Sunday School Lesson
Introduction: So much of our environment and lives have to do with water. Think of how much of the earth is water. Think of how much of the human body is water. Israel is a dry land in the midst of various bodies of water. Our older son purchased a T-shirt in Israel for his oldest son that reads, “Med Sea, Red Sea, Dead Sea.” To the south is the Red Sea. To the west is the Mediterranean (Great) Sea. To the east is the Dead Sea. In addition, to the north is the Sea of Galilee. Running down through Israel is the Jordan River. Whatever it touches is green. Whatever it does not touch is brown. Israel, like other Middle Eastern countries, knew the value of water. Not surprisingly part of John’s vision into the land of no more tears involved water. Since John wrote‑ Revelation, we should expect that he would use his typical double-meaning language. John knew of physical water (John 4:7) as well as spiritual water (4:10). The same was true as John peered into more of the details of the New Jerusalem.
The River Of Life
Revelation 22:1-5KJV
1And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
What is there is water. The same angel who spoke to John earlier (Revelation 21:9) now showed him the river in this eternal city. This river has special spiritual qualities. It teems with life. It is clear as crystal like the rest of the city. Most importantly, the source of the river is God himself (Genesis 1:10; Ezekiel 47:1-12). God is the source of life (John 10:10). This river runs down the middle of the great street of the city, indicative of the fact that life permeates outward from God to his people in this city. What is there is a tree. This tree (described as a grove of interconnected trees like Colorado aspens) is spoken of as one tree (reminiscent of Genesis 2:9). Like the river, it teems with life. This tree is extremely productive. It bears twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. Like the river and the tree itself, the leaves on that tree also teem with life. The leaves heal the nations that stream into this city. Heaven is a place of incredible life. Two things cannot exist in this city. The first is the curse. What was brought into the old heaven and old earth due to sin (Genesis 3:17-19) is now eradicated. With the curse of sin totally gone, the inhabitants of the city (servants of God) are freed to see him, bear his name on their heads, and serve him. With the curse forever gone, nothing will hinder believers from serving God fully. The second thing not in the city is night. In fact, there will be no more night. This may be another good example of John’s double meanings. Physical darkness will be banished, since God is there and he is light (Revelation 21:23). But spiritual darkness will also be banished, since God is there and his character cannot allow moral impurity to exist in his presence (1 John 1:5; Revelation 21:8). The servants of God now share fully in his moral purity. This allows them to reign forever and ever with their God.
The Angels Affirmation
Revelation 22:6KJV
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
With life embraced and darkness banished in this eternal city, what could possibly remain for these servants of God living out their existence in the old heaven and old earth? Maybe just one thing—perfect obedience. The same angel mentioned above repeats the theological affirmation: These words are trustworthy and true. The angel invites John to take the truthfulness of what he saw to the bank.
Jesus' Promises
Revelation 22:7KJV
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
God gave his inspired message (literally, Spirit) to his prophets (inspired spokespersons like John the apostle) via his angel (messenger from Heaven) to show the servants what would soon take place. Then the Lord (the great I Am) himself declares that he is coming soon. The word soon gives us pause. How soon is soon? Two thousand years does not seem to be soon to us. The word can be translated “quickly,” but that may not help much either. Perhaps the best resolution is that God’s soon is different than our soon. This we know: a blessing awaits the one who obeys the prophetic word in the book of Revelation. This is how the Revelation began (Revelation 1:3). Obedience brings blessing in this life and the life to come. That is something to be thankful for this week.
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Saturday, November 12, 2016
New Jerusalem
Sunday School Lesson
Introduction: Jerusalem is a stunning city. When the sun hits this city of stone, it sparkles. But the New Jerusalem that John saw in his vision sparkled even more. John utilized vivid language to describe what he saw. Much of this may be literally what John saw. But because John had never seen anything like this, some of it may be the best he can do with figures of speech. Metaphors and symbols are embraced when normal language just does not cut it.
The Wife City
Revelation 21:9-14KJV
Introduction: Jerusalem is a stunning city. When the sun hits this city of stone, it sparkles. But the New Jerusalem that John saw in his vision sparkled even more. John utilized vivid language to describe what he saw. Much of this may be literally what John saw. But because John had never seen anything like this, some of it may be the best he can do with figures of speech. Metaphors and symbols are embraced when normal language just does not cut it.
The Wife City
Revelation 21:9-14KJV
9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
John was mesmerized by this holy city that came down out of Heaven. He obeyed the voice of one of the seven angels (Revelation 15:1), finding himself in the Spirit (a visionary inspiration), and even went to a mountain great and high (see also Isaiah 2:2, 3) to view this wonderful wife of the lamb. A different metaphorical woman in the book of Revelation is a prostitute who is filled with abominations, has terrible names written on her, and is called Babylon (Revelation 17). This metaphorical woman is a wife filled with transparency, who has the seal of God on her and is called Jerusalem. Her beauty takes one’s breath away.But this wife is not just a wife; she is a city. John described her beauty in highly figurative and symbolic terms. John’s attention was drawn to the city’s glory, walls, gates, and foundations. The glory of the city is described in terms of shining brilliance and security. It was like that of a precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. Jasper was a well-known jewel in the ancient world. Jasper is not clear, but the phrase clear as crystal is descriptive of beauty. It shines. The walls of the city are high, which symbolize protection. The unprinted part of our text indicates that the wall’s thickness is about 72 yards (Revelation 21:17), also representing safety. The glory of the city is described in terms of majesty and symmetry. This text is brought to you by the number 12 (we see 12 gates, 12 angels at those gates, 12 names of the tribes of Israel on the gates, and 12 foundations). Obviously the number 12 is a significant symbolic number. The Old Israel and the New Israel account for the number 12 (a complete picture of God’s people). This city has perfect symmetry too. Just like Israel camped around the tabernacle (Numbers 2:1-34), so the people of God surround the throne in the New Jerusalem. In fact, the city is a perfect cube (Revelation 21:16). Think of the volume of this in a literal way. The space shuttle circles the earth at about 300 miles above the earth. The city goes out into outer space about 1,400 miles. That’s big.
The Lamb Temple
Revelation 21:22-27KJV
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
The most important part of Old Jerusalem was the temple. So John looks inside the city to find the temple. To his surprise he finds none. Neither does he find a light. But he does find the Lamb. An engaging part of biblical cosmology is that light existed before sun, moon, and stars (Genesis 1:3-5, 14-19). Also after the sun is extinguished, light will still exist (Revelation 22:5). The most important part of this city is the Lamb himself.God had always planned for humankind to multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28). In fact, he got frustrated when people pushed against that plan (11:4). So we should not be surprised when many nations will walk by the light provided by this wonderful Lamb.This New Jerusalem is described even more in terms of its number, security, and its purity. The New Jerusalem will be filled with people (Revelation 7:9). In fact the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. The imagery here is that of a conquering king parading his POWs and spoils into his city after winning a battle. City gates were very significant in the ancient world. No one in their right mind would leave them open. That would mean too much vulnerability. But the Lamb temple is so sovereign he can risk it. God’s people are secure.There is also no night there. This probably has a moral nuance to it (John 13:30). All of the evil has been defeated. Nothing impure will ever enter it and anything shameful and deceptive does not stand a chance. This New Jerusalem is all about the Lamb and his flock.
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Brand New
Sunday School Lesson
Introduction: The New Testament has two different Greek words translated new (four times in our text). One is “chronos,” which refers to something new in time. The other is “kairos,” which refers to something new in quality. John uses the latter when describing Heaven. Our next four lessons describe Heaven in terms of a social reality that is brand new.In a sermon, Randy Harris of Abilene Christian University outlined the book of Revelation in the following way: 1—God’s team wins. 2—You get to pick a team. 3—Don’t be stupid. If we are wise we will pick God’s team because it always wins and celebrates in a brand-new home.
All Things New
Revelation 21:1-4KJV
1And 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.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
A little chorus says, “Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with glory and grace.” It is also filled with things that are familiar (like the old heaven/earth and the city of Jerusalem that we know). It is filled with beauty (like that of a bride). It is filled with a temple (which is really God himself). It is filled with joy (and the absence of tears, death, mourning, crying, or pain).In this text heaven is a place filled with sights, sounds, and words. And they are all new. John saw a new heaven and a new earth. In fact, Revelation is a series of things that John saw (an expression that appears in Revelation 5:1; 7:1; 10:1; 13:1; 15:1; 18:1; 20:1). The fact that the new heaven and new earth could be recognized is because they resembled the old heaven and earth enough to see the similarities. Also there is no sea—a symbol that refers to the source of evils (Revelation 13:1). Inside or alongside of the new heaven and new earth is a new city. It looks familiar too. It favors Jerusalem, but it also is new—and holy (Isaiah 48:2; 52:1; Matthew 4:5). This city stands for the presence of God because it comes down out of heaven. Its main description is delayed until next week’s lesson, but here it is described as a bride beautifully dressed (where the English word “cosmetic” comes from) for her husband.
John not only saw beautiful things. He also heard wonderful words. He heard an angel announce two things: 1—That God is dwelling (Greek word for “tabernacle”) intimately with his people again. 2—That God will remove the old order with all of its pain and suffering. So we see that this new place is totally holy, splendidly beautiful, perfectly sorrow-free, and infinitely filled with the presence of God.
New Beginning
Revelation 21:5-8KJV
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
There is such a thing as a do-over with God. People get second chances, and the whole world gets rebooted. The news of this new beginning is so important that God does not leave the announcement to someone else. The one who sits on the throne (God himself—Revelation 1:10-20; 4:1-3) makes the announcement. Much of our lesson is summed up in the words, “I am making everything new!” Earlier John was asked to look. Here he was asked to write—an imperative that appears several times in Revelation. The reason for this writing is because the words are trustworthy and true. These words have positive effects and negative effects. Positively this new beginning is based on God’s nature. He is the Alpha and the Omega (which is like saying the “A” and the “Z”). This new beginning is also based on God’s invitation. People who are thirsty (a metaphor referring to having a parched throat for the things of God—Isaiah 55:1; John 4:14) are offered free water. This new beginning is also based on a powerful promise. The victorious people (overcomers) will inherit all the wonders of this brand-new city. For a second time in our text God promises to be our God (see also Ruth 1:16). Negatively (which is another way to appreciate the beauty of this city) God lists seven groups of people who won’t be in this city. Most of us can understand why the murderers, sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, and idolaters would be left out. But cowardly, unbelievers, and liars? Are all sins equal? They are not equal in effect, but they are in results. They will be consigned to the lake of fire (like what will happen to the trinity of evil—Revelation 19:20; 20:10). This is not just physical death. It is eternal (second) death.
Introduction: The New Testament has two different Greek words translated new (four times in our text). One is “chronos,” which refers to something new in time. The other is “kairos,” which refers to something new in quality. John uses the latter when describing Heaven. Our next four lessons describe Heaven in terms of a social reality that is brand new.In a sermon, Randy Harris of Abilene Christian University outlined the book of Revelation in the following way: 1—God’s team wins. 2—You get to pick a team. 3—Don’t be stupid. If we are wise we will pick God’s team because it always wins and celebrates in a brand-new home.
All Things New
Revelation 21:1-4KJV
1And 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.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
A little chorus says, “Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with glory and grace.” It is also filled with things that are familiar (like the old heaven/earth and the city of Jerusalem that we know). It is filled with beauty (like that of a bride). It is filled with a temple (which is really God himself). It is filled with joy (and the absence of tears, death, mourning, crying, or pain).In this text heaven is a place filled with sights, sounds, and words. And they are all new. John saw a new heaven and a new earth. In fact, Revelation is a series of things that John saw (an expression that appears in Revelation 5:1; 7:1; 10:1; 13:1; 15:1; 18:1; 20:1). The fact that the new heaven and new earth could be recognized is because they resembled the old heaven and earth enough to see the similarities. Also there is no sea—a symbol that refers to the source of evils (Revelation 13:1). Inside or alongside of the new heaven and new earth is a new city. It looks familiar too. It favors Jerusalem, but it also is new—and holy (Isaiah 48:2; 52:1; Matthew 4:5). This city stands for the presence of God because it comes down out of heaven. Its main description is delayed until next week’s lesson, but here it is described as a bride beautifully dressed (where the English word “cosmetic” comes from) for her husband.
John not only saw beautiful things. He also heard wonderful words. He heard an angel announce two things: 1—That God is dwelling (Greek word for “tabernacle”) intimately with his people again. 2—That God will remove the old order with all of its pain and suffering. So we see that this new place is totally holy, splendidly beautiful, perfectly sorrow-free, and infinitely filled with the presence of God.
New Beginning
Revelation 21:5-8KJV
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
There is such a thing as a do-over with God. People get second chances, and the whole world gets rebooted. The news of this new beginning is so important that God does not leave the announcement to someone else. The one who sits on the throne (God himself—Revelation 1:10-20; 4:1-3) makes the announcement. Much of our lesson is summed up in the words, “I am making everything new!” Earlier John was asked to look. Here he was asked to write—an imperative that appears several times in Revelation. The reason for this writing is because the words are trustworthy and true. These words have positive effects and negative effects. Positively this new beginning is based on God’s nature. He is the Alpha and the Omega (which is like saying the “A” and the “Z”). This new beginning is also based on God’s invitation. People who are thirsty (a metaphor referring to having a parched throat for the things of God—Isaiah 55:1; John 4:14) are offered free water. This new beginning is also based on a powerful promise. The victorious people (overcomers) will inherit all the wonders of this brand-new city. For a second time in our text God promises to be our God (see also Ruth 1:16). Negatively (which is another way to appreciate the beauty of this city) God lists seven groups of people who won’t be in this city. Most of us can understand why the murderers, sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, and idolaters would be left out. But cowardly, unbelievers, and liars? Are all sins equal? They are not equal in effect, but they are in results. They will be consigned to the lake of fire (like what will happen to the trinity of evil—Revelation 19:20; 20:10). This is not just physical death. It is eternal (second) death.
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