All Things Made New

Mark Finley: The book of Revelation comes to a glorious climax. And in that climax, it answers some of the questions that trouble our souls. Have you ever wondered if God is good, why is the world so bad? Will there ever be an end to the evil in our world? Why do good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people? Why is it that at times things seem to be so unfair? They don't seem to be just at all. Will pain ever go away? My body seems to be racked with pain. These are really good questions. And in Revelation 21 and 22, those questions are answered. So let's jump right into our text, Revelation chapter 21. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. Wow, a new heaven and a new earth.
Guest (Female): This is HopeLives365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message: All Things Made New. Enjoy, and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay updated with HopeLives365 and Pastor Mark by going to HopeLives365.org. And stay with us for a free Bible study offer later in this program. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.
Mark Finley: The book of Revelation comes to a glorious climax. And in that climax, it answers some of the questions that trouble our souls. Have you ever wondered if God is good, why is the world so bad? Will there ever be an end to the evil in our world? Why do good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people? Why is it that at times things seem to be so unfair? They don't seem to be just at all. Will pain ever go away? My body seems to be racked with pain. These are really good questions. And in Revelation 21 and 22, those questions are answered. So let's jump right into our text, Revelation chapter 21. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. Wow, a new heaven and a new earth. God makes earth over again, a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. Now, the Bible says the first heaven. The Bible talks about three heavens. First, the first heaven, that's the atmosphere around our earth. Then there's the second heaven, that's the planetary heavens. Then there's the third heaven, that's where Jesus dwells and the Father. So I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth were passed away. That is the atmosphere around our earth. That is this old polluted planet that we live on. Also, there was no more sea. Great lakes, sea for John represented separation. He's on the island of Patmos separated from family, separated from friends. And he says there's no more sea. Then John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice from heaven. Now look, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. This is a festive time. This is a time of celebration. Weddings are times for celebration, they're times of joy. And so here, Christ in the New Jerusalem with His people is descending from heaven. And he says there, "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God,' that's the dwelling place of God, 'is with men. He'll dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God.'" Think of it. Now, our planets all revolve around the sun. And all those systems of planets are moving around a cosmic center. And that cosmic center is the throne of God. It's the tabernacle of God. It's the place where God dwells. God says to the tides, "You come here and you go no further." He sets the boundaries of the tides. God places the sun some 93 million miles from Earth. He doesn't let it come closer or go further away. If it came closer, it'd burn us up. If it went further away, we'd freeze to death. So when you look at what God has done, He's controlling this universe. But one day the holy city will descend. The cosmic control center of the universe will descend. God will change address. He will take this pockmarked, rebellious planet and He'll make a new heavens and a new earth. The holy city will come down, this will be His home, and we will reign with Him forever and ever. We will travel to worlds afar. We will give the story of the cross, the story of redemption, to the unfallen cherubim and seraphim and angelic beings. Notice also it says, "I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. He will dwell with them. They shall be His people. God Himself shall be with them and be their God.'" Notice the intimacy of these words. Here is the answer to the problems that plague our heart. As Augustine once put it, "Lord, our hearts will never find rest until they find rest in Thee." A relationship with God is the source of peace, it's the source of joy, it's the source of deep meaning. One day the holy city will descend. One day evil will be gone forever and ever and ever. One day there'll be no more sickness, no more suffering, no more death. One day we will not have to go through the horrors of Alzheimer's and see a loved one lose their minds. One day there'll be no phone calls in the night telling us at 2:00 in the morning that our 17-year-old son died in a car wreck. Why not? Because scripture says that all of the pain, all of the suffering, all of the sorrow will one day come to an end. It says there'll be no more pain. The former things, all of that heartache, all of that sorrow, will be passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." God is going to make all things new. You may be going through a troublous marriage right now, but God's going to make all things new. You may be going through some depression, disappointment right now as you're listening to this, but God's going to make all things new. You may be going through some real difficult times financially, but God's going to make all things new. You may be going through a challenge right now in relationships, but God's going to make all things new. The beauty of it is that He said, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." The word true there is *alēthēs*. It means genuine, authentic. This is no pipe tale. This is no fictitious Hollywood drama. Jesus is going to make all things new. And He said to me, "It is done." You know, there are three times in the Bible that say "It is done," "It is finished." At the end of creation week, God said, "It is finished." He establishes the Sabbath as a memorial of creation, but He said, "It's finished." He's completed His creation work in six days. He rests on the seventh. On the cross, Christ says, "It is finished." The plan of salvation is consummated. Jesus doesn't say, "I am finished." He says, "It is finished." The plan of salvation is complete. You can add nothing to it, take nothing away from it. It is finished. Christ has vindicated the character of God on the cross. He has revealed to a waiting world and a watching universe the love of God. At creation, it is finished. On the cross, it is finished. Now, for the last time, He says, "It is finished. It is done." Sickness and suffering and heartache and death and war and worry and want and disease and disaster, all over. It is finished. Satan is destroyed. It is finished. Evil is gone. It is finished. Righteousness is triumphed over the powers of hell. It is finished, He says. And notice, it is done. I am Alpha and Omega. I began the Alpha, the first letter of the Greek alphabet. Omega is the last. He says, "I've begun the process and I've ended. I'm the beginning and the ending. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be my son." Once again, you have that great emphasis of Christ that His people will live with Him. They will dwell with Him in this land made new. Then He says, "I want to show you the bride, the Lamb's wife. I want to give you a tour, a guided tour of the New Jerusalem." Have you ever been in the market for a new house and you go on the internet and you look at some of those sites where they advertise new homes, and you might see a video of that new home or pictures of it, and that really stimulates your interest in purchasing the home? Well, this is exactly what Jesus is doing here. He's stimulating our interest so that we will want to be in our new home, the New Jerusalem. So He says, "Come, I'll show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." Now, two things. First, there are times that the Bible says that the New Jerusalem is the bride of Christ. And that's logical because it's His city and He's united with that city. The tabernacle of God is within the city where the Shekinah glory of God is revealed. But there are times also the Bible says that the people of God, His people, are His bride. And so is there a contrast there, conflict there? Not at all. The people of God are within the holy city. Jesus is with them. They are His bride. The city is His bride. They are one. It says, "He carried me away in the spirit into a great and high mountain and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God." You remember at the end of the thousand years, the holy city descends. The wicked rush up to take the city. They're destroyed completely, fully. They're gone eternally. And we watch as Christ creates a new heaven and a new earth. You know, when Jesus created the world once, we were not here, we were not present. But when He creates it again the second time, we will be present with Him. But notice what it says. It says, "The glory of God, her light was like a most precious stone, like jasper stone as crystal." So this is a glorious city. This is a festive occasion. There's singing, there's praising. Now notice verse 12. "Also she had a great and high wall with 12 gates and 12 angels at the gates, and the names on them, which are the names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel." How many gates does this holy city have? Twelve. Now, in most ancient cities, you had one, maybe two gates. Why so few gates in the ancient cities? Because the more gates you have, the more gates you have to defend. So you want only a very few gates in your city so that you don't have to defend them. The gates are there to keep the unwanted out. But here you have 12 gates. And where are these gates? Well, the Bible tells us verse 13, three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, three gates on the west. In the Bible, three is a symbol of divinity, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the book of Revelation, you have the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, the false trinity, the trilogy of apostasy, the trilogy of error. But you also have the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. So three is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Twelve in the Bible is a symbol of completeness. You have the 12 patriarchs in the Old Testament representing the 12 tribes of Israel, completeness. You have the 12 apostles representing the New Testament church, completeness. So how many gates? Twelve. How many on each side? Three. So the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit say, "Those of you on the north, come in." The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit on the south say, "Come in." The three gates on the east, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit say, "Come in." Three gates on the west, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit say, "Come in." The 12 gates represent the complete number of redeemed that enter in through those gates to the city.
Guest (Male): We'll be right back with Pastor Mark Finley. We thank you for listening and hope you're enjoying today's message. Our mission is to attractively present the Christ-centered biblical truth of scripture in a practical, relevant way to people around the world so that they may experience the abundant life that Christ offers. If you want to learn more about the Bible, check out our free Bible series at GlobalBibleSchool.org. That's GlobalBibleSchool.org. Discover answers to your deepest questions straight from God's word. And now, back to Pastor Mark Finley.
Mark Finley: Jesus does not want to keep people out. Jesus wants to get people in. But there's something else fascinating there. Notice who are the names on the gates. It says, "Also she had a great and high wall," I'm reading verse 12, "and 12 gates and 12 angels at the gates." What are the angels there for? To welcome people in. "The names on them, which are the names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel." I want you to think of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel. Who are these names of the 12 tribes? They're real scoundrels. If they were tried in a court of law in your city, they could be tried for murder, robbery, child abuse. They could be tried for bigamy. I mean, these were not good people at all. But they were saved by grace, redeemed by love. These 12 names of the tribes of Israel, yes, they failed. Yes, they made their mistake. Yes, they indeed sinned. Yes, at times they rebelled against God's plan. But by His grace, they were forgiven. And by His power, they were changed. Why did God put their names there? What did God mean when He put their names there? God was saying to you, you too can come in. There's room for you in this city. Come, come. Whatever you've done, the grace of God will forgive you. Whatever you've done, the grace of God can change you. If these who were such sinners, names of the 12 tribes of Israel, if they could get in, you can get in too. But look, we continue. Verse 14, "Now the wall of the city had 12 foundations, and on them were the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb." Who, who are the 12 apostles of the Lamb? Peter, who denied Him. Thomas, who doubted Him. James and John, the sons of thunder. I mean, they made their mistakes. But if the disciples could get in by God's grace and through God's power, you too can enter through the gates into that city. Millions will enter in through those gates. The Bible says in Revelation 7, as it pictures the redeemed, as it pictures those who stand and sing the glory song and sing, "Worthy, worthy is the Lamb." Notice what it says, Revelation 7 verse 9. "After these things I looked and behold a great multitude which nobody could number of all nations, tribes, peoples, tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne forever and ever.'" Here is a great multitude that nobody could number. You too can enter in through the gates into that city. Is it a city big enough for all these thousands? Look what it says. Verse 15, "He talked with me and he had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out in a square, its length is as great as its breadth, and he measured the city with the reed, 12,000 furlongs." What's a furlong? It's about an eighth of a mile. So that would mean it's about a hundred, it's about 1,500 miles around that city. About 375 miles on a side. The wall measures 144 cubits. What's a cubit? It's about 18 inches. So you can see this huge high wall, over 20 stories high. And when you look at the city, it's made of jasper, pure gold, glass. The foundations are adorned with all kind of precious stones. This is incredible beauty. We walk through those pearly gates. We see the streets of gold. We see the amazing architecture in that city. And we are just absolutely amazed. God has a place for you in that city. One of our professors figured out how many people could live in that city, and it's millions upon millions. So don't worry, there is a place for you. It says in verse 22, "But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. The gates won't be shut day and night." Why aren't the gates shut day and night? Because there's no, there are no criminals there. There's no need to worry about war. There's no need to worry about somebody invading your place there. Well, you might wonder what we are going to do in that holy city. What are we going to do for the ceaseless ages of eternity? Will we ever get bored in that city? Isaiah chapter 65 tells us about the new heavens and the new earth. And here's what Isaiah 65 says about the new heavens and the new earth. Isaiah 65 verse 17, "Behold, I create a new heavens and a new earth. The former will not be remembered or come to mind. All those heartache, all those terrible memories, all that sorrow won't be remembered or come to mind." Verse 18, "Be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. I create Jerusalem," we've been reading about New Jerusalem, right? "I'll rejoice in Jerusalem, the joy of my people. The voice of weeping will be no more." This is what we've been talking about. Notice as we go down, verse 21, "They shall build houses and inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. They shall not plant and another eat. Wow. They shall not build and another inhabit. For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of my people, and my elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain." Here is the incredible good news. We'll build houses and inhabit them. Have you ever thought about your dream home? Your dream home on a little hillside, overlooking a meadow, stream running through the meadow, beautiful pond there. Fields of waving grain, magnificent gardens, and you can go out and eat from the natural products of the earth. Flowers blooming that make that perfume the air and make it even more beautiful. Everything that your eyes behold is beautiful. The singing of the birds, beautiful. Angel songs from the hilltops, beautiful. When you just think about it, heaven is going to be an incredible place. We may have a home inside the city and a home outside the city as well. You know, everybody that is worth knowing will be there. In the book of Matthew, it says this, Matthew chapter 8 verse 12. Matthew 8 verse 12 points out about the importance and significance of fellowship there in that New Jerusalem, in that heaven and earth that we have. And notice how the scripture puts it here. It says, "But the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness. So the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness. There'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth." That is the wicked will be finally, completely, totally, absolutely destroyed. But what about us? Verse 11 of Matthew 8, "And I say to you that many will come from the east and west, sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." Think about it. Everybody worth knowing will be there. We'll sit down with Abraham. We'll sit down with Isaac. We'll sit down with Jacob. I can just imagine I'm working in my garden and man, I've this incredible watermelon. I can't even hardly pick it up, it's so big. And probably some other fruit besides watermelon, but anyway. And here comes somebody walking down the street and they say, "Hey, can I help you with that?" And I look over and who is it? Abraham. "I'll help you with that." We cut the watermelon, Abraham, invite your family over. And Abraham and his family and my family, we have a watermelon feed. I mean, heaven is going to be an incredible place. Think about what it's going to be like to talk to Daniel and say, "Daniel, did you have fear in that lion's den?" and have Daniel give his testimony. Think of what it's going to be like to talk to the Apostle Paul who tells you his story of being shipwrecked and three days and three nights in the deep. And Paul tells you about singing in the prison and trusting God. Think about Moses and visiting with him as he tells you the story about walking through the Red Sea. It's amazing to think about the fellowship we're going to have in heaven. It says, "I say to you, many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." And you know, but what about our bodies there? Yes, we'll have glorious immortal bodies, but the Bible really describes it in quite a bit of detail. In Isaiah the 35th chapter, it says, verse 3, "Strengthen the weak hands, make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful heart, 'Be strong, do not fear. Behold, the Lord will come,' see second coming of Christ. 'He will come and save you.'" Now verse 5, the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf will be unstopped, the lame shall leap like a deer, the tongue of the dumb shall sing, for waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, streams in the desert. The parched ground will become a pool. Heaven is going to be an amazingly incredible place. But whoever we meet there, the one that we want to meet most of all is Jesus. And if you look at Revelation chapter 22. Revelation chapter 22 and we're going to look there at verse 1. Revelation 22 verse 1. He showed me a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb. In the middle of its street and on either side of the river was the tree of life, which bore 12 fruits, each tree yielding the fruit every month. So every month we go up to the holy city and we partake of the tree of life that gives us strength and energy, the tree of life that represents the very life of God. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. So we partake of, no conflict between nations, they are healed. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. His servant shall serve Him. Now verse 4, "They shall see His face, and His name shall be in their forehead," that's His character. "There shall be no night there. They'll need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light, and they shall reign forever and ever and ever." Now notice, they shall see His face. One day we shall fellowship with Jesus forever. One day we shall see His face. One day He shall give us that warm embrace. One day He shall say, "Welcome home, children."
Guest (Male): You've been listening to Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you enjoyed today's message and that it increased your faith in God and His word. If you'd like to learn more, Pastor Mark invites you to visit GlobalBibleSchool.org for an inspiring interactive Bible study experience. That's GlobalBibleSchool.org. Discover answers to your deepest questions straight from God's word. And now, a final thought from Pastor Mark.
Mark Finley: The Bible ends in the book of Revelation with an urgent appeal for you and me today. Revelation 22 verse 12 says, "Behold, I'm coming quickly. My reward is with me to give everyone according to his work." Jesus says, "Blessed," verse 14, "are those that do His commandments, that they might have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city." He is coming quickly, my friend. And there's no more important decision you could make than a decision for Jesus. By the grace of God, I pray that you will be saved in His kingdom. If you are just beginning to study the Bible, why not take our Bible study course? It'll strengthen your faith. We know that Jesus has a place for you in heaven and you can live there with Him forever. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank You for Your love, grace, and goodness. We thank You that Jesus is coming again and coming soon. May we be ready for that great day. In Christ's name, amen.