The TTUF STUDY on The REVELATION of JESUS CHRIST – Chapter TWENTYONE:

~ by James Fire

Introduction: There are many questions about REVELATION 21:4, regarding GOD wiping away all of our tears; tears in heaven? How could this be? What in heaven could there be that would produce tears in the eyes of the saints?

I think a possible answer lies in the last verse of the previous chapter:

REVELATION 20:15

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

GOD would need to wipe away tears and expunge from us the sorrow of witnessing this scene; that while the justice of GOD will be served on Judgment Day, we think of the needless devastation of these souls, damned for eternity. 

 If only they had humbled themselves and received Christ – they would have shared in the grace and blessings of heaven along with the rest of us, solely based on Christ’s redemption of sinners.

I pray that the reality of this future sinks into our hearts and minds and renews in us a compassion and intense desire for the lost to come to Christ and believe the Gospel.

Those tears will be wiped away and sorrow and crying will be no more . . .  

John the Apostle then sees something new and different: the first heaven and earth created thousands of years prior, after GOD said, “Let there be light…” had vanished away, never to be seen again. Now he sees a new heaven and a new earth! 

These are not merely a new version of the old, but something entirely new and never before seen (I always wanted to visit other planets – comes from watching so much Star Trek I imagine). I believe we will see a completely different Earth: there’s no telling what it will look like, but who’s to say it might not be as large as or larger than Jupiter? And maybe with something like ‘floating islands’ like we saw in the film Avatar (remember those?!).

But it will be far more awesome than the most mind-blowing Sci-Fi or Fantasy film you’ve ever seen, because 1 CORINTHIANS 2:9 says so:

But 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.

The most dazzling films with all their special effects and imaginative landscapes and characters are exciting to see, but GOD looks at the best of these and says, “I got that beat!” because the ideas behind those films “entered into the hearts” of the people who created them. The LORD promises us that what He has waiting for all of His children far exceeds these tepid examples of limited imagination and creativity.

REVELATION 21:1

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

This is a new earth that has no more sea – the sea being an analogy of restless and wicked humanity that pollutes everything it touches with its spiritual mire and dirt (ISAIAH 57:20-21). There will be no such kind of humanity in the new world; but I also take this verse literally – that there will be no more oceans (but hopefully lots of rivers and lakes!)

I would dearly love to witness GOD creating this new reality for us: it took Him six days to create the old heavens and old earth. How long will He take for the new? Six hours? Six minutes? Or will it appear instantly? Perhaps He’s already created them and stowed them away in an entirely different dimensionality? We just don’t know – but I’m preferable to seeing Him create His handiwork first-hand! The angels got to see Him do His thing at the first creation (JOB 38:4-7; “morning stars” and “sons of GOD” being Old Testament terms for angels), so I’m hoping He treats us to a display of His power and wisdom and artistry this second time around!

Think of the sort of foliage, landscapes, colors, and sights and sounds – things we’ve never encountered before – I can well imagine we saints will be taking quite a lot of field trips to explore our new Home!! And these things will remain sparkling, shining, glowing, fresh and new for a zillion millennia (if there were such kinds of temporal measurements in the eternal realm) as the first day of their creation!

Nothing ugly, thorny, harsh, brutal, ragged, or corrupt will be found anywhere in this new reality.

How about a brand new primary color, making eight total rather than the seven we have now? Imagine all the new color coordination GOD will be able to employ in this new reality (especially since ‘8’ is the number of new beginnings). What about a brand new note on the musical scale, making eight rather than the seven we have now? Think of how an additional, never before heard note, will exponentially enhance the heavenly music we will hear!

I wonder – will there be animals in the New Earth? If so, they would be immortal, as death will have been a thing of the past, long defeated (1 COR 15:26; REV 20:14)! If so, we will likely behold animals that never existed before, as well as flowers and beautiful floral growth. It’ll be a gardener’s paradise – and ours as well!

Will the new heavens (above the new earth, i.e., that domain beyond the sky that we now consider ‘outer space’) be habitable? What will be out there – and will we be granted permission to explore ‘out there’?

Think about all of the conversations and fellowship we’ll have – going on into forever – with all the saints we’ve read about in the Scriptures; and the angels! These majestic, mysterious, spiritual creatures will actually be our servants in the glories of eternal heaven (HEB 1:14) – in a sense, they are now, as GOD sends them our way to protect us from dangers we know not of. 

And all our dearly departed loved ones who’ve trusted in Jesus – some of whom left this world in abject pain, suffering, persecution, broken-heartedness and so much more: being delivered and freed from the shackles of such misery, we will rejoice to see them again, full of life and joy!

Most of all, we will be in the presence of our Abba Father, and the LORD Jesus and the Holy Spirit as well!... and have continual, uninterrupted communion with Him, no matter where we may be in all of the new creation! The sense of peace and rest and joy we will have in His Presence is unimaginable! For now, in our present state anyway.

I could go on and on, but we have a lot more to consider in this chapter still!

REVELATION 21:2-3

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 

As well as a new Earth and a new Heavens, there is a new Jerusalem; each of these has their counterpart in the old creation of course, but the new in each case far exceeds the old in glory, splendor, and wonder. 

Looking at these two versions of Jerusalem makes for a fine example of this.

Whatever the dimensions of the old Jerusalem, they are enormously expanded in the new, and it doesn’t end in their size. Looking at the description of the new Jerusalem makes this quite clear.

‘Jerusalem’ means “city of peace” and it never lived up to its name during “the times of the Gentiles” (LUKE 21:24) that has lasted since the Babylonian captivity until now, and into the near future under the tyranny of the Beast. Yet Jerusalem will find peace when they come under the rule of the Messiah, their Prince of Peace during the Millennium (PSALM 37:11; 85:6-8; 122:6-8; ISAIAH 9:6; LUKE 2:14; GAL 6:16), which the LORD offered when He came the first time but was rejected (LUKE 19:42). 

Be that as it may, this extraordinary peace will be even more glorious in this new creation, for then the Prince of Peace reigns supreme for all eternity!! This New Jerusalem is looked upon as “a bride adorned for her husband”- no doubt a festively bright and joyous air is about this city, but this is in fact a city, and not the bride herself – the church. Some want to allegorize the new Jerusalem as an illustration of the church, but I disagree. I’ll get into this in detail in just a few verses; for now, let’s focus on “the tabernacle of GOD” which at this time will be with us, and dwell with us, His people, and He Himself Who is our GOD!

To “tabernacle” is an expression meaning ‘to dwell’, and it says as much in vs. 3 “…He [GOD] will dwell with them…”. As much as our desire to be with our LORD is, His desire to be with us is far greater. Our sin made that impossible, for “no man can see [GOD] and live (EXOD 33:20)”.

For our mortal frame to be in the very holy presence of GOD would mean our undoing. Thus the need for glorified, incorruptible bodies that can ‘withstand’ the full weight and glory of the presence of the Almighty (1 COR 15:53-54)!

This has been the redemptive plan of GOD from the beginning when the LORD declared war on the serpent and spoke about “the seed of the woman” (GEN 3:15); to reestablish a meaningful and intimate relationship between Creator and creature that was broken because of sin.

Yet this restoration goes far beyond the original parameters of Eden; before, the LORD GOD walked in the cool of the evening in the Garden (GEN 3:8); here He will dwell with us in the City of GOD! 

And He will be with us, as He has never been with anyone before, not even Moses who spoke with the LORD ‘face to face’ as one would a close friend (EXOD 33:11)! We were created for the express purpose of fellowship with GOD and worship Him, admire, adore, praise Him, and know Him forever and ever; it’s a burning desire deep in the heart of all saints!

REVELATION 21:4

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

Sadness, loneliness, boredom, pain and weakness, sicknesses, diseases and all the woes of this world will be entirely unheard of in the new creation. These former things will have passed away, never to return – and never again experienced by any of GOD’s children. 

Even the very flesh that we are encased in, as it ages, it seems daily life becomes a burden, but this will be done away with. In exuberant vigor and power, we’ll know such energetic and blessed buoyancy that when compared to these bodies in their prime, these frail frames will seem pathetic!

What a world it will be when death will be excised from our existence! Death in all of its forms: the ruination of life, the destruction of our human powers, abilities, and health; the decimation of our faculties and resources, the breaking of relationships and isolation in loneliness – death ‘in miniature’ in all of these experiences, as well as physical death, will be forever vanquished (1 COR 15:26,55)!

The goodness and greatness of GOD will be realized in our new and coming reality; all of the ills and pangs in this world, the interminable suffering, the flourishing of evil, the prosperity of injustice, the promotion of deception – all of the things that cause people to question the existence of GOD, which are all the result of the curse of sin (ROM 8:18-23) will be gone!

REVELATION 21:5-6

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 

A new experience as never before had will be the heritage of the saints – in the new creation when the KING upon His Throne of absolute rule and sovereignty, the LORD Himself makes “all things new”! Check out the TTUF article, All Things New!

We will delight in beholding all things new – nothing outdated, hum-drum, ‘old hat’, redundant, tiresome. Effervescently invigorating and brimming with bubbling vitality with joyous ecstasy: this will be our reality. This heavenly existence will refuse to fizzle out, but rather, climb upward, ever upward in greater and deeper revelations of the holiness and love of GOD, demonstrated by all of the gifts that the Father will bestow upon us through the LORD Jesus Christ and the grace afforded by our Redeemer! 

The chiefest of these will be none other than our dear and precious, tender-hearted, and gentle and loving LORD, Jesus Christ:

ROMANS 11:33-36

33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of GOD! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the LORD? Or who hath been His counselor? 35 Or who hath first given to Him and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of Him, and through Him and to Him are all things, to Whom be glory forever, amen!

EPHESIANS 3:8-9

8 Unto me who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ 9 and to make all men see what is the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in GOD Who created all things by Jesus Christ.

On that Day, the mystery will be fully revealed, and we will partake of the full, unfiltered, complete revelation of our LORD Jesus!

ROMANS 8:32

He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 

All that began well with the Alpha, shall end even better with the Omega. Just as His order was perfect in the creation week, it shall be expanded upon and ‘notched up’ by infinite degrees with the assured promise of He Who is faithful and true, the Word of GOD! Before, the creation (including man) was based upon innocence (which could be corrupted), but in the kingdom to come, all of the new creation will be based on incorruption – incapable of being infested with sin!

When one narrows down to the lowest denominator the various ‘thirsts’ we have in this life, it is a thirst for fulfillment of soul, to fill that vacancy (“vanity” in the KJV) that is the inheritance of the fallen race of man (ROM 8:20). That vacancy can only be fulfilled by GOD Who is Spirit, for our supreme need is not physical, intellectual, emotional, or soulish but spiritual. Therefore it’s the very Person of Christ Jesus, Himself Who is the living waters (JOHN 7:38).

REVELATION 21:7-8

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.  8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 

We are heirs of GOD our Father, joint-heirs with Christ Jesus our LORD and Savior (ROM 8:17; HEB 6:17; JAMES 2:5); it states here that we who are overcomers (1 JOHN 5:4) will inherit “all things”. 

The devil offered all of this world to the LORD (LUKE 4:5-8), and whereas He refused, another shall come in his own name (JOHN 5:43), will accept the offer – he shall inherit all the world (REV 17:12-13).

Yet the child of GOD that is an overcomer in Christ, is promised to “inherit all things”, as the joint-heir of Christ Who is LORD, not only of the Earth, but of Heaven as well! And our inheritance is based not on the old, but on the new! What does all of this entail? We haven’t a clue! But it will be glorious!!

REVELATION 21:9-11

9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. 10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 

Now getting back to this great city, the holy Jerusalem – the new one that is, descending out of (the new) heaven from GOD – this is referred to as the bride, the Lamb’s wife. Yet how could Christ be ‘married’ to a city?

This is something we see in Scripture, this particular figure of speech known as a synecdoche (“a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole and vice versa, as in ‘Cleveland won by six runs’” – not referring to the whole city of Cleveland, but only a part: its baseball team. “They set a fine table” is another, meaning not just the table and dinnerware, but the food served. This passage speaking of this city is where the persons associated with their domain are identified together. 

We also see the employment of this figure of speech in a “child of hell” (MATT 23:15). These children of disobedience, governed by the prince of the power of the air (Satan; EPH 2:2) are akin to and appropriate for hell, because of who they are, because of the nature they exhibit.

Likewise, the New Jerusalem is the holy city, and it’s citizens are also holy. This city of GOD is glorious and eternal – so are her citizens. The glory of GOD’s light shines from this city perpetually – and likewise her citizens, the children of GOD.

The angel takes John to a high mountain – mind you, this is the New Earth – during the Millennium, the mountains were leveled, the valleys raised up (to make the annual pilgrimage to Mount Zion (the last mountain range standing! See ISAIAH 2:3) and Jerusalem easier for foot travel no doubt for the people of the world; see ISAIAH 40:4-5). So I think it’s possible that we might see mountains in this new world! This will be the greatest of them all as it’s associated with New Jerusalem – perhaps the name of this mountain will be ‘New Zion’?

It will be astonishing to see this city, our eternal habitation, not just for the first time – but every time I believe! Imagine a city of such brilliance, the very Light of GOD shining so that it literally covers the entire globe of the New Earth (no need of sun or moon there)!

REVELATION 21:12-14

12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 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 in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 

There is no reason to doubt that these are living angels standing at these twelve gates and not merely decorations (as was the case with the tabernacle’s tapestries in EXOD 26:1-2). However, I do hope that these sentries rotate their duties – I’d hate to think they’d be permanently stationed in these positions at the twelve gates!

There are names written on these gates – the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. I wonder, since there are really 14 tribes to choose from (The original twelve, plus Ephraim and Manasseh – both sons of Joseph that his father Jacob adopted as his own; see GEN 48) which of these will have their names over these twelve gates? 

I also find it interesting that this is the habitation of the bride of Christ, yet we see the names of Israel’s patriarchs. So it would seem reasonable to assume we have some Jewish ‘room mates’ dwelling with us, and they are welcome!! Or perhaps it’s they, welcoming us – since this is the New Jerusalem!

The wall of these twelve gates has twelve foundations and on them, the names of the twelve apostles. The question is, which twelve names will appear there? Certainly not Judas Iscariot; “the son of perdition” but his successor! Will it be the other eleven apostle’s names along with the one selected by lot and prayer in ACTS 1:23-26, namely Matthias seen on those foundations? Many believe it will be Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles (ROM 11:13) whose name will adorn one of those twelve foundations with the eleven. There are good arguments on both sides, certainly. For myself, I’m content to wait and see (though I suspect it may well be Paul).

REVELATION 21:15-16

15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. 

Twelve thousand cubic furlongs translates to about 1500 cubic miles. The furthest reaches of the Earth’s atmosphere is over 6,000 miles. However, the breathable atmosphere is only about 7.5 miles high. 

The actual mass of the New Jerusalem is about half that of the moon and the base of this grand city is about half the size of the United States! 

If this immense city were to land on this Earth, the sheer weight of it would cause it to sink into the Earth’s crust and ruin the geosphere. I would think that this celestial domain would be suspended above the Earth – perhaps in orbit as our moon is today.

If this is the case, how then would “the kings of the earth … bring their glory and honor into it.”? Since this is the new creation, all the peoples of the kingdom will have glorified bodies which (I believe) will be able to teleport (crossing dimensional boundaries as easily as you and I walk through a doorway).

If each story of this city was about 12 feet high, then this structure could have as many as 600,000 stories! What will we find to marvel at in this incredible capital of the New Earth as we explore one floor after another?

What’s even more mind-boggling to contemplate is the possibility that this 1500 mile cubic Home could be a hyper-cube, that employs separate dimensional parameters within and without the building. In other words, the exterior would be 1500 cubic miles, but the interior could be as vast as – say – an entire galaxy (this concept is well known to anyone familiar with the time-ship known as the Tardis (the vessel piloted by Dr. Who of the Sci-Fi series by the same name))! ‘Outlandish’ you say? Not if GOD is the architect! We’ll wait and see!

In the meantime, check out Lambert Dolphin's article on CITY LIFE in NEW JERUSALEM!

And all of this is aside from the truth of the matter – no matter how extravagant, ornate, and glorious to behold, what makes this place Home, is the LORD GOD Himself, our Abba Father. This constant undercurrent draws upon our hunger as human beings for a place of belonging, a place of rest and comfort, where deep-rooted affection and love is expressed between open-hearted people that are family.
This hunger is ultimately about the One Who designed all things with the intent of making a place to have such experiences with us, His creation, those who He loves, who He desires as His eternal family through the rebirth through Christ, whereby we are legitimately called the children of GOD (JOHN 1:12-13). 

Whatever fond and heart-warming feelings and cherished memories we’ve ever had about ‘home’, that’s a glimmer compared to the brilliant fulfillment that GOD intends in creating the ultimate and eternal ‘Home’ for us and with us! 

REVELATION 21:17-18

17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. 18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. 

This wall is approximately 216 feet high or the equivalent to a building with twenty-one stories. Apparently it looks like jasper which has mineral content that also includes iron; so it often (not always) appears as a deep, rich red color. I think it’s fitting that the cost of entry into this heavenly domain is by the atoning blood of Jesus, and that the color of this wall, in which the gates of entry are situated, is also red in color. 

The city itself is made of pure gold, “like clear glass”. I heard a Christian radio program where the host was speaking with a metallurgist who was also a Christian. He said that we don’t have the technology to refine gold to its purest form. What we call ‘pure gold’ really isn’t, but it’s the finest we can produce. He postulated that if we could get gold as pure as possible, that it would be a golden, but clear metal – like glass!

Suffice it to say, that GOD does have the technology to achieve this wonder – and the streets are likewise made of truly purest gold as well. It’s sad to think that the very substance that people will kill each other for, will be the common substance used for pavement, that we will walk on. Think of the amount of gold required to create this stupendously large city – more wealth than all presently available gold in this entire world!

Here is a city, a holy city that will harbor no dark secrets; righteousness (“the knowledge of the LORD”) shall cover the Earth (and this city) as water covers the seas (HAB 2:14). 

The walls of this city will be like glass, revealing all that’s happening behind them, with no need of secrecy, for this dwelling and its citizens are holy unto the LORD, walking in the light, with never a conspiracy of corruption that would require hiding!

REVELATION 21:19-21

19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. 

These foundations (with the names of the 12 apostles on each of them) have specific gems embedded into them – another reason why I don’t believe that this city is a mere allegory, but literal and actual; such details never are seen in biblical allegories. 

There is however a good deal of debate concerning these stones, and particularly the color of them. The same name attributed to these stones can refer to altogether different stones from culture to culture, and each of these can come in a variety of colors. For this reason, any site you visit that addresses this issue will likely have difference of opinion on the shades of these gems.

For the purpose of this study, I will list the conventional descriptions as interpreted from the Greek according to Strong’s Concordance.

JASPER	The same gem as the wall surrounding the holy city; usually a deep, rich red color; also could be purple, blue or green.
SAPPHIRE	Various shades of blue; second hardest stone after the diamond.
CHALCEDONY	Possibly misty gray or green, clouded with blue, yellow or purple; also can be copper-like in color.
EMERALD	A rich deep green color; hence the word ‘emerald’.
SARDONYX	A mix of red and white veined throughout the gem.
SARDIUS	Of two varieties: yellow-brown and transparent red of particular brilliance.
CHRYSOLITE	Today, it’s called topaz; a gem of golden qualities.
BERYL	A gem with a sea green hue.
TOPAZ	Topaz are usually golden, but there are other varied colors; this type is capable of ‘double-refraction’ and becomes electrified when heated.
CHRYSOPRASUS	A gem of translucent golden-green color.
JACINTH	Possibly todays zircon crystal; of a deep blue quality.
AMETHYST	Deep reddish-purple color; somewhat like wine’s coloration.

In the radio program I referred to earlier, that same metallurgist stated that of all the various crystals in the world, these twelve listed here refract light to the greatest intensity; imagine the glory of the Light of GOD shining in all of its brilliance through these foundation stones as well as the walls of transparent gold!

REVELATION 21:22-23 

22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 

The fact that there is no longer a temple, where once there was in the old heavens: (see HEB 9:24-26; 8:5), but that the LORD GOD Almighty and the LAMB are the temple in the new heavens, of this eternal and holy city New Jerusalem (“City of Peace”) reveals the LORD’s intention from the very beginning. 

What I find fascinating is that this New Jerusalem is a cube, and if you look at the dimensions of the Holy of Holies, the inner room of the Tabernacle and Temple where once a year on Yom Kipur God's Spirit would manifest over the mercy seat, - it measured 15 cubic feet. Here we see the New Jerusalem as also cubic - an expansion of the Holy of Holies? Or the Holy of Holies being a kind of New Jerusalem in miniature?

Remember that one possible translation of the word “tabernacle” is “to dwell with”. Ever since we lost fellowship with GOD at the fall of Adam (who then fathered a race of human sinners, separated from the Holy GOD with no possible path back to Him), it was His intention to restore that fellowship by paying the price Himself for our sin and redeeming us from sin, death, judgment, and hell.

TITUS 3:3-6

3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4 But after that the kindness and love of GOD our Savior toward man appeared, 5 Not by works which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

So, here at the end, we find the Father and the LORD Jesus Christ Themselves are the “temple thereof”, dwelling with us, and we with Them, forever and ever!

Our desire is like GOD’s – as was King David’s:

PSALM 27:4

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in His temple (in verse 1 of this Psalm, David declares: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?...”

The glorious city will be inundated with sublime peace and joy; rest and love, without even the slightest cause for fear. What city in this world can rightly make such a claim!?  

REVELATION 21:24-27

24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26 And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. 27 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.

Since this is the new Earth and all unrighteous souls were already convicted and sentenced to eternal damnation that encompasses absolute separation from GOD (which is what they wanted!), we see here, not a distinction between those “nations … which are saved”, and those that aren’t; rather, this is a declaration – that these nations are saved – and shall walk in the light of it (the holy city). 

In this world yet to come, the nobles and righteous leaders will gladly, joyously, festively bring their “glory and honor” into it, as well as the nations at large. One must wonder what these ‘glories and honors’ shall entail. What such substances will be found in this new Earth?

We can only guess, but whatever they may be, they will be precious and costly – but freely given to the LAMB, for He is worthy!

REVELATION 5:12-13

12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. 13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto Him that sits upon the throne and unto the Lamb forever and ever!

Nothing shall defile this holy city, as anything that could do so has been consigned to the lake of fire, and there remain, without even the slightest chance of reprieve. 

We saints will never need to worry about corrupting ourselves in heaven with an accidental thought of the sinful sort. 

The apostle Paul stated that this “corruption must put on incorruption” (1 COR 15:53). This isn’t only speaking about our corrupted bodies receiving eternal, incorruptible bodies, but that because we will have these new bodies, free of the sin nature (something we war against in this life; GAL 5:16-17), they will be unable to succumb to temptation. The lure of temptation will have nothing to influence us with, seeing how a sinful nature will be absent from us!

That in itself seems like a kind of heaven, doesn’t it? To no longer grieve the LORD by the nonsense we sometimes get involved with, and to honor Him by having His nature fully implemented into our lives throughout eternity is an ardent desire for us, that only seems to grow stronger as these days of wickedness grows darker!

The darkness is soon to pass, saints; the kingdom of GOD that is coming, is eternal in its glorious light, and we’ll never know any kind of darkness, ever again! Praise the LORD!!

The final chapter of REVELATION is coming up next! But it will hardly be “the end”!