Heaven's Glory

Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me saying come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great high wall with 12 gates, and at the gates 12 angels and on the gates the names of the 12 tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed on the east three gates on the north three gates on the south three gates on the west three gates in the wall of the city had 12 foundations on them with her 12 names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb and the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its links the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia.

Its length and width and height are equal. He also measured its wall hundred and 44 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold clears glass foundations the wall. The city were adorned the second. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third gate the fourth Amaral. The fifth onyx. The six carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth Burl the ninth Topaz the 10th Chris Cypress the 11th adjacent the 12th amethyst and the 12 gates were 12 pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl in the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass spray all heavenly father for my whole life I have taken for granted the privilege of corporate worship.

Every once in a while we missed church because the snowstorm or sickness, but not 2 1/2 months of church isolation as we move forward may we always remember these days and be thankful for every corporate service today were studying heaven help us to focus correctly keep our minds discipline that we won't let material things cloud the true glory of heaven help us not to long for Golden ease, but instead to rejoice in communion with the one who paid our sin debt force, may we even in heaven be more enamored with the cross than we are with the streets of gold, when we are enthralled with the glory of the throne may eyes shift your nail scarred hands that we might remember the cross help us to realize that our citizenship is in heaven. Nail not just in our eternity future, keep my lips from arrow let Christ be exalted in this sermon in our worship. 40 is in the precious and holy name of Jesus that I pray, amen. You may be seated. When by his grace I shall look on his face that shall be glory, the glory to me when I study the book of Revelation. A lot of times I like to try to put myself in the shoes of the apostle John. John had just had a vision of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and this is the same Jesus who John walked with for three years is the same Jesus who taught taught John the Scriptures. It is the very same Jesus who John eight with three times a day for three years is the same Jesus who taught John by example how to turn the other cheek go the 2nd mile and be strong with others were compromising but yet this same John and his brother James several years before this. When Jesus was living, broke into a conversation that Jesus was having with his disciples about his son coming crucifixion and they said, Jesus. We want to sit on your right hand and on your left hand in your kingdom. What was I doing. They were clamoring for significance. They were saying we will matter. We want to be remembered.

We won't to be looked up to and adored.

We won't to be made much of, but nail now something else is taken place. He seemed Jesus Christ in all of his glory, and all of those feelings of of pride are now just absolutely making them sick on his stomach and so what is the duty falls on his face.

The Scripture says, as if he were dead, worshiping Jesus and he remembers back to some of the prideful thoughts that he had, how that Jesus almost owed him. He remembers back had been a witness for Jesus, how he had been beaten for Jesus, how he had been been thrown in a vat of boiling all for Jesus had been rejected by the religious leaders for Jesus had been mocked by the of the world for Jesus and you know I think if you and I had been in in John's place. We would've had those same thoughts we would've said we deserve personal recognition. But now that he seen Christ in his glory is not adding up his merit points anymore. The glory of God is absolutely overwhelmed TM he's learned something very important that heaven is all about God's glory. Five points only share with you .1 the presentation of the bride. Look at verse nine with me again. Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me saying come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. The bride is being presented.

The wife of the Lamb that the bride of Christ himself. Let me ask you something when you go to a wedding what's what's the part of the wedding you like the best. I think I like the presentation of the bride that the ring bearer and the and the little flower girl come down they come down the aisle and little flower girl is Artie thrown out all her petals and said that they get to the front right there at the front. There's the groom and the best man is the groomsmen on one side the bridesmaid on the other side of pastor standing right there in dead center of that I'll and then all of a sudden the music stops.

Silence for just a little bit and then the pianist comes down hard on the keys. I asked Eugene what that was called.

He said he thought it was was called a a forte when the land is allowed announcement of the of the bride coming down and the pastor will motion this congregation to stand up the whole congregation will stand up they will all turn around to the back of the church and all the sudden the back doors open and there's the bride, dressed in her beautiful white dress her up right arm is interlocked with the left arm of her dad and then he begins to date they begin to walk down a wall down together down the down the aisle until he finally right before the pastor. The pastor motions everybody else to sit down and then he looks at the father and he says this who gives this woman to be married in the sight of God. This man, the father says her mother and I and in the heat. Then the father reaches over he kisses his daughter on the cheek and then he takes the hand of the groom, and he puts it together with the hand of his daughter and he walks back in and sits down and sits down with his wife. The groom looks over his wife and while never he's a singer more beautiful and more radiant that she is at this moment he's thinking to himself. She's she's expressing her love to me in front of all these people she's submitting herself to my leadership. She wants me to be your protector or provider per her defender and how glorious this is Butch that's the picture that John sees and what is the bride look like. Is it a prideful, lustful, covetous, unfaithful, lying, hypocritical bride, absolutely not. This bride is absolutely sinless. Why because she is been washed clean from all sin in the blood of the Lamb. What is she wearing her long white dress is a picture of something very special is a picture of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

How can that be well, Paul explained in first Corinthians 127 through 31 says but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, but God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not to bring to nothing things that are so that no human being might boast in the presence of God and because of him. You are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God. Righteousness and sanctification and redemption so that as it is written, let the one who boasts boast in the Lord, you member the Old Testament story of Hosea and Gomer, Hosea was an Old Testament prophet great man of God. I imagine it would probably be pretty gruff. God is preaching the law of God, he preaches. Hardy preaches with passion is married to woman and Gomer he loves her with all of his heart. They have three children.

Everything seems to be going whale until one day he walks home he walks into the front room and there's three kids in the front room, and they're all weeping. He looks them sick kids, what, what's the matter was your mom, the eldest child says that we do not tell you this, the man came by today and mama packed up her suitcase and she left with this man. She said to tell you that she sorry but her life on earth to become boring and she didn't want to do this anymore and so she's left with this man that excites her. I can imagine Hosea just falling down on his face just weeping in front of his children crying out to God, Lord, do something bring her back breaker heart all the exciting man got what he wanted from Gomer and then he took off left her and she went from one lever to another to another to another to finally she was homeless.

Then she went to the temple of bail and she became a temple prostitute in that temple. She got sick and diseased, and she looked so horrible that finally the priest said looking you gotta get out of here so because she was homeless and because she was starving. She sold herself into slavery would long for the slaveowner since time for me to make some money from you and he took her to the slave market in Samaria pay put up on the auction block stripped her of her clothes to sell her like an animal and then by the providence of God. Hosea comes to Samaria. He walks the tail may just happens to look over the auction block and he does a double take. Who is that he looks at her again. Could that possibly be. She looks 10 years older than she did. She's waiting she stand she's disease.

She's emaciated, but hitting hats Gomer that's his wife. He runs over to the ops to the students slave master pieces how much the slave master's or 30 pieces of silver. He takes a 30 pieces of silver.

He throws it down at his feet and and and then he walks over to his wife and he holds up his arms to her as has Gomer come home and she won't even look at them. She so humiliated so embarrassed and he said Gomer look at me I'm your husband.

I love you I forgiven you. I bought you out.

The slave block come home, tears rolling down her cheeks. She falls into into Hosea's arms. He hugs her to his chest and then then he takes her and carries her to the wagon, places her in the wagon, covers her up with the blanket so she won't be cold and he takes her back home to nurse her back to health, to be his wife again. Now when I share that story if, in your mind you were saying to yourself, will I think in that story on the Hosea. I think in that story that I am the righteous one then you have totally missed what that stories about boats were not Hosea's were all Gomer's where field was sin and rebellion were filled with lust and pride. I want you to know this morning this if you are part of the bride of Christ today. It's not because what you've done for him. It's because of what he did for you the righteous of the righteousness that you have is his righteousness. The garments that you where are the righteousness of Christ himself. Your glory is his glory. That's the bride that John sees and yes John is through G Jesus is thrilled to see his bride and he loves his bride and he will never leave nor forsake his bride, but we need to always remember his bride is Gomer her glory is his glory now think that most Christians, especially as young Christians really struggle with the doctrines of grace and they struggle with this idea that God is absolutely sovereign over our salvation. Jonathan Edwards had that struggle. He said that for months after his conversion he had to wrestle with God about this issue at any said he knew how he came to Christ. He was convicted of his sin. He confessed his sin, he repented of his sin and and then he he trusted Jesus Christ and him alone is his salvation was his decision within his he begin to deal with it. He had asked himself a question. Why did he do what he did and then God opened his eyes and he saw why he did what he did, God opened his eyes and showed him that his sin was separating him from a holy God. His sin had totally separated him and then the Lord opened his eyes to his need to confess his sin empowered him to repent of his sin and they gave him everything that he needed to trust and obey and believe that Jesus Christ and him alone with saving, trusting in his death and his resurrection for his salvation.

Jonathan Edward said as he came to know those doctrines, he said, the Lord just put in his heart, something special for the doctrines of grace. He said the doctrines of grace, became the sweetest doctrines in the entire Bible for him.

Charles Spurgeon came to Christ when his 16 at after his conversion he had a struggle with the doctrines of grace, much like up much like Jonathan Edwards did on read you what he said from his autobiography. He said when I was coming to Christ. I thought I was doing it all myself and though I saw the Lord earnestly.

I had no idea the Lord was seeking me. I do not think the young convert is at first aware of this. I can recall the very day in our when first I receive those trues the doctrines of sovereign overcoming grace in my own soul when they were is John Bunyan say is burning to my heart is with a hot iron and I can recollect how I felt that I had grown on a sudden from a baby to a man that had made progress in scriptural knowledge, though, having failed once for all that clue to the truth of God one week night when I was sitting in the house of God. I was not thinking much about the preacher sermon did not believe it.

The thought struck me. How did you come to be a Christian.

I saw the Lord. But how did you come to seek the Lord. The trees flashed across my mind in a moment. I should not absolve him a list. There had been some previous influence in my mind to make me seek him. I pray thought I that I asked myself how came out of pray I was induced to pray by reading the Scripture how came I read the Scripture. I did read them. But what led me to do so, then in a moment I saw that God was at the bottom of it all and that he was the author. My faith and so the whole doctrine of grace opened up to me and from that doctrine. I have not departed.

To this day in our desire to make this my constant confession I described my change holy to God. I point to the holy city. Look at verses 10 through 11 he carried me away in the Spirit to a great high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, heaven, the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. Remember, as we have seen before.

The idea here is not that a 1400 mi.³ city is just dropping down from heaven, but this is to be understood symbolically what we have here in this glorious, glorious city is a picture of the glorified church folks what we have here is a is a picture of not the church building, but the church people all the true believers. When we read verse 10 concerning the holy city, coming down from heaven. I think we need to go back in our minds to Genesis chapter 11.

The story of the Tower of Babel where wicked human beings were trying to unite humankind with secularism.

They said will bind ourselves together will build up a tower that reaches to the stars. This is called a zinc Eurail stargazing tower. I suggest the very worst form of astrology is a we don't need God. What we can unite herself together and fight against this God accepts humanism.

That's humanism we get over to Revelation chapter 21 and we see the exact opposite. Not the failure of humanism, but the glory of Christianity. The holy city, coming down from heaven.

The church is God's people. God's people that are permeated with God himself. John scepter 17 verse 22 and 24 is Jesus praying we call the high priestly UNICEF free prayer and he prays to this and he says this the glory that she had given me I have given to them that they may be one even as we are one. Father, I desire that they also pin you have given me, may be with me where I am to see my glory that you have given me because you love me before the foundation of the world. Verse 11 tells us that the glory of God and the church will be radiant like a jewel member back a few weeks ago we were studying the subject of hail. We saw one word keep popping up over and over again that word was darkness. Hail is a place of darkness.

Darkness so deep that it can be failed, a darkness, it is failed in the in the recesses of the heart of those people inhale terrible, horrible darkness, why is there darkness because the conscious presence of God is not there. God is light of God. Note no light. Now I will say this, God is omnipresent, which means he is everywhere.

The Scripture says in Psalm 139. I will cite one if I ascend up to heaven, he is there. If I do send them to Shell. He is there is not that God does not know everything that's going on, inhale, PE does when he removes his conscious presence from hail so that the people inhale feel no God.

Not only can they not see that they can't even feel in the recesses of their heart who God is horrible, terrible thing, but in heaven there will be light glorious, radiant, brilliant, God honoring light in God's glory will be radiated through us height .3 in impenetrable wall and yet open gates? Look at the first phrase in verse 12. Normal drop down to verse 25 verse 12 a says it had a great high wall. Verse 25 says, and its gates will never be shut by day and there will be no night verse 25 scan interesting. This is the gates will never be shut during the day and we know not.

So what does that mean means it's always day and if it's always day.

That means the gates will never be shut.

Here's a good question. Why is heaven symbolized as a city with these huge massive walls and yet the gates are wide open. The huge massive walls speak to us of the invulnerability of heaven.

It speaks to us of the fact that heaven is impenetrable. No enemy will be able to enter into heaven at any time affect all enemies of God have been destroyed at this point in time. What about the open gates.

The open gates tell us that in heaven there will never be one second that we don't have access to God himself takes her to point for the power of 12. Look at verses 12 through 14. It had a great high wall with 12 gates, and at the gates 12 angels and on the gates the names of the 12 tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed on the east three gates on the north three gates on the south three gates on the west three gates in the wall of the city had 12 foundations on them with the 12 names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb. I once again, what you put yourself in John choose John is been exiled on the island of Patmos. He is the only disciple still live in all the other apostles had been martyred for their faith. He is separated nail from his family from his friends from his church from everybody that he loves and he is lonely, horribly lonely.

God gives him this vision of Jesus in all of his glory and it just absolutely absolutely overwhelms him, and he starts asking himself questions.

He's wondering what my life pleasing to Jesus is Jesus going to say to me. Well done my good and faithful servant.

We take at this point. His pride is absolutely squashed and then the Lord shows him something he shows in the foundations of this holy city, and he notices that there's words a word on the foundation of each city and what is the word. It's a name, a name of of each apostle in his heart jumps up in his throat to get so excited and he runs a rail looking for looking for all the names and finally gets to his John the son of Zebedee. Man does he get excited about that I think is mine, probably at that point in time goes back to the words of of the apostle Paul in Ephesians 218 to 20, Paul said, for through him we both that his Jew and Gentile have access in one Spirit to the father.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but your fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone and in the whole structure being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the spirit.

I can imagine John just weeping for joy pieces man what a privilege will honor this is. I did bring glory to Jesus. My life didn't count for Christ sake. He said oh Jesus is the cornerstone.

He's the one that built this. He's the one that saved us he gets all the glory is that Jesus gave me the privilege of being part of the foundation for the glory. I own a move on verse 15 through 17. In this passage, the one he spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare to link the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 Stadium. Its length and width and height are equal. He also measured its wall hundred 44 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement. Once again, if you try to take this literally than you gotta. 1400 mi.³ city at health that what supports a distance of 1400 miles if you started in Dallas Texas went all the way to Moose jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada at 1400 miles takes a jet three hours to make that trip. That's a long trip. Could you imagine if you wanted to get to the top floor neuron.

The bottom and so you took an elevator you started going up this implant on the bottom started hitting all the buttons and you had to stop at every stop at every step at every floor now being silly, but I'm being purposefully silly. I want you to see the problem with using a literal hermeneutic on something that God intends for us to take symbolically. So how do we know in the Bible. What to take literally what to take symbolically when let's go back to some things that we've been talking about all the way through this study. You the historical books be taken literally. Books like Genesis, Exodus, Joshua per second Samuel Matthew Mark Luke John acts the letters of the of the apostle Paul. Now some of those you there's some symbolism and there is something you do takes as symbolism when you read in the parables that Jesus taught these teaching and symbolism layer but primarily the those books there historical books and you take them literally. So when I read the first chapter the book of Genesis and I see that God created the earth in six days. I think that to be six literal days, 24 hour days when I read in the Gospels that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. I can't believe the justice of spirit are phantom or ghost. I believe that his body physical body was resurrected from the day into a new glorified resurrected body. Second Corinthians 58 were Paul said to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. I take that literally. I believe that if I died right nail as a Christian, I would immediately go into God's presence. I do not see where we can take that to say there's their soul sleep you're gonna die than you can be in a state of unconsciousness till the final resurrection then you'll be resurrected and it's not what I see there they were to take that literally, but apocalyptic literature calls for a figurative or symbolic hermeneutic. The book of Revelation is written as apocalyptic literature on regional Revelation 11 again. I will read this from the Christian standard version alike that version. This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, that God gave him to show his slaves what must quickly take place. He Senate and signified it through his angel to his slave, John. The word signified means to make known in order to explain through symbols. So if I try to take our try to interpret apocalyptic literature with a literal interpretation that is just as wrong as trying to to take a historical book and interpreted symbolically. So we have to be very careful. So with that said notice in verses 12 through 14 have a number 12 is used over and over again a number 12 denotes completeness completeness is as much light Revelation for you. Remember when we studied the 24 elders. What were they they were 24 patriarchs in the Old Testament unexcused the 12 patriarchs in the Old Testament 12 apostles in the New Testament. The Old Testament patriarchs represented all the people of God in the old testament and then the apostles represented all the people of God in the New Testament see you take the to put them together yet. The whole corpus of believers from the from Adam all the way to that last person who comes in a Christ before Jesus returns in Revelation 21 we have a picture of 12 gates and and all those gates are the names of the 12 sons of Jacob, which is think back to the Old Testament if you can for just a minute and I want you remember what happened on Yom Kippur on the day of atonement, the high priest would go out. He would kill a goat to take the goat's blood and he would be placed in a basin at the end he would go in the wash himself, cleanse himself, he go into the tabernacle go back behind the veil in the holy of holies he would march over to the, the, the Ark of the covenant, they would take his branch of hyssop, dip it down into the select the goat's blood and he would sprinkle it on the mercy seat, the lives of the ark of the covenant, for what purpose so that the sins of the people of God for that particular year. The people of Israel might be forgiven and they might be atone for an EEE would do that and when he did that the Shekinah glory. The very presence of God would come and hover between the wings of the cherubim right they are in the in the holy of holies. And what is a the priest way or when he went in.

The priest wore a beautiful white garment, but he also wore on his chest was called an effort or breastplate that breastplate had 12 beautiful jewels and it they represented the people of God, the 12 tribes of Israel and folks, when the priest was going through his priestly action of the toning for the sins of the people for that year. Where were the people of God right there at his chest right there right on his heart is for the people of God were things I want you to know that that priest in the old covenant is a picture of the true priest, our great high priest, Jesus Christ. And when Jesus atone for our sin by suffering and dying on the cross where were we right here, right next to his heart. The number 12 in Scripture represents completeness when John is describing the new Jerusalem. He describes it in 12 inch whales 12 date 12 foundations 12,000 stadia know what else in Scripture was built in the form of a cube, the holy of holies was built in the form of a cube and that's where the presence of God would go in the and in the old covenant times. It was built, there is a cube 20 x 20 x 20. And then when we see the description of the high holy city. What is it we see elevated metrics 12,000×12,000×12,000, what is that mean it means that the presence of God was dwelling in the holy of holies in the old covenant within the new covenant. And through all of eternity. The presence of God will be dwelling in us in us for us and through us never to leave us .5 beauty and light. Look at verse 18 to 21. The wall was built of Jasper while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall.

The city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third a gate, the fourth emerald for phonics the six current alien the seventh chrysolite, the eighth Burrell. The night topaz, the 10th Cyprus the 11th, Jason the 12th amethyst and the 12 gates were 12 pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl in the streets of the city were pure gold, like transparent glass look at the beauty, the colorful, gorgeous stones, the gates of pearl each gate is one pearl. Each gate is one pearl are member of preaching of the pearly gates but six years ago and Joni Presley talk to me after the service was over and she said you know how or how are pearls created said pearls are created through the suffering of an oyster. She said when I think of the pearly gates, I can't help but to think of the cross, Jesus said I am the gate. I am the door of the sheep.

Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father but by me having Jesus make our way into heaven, he made our way into heaven bleeding and shedding his blood and atoning for our sins on the cross of Calvary P.

He made our way into heaven to his suffering. Folks we think of the pearly gates. Joni was right. We need to think of the cross we need to think of the cross folks our citizenship in heaven was purchased by the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. Then he speaks of the streets of gold. What most people in our society today.

What motivates people, is it not wealth Dante people worship gold on this earth and heaven will walk on it. Material wealth means little. The glory of God means everything on the close of this insight from Dr. Douglas Kelly. He said these architectural descriptions point us beyond the merely literal. Both his concerns the wall in the city itself.

I have read books that start counting out how many miles long. How wide it is taken. These measurements absolutely literally, but that is not the point we are given indication of its nonliteral aspect and what John says in verse 18.

The city was pure gold, like in the clear glass like into is a comparative term in English. One thing is somewhat like a different thing. Literally one cannot see through goal, but John uses this comparative term like into goal speaks of beauty, rareness and highest value but instead of being necessarily composed of the literal chemical composition of goal. The city is like into the sort of transparent crystal that one can see through goal like Crystal seems to be a way of saying that the lovely attributes of God's own being.

What gives this idiot shape solidity and splendor at which we sure wish to gaze for all of eternity always knew you always beautiful when by his grace.

I shall look on his face that will be glory to glory, to me the spray Lord we came here today to worship you. We thank you for the privilege of worship. We thank you for the precious instruction from your word. We pray Lord that you would use these sermons on heaven to make us thirsty for Jesus Lord I pray that they are those that are here today who were unsure about their salvation that they might see their hope, their hope is in a relationship with Christ and that alone how they come to you in faith and repentance, turning their heart, mind and soul from sin itself. Trust in your finished work on the cross in your mighty resurrection from the dead to save their souls.

You've commanded us to trust and obey.

May we be faithful to your command. We love you Lord, thank you for loving us what is in the precious and holy name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen