Well, having shown us the end
of this world and the destruction of Babylon and the final judgment
of all sin and all rebellion, and we've seen the confinement
of Satan and all who bear his mark in hell. After all of that,
John saw the new Jerusalem. He saw the new heaven and the
new earth coming down from God. And in today's passage, John
is shown more detail, and this he wrote down so that we have
it before us. The end is coming, as I've said
so often, the end is coming. Are we living in Satan's little
season? You know he was bound for a thousand
years, a symbolical thousand years, but then before the end
he must be released, loosed for a little season. and as I said
I wouldn't be dogmatic I wouldn't I wouldn't die in a ditch over
asserting that we are now in that little season but I think
the signs are very very clear that we're in that little season
before the end I just see things that are so different to what
has gone on before for so long in that symbolical thousand years
I think we're in that Season, that little season of Satan being
loose to deceive again. Seems so much like that at the
moment. What does it tell us? The end
is coming. The end is coming. What are we
told to do in the scriptures? Watch. Watch. Keep looking. Keep looking like you would look
for the thief. If you knew the thief was going
to come and burgle your house, you'd be looking out for him.
Watch and be ready. Jesus told his disciples in the
Sermon on the Mount, Get your priorities right. He said, seek
first the kingdom of God. Seek first the kingdom of God.
Lay up treasure in heaven. Look for that eternal city. That's
where our thoughts and our hopes and our aspirations should be.
Yes, we have things to do now. Yes, we have. But look for that.
Seek first the kingdom of God. Because if in this life We don't have that eternity to
look forward to. If this life is all that there
is, then the logical thing to do is to get whatever you can
out of it, isn't it? That's the logical thing to do.
Milk it for everything you can get out of it. Make the most
of it, because as the hedonist says, you only get one shot at
it. And they say you're dead a long time. Get the most out
of it. But it isn't the case. The end is coming. There is an
eternity. you see Paul said to the Corinthians
when some of them were saying there's no resurrection he said
in first Corinthians 15 verse 19 if in this life only we have
hope in Christ you know there's no resurrection there's nothing
after death if that's the case which it isn't but he says if
that was the case we are of all men most miserable why live for
Christ if there is no resurrection if there is no eternity if there
is no heaven No, we'd be of all men most miserable, but it isn't.
It isn't. God's truth is true. Psalm 19
verse 11 says, in keeping of them, that's the word of God,
the statutes of God, the gospel principles of God, the gospel
precepts of God, there is great reward. There is great reward. What is the reward? What is the
believer's reward? What did God say to Abraham?
Genesis 15-1, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield and thy exceeding
great reward. God. What's the chief end of
man, as the old catechism says? It's to glorify God and enjoy
Him forever. Enjoy Him. Not suffer. Enjoy Him forever. There's a
great reward for those who trust him. Do we have any idea how
great is that eternal reward for believers? I don't think
we do. You see, sin mars everything
in this life, doesn't it? Sin mars our experience of everything,
so that we don't know what's coming. 1 Corinthians 2, 9 and
10, as it is written, I hath not seen, nor ear heard neither
have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath
prepared for them that love him but God hath revealed them unto
us by his Spirit by his Spirit here in Revelation 21 and 22
in the vision that John received, in the spiritual
metaphor that John saw, in the symbolism of impossible pictures. You can't translate these pictures
into something that you could make a model of out there. You
just can't do it. It just doesn't work. It's symbolism. that the great truth of God's
eternal paradise is unveiled. And that's what I've called this
message, God's Eternal Paradise. Jesus said, I'm going away from
you. They were heartbroken. He said,
I'm going away from you. He said, I've got to go away
from you. If I don't go away from you, I won't be able to
send the Holy Spirit to you. He's gone. He sent his Spirit. so that we meeting here and others
meeting in their own homes or in churches all around the world
have the felt presence of Christ where two or three are gathered
together in his name there is he in the midst and he said I'm
going away to prepare mansions for you in heaven I'm going away
to prepare a place he said if it wasn't so I would have told
you did he ever tell us a lie? he only ever told us the truth
so let's have a look at it let's have a look at God's eternal
paradise first of all a bride that is a city a bride that is
a city verse nine 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 show thee the
bride, the Lamb's wife. Remember back in Revelation 16
when the seven angels with the vials of the wrath of God, the
final judgment, this is one of those angels came and talked
with him. Verse nine, Revelation 21 and
verse nine. There came to 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 show thee the
bride, the Lamb's wife. This is one of the destroying
angels that swept away the old and now shows us more of the
new. He was one of the angels who swept away this old world,
this old creation. Babylon and everything to do
with it he swept it away and he now shows us the new he shows
us the bride the lamb's wife what is this about being the
bride the lamb's wife turn with me to Ephesians chapter five
Ephesians chapter five and verse twenty five let me remind you
of this what is this bride that he's talking about the lamb's
wife what is he talking about Husbands, he says. Speaking to
husbands. There are three husbands in this
congregation this morning. Husbands, love your wives. What am I supposed to do? Even
as Christ also loved the church, the church, Ecclesia, his people,
and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify, separate it,
make it holy, and cleanse it with the washing of water by
the word, that he might present it to himself. A glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle of sin and corruption, or any such
thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. Verse
32. This is a great mystery. I speak
concerning Christ and the Church. The bride, the Lamb's wife, is
the Church, the people of God, the Ecclesia, the elect people,
chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, chosen by the Father
in his electing love before the foundation of the world, whom
Christ in the covenant of grace covenanted, agreed to come and
stand surety for, and redeemed them with his precious blood.
And the Holy Spirit undertook to come, and where Men and women
who were amongst those set apart by God in electing love are children
of wrath even as others and dead in trespasses and sins the Holy
Spirit comes and makes them alive and gives them faith and causes
them to hear that which they didn't hear and to discern that
which they didn't discern and the world around doesn't discern.
This is who it is. This is the bride, this is the
wife, the people of God, the people that Christ came to redeem. Do you see how particular the
gospel is? Do you see why it's not an academic
matter? You know, when we ask the question,
who did Christ die for? You'll hear lots of services
today, it's Easter Sunday, you'll hear them talking about the death
of Christ. I guarantee you the vast majority will talk about
Christ dying for everyone who ever lived. Is that what the
Word of God says? It most definitely is not. The
Word of God tells us that Christ died to redeem the elect of God. That multitude that no man can
number, that the Father gave to the Son before the foundation
of the world. Behold, I and the children whom
he has given me, is what Christ says. It's reported in the Old
Testament. Behold, I and the children whom
he has given me. It's particular, particular,
particular redemption, particular. it's one of the five points of
Calvinism which is a good summary of the scriptures he particularly
redeemed his people this is who it is this is the bride this
is the lamb's wife but for John to see it you need a vantage
point look at verse ten he carried me away in the spirit to a great
and high mountain he carried me away to look at this bride
to a great and high mountain. Oh, I probably sat him on top
of Mount Everest then. No, no, it's symbolism. It's
not a literal great and high. The idea is this. You need a
vantage point to see this bride. You need a high vantage, you
need a vantage point because what you're going to look at
is so vast, you can't see it unless you get up high. This
bride is a great city. Look. there's a bride come and
see and he carried me away and showed me a bride no that great
city the holy jerusalem descending out of heaven from god we've
already seen this in the first couple of verses of chapter 21
the new jerusalem coming down from heaven from god out of heaven
it's that free Jerusalem that we're talking about that Paul
speaks of in Galatians chapter 4 verse 26 he says but Jerusalem
which is above he says Jerusalem on the earth is in bondage to
the law the pharisaical application of the law they're in bondage
they're slavery they're in slavery no he says Jerusalem which is
above is free that free Jerusalem is what he saw what is it? the
redeemed people of God the church of God she comes down from God
and she has the glory of God she's got the verse 11 having
the glory of God and her light was like unto a stone most precious
even like a jasper stone clear as crystal the idea that the
symbolism the vision is often in scripture that lack of knowledge
of the things of God is darkness. Lack of knowledge of anything
to do with God is night. But knowledge of the things of
God is light. Crystal clear light. Light. In him is light. He is the light
of the world. In him is light. Here is pure
light. The church has that pure light. The believing people of God have
that pure light. And here they are. Redeemed.
Freed from sin. Restored. We're after the judgment. We're in eternity. We're in this
marriage supper of the Lamb. And here we are. Pure light.
This is what John sees. He sees the bride of Christ,
which is a city. a city? What are we talking about?
Streets and buildings and things? No, what is it that makes a city?
Is it the streets and the buildings and the transport networkers. No. What is it that makes a city?
The people. It's the people. It's the community. Things happen in cities. You
know, I know there's all sorts of corruption in cities and people
love to escape to the country to get away from the smoke and
the pollution and the crime and the so on, but I'll tell you
what. Anybody, like Dr Johnson said, he who is tired of London
is tired of life. if you go to london it's just
been it's just been voted on tripadvisor as the best city
in the world just the last couple of days far be it from me to
extol uh... the pleasures of life in this
world but as a community of happening things you know the thing that
we saw the other night we went to a concert at the barbican
and it was the most magnificent musical experience i think i've
ever had it was fabulous wonderful as much as I love the Lake District
I wouldn't have heard that in the middle of nowhere in the
Lake District it was the city that caused it the city brought
it about the city brought the people the city speaks of people
it's the community this is what John is seeing in the vision
is the community of the redeemed of God now let's look at its
dimensions how big is it? in verses 12 to 17 we get all
sorts of plans for it, don't we? Walls and gates and three
gates on the east and three on the north and three on the south
and three on the west and it's got a wall all the way around
it and it's got foundations and it's four square oh, verse 16,
it's a cube, it's a cube hold on it's a massive cube it's enormous
it's an enormous cube and it's got a wall all the way around
it, 220 feet high. I'm getting confused, you know,
I'm trying to picture this. Let's get a city planner, or
an architect, let's get some architects to try and draw this.
Do you know some people actually do this? Some people in interpreting
this passage, they actually try to draw pictures of it. You can't,
it's impossible. You cannot map it onto this space
time continuing in which we live now. It's vision. It's picture
language. It's a vision. What do the ideas
of the vision contain? Well, these ideas. This is the
important thing. It's huge. The people of God,
the Bride of Christ is vast in scale. How long is 12,000 furlongs? Do you know what a furlong is?
I think the only place they use furlongs now is in horse racing.
And if my old 1950s primary school education is still correct, I
think it is, there were eight furlongs in a mile. So 12,000,
yes, nodding Jill? Yes, Jill's nodding, yes. There
were eight furlongs in a mile. So 12,000 furlongs is 1,500 miles.
It's a cube. 1,500 miles by 1,500 miles by 1,500
miles. 1,500 miles is from here more
than to the south of France. It's halfway down Spain, isn't
it? It's about to Madrid is 1,500 miles, I would think. Big, yeah? Is it trying to get us to envisage
something that is literally 1,500 miles cubed? No, it's telling
us it's big. the city of God, the bride of Christ, the people
of God. It's a big community. No wonder
it was a multitude that no man can number. In every age of history,
God's had his 144,000. But in eternity, it's a multitude
that no man can number. It's huge. And it's got a wall
around it. But the wall's only 220 feet
high. That's not very high, is it?
For something that's 1,500 by 1,500 by 1,500 miles. It's got
12 gates, and 12 angels, an angel at each gate. And there's a name
on each gate, and they're the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. And it's got 12 foundations,
and the foundations are the names of the 12 apostles. Clearly,
this is not literal in terms of this space-time creation.
So what does it picture? This is what we must get at.
What does it picture? What does a wall speak of? A
wall speaks of what? Completion. The boundary. The completion of it. Do you
remember when Nehemiah, at the behest of Cyrus, the king of
Persia, the emperor, that second great empire of Nebuchadnezzar's
dream, when he was sent back to Jerusalem which was in ruins
from Nebuchadnezzar's overrunning it and you know Ezra had already
gone back and they'd been building the temple now Nehemiah goes
back to complete the walls of the city and the idea is to get
it completed and the symbol of it being completed is that the
wall is completed all the breaches in the wall are made up all the
gaps, all the holes in the wall are made up This is what the
wall is symbolising, completeness. That God has finished his work.
That his people, his church, his number of his elect, it's
complete. And these walls, Isaiah 60 verse
18, Thou shalt call thy walls salvation, and thy gates praise. It's a vision of heaven. And
the cube, you know the fact that it's a fifteen hundred by fifteen
hundred by fifteen hundred mile cube the cube speaks of the tabernacle
in the holy of holies if you read in exodus the instructions
that god gave to moses for the building of the tabernacle and
then that was translated into the temple in jerusalem that
within there's the outer court then there was the temple then
there was the holy of holies and the holy of holies was protected
by the veil and nobody could go inside the holy of holies
except the high priest, and that only once a year on the day of
atonement. He could go in only if he had
the blood of an acceptable sacrifice. And that holy of holies was a
cube. It was a cube. And the reason
it was a cube? It was picturing this vision
of what the heaven of God, the holy presence of God is. In Revelation
21 and verse 3, I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold
the tabernacle. that cube in the Holy of Holies
the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them
how big is that cube now? symbolically 1500 miles by 1500
miles by 1500 miles OK? Don't think of it literally,
just think that this is big, and it's the presence of God.
Its size speaks of a multitude which no man can number. Let
me talk of some more numbers, let me remind you again. Did
you keep hearing 12, 12, 12, 12,000, 12,000, 12,000? It's
lying four square, 144 and four cubits, 144 and Sorry, 140 and 4, 144 cubits.
144? 12 times 12. Keeps occurring, doesn't it? Why 12? 3 times 4. 3 is the number of God,
the number of the Trinity. 4 is the number of creation,
the number of the creature. When God, the Trinity, works
on 4, the creature, man, we have the election of grace. This is
God working on his creation with his election of grace. 10 speaks
of fullness. It speaks of completeness. A
number that is innumerable, even to the eye of redeemed saints. I saw a multitude which no man
can number," said John, much earlier on in the book. But it's
particular to God, He knows every single one of them. Every single
one is a stone, a living stone, in the living temple of God.
Every single one is a stone, just as with that temple of Solomon. They hewed the stones out of
the quarry, they cut them to size at the quarry, and everyone
was brought to the quarry and had its own place where it went.
in that building, and that's a picture of what God does with
his people. His people are living stones
in his living temple. The twelve tribes? The twelve
tribes of Israel, what's that speaking of? Not Israel of the
Old Testament. not the nation, it's speaking
of the Israel of God, Galatians 6.16, the Israel of God, peace
be on the Israel of God, the chosen of God, the Jacobs, the
swindlers, the cheats, the deceivers, the sinners, who God makes Israel,
princes with God. And the angels at the gates?
There's an angel at each gate. What, to guard? To stop nasty
things getting? No, nothing that defiles is going
to come in. There's nothing there anymore
that is going to threaten the peace and tranquility and sinlessness
of this paradise of God. Nothing at all. No, the angels
are the gathering angels. You know when Jesus says he sends
his angels to gather the harvest? to bind up the wheat and separate
it from the tares. These are the gathering angels
who've harvested the redeemed of God. The twelve foundations? Twelve foundations? The twelve
apostles. Weren't there thirteen apostles?
You know, when when Judas betrayed Jesus, didn't they go and choose
Matthias? and then Paul came along, weren't
there 13? No. Now if you read Acts, they
made a mistake, they should never have chosen Matthias, they were
never told to they never should have done, there were 12 apostles
12 apostles, no apostles today whatever the charismatic movement
might tell you not true, no apostles today there were 12 apostles
and they're the foundation of the church, of the true church
of God Acts 2, 42 The believers continued steadfastly in the
Apostles' doctrine, and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and
of prayers. That's the foundations. That's the foundations of the
Church of God. The Apostles' doctrine. What's the Apostles'
doctrine? The Gospel of Christ. Nothing
else. The Apostles' Doctrine is the
Gospel of Christ. I determined to know nothing
else among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Woe is me
if I preach not Christ. I have not shunned to declare
unto you the whole counsel of God. What's the whole counsel
of God? Jesus Christ. and him crucified. Beginning
at Moses and the prophets, our Lord Jesus Christ expounded to
those disciples on the Emmaus road the things concerning himself. That's the message of the book.
The book is not here for God to tell humanity how he wants
them to live. And if only they would live like
that, what a lovely place it would be. Not at all. This is
God declaring to his people how he has redeemed them from their
sins, how he has accomplished salvation, how he has satisfied
his offended law, how he has remained just, for God is just
and holy, and yet has justified his people. This is the dimensions
of the city. A great city, because of a great
redemption. A great multitude, known only
to God, but known everyone specifically, and particularly, to God. The
Israel of God, founded on the Apostles' doctrine, named with
the names of Israel. The materials, then. What are
the materials of this city? but you know it's gold that is
polished so finely it looks transparent. It's so glistening it looks transparent. And all of these stones, some
of you will know the colours of these much better than me,
but I think jasper is white, sapphire is blue, I don't know
about chalcedony, I know about emerald, that's green, isn't
it? and the Sardius is bright red, brilliant red, and then
the Jacinth and the Amethyst are kind of violet and purple.
The picture is of a rainbow of colours of the most pure, precious
stones. And then there are pearls, because
each gate is a pearl. Each gate are pearls. If you try to be literal, it
all breaks down. A gate is a pearl. Each of the
gates is a pearl. Beautiful, beautiful jewels.
It speaks of purity. It speaks of value. It speaks
of preciousness. It speaks of that which is enthralling
to look at. That which is mesmerizing in
its beauty. Have you been to see the crown
jewels in the Tower of London? Have you ever been to see them?
They're a magnificent display. There's no set of jewels anywhere
in the world quite like the crown jewels in the Tower of London.
They just are absolutely magnificent. But they pale into insignificance
compared with what John is picturing in symbol to us here. This is
the most glittering, glittering, precious stones and gold and
wonderful things. The gold speaks of faith. In
1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 7, let me read this to you, that
the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold
that perisheth, in this world it does perish, though it be
tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory
at the appearing of Jesus Christ." The gold is speaking of that
precious faith of the saints. Precious, precious faith. Only
those who have that true faith of Christ, that gift of God,
in this life, as sinners saved by grace, will enter into that
eternal city. The jewels speak of shining light. The pearls, what do the pearls
speak of? The pearls, they're the gates,
the pearls are the gates. But there's only one gate, isn't
there? Didn't Jesus say, I am the door? He who enters in must
enter in by me. He says, when that man, Matthew
13, 46, that man found the pearl of great price, everything else
that he had paled into insignificance. It was worthless by comparison. It was of no abiding value. Verse
21. The twelve gates were twelve
pearls. Every several gate was of one
pearl and the street of the city was pure gold. It's speaking
of him who is the way, who is the way, the truth and the life.
Each gate being a pearl speaks of the only way, the only way
to come into that heaven is by the door who is Christ. I am
the door of the sheep, he said. I am the door of the sheep. There's
one sheepfold. I am the door of the sheep. the
temple verses 22 to 27 I saw no temple therein for the Lord
God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it 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 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 honor into it and the gates of it shall not be shut at all
by day for there shall be no night there and they shall bring
the glory and honor of the nations into it and they shall in no
wise enter into it anything that defileth neither whatsoever worketh
abomination or maketh a lie but they which are written in the
Lamb's book of life the Old Testament temple in Jerusalem was where
God dwelt on earth with his people in symbolism it was, as I've
already said that the Holy of Holies was a very small part
of Jerusalem, in a part of the temple, a small part of Jerusalem,
which itself was in a small part of the country of Israel. And
the way into this temple was barred by the veil of the temple,
and by the strict, strict rules and regulations, and we know
that when the people, we have accounts in the Old Testament
of when the people disobeyed the ground opened up and swallowed
them. Fire from God came down and consumed them. They were
struck dead on the spot. Very, very strict restrictions
were placed around that temple and that holy of holies. But
the New Jerusalem is all temple. The entire place, the entire
Bride of Christ is all temple. All of it. They don't need a
temple for God is its temple. God and the Lamb, they are the
temple of it, the whole of it. is the eternal presence of God. The Holy of Holies was the presence
of God, very restricted. Here, the whole of it is the
presence of God. This is God and his people in
perfect sinless fellowship, in perpetual spiritual light, the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God. Where? Where do
we see it? In the face of Jesus Christ.
The nations, verse 24, the nations, what separate, do they line up
as their separate nations? No. It's speaking of the fact
that the redeemed are from every nation and tribe and kindred. And they walk They walk. What does that speak of? I think
it speaks of this, of a constant activity. You know, you think,
oh, what are we going to do in heaven? Is it going to be boring?
You know, we're just going to sit around and get bored. Constant
activity. Constant. Intriguing, fascinating
activity. The kings of the earth? Who are
the kings of the earth? The kings of the earth were swept
away into hell, we saw that earlier on. The rulers of this world
and everything to do with it were swept away. All of the wonderful
glory of it, the glory and honor of the nations, no, all of this
creation has gone. So what are the kings of the
earth? Who are the kings of the earth? Well, this is what I think.
Those redeemed from earth who are made kings and priests unto
God. Revelation 1, right at the very
start, Revelation 1 and verse 6 that speaks that Christ hath
made us kings and priests unto God and his Father. Revelation
5 and verse 10 Revelation 5 and verse 10. And has made us unto
our God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth.
That's who it is, I think. And the glory and honor of the
nations is not the stuff that they bring because it's all been
swept away. The glory and honor of the nations must be the glory
of God. with which he endows those he's
redeemed from the nations, those he's redeemed from the earth.
It's people clothed with his righteousness, made the righteousness
of God in Christ. And it will be glorious in its
freedom. See that verse 27? There's a
negative aspect to it. How glorious will it be? It'll
be this glorious and it'll be glorious in that there won't
be any of that. What was the thing that defiled
this creation? Spiritual idolatry. Idolatry. Spiritual adultery. Such a contrast
to Babylon which is fallen in Revelation 18. And then moving
on into chapter 22 verses 1 to 5. Paradise. These verses here
that we read earlier These are echoes of the Garden of Eden
before the fall. Read about it in Genesis chapter
two. There's a river. The river, have you ever stood
fascinated watching a river? The thing that overwhelms you
is that it just seems like an endless source of abundant water,
doesn't it? Compared with a tap you might
turn on, it just seems like an endless source of abundant water.
This is a constant source. of life-giving, sustaining water
from God. It's spiritual life from God.
Life-sustaining spiritual life from God. And there's the tree
of life there. In the Garden of Eden, Adam needed
to eat of the tree of life for daily sustenance. He needed that
life from God. He needed that unending communion
with God and that unending sustenance of spiritual food from God, from
that tree of life. and here it is now again unending
utterly transparent communion with God nothing getting in the
way as Adam was in complete communion with his God in Eden before the
fall so now in this paradise of God there is unending communion
the tree of life is there all of his people eat of it all of
his people drink of that living water the one thing that is missing
that was in the Garden of Eden there's no tree of the knowledge
of good and evil because there's no probation there's no period
of probation like there was with Adam which he failed when he
fell into sin there's no tree of the knowledge of good and
evil were there able to, when Adam was expelled from Eden they
had to guard the way to the tree of life because that tree of
life was the source of perpetual life and the soul that sins it
shall die in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely
die of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and to bar the
way back to the tree of life an angel was put there to guard
the way you see the symbolism of it well here in this paradise
of God there's no tree of the knowledge of good and evil There's
unending access to these trees, lining the street of it, the
tree of life, to its fruit and to its leaves. It's fruit, there's
a perpetual harvest, 12 months, 12 fruits in every month. It's a harvest all year round,
there's always fruit on it for sustenance. Don't think of physical
food, it's a picture, but it's constant sustenance. And the
leaves are for the healing, of the nations. What's the healing?
It's that permanent healing from the sin of this creation. Permanent
healing from it. We never ever fall back into
that. It's a permanent healing that Christ has accomplished
from the sin, like he cured leprosy Like he cured leprosy, these
leaves are for the healing of the nations. They've healed the
sin of his people. All of it speaks of life and
blessedness. All of it speaks of the glorified
church described in the imagery of Eden, which was the paradise
of God until the fall. And it's such a blessing, in
verses three to five, there is no more curse. No more curse,
for Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made
a curse for us. were in the royal presence of
the God and of the Lamb. Through the Lamb, through the
Lamb of God, through looking in his face, we see the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God, serving God eternally,
named with his name, named with his verse 4, his name shall be
in their foreheads, named with his name. Not with the beast's
mark, as we saw those who serve Antichrist, not with the beast's
mark, Here are God's people, perpetually in perfect spiritual
light, reigning over God's new heaven and new earth forever. The glorious, glorious picture.
And yet, we're so bound by sin and limited experience here that
we so much fail to see the glory of this. All that God would give
us. That sense in our hearts of longing for eternal glory. Longing for eternal glory. This
is the culmination. We've been six months looking
at this book, and there's one more message to come, not next
week, but the week after. This is the culmination of all
of God's eternal purposes of grace. You know with a prayer,
thy kingdom come, this is his kingdom come. What we see in
these verses is the kingdom of God, unrivaled, established,
forever. It's come to its ultimate fulfillment.
It's the bliss to which his servants look and hope. You know, be ready
to give an answer to anyone who asks you a reason for the hope
that is in you. Hope. You have a hope of eternal
life. This is what we look for. And
everything in this life. We live here and now, don't we?
And you know, don't think that I'm not sympathetic to this.
I understand, I know, we've got lives to live, we've got jobs
to do, we've got things to be good at. Everything in this life,
we were talking about it the other day, some of us, we hold
it on open palms. You know you can hold it like
that and grip it, you're not getting this off me. This is
how to hold the things that God gives you, on an open hand because
he can take it away and he can give something else. Whatever
my God ordains is right. He can give. He takes away. We
hold it on open palms. We enjoy the good. We exploit
the gifts. We do all here and now as it
says in the epistles. Do it as unto the Lord while
we wait and look and expect his imminent return. This pictures
an eternal marriage supper to which the gospel of redeeming
blood has bidden you to come. you know the parable go out and
bid them to come in and they all made excuses and then he
says go out and compel them to come in so that the marriage
supper is furnished with guests this pictures an eternal marriage
supper to which the gospel of redeeming blood has bidden you
to come have you ever been in a situation you know younger
people love parties I mean, older people quite like parties of
a certain type, but you get, like, you don't like the parties
that young people like. But, you know, I remember as
a young person hearing of a party to which I hadn't been invited,
and boy, was I cut up about it. Oh, how dare they do this? How
dare they not invite me to this? You know, really, really, oh,
feelings very, very badly hurt. Well, here's a party. No, that's
too glib. Do you know what I mean? This
is an eternal marriage supper of the Lamb. This is bliss. This
is fascinating, enthralling, glorious, sinless bliss forever. Have you heard the invitation?
Have you heard the invitation? Will you hear the voice of the
Lamb of God? What does he say? Come unto me,
all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Amen.