Please turn in your Bibles this morning to the end of Revelation as we look at Revelation chapters 21 and 22. As we have seen, this section deals with the eternal state where all believers will dwell with the Lord in the new heavens and the new earth that He will create, for the old heavens and the old earth will be dissolved with fervent heat. And God will dwell in the New Jerusalem that will descend out of heaven and His presence will fill the land with His light!
In contrast, the unsaved will be cast into the Lake of Fire, outer darkness, apart from the Lord along with the Antichrist, the false prophet, Satan and all his demons! The Bible speaks of this as the second death and for the unbeliever, this is their eternal state where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth! They have rejected Jesus as their Lord and Savior, the free gift of life and stood before the Lord in their own righteousness, which are like filthy rags! That is what Revelation 21:8 tells us, the fate of, “. . . the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
This morning we are going to be looking at two books of the Bible. We will look at Genesis or the book of beginnings and see that what was started in Genesis will be completed or done away with, depending if it is good or bad, in the book of Revelation. The book of Genesis opens up with the beginning of time or history and as we conclude in the book of Revelation we see time, or human history come to an end as we enter into the eternal state with our Lord!
Before we get to our text this morning, let me share with you these two stories to help give us the perspective we, as Christians should have. First of all:
About the year 125 A.D. a Greek by the name of Aristeides was writing to one of his friends about the new religion, Christianity. He was trying to explain the reasons for its extraordinary success. Here is a sentence from one of his letters:
“If any righteous man among the Christians passes from this world, they rejoice and offer thanks to God, and they escort his body with songs and thanksgivings as if he were setting out from one place to another nearby.”
- J. G. Gilkey
You see, perspective is everything. I think many times we as Christians lose this focus because we have taken our eyes off of Jesus and placed them on the things of this world, on the situation we are facing, and that can be discouraging, cause us to fear, to doubt and-so-on. You see, the pull of the world ends up being stronger than our faith in Jesus and the promises that He has made to us. Folks, when you read of this eternal state and what it is going to be like, it should cause you to be excited! To know that you will be with the Lord and that will never change, that should be comforting to us.
The second story that I would like to share with you is about D. L. Moody, and we are told:
Realizing that he would soon be gone from this world one day, Moody said to a friend, “Someday you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody of Northfield is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it.
“At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone higher, that is all – out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal, a body that sin cannot touch, that sin cannot taint, a body fashioned into His glorious body. I was born in the flesh in 1837; I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die; that which is born of the Spirit will live forever.”
- 7,700 Illustrations, 1026
Again, perspective is so important. Moody believed what he preached and thus, death to him was not something he dreaded, but he knew it was moving day for his spirit and soul and to be absent from the body of flesh is to be present with the Lord!
Henry Morris, in his book The Revelation Record, makes 16 contrasts from Genesis as compared with Revelation. In other words, he looks at the beginning and the end. He calls the book of Genesis THE PROBATIONARY WORLD and the book of Revelation THE ETERNAL WORLD. Obviously he doesn’t focus on the entire book of Genesis, he looks at the first three chapters. And the same is true with Revelation, where he focuses on the last two chapters.
So with the remainder of our time this morning, we are going to look at these differences and see what we can glean from them. This will be a little different than our normal Sunday study in that we will not have a specific text we will be looking at, but several from each of these chapters as you will see. So let’s dig in and see what the Lord has for us this morning.
1. In the probationary world of Genesis we see in Genesis 1:4 God divide the light from the darkness. You see, when God created the heavens and the earth, everything was very good, there was no sin and thus, darkness was not a real issue. But once sin entered the world, darkness, night spoke of evil. When Judas betrayed the Lord and Satan possessed him, we are told it was night, not only outside but in the heart of Judas. Now, in the eternal world we are told in Revelation 21:25 of the New Jerusalem, “Its gates shall not be shut at all by day(there shall be no night there).” You see, no night because sin is gone, there will be no evil, none at all!
2. In the probationary world of Genesis we see in Genesis 1:10 that God divided the land from the sea. Again, no sin, everything was very good. Thus, the sea is not an issue in Genesis before sin entered the world. But, once sin entered the world it represented the sea of humanity where many evil people, including the Antichrist have an will arise! Now, in the eternal world we are told in Revelation 21:1, “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.” You see, no sea of humanity because there will be no more evil people in the eternal state with the Lord!
3. In the probationary world of Genesis we see in Genesis 1:16 the rule of the sun and the moon. Man needed to be guided in his days and thus, the sun represented the daylight hours and the moon, of course, represented the nighttime hours. Now, in the eternal world we are told in Revelation 21:23, “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.” You see, the presence of the Lord will illuminate the new heavens and the new earth, His glory will shine forth from the New Jerusalem brighter and more beautiful than the sun!
4. In the probationary world of Genesis we see in Genesis 2:1-3, “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” In other words, God completed His work of creation, the heavens and the earth were finished. And then, sin entered the world and the beauty of that world was distorted by sin. Now, in the eternal world we are told in Revelation 21:1, “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.” You see, God is going to create a new heavens and a new earth for us to dwell in, a place of beauty, free from sin, the eternal state!
5. In the probationary world of Genesis we are told in Genesis 2:8-9, “The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” In other words, man was placed in this prepared garden by God. Once again it was a place of beauty until sin entered the world and man was then banished from this garden. Now, in the eternal world we are told in Revelation 21:2, “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” This new city of Jerusalem that descends out of heaven will be the dwelling place of God and man will be there with Him in this prepared city, believers gathering around the Lord in this eternal state!
6. In the probationary world of Genesis we see in Genesis 2:10, “Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.” Here we see a river flowing out of Eden, which watered the garden. Now, in the eternal world we are told in Revelation 22:1, “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Here is a river that flows from God’s throne and it speaks of everlasting life, eternal life that can only come from God and thus, it flows from His throne!
7. In the probationary world of Genesis we are told in Genesis 2:9 that the tree of life is in the midst of the garden. But once sin entered the world God removed Adam and Eve from the garden and placed Cherubim at the east gate of the garden with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life, preventing anyone from going back to it in their sinful condition. Now, in the eternal world we are told in Revelation 22:2, “In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” God has restored man’s access to this tree. As one writer put it, “Now at last, almost at the end of the great drama of the Bible, man may return and legitimately enjoy the blessing which he was banished for illegitimately desiring.” (Preston/Hanson).
You see, that door to the tree of life was opened up for us through Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross of Calvary. It is as Paul tells us in Galatians 3:13, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’)” In other words, by Christ hanging on that tree, which was death to Him, that tree became the tree of life for us as Christ paid in full the penalty for our sins. It is as Jon Courson wrote, “The tree of life was seen at the beginning of human history. It will be seen again at the end of human history. It was originally planted in the garden of Eden. It will be transplanted into the garden like city of the new Jerusalem. Man choose not to eat of the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. Man will eat freely of the tree of life in the New Jerusalem.” Thus, this tree of life speaks of the eternal life for all those who have received Jesus as their Lord and Savior!
8. In the probationary world of Genesis we see in Genesis 2:12 that there was gold in the land and it was very good. Now, in the eternal world we are told in Revelation 21:21, “The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.” That which was a problem for sinful man, his greed for gold, is now covering the streets of Jerusalem, and folks, we won’t be mining this gold! This gold is so pure it is like glass and you can see through it! Imagine the beauty as the light of God shines through!
9. In the probationary world of Genesis we see in Genesis 2:12 that there was bdellium and onyx stones there in the Garden of Eden. Now, in the eternal world we are told in Revelation 21:19-20, “The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.” Once again these stones were clear and yet filled with different colors. Thus, as the light of God shines through, nothing will obstruct His presence, image the beauty, the colors that will fill this place!
10. In the probationary world of Genesis we see in Genesis 3:8, “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” Prior to man’s sin, Adam and Eve had intimate fellowship with the Lord, they walked together in the Garden of Eden. Then sin entered the picture through Adam and that sin separated man from God. That intimate fellowship was broken because God cannot look favorably upon sin, He is pure and cannot behold evil. It is as we are told in Isaiah 59:1-2, “Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.” That as not only the predicament of Adam, but now all his descendents faced this, you and me!
But then came Jesus, God became flesh and dwelt among us. He came to take away the sins of the world. In II Corinthians 5:21 we are told, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” You see, by the shed blood of Christ on the cross of Calvary, the perfect sacrifice for our sins, we have been cleansed and we are seen, in a positional sense, as white as snow. Thus, we can have fellowship with God! It is as Paul said in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” You see, the Lamb of God has come to take away the sins of the world so that we can once again enjoy that fellowship with Him!
Even though we can have that intimate fellowship with God, it is not like it was in the garden. We see dimly as in a mirror, but one day face-to-face. Thus, in the eternal world we are told in Revelation 21:3, “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’” Yes, in the Garden of Eden God walked with Adam but now, in the eternal world we see that God will dwell with His people! That fellowship will be fantastic, it will never end, it will never be interrupted, we will always be with Him for He is our God!
11. In the probationary world of Genesis we see in Genesis 1:2, “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Here we see the Spirit of God energizing the elements that would come together to form the heaven and the earth. Now, in the eternal world we are told in Revelation 22:17, “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” Here we see the Spirit of God inviting all to come and join them in this eternal world that is filled with the presence of God. You see, the Spirit does not demand us to come. The Spirit does not force us to come. What we do see is the Spirit of God inviting all to come, which to me speaks of love, kindness, gentleness and-so-on. The nature of God is what we see and it is always an invitation to us!
12. In the probationary world of Genesis we see in Genesis 2:21-23, “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.’” Not only do we see God form woman out of man, but now God brings Eve, the bride, to Adam, the bridegroom. The bride was formed for her husband and you might say that is was a marriage formed in heaven. Folks, it may seem simple but I truly believe that God has that perfect helpmate for us and we need to wait upon Him and allow Him to bring you together. I get phone calls from people looking for a church and they want to know how many single people are there, they are shopping for a helpmate. I don’t think that is right, I know God will bring that person across you path if you are to marry.
Now, in the eternal world we are told in Revelation 21:2, “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Here we see the New Jerusalem like a bride adorned for her husband and that bride is found in Revelation 21:3 where we are told, “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’” God has brought us together with our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ and all believers will be united with the Lord!
13. In the probationary world of Genesis we see in Genesis 1:28, “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” God told Adam and Eve to multiply, to have children, to fill this earth. Interestingly enough we have people today, like Al Gore who say there are too many people in the world and thus, we must decrease the world’s population. But how are they going to do this? It is scary to believe that there are people who think this way. Now, in the eternal world we are told in Revelation 21:24, “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.” In other words, the saved will fill this new heaven and new earth with its New Jerusalem. There will be no more multiplication but the nations shall walk in the light of God and bring glory and honor to Him!
14. In the probationary world of Genesis we see in Genesis 3:1-5, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden”?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” In other words, the Garden of Eden was accessible to the liar, Satan and subsequently through the sin of Adam it affected all of us. And, as I have said, sin has separated man from God – he could not enter into that eternal state in that condition, never! Thus, Christ has come to set us free from sin so we can enter in.
It is as Paul said in I Corinthians 15:50-58, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ . . .
. . . The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
In other words, these bodies of flesh, affected by sin, cannot inherit the kingdom of God, they cannot enter into the eternal state. Thus, God will transform them, we will have glorified bodies that can stand before God, they can be in His presence!
Now, in the eternal world we are told in Revelation 21:8, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Also, in Revelation 21:27 we are told, “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.” In other words, apart from Christ you will by no means enter into the eternal state with Him but apart from Him in the Lake of Fire. Only believers will enter into the eternal state with Him!
15. In the probationary world of Genesis we see in Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” When we were created we were created in the image of God. What that means is we were created as triune beings. In other words we have a spirit that was in control of our flesh and our soul responded accordingly. The flesh was at the bottom in subjection to the spirit. But when sin entered the world our spirits died and now our lives were controlled by the flesh, and that is not a pretty picture. You see, sin distorted the picture of God that was found in us. Not that we are God, but created in His image.
Thus, Paul tells us in Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” This is the life that is controlled by the flesh and not by the Spirit of God, they are not born again, and they will not inherit the kingdom of God!
Paul goes on to say in Galatians chapter 5 to those who are born again, those who are saved, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” Galatians 5:22-26. You see, as Christians our spirits are now in control of the flesh nature and yes, the flesh does try to resurrect itself, but as Paul tells us in Galatians 5:16-18, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” It truly is a battle now, but in our glorified bodies, it won’t be!
Now, in the eternal world w are told in Revelation 21:3, “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’” Man will now be in the presence of God. It is as David said in Psalm 17:15, “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” Also, in Psalm 27:4, “One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.” In Psalm 16:11 we are told, “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” And in Psalm 84:10-12 we are told, “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!”
You see, it is what we long for, to dwell in the presence of God and one day we will. We will be with the One we love for eternity!
16. In the probationary world of Genesis we see in Genesis 2:17, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Man was on probation here, he had a choice to make, to obey the Lord or to do his own thing. If he obeyed the Lord, he would have that intimate fellowship with Him. If he rebelled, that fellowship would be broken and spiritually speaking, immediately his spirit died! Not only that, but at this point, the point of his sin, the second law of thermodynamics or the entropy law kicked in and the death process for man and for all of creation began. Man would no longer live in the eternal state in sin, and praise the Lord for that, that He did not allow us to be in this condition for eternity!
That is Paul’s point in Romans when he said, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Romans 5:12. And now, apart from Christ man remains in that condition.
Now, in the eternal world we are told in Revelation 21:7, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” You see, we have made our decision for Christ and we are children of God, adopted into the family of God by faith in Christ and one day we will inherit all things. Folks, we are overcomers not because of what we have done, but who we know, Jesus. Thus, in the eternal state it will be all ours. No more classes of people but we are all there in this new heavens and new earth and it is ours with the Lord!
And there is so much more folks. In the eternal world with the Lord there will be no more tears, no more death, no more sorrow, no more pain, no more curse, no more Satan! But how do we know these things are true? John tells us or actually John writes down what Jesus said, “Then he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true.’ And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. . . . ‘And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.’ . . . ‘I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.’” Revelation 22:6, 12-13, 16.
It is going to come to pass, you do not need to fear, you do not need to worry, if you are in Christ, if He is your Lord and Savior, you will enter into that eternal state with Him. As John finishes up writing this book, He is just so overwhelmed, he is so excited that he says, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Revelation 22:20-21.
Yes, the probationary world of Genesis is gone and now there is the eternal state. Let me leave you this morning with these words from John to encourage you, “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6. Praise the Lord for He is good, His mercy endures forever and ever and we long for that day where the affects of sin will be gone!