Lesson #56

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REVELATION AND THE SECOND COMING
LESSON #56
THE NEW JERUSALEM AND ETERNITY – REV 21:1-27

• MEMORY VERSE: REV 21:7

• REFER TO THE MASTER TIMELINE CHART (LESSON #02) TO SEE THE EVENTS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CHART. AFTER THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM OF CHRIST ON EARTH, THERE IS THE FINAL BATTLE OF GOG AND MAGOG, A JUDGMENT OF ALL NON-BELIEVERS, AND A JUDGMENT OF THE ANGELS.
• AFTER FIRE FROM HEAVEN 2PET 3:10, ETERNITY BEGINS WITH A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH.

• READ REV 21:1-27 ETERNITY
• WHAT IS ETERNITY?
• WE HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME RELATING TO THE BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF ETERNITY BECAUSE WE LIVE WITHIN A SYSTEM OF TIME.
• THE BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF ETERNITY IS NOT TIME THAT RUNS ON FOREVER.
• IN ETERNITY THERE IS NO MORE TIME, SO IT IS BETTER UNDERSTOOD AS THE ABSENCE OF TIME. (PSA 93:2 JOH 14:3)
• ETERNITY IS A RELATIONSHIP THAT PRODUCES A QUALITY OF EXISTENCE.
• READ 1JOH 5:20
• THE BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF ETERNAL LIFE IS = A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST THAT PRODUCES A QUALITY OF EXISTENCE WORTH LIVING, WHICH IS OUTSIDE THE REALM OF TIME.
• JESUS SAID: “I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE”.
• IN JOH 11:25 “ZOE” MEANS = LIFE, A QUALITY OF LIFE, EVENTS, ATTITUDES, AND CHARACTERISTICS THAT MAKE LIFE WORTH LIVING.
• PSA 93:2 SAYS GOD IS FROM EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING.
• JOH 14:3 SAYS WE WILL ALWAYS BE WITH CHRIST.
• IN CONTRAST WITH ETERNAL LIFE IS THE BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF ETERNAL DEATH (SECOND DEATH) WHICH IS = A RELATIONSHIP WITH SATAN THAT PRODUCES A QUALITY OF EXISTENCE NOT WORTH LIVING OUTSIDE OF THE REALM OF TIME.
• THE SECOND DEATH IS NOT ANNIHILATION.
• THERE ARE FOUR NEW THINGS THAT WILL EXIST IN OUR ETERNAL EXPERIENCE:
• =1= A NEW HEAVEN (21:1)
• =2= A NEW EARTH (21:1)
• =3= A NEW JERUSALEM (21:2)
• =4= ALL NEW THINGS (21:5)
• =1= THE NEW HEAVEN (1)
• WHY WILL THERE BE A NEED FOR A NEW HEAVEN? (JOB 1:12 REV 12:10)
• HEAVEN, TOO, WAS DEFILED BY SIN AND SATAN, AS WAS ALL OF CREATION. SATAN WAS IN HEAVEN WHEN HE COMMITTED THE FIRST SIN AS THE ANGEL LUCIFER.
• =2= THE NEW EARTH (1)
• NO MORE SEA.
• THERE WILL BE AN EXPANDED LAND AREA.
• =3= THE NEW JERUSALEM (2,9-10)
• THE NEW CITY IS CALLED THE BRIDE HERE IN THE SCRIPTURES.
• THE CHURCH IS CALLED THE BRIDE BY TRADITION, BUT SCRIPTURE DOES NOT CALL THE CHURCH, THE BRIDE OF CHRIST SPECIFICALLY, ONLY BY INFERENCE.
• THE ABODE OF THE BELIEVERS AND THE BODY OF BELIEVERS IS THEREFORE IDENTIFIED AS ONE AND THE SAME, THE BRIDE.
• WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN THE NEW JERUSALEM WHEN WE STUDIED THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM.
• THE NEW JERUSALEM HOUSES THE CHURCH DURING THE MILLENNIUM AS THE CITY IS SUSPENDED AS A SATELLITE OVER THE EARTH. (ISA 35).
• NOW AFTER THE OLD EARTH IS CLEANSED BY FIRE, THE NEW JERUSALEM COMES DOWN TO SET UPON THE NEW EARTH.
• THE NEW JERUSALEM IN ETERNITY: (REV 21:1-8)
• THERE WILL BE NO UNBELIEVERS ON THE NEW EARTH.
• THERE WILL BE NO FAILINGS OF HUMAN FLESH.
• THERE WILL BE NO SIN AND DEATH.
• THE SATELLITE NEW JERUSALEM IN THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM (REV 21:9-22:5 ISA 35)
• THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEW JERUSALEM, THE BRIDE OF CHRIST (REV 21:9-22:5)
• THIS CITY DESCENDS OUT OF HEAVEN. (10)
• THE CITY IS SHINING WITH A BEAUTIFUL GLORY. (11)
• THE CITY IS CRYSTAL = PURE WITH NO IMPERFECTIONS. (11)
• THE CITY HAS A HIGH WALL = THE PROTECTIVENESS OF SALVATION (12) (JOH 10:28 ISA 60:18)
• THE GATES ARE NAMED FOR THE 12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL.
• THEREFORE, THE GATES REPRESENT THE OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS THAT ARE REDEEMED. (JOH 4:22)
• ANGELS ARE PRESENT.
• THE ANGELS REJOICE WHEN ONE IS SAVED AND ENTERS THE KINGDOM.
• THE CITY HAS 12 FOUNDATIONS NAMED FOR THE 12 APOSTLES. (14)
• THESE FOUNDATIONS REPRESENT NEW TESTAMENT SAINTS ON WHICH THE CHRISTIAN FAITH WAS ESTABLISHED. (MAT 7:24-27 MAT 16:18)
• =4= ALL THINGS NEW (5)
• ETERNITY IS A TOTAL NEW ORDER OF THINGS.
• WILL WE REMEMBER THIS EARTH AND TIME?
• READ ISA 65:17
• THIS SCRIPTURE INDICATES THAT WE WILL NOT REMEMBER THIS EARTH’S EXPERIENCES. WHY?
• WHILE THERE ARE MANY WONDERFUL EXPERIENCES AND GOOD THINGS IN THIS LIFE, IT IS ALSO MIXED WITH A LOT OF PAIN.
• WE WILL NOT REMEMBER THE TRIALS, THE PAIN, THE TEARS, THE HEARTACHES, THE VIOLENCE, THE EVIL, OR THE NON-BELIEVERS.
• SOME THINK THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE RESURRECTED BODY AND THE GLORIFIED BODY.
• IF SO, THE BELIEVER GETS THE RESURRECTED BODY AT THE RAPTURE. THEN HE GETS THE GLORIFIED BODY ALONG WITH CHRIST HERE AT THE BEGINNING OF ETERNITY WHEN ALL THINGS ARE MADE NEW. (IJOH 3:2 JOH 17:5 1COR15)
• WHO ARE THE INHERITORS OF ETERNAL LIFE? (REV 21:7)
• ALL THOSE WHO RECEIVED BY FAITH JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR PERSONAL SAVIOR ACCORDING TO JOH 3:16 HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, BUT NOT ALL BELIEVERS LIVE THE SAME QUALITY OF EXISTENCE IN ETERNITY.
• READ MAT 6:19-21
• THE SAME DIFFERENCES EXIST IN ETERNITY AS DID IN THE MILLENNIUM–DIFFERENCES IN REWARD AND POSITION IN THE KINGDOM STILL EXIST INTO ETERNITY.
• THE OVERCOMING CHRISTIAN IS THE ONE WHO WILL PROFIT THE MOST.
• THE BOOK OF REVELATION IS A BOOK OF BEING AN OVERCOMING CHRISTIAN SO AS TO GAIN THE MAXIMUM REWARD AND INHERITANCE IN THE KINGDOM TO COME. (7)
• HOW TO BE AN OVERCOMER BASED ON THE BOOK OF REVELATION:
• =1= BE FAITHFUL TO THE WORD OF GOD (REV 2:1-7)
• =2= BE FAITHFUL TO CHRIST (REV 2:8-11) DESPITE PERSECUTION.
• =3= STAND FAST ON TRUTH NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS (REV 2:12-17)
• =4= GROW SPIRITUALLY(REV 2:18-29)
• =5= BE ALERT TO THE TACTICS OF THE ADVERSARY (REV 3:1-6)
• =6= BE EVANGELISTIC MINDED (REV 3:7-13)
• =7= BE ZEALOUS FOR CHRIST (REV 3:14-22)
• WHERE IS CHRIST IN REV 21:1-10?
• VERSE 3 SAYS THAT HE IS IN THE NEW JERUSALEM BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE BELIEVERS ARE.
• NOTICE IN VERSE 6 THE NAME, ALPHA AND THE OMEGA, WITH WHICH WE STARTED REVELATION . THIS IS A NAME FOR CHRIST. HE IS THE BEGINNING AND THE ENDING. IT IS APPROPRIATE THAT IT IS MENTIONED AGAIN HERE AT THE END OF REVELATION TALKING ABOUT THE END OF THIS WORLD SYSTEM AND THE BEGINNING OF ANOTHER.
• VERSE 6 ALSO MENTIONS THE WATER OF LIFE WHICH WILL SUSTAIN LIFE IN THE ETERNAL CONDITION AND IS THE FULFILLMENT OF JOH 4:14.
• APPLICATION:
• THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FOR THE NEW JERUSALEM:
• THE HOLE IN THE NORTH
• A BRITISH SATELLITE NAMED, ARIEL, WHICH IS ANOTHER NAME FOR JERUSALEM (ISA 29), IS OBSERVING THE CONSTELLATION OF ORION.
• IN 1975 THEY REPORTED 5 TIMES GREATER X-RAY EMISSIONS FROM THE HOLE IN THE NORTH THAN BEFORE.
• NEBULAE OF ORION
• THIS HOLE IS LOCATED ON ORION’S SWORD
• WIDTH OF 150 MILLION LIGHT YEARS ACROSS OR 16 TRILLION 740 MILLION MILES.
• HOW FAR FROM THE EARTH?
• 1600 LIGHT YEARS FROM EARTH.
• WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
• A HUGE CAVERN FILLED WITH LUMINOUS COLORS AND FANTASTIC BEAUTY.
• SCRIPTURES:
• EZE 1:4 JOB 9:9 JOB 38:31 AMO 5:8 JOB 26:7 PSA 75:6 (NORTH IS LEFT OUT AS IT IS THE PLACE OF GOD’S THRONE) PSA 48:1-2 EZE 28:14 ISA 14:12-14 (LUCIFER KNEW WHERE GOD’S THRONE WAS)
• THERE IS MORE INFORMATION ON THIS CONSTELLATION IN LESSON #19.
• ARE YOU A POSSESSOR OF ETERNAL LIFE?
• READ JOH 3:15-16
• READ JOH 17:2-3

HOMEWORK
REVELATION 21:9-22:5
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF REV 21:1-27
• HOW DOES YOUR STUDY OF THE NEW ETERNITY TO COME HELP TO ENCOURAGE YOU TODAY IN YOUR CHRISTIAN WALK?

• WHAT ARE YOU MOST ANTICIPATING IN THE NEW ETERNITY?

• PREPARATION FOR REV 21:9-22:5
• READ REV 21:9-22:5

• WHAT ARE THE SEVEN “NO MORE’S” OF ETERNITY?

• WHAT DO THESE MEAN TO YOU PERSONALLY?

• MEMORY VERSE: REV 22:7