5^th Sunday of Easter – May 2, 2010

Revelation 21:1-6 - Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” ⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶ He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.

How do you go about describing something that is beyond comprehension? How do you explain something that is unlike anything we know?

In these verses, through the pen of the Apostle John, our Savior provides a snapshot of what we call “heaven” – something that is beyond our comprehension; something unlike anything we know. He paints a picture of what the believer can look forward to. While it may not answer every question we have; while it may not satisfy every curiosity, the purpose is unmistaken. To comfort the believer and strengthen them in their faith, hope and resolution as they face the trials of life. Therefore dearly loved, those of you with hearts weary and worn by the mess of life, with minds exploding from fear and anxiety, and with cheeks stained by tears of sorrow, let us lift up our eyes and be refreshed with this glimpse behind the veil.

As our Savior begins to pull back the veil, the first thing we see is the new God-restored heaven and earth. Just how different this new world will be is indicated by the fact that the original heaven and earth will be gone. You see, when our first parents fell into sin, God’s whole creation was plunged into imperfection. Thorns and thistles, death and decay became a part of life. Creation was subjected to frustration. But God says that all of this will change. The first heaven and earth will pass away. It will be destroyed. And a new heaven and earth will be provided.

Knowing this, we are reminded of how foolish it is to set our hopes on this life. One day all the possessions we’ve accumulated and everything we have worked for “will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare” (2 Peter 3:10). How then, can we allow the devotion which is only due God be given to worldly things when an attachment to them will lead us to miss out on the new heaven and new earth.

Now, of this new heaven and earth John points out an aspect of it that at first might seem odd and out of place – “there was no longer any sea.” But this tidbit isn’t so strange when one considers what it might mean. At the time of John the sea was a source of danger and separation. Remember he was exiled to the island of Patmos, away from his fellow Christians. In addition to this, the book of Revelation itself speaks of evil coming from the sea. Now, in this new earth and heaven that sea will be gone! So no matter what view we take, the application is the same. The new heaven and earth the Lord is preparing for us will be a place of peace and safety, where nothing will separate us from those we love or hinder the fellowship of God’s children with each other. What an encouraging truth for Christians weary and worn by the mess of life, as loved ones who’ve died in the Lord have gone to be with him and yet we remain here!

Next, our Savior pulls the veil back a little further. Now we are privileged to see “the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” To help us understand these words remember that the Bible repeatedly speaks of all believers as the bride of Christ. Therefore, the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, stands for all believers. This description reminds us of the more familiar words recorded in Ephesians, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (5:25-27).

Notice what that means for you! When you were brought to faith in Jesus as your Savior by the Holy Spirit’s work in the word, you were clothed with garments of salvation and arrayed in a robe of righteousness. Your sins were washed away and your robes were made white in the blood of the Lamb. You were prepared to live in the new heaven and the new earth because the righteousness won for you by Christ’s perfect life, and the salvation secured for you with his innocent sufferings and death assures you that you are worthy to walk with him in heaven.

Finally, Jesus pulls the veil back once again, and this time he reveals a joy above all joys: “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” Throughout the history of his people, God has dwelled with us in special ways. In the Old Testament his presence was visible in the form of a pillar of fire and cloud resting above the tabernacle. But when Israel sinned, eventually God departed from that presence. Later, Jesus Christ came to earth and dwelt among us. But after his death and resurrection, he ascended into heaven. And even though he has promised to be with us to the very end of the age, right now we don’t see him with our own eyes - we walk by faith, not by sight. But not in the new heaven and earth – there we will see him as he is. There we will have a clear, visible evidence that God is dwelling with us. There, will be no death or mourning or crying or pain.

And of all the wonderful news; of all the things about this city; this is the most fantastic. What comfort it must have brought to John’s contemporaries who were suffering persecution and infliction by their enemies. No doubt they were tempted to think that God had forsaken them and that Satan was winning the day. But this promise assured them that God was still controlling the course of history and their lives in order that someday they would see the truth of what they now could only believe.

It is meant to do the same for you too. Even though the world is falling apart around us; even though you yourself might be falling apart; even though disease or illness might be wreaking havoc on yours or your loved ones body; even though to the human eye it might look like God has forsaken you and Satan is winning the day; God is still controlling the course of history and your life in order that someday you will not only see, but also experience the truth of these words.

But how can we be so sure! After all, it isn’t just sickness, old age, poverty or persecution that troubles us. Our greatest problem is sin and its consequences. And all we have to do to feel the disease of sin, the infection of guilt, or the corruption of rebellion is to examine our lives according to the Ten Commandments, as our hymnal suggests, and ask how well we have carried out our responsibilities as a husband, wife, or single person, as a parent or child, employer or employee, a teacher or student. Have we loved God with all our heart, gladly heard his Word, and patiently endured affliction? Have we been disobedient, proud, or unforgiving? Have we been selfish, lazy, envious, or quarrelsome? Have we lied or deceived, taken something that was not ours, or given anyone a bad name? Have we abused our body or permitted indecent thoughts to linger in our mind? Have we failed to do what is right and good? Now tell me, how can a place as grand and glorious and fantastic, as perfect and pure and precious as heaven have someone as filthy as you and me inhabit it?

The answer to that question is Jesus! Jesus cured us of our disease when he shed his blood on the cross. He treated our infection by taking our guilt into his own body and suffering God’s wrath for us. He put down our rebellion by a life lived in perfect obedience to God’s law. Then he assured it all with his resurrection. Now, his perfection is offered to us as free gift. We receive it by the faith he has worked in us. Simply put, the blood Christ shed on the cross has cleansed us of our sin and punched our ticket, reserved our room, ensured our future. You can be sure! Jesus Christ, who makes this promise, is the “Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” Look at his credentials! Fine comb the Scriptures – have any of his promises ever failed? His words are true and faithful!

That is why these words of our lesson give such joy, relief, comfort, and happiness. Our eternal rest is secure because our sins have been forgiven. And that single truth is the salve for troubled souls, the elixir for frightened minds, the remedy for unknown futures, the cure for ailing bodies, the solution for broken and contrite hearts. This world with its pain and troubles and sorrows is not the end. This world is not our home. This life is not all there is. We know that waiting for us is a perfect eternity where we will dwell with our God forever; and we know that if God our Savior has our future that securely folded in his hands, he certainly must have our present life held that securely too.

Dear friends, when it comes right down to it, the Bible does not go into great detail in describing heaven. But I think there is a reason for that: so we focus on what it does say – it is the dwelling of God with men. Does it get any better than that? Thank God for this glimpse behind the veil. Indeed, it refreshes the weary and oppressed. It’s what makes living this life bearable. It’s what keeps us coming back to the living water again and again. It gives us what we so desperately need – assurance. It provides us what we long for – certainty. And it supplies what want – comfort. Amen.

“Jerusalem the golden, with milk and honey blest –

The sight of it refreshes The weary and oppressed.

I know not, oh, I know not What joys await us there,

What radiancy of glory, What bliss beyond compare.”

“Oh, sweet and blessed country, The home of God’s elect!

Oh, sweet and blessed country That eager hearts expect!

Jesus, in mercy bring us To that dear land of rest;

You are with God the Father And Spirit ever blest.” (CW 214 v.1,4)