#40 Top 40 New Testament Passages: The New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:1-7)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
   they will be his peoples,
   and God himself will be with them;
   he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
   mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
  for the first things have passed away.”

And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children. (Revelation 21:1-7)

Today we reach the end of our journey through the Top 40 New Testament passages. Like all journeys, some posts were difficult to write (or read), some were ordinary, and some were hopefully God inspired with moments of beauty. The same is true of reading the New Testament. Some parts are less captivating than no others. Some take our breath away as we are struck with wonder. Today's passage comes from Revelation. It is John's vision of the New Jerusalem, our future home with God. It's one of the more beautiful passages in the New Testament. It captivates our imagination, but more importantly it speaks to our deepest desire for the completion of the journey.

John is exiled on the Greek island of Patmos, west of the coast of Turkey. He is in exile because he is a church leader and Rome is trying to suppress Christianity. The Roman government thinks that by exiling key leaders in the Christian movement the sect will fall away. Martyrdom may embolden the movement, but cutting off heads, so to speak, will cause chaos. They were mistaken. 

The head of the Church is not John. The head of the Church is not James in Jerusalem, nor Peter in Rome. The Head of the Church is Jesus Christ, alive forevermore and reigning in victory. 

But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

To make the point of Christ's supremacy, The Lord appears to John in a vision. The vision of the glorious risen Christ is so awesome, John is overwhelmed and falls down like a dead man. (Revelation 1:17) Christ instructs John to write to the seven churches of Asia Minor (Turkey). This is a way of saying write a message to all the Church, for seven means complete. The message of Revelation is simple. Christ's message to the Church suffering persecution, imprisonment, torture and death, is to remain faithful to the end. To those who overcome the persecution, reward is promised. 

Quite often suffering can cause the weak to fall away from faithfulness. Job suffered tremendously, but remained faithful. His wife had a different idea.

Then Job's wife said to him, “Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die.” But Job said to her, “You speak as any fool would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Job 2:9-10)

Job sets the example of faithfulness in the midst of suffering. He didn't deserve it, but it happened to him all the same. Job accepts his suffering, even though he is brought down to the ash heap in utter grief. He trusts that somehow his suffering is part of God's redemptive purpose. He remained as ever a faithful servant of the Almighty.

The cave where John received his visions on Patmos is a site you can visit. The Cave of the Apocalypse is protected by the United Nations as a site of important cultural heritage. For what John wrote predicts the ultimate triumph of Christ over Satan and the devil's servants one earth. Of the serpent's earthly servants, Rome is chief among them. Rome is called the whore of Babylon, or just Babylon in the John's revelation. Babylon is that ancient kingdom which oppressed Israel, destroyed Jerusalem, and drug them off to exile. Now Rome is oppressing Jews and Christians throughout the Roman empire, because they do not worship the pagan gods of Rome, nor honor Caesar as divine.

John's apocalypse, which simply means uncovering what is hidden, is actually filled with wild imagery that is difficult to interpret. One commentator suggests that John wrote in this way to hide what he was saying from the Romans. They would likely read what he had written about his visions and consider it insane gibberish. But those familiar with the Hebrew scriptures would understand. John's visions are often borrowed and re-presented prophetic writings from Israel's ancient past.

The persecution of the Church under Rome is part of the great battle that has always been. Spiritual forces that oppose God are in conflict with forces of light and life. These forces are at work in humanity and in human and natural systems, like governments and storms or earthquakes. Satan used a storm to kill Job's children. (Job 1:18-19) But as we will see, God uses humans and natural phenomena for God's purposes too. 

I don't like to think that God allows suffering to teach us, test us, or punish us. That seems like nonsense to me, considering that God gave up His only begotten for us upon the cross. The God who suffers for us and with us is also the God who sends plagues and tribulation? It doesn't make sense to me. However, John has no problem with depicting God or Christ forceful imagery. The enemies of God and the Church are ultimately defeated at Megiddo with a massive hailstorm. 

And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a violent earthquake, such as had not occurred since people were upon the earth, so violent was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. God remembered great Babylon and gave her the wine-cup of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found; and huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, dropped from heaven on people, until they cursed God for the plague of the hail, so fearful was that plague. (Revelation 16:18-21)

There are many frightening displays of God's sovereign power depicted in Revelation. These are not meant to frighten the Church into submission. These are meant to communicate that Rome is not the ultimate power, God is. And in God's time, Rome will fall and the Church will know peace. The message of hope in Christ's triumph over the evil empire, and of the evil behind Rome, carries the Church through many times of difficulty. 

How might you be encouraged to trust in the ultimate triumph of God's love in the midst of this Coronavirus pandemic? On this Holy Saturday, when Death seemed to have the upper hand as Jesus laid dead in the tomb, the disciples hid behind locked doors in fear. (John 20:19) That image has stayed with me throughout this virus induced quarantine. Fear is a prison of sorts. While we are restricted from what we normally do, we may feel afraid and frustrated. Death seems to have the upper hand. And yet Christ was not defeated by Death. He was preaching the gospel to the dead in the Pit (Sheol/Hades/Tartarus/Hell). The dead heard good news proclaimed to them by Jesus in the Spirit. 

...Jesus was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah... (1st Peter 3:18b-20a)

Jesus is the inescapable God celebrated in the Psalms. 

Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. (Psalm 139:7-8)

He is the One who ascended in glory, but who also descended to the dead.

When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things. (Ephesians 4:9-10)

While we may suffer in loneliness and dread during this virus pandemic, know that there is no place the love of God cannot reach you. Not even Death can separate you from the love of God in Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:37-38) And God will ultimately triumph over the forces of evil. So be strong and courageous as you stand firm in faith.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10-12)

John shares with the Church his vision of the ultimate triumph of God in a wedding ceremony! Imagine yourself waiting for the day of your wedding. Finally the day comes when you can begin your life together with the one you love more than you love yourself! The groom stands at the altar as his beautiful bride comes down the aisle. He shakes with joyful anticipation! 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:1-2)

The old, broken, corrupt earth gives way to a new unblemished, wholesome earth. The sea that is no more is symbolic of separation from God. Because of sin and corruption, God practices some version of social distancing. Until faith frees us we feel alienation from God. But in Christ, God chose to enter into our messy lives, into our sinful corruption and brokenness. In Christ God set the world free from Death's grip. In Christ God is healing all creation. We are still waiting expectantly for the ultimate healing. Like the groom awaiting the appearance of his bride, we wait in hopeful expectation for new creation! 

In the new creation, the New Jerusalem, there is no more of the sad things of the corrupt world.

"See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
   they will be his peoples,
   and God himself will be with them;
   he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
   mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
   for the first things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

And so the image of the New Jerusalem, the heavenly bride, is a beacon of hope to guide the church through our shared journey. Whether we suffer persecution or want, whether we grow dull in abundance, Christ reigns upon the throne! Evil may seem to have the day, but it's only for a time. Easter is coming! The triumph of the ages is at hand!

Come Lord Jesus!