Introduction

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On the 19th September 2008, Travis Barker … the drummer of my most favourite band in the world … Blink-182 … experienced an aborted take-off in a small plane … after a tyre blew out.  Both pilots died in the crash … as did Barker’s security guard and assistant.  Barker suffered 2nd degree burns to 65% of his body and spent 11 weeks in hospital … undergoing 27 different surgeries and skin grafts.  Now because he had a history of heavy drug use … the anaesthetic drugs were not as effective … and he woke up several times in the middle of surgery.  He says he became deeply depressed and suicidal during that time … calling friends and offering them M$1 to come and help end his life.

Now … if you were to tell Barker in October 2008 … that in October 2023 … he would be happily married … to a Kardashian of all people, would be expecting a new child TO that marriage in November … and would be in the middle of a world-wide tour … that I’ll be seeing in Feb … that will make 4 times as much money as their previously highest grossing tour … I suspect his experience in that hospital may have been a little different.

The reason being that humans are inherently hope based creatures.  If we think there is a light at the end of the tunnel … it helps us endure whatever hardship we’re currently experiencing.  So in the Star Wars show Andor … the main character is put in a prison where the prisoners are tasked with assembling the same piece of machinery … day in-day out.  Now what keeps the prisoners in-line is a little counter in their cell … that counts down how many days they have left on their sentence.  HOPE keeps them in check.  But when a prisoner doesn’t actually get released on day zero … he just gets moved to a different section … the whole prison riots.  Humans are hope based creatures.  And that’s why our passage today has the ability to completely transform our lives.

So we’re coming to the close of our series on Revelation.  One week to go.  And across this series we’ve been unpacking the vivid imagery this book offers us … to find some incredible messages.  I have loved every chapter of this book.  Yet we need to understand that the book of Revelation was NOT written for us to just sit around and contemplate the imagery and the symbolism.  This book was written to a group of people who were about to undergo more pain and suffering and death than anyone in this room will ever experience.  Emperor Domitian was about to embark on the first widespread persecution of the Christian church.  Christians were about to be thrown to the lions … impaled in sticks … and set on fire ALIVE … to act as lamps for Emperor Domitian’s palace garden.

The book of Revelation was written to help the early Christians face that persecution.  And the fact that the Christian church survived … shows this book worked.  In fact the early Christian writer Tertullian said ‘the more Christians were killed … the more the church grew’.  Why?  Because when people saw the poise and the peace that Christians displayed AS they were dying … they said ‘they have something I don’t’.  And what they had … was hope.

You see those who believe that when we die … that’s it … don’t have this hope.  Yet those who believe there will be Judgment Day and eternity to follow … can be transformed by this passage … to handle even the harshest suffering … with unbelievable poise and peace.  And there are 3 main things I want to show us about the new heavens and the new earth today … to give us this transforming power.  And they are that (i) Heaven is a renewed earth, (ii) Heaven will be glorious, and (iii) Heaven fulfils our deepest longing.  And my prayer is that as these aspects of our future become more central to our lives … they will transform us into the kind of world changing Christians the original recipients went on to be.  So let’s dive in … and look at the new heavens and the new earth.

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Heaven is a renewed earth

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And our passage begins with these words:

Revelation 21:1-2 (NIV) Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” m for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

Now when most people think of heaven … they tend to think of a spiritual realm of some sort … where we’re all floating around on clouds somewhere.    And that’s not too far removed from how the Bible depicts heaven NOW.  As I’ve mentioned for the past 2 weeks … when a Christian dies … our soul is ripped from our body.  Our body stays here to rot … while our soul goes to be with the Lord … in a disembodied … or spiritual state.  But as I mentioned … theologians call that ‘the intermediate state’.  Now why is it called ‘the intermediate state’?  Because it’s not our final state.  It's the state we have in the middle.

What most people DON’T realise … and this includes many Christians … is that when Jesus returns … heaven is going to come down to earth.  Yet it’s not THIS earth.  It’s a renewed earth.  Romans 8 says this earth GROANS ‘as in the pains of childbirth’.  Why?  Because part of the punishment on Adam and Eve’s sin was that this creation was cursed by God.  So this is not the kind of place you want to spend eternity.  But in Rev 21:5 we read:

Revelation 21:5 (NIV) “I am making everything new!”

The world around us and the heavens above us all are going to burn up like newspaper.  Then God will create a new heavens and a new earth.  And this new earth … we’re told … won’t have a sea … v. 1.  Now what does that mean?  Well ‘the sea’ in ancient times was the place of chaos.  So when it says ‘there was no longer any sea’ … it’s not a reference to water.  I expect there will be oceans on the new earth.  It’s symbolic for how the new earth won’t have things like tsunamis or earthquakes or volcanoes or floods or droughts.  It won’t cause sunburn or hyperthermia or gangrene or cancer.  It will work FOR us humans … rather than against us.  And THAT’S where you and I will live for eternity.  On a renewed EARTH … where everything works for our good and enjoyment.

So heaven is not going to remain a spiritual-like state … as it currently is.  Heaven will come down to the new earth … a physical place … and we will have physical bodies to walk around in.  OK … 2 Corinthians Chapter 5 tells us we Christians will be clothed OVER with a new body; a heavenly body.  And this body will be fit for eternity.  There will be no more aches and pains … no more cancer or COVID … no more anxiety and depression … and no more wrinkles or baldness.  We will be given a perfect body that will never decay or die.  ‘For the old order of things has passed away’ … 4.

But why do I say we will be ‘clothed OVER’?  Well the Greek word for ‘clothed’ in 2 Cor 5 is like putting an outer garment on over an undergarment.  So when Jesus returns … the souls of all believers who have died will be reunited with their earthly bodies.  Now you might ask ‘well how is THAT going to happen … given they’ve returned to dust’.  The answer is … if God can make the universe out of nothing … he can sort out giving our bodies back.

Then those who are still alive at Jesus’ return will be caught up in the clouds … 1 Thessalonians 4.  And the Christians who are still alive … along with the physically resurrected Christians … will have their heavenly bodies put on OVER our current earthly bodies.  What does that mean?  It means we will still recognise each other … but we will be different … better.  In the 6th book of the Narnia Chronicles … when Jill and Eustace see King Caspian in Aslan’s Country … i.e. heaven … we’re told they couldn’t tell whether he was a young man or a boy …  because people have no particular age in Aslan’s Country.  And that will be us … in the new heavens and new earth.

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Heaven will be glorious

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The next thing this chapter tells us is what this new heavens and new earth will be like.  So to begin with … it will be completely void of bad things:

Revelation 21:4 (NIV) ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ u or mourning or crying or pain,

We will never grieve the loss of a loved one again.  We will never worry about our children being hurt or abused.  We will never fight with our spouse or see family breakdown.  We will never break a bone or chip a tooth.  There will be no more corrupt governments and no more war.

Even better than that … there will be no more sin at all.  The picture we get in v. 2 is of a church that has been purified for her husband.  Can you imagine never having an impure thought ever again?  Can you imagine never regretting something you’ve said ever again?  Can you imagine never worshipping created things ever again?  Can you imagine never being greedy or jealous ever again?

But that’s not the best bit.  Heaven is not just devoid of bad things.  It is full of glorious things.  So when John is describing the New Jerusalem … the Holy City … he does so using imagery that is bright and shiny.  So for example:

Revelation 21:11 (NIV) It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

Revelation 21:18-19 (NIV) The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone.

We then get a list of those stones.  Then …

Revelation 21:21 (NIV) The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

It’s like the story of the man who shows up to the Pearly Gates carrying a huge suitcase.  And St Peter says ‘what’s in the suitcase’.  And the man says when I was on earth I was an incredibly successful business man.  So before I died I gathered it all together … in a form that’s easy to transport … and I was hoping I could bring it with me into eternity.  And St Peter says ‘well … give me a look’.  And the man opens the suitcase to show M$100 worth of gold bars.  And St Peter says ‘what … paving stones’.

But the paving stones in heaven are not just ANY gold.  They’re gold that is like transparent glass.  And what John is trying to convey with all of this … is that the heavenly city will radiate with the Shekinah glory of God.  Now the word Shekinah is not found in the Bible.  But it’s used to describe the glorious presence of God.  So when God descended on Mt Sinai … or when the cloud filled the Tabernacle … and later the Temple … God’s Shekinah … his glory is said to have showed up.  Now whenever God shows up in the OT … he’s always covered by a cloud.  Because sinful humans cannot look upon his glory and survive.  But in heaven … when even our ABILITY to Sin is taken away … we will be given court side seats to the most dazzlingly beautiful sight in all existence.

Like picture the most amazingly beautiful sight you can imagine.  Like your wife on your wedding day.  A sleeping newborn.  A spectacular sunrise.  A huge storm cell.  A beautiful dress … or a stunning sports car.  Then multiply that by about a billion, trillion gazillion … and you’re getting close to how stunningly beautiful heaven is going to be.  But please don’t be fooled into thinking it’s the city structure that will be beautiful.  The city structure is only bright and shiny because it shines with the Shekinah of God … v. 11.  When you and I walk into heaven … our gaze is going to be captured by God’s beauty … which will overwhelm us to the point that we will feel we need to look away … just to catch our breath every so often.  Such will be the glory of the new heavens and the new earth.

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Heaven fulfils our deepest longing

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But the REAL beauty of heaven is not that it’s physical … and not that it’s glorious.  It’s that heaven will fulfil our deepest longing as a creature.  And what is our deepest longing … I hear you ask?  It’s to feel completely loved and accepted.  Or more accurately … to feel completely validated.  Now there’s 2 reasons why this is our deepest longing:

Firstly … God designed us this way.  Part of being made in the image of God is to be made for relationships.  Humans NEED interaction with others.  I heard a terrifying statistic just this week … that the rates of self-harm and suicide in teenage girls have increased 200% in Western countries since 2012.  That’s not 2% … it’s 200%.  And sociologists tell us it’s because of social media.  Now social media has countless dangers.  But one of them is it gives people the illusion of connections … when they’re actually alone.  The fascinating thing though … is that girls who are members of a church … have NOT seen this increase.  Why?  Because churches are one of the last bastions of community in our individualistic society.  Humans NEED connections … because they help validate us … when people WANT to hang out with us.

The SECOND reason this is our deepest longing is because ever since sin entered the world … humans all know deep down that we’re not lovable and not acceptable.  We know that if anyone ever found out just how sinful and messed up our thoughts are … they would reject us.  The movie Chaos Walking is about a futuristic colony that land on a distant planet … where the males become afflicted with a condition called ‘the noise’ … where everyone can see and hear their thoughts.  Part of the plot is showing how exhausting it is to be constantly controlling your thoughts around others.  Humans KNOW deep down that we’re not acceptable.  And so what we do … is we spend our life trying to PROVE to others that we are:

• We get good marks to make our parents proud

• We wear the right clothes to be accepted by the in-crowd

• We drive an expensive car … or carry an expensive handbag … to show our success

• We chase that promotion … or likes on social media

• We go out of our way to be very religious … or very moral

These are all things we look to for validation.  Do you remember the woman at the well in John chapter 4?  She had 5 previous husbands … and was currently living with a 6th.  Why?  Because like ALL humans … she longed to feel loved … accepted … validated.  And she was looking for that validation in men.  Now do you remember what Jesus offered her?  ‘Living Water’ … which is a metaphor for deep satisfaction of the soul.  Now read with me v. 6 of our passage:

Revelation 21:6 (NIV) … To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Jesus promises to satisfy our deepest longing.  So how does he do this?  V. 2 holds the key:

Revelation 21:2 (NIV) I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband

So the Holy City is the church.  It’s you and me.  And we’re described as a bride on her wedding day.  Now think about it.  How long does the average bride spend getting ready for her wedding?  She spends hours on the day with hair and make-up … weeks getting the dress just right … and months of dieting so she can fit into it.  Am I wrong?  The average woman looks the absolute best she will ever look on her wedding day.  And this is how God describes his church.  What v. 2 is saying is … God is captivated by us … ravished by us … like a groom is by his bride.  What this means is … WHILE we’re singing God’s praises in heaven … he will be singing ours too.

Now my Bible study took some convincing this week about this point.  God praising us didn’t sit right with them.  But think about it.  What was God willing to pay to get us into heaven with him?  Think of it like the Antique’s Road show.  People bring their items in … and the experts appraise them.  But the appraisal is based on what collectors are willing to pay for it.  Now what was God willing to pay for YOU?  The answer … is everything.  Before the creation of the world … all God the Father had … was the Son and the Spirit.  And they were in a perfect … loving … other-person centred relationship for all eternity.  And God gave that up … his only eternal ‘belonging’ … to get you.  So when we finally walk into heaven … we will feel perfectly loved and accepted … perfectly validated … by a person who is INFINITE in love and acceptance.  Heaven will fulfil our deepest longing as humans.

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Conclusion

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So THAT’S our glorious future.  The final question we need to ask … as we close … is how does this knowledge transform me?  Well it transforms us … when HEAVEN is where our treasure lies.  Jesus said ‘where your treasure is … there your heart will be also’.  And the thing we treasure is usually the thing that occupies our thoughts the most.  So if you treasure your work … you’ll always be thinking about work.  If you treasure your kids … you’ll invest all your time and energy into your kids.

So if we want to be transformed by our future hope … then we need to fill our mind WITH that future hope.  So here’s our application for today.  We need to spend regular time meditating on the newness and the glory and the satisfaction of heaven.  The way we face life’s harsh realities is to keep our glorious future forefront of our minds.  Richard Baxter … that great 1600’s English preacher … was rarely without some sort of pain in his body after the age of 21.  He took up the practice of meditating on the hope of heaven for half an hour EVERY day … which helped him with his physical pain.

So if we wish to be the kind of Christians who can face ANYTHING this life has to throw at us … then we need to spend regular time … even if it’s 10 minutes a week … meditating on the physical future … the glorious future … and the fully satisfying future that awaits those whose name is written in the Lamb’s book of life.