8

Chapter 52 Christ shall make all things new ‘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’ Revelation 21:1-8 It is impossible for us to grasp the fullness, splendor, and glory of the vision John had before him when he wrote Revelation 21. The things described in this chapter are truly glorious. By the time we get to the things described here, the Lord Jesus Christ has already come in power and great glory. At his coming, our Savior purged the old creation with fire. The final, great white throne judgment is over. Then, John writes, ‘I saw a new heaven and a new earth.’ Our Lord Jesus Christ shall make all things new. When he comes the second time, in the glory of his second advent, the universe in which we now live shall be dissolved with fire, and thus purged of all the consequences of sin. The slime of the serpent shall be erased from God’s creation. The heaven shall depart as a scroll when it is rolled together. And every mountain and island shall be removed out of their places (Revelation 6:14). Peter wrote, ‘The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with great noise, and the elements shall melt with a fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up’ (2 Peter 3:10).

Every trace of sin upon the handiwork of God shall be removed. Then, the Lord Jesus Christ will create a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17; Isaiah 66:22; 2 Peter 3:11-13). He will redeem the earth itself from the bondage of corruption by his transforming power and make this earth a suitable habitation for his glorified saints (Romans 8:20-23). In these eight verses John describes five things revealed to him by the Spirit of God.

1. The new creation (Revelation 21:1)The old world, with all its sorrows and troubles, this world of care, will pass away to make room for an entirely new world. ‘I saw a new heaven and a new earth!’ The word that is used here implies that John saw a new creation but not another creation. What the apostle saw was heaven and earth completely purged of sin and regenerated, renewed, and rejuvenated by the power of God. In this new creation, all the potentialities of nature, so long held in bondage by sin, shall be fully realized. All the curse of sin shall be removed from the earth. Weeds, thorns, and thistles shall be no more.

The old order of the world shall vanish away. All rebellion against the throne of God shall be ended! ‘And there was no more sea.’ The sea is a constant emblem of trouble. The raging, roaring, tempest tossed waves of the sea represent the agitation and unrest of the world in opposition to Christ. The beast, symbolically, arose out of the sea. The great harlot (the religion of antichrist) and all the nations of the world are found in the sea (Revelation 13:1; Revelation 17:15). In Christ’s new creation, everything will be peace. When this earth is restored to its pristine beauty, it will be a glorious habitation for the glorified sons of God. As Eden was the garden of the Lord, perfect and glorious, a home well suited for our sinless parents, the whole world will then be a home well suited for God’s sinless people when it is delivered from the bondage of corruption. This new creation will be the eternal home of all who have been made new creaturesin Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). ‘We, according to the promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness’ (2 Peter 3:13). This will be the ultimate consequence of Christ’s redemptive work and God’s transforming grace. Christ gave us a new standing in redemption, a new nature in regeneration, and shall give us a new creation in eternity. 2. The new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2) ‘The holy city, new Jerusalem,’ is not a literal walled city. It is the church of the living God in its complete, perfect state. John describes the new Jerusalem (God’s glorified church) more fully later. For now he simply tells us three things about it. First, the church of God is ’the holy city, new Jerusalem’ It is called ’new’ to distinguish it from the earthly Jerusalem, the symbolical Old Testament center of worship. It is ‘holy’ because it has been purged and cleansed of all sin by the blood of Christ and the power of his grace. It is evident from the Scriptures that ’the holy city, new Jerusalem’ is the whole church of God’s elect (Psalms 48:1-2; Isaiah 26:1-2; Isaiah 40:9; Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 12:22-24). It is called a ‘city’ because a city is a place of permanent residence, made up of a great number of people, and a place of security and safety. This ‘holy city’ shall be our home, the place of our family and of our most intimate fellowship (Hebrews 11:16). Second, John saw the church of God, this ‘holy city,’ coming down from God out of heaven When Christ comes again to the earth all the saints of God will come with him into his new creation (Daniel 7:13-14; Daniel 7:18; Jude 1:14). Third, this ‘holy city,’ the church of God, is ‘prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.’ This describes the church in her eternal, glorified state, beautified with all the perfection of holiness, in perfect conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ. This was the object of God the Father in election (Ephesians 1:4; Romans 8:29-30), the goal of God the Son in redemption (Ephesians 5:25-27), and the end of God the Holy Spirit in regeneration (Ephesians 1:13-14). This great, glorious event will be the final, climatic result of Christ’s work as our Savior and Surety (Hebrews 2:13). 3. The divine presence (Revelation 21:3) This shall be the glory of heaven, the joy of the saints, and the delight of the new creation. The Lord our God, in the Person of Jesus Christ his Son, shall be immediately and eternally present with his people. God shall eternally tabernacle among men. The spiritual presence of Christ with his church is her glory in this world (John 14:23). In the midst of all our troubles, the Lord is with us (Isaiah 43:1-5; Hebrews 13:5). He graciously visits his saints in our assemblies in the sweet manifestations of his presence through the ordinances of divine worship (Matthew 18:20).

But, blessed as our fellowship is now, it cannot begin to compare with the presence of God we shall enjoy in the new creation. God himself shall be with us forever. His presence with us and our communion with him will never be interrupted. This is the heaven of heaven. In that blessed state, we shall enjoy perfect communion with Christ, perfect commitment to Christ, and perfect conformity to Christ forever. In that state, our covenant interest in and relationship to the triune God shall be perfectly revealed, realized, and enjoyed.

We shall find eternal delight and satisfaction with God. And God shall find eternal delight and satisfaction with us! 4. The bliss of eternity (Revelation 21:4) In that day, trouble shall be no more. God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes. We have many tears to shed here. Our sins, our afflictions, our heartaches, the struggles of our souls, the troubles of God’s church in this world, and the perishing souls of lost friends and relatives all cause our cheeks to burn with tears. But God will dry our tears with the knowledge of complete forgiveness, acquiescence in his perfect will, and the accomplishment of his glory in all things. All possible causes of future sorrow shall also be removed.

In the new creation there shall be no possibility of pain, sorrow, crying, or death, because there shall be no more sin. In that state, as we have seen, the very consequences of sin shall be gone. There shall be absolutely no sorrow of any kind, ‘for the former things are passed away’ (Isaiah 25:8; Isaiah 35:10; Isaiah 51:11). That one statement destroys the teachings of purgatory, degrees of reward in heaven, mourning in heaven over the lost, and even weeping in heaven over past sins. There will be nothing for God’s saints in eternity but an everlasting fullness of glory and joy. 5. The divine assurance (Revelation 21:5)These blessed promises of glory to come are here assured to us by the oath of him who is ‘faithful and true.’ Our Savior says, ‘Behold, I make all things new!’ The language is present tense. He is now making all things new by his providence and grace (Romans 8:28; Romans 11:36; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Soon, his work will be done. When that great day comes, he will declare, ‘It is done!’ All that was purposed and planned by God the Father before the world began, all that Christ agreed to as our Surety in the everlasting covenant, all that he came into this world to accomplish, shall be done when time is no more. God’s works shall be finished exactly as he purposed.

Everything that has been, is now, or shall hereafter be shall serve his glorious purpose and ultimately glorify him. Everything, in the end, shall prove to have been the work of God for the salvation of his people. It is written, ‘All things are of God’ (2 Corinthians 5:18). And when our dear Savior has made all things new, when the triune God has finished his work we shall see that it has been so (Romans 8:28-30).

Revelation 21:5-8

Chapter 53 Christ makes all things new ‘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’ Revelation 21:5-8 We rejoice to know that soon the Lord Jesus Christ shall come again and that when he comes, he will make all things new. He will create ‘a new heaven and a new earth!’ As we saw in our previous study, this is what John saw and described in Revelation 21:1-4. The believer anticipates, with anxious heart, that great day when our God makes his creation new. We look forward to that new heaven and new earth ‘wherein dwelleth righteousness.’ However, it must never be forgotten that the Son of God exercises his renewing, creative power in this day. The basis of our confidence regarding the new creation of heavenly glory is our experience of the new creation of grace. First, in Revelation 21:1-4 John saw the new heaven and new earth that Christ will make. Then he heard the Son of God declare, ‘Behold, I am making all things new!’ It is as though our Lord were saying, John, the promise of a new heaven and a new earth should not take you by surprise. These things should not astonish you. Behold, I am making all things new right now by my saving, renewing, regenerating grace. Every time he saves a sinner by his almighty grace, he makes all things new for that sinner; and when he comes at the last day he will make all things new in God’s creation. The announcement of grace ‘He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.’ With those words the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, announces his great work of grace. Meditate upon each word carefully. ‘He that sat upon the throne’ is Christ himself, the great God-man, the exalted Mediator, the Redeemer, and King of his people. He sat upon the throne of universal dominion forever as God (Hebrews 1:8). He sits upon the throne now as the Lamb of God, upon the basis of his Mediatoral accomplishments as the sinner’s Substitute (John 17:2). He sits upon the throne because his work of redemption is finished (Romans 8:34). He sits upon the throne with the ease of an absolute Monarch, possessing total sovereignty, without the slightest possibility of his throne being toppled or his decrees being nullified (Isaiah 46:10). ‘He that sat upon the throne said, Behold!’ Give me your attention, Hear what I say. Give thoughtful consideration to my words. I am doing wondrous things for the sons of men. ‘I make all things new!’ Christ, the Creator and Sustainer of all things in the physical creation, is the One who makes all things in the new creation. Nothing is attributed to the will of man. The Son of God says, ‘I make all things new!’ Whatever this new creation is, he assures us that it is his work alone, accomplished by his power, according to his purpose, arising from his grace, and performed for his praise. The apostle Paul uses similar language in 2 Corinthians 5:17 - ‘If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ The new creation is accomplished by the merits of Christ’s obedience and the power of his Spirit through the preaching of the gospel of his grace and glory.

Everything in the new creation comes from him, is centered on him, and directs our hearts to him. He says, ‘I make all things new!’ In the new creation, we are the beneficiaries of a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Jeremiah 32:38-40), the recipients of a new nature (2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 3:9-10), given a new relationship (1 John 3:1-2), brought into a new family (Ephesians 3:15; Mark 3:31-35), made to worship in a new way (Hebrews 10:19-24), and granted a new record in heaven (Isaiah 43:25; Isaiah 44:22; Jeremiah 50:20). The new covenant is the everlasting covenant of grace made between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit before the world began. In that covenant the salvation of God’s elect was secured by the covenant promises of the three Persons of the Godhead to one another. The new nature created in the believer is the nature of Christ himself, a holy nature. Christ does not repair the old nature. He gives his people a new nature. The old nature remains with us, so that we cannot do the things we would.

Sinless perfection is impossible, even for a moment! But there is in every believer a new nature that brings forth fruit unto God (Galatians 5:22-23). Our new relationship with God is one of sonship. God no longer deals with us as with slaves under the yoke of the law, and we no longer serve God as slaves by the constraint of the law. We are the sons of God! Can you imagine anything more ennobling?

Being the sons and daughters of God we are now members of a new family, the family of God. Our family is a large one. It includes the whole church of God’s elect. And it is well supplied, for God himself is our Provider. Every member of this family, whose names are written in heaven, worship God in a new way. We come to God by faith in Christ, trusting the merits of his blood.

We are all priests unto God. We do business in the holy place personally and are accepted there in Christ. In this new creation ‘old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ That means that our old record of sin is gone. Christ has purged away our sins by the blood of his cross. It also means that we have a new record in heaven. In the books of God we are declared to be perfectly righteous, because we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ by divine imputation (2 Corinthians 5:21). The assurance of grace Having made this marvelous declaration of grace, anticipating our hesitancy to believe such great things, our Savior gives us this perpetual word of assurance - ‘And he said unto me, write: for these words are true and faithful.’ If you are a young believer, one who has just come to Christ; or if you are one who has been in Christ for many, many years, before God all things are new, perpetually new, immutably new, eternally new! Your feelings will fluctuate, your failings will be many, and your experiences will often appear to contradict God’s work of grace and word of promise, but the new creation does not depend upon you. It depends only upon the truth and faithfulness of our great God and Savior (2 Timothy 2:12-13; 2 Timothy 2:19). The Lord God will never disown his child, disinherit him, cease to be gracious to him, or change his record in heaven. He will not impute sin to the one he has forgiven (Romans 4:8). Because the new creation is God’s work, it is forever.

Nothing can be taken from it. Nothing can be added to it (Ecclesiastes 3:14). The accomplishment of grace Read these next words and rejoice - ‘And he said unto me, It is done!’ The gospel of Christ is good news to sinners who can do nothing for themselves, because it declares that the whole work of grace is done. The whole business of making all things new is finished. It was done before the world began. All the blessings of grace and salvation were fully given to God’s elect in Christ before the world began (Ephesians 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:9). In him, according to God’s everlasting purpose of grace, we were predestinated, called, justified, and glorified from eternity (Romans 8:28-30). The work was done when Christ died.

When our Savior cried, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30), he declared that the whole work of righteousness and redemption, the whole accomplishment of God’s will by which we are sanctified and made perfect (Hebrews 10:5-14) was done.The work is done when the chosen, redeemed sinner believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith adds nothing to what Christ has done. Faith receives Christ and all that he has done. Yet, no one has any right to claim Christ and grace until he believes. ‘He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son of God shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him’ (John 3:36). If you believe on Christ, you are a new creature in Christ. Your faith in him is the fruit of his creation, the gift of his grace, and the evidence of your election, redemption and calling. The accomplisher of grace Once more the Lord Jesus declares, ‘I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.’ Staying with the context, he is telling us that the whole work of making all things new is his alone. He is the Beginning of the new creation and the End of it. To put it another way, ‘Salvation is of the Lord!’ He planned it. He purchased it. He performs it. He preserves it. And he perfects it. Therefore, he alone shall have the praise of it, ‘That according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord’ (1 Corinthians 1:31). The abundance of grace In the new creation, grace is both abundant and free. The Son of God declares, ‘I will give to him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.’ John Gill accurately describes this spiritual thirst as the thirst of a needy soul for Christ himself, for pardon and righteousness, for communion with and conformity to Christ, a thirst for a greater knowledge of Christ, and a thirst for the glories of his kingdom. This thirst the Lord Jesus promises to quench abundantly, with ’the fountain of the water of life,’ and ‘freely,’ without money, without price, without qualification of any kind to be met by the sinner. In Christ, grace is free and abundant! ‘He that overcometh shall inherit all things’ All believers shall overcome sin, Satan, and the world, because all believers are more than conquerors in Christ (Romans 8:35-39). Overcoming by the blood of the Lamb, every child of God ‘shall inherit all things.’ We are ‘heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ’ (Romans 8:17). That means that all that Christ possesses as our Mediator we shall possess in him forever. This one statement from the lips of our Lord should be sufficient to put to silence all questions about degrees of reward in heaven. The Son of God declares that every saved sinner ‘shall inherit all things!’ ‘And I will be his God, and he shall be my son’ Christ himself, in whom we were adopted and by whom we have been purchased, is the mighty God and our everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6).We are his seed and his offspring. Here he promises us his perpetual presence, protection, and provision forever. In heavenly glory, he will see his seed with satisfaction, prolong his days, and enjoy the fruit of his toil in us forever. He will present us to himself in the perfection of holiness (Ephesians 5:27) and present us to the Father (Hebrews 2:13). Though now we are the sons of God, ‘it doth not yet appear what we shall be’ (1 John 3:2). But this we are assured of: Christ will forever be ours and we shall forever be his in the fullness and perfection of heavenly glory! The admonition of grace In Revelation 21:8, there is a strong word of warning and admonition. It is possible that one may have read the pages of this book and yet not be a new creature in Christ. Be warned. Salvation is more than a profession of faith, a religious experience, doctrinal soundness, or a moral reformation. Salvation is a new creation (Galatians 6:15). You must be made a new creature, or you must forever die. Are you a part of this new creation? Are you a new creature in Christ? If you are, do not ever forget where and what you were when God saved you (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Consecrate yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ, your gracious God and Creator. ‘Ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s’ (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Revelation 21:9-22

Chapter 54 Christ and the holy city, the new Jerusalem ‘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’ Revelation 21:9 to Revelation 22:5 Throughout the Book of Revelation we have seen vision after vision of the Lord Jesus Christ in his redemptive, saving, preserving grace. Every vision seen and recorded by John sets forth the whole history of redemption from the incarnation of Christ until the final consummation of all things at his glorious second advent. Each vision is historical, current, and prophetic. And, as you read through the Book, you get a sense of anticipation. Everything appears to be moving in one direction, with steady pace, toward a particular end. Really, history is not circular, but linear.

All of history moves in a direct line to one, glorious end to accomplish one object. And that object is the complete revelation of God’s glory in the salvation of his elect by Christ Jesus. This is the vision which John describes in Revelation 21:9 to Revelation 22:5. In this passage of Scripture we have a beautiful, symbolic picture of the church of God, the Bride of Christ, as God views it. It is the holy city, the new Jerusalem. Remember, the picture is altogether symbolical. It is a picture of the church of God in her eternal, heavenly glory. But this vision of the church’s triumphant glory is also a vision of the church’s present glory in Christ. In Christ, by virtue of our union with him, the church of God and every member of it is perfectly and eternally complete (Colossians 2:10). In this passage, John tells us twelve things about the church of the living God as she shall be in that glorious state called ’the holy Jerusalem.’

1. The church of God is described as a city, the holy city, the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:10; Revelation 21:16; Revelation 21:18)The church is a community of men and women who have fellowship with God in the Lord Jesus Christ. This community will, in its ultimate fulness, be an enormous, flourishing city. It is called ’the Holy City’ because it has been purified and made holy by the blood of Christ. It is called ’the new Jerusalem’ because it has been renewed by the grace and power of God the Holy Spirit. It is called a ‘great city’ because it is made up of a vast multitude which no man can number.

The New Jerusalem is a radiant, highly valued city, a city of pure gold because God considers his church the most valuable thing in his creation. And it is described as a city four square (1400 miles high, 1400 miles long, and 1400 miles wide), complete and in perfect cemetry because it is altogether perfect (Psalms 48:12-14) 2. This holy city, the church, is the bride of Christ (Revelation 21:2; Revelation 21:9) The people of this city are the objects of his eternal love, the choice of his heart, the bride to whom he is betrothed, for whom dowry of righteousness and redemption has been paid, whom he is coming to wed 3. This city, the new Jerusalem, is a well lit city (Revelation 21:11; Revelation 21:23; Revelation 22:5) The Lord God himself, as he is revealed and known in the sin-atoning Lamb, is the light of the city. Christ the Light drives out the darkness of ignorance and the night of sorrow. It is only in Christ that the glory of God is seen in this world (2 Corinthians 4:4-6). And it is only in Christ the glory of God can be seen in everlasting glory (Isaiah 60:1; Isaiah 60:3; Isaiah 60:5; Isaiah 60:19-21). God is Spirit. We cannot see a spirit. But we shall see all the fulness of the triune God in the person of our Savior, when we see him face to face (John 1:18). 4. The church is the temple of God, but here John tells us that God is the temple of his church (Revelation 21:22) It is true that God dwells in us. But understand this: we dwell in God! And in eternity, we shall have the full manifestation and enjoyment of the atmosphere of God’s being. The radiance of God’s being shall fill the entire city of God. It shall be fully manifest everywhere, to everyone. There shall be no back settlements in the heavenly Canaan, no dark corners in the New Jerusalem. All God’s elect shall forever dwell in the immediate, direct, presence of God. 5. The new Jerusalem is a divinely secured fortress of grace (Revelation 21:12; Revelation 21:17-18)Round about this city is a great high wall, a wall with four sides. It is an unseen wall, but it is a very secure wall. The wall of our salvation is our great God (Zechariah 2:5). We are secured from all harm and all real danger by the purpose, purchase, power, and promises of our God. 6. The foundations upon which this city is built are the twelve apostles of Christ (Revelation 21:14; Revelation 21:19-20)Men and women come into this city, come into this church of God, and enter into glory at last, by the preaching of the apostles, by the message they delivered - The gospel of Christ. The apostles were the messengers of the Lamb. Their foundations are really one - Jesus Christ himself (Ephesians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 3:9). In this great foundation, all the glorious attributes of God are revealed and set forth by the many precious stones. 7. This great city has twelve gates of pearl (Revelation 21:12-13; Revelation 21:21; Revelation 21:25; Revelation 21:27; Revelation 22:14-15)There are plenty of open gates on every side for all who will enter. But the gates are made and opened for a specific people. They are the ones whose names are inscribed upon them, ’the twelve tribes of the children of Israel,’ that is to say, God’s elect. At every gate there is an angel, a messenger, calling for men to enter into the city. These messengers represent God’s preachers. The gates are pearls, one pearl, even the Pearl of Great Price, Jesus Christ. He is the door, the only door, by whom we enter the city. The gates to the City Beautiful are never shut. Christ is an open door by whom sinners draw near to and find acceptance with the eternal God. 8. The street of the city is pure gold, transparent as glass (Revelation 21:21)There is but one street running through the city. It leads from every gate right up to the throne of God, the river of the waters of life and the tree of life. And that street is the pure, transparent, golden gospel of Christ. This street represents the gospel, the only way to God. It is pure and transparent. It has nothing to hide. And it is more valuable than all the gold of the earth. 9. This great city is supplied with life by the river of the water of life, proceeding from the throne of God (Revelation 22:1; Psalms 46:4) The source of life is the throne of God. And the River of Life is the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. 10. In the midst of the city is the Tree of Life (Revelation 22:1-3)This represents the cross of Christ, the message of blood atonement by the crucified Substitute (Galatians 3:13). It bears regular, appointed fruit (Isaiah 55:11). It bears abundant fruit. It’s leaves (doctrines) are for the healing of the nations. The message of redemption by Christ is the means by which God heals the souls of men (John 3:14-16). 11. In the new Jerusalem God sits upon his throne (Revelation 22:3-4)There his sovereignty is acknowledged. His will is obeyed. And his face is seen. 12. The inhabitants of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, are God’s elect (Revelation 21:24; Revelation 21:27)All whose names are written in the Book of Life (all the elect), all who were redeemed by the blood of Christ, all who are justified and sanctified (saved and made holy) in Christ by the grace of God, all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be in the New Jerusalem and shall reign forever and ever with the Son of God! Will you be among the inhabitants of that city?

Revelation 21:27

Chapter 66 Heaven - who shall enter in ‘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 Revelation 21:27 The church of God in this world is like the tabernacle in the wilderness. Within, it is lit up with the glory of God’s presence. We are the temple of the living God. God dwells in our midst. God the Holy Spirit resides in the hearts of his people. And the One Person who always attends the assembly of the saints is the Son of God, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Wherever two or three gather in his name, he is present with them (Matthew 18:20). Without, God’s church is guided and protected by the fiery and cloudy pillar of God’s eternal providence. As God led Israel in the wilderness, fed them, protected them, and defended them under the symbol of the fiery and cloudy pillar, so he leads, feeds, protects, and defends his church today. But outwardly, to all outward appearance, the church of God in this world is a common, unattractive, despised thing. Insofar as the nations were concerned the tabernacle was nothing but a crude tent. God was there, but they knew it not.

The altar was there, but they had no use for it. The sacrifice of atonement was there, but they despised it. The mercy-seat was there, but they could not see it. All they could see was a poor, homeless people who had no place to worship but a crude tent, and a people who claimed to be the only true worshippers of God in the world. The faithful Jews would not worship at any other altar. They refused to acknowledge as brethren any who would not worship their God. They acknowledged only one way of salvation - Blood Atonement! For these things they were always despised, persecuted, and mocked by the world around them. The tabernacle in the wilderness was, in these ways, a symbol and picture of God’s church in this world.

God dwells in his church. Christ Jesus guides and protects his church. But the world, and all the religions of the world, mock and despise the church of God. It will not always be so. There is a day coming when the tables will be turned. In the last day the Lord God will reveal his glory in his church and glorify his church before all the universe (John 17:22-23; Ephesians 2:7).

In Revelation 21:10-27 John shows us the glorified church of God in the last day. (Read Ephesians 5:25-27). Christ loved his church, died to redeem it, sanctifies it, and will perfect and glorify it. In the last day, the Lord Jesus will present his church, in all the resurrection glory he puts upon her, to the Father’s throne. And all the world shall marvel at his glory and grace revealed in his church. Look at John’s description of her glory. We shall be presented before the throne of God, before the adoring angels, before satan, and before the eyes of the damned as a virgin bride (Revelation 21:9), the city of God (Revelation 21:10-11), a walled fortress (Revelation 21:12), a great, massive city (Revelation 21:12-17), a perfect, complete city (Revelation 21:16), an indescribably wealthy people (Revelation 21:18-21), a perfectly happy, satisfied people (Revelation 21:22-23), and a universally honored, glorious church (Revelation 21:24-26). The church of God shall be the crowning glory of the new creation in eternity. ‘As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him’ (1 Corinthians 2:9). No tongue can tell because no mind can conceive the glory that awaits the church of God in heaven’s eternal bliss. But some will never enter into the glory and bliss of heaven. ‘And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.’ Heaven is an eternal state of perfect holiness into which nothing but perfect holiness can enter. Here is a very solemn fact ‘There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie.’ Heaven will never be polluted by sin. God almighty is holy, righteous, just, and perfect. That which dwells with him forever must be holy, righteous, just, and perfect. In order for anything, or anyone, to enter heaven it must be perfect. Any lack of absolute, total perfection must forever exclude us from the presence of God. Perfect holiness cannot tolerate anything less than perfect holiness.

When sin defiled Eden, Eden was forever destroyed because God will not tolerate sin. His law requires a perfect obedience from man and threatens any lack of perfection with death. And the law requires a perfect sacrifice for atonement. Even God’s own dear Son, when he was defiled with sin, was forsaken by God and slain! God requires perfection. Heaven is a world of perfection.

Defilement, abomination, and deceit shall never enter into it. Sin shall never darken the kingdom of light or defile the City Beautiful. It is not at all a matter of bigotry or harshness to declare that heaven shall never be defiled by sin. It is only a matter of righteousness and justice, to which every rational person must give assent. Everything in heaven, everyone in heaven, and everyone going to heaven is in full agreement with this decree - ‘There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth.’ We have seen what sin has done to the world of the angels, the physical world, and our fallen race. We would not see heaven ruined by it. The essence of heaven’s bliss is the total absence of sin in that blessed state. God’s saints are citizens of a land where there is no sin.

We are going to an eternal world, where sin shall never be found. One of heaven’s greatest attractions and most cherished glories is total freedom from sin. There we shall enjoy perfect communion with, perfect conformity to and consecration to the Lord Jesus Christ. Should sin be permitted to enter, all would be ruined! Sin would forever disrupt the peace of heaven, destroy the joy of heaven, and defile the beauty of heaven. This exclusion of sin from heaven is the exclusion of all who are sinners. ‘There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth.’ No person who defiles, no fallen spirit, no sinful man can enter the gates of the New Jerusalem. No tendency to sin, no thought of sin, no will to sin, no desire for sin can go to heaven. Were it possible for a sinner to go to heaven, he could never enter into the heavenly state. The essence of heaven is a condition, not a place. It is a condition of worship, holiness, and delight in God. If a sinner could get to the place of heaven, he still could not be in the condition of heaven. He would be out of his element. Heaven would be misery for a sinful man if he should enter it in such a condition. Our own hearts give full agreement with this exclusion. ‘There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth.’ If I might enter into heaven as I am at this moment, as I write these lines, with my sinful heart and nature, it would be a horrible crime for me to do so, for my presence there would defile the city of God. Just as a leper would not and could enter the temple of God, lest he defiled that holy place and all who were there, no sinner shall be allowed to enter heaven. Just as we demand that those with a deadly disease be isolated from healthy society for the sake of the living, God demands that sinners be banished from himself and from his saints in heaven. This exclusion of sin from heaven is the absolute exclusion of all who defile, make abomination, or make a lie. John is telling us that sinners of every kind must be forever excluded from the Paradise of God. ‘There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth.’ No evil thought, words, or deeds shall enter heaven. Those who enter the city of God must be free of these things. If we are defiled, in anyway, by sin, we cannot enter heaven. No unclean thing shall enter the Temple of God (Isaiah 52:1). ‘There shall in no wise enter into it anything that worketh abomination.’ Abomination in Scripture usually refers to idolatry, the making of idols, the worship of idols, and the service of idols (1 Kings 11:4-8). The most abominable thing in this world in the sight of God is false religion, idolatry.

If a person’s religion is false, if he worship strange gods, he cannot go to heaven. Should anyone ask, ‘What is a strange god?’ It must be answered, any god who wants to save, but lacks the power to save, any god who sends people he loves to hell, any god whose will is frustrated, whose purpose is defeated, whose power is limited is a strange god. ‘There shall in no wise enter into it anything that maketh a lie.’ All false prophets and false teachers, inventors and perpetrators of religious lies shall be damned (1 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12). That is to say, those who invent and promote the religious lies of free will, works salvation shall be excluded from the paradise of God. ‘There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie.’ In the light of these things, it must be concluded that no human being can, in his natural condition, enter into heaven All who are without Christ are without hope (Ephesians 2:11-13).‘Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God’ (1 Corinthians 15:50). Without Christ there is no hope of mercy, no blood atonement, no righteousness, no eternal life, and no hope before God. Revelation 21:27 slays forever all hope of self-salvation (Jeremiah 13:9). Can a sinful man wash away his own sins? Can a dead man give himself life? Can a guilty man make righteousness for himself? If any of us are saved, we must be saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8). Even those who are saved by the grace of God must undergo a great change before we can enter into heaven. Many are of the opinion that God’s saints in this world get riper and riper for heaven in progressive holiness and sanctification until at last they are ready for heaven. But it is not so. Though we are made perfectly righteous before God by righteousness imputed and imparted to us before we can enter into heaven we must drop this robe of flesh in death. And our bodies must be transformed in the resurrection. Yet, the Holy Spirit gives us a blessed word of hope I know that nothing evil shall enter heaven, nothing and no one who defiles, works abomination, or makes a lie shall enter heaven. No one has the right to enter by nature. And no one can ever earn the right to enter. But there is hope. God has written a book of election, and all whose names are written in that book shall enter in. No one shall enter into heaven ‘but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.’ I want to know one thing: Is my name written in that book? If it is, all is well. If it is not, I must be forever damned.

Is my name written there? I know this, if my name is written there it was written there in eternity (Revelation 13:8) because of a covenant (2 Samuel 23:5); and it was written there permanently. The Lamb’s Book of Life is a book of election, a record of redemption, and a promise of life. I take the liberty of writing in the first person because I want all who read these lines to apply what is here written to themselves personally. I am confident that my name is written in that blessed book. Are you? I have this confidence for only one reason. I trust the Lord Jesus Christ.

Trusting Christ I have life (John 3:36); and by his grace, I have all that God requires for entrance into heaven (Colossians 1:12 to Colossians 2:10). In Christ I have complete atonement for all my sins (Romans 5:10). In Christ I have perfect righteousness. He is the Lord my righteousness. His righteousness is as truly mine as my sin was once his (Jeremiah 23:6; Jeremiah 33:16; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21). In Christ I am assured of a glorious change. When I die, as I soon shall, I shall depart this world of sin to be with Christ in heaven’s world of holiness (2 Corinthians 5:1-9). And when my Redeemer comes again I shall be in the resurrection of the just because in him I am totally justified before God (John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58).

If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you too shall enter into that glorious state called HEAVEN because, from eternity your name was ‘written in the Lamb’s book of life’ by the very finger of God. God help you to believe!