No More Tears | Revelation 21 | The Eternal Dwelling Place of God

This week, we continue our series in the Book of Revelation with the majestic and essential vision of Chapter 21:1-27.

Just as maps and film cameras have become obsolete, the New Covenant, fulfilled in Christ, has made the old way of relating to God obsolete.

Join Pastor Mark as he explores the climax of the biblical story, where God declares, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man." We find ultimate hope in the truth that the physical Temple is gone, the curse is reversed, and our eternal access to God is guaranteed by the completed work of the Lamb.

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Thank you for joining us for this week's sermon from First Reformed Church in Edgerton, Minnesota. Each week, we dig into God's word, trusting that the Holy spirit will continue the good work of sanctification in us. There are a lot of things, and I've mentioned this previously, that used to be common in our lives, but now have all but disappeared. The most obvious is the payphone. They used to all kinds of places. You needed to make a call, you could make a call at a gas station, parking lots, movie theaters. Even at a school, there was a pay phone. But now, if you see a pay phone, you probably pull out your phone and take a picture of it because it's like finding an endangered species out in the wild. I've also mentioned previously the convenience of GPS applications and how that technology has made maps obsolete. Nearly every car used to have maps and an atlas in them. Now we just have more space to put unused fast food napkins. I can't remember the last time that I saw a rounder with maps on it at a truck stop. Now, they might still be there. I just don't need them anymore, so I don't notice whether or not they're even there.

And what about film? When was the last time you You loaded film into a camera or took a little canister of film to be developed? I'm guessing it's been a while. Now, I give these examples because these are things that we still need. They're an important part of our lives. The need to communicate, the need to navigate roads and make memories of our moments didn't go away. But now there are new ways of doing these things. As we arrive in the 21st chapter of Revelation today, we're reminded of the new covenant. We're seeing how it is the fulfillment of the promises of God to save his people. Now we find that it has made the old covenant obsolete. The people of God still needed a way for God to be mediated to them, but where the old covenant needed the physical temple structure, it needed the light of the menorah to represent meant the presence of God. Now, in the new covenant, the mediation isn't through the temple with its priests, its sacrifices, or its feasts. The people of God now come to God through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the completed temple, and he is the only light we need.

So as this chapter starts out, we have a new vision given to John, and it's It's difficult for us to even to begin to imagine this vision because John sees a new heaven and a new Earth. The first ones have passed away. Even the sea is gone. And this isn't so that there's more space for shopping centers, convenience stores, or larger mansions. In the ancient world, the sea was a place of chaos. The sea was associated with invasions from the outside, with being uncertain of the future. Here, there is no place for rebellious nations to come and attack. In John's vision, all of that is gone. It's an entirely new state of affairs. Now, there are different ways of looking at this passage. Some think that this is describing an entirely new universe that's created. But scripture as a whole doesn't paint that picture for us. Instead, the picture is one of transfiguration, one of restoration. The idea is that everything here is made new, and it gives us a sense of the depth of this transfiguration here. Coming into this redeemed space, this new heavens in this new earth, is a new Jerusalem. It comes down out of heaven from God, and we read that it's been adorned as a bride for her husband. What we get here is the idea of the value of this new heaven, of this new earth, and this city. There was much oppression, there was persecution, there was tribulation in the previous way that things were. God has seen how awful the world was. He did not disregard that. Instead, he is bringing them something perfect, something new. This new city is beautiful, and it has been made that way for this moment. As a bride is revealed to her husband, after much preparation and getting ready, so this new city is now being revealed and shown to the people of God, and they are to relish in the magnificence of it. We see that later on in the chapter with the streets of his pure gold, all those jewels that I struggled to pronounce. It's a magnificent place. The key theme here that we want to draw out in this first section is in verse three for us, though. As this vision is presented to John, he hears a voice giving an amazing declaration. Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.

Now, that word behold there lets us know the astonishing nature of what is about to be said. I think one of the best ways that we can wrap our minds around the amazing nature of this declaration is by visualizing where we're at in our Bibles. We are at the end here. If you've still got your Bible open in front of you, I want you to turn back to Genesis 3. This is where we're at, and this is where the problem started. As we think about what has been resolved here, look at what God has done to bring his people to himself. This is the story of salvation. This is how he has done it. God He created humans to dwell with him. They were supposed to dwell with him. But we know the story of Genesis 3. Our first parents broke the covenant of works in the garden, and we were banished. And all these numerous pages that you see between those two parts of the Bible are the process of God restoring communion with him, bringing us back to himself. You know, It's only a few pages at the beginning of our Bibles where everything is good, and then the curse comes. But everything after has been leading up to those last few pieces of paper at the back of your Bible, where it tells us that all of this was so that we could dwell with God once again. And in this new covenant of the blood of the Messiah, the state of affairs is that for infinity, for forever We're beyond these last few pages, for infinity, eternity, we can dwell with him. The story is not going to change. The future is certain. He dwells with us and we with him. And we are his people. We read here that every tear will be wiped from their eyes, that death is no more, no more morning, no more pain. All all the effects of the curse are taken away. As I was thinking about this passage, I thought about how the curse affects us, and I looked out mentally on who would be sitting here looking at me. Having been here for nearly 10 years, the state of affairs is, I may not have done the funerals of one of your loved ones, but I know your stories. Every eye looking at me has been affected by the curse. It's that pervasive. It's that awful. That was the state of affairs. Even if I haven't done a funeral, some of us have been at funerals together for other people that we know. That's the story of the curse. It's an unavoidable reality. We try to push as far as we can out of our minds, but it's something that we can't easily do. We've all shed tears in grief, and you're going to do it again. That's the effect of the curse. So how amazing is this reversal? How deep and wonderful is it that the new state of affairs is that there are no more tears? It goes so deep that every tear is wiped from the eyes of the people of God. When thorns and thisdles, death and disease entered creation at the fall, it brought with it an an ending stream of tears. That was the state of affairs for humanity. But here in the new creation, that riverbed doesn't just run dry. There are none. There is stream of tears because all things have been made new. Every tear has been wiped from their eyes. The next few verses make it abundantly clear that this is the final state of affairs.

The one seated on the throne declares that he is making all things new. The old isn't sticking around just in case. The old system is over. The importance of this is further They're drawn out when the one on the throne tells John, make a record of this. What's the first thing he tells him to write down? It is done. It's done. The curse is over. Soak that up for a second. It is done. This means that death is done, grief is done, pain is done, tears are done. The The whole plan of God to bring a people to himself is done. It is finished. It's over. How is this guaranteed? In the fact that the one on the throne is the beginning and the end. He declares it, and so it is. The covenant was fulfilled by God to satisfy the wrath of God, and so it is done. And as a result, the people of God receive the spring of the water of life without payment. It's all been accomplished by God. And we see that human currency is of no value in this city. Because at the spring of the water of life, the water is freely given.

And because of this, we find that we are children of God. And don't miss out on how substantial this is in the We are not told that we are merely citizens of this Kingdom of Heaven. We read that we are children, and so we are heirs with God. By grace, through faith, we are united to Christ the Son, and so we are daughters and sons of the Most High. But as good as the news is regarding this, we see here that there are those outside the city. The cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, all the liars. We read that their portion will be in the Lake that burns with fire and sulfur. All of these find themselves banished and relegated to where we saw the dragon sent in the previous chapter. Now, for the early church who was tested in the fires of persecution, this was an important reminder of God's justice. Those who have stood against God, who are persecuting his people and standing against his commands, they were seeing that this will have consequence. Their rebellion will not go unpunished. But this is also an important reminder for us in the 21st century. But it should cause us to not only have peace of our eternal state of affairs, that every tear will be wiped from our eyes, that we have salvation into infinity. This truth right here needs to open our mouths. We cannot be quiet about the gospel. If this is true, we can't be quiet. Every tear will be wiped from the eyes of the people of God. But for those who remain in rebellion against him, we read that they end up in the place of eternal suffering. It's not only for the devil who ends up there the one who was the great villain of history, who caused our first parents to fall into sin or tempted our first parents to fall into sin. It's all those who align with the purposes of the devil, those who reject the grace of God experience this as well. As joyful as the salvation of God's people is here, the punishment of the wicked is harrowing. We should acknowledge that if it had not been for our hearing the gospel and the Holy spirit quickening faith in our hearts, we would find this to be the story for us as well. The Lake of Fire would be our destination. And this truth should not only humble us but cause us to boldly proclaim the mercies of God, to proclaim that we have received the gospel. We have received this message by faith. And so we now want to share it that others might hear and receive the gift of faith and avoid the anguish of that Lake that burns with sulfur and fire. But it's for the people of God in Christ Jesus. We do not live with the fear of experiencing the wrath of God. Our story is not a story that ends in the Lake of Fire. But we are the ones who we find dwell with God for all eternity.

And so in verse 9, we see an angel come to John and tell him that he will show him the bride of the Lamb. He's going to see the redeemed of God, but you will notice that what he sees is the city, the new Jerusalem that's coming down from heaven. It's the people of God who have been redeemed. And so John is carried away, and he sees the people of God. And it's essential to our understanding of this chapter of Revelation that we understand that the new Jerusalem is the perfected bride of Christ. This glorious city is a glorious This manifestation of the people of God who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Now, the scale of the city and all of its descriptions show us its splendor. We see it in the final 16 chapters. We're going to focus on some specific things here, but it tells us three things about the people of God in the new covenant that we want to make sure we see. We see the foundation, we see its completeness, and we see its glory. As we move to verses 12 and 13, we see a high wall with twelve gates. And these numbers, 12, are important. It's showing us that the church, the bride of Christ, is the unified and true Israel of God. What do we see? We see 12 names or 12 named with the children of Israel, and we see 12 with the apostle's name. It's one story of God. The old and the new have come together. They are the fulfillment of all of this. The story of God is never forgotten. Instead, it comes to a final, glorious fulfillment in Christ. Then with verse 14, we see expressed to us these names of the Apostles, reminding us of this truth that the covenant promise of God has been kept. To finish up the foundation of this glorious city, we see that it is measured, and we see that everything thing is square. We also see that it's a cube. This is the shape of the Holy of Holies. The entire city is set apart as holy. It is the perfect sanctuary, and God dwells with his people there. No longer are people kept outside. They can't come into the temple, into the Holy of Holies. All of the people or God are there. They're dwelling with him in completeness and perfection. There's no need for an earthly temple because that temple would have been limited, and it was only a type in a shadow in the first place. In this new heavens and new Earth, God is among his people. These things ensure us that the eternal foundations are secure. These verses show us the foundation and completeness of the city. And the end of the last few verses of this chapter then show us the story of its glory. We see that there is no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb. That's who it is. The temple that was destroyed in the year 70 It's not easy to hold on to things. The temple that was destroyed in the year 70, it was never an end to itself. It was never the final answer. That temple was merely They're pointing to what we're seeing here, that one day the Messiah would be with his people and the people of God would dwell with him. All of those earthly trappings of the temple are now gone, we see in verse 22. Then in verse 23, we see this amazing fact that there's no need for the sun or the moon to shine on the city because the glory of God provides its light. In the earthly temple, they needed a menorah. But there is no lamp here, no physical lamp. Christ is the lamp. He is the light. And that light doesn't go out. It doesn't go down like the sun. It doesn't burn out like a menorah. What is happening is here is it's showing us that the light that we have in fellowship with God in this city is uninterrupted. It is eternal. His light doesn't end. And so what's the truth here? The people of God no longer have the threat of darkness because they have the light of Christ.

And this image here of the light helps us to see something really important about the people of God. By the light of Christ, the nations walk. In other words, people from every tribe, tongue, and nation have come to the Messiah. In the old covenant, there's only one nationality. There's only one way to have access to God. The Gentiles were not welcome. But here in the new Jerusalem, the gates are never shut. The Gentile nations are no longer unclean and shut outside. We have been reconciled to God. And look at the beauty of the way this access to God is expressed in verse 25, The gates will never be shut by day, and there will be no light there. Take that in. The gates will never be shut by day, and there is no night. It's the way of saying to us, The gates of the new Jerusalem will only close when it's dark. And because the lamb is the light, it will never be dark. And so access to God is unlimited. And so as we close up with these final two verses, we see the purity of the city. We find that here in the new Jerusalem, there is universal welcome with absolute Holiness. God's salvation is for all peoples. The whole human race is a part of the people of God. But this doesn't mean that this city is filled with chaos. All people can come, but only the pure reside here. In other words, the gates are open, but only those who have been redeemed, those who have had their names found in the Lamb's Book of Life, can come through the gates. Nothing detestable or false enters. There are no remnants of the curse laden world in the New Jerusalem. This city is built on the foundation of the presence of a perfectly holy God. This is a city for those who have been made pure by the Lamb. When I started out, I talked about items that had become obsolete: maps, film cameras, pay phones. None of these items were forgotten. Instead, they were replaced by something new, and they became obsolete, unnecessary. And so Revelation 21 reminds us that the old covenant wasn't forgotten. Instead, what we needed in the temple, access to God, was gloriously fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. The physical temple is obsolete because Jesus is the permanent and perfect sacrifice that lets us have access to God, and we dwell with him forever. It's the eternal state of affairs. Priests became obsolete because Jesus is our perfect high priest who passed through the heavens. Tears, death, and pain from the curse, they become obsolete in the new heavens and the new Earth because the curse was reversed in the work of Christ in his life, death, resurrection, ascension. The most important thing for us to see and understand in all of this is that there's no longer any need for separation from God. We don't need to seek after God in hopes of finding him because of Christ. God moves his dwelling place to be with us. He comes to us as humans, just as it was at the beginning in the garden. He desires to dwell with us. And because of the work of Christ that has been accomplished. If you are in Christ, united to him by grace through faith, this promise of the new Jerusalem that we read this morning is true for you. You are the bride of Christ. You have the promise of eternal dwelling in the presence of God. And so as we depart from here today, we can do so with a peace and confidence that you are a child of God, and therefore, you are an heir with Christ. Your hope is certain, and final home is guaranteed, not because you've done anything to earn it, but because the glorious, perfect lamb has saved you, and your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Amen. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of your word and that you show us the finished work of the lamb there. Because Christ has made the old ways obsolete, grant us the confidence of heirs of your kingdom as members of your family as we leave from here. Help us to walk not in fear of the curse, but in the certainty of your permanent presence among your people. Help us to rest in the security of knowing our destination is the new Jerusalem because our names have been written in the Lamb's Book of Life. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you for joining us for this week's sermon. For more information about First Reformed to our Facebook page or website, edgertonfrc.org.

Further Study

• Read: Hebrews 10:19–25 (The Boldness of Access in the New Covenant)

• Listen or Watch on Spotify

• Discussion Question: In what area of your life today do you need to stop relying on the "old map" (your own efforts) and trust the "completed Temple" (Christ's finished work)?