After celebrating the resurrection of Our Lord the past five weeks we now focus on our own promised resurrection on the last day. In Revelation chapter 21 we are reminded of our resurrection through the imagery of a wedding, the wedding of the church as the bride of the lamb.
Jesus foretold this marriage feast at the Last Supper with his disciples: “I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew with you in the kingdom of my father.”
In Ephesians 5:25-27 Paul describes how Jesus loves the church his bride, “that he might present to himself the church in all of her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing: but that she should be holy and blameless.” This is imagery of a royal wedding.
Revelation chapter 21 describes not only a royal wedding, but a royal city- Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God: beautiful brilliant, magnificent. Earlier in chapter 21: “And I saw the holy city the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
In this city 12 gates always open representing the Old Testament people of God. The 12 precious stones that are the foundation represent the New Testament People of God.
The city is described as a perfectly square cube, its length and width and height are equal- with over 1200 miles from East to West, 1200 miles from North to South, and beyond comparison to anything we know of outside of science fiction- 1200 miles from the ground to its full height. Denver is called the mile High city with its elevation of over 5,000 feet, surrounding mountains another 5,000 feet. Which makes only 2 miles of elevation as compared to 1200. Beyond what we can comprehend.
But the dimensions of the city are only one aspect of what we struggle to comprehend. Even more beyond our imagination is what it will be like to have no temple in this city, no place of worship- because it would be completely redundant to have a temple when God himself is at the center of the city.
It’s beyond what we can imagine, no sun or moon because the glory of God gives its light and the lamb its lamp. The glory of eternity with Jesus is beyond what our minds can grasp. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” – 1Corinthians 2:9
No eye has seen, nor has the heart of man imagined, but yet we have this glimpse here in Revelation chapter 21.
There was a best selling book in 2010 called “Heaven is Real.” Interesting story of a young boy named Colton Burpo who saw a few things resembling what appeared to him as Heaven when he was going through a near death experience. But we do not need any accounts of what people see or dream about heaven. For any one person’s picture or imagination of heaven is going to be very cloudy and inaccurate as compared to what is revealed in scripture by God’s Hand. We have the true picture of what is real about heaven here in God’s Word, here in Revelation chapter 21.
This true picture is important for us, because as of yet we still walk by faith in this fallen world. We are in the stage that theologians have called the church militant- we fight against the temptations of sin, the devil and the fallen world on a daily basis.
Throughout history the church has believed Revelation was written by the Apostle John, inspired by the Holy Spirit. His life circumstances were far less reminiscent of the glory of the New Heaven and the new Earth; and far more resembling of the fallen world that we live in today. In the later years of his life John was exiled to the island of Patmos in the Mediterranean Sea on account of his faith in Christ.
While on Patmos John certainly experienced the loneliness of separation from the church which was separation from those who shared with him the hope of new life in Christ, and separation from those who longed to see Jesus again. We know something of this isolation and loneliness every time we find ourselves aware of the unbelieving world around us and every time we experience the pressure to live by the wisdom of this world instead of the gospel.
John was the youngest of the disciples that Jesus called. Now at the time of the book of Revelation, John is on account of his longevity in life now the last living disciple- the oldest disciple. I can’t help imagine the loneliness of this situation. All those who he was nourished together with in the faith by Jesus were now with the Lord in heaven.
How easy it would be for John to look back to the past and long for the good ole days when he walked beside Jesus. How far away must those memories of the Last Supper and the trial and the cross have been.
Or memories of when Jesus rose and appeared to him and the rest of the disciples. Or the days of wonder where the church grew in the power of the Holy Spirit and John was even experiencing the Holy Spirit working miracles through him for the sake of the gospel. How many sweet memories of the past, and how much isolation in the present!
But if John was caught up looking back to the past while in Patmos he did not stay there long, as Jesus guided him to see a vision of the glorious future that awaits all of God’s people. “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
The remainder of John’s exile on Patmos would not be spent looking back to the past, but instead eagerly looking forward to the redemption prepared for God’s people at the end of time.
Even if circumstances should appear as if Satan is becoming victorious in the world, God’s Word in the book of Revelation helps us to see that God will be victorious in the end. “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
In light of the certainty of victory at the end, we can see the challenges of the present in a different light. The glimpse of eternity lets us see the end in sight to start with. We heard in our gospel reading this very truth, “In this world you will face trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.” Jesus has already won the victory for us. Our names have already been written in the book of life. We have the assurance that we are his, we have been marked by the cross, He put His name on us in Holy Baptism and we belong to Him. We cling to His promise and cling to the glimpse of eternity.
Knowing the end of the story can make all the difference. Often it is more enjoyable to watch an action adventure movie the second time around. Because once you know the end you can relax and not be bothered so much by the difficulties and trials that come along the way. Once you know how it is going to turn out you can put whatever trial and tribulation in life in perspective.
Revelation chapter 21 as a whole gives us a marvelous picture of the new home that awaits us at the end of time- a concrete picture of what awaits us when the New Heaven and the New Earth is created.
It is a wonderful picture of what Christ’s victory over the grave has secured for God’s people. The description and imagery of this new home reminds us of where things began at creation. In Eden God prepared everything for Adam and Eve, so that there was abundant provision, no sickness, and plenty of meaningful activity as caretakers of the garden.
And here at the end of the story as recorded in Revelation chapter 21 there is the river of life flowing through the center of the New Jerusalem and the tree of life for healing of the nations. We are brought back full circle to the glory that God first brought to us in creation.
“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Jesus has promised us that he has prepared a new home for us, as we hear in John chapter 14 “I go to prepare a place for you.” And even as he has prepared a place for us, he comes to us now. We have the privilege of sharing this good news with the world. Jesus has prepared a place for all of us. And what a wonderful place it is! Amen.