Revelation 21:1-8 (KJV)  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.  [2]  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  [3]  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  [4]  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.  [5]  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.  [6]  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.  [7]  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.  [8]  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

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Heaven & eternity has been on my mind
Heaven & eternity should be on your minds as well

There are two things that every adult who is an adult should come to grips with and make peace with.

You should come to grips with your MORALITY.
You must come to grips with your MORTALITY.

Do You KNOW You Are Mortal?

Too few people have examined their lives and have come to a settled mental state on these two things. Morality and Mortality. I often talk to people who groan over death, making death out to be a horrible attack from the devil.

Death is NOT an attack from the devil. Do you know who controls DEATH? It is the same One Who controls LIFE. It is God. Let me show you the Bible texts.

Psalms 68:19-20 (KJV)  Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.  [20]  He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.

To God – our Sovereign God – there is escape from death. Why? Because God controls life and God controls death. Righteous Job said …

Job 14:1 (KJV)  Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. … 5 … his DAYS ARE DETERMINED, THE NUMBER OF HIS MONTHS ARE WITH {GOD}, {God} hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

The Apostle Paul preached at Mars Hill:

Acts 17:26 (KJV)  {God} hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath DETERMINED THE TIMES BEFORE APPOINTED, and the bounds of their habitation;

When King Hezekiah was told that he was going to die, the message he was given was from God, not the devil. Hezekiah prayed for more life, and God told Isaiah to tell the king:

Isaiah 38:5 (KJV)  Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

God controls both life and death – not the devil. Your God is too small if you think the devil controls death! The devil controls nothing. God controls all. The Prophet Daniel told King Belshazzar that he did not honor …

Daniel 5:23 (KJV) … the God IN WHOSE HAND THY BREATH IS, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

It is God Who gives life. When John first saw Christ on Patmos Jesus told him:

Revelation 1:18 (KJV)  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the KEYS of hell and OF DEATH.

Jesus Christ has the keys of hell and death. The One Who has the keys has the power to operate it. The Bible does say in Hebrews that Jesus Christ came to destroy the devil. We read:

Hebrews 2:14 (KJV)  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Satan by deceiving and leading Adam brought death into God’s creation. Satan does have the power to kill – but only at the allowance of God.
God ultimately controls all life and all death.

Hebrews 9:27 (KJV)  And as it is APPOINTED UNTO MEN ONCE TO DIE, but after this the judgment:

Death is an appointment, not made by you or I, nor even made by the devil. It is an appointment that God has made for us all. As Solomon said “there is a time to be born, and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:2). We are all mortal. We all have an expiration time determined for us by our Creator. We can ignore this, or we can embrace it. We must come to grips with our MORTALITY. God controls life and God controls death.

Am I A NEW Creature?

When we read about Eternity one word keeps coming up. See if you can find that word:

Revelation 21:1-2, 5 (KJV)  And I saw a NEW heaven and a NEW earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.  [2]  And I John saw the holy city, NEW Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. … [5]  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things NEW.

Did you see the word? Did you hear it? The word “NEW” is repeated FOUR TIMES. This is significant because in Scripture FOUR is the number of rest. The FOURTH Commandment (Exodus 20:8) is to “remember the Sabbath and keep it holy”. God set aside a day of rest for humanity, a day where we were to dwell on and magnify our Creator.

Heaven is God’s rest.
Heaven is a place now even of rest.

What we are reading about in Revelation 21 is the beginning of eternity

If you love Jesus and have received Him as your Lord and Savior the Bible says something about you. It says that …

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become NEW.

The word “New” both in this text and in our focal text is the Greek KAINOS. The Christ follower is a NEW creature. The believer in Him has been born again. We are works in progress. We are different than we were. We are NEW. Distinct. Different. We belong to God. Because of Jesus when we die we do not cease to be, but go to be with our God in Heaven. The Apostle said:

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (KJV)  Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:  [7]  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)  [8]  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be ABSENT FROM THE BODY, AND TO BE PRESENT WITH THE LORD.

When we leave this body we are PRESENT WITH THE LORD. Our souls do not sleep, but our bodies sleep in the ground awaiting the Rapture of the Church. There are many proofs of this consciousness after death. One of Christ’s earliest sermons was on a certain rich man and a poor believer named Lazarus. Jesus said:

Luke 16:22-23 (KJV)  And it came to pass, that the BEGGAR DIED, AND WAS CARRIED BY THE ANGELS into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;  [23]  And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

No matter how you interprete this text you cannot help but see that Jesus believed both Lazarus and the rich man were conscious after death. The rich manm suffered, but Lazarus was comforted. The New Creature who was Lazarus went to be with others of faith in a place of comfort – in short, Heaven. But the rich man went to hell and suffering. We also have the testimony of John who saw into Heaven and wrote:

Revelation 6:9 (KJV)  And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar THE SOULS OF THEM THAT WERE SLAIN for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

For the New Creature “to live is Christ, and to die is GAIN” (Philippians 1:21). Death is not a horror for the Christ follower but a doorway by which we are united with our Creator and Savior. Paul said to the Philippian Church:

Philippians 1:23-24 (KJV)  For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire TO DEPART, AND TO BE WITH CHRIST; which is far better: [24]  Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

If you are a Christ follower – that is, trusting Jesus alone for your salvation and Lordship – the Scripture promises when you leave this life you go to Heaven. When the righteous leave this life they enter into a place of peace (Isaiah 57:1-2).

Revelation 14:13 (KJV) … Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that THEY MAY REST FROM THEIR LABOURS; and their works do follow them.

Oh, how beautiful Heaven must be. It is a prepared place for a prepared people. Oh that all would prepare their hearts for Heaven now, trusting in the Lord Jesus, receiving and believing on Him.

Just As God Brings Heaven To Us He Will Bring Heaven To Earth

We will all die, but death is no evil, but a doorway. God brought Heaven to us in Christ, and will bring us all to Heaven one day. What Revelation 21 teaches us is that God will also bring Heaven back to earth.

Revelation 21:1 (KJV)  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:

Following the Millennial Reign of Christ on the earth God will do something extraordinary – He will recreate this earth and the heaven that is about it. The Bible teaches that there are THREE HEAVENS.

The FIRST Heaven is where the birds fly (Matthew 6:26)
The SECOND Heaven is what we call outer space (Deuteronomy 4:19)
The THIRD Heaven is where our God has His Home (2 Corinthians 12:2)

In Revelation 21 the Lord is recreating the earth and the heaven that surrounds it. Peter speaks of the destruction of this earth in:

2 Peter 3:9-10 (KJV)  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  [10]  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

God will destroy this planet and all of its atmosphere. But once He destroys it He makes it new – both earth and the heaven that surrounds it.

Revelation 21:1 (KJV) … for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 

This new Earth will be different from the earth we are on now. About 71% of our planet is covered with water, and 96.6% of this water is in the seas. Yet the new Earth will have no seas. John was cast out onto the Island of Patmos to die, and it was the sea around this island that held him prisoner. In the new Earth there will be no separation from our loved ones. The seas will cease to be.

Revelation 21:2 (KJV) And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 

The Old Jerusalem was a fallen place. But on the new Earth God will send a New Jerusalem down from His Heaven. It will be without sin. This New Jerusalem is holy, and wed to Christ Jesus:

Revelation 21:9-10 (KJV) …. I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.  [10]  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

Christ will reign on the earth from Jerusalem, and holy will be His reign. This Heavenly Jerusalem will maintain the purity of the new Earth. God will make it so. What a glorious day that will be! What shall govern this new Earth? Not sin, nor man, but God. We read:

Revelation 21:3 (KJV) ….Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 

Christ is the “Tabernacle of God”. John 1:14 literally states:

the Word was made flesh, and dwelt (skenoo – tabernacled) among us

Jesus will dwell with His New Creatures on this New Earth from a New Jerusalem. “They shall be His people”. We will serve Jesus on this earth – and beyond, I believe. God Himself will be with us. We shall have access to the fullness of God.

We shall have God’s Touch.

Revelation 21:4 (KJV)  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes …

We have cried rivers on this present earth. Barely a week goes by that I do not shed tears from pain and hurt. But Beloved, the New Earth that belongs to His New Creatures shall be tear free. Like the shampoo said, no more tears! God will be with us. He will touch us.

Revelation 21:4 (KJV) … and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

On this New Earth we shall know that all the horrors of this sin torn earth will have passed. There will no longer be death, but life.

Isaiah 25:8 (KJV) {God} will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

There is no evil in all this new Earth. It is not renovated. It is not renewed. It is BRAND NEW, and belongs to our Lord and we His people.

To Whom Is The Promise Of The New Earth?

God offers this wondrous eternity to whosoever will. He says to all:

Revelation 21:6-7 (KJV) I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.  [7]  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 

“I will give to the one that is thirsty”. If you are thirsty the Lord says to come to Him. Jesus Christ gave Himself for all. When we give ourselves to Christ He promises us a glorious eternity, one in which God will be our God and we shall be His sons. We will inherit this beautiful new Earth.

Revelation 21:23-25 (KJV)  And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.  [24]  And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.  [25]  And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

There are kings on the new Earth, but these are the saved who followed Christ. The Scripture says:

2 Timothy 2:12 … If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him …

Those who walk on this new Earth will be the saved who walk in the light of it. It will be those who had genuine faith in Christ. What did our Lord say?

He that OVERCOMETH shall inherit all things

A genuine faith in Christ is not flighty. It remains. It stays. The New Creature has faith in the God Who makes all things new. The faith that calls on Christ and is implanted by God’s Spirit is not like a vapor or a morning fog that burns off with the sun of affliction. It looks up and trusts the Lord no matter what might come. It is not sloppy, but focused on the Sovereign Lord Jesus.

What will NOT be on this new Earth, nor in Heaven itself? The Bible tells us:

Revelation 21:8 (KJV) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Those without faith in Christ – fearful, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, whoremnongers, sorcerers, idolators, liars – they shall not inherit this new Earth. They will be cast away from Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). They will hear Christ say “Depart from Me – I never knew you!”. They have rejected the Lord Jesus. They have chosen their own path. They crucified the Lord of Glory, but would not hear His Word.

And they are cast away forever. The inheritance of the unsaved is the unparadise. The inheritance of the sinner is sizzling. Those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ and sing “I did it my way” throughout this life have no part in God’s glorious new creation. This chapter on the new Earth ends with:

Revelation 21:27 (KJV) And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Only those who’s names are entered in the Lamb’s Book of Life shall enter into this new Earth. All others are cast out. Are you in His Book? Who is the overcomer? The Scripture says:

1 John 5:5 (KJV)  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Have you given your life to Him? Have you believe that He died for your sins, and rose to walk with you daily? Jesus has said:

Revelation 3:5 (KJV)  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Let your faith be in Jesus. Hear Him. Follow Him. Learn of Him. If He is yours, yours is eternity. May God touch your heart with His Word.