Sermon on 16 April 2023 by Pastor Justin Chia
The new heaven and Earth were prophesied by Prophet Isaiah 700 years before Jesus was born.
Isaiah 65:17-25 - ““Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard in it no more. “No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only the cursed will die that young! In those days people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards. Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses and confiscate their vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the Lord, and their children, too, will be blessed. I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! The wolf and the lamb will feed together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. But the snakes will eat dust. In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the Lord, have spoken!””
Matthew 24:35 - “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.”
There is a lot of correlation between the last 2 chapters of Revelation and Genesis, the first chapter. In Genesis 1, it is said that God created light on day 1, water and sky on day 2, plants on day 3. He then placed the Sun and moon on day 4, fish and birds on day 5 and animals and people on day 6.
In the new glorious creation in Revelation, a new heaven and earth will be created, like in Genesis.
Genesis 1:1 - “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Revelation 21:1 - “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.”
In Genesis, night begins. There will be no night.
Genesis 1:5 - “God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.”
Revelation 21:25 - “Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there.”
In Genesis, seas are created. There will be no seas.
Genesis 1:10 - “God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good.”
Revelation 21:1 - “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.”
In Genesis, the Sun and moon is created. There will be no Sun and moon.
Genesis 1:14 - “Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years.”
Revelation 21:23 - “And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.”
In Genesis, there is a curse on Earth. There will be no more curse.
Genesis 3:17 - “And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.”
Revelation 22:3 - “No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.”
In Genesis, death enters. There will be no death.
Genesis 3:19 - “By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.””
Revelation 21:4 - “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.””
Sorrow and pain begins in Genesis. But there will be no more crying, pain and sorrow.
Genesis 3:17 - “And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.”
Revelation 21:4 - “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.””
Many of us are punishing ourselves by living in the past and not living in the glory of God. In the new Earth, pain will be erased and we will be in the perfect state of our being.
In Genesis, man are driven from the tree of life due to the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Man will be restored to the tree of life.
Genesis 3:24 - “After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”
Revelation 22:14 - “Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.”
In the first creation, due to man’s disobedience, they were driven from the Garden of Eden. In the end of the new creation, because of obedience, we have the right into the tree of life. The first sin wasn’t disobedience, but was lying. Devil is the father of lies.
Genesis 3:13 - “Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.””
Going back to the last chapter, the last sin mentioned is also about lying.
Revelation 22:15 - “Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.”
In the first creation, God created everything and placed man and all creation in it. In the new creation, God placed the new city on the new Earth. The Lord delivers the city to Earth, remade from heaven and descends to us.
Revelation 21:2 - “And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”
Hebrews 11:16 - “But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
Philippians 3:20 - “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.”
The arrival of the new Jerusalem will be witnessed from Earth.
Revelation 21:2b - “And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”
Hebrews 12:22-24 - “No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.”
The new city will be home for God, angels, the church and all other believers.
New heaven and new earth means all things have been restored to a better state.
Revelation 21:3-23
There will be 12 gates with names of 12 tribes of Israel. Wall with 12 foundations of the names of 12 apostles.
Revelation 21:12 - “The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates.”
Revelation 21:14 - “The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
The city is shaped like a cube. Walls of the city were Jasper, and the city was pure gold.
Revelation 21:16 - “When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles.”
The foundation of the walls is decorated with 12 kinds of jewels. There will be pearl gates and gold street.
Revelation 21:19-21 - “The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.”
The temple is God and the Lamb. There is no moon or Sun because the glory of God provides light.
Revelation 21:22-23 - “I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.”
Only those names written in the lamb’s book can enter.
Revelation 21:27 - “Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
Rivers of life flow from the throne of God and the lamb. Tree of life stands on each side of the river.
Revelation 22:1-2 - “Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.”
Genesis 2:9 - “The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Water of life was mentioned 3 times, in Revelation 21:6, 22:1 and 22:17. There is one calling continuously to come and receive God if you are a non believer and to evangelise if you are a believer.
Tree of life was mentioned 3 times too, in Revelation 22:2, 22:14, 22:19. There will be a time mechanism in the new Earth and heaven. But there will be no calendar. We will only follow by month. If you have the son of God, you have life. Trees serve as a reminder of the source of life.
The new heaven and new Earth will be so beautiful, adorned with every precious stone. The city will be populated with believers, God is with us, and all unbelievers are absent. There is a continuous calling to believe and receive salvation in Jesus.
Revelation 22:18-19 - “And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.”
There are many churches all over the world who don’t preach the truth. They are not preaching the full gospel but they still continue to do it.
God affirmed us 3 times that He is coming quickly.
Revelation 22:7, 12, 20
Amen.
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