TOPIC:‌“The Heavenly City - The New Jerusalem”

                  by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap

 

TEXT:‌Revelation 21:1 - 22:5

 

‌‌“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth

were passed away, and there was no more sea. And I, John saw the holy city, new

Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned

for her husband” (21:1, 2).

 

‌The chapter before us deals with the revelation of the celestial city, the new Jerusalem - the heavenly home of the saints of God throughout the ages. This eternal city itself is not Heaven, but a city which comes down out of Heaven providing everlasting joy to the people of God of all generations. All of the blessings and benefits lost to man in Eden because of sin will now be restored to him.

 

‌John observes in his vision a new heaven and a new earth which comes into existence after the millennial reign of Christ on earth. The old heaven and the old earth according to verse 11 of chapter 20 “fled away” which signifies a vast physical change by means of renovation or reconstruction of the old into the new. The Greek verb used in this verse does not necessarily mean annihilation or extinction. It is my own personal view that the old heaven and the old earth will cease to exist as both will be destroyed as evidenced by the following Bible passages - Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17 and Luke 21:33. The best Bible verses to support this view are given to us by the Apostle Peter who wrote: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are in it, shall be burned up. Looking for and hasting unto the coming day of God, in which the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat” (II Peter 3:10, 12).

 

‌We have very little recorded facts about the character of the new heaven and new earth, other than in the new earth as stated in verse 1, there will be no more sea. Nearly three-fourths of the earth is presently covered with water, but the new earth will be totally absent of any water except for the river of the water of life which proceeds out of the throne of God as indicated in chapter 22 verse 1. Let us now look at some of the delights of this Heavenly City - The New Jerusalem.

 

I.

 

‌Consider, in the first place, the DESCENT of the City. Notice what John saw: “And I, John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, . . .