Revelation 21 vs 9-27

Revelation Chapter 21 Verse 9

 I wonder if John was a little apprehensive when this angel of the

plagues was approaching him!? HA! Check this out, seven, seven,

seven, we just read… Why? Complete. Perfect. Accomplished.

Finished. This angel that previously brought terrible misfortune now

brings perhaps the greatest possible message!

 It’s an interesting picture that from the same angel comes these two

very different deliveries. First, intense hardship, but now, intense

hope. James wrote in James Chapter 1 Verses 2-4, “My brethren,

count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the

testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its

perfect work (7,7,7), that you may be perfect and complete, lacking

nothing (New Jerusalem).

 Just an encouragement to faith through the fight, whatever the fight

DuJour is… Life is hard on its own but it’s` even filled with

circumstances that makes it even harder at times. Maybe, not always

directly, but maybe God has a great purpose in this season of battle.

Right hand of the angel, a plague, left hand of the angel, absolute

perfection. Will you take both if both are required…? Because in

life, they are!

 John is about to see what it was all about. The Garden. Creation. For

God so love the world…, the coming of Jesus, the crucifixion, the

resurrection, the church, the gospel, the original intent and plan that

was in the mind of God the day he made the heavens and the earth.

This was end game.

 Where there is not just no more death, death is no longer even

possible! Not just no more sorrow, no more wrong, no more pain…,

all of those things not even possible. This circumstance where created

man is perfect and yet still man. Put on display by Jesus Christ

Himself. Fully autonomous. Fully self-willed. Fully perfect in all

ways. And fully in communion with God and one another. This was

the plan the entire time.

Revelation Chapter 21 Verses 10 – 11

 Interesting that the angel takes John to a great and high mountain. It

was a great and high mountain where Satan took Jesus and showed

him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. In that moment, the

mind of Christ, knowing that Holy Jerusalem would not have the

glory of the world but the glory of God, in that moment I bet Jesus

wasn’t even phased!

 It would be like taking you or I to a high place overtop a landfill and

being offered it for an exceedingly high price. What are you talking

about? This is other people’s trash?! Worth nothing! There is coming

the city of the God where it is not filled with the glory of the world

but the glory of God.

 Identify the temptation for what it is. The flesh, the world and the

enemy offer to me and to you the kingdoms of the world and all their

glory. Tempting us to betray our spouse for the sake of our flesh. To

undermine our honor for the sake of the temporary satisfaction of

some sort of sin. Whatever it is that we face in terms of temptation;

pride, glory, physical gratification, all forms of idolatry, it is like

paying the highest of prices to own the landfill all to yourself…

 Notice also that John makes the point to say that he is carried away by

the angel in the spirit. I think that is significant. To experience the

glory of God, you just can’t do that in the flesh. It’s only possible as

you walk in the spirit. And what does that even mean anyway?

 To walk in the spirit is to trust and honor the Lord God over all

else. Over pride, frustration, suffering, self-protection…, to deny your

very natural and very wise critical nature and to embrace humility in

worship. To bow the knee to the King of kings in your heart of hearts

and say unto God and to yourself, “Not my will be done God, but

Yours.” That is to walk in the spirit and that is the moment you step

into the realm of the kingdom of God. And DEFINITELY not out of

religious obedience but because of worship!

 What John sees he describes as a Jasper stone, clear as crystal. We aren’t

entirely sure what Jasper stone is but the contextual implication wherever

it’s used in the scriptures is that it is a diamond like stone of sorts.

 Here’s the thing about diamonds though. They are never found naturally

perfect. Clear as crystal. Diamonds are graded based on cut, color, clarity

and carat. The highest grade possible for a diamond is a D/FL/Excellent.

D color, FL for flawless, Excellent in terms of cut. But even in the highest

grade, the diamond is not perfect. A diamond is only graded under 10x

amplification…

 What’s the point? Well, our home that Jesus has prepared for us by His

blood is like nothing ever before. Nothing even ever known or possible.

Naturally impossible one would say but this is what the Lord has prepared

for us. And it’s just like you and me today…

 In this natural fallen tent, someone might say FL/Excellent, I won’t

argue…, but I know me. HA. And yet, 2 Cor 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ,

he is a new creation (continually); old things have passed away; behold,

all things have become new!”

Revelation Chapter 21 Verses 12 – 14

 Regardless of what you’ve heard, there is no mention of Peter at the

gates of heaven. What we do see here is aligned with what we’ve already

seen and discussed all the way back in Revelation Chapter 4.

 We saw there the 24 elders that surround the throne of God clothed in

white. A sound biblical interpretation of who those 24 elders are is a full

representation of the elect. The bringing together, the completion, the

marrying of the Old Testament and the New Testament characters into the

bride of Christ, a revelation of the New Jerusalem, with the names of the

12 tribes upon the 12 gates and the names of the 12 apostles upon the 12

foundations.

 Now, interesting the gates bear the names of the tribes of Israel,

representing the Old Covenant, the Law, while the foundations bear the

names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, representing the New

Covenant, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Why is that interesting? What

protects the faith and family of God today, the gates, and the foundations

of the faith today, are actually fully and finally revealed here.

 The educational protection of understanding the law and the prophets as

illustrated by the gates bearing the names of the 12 tribes, and the church

must be built upon the foundation of the apostles.

 Ephesians 2:19-22, “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and

foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the

household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and

prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the

whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in

the Spirit.” If the church, religion, movement, your personal faith…isn’t

built on the foundations provided by God then it isn’t His house. Very

clear.

 There are many offerings out there that masquerade as Christianity but

they are built on new foundations, and some very recent. Foundations not

seen or heard from the apostles of scripture. (I know what you’re taught in

the church but why can’t I find the chapter verse! – Great Lyric) These

perspectives and in error. We need to study the whole Bible, to become

whole Christians.

Revelation Chapter 21 Verses 15 – 16

 Interesting how the holy city, the capital of the New Heaven and the New

Earth is described here as either a cube or a pyramid! Here come all the

conspiracy theories!! Who taught the Egyptians and the Mayans! Must

have been angels that looked like aliens! YAY!!! YAWN!!!

Revelation Chapter 21 Verse 17 - 18

 The ornate wall around the New Jerusalem is something like 200 feet tall!

And the city, every house, building, street sign and stoplight (all green by

the way with no crashes, ha!), all solid gold but clear gold as glass,

something John had never seen before!

Revelation Chapter 21 Verses 19 – 21

 Incredible beauty! And this is where we get the phrase, or thought, “The

Pearly Gates.” But this is wild, each of the gates to the city were one

single pearl! Now, here’s what’s wild about that. What is a pearl? It’s

essentially a spit ball! HA! Caused by what? Some sort of irritant. The

grain of sand or whatever gets into the oyster and it irritates the thing so it

wraps layer of layer of spit around it until its beautiful! And then we wear

them! HA! It’s actually kinda crazy!

 Now, one more degree of wild. An oyster is an unclean animal! SO, pull it

all together and you get this thought that I relate entirely to myself!

Unclean, irritant, and yet Jesus, just as He once spat on the ground and

used that mud to cure the blind man, Jesus works on me over and over and

over again until I pearl up in His Kingdom!

Revelation Chapter 21 Verses 22 – 27

 The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its (singular) temple (singular).

A picture of the Oneness of the Father and the Son. One God, two distinct

Persons. And the Lamb is its light! The glory of the nations, of the kings,

of all things, only visible and possible because of the light of the Lamb!

Therefore, the glory IS the light of the Lamb!

 And nothing there defiles. Nothing there lies. A city of truth and a city of

purity. In perfect communion and eternal presence of the Father, the Son

and the Holy Spirit. Reserved for those who are good people and never

made a mistake in life. HA! Not so much! Reserved for those whose

names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life! Is yours?