| THE NEW
JERUSALEM "21:1)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the
first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and
there was no longer any sea."
|
Why would John,
exiled on the island of Patmos, appreciate "no
longer any sea"?
What
have others said? What
barrier of "sea" would you like eliminated
now?
What
have others said?
|
| "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. 3) And I heard a lout voice
from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is
with men, and he will live with them. They will be
his people, and God himself will be with them and be
their God.'" |
After his initial
brief view of the renewed creation, John is taken
back in time to witness the first two visions that
show the descent of the New Jerusalem. At Jesus'
Second Coming the saved went to dwell with God. Now
God comes to dwell with the saved. What two different
locations are indicated?
What
have others said? |
| "4) He will wipe
every tear from their eyes. There will be no more
death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old
order of things has passed away." |
What could you add to the list of
the Bible's most positive negatives?
What
have others said? Cross
Reference: After the fires of final
destruction and the creation of a new heaven and
earth how much evil will be left! 2 Peter 3:10-13; Malachi 4:1-3
What
have others said?
|
| "5) He who was
seated on the throne said, "I am making
everything new!" Then he said, "Write this
down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
"6) He said to me:
"It is done, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will
give to drink without cost from the spring of the
water of life."
|
What is the worst
thirst you have ever had? How was it quenched?
What
have others said? |
| "7) He who
overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his
God and he will be my son." |
How do you equate
"no cost" for the water yet the necessity
to "overcome"?
What
have others said? |
| "8) But the
cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers,
the sexually immoral, the those who practice magic
arts, the idolaters and all liars -- Their place will
be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the
second death." |
Does anything in this
list surprise you? Why?
What
have others said? How do
you think "cowardliness" could keep a
person out of heaven?
What have others said?
|
| "9) One of the
seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the
seven last plagues came and said to me, 'Come, I will
show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb' 10) And he
carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and
high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God. 11) It shown with the
glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a
very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as
crystal." |
After coming to the
end of the seven last plagues, which complete the
wrath of God (15:1), John now is
given his second view of the Holy City. This time he
describes the "beautiful dress" (21:2). What
evidences of God's love of beauty have you seen
during your lifetime?
What
have others said? Cross
Reference: What happened when Moses asked to
see God's glory? Exodus 33:17-23
What
have others said?
|
| "12) It had a great, high
wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the
gates. On the gates were written the names of the
twelve tribes of Israel. 13) There were three gates
on the east, three on the north, three on the south
and three on the west. 14) The wall of the city had
twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb." |
You have already
studied the significance of "twelve." Which
of Jesus' twelve apostles do you feel the most like?
Why?
What
have others said? |
| "15) The angel who talked
with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the
city, its gates and its walls. 16) The city was laid
out like a square, as long as it was wide. He
measured the city with the rod and found it to be
12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it
is long. 17) He measured its wall and it was 144
cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel
was using." |
The Holy City, like
the Most Holy Place in the temple, is a perfect cube,
with 12,000 stadia equaling about 1,400 miles (2,200
km). What is the largest city and tallest building
you have ever seen? How do they compare with the Holy
City?
What
have others said? |
| "18) The wall
was made of Jasper, and the city of pure gold, as
pure as glass." |
Why do you think
there is an emphasis on transparency in the
description of the city?
What have others said? Cross Reference: How did Abraham, living
1,900 years before John, look forward to this city? Hebrews 11:10-16
What
have others said?
|
| "19) The
foundations of the city walls were decorated with
every kind of precious stone. The first foundation
was Jasper, the second sapphire, the third
chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20) the fifth
sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh
chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the
tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth
amethyst. 21) The twelve gates were twelve pearls,
each gate made of a single pearls, each gate made of
a single pearl. The great street of the city was of
pure gold, like transparent glass." |
Pearls represent
beauty through suffering. How would this apply to
Jesus, who is the "door" and the
"pearl of Great Price"?
What
have others said? |
| "22) I did not
see a temple in the city, because the Lord God
Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. |
The temple is gone
because God's dealing with sin is over. In what ways
could the "lamb" symbolism be the only
reminder of sin in a new heaven and earth?
What
have others said? The
New Jerusalem is called the "camp of God's
people" (20:9) or their
temporary dwelling. After the destruction of evil
God's people spread out on the new earth as the
nations and kingdoms of the saved.
|
| "23) The city
does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for
the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its
lamp. 24) The nations will walk by its light, and the
kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
25) On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there
will be no night there. 26) The glory and honor of
the nations will be brought into it. 27) Nothing
impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does
what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose
names are written in the Lamb's book of life." |
What reasons for the
saved returning regularly to the city can you see in Revelation 22:1-4?
What
have others said? |
| THE RIVER OF
LIFE "22:1)
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of
life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of
God and of the Lamb 2) down the middle of the great
street of the city. On each side of the river stood
the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit,
yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the
tree are for the healing of the nations."
|
Cross
Reference: Why did God bar the way to the
original tree of life? Genesis 3:20-24
What have others said? How does them barring of the unsaved from
the tree of life clearly identify their fate (Revelation 21:27)?
See John 3:16
What
have others said?
What tree fruit do you enjoy the
most?
What
have others said?
|
| "3) No longer
will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the
lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve
him. 4) They will see his face, and his name will be
on their foreheads. 5) There will be no more night.
The will not need the light of a lamp or the light of
the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. and
they will reign for ever and ever." |
What is there about
the description of the New Jerusalem that makes you
the most "homesick for heaven"?
What
have others said? You
can see God's face and have His character of love,
but what is there about "night" that you
will not miss? Why?
What have
others said?
|
| "6) The angel
said to me, 'These words are trustworthy and true.
The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets,
send his angel to show his servants the things that
must soon take place.'" JESUS
IS COMING
"7) Behold, I am coming soon!
Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in
this book."
|
Jesus' promised
return is as certain as all the fulfilled Bible
prophecies of the past. Because there is no sense of
time in death, the awareness of the return of Jesus
is no more than than a lifetime away from anyone.
What
have others said? Cross
Reference: What signs indicate that Jesus'
coming could actually be very close? Read Matthew 24; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Revelation 11:18
What
have others said?
|
| "8) I, John, am
the one who heard and saw these things. And when I
had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at
the feet of the angel who had been showing them to
me. 9) But he said to me, 'Do not do it! I am a
fellow servant with you and with your brothers the
prophets and of all who keep the words of this book.
Worship God!'" |
Do your feel
encouraged when you read that John makes the same
mistake twice (Revelation 19:10; 22:8, 9)? Why?
What have others said? |
| "10) Then he
told me, 'Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of
this book, because the time is near.'" |
Cross
Reference: How does God's message to John
concerning his book contrast with the book of Daniel
the Prophet? Daniel 12:1-4, 9
What
have others said? |
| "11) 'Let him
who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is
vile continue to be vile; let him who does right
continue to do right; and let him who is holy
continue to be holy.'" |
How would you stand
with God if the decree of Revelation 22:11 was
announced right now?
What
have others said? In an
imperfect world and an imperfect body, how can you be
perfectly ready to meet Jesus? Titus 3:4-8
What
have others said?
|
| "12) 'Behold, I
am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give
to everyone according to what he has done. 13) I am
the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the
Beginning and the End.'" |
What reasons can you
think of for Jesus keeping His rewards until His
Second Coming?
What
have others said? What
"reward" would you like most to receive?
What
have others said?
|
| "14) 'Blessed
are those who wash their robes, that they may have
the right to the tree of life and may go through the
gates into the city.'" |
Some translations say
"Blessed are they that do His
commandments." What "Commandments" or
"washing" have those outside the city
neglected?
What
have others said? |
| "15) 'Outside
are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the
sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and
everyone who loves and practices falsehood.'" |
"Dogs" is a
word used in New Testament times (before much
domestication of dogs) for shameless, contentious,
workers of evil. |
| "16) 'I, Jesus,
have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the
churches. I am the root and the Offspring of David,
and the bright Morning Star.'" |
Compare Revelation 22
with Revelation 1 and list some of the repetitions
you see.
What have others said? |
| "17) The Spirit
and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say,
'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever
wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of
life." |
The word
"come" is found in the Bible over 2,000
times. How do you feel when someone who is very
special to you says "come"?
What
have others said? What
does the double emphasis, on "free" and
"gift" for the last offer to humanity in
the Bible, mean to you?
What
have others said?
|
| "18) I warn
everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this
book: If anyone add anything to them, God will add to
him the plagues described in this book. 19) And if
anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy,
God will take away from him his share in the tree of
life and in the holy city, which are described in
this book." |
What message do you
get from God's warning about tampering with His Word?
What
have others said? |
| "20) He who
testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming
soon.'" "Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus."
"21) The grace of the Lord
Jesus be with God's people. Amen."
|
Why not bow down now
and share John's prayer -- "Come, Lord
Jesus." You can be prepared by "grace' and
be one of "God's people." |