The Celestial City Part 2 – Revelation 21:22-22:5

Revelation 21:1-22:5 describes in breath-taking detail the glorious future that awaits those who know Christ as Saviour in the Eternal Kingdom of Christ. A message of great encouragement for those who are saved and a message of challenge to the lost.

The glorious future for the saved presented in these verses is a powerful and dramatic contrast to the future of the lost described in the previous chapter.

The primary focus of this section (21:1-22:5) is on the New Jerusalem which will be the dwelling place of the redeemed in eternity.

Let’s briefly review the first two points we covered in Part 1 and then finish with the final point in our outline of this section.

The Declarations Re the New Jerusalem (Vs. 1-8)

John’s Announcement (Vs. 1-2)

John describes two new things he sees:

1. A New Creation (Vs. 1)
2. A New City (Vs. 2)

Heaven’s Announcement (Vs. 3-4)

Heaven makes a two-fold declaration concerning the New Jerusalem. In the New Jerusalem we will be blessed with…

1. The Communion of God (Vs. 3)
2. The Comfort of God (Vs. 4)

Christ’s Announcement (Vs. 5-8)

1. The Declaration of His Person (Vs. 5-6a)
2. The Declaration of His Promise (Vs. 6b-8)
   1. A promise of redemption (Vs. 6b)
   2. A promise of reward (Vs. 7)
   3. A promise of retribution (Vs. 8)

The Description of the New Jerusalem (Vs. 9-21)

The Magnificence of the City (Vs. 9-14)

1. The invitation to view the city (Vs. 9-10)
2. The illumination of the city (Vs. 11)
3. The composition of the city (Vs. 12-14)

The Measurements of the City (Vs. 15-17)

1. The measuring reed (Vs. 15)
2. The measurements of the city (Vs. 16)
3. The measurements of the wall (Vs. 17)

The Materials of the City (Vs. 18-21)

1. The wall (Vs. 18a).
2. The city (Vs. 18b).
3. The foundations (Vs. 19-20).
4. The gates (Vs. 21a)
5. The street (Vs. 21b).

The Distinctives of the City (Vs. 22-22:5)

There are at least seven unique things about the New Jerusalem in these verses:

A Unique Sanctuary (Vs. 22)

1. “no temple” = there was a temple in the Millennial kingdom but there won’t be one in the New Jerusalem.
2. “for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple” = the presence of the Father and the Son will fill the New Jerusalem. The picture is again one of direct communion and fellowship with God.

A Unique Sunshine (Vs. 23-24)

1. The source of the city’s light (Vs. 23)
   1. Where it does not come from – the sun or moon.
   2. Where it does come from – the glory of God and the light of the Lamb.
   3. Note: Do you see that one of the central characteristics of the New Jerusalem is light? See Vs. 11, 23-24, 22:5. God’s Word is light (Psalm 119:105); God is light (1 John 1:5); Christ is light (John 8:12; 9:5) and born-again believers are light (Matt. 5:14; Phil. 2:15). In contrast, the unbeliever loves darkness (John 3:19) and except he repent, he will spend eternity in what the Bible describes as “outer darkness” (Matt. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30), the “mist of darkness” (2 Peter 2:17), and the “blackness of darkness” (Jude 1:13).
2. The scope of the city’s light (Vs. 24)
   1. The light from the city will fill and cover the new earth.
   2. “the nations of them which are saved” = this reveals that on the new earth there will be nations but unlike the nations of today, they will be comprised of all those who are saved.
   3. Question: Who are these nations if the bride dwells in the New Jerusalem? The Bible does not specifically make this clear. Some possibilities are:
      1. They are made up of the saved Gentiles from other ages apart from the church age (e.g. tribulation saints). “These are the redeemed gentile nations…they are redeemed after the church is removed from the earth (or before the church came into existence). They come as visitors to the city. They come as worshipers.” (J. Vernon McGee)
      2. They are the saved of the Millennial kingdom who enter the eternal state. This is a very strong possibility. The unsaved of the Millennial age are stirred up by Satan to rebel against Christ’s kingdom at the end of the 1,000 years and are destroyed (Rev. 20:7-9) but it is conceivable that those same nations are also populated by saved people who will enter the eternal kingdom. Robert Thomas writes, “The nations are possibly composed of saved people who survive the millennial kingdom without dying and without joining Satan’s rebellion and who undergo some sort of transformation that suits them for life in the eternal state. They will be like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden prior to the fall.”
      3. Whatever the identity of these nations may be, what God’s Word does reveal is that they are all saved, will live on the new earth in the light of the New Jerusalem, will have free access to visit the city and will come to pay homage and honor to Christ.

A Unique Schedule (Vs. 25-26)

1. The gates are always open as there is no night. The gates open implies we will have the ability to go in and out of the city freely. It is likely we will be able to travel throughout the new earth and heaven as we serve our blessed Lord Jesus.
2. This is one eternal day!

A Unique Sacredness (Vs. 27)

1. The Excluded from the city (Vs. 27a)
   1. “in no wise” = a total negation. There is absolutely no access to the heavenly city for those who are unsaved. All the unsaved are in the lake of fire for eternity (Rev. 20:10-15).
   2. “but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” = only those who have trusted Christ and are written in the Lamb’s Book will have access to that glorious place.
   3. Note: This verse is not teaching that unsaved people will populate the new earth outside the city. We know from the account of the great white throne that the lost of the all the ages are cast into the lake of fire, never to be let out. The verse is emphasizing the total purity and holiness of the new creation and also warning the reader of their need to repent.
   4. David Cloud: “Holiness is the absence of sin, and nothing pertaining to sin will be in the New Jerusalem. There will be no fornication, adultery, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murder, theft, deceit, malignity, whispering, backbiting, despite, pride, boasting, inventing of evil things, disobedience, covenant breaking, un-mercifulness, wrath, strife, sedition, drunkenness, drug abuse, rebellion, tyranny, treachery, lying, dissembling, blasphemy, false witness, or any other sin. Except a sinner be converted so that the holy law of God is written in his heart, he would never be happy in God’s holy heaven (John 3:3).”
2. The Included in the City (Vs. 27b)

A Unique Stream (Vs. 1)

1. The river’s purity (Vs. 1a)
2. The river’s source (Vs. 1b)
   1. The river’s source is the throne of God and of the Lamb. The Father and the Son are viewed as reigning together from the throne, co-equal and co-eternal.
   2. This demonstrates that God is the source of true life.

A Unique Sustenance (Vs. 2)

1. “the tree of life” = this is paradise regained! Appears there will be multiple trees of life in the New Jerusalem.
2. It yields 12 manner of fruits. The saints will continue to eat and drink throughout eternity.
3. “the leaves of the tree…for the healing” = this has puzzled Bible expositors. We need to remember that “eternal conditions may be altogether at variance with our ideas of them.” (Ford Ottman) The following quotes provide some helpful suggestions:
   1. Paul Lee Tan: “The Geek word for healing is the word where we get the English ‘therapeutic.’ It may have the connotation of health and benefit, instead of healing (in the sense of a) cure. The idea of preserving rather than restoring is indicated.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary states, “Even though there is no sickness in the eternal state, the tree’s fruit and leaves seem to contribute to the physical well-being of those in the eternal state.”
   2. John Walvoord: “Healing should be understood in the sense of “health giving”. In other words, the leaves of the tree promote the enjoyment of life in the New Jerusalem and are not for correcting ills that do not exist. There is no more curse (Vs. 3).”

A Unique Service (Vs. 3-5)

1. Untainted service (Vs. 3)
   1. “no curse” = the curse came because of Adam’s sin (Gen. 3:14, 17). The curse is partially lifted in the Millennium but will be completely lifted in the New Jerusalem.
   2. Walter Scott: “Ours will be a service without cessation, without weariness, without flagging energy. In joy and freedom our service then will be one of pure love; without a flaw, and without one legal thought. How varied the character of service! How gladly the whole being enters upon an eternal life of service to Him.”
2. Delightful service (Vs. 4)
   1. His face (Vs. 4a)
   2. Our foreheads (Vs. 4b)
3. Uninterrupted service (Vs. 5) We will serve Christ in the eternal daytime of Christ’s glorious presence.
4. Challenge: If we are going to spend eternity serving Christ, how important it is to serve Him right now with our lives!

Conclusion

To the lost: Will you spend eternity in heaven or hell? In the lake of fire or by the river of life? Only those who have been cleansed and purified by the blood of Christ will be able to access the eternal city. Only those who have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of life.

To the saved:

• There is a message of comfort: Are you going through trials? Experiencing emotional, mental and physical paid? Our light afflictions are but for a moment when compared with the eternal bliss that awaits us (2 Cor. 4:17).
• There is a message of challenge: Which world are you living for? The present world or the world which is to come? Are you laying up treasures upon earth or treasures in heaven? What are you investing your life in? Only one life so soon it will past, only what’s done for Christ will last.

Sermon 36 of 38 in Revelation Series