The Full Christmas Story: Part 4

As we come to our final Sunday morning service of the year, we also come to the final sermon in this series which is covering the full story of the Bible. The story began in Genesis with God creating the world and mankind. And the major themes I pointed out to you were the responsibility of mankind, the ruin of mankind, and the redemption of mankind.

The ruin came because of Satan. We were no longer able to fulfill our duty of reflecting the authority and the holiness and love of God on the earth. We failed to live up to our design, and we deserved God’s judgment.

But at the point of our ruin, as God pronounced a curse, He also promised a Redeemer. A son would be born to defeat Satan undo the effects of sin upon the earth. We know who that Redeemer is. He is Jesus Christ.

But what was a mystery to the Jews of the first century was that the Messiah was going to come in two phases. The first phase is what we celebrate at Christmas and Easter. The eternal living Word of God became flesh. He was born of the virgin Mary, lived a perfect life, died by crucifixion, was raised on the third day, and then ascended back to the Father.

Jesus came to provide the eternal redemption of sinners. He paid the price of sin under the wrath of God. He was the Substitute for sinners. He came to give sinners who trust in Him a new heart. He came to give us power over sin. This is the message and the movement that has been going out to every nation for the past 2,000 years.

Christianity has brought many blessings to the world, but we know that this world is still not living up to God’s design. Mankind does not perfectly represent God. On a personal level, even those of us who have been transformed by Christ still face temptations and we still sin. We’ve been rescued from the power and the penalty of sin, but the presence of sin is still there.

But one day, our hope will be fulfilled. Christ will come again. He will not come as a Suffering Servant. He will come as the Conquering King of the world. This is our hope as Christians. Jesus is coming. We don’t know when God will move this world into the next phase of His plan, but we know it will happen.

The closing verses of Psalm 2 point us to that day. Speaking to all the rulers of the earth, it says—Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

The Psalm points to the fact that there are only two options. Either you are blessed by the Son, or you will be judged by the Son. This is the end of God’s story. There are two primary messages. Number one, the enemies of God are defeated, and number two, the children of God are rescued. The enemies of God are defeated, and the children of God are rescued.

The judgment of God on His enemies can sound like a scary concept, but for those who trust in Christ, it’s intended to be a source of comfort. It’s a reminder that God’s justice will prevail. Those who rebel against Christ, those who reject Him, will be punished.

To see this in Scripture, I’d like you to turn with me to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. Second Thessalonians 1. This is one of Paul’s letters in the New Testament. This was a church that was facing persecution. People’s lives were at risk because of their faith. And in response to that, the Apostle reminds them about the future. Second Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 5.

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— [6] since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, [7] and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels [8] in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. [9] They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, [10] when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

Relief is coming, and it’ll be better than Rolaids. Do you know what that is? I remember seeing the commercial as a kid. Rolaids is a heartburn medication, and the tagline was: “Rolaids spells relief.” As a kid, I thought, “What in the world is heartburn?” Now, I’m older. I know what heartburn is. I understand the meaning of relief.

Well, a drink of cold water or an antacid is just a miniscule picture of the relief that is coming to Christ’s people when He returns. He is coming in power and glory, and He will save His people. The enemies of God will be destroyed, and the children of God will be rescued.

If your Bible is still in 2 Thessalonians, jump forward to 2 Peter chapter 3. This is almost near the end of the Bible. Second Peter chapter 3, verse 7. The Apostle Peter is specifically responding to the culture which rejects any idea that Christ is going to intervene in human history and bring judgment. He reminds us that God destroyed the world before, and He’ll do it again. The first time, He did it with water. The next time, He’ll do it with fire.

Second Peter 3:7 says this—But by the same word [the word of God] the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Skip down to verse 10. More talk of the coming fire—But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. [11] Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, [12] waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! [13] But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

This world is temporary. It’s a giant firework. Everything will burn up and dissolve. In other words, the enemies of God will be destroyed. On the other hand, the children of God will be rescued. What does that reality mean for you?

If you aren’t on Christ’s side—if you haven’t surrendered your life to Him—it means you need to call out for mercy. Believe in the Son of God. Trust in Him for salvation. Otherwise, all you have to expect is judgment.

If you belong to Christ—if you are a new creation in Him—it means you can live with joy and holiness and hope. There should be an evident expectation and anticipation in your life.

Unfortunately, if you’re like me, you don’t long for eternity enough. You don’t long for it strongly enough, and you don’t long for it often enough. That’s true in my own case, and I think it’s true for our church as a whole. Generally, our longing for eternity grows as we get older because we’ve lost more friends, and we experience more pain.

But God did not intend only old people to care about eternal life. All of us should care about it. But why doesn’t that happen? Part of the problem is that we don’t know enough about the world to come. Another part of the problem is, even if we know about eternity, we don’t think about it often enough. And I think a final component here is that we focus too much on this world. We are worldly people instead of heavenly people. Our life here is comfortable. We have so many pleasures. It’s enjoyable. Now, comfort and joy aren’t bad, but they aren’t supposed to be ends in themselves. They should be pointers to and reminders of something greater that God will bring about.

Maybe you’ve heard the old expression about a person that says, “They’re so heavenly minded, they are no earthly good!” That’s not a biblical statement. We are supposed to be heavenly minded people. It makes us better on earth. It gives us hope and it fuels our holiness.

So, by the help of God’s Spirit, I hope the remainder of our time today helps us incline our hearts to eternity. We’ve already talked a little bit about the destruction of the enemies of God, but now I want to turn to the eternal redemption of God. What happens at the end of the story? What does eternity look like for the redeemed?

For that, let’s turn to the final chapters of the Bible. Go to Revelation chapter 21. Revelation 21. Before we get into the passage, however, I want to give you a few messages upfront to help prepare you for our study.

The first message is that there are plenty of debates among Christians regarding the end times, but most of those debates are about how we get to eternity. I am not going to address those debates today; we are going to be focused on the eternal state in the new heavens and the new earth, which is what Peter says we are waiting for. What is that going to be like? Whether you think John’s final vision is more poetic than literal, the fact is that it points to and tells us about eternity.

My second message is that you need to understand that the eternal state is different from the current heaven. When a Christian dies and goes to heaven, he goes into the blessed and joyful presence of God. It’s rest. It’s paradise. It’s far better than this life, but it is not the final state. In death, the spirit goes to be with Christ. The spirit is freed from sin, and it is freed from a weak body. But one day, that spirit will be resurrected and reunited with a glorified body. And once God’s plan is complete, the redeemed will spend eternity in a new earth. So, again, we are talking about the final phase of the story. We are talking about the eternal state.

My third message is that while the Bible describes eternity, there are a lot of questions we don’t have answers to. We are doing a fast overview of what it says, so you might have questions once this is all over. That’s okay. You can study this more if you like, and feel free to ask me some follow-up questions if you want.

My final message is that the Bible presents the new heavens and the new earth as a physical, literal place. When Jesus rose from the dead, He wasn’t a spirit; He was a glorified, physical human being. He could be touched. He ate food. So, when you think about the eternal state, get rid of any ideas that it’s going to be strictly a spiritual place, with us floating on clouds forever.

Jesus said that everyone will be resurrected. They will get an eternal body. Those who ignored, rejected, or rebelled against Christ will get a body made to suffer eternally. But those who love Him and trust in Him get a new body just like Jesus had. That’s what the end of Philippians 3 tells us. So, as you think about eternity, remember that it will be a physical, tangible experience. In that sense, it’s a lot like our world now, which is physical and tangible. We and the world will be different, but it’s still a tangible thing. Heaven and earth will be united forever.

So, what’s that going to be like? Let’s look at Revelation 21, verse 1 as we begin. Revelation 21:1—Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

As we move through our study, I want to point out some similarities and some differences between the world we live in now, and the new world. Our first observation is that this world was created by God, and the new world will also be created by God.

A second observation is that this world is divided by oceans, but the new world will have no seas. No seas. Why does that matter? Well, the sea represents a number of things. To start, it symbolizes fear. The open ocean is a scary place, even today. The sea also represents separation. Continents are separated by the oceans, but in the new world that’s not going to be the case; there will be free access to the entire world.

The sea also represents emptiness. People weren’t made to live on the seas; we travel across it, even if it’s for an extended period of time. In our world today, about 71% of the earth’s surface is covered with water, and I’m sure it was less that that before the Flood in Noah’s time. The large bodies of water mean that we cannot fill the earth and subdue it. But in the new heavens and the new earth, we’ll be able to do it. And if you want to visit any part of the planet, you don’t have to take an airplane or a boat. It’ll be amazing.

Now, just as a clarification, this doesn’t mean there won’t be any water. Later, we’ll read about a river. So, we can have rivers and lakes with water creatures, but we won’t have these giant oceans or seas that separate mankind from one another. It will be a united world with global access. And I’ll tell you, no one is going to be complaining about the weather.

What else do we see about the eternity? Here’s another observation: in this world, man and God are separated, but in the new world, God and man will be united. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were kicked out of the garden. And when Israel continued in their unbelief, the Temple was destroyed. But in the eternal state, we will go back to what it was like in the garden where God and man enjoyed perfect fellowship.

Look at Revelation 21, verses 2 and 3. John says—And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

The capital city, if you will of the new earth is going to be a new Jerusalem. And it will be a city specially prepared by God Himself. It is His gift to the world. But the greatest gift is His very presence. This will be greater than the Tabernacle when only one man got to enter into the Holy Place once a year. With our sin removed, this will be unending, perfect fellowship between God and His people.

In verse 4, we get another distinction. This world is full of pain, but the new world will have no pain. Verse 4—He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. [5] And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

This life hurts, in a multitude of ways. If you don’t know that, you’ll figure it out real soon. But in the new earth—No more sore backs. No more failing organs or weakened muscles. No more tearful goodbyes to the people you love. No more pain! It’s almost unimaginable. You will have eternity to enjoy God and enjoy His new creation.

And after 10,000 years have passed, if you want to visit the new Italy, you can walk there yourself and stay as long as you want. What a gift it will be! And it will all be because of the victory of Jesus Christ.

Verses 7 and 8 say—The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

No more pain. No more sin. No more wickedness. Only perfection forever, with an eternity of pleasures and wonders.

Now, the remainder of John’s vision is focused on the New Jerusalem, the capital city of the earth. And it is described as a beautiful city. Have you ever been somewhere and thought, “What an ugly building! What an ugly city!”? You’re not going to think that in eternity. In this world, we have ugliness, but in the new world, there will be only beauty.

The new Jerusalem, John’s vision says, will be radiant with the glory of God. It will be like a flawless diamond, reflecting the light of God’s glory in every place.

Verse 16 tells us that the city is a perfect square, and the height is the same as the length and the width. That could be a cube or a four-sided pyramid, but I think a cube is the more natural reading, and it matches the shape of the Most Holy Place in the Temple, a perfect cube.

Verse 21 says the streets of the city will be pure gold. Verse 12 says the city will have a great wall all around. The wall will have twelve foundation stones with the names of Christ’s true Apostles. Those foundations will be beautiful, precious stones. On the wall, there will also be three gates on each side. Every gate will have an angel and the name of a tribe inscribed on it. Each gate will also be one giant, magnificent pearl.

No human dream, no artist’s painting, and no Hollywood movie can capture what the beauty of God’s city will be. This will be greater than anything you can imagine.

Now, someone could ask: Well, if the city is always open, why are there gates and a wall? That’s a fair question. But we could ask the same thing about Norm’s or 7-Eleven. The wall and the gates are part of the beauty. If Jurassic Park can have a beautiful, magnificent gate, why can’t the New Jerusalem?

Another prominent attribute of the city is its size. In verse 16 of John’s vision, an angel measures it. It is 12,000 stadia on each side, which the footnote in your Bible might tell you is 1,380 miles. From east to west, that’s about the distance from Los Angeles to the far side of Texas, touching Arkansas. If you travel that far north from here, you’d be halfway into Canada. That is a massive square. In comparison, Disney World, Six Flags, Knott’s Berry Farm, Sea World, Lego Land, and Universal Studios are just specks.

This is a massive city that will be the center of the new earth, and you will have an eternity to explore and enjoy it for the glory of God. Everything will be free, and it’ll never be too hot or too cold, and you’ll never need to use the bathroom, and you’re never going to be kicked out.

Why is this city so massive? Because it’s a reflection of the infinite wonder and majesty and beauty of God. Look at verse 22. John says—And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.

There is not going to be one small, designated space where you can meet with God. There will be a throne of God, but in every place, the glory of God will be manifest and God and Christ will be praised. God’s glory will shine out through the dazzling streets and stones. God’s presence will fill the new earth. And the manifestation of God’s glory will be light.

Here’s another observation. In this world, the sun gives us light, but in the new world, we don’t need a sun. So, we’ve got a new world created by God, with no seas, where God and man are united, with no pain, with only beauty, and with no need of a sun.

Look at verse 23—And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

This doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t be able to see other celestial bodies in the sky, but whatever we see in the sky will be for beauty, not essential to our lives on earth. We will have light and life from God Himself. Verse 25 says there will be no night there. You’ll never have to say to someone, “Well, I have to go now; it’s getting dark. It’s time for bed.” Only day there forever.

Let me give you another observation, which I think is number 7. In this world, we have nations at war, but in the new earth, the nations will worship together. Look at verses 24-26—By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, [25] and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. [26] They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.

This is the kind of things that the wise men prefigured. The nations will come to the New Jerusalem to worship the King of kings. There will still be culture. There will still be some kind of national identity. But it won’t divide humanity, it will perfectly showcase the varied grace of God.

In the opening ceremonies to the Olympics, or to the World Cup, you see all the cultures, all the different expressions of mankind coming together for one cause. In this case, however, it’s not for money, and it’s not for a sport. It is to worship the King of kings.

In Revelation 22, as John’s vision continues, we find that there is a river of the water of life flowing from the throne of God and of Christ. We don’t get dimensions for the river, but we‘re told that it is bright and clear, like crystal—unending refreshment. We also see something we have heard about before—the tree of life. Do you remember that from the garden of Eden?

In this world, we are cut off from the tree of life, but in the new world, we have access to the tree of life once again. Verse 2 of chapter 22 says that it bears twelve different kinds of fruit, a different fruit each month. Again, don’t worry, you will eat in eternity, not for sustenance, but for joy and for the glory of God.

That tree, verse 2 says, will have leaves for the healing of the nations. Now, because there’s no death or sickness in the new earth, the word “healing” is confusing. The Greek word used here is connected to our word “therapy,” so this could mean they have a therapeutic effect that enhances our lives. Maybe we’ll eat the leaves. Maybe they’ll be used in some kind of tea.

Because it references nations again, another possibility is that the leaves will be part of a ceremonial meal that unites the nations; it brings them together in a meaningful way. I don’t know what this means, but we’ll find out together eventually.

Well, as we wrap up our study of the new earth, I have one final observation for you. The new world is created by God, it has no seas, it’s where God and man are united, it has no pain, there is only beauty, there is no need of a sun, we have access to the tree of life, and finally, mankind will reign forever. Mankind will reign forever.

Wait a minute! Isn’t God the one who reigns forever? Yes, He is. But He will mediate that reign through a redeemed humanity. Look at verses 3-5 of chapter 22—No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. [4] They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. [5] And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Within the universal authority of God, mankind will have an authority as well. Do you remember back to the beginning of the story? What was mankind’s purpose or design? We were placed here to have dominion. We were placed here so that we could govern the earth as an expression of God’s authority, God’s holiness, and God’s love. In the fall, we lost the ability to do that perfectly. The image of God was marred.

But Christ came as the perfect image of God. And in eternity, we will be made like Him, without sin, perfectly able to reign over the earth as God intended. It may sound odd to say it like this, but in eternity, we will be fully human.

Don’t ever think you’re going to be bored in heaven. You are going to have things to do. You are going to have some kind of authority. God will decide what that is, but you will play a part in ruling over creation.

One thing that is consistent between this world and the new world is that mankind is not self-sufficient. We don’t get to form our own purpose or design in life. That’s a lie from Satan. He wants us to think that we know what’s best for us, and that God doesn’t have our best interests in mind. But in heaven, you will be doing exactly what you were made to do, ruling and caring for God’s creation for His glory.

The end of the story is the full redemption of mankind for the glory of God. This is what Christ has accomplished. Around this time of year, you may hear people say, “New year, new you,” and maybe that will turn out to be true. Maybe you’ll make some good changes in your life that result in some improvements. But nothing can compare to the improvements Christ is going to make when He comes to move us into the final, yet eternal chapters of God’s story. There will be a new earth, and you will be a new you.

But again, all this is only if you surrender to Christ now, and trust in Him alone who died for sinners and was raised in glory. Jesus wants you to have eternal life. He offers it to you, if you will trust in Him.

Our King is coming back to finish what He started. The enemies of God will be destroyed, and the children of God will be rescued.

Let me close with just a few more verses. Revelation 22:7 says this. Jesus is speaking—And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book

Now look at verse 12. Jesus continues—Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. [13] I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. [14] Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.

And lastly, verse 20—He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” [And John responds with] Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

That’s the cry of heaven, and it is the cry of the true church. Come Lord Jesus. Let Your Kingdom come.