The Kingdom to Come

Transcript

GRM 933
2/20/2005
The Kingdom to Come
Selected Verses
Gil Rugh


We have been talking about matters of the resurrection and judgments of scripture, but what happens after those things? So I do want to overview, and we’ve just been overviewing. The purpose of the overview is just to give us the broad sweep. We’ve noted about one-third of the Bible was prophetic when it was written, and the bulk of those prophetic portions have yet to experience fulfillment. There is a lot of the Bible given over to matters regarding the future. Sometimes people think it just doesn’t matter what happens in the future, that’s in God’s hand, I just need to know the things that will help me today. And one of the major things that will determine and shape your life and how you live today is the matter of biblical prophecy. We’ll look into that a little bit later.

We go back to the cross of Christ and following the cross we have the church age, started in Acts chapter 2. Up until the crucifixion of Christ, remember, God’s program focused on Israel. From Acts chapter 2 down until the rapture of the church God’s program focuses in the church. Following the rapture of the church there is the final 7-year period in God’s program with the nation Israel, called the tribulation, the 70th week of Daniel. At the end of the 70th week of Daniel Jesus Christ returns to earth to establish His kingdom. Then we will have the 1000-year reign of Christ called the millenium, the 1000 years. Then we will move into eternity. This lays it out basically—you have the cross, you have Christ’s ascension to heaven, you have Jerusalem destroyed. We have that in here. There are some popular teachers we’ve referred to and you’ve heard about recently on the radio, writing books who are called preterists. The word simply means past. They believe that most biblical prophecy of the future was fulfilled in 70 A.D. There is no future program for Israel, there is no coming kingdom as we think of for Israel. God’s program with Israel is done, He came in judgment in 70 A.D. with the destruction of the temple and that ended His program with Israel. And so we are either in the kingdom or the kingdom will develop out of this, and at the end of the kingdom Christ will return. It’s called the spiritualization of prophecy.

This follows with taking our interpretation of prophecy literally, like we do the rest of the Bible. So here we have the church age ending when Christ gathers all believers to heaven to be with Himself. Then the church is in heaven, experiences the bema seat of Christ where we are judged and receive our rewards, crowns. Christ warned in writing to the churches in Revelation, be careful you are diligent so that no one takes your crown. And then the marriage of the Lamb occurs and we return with Christ and He brings to an end the rebellion of the peoples of the earth and He establishes His kingdom.

When Christ returns there is a period of 75 days here in which judgments occur and so on. Daniel chapter 12 pronounces blessings on the one who survives to the end of those additional 75 days, because they will have come through the judgments, the sheep/goat judgments that we looked at, for example, at the end of Matthew chapter 25. Now a couple of things, at this point when the rapture of the church occurred, remember there are only unbelievers left on the face of the earth. So all believers will be bodily removed from the earth and transformed at this point. So right here there are only unbelievers on the earth. But during this 7-year period the grace of God still is at work. There is a ministry of key people, the 2 witnesses, the 144,000 and so on, and people are saved during that 7-year period. Those who are saved in this 7-year period and survive, and multitudes will be martyred, until the Second Coming of Christ to the earth, will go into the kingdom in their physical bodies. Now we will be there in our glorified bodies. Old Testament will be there in their glorified bodies—Abraham, David, Isaiah, Daniel, saints who have died. Old Testament saints and tribulation saints, those who are saved and martyred here are resurrected right here. They receive glorified bodies. But there are people who are saved here who are alive when Christ returns, they go on into the kingdom in their physical bodies. They will have children, they will repopulate the earth. Now there is a problem, and you’ll note here, at this point there were only unbelievers left alive on the face of the earth. At this point there will only be believers alive on the face of the earth. All unbelievers will have been destroyed. But those who went into the millenium in physical bodies will be having children and they will be passing on to their children their sin nature that we have inherited all the way back from Adam. Now this is important because one of the purposes of this kingdom period is it’s God’s final dealing with sin. This 1000 years, this is the first phase in the kingdom that is eternal. That’s crucial. We want to be careful that our terminology does not get us into trouble. This is not just heaven from here on, the kingdom begins here and continues on eternally. The first phase of the kingdom is 1000 years, and that will complete God’s program for dealing with sin.

Now some people are confused in their thinking because they don’t take the Bible consistently literally. So as I mentioned one group, the preterists, they think this can be the kingdom all along here and Christ then returns at the end and we have a general resurrection and we’re in eternity, everything is done. We cannot be in the kingdom now. This is not anything like the kingdom. We’re going to take a few moments to read some basic verses. Back in Isaiah chapter 2. I’ve referred to some of these verses along the way, but I want you to see them in your Bible. And I’ve just picked verses from Isaiah and out of Jeremiah. Isaiah 2:2, now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, will be raised above the hills and all the nations will stream to it. Many people who come and say, come let us go to the mountain of the Lord. They are going to Jerusalem and He will rule over all other. Jerusalem will be the capital of the world, Christ will rule over all kingdoms, all nations. People will come up to the mountain of the Lord, verse 3, to the house of the God of Jacob that He may teach us concerning His ways, that we may walk in His paths. For the law will go forth from Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. As Isaiah wrote these words, there is no other way for them to be taken but to be referring to the literal Zion, the literal Jerusalem and literal events.

He will judge between the nations, verse 4, He will render decision for many peoples. They will hammer their swords into plow shares, their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, never again will they learn war. That is not the case today. If you don’t believe me, when you get home turn on the news. They haven’t hammered all the weapons of war into implements of peace. They haven’t put an end to learning and strategizing about war. Jesus Christ is not ruling over the earth from Jerusalem. All the nations of the earth are no going to Jerusalem to learn more.

Look over in Isaiah chapter 9. The first part of this chapter Christ referred to and applied it to Himself during His earthly ministry. The first verse, the land of Zebulon, the land Naphtali, He shall make it glorious. Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who walk in darkness will see a great light with the coming of their Messiah. But they rejected Him so the rest of this did not get fulfilled. Look at verse 6, a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. His names will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Note this, there will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, or the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it, to uphold it with justice and righteousness, from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this. Now some say well that’s referring to a spiritual kingdom that exists in our heart, and He has brought peace to our hearts. He is the counselor that is wonderful, and He functions as a Father to us. And that’s true, but that doesn’t fulfill all that is said here. He doesn’t rule in perfect peace over this world.

Turn over a few chapters to Isaiah chapter 11. The first part of the chapter talks about the coming of the descendent of Jesse, the descendent of David, and His character. Look at the character of His kingdom. Verse 3, He will delight in the fear of the Lord, He will not judge by what His eyes see nor make a decision by what His ears hear. But with righteousness He will judge the poor, decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Verse 6, the wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the young goat, the calf with the young lion and the fatling together. A little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together, the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra. The weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain. If you’re familiar with Old Testament analogies, the mountain refers to a kingdom. For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. That just is not true today. And for people to just spiritualize it and say it refers to the peace that we have in our hearts and the removal of animosity between us who have come to……………. and all this. I mean where do we get any right to deal with scripture in that way.

There’s a program that is on, I think it’s the animal channel, periodically about a medical doctor who treats snakebites. And when I periodically watch that, and I can’t watch it too much—I would have made a terrible medical doctor—I always think of Isaiah chapter 11 where the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den, and think of people who think we’re in the kingdom. In those days they will not hurt nor destroy anywhere throughout the world. The Messiah will rule with a rod of iron, there will be no rebellion, the curse will be lifted from the creation, and we will live in an ideal world.

Go to Isaiah 35 and then we have to move on. I use these passages because they’re familiar to us. Verse 1, the wilderness and the desert will be glad, the Arabah, which is the desert, will rejoice and blossom like the crocus. King James had like the rose, so we’re familiar with the desert will blossom like the rose, like the crocus. It will blossom profusely. End of verse 2, they will see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Jump down to verse 5, then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like the deer, the tongue of the mute will shout for joy, waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the Arabah, again the desert region. That’s just not so today. Now remember when Jesus Christ came and He healed the blind and the deaf and the speechless? And the gospel writers tell us He did this in fulfillment of the Old Testament, to demonstrate He was the Messiah of Israel, He was the one who could heal and restore. But they rejected Him. But that didn’t fully fulfill this. We still have people with physical afflictions. Some of you have physical afflictions. In the kingdom there will not be physical afflictions, the curse will be lifted. The desert will blossom like the crocus, it will be fertile and plants will grow. Verse 8, a highway will be there, a roadway. It will be called the Highway of Holiness. Remarkable truths.

Turn to the next book after Isaiah, to Jeremiah chapter 31. Jeremiah writes about this same time, as many of the prophets do. We don’t have time to do more detail. But in Jeremiah 31 God promises a time when He is going to restore the nation Israel. Verse 27, days are coming declares the Lord when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beasts. So they are going to prosper again. As I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy, to bring disaster. So I will watch over them to build and to plant. Look at verse 31, behold days are coming declares the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Note the focus of the new covenant—it is for the house of Israel and the house of Judah. The church is not Israel. We looked at this early in our study, we talked about our hermeneutics, our principle of interpreting the scripture consistently literally, normally. He contrasts it with the Mosaic covenant in verse 32, and then verse 33, but this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put my law within them, and on their heart I will write it. And I will be their God and they shall be my people. They will not teach again each man his neighbor and each man his brother saying, know the Lord. For they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them, declares the Lord. I will forgive their iniquity, their sin I will remember no more.

God has promised blessing. Now we talk about the new covenant here. Every time we partake in the communion service we read the words of Christ which are what? This is the new covenant in my blood. The new covenant was established in the death of Christ. That’s the foundation for the new covenant. You and I, our salvation blessings, referred to here, what will happen to Israel, verse 33, I will put my law within them and on their heart I will write it. I will be their God, they shall be my people. Those blessings are present in salvation for Jew and Gentile alike today. But that does not mean the church has become Israel. The Abrahamic Covenant made with Abraham and his descendants, remember, made provision for the descendant of Abraham to bring blessing to all people. That in no way canceled out all the other provisions of the Abrahamic Covenant for the nation Israel. And as we’ve seen on other occasions you and I as Gentiles and as the church today enter into the provision of salvation through the Jewish salvation, who died on the cross and was raised from the dead to pay the penalty for sin. Hebrews 8 talks about the implementation of the new covenant. So we enter into the salvation blessings and provision of the new covenant, but the new covenant does not get implemented in force until the nation Israel and the nation enters into its provisions. You can’t just take part of this covenant and say oh the provision of salvation, that’s literal. Now everything else is spiritual. How do you know then that the provision of salvation wasn’t just spiritual and it’s not real either. I mean there’s no way to deal with scripture that way. This is for Israel, Judah, Jerusalem.

So the new covenant is there because the salvation provision of the new covenant is in the death of Christ, and that will be the foundation for the new covenant when God implements it with the nation Israel, brings them into their land, their Messiah rules over them. Israel will have received the salvation blessings along with the restoration and provision of all the other promises of the Abrahamic Covenant.

All right come back to the book of Revelation chapter 2. What are we going to do? The church was resurrected here, we had the bema seat, our judgment, received our rewards, the marriage of the Lamb occurred here. Remember when we return to earth it’s for the marriage supper of the Lamb. Old Testament saints and tribulation saints were resurrected here. What will we do as those raised in glorified bodies? Revelation 2:26, the promise to the churches, he who overcomes. Who is the overcomer? I John 5, who is he who overcomes but he who believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He who overcomes and he who keeps my deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. He shall rule them with a rod of iron as the vessels of potter are broken to pieces, as I have received authority from my Father. Now interesting. Here Christ takes a passage from Psalm 2 to refer it to His ruling and reigning in the millenium and applies it to us also. For He will rule and reign and we will rule and reign with Him in the millenium. So you see what will be done, I will give Him authority over the nations. This is a promise given to the churches by the Spirit of God. Verse 29, he who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Here’s what you’re going to do, it’s important that you be faithful, because when I rule and reign you’ll have authority over the nations. And during this 1000 years it will be a rule of a rod of iron and we as glorified saints will be enforcing that rule with Christ.

Revelation 20:4 also says that Old Testament saints and those that were martyred in the tribulation will also rule and reign. Turn over to Revelation chapter 20. Verse 4 talks about those who are resurrected from the tribulation period. We looked at Daniel chapter 12 that talks about the resurrection of Old Testament saints at this time. You’ll note the end of verse 4, they came to life and reigned with Christ 1000 years. Verse 6, blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection. Remember the first resurrection. Christ is the firstfruits and then you have the church, you have Old Testament saints, you have tribulation saints. It’s a quality of resurrection, it’s a resurrection to life. Blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection, over these the second death has no power. But they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for 1000 years. The beginning of the kingdom focuses on the 1000 years, and the eternal dimension of the kingdom, there’s not much said in the Bible. But there are some glimpses, we’ll get to that in a moment. It focuses on what we’re going to do for the first phase of this initially.

Why a 1000-year phase? This is an eternal kingdom, starts at the Second Coming of Christ and goes on endlessly through eternity. I take it, it has no end. In a hundred billion years the kingdom will be in existence. Why is there a 1000-year phase here? Remember people that were alive and went into the kingdom in their physical bodies had children. Satan was bound here, he’s not free, he’s bound to the bottomless pit. The curse has been lifted from the creation, we have a perfect world with a perfect king, but we have people being born into this world who have sin natures. At the end of the 1000 years, right here, satan is released from his prison and note the order here now. The book of Revelation, people get confused, if we just take it in order starting in chapter 1 and go through chapter 22. It is sequential. Christ returned in chapter 19. In chapter 20 we have the 1000-year phase of the kingdom, referred to 6 times in the first 7 verses—1000 years, 1000 years. That’s why it’s the millenium, the Latin word for 1000 years. Then you’ll note verse 7, when the 1000 years are completed satan will be released from his prison, will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war. The number of them is like the sand of the seashore. They came up on the broad plain of the earth, surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. Here now you have had people for 1000 years born into this perfect world. But they have sinful hearts. If they have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and submitted to Him, the One to rule over them, they have been seething on the inside. When given the opportunity to select between satan who is now set free, or Christ as their king, a number that’s too big to count chooses satan over Christ. And what the 1000 years do is demonstrate that the real problem of mankind is not his environment, is not his upbringing, is not the influence from the outside whether it is satanic or the world. The real problem with every single human being is their own sinful heart. And you put a single human being in a perfect environment, remove the influence of the devil and he still does not want to submit to Christ. The problem of man is not external, it is internal. The problem of man is he is a sinner by nature.

So it’s God’s final dealing with sin, that man now lives in this kind of environment but you have a number like the sand of the sea that come up to try to overthrow Christ and enthrone the devil. You say that’s unbelievable. One of the biggest problems we have, unbelievers and believers alike, is coming to grips with how sinful sin really is. It’s hard for us to imagine that people are that sinful. And then that backs up, we look around and we see people we think are pretty good and people that seem to be worse, and it’s hard for us to come to grips with the reality of sin. Something is going to happen at this stage right here. All these who are rebelling against Christ have come up to surround Jerusalem, the capital of the world and it says in verse 9, fire came down from heaven and devoured them. The devil is cast into hell where the beast and the fasle prophet are, and I want you to note something here—they will be tormented day and night into the ages of the ages, forever and ever. Now you have the Great White Throne judgment that we talked about in a previous study, occurs right here. This is the last judgment of scripture. Every single unbeliever who has ever lived from Cain in the opening chapters of Genesis down until this act of rebellion will be resurrected to stand judgment before Christ here. We looked at this judgment in our previous study. The result is everyone at this judgment is cast into the lake of fire.

Verse 15, if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life he was thrown into the lake of fire. That according to verse 10 is where the devil was cast, the beast and the false prophet were, that’s a place where you are tormented day and night forever and ever. Until recently just about everyone who claimed to really believe the Bible believed in a literal hell. But there has been an erosion of those convictions recently, but you ought to understand it’s not because what the Bible says has changed. One leading opponent of annihilationism within the evangelical camp, a well-known commentator, said his basic reason for his view that the wicked will just cease to exist, not go to an eternal hell, is emotional, not theological. He says I cannot conceive of people suffering so intensely forever. And I have to be honest, I cannot conceive of it either. But that does not change the reality of it. What we have a hard time with is the awfulness of sin. You know some people say it’s not fair, people do sinful things in this life and they’re going to suffer for eternity. That’s not fair. But think about it. We have a person who leads a relatively good life and goes out and commits some atrocities one day of his life, and we put him in prison for the rest of his life. That’s not fair—he committed those atrocities on one day. Does that mean you only put him in prison for one day? Well maybe 2 or 3 days. Three days, that’d be 3 times as long as he committed those atrocities. Well that’s not the way you compare it, that’s not the way the judgment is meted out. It’s not that he just did this on one day so he shouldn’t have to spend 40 years in prison for it. We say yeah, that’s fitting. But keep in mind every sin is committed against the God who is infinitely holy, and that sin takes on an infinite characteristic because it is committed against an infinite God, and the penalty for it is thus determined. I wish there were not a hell, but there is. We have to understand at this point, we’re not doing a study of the doctrine of hell, but every single person who has not placed their faith in the salvation that God has provided is going to hell. I cannot conceive of the splendor and wonder of heaven, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I am bound by my finiteness, some things are too awful for me to even conceive of and some things are too wonderful for me. My mind is bound by the restrictiveness of my finiteness.

I’m not going to take time to take you to the passages. Let me just read you some verses that refer to hell as the burning fire and that is eternal. Each of these come from a different passage, even though the same thing is being said I want you to understand I’m not repeating the same passage. I won’t take time to read the verse, just let me read it to you. Unquenchable fire, the hell of fire, the furnace of fire, the eternal fire, the hell or gehenna of fire, eternal fire, the unquenchable fire, the fire is not quenched, unquenchable fire, flaming fire, eternal fire, tormented with fire and brimstone, thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone, thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. Eternal fire, eternal fire, eternal punishment, eternal destruction, eternal judgment. You know to decide emotionally I cannot conceive that people would suffer the horrors of torment forever doesn’t change the reality of it. You know you sometimes watch a program and see a relatively young person, 20 years old, and they’re closing the prison doors, going to spend the rest of his life there with no chance of parole. And I say I can’t imagine that, that little space for the rest of your………….. But it doesn’t mean that it’s not real. I can’t conceive of it, it’s not real to me, but to the person being closed in there it becomes very real. We better be careful we don’t lose our way here, becomes intensely important. We’re talking about where people will spend their eternal life, their eternal destiny. And for a large number of people, for the majority of the people in the world and the comparison that Jesus Christ Himself drew, He said the way to destruction is broad and there are many going down that road. The way to life is narrow, there are few. So He said many are going to hell, few are going to heaven. You say, that’s arrogant. Well I didn’t say it, Jesus Christ did.

The only one who could address the issue of eternal matters and eternal destiny is God Himself, and He has. He’s addressed it clearly. So there is an eternal hell. All unbelievers will be sentenced to that hell here. When I was in Bible college 40 years ago, however long that was, I remember a professor. We were studying Luke and in Luke chapter 16 the rich man lifted up his eyes being in torment in that flame. He reminded us that 2000 years have gone by since Jesus said that and you understand that rich many is still there, still suffering as intensely, has not received that one drop of water and he is no closer to relief than when he began. I say I can’t……..you know, how do you grasp that? You don’t, I don’t. I can’t conceive of it. I have to agree with those who say that’s more awful than I can imagine. It is. Then they want to say, I don’t think a loving God can do that. You’d better be careful when you tell God what He does. I come to the scripture and God tells me what He does and He tells me when His infinite holiness has been offended, there is an infinite penalty to be paid. And that’s why God is commanding all everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness, having furnished proof to all men by raising that judge from the dead, His Son. This is a serious matter. Jesus Christ knew the seriousness of hell, that’s why he spoke more about hell than about heaven, as recorded in the gospels. These are serious matters. Eternal destiny.

We’re going to take a change and I’m glad, because I’m not going to hell, not because I’m better than anyone else. I’m just as bad as the worst person going to hell. But I’ve been saved by God’s grace, I’ve cast myself on His mercy, I’ve placed my faith in His Son who said He died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin. I sit sometimes and think that goes beyond comprehension, that I should have come to turn from my sin and place my faith in Christ and that means instead of going to a burning hell, I’m going to a glorious heaven. That determines my destiny for all eternity.

When that judgment has occurred, right here, we move into the eternal dimension of the kingdom. The kingdom does not stop here. Be careful. Some people when you read their writings say now heaven begins. That’s not true, not as I understand the scripture. The kingdom continues. The first 1000 years served the purpose of God’s final dealing with sin. Now we go in to the perfected phase, the new heavens and the new earth. So Revelation 20:15, if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life he was thrown into the lake of fire. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. Remember we’re moving along in time. So now this has occurred here, we’re moving on, the new heavens and the new earth. The first heaven and the first earth—we’re not talking about heaven as the abode of God, we’re talking about heaven as it surrounds the earth. So this earth and the heavens around it, the atmosphere and the stellar heavens and so on, all removed. And the new earth has no sea. We’re not going to go into what are the possibilities, why no sea. But at least we know it has no sea. So it’s going to be an earth somewhat identified the new one with the one we have. Because it tells us what major characteristic of this present earth is not in the new earth. It’s an earth that has been renovated by fire according to II Peter 3. This heavens and earth will melt with fire and a new one will come into existence. But the new one won’t have a sea.

I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, ready as a bride adorned for her husband. This is crucial. In the eternal dimension of the kingdom, the New Jerusalem is going to come down and reside on earth and as we’ll see in a moment, this is really going to be heaven, the New Jerusalem. This is not everything, but is a city on the earth, because heaven as the abode of God is the place where the omnipresent God, the God who is present everywhere chooses to manifest His presence for the benefit of His creation, angels and humans alike. And that will be on earth. That’s why I say this is not heaven here, this is the continuation of the kingdom in which heaven will be found on earth as a distinct entity.

It’s a glorious time. Look at this, He’ll wipe away, verse 4, every tear from their eyes. There’ll no longer be any death, there’ll no longer be any mourning, crying, pain. The first things have passed away. And if you have any doubt, He tells him, write, at the end of verse 5, these words are faithful and true. I mean you can take God at His word. A promise is here, it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things. Remember the rich man, oh if someone would come and dip his finger in water to relieve the torment of this fire. And here we have the springs of the water of life to drink of freely. He who overcomes will inherit these things, the glories that He is promising. What a contrast.

I will be his God and he will be my son. But look at verse 8, the contrast, but for the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, immoral persons, sorcerers, idolaters, all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Don’t get sentimental here and think well we just move on and of course ultimately God is going to relent and we’re all going to heaven, so to speak. It isn’t going to happen. Even as He talks about the glory and splendor He has prepared for those who love Him, He reminds us there are going to be multitudes of people suffering in the eternal hell, the place that burns with fire and brimstone, fire and sulphur. That’s the second death, final separation from God.

And then an angel comes, at the end of verse 9, come I’ll show you the wife, the bride of the Lamb. 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. Then it’s described, this tremendous city. Its dimensions are given, its foundations are described, the gates of the city. That’s important, this kingdom has gone on, now a city is coming down from heaven. And that’s why some people believe the New Jerusalem will be suspended somewhere above heaven, above the earth during the 1000 years because it’s repeated that at this point the New Jerusalem comes down and resides on the earth, and it’s the new earth. It has great high walls with gates. The walls are 1400 feet high and the dimensions of this city, and it’s almost like you see in a fairytale. Now don’t misunderstand, I’m not saying it’s a fairytale, but that picture that you see in some fairytales where people are coming from a place in the earth and they see this glowing, splendid city with its walls, and it’s glimmering and shining. That’s going to be the picture. You have the New Jerusalem residing on the new earth, it has walls 1400 feet high. It gets colossal. As I shared with you, one writer on prophecy has taken the dimensions of the city then its size and said 100 thousand billion people could live in this city, 100 thousand billion. Not 100 billion, 100 thousand billion people could live in this city. People say I don’t think………….. well, there’s lots of room around here on the new earth.

Well we’re not going into that, we’ve done that on other occasions. You can get tapes if you want the details. You ought to be interested in the details because this is where you’re going to live for eternity. You build a new house, you like to know the details. Well here is where you’re going to live, not for a few years, where your eternal residence is.

Look at verse 22, I saw no temple in it for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. That’s why I say this is really heaven now, because heaven is the place where God manifests His presence on His throne. It will be in the New Jerusalem. Now it is residing on the earth as well as the Lamb. The city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it. Its lamp is the Lamb. Now note this. We’re in eternity here. Keep in mind where we are. We’ve had the 1000 year kingdom, we have a new heavens and a new earth here. Now the New Jerusalem has come down and it resides on the earth. It’s not everything there is to the earth, it resides on the earth. The nations will walk by its light. Wait a minute, we’re in eternity here, and there are nations. The kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. There are kings out here. You have this city here, but there are kings on the earth, nations. They come in through the 12 gates in the daytime. There will be no night there in this city. Its gates will never be closed and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.

Be reminded, nothing unclean, no one who practices abomination or lying will ever come into it, only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Does that mean there are other people here? No, we’ve already been told. Where is everybody whose name is not in the Lamb’s Book of Life? Chapter 20 verse 15, anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. Chapter 21 verse 8, they are part of the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. The point is, the peoples on the earth have freedom of access in and out of this city to come and worship the living God. You and I in our glorified bodies will be living in this city. People who are in the kingdom in their physical bodies are living on the earth outside this city, but they have free access into the city.

Look at chapter 22, He showed me a river of the water of life. There is a river in this city. It comes from the throne of God and the Lamb, in the middle of its street, the river here. On either side of the river was the tree of life, it’s hanging over there. The tree of life, when is the last time we saw the tree of life? The opening chapters of Genesis. Adam and Eve couldn’t eat of the tree of life because if they did they would live forever. But they had sinned. They would have been confirmed in their lost condition. But now here is the tree of life and note this, it’s bearing 12 kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. I thought in eternity there was no time. Remember John Whitcomb who has been here says of course in eternity there has to be time. Time is just sequence of events. We are finite beings, we don’t live in the eternal present as God does. And lo and behold there will be months, 12 months. Each month there will be a different fruit growing, and the nations, the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ???????their health, their wellbeing. In other words the picture here is of the peoples of the world can come up to worship the living God and freely eat of the tree of life. ??????????they have life, eternal life is freely theirs. They are reminded of it in this visible way.

There will be no longer any curse, the throne of God and the Lamb will be in it. That’s heaven. Wherever God’s throne is, that’s heaven. The description of God in heaven, and Revelation 4-5 show Him on His throne. Where is His throne now? In the eternal dimension of the kingdom, it’s in the New Jerusalem, heaven now is on the new earth.

And what will we be doing? The end of verse 5, they will reign forever and ever. That’s the destiny of what is going to take place. That’s our hope. What does this mean for us? People say well that’s interesting, but I’d like to have something practical—how do you raise teenagers. What’s this got to do with the trouble I have in my family? What’s this got to do with the trouble I have in my home, my job? Everything, because you know what the Bible says? These truths are to shape your life in all that you do and all that you love. Look at the end of Revelation 22:6, these are the things which must soon take place. The God of the spirits of the prophets sent His angels to show His bondservants the things which must take place. This is for us.

Behold I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecies of this book. These are things that will shape us in the way that we live. God says I am coming quickly in the person of His Son, and there is special blessing for the person who pays attention to what I have said in these prophecies. Do I want the special blessings of God, the fullness of His blessings? I realize that I live on the brink of the return of Christ, He is coming quickly and there are blessings promised to the one who pays attention to these prophecies. Interestingly it’s the only book in the Bible that pronounces blessings on those who pay attention to it. The book began that way in Revelation 1:3, blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and heed the things which are written in it. For the time is near. We’re to study prophecy, pay attention to it, immerse ourselves in it so we’re constantly reminded, Jesus Christ is coming at any time. Everything I’m doing today is to be shaped by this. I realize eternity is before me.

Turn back to Romans chapter 13. I want to look at a few verses with you, just remind us of how this shapes our living, and we’re done. Verse 11, he’s been talking about the importance of loving one another and he says in verse 11, do this knowing the time. Even the way that we demonstrate our love to one another is in light of the time. It is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep. Already as Paul wrote to the Romans there were some believers who were getting drowsy, had become somewhat indifferent to the imminency of the return of Jesus Christ. It’s the hour for you to awaken from your sleep, for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. And Paul wrote this 1900 years ago, how much nearer are we. We’ve moved close to the coming of the Lord. The night is almost gone, the day is near. Therefore, let us lay aside the deeds of darkness, put on the armor of light, let’s behave properly as in the day, not in carousing, drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, sensuality, strife, jealousy. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, don’t make any provision for the flesh. I mean if Jesus Christ is coming in a few hours what do I want to be doing? Oh I want to get in all the immorality I can. No. So this is a purifying hope that shapes what I do and what I don’t do. I mean I’m living on the brink of the return of the Lord. Open your eyes, pay attention, do what matters.

Look at II Peter chapter 3, almost back to the book of Revelation. We referred to this, verse 10, the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar, the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, the works will be burned up. There is going to be a new heaven and a new earth, remember that. Look at your house when you go home, look at all the possessions you’ve spent so much money acquiring, all the things. They’re all going to melt away. That’s not going to carry over to the new heavens and the new earth. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, the elements will melt with intense heat. But according to His promise we are looking for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.

You say well look at the years that have gone by, the Lord hasn’t come. But you know what this is a time of? It’s a time of salvation. Paul wrote to the Romans about this, these are days of grace where God’s grace in salvation, primarily for Gentiles is being displayed. Think about it. There’s an awful hell, but every day you get you have an opportunity to share the glorious gospel that can bring deliverance and salvation for people who are destined to hell. You have loved ones and friends you desire to be saved. Aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t come yesterday? There is blessing in that. Oh I’d like Him to come, but Lord……….. If I focus on the Second Coming I’m reminded. These are days of salvation. I’m to be about the things of the Lord, I get all caught up in things that don’t matter, things that are going to burn up, things that are going to melt away. I’m on the verge of the coming of Christ and the unfolding of these events that will lead to a new earth and I’m more concerned about my job and my position and what people think of me than I am things that will matter for eternity. I mean do I really believer there is salvation only in Christ and there’s an eternal hell? Do the people I work next to, the people in my family that do not know the Savior are on their way to that hell that’s more awful than I can imagine? I say Lord, these are days your return is so near, give me boldness.

I John 3:1-3 talk about we’re looking for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and when we see Him we will be like Him for we will see Him as He is. And everyone who has their hope on Him purifies themselves, even as He is pure. We see impurity in the church today, do you know why? People do not have their hope fixed on Jesus Christ.

The study of prophecy is eminently practical. Well what about the problems in my family? Deal with them in light of the Word of God, in light of the fact Jesus Christ may be coming tomorrow, may be coming this afternoon. Maybe you need to get the priorities in your family right, maybe the members of my family need to see the priorities of my life lived out. Somehow I tell them how important this is and I live my life as though it’s an add-on that I have, I don’t want it to influence or interfere with my life anymore than necessary. And I wonder why they don’t take it seriously. If Jesus Christ is coming this afternoon I’m reminded this is my life, nothing else matters. Everything is consumed by this one thing. We have a Savior. Where are you? There are people here, there are two destinies. Causes me to shudder, it’s difficult to talk about. I preach to some people and they will spend eternity in hell. I weep for them, I pray for them, it’s on my mind when I prepare to preach. How can it be? Some will sit under the message of the gospel of grace and say no, and some day we’ll see them at the Great White Throne and they’ll be sentenced to an eternal hell. Why? They would not believe in the Savior. These are days of salvation, these will pass. God does not promise to give you tomorrow for salvation, but He’s given you today. You must recognize your sin, recognize that Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for sin and place your faith in Him.

Let’s pray together. Thank you, Father, that we talk of eternal things. They are a cause of great joy and great blessing. Our hearts are encouraged and strengthened. Lord, we’re reminded the attention of our lives, not just for this hour or two, but the way we live every moment of every day is to be shaped by the fact that Jesus Christ is coming quickly. Lord, we need to be reminded that these are days of salvation. You are a God of patience and mercy and kindness, and you have again given opportunity for men, women and young people to turn from their sin and believe in the salvation that you offer as a free gift to all who will believe in your son. Lord, may we as your children keep this in mind as we have contact with friends, family, coworkers, that they are without hope in the world and they are destined to the suffering of hell unless they hear and believe the message of your Son, in whose name we pray. Amen.