Revelation 21:9-22:5
Fourth Vision and Conclusion (Albert Martin)
Pastor Albert Martin expounds Revelation 21:9-22:5, focusing on the fourth vision of the New Jerusalem. He argues that this vision is a 'zoom lens' on the eternal state of the redeemed, not a literal description of the new heavens and earth. Martin systematically outlines five characteristics of the Lamb's bride—her divine origin, absolute perfection, comprehensive scope (including both Old and New Testament saints), immeasurable worth, and indescribable bliss—to comfort suffering saints and correct common misconceptions about heaven.
Primary Texts
Topics
Outline 9 sections · 51 min
- Introduction and Overview of Revelation's Purpose 0:01
- Review of the Three Visions and Transition to the Fourth 4:29
- The Fourth Vision: God's Zoom Lens on the Eternal State 8:29
- Characteristic 1: Her Indisputable Origin (God) 13:56
- Characteristic 2: Her Absolute Perfection 19:30
- Characteristic 3: Her Comprehensive Scope 23:28
- Characteristic 4: Her Immeasurable Worth 27:51
- Characteristic 5: Her Indescribable Bliss 30:48
- Conclusion: Attestation of Revelation's Validity and Our Blessed Hope 41:09
Key Quotes
“The fundamental principle to remember when studying the book of the Revelation is this, that the book was written primarily to be a word of instruction and comfort to real saints living in the real world of the first century in the midst of persecution and opposition from the world, from the flesh, and from the devil.”
“Brethren, sisters, that is a travesty upon the teaching of this passage. For the vision is not a description of the new heavens and the new earth. It's a description of the city of God. That is the aggregate of God's people. It's a description of the Lamb's wife.”
“Now we think so individualistic. We want to know what is heaven like for me. God says never think in those terms. Always think what will heaven be like for us.”
“Don't you ever say the Old Testament saints had as their hope that God would give them a big sort of mega city there in Jerusalem and they'd tromp on all the feet of their enemies. It's a cursed, cursed interpretation of the spirituality of the religion of Old Testament saints.”
“And I stand to say publicly it is borders on heresy when I read people say that in the redeemed state the New Testament church will be the bride and the Old Testament church will simply be the friends of the bridegroom holding the coats for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
“The indescribable bliss of heaven has as its greatest its pinnacle expression of bliss the unclouded unsullied communion face to face with God and with the Lamb.”
“And so children of God we're not hoping wishfully thinking for pie in the sky by and by Reverend Ike not withstanding that is our hope Reverend Ike and his crowd are part of Babylon Reverend Ike's gospel is follow me and my teaching and you'll have your silk and your riches and your Cadillacs and your twenty suits in the closet he's part of Babylon and he'll go down with Babylon into hell”
“but then all will be made plain and everything that means complete unhampered communion between two human beings we shall have with a great multitude whom no man can number”
Applications
All listeners
- Remember that the book of Revelation is primarily for instruction and comfort to real saints in the real world, not for gratifying an itch to know the future.
- Never think of heaven in individualistic terms ('what is heaven like for me?'), but always in corporate terms ('what will heaven be like for us?').
- If you have any problem with the unity of Old and New Testament saints, study Ephesians 2, the book of Hebrews, and Romans chapter 11 on your face before God and with good solid commentators.
- Recognize that the absence of anything unclean or defiling in heaven is part of our bliss, as it means an end to the pain caused by sin in the world.
- Never be deceived into thinking that our ultimate joy will be found in any measure of triumphs of the gospel in this present time system, but rather in the coming of the Lamb and the New Jerusalem.
- While in this life, we must wrestle for what we believe to be the truth of the scriptures and engage in doctrinal debates, knowing that in heaven, all will be made plain and perfect communion will exist.
A full transcript is available on the tab. 95 paragraphs, roughly 51 minutes.
Introduction and Overview of Revelation's Purpose
Those of you who have been here during the past month will know that Mr. Fisher has led us the past three Sunday mornings in this class in a study of the book of the Revelation. His expressed purpose was to give us a broad overview of the book of the Revelation, not to get tied down with the things that are not clear, but to feed our souls upon the things that are obviously or quite obviously clear and indeed form the burden of the Lord's message to the churches as found in the book of the Revelation. And because we have a number of visitors with us, you'll notice...
You'll again have to forgive us. We don't want to bore the folk who are regularly with us with an extensive review, but for your sake in particular, we will give a very brief overview of what has been covered thus far and then move on to what I trust will be a brief exposition of the last vision and the conclusion of the book, and then give you a homework assignment, and then next week, God willing, complete our study of the book of the Revelation.
Perhaps the most common... The fundamental principle to remember when studying the book of the Revelation is this, that the book was written primarily to be a word of instruction and comfort to real saints living in the real world of the first century in the midst of persecution and opposition from the world, from the flesh, and from the devil.
God is not interested in giving us some kind of sanctified crystal ball. And the moment...
The moment you mention the book of the Revelation, everyone thinks of sort of a Christian fortune teller or palm reader in which we will have pre-written history to gratify our itch to know the future. Well, just the opening verses of the book of the Revelation should forever put to rest that notion. John introduces the letter by saying, I, John, your companion in tribulation, was in the Isle of Patmos for the word of God. Testimony of Jesus.
And the opening vision is the vision of Christ who is walking in the midst of real churches, seven churches that existed in Asia Minor. And they formed, as it were, roughly a circle. And the Lord presents himself as the Lord who's in the midst of his church, no matter what circumstances the church may find itself in. And he begins each message with the announcement, I know thy works.
He then analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the church. He challenges, he rebukes, he comforts, he gives direction. And so those first three chapters clearly point in this direction that the Lord, the head of the church, is ministering to the real church in its real situation. Now, I know there are some who approach the book from the standpoint that verse 19 is the hermeneutical key.
Right there for the things which thou sawest. That takes care of chapter 1, the vision of the exalted Christ. The things that...
They say that takes care of chapters 2 and 3. And the things which shall be hereafter, that takes chapter 4 to the end of the book. I've heard Dr. Woodbridge very neatly tie the whole book up that way and say chapter 1 is what John saw.
Chapters 2 and 3, the churches that are. Chapter 4 to the end is all future. Well, I think that can be dismissed out of hand in terms of the whole thrust of how God ministers to his church through these epistles that are sent to the church. And as Mr. Fisher has abundantly demonstrated, the visions, the unfolding of all of these unusual things are directly referred to the situation in which the people of God live.
But, as with all of the epistles, because the situations are not qualitatively different in any age, because the devil is still the devil and the world is still the world and Antichrist is still Antichrist, there is in the book of the Revelation... There is instruction that applies to the church in every age, but particularly in those times when she is undergoing the outward, the evident, the patent opposition of the world and of the devil.
Review of the Three Visions and Transition to the Fourth
Well, Mr. Fisher has suggested to us that the best way, or perhaps a very helpful way, to collate the materials of the book of the Revelation is to think in terms of these four visions that occur in four distinct relationships. John is in the Isle of Patmos, the first vision, and the contents of that we have covered. The second vision, in which he is caught up into heaven.
The third vision, in which he is taken into the wilderness. The fourth vision, in which he is taken into a high mountain. Now, last week, Mr. Fisher brought us about two-thirds of the way through this third vision.
And this is the vision in which we have the details of the final judgment of God upon all of those forces that have opposed Christ and the church, the people of God, throughout the entire history of the church. And in these chapters, we have the record, which we studied last week, of the final judgment of God upon Babylon. Babylon standing, of course, for wicked society. All that man builds and all that man creates.
And then we have the judgment of the beast. The beast, of course, picturing or signifying...
Anti-Christian government, which aligns itself against God and against his church. And then, finally, we have the judgment of Satan himself. A partial judgment, effected at the cross. The first few verses of Revelation 20, in which Satan was bound that he could deceive the nations no more.
The gospel goes to the ends of the earth. When the role of God's elect is complete, Satan himself is judged. Then all his followers...
And the 20th chapter ends with the wicked, those who are not written in the book of life, being sent into the lake of fire, where the beast and the devil himself have been consigned. Now, the end, then, of this third vision goes from Revelation 21.1 through Revelation 21.8.
And what you have at the end of that vision is a little capsule description of the eternal life. The eternal state. And let me try to give you the flow of the book in these terms. Once God has judged wicked human society, Babylon.
He has judged the beast, all wicked human government that aligns itself against the church. He has judged the instigator of all of this, the devil. He has judged the followers of the instigator, all of the wicked. What's left?
Well, nothing's left but to show us what... The earth...
The earth and the heavens and existence will be like when rid of Babylon, the beast, the devil, and his followers. There's nothing left now to open up to us but the glories of the eternal state for those who did not take the mark of the beast, who did come out of Babylon, that unclean city, that harlot with whom people committed spiritual fornication, those who did not follow the devil nor serve him, there's nothing left but to show us the glories of their condition. So what John has or gives to us or what the Lord gives to us through John, through the angel, in the latter part of this vision, is a brief capsule description of the eternal state. Then in verse 9, we have the record of John being taken up into a high mountain and the fourth vision is like a zoom lens on what we have in the first eight verses. This is the third vision, the third vision of Revelation 21-8, and I want to demonstrate that in a moment. Here you have in this third vision, primarily taken up with judgment upon the wicked, then this little capsule description closes the vision concerning the state of the redeemed.
The Fourth Vision: God's Zoom Lens on the Eternal State
What does the fourth vision do? It takes this one part, and you know what a zoom lens does. If your camera's looking at a picture covering this much field of vision, when you hook in your zoom lens, it zeroes in on one part, excludes the others, and amplifies or magnifies it. I should have more board over here.
You get the picture? So that the fourth vision is basically God's zoom lens on the last part of the third vision. Now let's see that this is exactly what we have. Verse 15 of chapter 20 ends with the words, And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
Verse 10 says, The devil was cast into the same lake of fire, where the beast and the false prophet were. Now all his followers join him. The entire universe is forever rid of the influence of every form of evil. Now we read in verse 1 of chapter 21, And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away, and the sea is no more.
What does John see? He sees existence, in its new state, rid of the powers of evil, rid of the devil, rid of ungodly government, and the world, and all the followers of Satan. It is the new heavens and the new earth, spoken of in 2 Peter chapter 3. John says, We look for a new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Now, having seen that the state, or the vision, is going to deal with this matter of the new heavens and the new earth, what's the first thing that enters John's field of vision? Verse 2, And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. So into the new heavens and the new earth comes this that John calls two things, the city of God, the bride of the Lamb. You see?
Look at it again. And I saw coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride for her husband. What did he see? The holy city, New Jerusalem.
So that in the new heavens and the new earth, that which will occupy John's vision is this holy city, Jerusalem, which is the bride, the wife of the Lamb. Now notice carefully, from verse 3 to verse 8, John then hears a proclamation. And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. He shall dwell with them.
They shall be his peoples. There shall be no pain, no crying. The former things are passed away. He that sitteth on the throne, verse 5, said, Behold, I make all things new.
From verses 3 to 8 is a verbal description of this great voice of what that city of God, the bride of the Lamb, will be like. John does not say, I saw. He's looking from a distance. And he says, I saw something coming down from God out of heaven.
And it was a city. It was the Lamb. Now what is it like? He's apparently not close enough to see.
So a voice says, These are the major characteristics of what you've seen. Now notice carefully, there's a change with that fourth vision. Verse 9, And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven bulls who were laden with the seven last plagues. And he said with me, or spake with me, saying, Come hither, I will, what?
show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in the spirit to a mountain great and high. And he, what? showed me the holy city.
And as you read through, you will find the little words, I saw, I saw, I saw, I saw. You see the contrast? All he saw in the vision three was this marvelous object from the distance. Into the new heavens and the new earth comes the city of God, the bride of the Lamb.
What's it like? I heard a voice saying, Here are the outstanding characteristics. And now, John is caught up in the spirit to a high mountain and he sees with the zoom lens all of these details. Of what that city, the bride of the Lamb, is like.
So the subject then of the vision, the fourth vision, and the subject of the latter part of the third vision is called the city of God, the bride, the wife's Lamb. Now don't lose sight of that as you go through the 22nd chapter of the book of the Revelation. The bride, the wife's Lamb, comes into the what? The new heavens and the new earth.
The description is not a description of the new heavens and the new earth. It's a description of the city of God. That is the aggregate of God's people. It's a description of the Lamb's wife.
Characteristic 1: Her Indisputable Origin (God)
That's the people of God. And I'll never forget the first time this dawned upon me a few years ago. I'd been brought up thinking a description of the new heavens and new earth was one in which there would be streets of gold, gates of pearl. Brethren, sisters, that is a travesty upon the teaching of this passage.
For the vision is not a description of the new heavens and the new earth. Verse 10, He carried me away in the Spirit to a high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. And what is that called? The end of verse 9.
Come, I will show thee the bride, the bride's synonyms for the people of God. Now why does he use those two figures? And I said this is going to be a broad overview and I just have to cram down a thousand thoughts that come flooding and so I better stick with my notes. God describes it on the one hand as the city of God because He wants us to know that it is a description of the people of God in their aggregate, in their totality and in their life together.
Now we think so individualistic. We want to know what is heaven like for me. God says never think in those terms. Always think what will heaven be like for us.
Us! It is the city of God which puts the emphasis upon the aggregate of all of God's people but it is the bride, the wife of the Lamb, which puts the emphasis on the relationship to Jesus Christ who loved Himself and gave Himself for the church that He might present it to Himself a glorious church without spot or wrinkle. So then the subject of the vision is what? The city of God, the wife of the Lamb.
You got it? All right. Now secondly, what are the main characteristics of the bride, the church, the city of God? What are its main, its outstanding, its fundamental characteristics?
Well, I've tried to collate the materials and remember this is a broad overview under five headings. First of all, and after I've done all my notes, I put its indisputable origin, its absolute perfection, and I went back and scratched out its and I put her to remind us we're not dealing with an it. We're dealing with the bride, the Lamb's wife, the church, the people of God. Now what are the outstanding characteristics?
Well, characteristic number one is her indisputable origin. Look at 21 in verse 2. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, not growing up out of the new heavens and the new earth, but coming down of heaven. Now notice how careful the Holy Ghost is to underscore that principle when he comes with the zoom lens in chapter 22, verse 10.
And he carried me away in the spirit to a mountain great and high, and he showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down to heaven, from God. You see what God is saying to us? We've looked at Babylon. That's the city of man.
We've looked at the beast. That's the government of men. We've looked at the devil and his followers and what they have done. Now you're going to behold what God has done.
The Lamb's wife comes down out of heaven from God. Only the light of God can bring this. Only God could bring it past. And it's interesting that Hebrews 11 and verse 10 says, For he looked for a city whose architect and builder was what?
God. Who is the architect of the church? God. When did he draw up his plans?
Before the foundation of the world. Notice how again and again the people of God are referred to in the book of the Revelation. Those whose names are written in the book of the Lamb. Before the foundation of the world.
And thank God God didn't have to get his plans approved by any local building council. When God drew his plans God put his own stamp upon them. Said anybody around want to cancel? Anybody want to bind me by their rules?
He is the architect. But he's not only the architect. He is the builder. Those are the two words used in Hebrews 11 and verse 10.
They looked for a city whose architect and builder was God. Don't you ever say the Old Testament saints had as their hope that God would give them a big sort of mega city there in Jerusalem and they'd tromp on all the feet of their enemies. It's a cursed, cursed interpretation of the spirituality of the religion of Old Testament saints. They were not looking for a glorified Jerusalem.
They looked for a city whose architect and builder was God himself. This is what they looked for. Abraham rejoiced to see my day, Jesus. The indisputable origin of the church, the Lamb, the Lamb's wife is God himself.
Characteristic 2: Her Absolute Perfection
He plans it. He brings it to pass. All right? Then secondly, we see the second outstanding characteristic of the redeemed in their final state is their absolute perfection or her absolute perfection.
Look at verse 11 of chapter 22. After describing the origin, what is the first thing John says struck him when he was drawn in with the zoom lens? He says, I saw the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Now what is the glory of God?
The glory of God is the outshining of the perfections of God. When Moses prayed, Lord, show me thy glory, what he was saying is, Lord, show me the perfections of your person. The earth is full of the glory of God, the outshining of his perfections. So the moment John sees this city, this Lamb's wife coming down from heaven out of God, the first thing that strikes him is that it glows with the perfections of God himself.
And so the second outstanding characteristic of the church in its perfected state will be its perfection. And that's why you have this emphasis, such as you find further in verse 11, her light was unto like unto a stone most precious, as it were, jasper stone, clear as crystal. 21 and verse 8, I'm sorry, verse 18, and the building of the wall was jasper and the city was pure gold like unto pure glass. Well, you know gold is not transparent.
So how can it be pure gold like unto pure glass? Well, the main thrust is on the absolute purity. If John's got to mix his figures, it doesn't seem to bother him. He wants to get the message through.
It's light, clear as crystal. It's gold, glass. And then he goes on to show its perfect dimension. Not a thing was out of plumb.
It was exactly square, up, across, down, as it was measured. Perfect dimensions. Nothing out of plumb. You didn't have one cubit shy on one side.
What's all this measuring? I am amazed when people say, well, that means that heaven is actually going to be about a 1500 mile cube and they figured out if you have so many layers at 12 feet high, how many millions of people. Dear ones, what a crass, crass materializing of the glory of the perfected church. This is not a description of the new heavens and the new earth.
It's a description of the glory of not one cubit shy on any measurement. Every last redeemed soul will be brought to the perfected church. It's not a description of the new heavens and the new earth. It's a description of the glory of not one cubit shy on any measurement.
Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring and there shall be one fold, one shepherd. Perfect dimensions. And then its gold is pure. 21.18.
The water is pure. 22.1. What does he see?
He showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the land. Nothing that defiles will enter. 21 in verse 2. Verse 8.
The fearful, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murderers, they will not enter. 22.21. Verse 27.
And there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean or that maketh abomination or a lie, only they that are written in the land's book of life. You see what the picture is? It's a picture of the church that not only has its origin in God but is in a state of absolute perfection. And the third characteristic of the church is its comprehensive scope.
Characteristic 3: Her Comprehensive Scope
And I'm not satisfied with how I've entitled it but it's the best I could come up with. Its comprehensive scope. What will the bride's, the land's bride include? Who will comprise that?
Well, look at chapter 21. We read in verses 12 through 13, it has a wall great and high, having twelve gates or portals and at the gates twelve angels and names written thereon which are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he describes those gates. Then verse 14 says, And the wall of the city had twelve foundations and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the land.
So you see there is this integration of the foundations with the walls. And the walls have gates. And what are on the gates? The twelve names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
What are upon the foundations? The names of the twelve apostles of the land. So the wall with its gates is comprised of this fusion of the twelve apostles. What's he saying?
What is God saying to John? He's saying, John, the characteristic of the glorified people of God will be the comprehensiveness of the scope of those included in that redeemed body of my people. It will be every elect Jew from the old economy. And some of those Ninevites that were saved under the old economy.
It will be all of the people of God in the new economy, not two churches. And I stand to say publicly it is borders on heresy when I read people say that in the redeemed state the New Testament church will be the bride and the Old Testament church will simply be the friends of the bridegroom holding the coats for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. My Bible says they shall come from the east and the west and the north and the south and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God. And there are elements of dispensational teaching that border on heresy.
Now don't go out and say Pastor Martin said a dispensation this is a heresy. I didn't say that and if you say that I said that you're bearing false witness. What I am saying is there are elements of its teaching that border on heresy and this is one of them. The Lamb died to have Abraham part of that bride.
The Lamb died to have Isaac part of that bride and don't you dare rob him of that by saying that they'll just be friends of the bridegroom. No, no. It's one city comprised of those brought in under the apostolic preaching and instruction and those brought in under the old economy. Here's the comprehensive scope of the redeemed in their perfected state.
The book of Hebrews Ephesians chapter 1 says that Abraham Ephesians chapter 2 and Romans chapter 11 forever should lay to rest any notion that there is any basic difference between the saints under the old economy and the saints under the new. And if you have any problem with that don't go out angry. I hope you go out challenged and you study on your face before God and then on your seat with some good solid commentators Ephesians 2 the book of Hebrews and Romans chapter 11 says there is one olive trunk of redemption not two there is but one house of God Hebrews 3 there is but one church Ephesians chapter 2 well the fourth characteristic and I must not pause on any of these you forgive me if I stick with my notes it's only to discipline my own spirit is her immeasurable worth now what's all this imagery about pure gold what's all this imagery about gates of one pearl what's all this imagery about precious stones and you find this of course from verse 17 all the way down through to verse 21 what is this well it should be obvious to us what is gold but the metal that is of greatest worth what is pearl well it is the stone not even the stone what do we call it what do you call
Characteristic 4: Her Immeasurable Worth
a you what is the technical name for a pearl well whatever it is it's worth a lot it's worth a lot it's worth a lot it's worth a lot and then all of these other things sapphire onyx sardius beryl what's God saying to us he's saying John I want to impress upon you the inestimable worth of the Lamb's bride the inestimable worth of the people of God take every figure of gold and silver and precious things and even use them to buy gold God says I hope you get the message the Lamb's wife is of inestimable worth how much was it worth to him the scripture says he loved the church and gave himself up for it God says to elders take heed to the flock of God which he hath purchased with his own blood now Babylon thought she had silt what does God think of all of that will you read the 17th chapter of the book of Revelation fallen is Babylon the great what is of true what is the gold that will never perish the redeemed of God
these that have come out of great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the people of God and then the fifth outstanding characteristic is her indescribable bliss and what comprises that bliss well look at chapter 21 verse 3 here before John gets behind the zoom lens he's just hearing now what it's all about and I heard a great voice out of the throne of God saying behold the tabernacle what is the kingdom of God and he shall dwell with them they shall be his peoples and God himself will shall be with them and be there that's the first thing the voice says now it's interesting when John is taken up in the high mountain what's what does he see well look now he said I saw a strange thing this is the city of God New Jerusalem but Jerusalem always had a temple but I saw no temple therein why for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb
Characteristic 5: Her Indescribable Bliss
are the temple there in other words there is no special place where God's presence has gathered people his special dwelling place there it will no longer be where two or three are gathered in my midst there am I because wherever they are they are the gathered people of God and God is there God is there in the unclouded vision and glory of his countenance God is there oh the indescribable bliss to a Christian servant shall serve him and they shall see his face the indescribable bliss of heaven has as its greatest its pinnacle expression of bliss the unclouded unsullied communion face to face with God and with the Lamb some of you may have an inner varsity hymn book there's one of the hymns in there that I wish were in our hymn book it goes something like this this is one of the phrases heaven itself without thee dark as night would be Lamb of God thy glory is the light above Lamb of God thy glory is the life of love Jesus
all perfections there's the first lines of it Jesus all perfections rise and end in thee heaven itself without thee dark as night would be frankly this is why I'm convinced there's been so much emphasis on the idea of literal streets of gold and the rest over the past fifty to a hundred years because the mark of most evangelical Christianity is it's left people devoid of a hunger for God of realized communion with God and therefore they had to find the bliss of heaven in something that bypassed God himself imagine what this meant to suffering saints who looked up at the angry face of a captor who looked up at the frowning face of a soldier about to throw him to the lions to know in the words of some of the old Scottish covenanters that all they could do would be to chase them up to heaven on one of the tombstones of some who were martyred there in Scotland there is a tribute paid to them and I'll never forget their little lines I can still see them they're etched on my mind as they're etched upon the stones there in a graveyard in central Scotland so and so did this and this and in so doing they chased them up to heaven and what is heaven to behold his face to behold his face that's the indescribable bliss face to face communion with God secondly the absence of anything that will cause grief
21 in verse 4 look at it the voice says and he shall wipe away every tear literally from out of their eyes does it mean he's actually going to excise our tear ducts I don't know but he'll wipe away every tear from out of their eyes why what are tears well now sometimes we cry when we're happy apparently we'll be made a little different then and all we'll do is shout and laugh when we're happy we won't even cry when we're happy anymore there shall be no tears and death shall be no more neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore for the first things are passed away what is the indescribable bliss of the land's wife the people of God face to face communion with God the absence of anything that would cause grief and that's why God concludes both visions with the statement the wicked won't be there verse 7 he that overcometh shall inherit these things verse 8 of chapter 21 but the fearful and unbelieving they'll be in another place how does the vision what does God say in verse 27 of the same chapter there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean or maketh abomination or maketh a lie why does he put that in the midst of describing the bliss because that's part of our bliss isn't it? that's why it's so grievous to go from Sunday to Monday for many of us you're amongst people
who honor his name and though you know you're amongst fellow sinners they're redeemed sinners and they love his name and they love his praise and they speak of him and of his truth and his ways and then you go back into that situation of work in that school in that office on Monday and what do you hear? you hear that which is unclean that which makes lies that which is defiling and there's pain to your spirit right? the joy of Sunday is often bled before Monday noon that's all going to be done away you can go wherever you want and there'll be nothing in any way to cut the edge off the joy because you'll be with his redeemed indescribable bliss face to face communion with God the absence of anything to cause grief but that's negative what about all the thirst and hungers of my soul? God says there'll be the presence of everything to fill them look at chapter 22 beginning with verse 1 and he's showing us he showed me a river of water of life bright as crystal proceeding out of the throne of God and of the land are you thirsty? the river is as inexhaustible as God and the land it'll never run dry and that river conveys to the very mouth of the believer the redeemed saint all of the virtues that are in God and are purchased by Jesus Christ it flows out of the throne of God and of the land redemptive blessings
to quench every thirst every legitimate thirst of the soul of the redeemed and then unwearied labor in the service of God verse 3 of chapter 22 there should be no curse anymore and what was one of the marks of the curse? not work contrary to the philosophy of some work is not a curse before sin ever entered God gave Adam in his sinless state a task to perform he said you dress the garden and keep it and Adam whispered all day long happy in communion with God but now when the curse came what did God say? he says in the sweat of thy brow you'll make that earth yield its increase there'll be thorns to pierce your hand there'll be pain in your work now what does God say in the redeemed state? look at it the servants of God I'm sorry and the throne of God and of the land shall be therein and his servants his bond slaves his doulos his slaves shall serve him but serve him how? with no thorns to pierce the hand with none of the agony of sweat upon the brow and wonder of wonders with never a moment of weariness of soul of mind or of body oh dear brothers and sisters won't that be bliss? because again part of our grief is we get all excited we sit in a meeting like this and we say who wouldn't want to serve a God like that? and you find out you run out of gas before you go two miles doing what you feel the Lord wants you to do right?
and you grow weary as Whitefield said I've never grown weary of his service but I've often grown weary in it there'll be no weariness of nor in the service of God what are we going to do? God doesn't tell me except I'm going to serve him that's all I need to know because the him whom I serve is the God of infinite wisdom and love what we're going to do? well you might sit around this afternoon and speculate about that I don't know but it's going to be service I'm not going to sit around somewhere and plunk a harp and count the hours and count the hours and count the hours and count the feathers and angels' wings frankly that's never been very appealing to me I have no fascination for harps I like to hear them but I have no fascination to learn how to play a harp now if learning to play one would make me more happy then God will give me a disposition to want to learn to play one and teach me how but it says his servant shall serve him not just worship him they shall serve him and could it be that then we will see throughout the universe what God originally intended and what God originally intended and even more I don't know ever lay on your back at night in a place where there isn't a lot of city light and look up and say what in the world did God put all those stars and planets out there and how many have we never discovered ever wonder what he put it all there for when all of his redemptive activity focuses on this one little spot this one little speck
in the fringe of one little galaxy of the so-called millions of galaxies possibly well I don't know but there's an awful lot out there who knows I don't know but I know that we'll serve him without weariness without heaviness of spirit without dragging our feet his servants shall serve him well you see this face-to-face communion with God the absence of anything to cause grief the presence of everything to quench the thirst the unwearied labor put it all together in what you have indescribable bliss and I suggest that these five things are the dominant elements of what the eternal spirit of the believer will be like let me give them to you just briefly again it's indisputable origin God it's absolute perfection it's comprehensive scope it's great work and then it's perfect bliss now then what do we have at the end of that vision which concludes with verse 5 well as I read through verses 6 to the end of the chapter and this is where I like a paragraph to Bible I tried to write down the thoughts that were found in verses 6 and 7 then in verses 8 and 9 then in verses 10 to 15 then 16 separately 17 separately 18 and 19 and then finally verses 20 and 21 separately and I thought I found sort of a collection of miscellaneous things such as you often find
Conclusion: Attestation of Revelation's Validity and Our Blessed Hope
at the end of an epistle without much real relation to one another and after doing my own work I said well let me see what others of God's servants have found well Mr. Morris whose commentary was recommended by Mr. Fisher and rightly so excellent commentary he pretty much says the same thing then I turned to Mr. Lenski and he said something else he suggests that the basic thrust of this last section that on your outline appears as conclusion verses 6 to 21 is basically the two-fold attestation of the validity of the book of the Revelation God everywhere in the Old and the New Testament says that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word should be established and what Mr. Lenski suggests is that in verses 6 through 15 we have the attestation of the angel who was the medium of communicating these visions verse 6 and he said unto me these words are faithful and true see the attestation and the Lord the God of the spirits of the prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly come to pass and now the angel quoting the Lord and behold I come quickly blessed is he that keeps the words of the prophecy of this book then you have this incident of John falling down to worship the angel because he mistakes him for the glorified Christ he's so similar in appearance according to the vision of chapter 1
and the angel says no no don't do that I'm simply a fellow servant and don't seal up the book now I've given this revelation I attest that it's true and now make it available to the people of God then in verse 16 I Jesus here is the Lord Jesus speaking have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things to the churches I speaking of himself now am the root and the offspring of David the bright and morning star and then Mr. Lenski suggests that the Lord Jesus speaks these next words and then the Lord Jesus continues to say I testify unto every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book if any man adds the plagues will be added if any man takes away verse 20 he who testifies these things says yea I come quickly up to there we have then the attestation of Jesus himself to the validity of what the angel has said at his behest and then you have the response of John and of the church amen come Lord Jesus and in the interim what's our hope the grace of the Lord Jesus will be with us well I kind of like Mr. Lenski's thesis I think it holds water so that the conclusion of the book is not a half-assed collection of miscellaneous ideas it's as though the people of God say some of this seems so unreal to us look at the beast stalking through the earth look at the Roman government in the midst of persecution look at the influence
of Babylon that mother of harlots look at the influence of the world and many professing Christians turning away under the pressure of persecution can it really be that the beast shall be cast into the lake of the sea can it really be that the devil is chained to any degree God says yes it's true there's the attestation of the angel and the attestation of Jesus at the mouth of these two witnesses everything is confirmed and so confirmed that if any man dares to detract one word that is spoken God says judgment will come upon him if anyone dares to add to what is spoken judgment will come upon him and so children of God we're not hoping wishfully thinking for pie in the sky by and by Reverend Ike not withstanding that is our hope Reverend Ike and his crowd are part of Babylon Reverend Ike's gospel is follow me and my teaching and you'll have your silk and your riches and your Cadillacs and your twenty suits in the closet he's part of Babylon and he'll go down with Babylon into hell
and the Jehovah's Witnesses are part of Babylon talking about the new earth and hoping if they pass out enough watchtowers and bang on enough doors they'll make it into the new earth a few extra special ones will make it to the 144,000 that's Babylon friends our hope is not in anything that comes up out of the earth but in that which comes down out of heaven from God we are not following idly conceived tales we are not when we commit ourselves to a perspective of life that says the best is yet to come may I say for any of you who've been reading the Puritan Hope and becoming aware of the great vision that some of our forefathers had for great triumphs of the gospel here on earth before the Lord returns there's a great danger in the whole post-millennial view there's a great danger and it's this you begin to make your hope some triumphs of the gospel in this present time system and God says the blessed hope is not to be found in any measure of triumphs of the gospel in this system but the blessed hope is the coming of the Lamb upon his white charger to dip his vesture in blood now does that mean we don't hope for greater successes for the gospel no we must pray for greater success of the gospel let's pray that the gospel will run throughout the earth let's plead on the basis
that God does in some measure have that dragon chained but the gospel is not chained but let us never be deceived into thinking that our ultimate joy will be found in any circumstance for those which surround the coming down out of heaven from God of the new Jerusalem that's our hope that's our stay that's our confidence and as we labor and pray and often grow weary and often have to confess our sin and often even with pain we have to be alienated from men when we have reason to believe for our brethren let us be nerved with the confidence that the hours come when there won't be one person in the city of God with whom I cannot hold that multi-leveled fellowship not only of heart acknowledging you as a brother or sister in Christ but imagine perfect affinity of head as well there'll be no more doctrinal differences there'll be no more doctrinal debates now we've got to have them while we're in this life God have mercy on us if we give them up and we see through a glass darkly and as long as we do we've got to wrestle for what we believe to be the truth of the scriptures but then all will be made plain and everything that means complete unhampered communion between two human beings we shall have with a great multitude
whom no man can number and all the cultural barriers that cause suspicion all be done away though we will be there with all of our national identities there's some out of every kindred, tribe, and tongue and nation when John saw the vision he didn't see them all grey he didn't see them all black he didn't see them all white he didn't see them all yellow he saw the black ones the white ones the yellow ones and everything in between he said there they were maintaining all their individual identity and national and ethnic identities but the city of God one people the Lamb's bride well our time is just about gone and we're going to I wasn't supposed to preach I was supposed to teach but I'm sorry I told Mr. Fisher I said brother how in the world you could how in the world you could contain yourself handling what you were last week I said you're a better man than I am he said well I was shouting on the inside or something like that yes and I know I speak for all of you when I say how much we appreciate the time and the initiative and really the courage that our brother expressed in biting off something like this I've been wanting to do it for a long time and frankly I just didn't have the courage when I saw the Lord helping him my courage rose and I said well if he can hang in there for three weeks maybe I can do it for two and I'm deeply appreciative because it's been a real means of blessing to my own heart and I know I speak for all of the brothers and sisters Bob when we say a hearty thank you to you
for the ministry you've had well we've got about two minutes and you've got about 200 questions so that's good that gets me off the hook I can bring everything to a close in two minutes any questions?
yes homework assignment pardon? you mentioned the homework homework assignment thank you I always like people who are looking for work our lesson next week will be try we'll try to discover the four five major the dominant themes that run through the book of the revelation and you don't need to do a careful reading just sort of do a speed reading through the book see the things that come up again and again and again what things have come up again and again and again in the study? and that's what we hope to do tomorrow next week God willing is just articulate the major themes of the book of the revelation so you come prepared and we'll put you to work alright? I'll have my notes but I hope you have some too and we'll discuss that together
This transcript was generated by automated speech recognition and may contain errors. It is provided for study and reference only; the audio recording is the authoritative source.
Passages Expounded
This passage describes the fourth vision of the New Jerusalem, which Martin interprets as a 'zoom lens' on the eternal state of the redeemed, detailing its characteristics.
Texts Expounded
Also Referenced
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