A Heavenly Vision
INTRODUCTION
Heaven is more than a place. Heaven is a real place, but it is more than a place. Heaven is a wonderful and glorious place, but it is more than a place. Heaven is an eternal place, but Heaven is more than a place. Heaven is a secure place, but Heaven is more than a place. Every believer must thank God for what Jesus revealed about Heaven to John on the Isle of Patmos.
I. JOHN SAW A VISION OF HEAVEN, REV. 21:1-2.
A. John Saw a New Heaven and a New Earth, 21:1.
God promised a new heaven and a new earth in Isaiah 65:17-19. The first Heaven and earth will pass away, vs. 1. The Greek word for “new” means different, as in 2 Cor. 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
B. John Saw a New Jerusalem, 21:2.
New Jerusalem, is the city whose Architect is God, vs. 2; Heb. 11:10; 12:22-23. New Jerusalem is a holy city. New Jerusalem is prepared as a bride.
II. JOHN HEARD A VOICE FROM HEAVEN, 21:3-5a.
A. God Will Dwell With Believers in Heaven, 21:3.
"The tabernacle of God is among men.” “He will dwell among them.” “they shall be His people.” “God Himself will be among them.”
B. God Will Make All Things New, 21:4-5a.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,” 4a. “There will no longer be any death,” 4b. “There will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain,” 4c. “The first things have passed away,” 4d. . God says, “Behold, I am making all things new,” 5a. Paradise, lost in Eden, is regained in Heaven.
III. JOHN RECEIVED A COMMAND, 21:5b-8.
A. Jesus Commanded John to Write Down What He Said,” 5b.
B. Jesus Is the Alpha and Omega, 6a.
Jesus begins the Revelation by identifying Himself in the same way. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," Rev. 1:8.Jesus is here identifying Himself with the Great “I AM” of the Old Testament. Jesus Gives His Children the Water of Life, 6b.
Water has an interesting place in history.
Water has an interesting place in the Bible.
Water is used as a metaphor of life in Christ.
Jesus is the Water of Life (John 4).
In Heaven all may drink of “the fountain of the water of life freely.”
D. We Will Receive Our Inheritance in Heaven, 21:7.
“He who overcomes will inherit these things.” Jesus says, “I will be his God and he will be My son.”
E. Jesus Has a Solemn Warning, 21:8.
All are not going to Heaven. The vast majority of people are going to hell. “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” Rev. 21:8.