SERMON - THE BOOK OF REVELATION IN WORDS OF UNDERSTANDING part 25

The Book of Revelation In Words of Understanding Part 25     We have witnessed John’s descriptions of the 7 Churches spanning the many years of history. First TRUE Christianity and the ensuing attempts of the RCC and Protestantism, as well as other false religions, to conquer the minds of men and replace God’s Word with doctrines and rituals not worthy of God and now the reinstatement of God’s TRUE Word.   God had John relate all these descriptions in symbolic Words for His followers to interpret and edify to their congregations. When the Book of Revelation, in Chapter 1:3, conveys God’s blessing on, “all who listen and obey…,” He truly spoke to TRUE Christians and expects the most we can give.       Revelation 21: 1 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.   Earth, as we know it, no longer exists. As we have learned, the “sea” symbolically represents the people here on earth as it existed before it was destroyed. No one lives on earth until God has finished His plan for our eternity.      Revelation 21:2 I saw the Holy City, the, “new Jerusalem,” coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.   The earth as described in the Book of Genesis is no more. It has been replaced by God’s eternal creation and John sees, “new Jerusalem,” signifying God’s saved people are sent down, by God, to inhabit His new creation. In their white robes and God’s adornments, they appear to John as a bride dressed especially for her husband.       Revelation 21:3 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.   God has His messenger announce His intent to be with men forever. No need to go anywhere to seek Him as He will be with and among them for all eternity.   Revelation 21: 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."   All earthly woes, as we know them, are eradicated. No tears of sadness, pain, suffering of illnesses or death exist any longer. In fact, all memory of such woes is forgotten and mourning will no longer exist.   For those of you I sent Sermon 48 to, recall my words: “there will be no threats such as currently exist of hurricanes, typhoons or tsunamis. There will be no handkerchiefs and no need of tear glands. There will be no more pain, no need of funeral parlors, caskets or cemeteries. There will be no death for His people.”   Imagine no fear, murder, witchcraft, no drugs, no child molesters, no violence, no need of police and no crime whatever! There will be no disbelief in God’s TRUE Word and that is a day I look forward to!  Revelation 21:5 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. 7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.   God Himself spoke and revealed that “everything,” was being made new. He told John to write this and know that He was the “Alpha and the Omega.” The beginning and the end and that all needs would be provided. His “water” is the life force and any in need of it need only to look to Him. He further advises us of His looking upon us as His own sons and, I add, daughters.   Revelation 21: 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."   John write down God’s warning that is made to any and all that are unbelievers. Their evils will result in their spiritual deaths.   Revelation 21: 9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.   “ Jerusalem ,” God’s saved people come to His creation and must have stood in righteous awe at what He had created for them. The beauty of their ‘new’ earth had to be unimaginable. The perfection and quality could only have been described by John in the most glowing of terms. The number twelve, denoting the twelve tribes of Israel , the twelve apostles constitute it foundation and the gate, their teachings that result in the many Words God has revealed to them in the Old and New Testaments. Them being described as pearls can only signify the absolute beauty of what God has revealed to us for our reward for obeying His commands. The purpose of John using precious stones as his method of describing can only be explained as his attempt to describe utter perfection.    15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using.   Just as John has earlier been told to measure heaven, he was now asked, again to measure what is immeasurable. The vast number (countless as sea sand) could never house God’s saved followers. Again, how can anyone, with human understanding, measure the height of a city?  But reading 1 Kings 19:38 may shed some idea as to the perfection John sought to set forth.    Revelation 21: 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.    The gems and gold John uses to describe the beauty he saw is indicative of the clearness with which he saw as purity, righteousness, and beyond man’s ability to establish a price thereon. Even the temples Solomon’s temple pales in the magnificence of God’s perfect creation. For further edification read Exodus 28:17-21 and Exodus 39:10-14.        22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.    There are no churches (temple), no sun or moon as God is always worshipped and is the Light.  “The nations,” signifying God’s people walk in the Light of God and there is no night. “The glory and honor,” of those brought to heaven by God is their reward for being His faithful servants. What we must remember as these Words, written by John, describe are symbolic and beyond human comprehension.     Revelation 21: 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.   We must be ever aware of the absolute necessity to live our lives in accordance with God’s commands and be ever obedient to His Word. He is our God and it is His decision and His alone, as to who is saved and who is not in His Book of Life. There will be nothing impure, shameful or deceitfulness there.   Hallelujah!  All glory is His!   (Closing prayer)   Almighty God, ABBA, Lord of all creation, we come to You with praise and worship. You have created a place for Your servants that is far above earthly comprehension and we wait until it is our time to shed our earthly bodies and come before You in robes of righteousness. We pray that until that day You will be merciful towards us and see us safe from harm.   Father we bow our heads to You and ask that You accept our hearts and forgive us the many transgressions that have resulted from our earthly weaknesses. We are weak but You are strong. El Gibbor, our Divine Rock, You are the source of our strength. Please be with us.   Lord, we ask that You open the eyes of our elected officials and instill in their hearts the desire to only want what is best for Your servants and not just for themselves. Preserve and protect our judges, our police officials, those that are charged with securing our nation. Stand as the protector and Heavenly Guide for our brothers and sisters in uniformed service in our military. See them safe and send angels to watch over them in any times of danger.   Father we also ask that You guard the lives safety of Your servants throughout the world And comfort them in times of need.   Lord, we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior who is One with You and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever,   Amen, amen and amen.