The Second Advent

As Americans, I understand many of you might be slightly nervous about the idea of living in a Kingdom! And I get it! Once stung, twice shy… But seriously, history is full of Kings misusing their power, ‘getting rich’ at the expense of their subjects.

‍

But even while that’s true, I hope you know that there is one Kingdom that’s not like that. And it’s the Kingdom we read about in Revelation 21.

‍

In our passage, John (one of Jesus’ disciples) is shown a vision. It’s almost as if the curtain is pulled back, and he is shown what’s coming in the future. And what does he see? In a word: heaven.

‍

John describes it as the “New Heaven and the New Earth”, and it’s almost unspeakably good! It’s perfection! He describes it as a city, “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband”. And right in the middle of the city is a throne.  But it isn’t any-old king who sits on this throne: it is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End – God himself is on the throne. And what is his kingdom like? Well it’s not like any kingdom you’ve come across before: The King will PERSONALLY “wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more”. There will be no mourning, no crying, not even any pain. We will live with God, together, exactly as we were designed to.

‍

And notice this is all offered “without payment” – We’ll talk about that last verse of judgement – and I’ll try to show you that that’s actually a good thing – but for now, don’t miss the fact that according to John, the doors of heaven are open – this is held out to you.

‍

But is it all too good to be true? Was John just having a “nice dream”?

‍

Well this morning we’re going to see no – this wasn’t just a daydream – this is where God’s plan for his people has been pointing ever since the creation of the world.

‍

Our first point then is:

‍

Heaven has a long history – so we can be confident in it

‍‍

Before moving out here for seminary, I taught at a school in the UK. And we took great pride in telling the prospective parents and students that we were over 1100 years old! And as you would expect, most of them were pretty impressed by this! And it’s true! You could trace our school’s history back to about the year 914, and that gave the parents a fair bit of confidence that as a school, we knew what we were doing. We weren’t some ‘start-up’ which may or may not be there in 3 years time – we had roots, we had history. And that gave people confidence.

‍

And I want to suggest that the same is true of Heaven. This isn’t some idea that John just ‘comes up with’ at the end of the bible. No, the groundwork for this had been laid thousands of years before John’s vision, going all the way back to the garden of Eden.

‍

What do I mean by that?

‍

Well the word ‘heaven’ can be used in a few different ways, but primarily, it is the place where God lives, in paradise, with his people, forever. That’s essentially what we mean by heaven. And the story of the bible, from beginning to end, has been about trying to make this happen. Because fundamentally, that’s what God made us for.

‍

So let’s start with the garden of Eden: We are told that when God created the world, he walked in the garden with Adam and Eve. More than that, he talked with them, he was their King, giving them good rules, for their benefit.  

‍

So what went wrong?

‍

Well as we know, Adam and Eve got jealous – they wanted to ‘be like God’ – so they believed the devil’s lies, broke God’s rules, and sinned. All of a sudden heaven wasn’t perfect, why?  Because Adam and Eve were there! They were the problem! Through their jealousy and sin, they ruined that first paradise. So Adam and Eve were thrown out of the garden.

‍

But God never gave up on his desire to live with his people.

‍

Fast-forward a few years, and God’s people live in Jerusalem. And once again, God ‘dwells’ with them – that’s what was happening with the tabernacle, and then the temple. God promised blessings on Israel, and by this stage he had given them more rules to follow – God, living with his people, knowing his blessing…

‍

But once again it didn’t work out. Why? What went wrong? Well despite all the extra rules, God’s people just couldn’t stop sinning! They did evil – often very evil things. So tragically, in Ezekiel 10, we’re told that God’s presence left the temple. He is too pure, too holy, to live with sinful people.

‍

At that stage in the story, God could have given up on us! That could have been the end!

‍

But in his kindness, God never gave up on his desire to live with his people.

‍

When Amy and I bought our first house; on day one, we were convinced it was perfect! By day two, we realized it had a few issues… One of the issues was that the utility room at the back was always damp! So to start with, I tried painting it with the special paint, and that seemed to make it better for a bit, but I hadn’t actually dealt with the underlying issue, so the damp kept coming back. The root of the problem was a leaking pipe under the concrete floor! So in order to really fix the issue, we had to go under the surface, and deal with the root problem.

‍

And that’s what God did in his first advent.

‍

When Jesus came to earth 2000 years ago, his mission wasn’t actually to try to set up heaven again. He didn’t come as a triumphant King. Instead he came as a suffering servant. Why? Because he knew that if his people were ever going to live with him, we first needed our sins dealt with.

‍

It’s true, On the cross, Jesus bore the punishment that our sins deserve. And he invites us to accept his payment, on our behalf. But even mMore than that, as well as offering to ‘cancel our debt’, Jesus says that if we trust in him, he will ‘make us righteous’ – he will send the Holy Spirit into our hearts to ‘fix’ us – and that will be a slow process, but when we get to heaven, it will be completed. We can be forgiven, and restored.

‍

In his first advent, Jesus dealt with our root problem, so that when his second advent comes, we will be able to live with him forever.

‍

Did you notice that in our passage, the city is “prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband”? That’s actually drawing on picture of the church as being the bride of Christ. So what does it meant that the bride has been prepared? Well when Amy was preparing for our wedding, I wasn’t in the room, but I’m told it involved many hours of hair, and makeup, and getting the dress just right, and whatever else. But what does it mean for the church to be “prepared”? It means that we have been forgiven! It means that our root problem, which prevented us from living with God, has been dealt with.

‍

The bride is now ready for her husband.

‍

So what does all this have to do with you and me? Well I hope it gives you a lot of confidence! Heaven isn’t just a ‘nice idea’, thrown in at the end of the bible. No, it is the direction all of creation has been heading ever since the beginning. When God says (in verse 3) “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people” – we can read that as the culmination of God’s plan for his people. God is fully committed! So much so that he sent his own son to achieve it for us. You can be sure that this really is going to happen.

‍

Ok then, so heaven has been God’s plan for a long time. But what’s it going to be like? Are we going to get bored of all the harp music? And as Floridians, maybe you are a bit concerned about that line saying there won’t be any sea!

‍

Second point:

‍

Heaven will be perfect – so fix your eyes on it

‍

What’s going to be so great about heaven?

‍

In a word: God. God is what’s going to be great about heaven!

‍

Now if your view of God is as a ‘far off’, ‘distant’, maybe even an ‘angry’ God, then that won’t sound particularly comforting. But let’s have a look at the God John sees in this vision (which, by the way, is the same God of the whole bible).

‍

Firstly, God cares for his people.

‍

He says: “I will wipe away every tear from their eyes”.  

‍

Some of you have had hard lives. Some of you have been through things I could only imagine. You’ve have been hurt by family, friends, even churches. And perhaps, at times, it’s felt like no one cares. Can I tell you today: God cares. He hasn’t forgotten you. In fact, he has prepared a room for you in heaven, and he will personally wipe away every tear from your eyes. And don’t forget, this is a God who knows what it’s like to go through difficult things! Jesus was betrayed by his friends, abandoned in his time of need, falsely accused by the authorities, and ultimately crucified – and he will wipe away your tears.

‍

And once those tears are gone, he promises that there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more suffering, because those things were all part of the curse of sin, and so have no place in the New heaven, and the New earth.

‍

God cares for his people

‍

And then secondly, God rules his people.

‍

So what’s going on with the “no sea”? Well I don’t think it means there won’t be any surfing! Instead, Revelation contains a lot of references to earlier stories in the bible. And time and time again, the sea represents a problem which God overcomes. So for example, Pharoah finally lets the Israelites leave Egypt after the 10th plague, but then he changes his mind! He sends his armies out to get them back. And this is a big issue, because the Israelites are stuck - the red sea is right in front of them. So what does God do? He parts the sea.

‍

And then again in the New Testament, the disciples are out on the sea of Galilee, when a huge storm comes up out of nowhere. The fishermen think they are going to drown (which is saying something, because they had spent all their lives out on the water). What does Jesus do? He tells the waves to be still.

‍

So when John says there will be no sea in heaven, he is saying there will be no chaos. No disorder. No evil. Everything will be as it is meant to be, because God will be the unrivalled sovereign of heaven, in total control of all of his creation.

‍

There will be no earthquakes in heaven. There will be no dark alleys. All disorder will be gone, and only pure goodness will be left.

‍

If we carried on reading the next part of chapter 21, we would read some detailed measurements of the city. And while these details might seem pretty odd to us, they are actually making a similar point about God being totally in control of his kingdom. Because back in the Old Testament book of Zechariah, the prophet was given a vision of heaven with the same measurements. The point is that God said what he was going to do, and then John sees that he has done it exactly as he said he was going to. Heaven is designed exactly as the architect wants it to be.  

‍

God rules his people

‍

And thirdly, God adopts his people.

‍

So as you have probably picked up, I am British, which means I am a subject in King Charles’ Kingdom. And in general, I’m pretty happy with being a subject in King Charles’ kingdom! But you know what I can’t do? I can’t go and talk to him. I can’t knock on his door, or join him for tea, or ask him for help. But there are some people who can do that: his children! (or at least, one of them…).

‍

There is a big difference between being a subject under a king, and being the son of the king. And one of the most amazing privileges of the Gospel is that God doesn’t just let us in as his subjects, verse 7 says we are let in as his sons.

‍

And it is significant that the bible emphasises that we are sons – men and women are adopted as ‘sons’. Why? Because sons inherit the kingdom. We are told that we will be co-heirs with Christ. And again, this is a reference back to Adam and Eve – was Adam just another animal, like the cows and sheep? No! He was to ‘rule’ over creation. And it will be the same in Heaven. We are adopted into God’s family as his sons. We will rule with Christ, eating at his table, and enjoying God as not only our King, but our Father.

‍

Heaven will be perfect, because God is on the throne. And as I have tried to show, this is what we were made for!

‍

St Augustine put it well when he said: “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you”.

‍

So can I encourage you, set your eyes on heaven! Just in the same way as you put a destination into your GPS when you are driving, our lives ought to be headed towards heaven! Let that vision guide you.

‍

What will that look like? It means we will want to support and engage with politics and government, but we don’t put all our hope in them, because we know that we are ultimately headed for a greater kingdom. And similarly, we want to pursue justice and reconciliation when we’ve been wronged, but it doesn’t consume us when that doesn’t happen, because we know a day is coming when God himself will comfort us, and perfect justice will be done.

‍

Heaven will be perfect. But maybe that concerns you, because you are wondering whether you are really going to be allowed there…

‍

Which brings us to our final point:

‍

Heaven’s door is open – so don’t miss it

‍

One of the perks of living in Orlando (that my family has enjoyed) is Sea World! My daughters (aged 3 and 5) love seeing the animals, watching the shows, and they are just starting to get into the rides. But as you’ll know, each ride has a heighthight restriction, so the first thing we do when we arrive at the park is we go to the heighthight checker, to see which rides the girls are tall enough to go on. And sometimes, it'sits hard to be sure! One of them might be just about up to the line. So when they ask “Daddy, Daddy, can I go on Penguin Trek this time?!” All I can really say is, “Umm, I think so! But really, it depends on the guy at the gate!”

‍

And I wonder if we sometimes think about heaven in a similar way.

‍

Maybe you think you are probably going to heaven, but in the back of the mind, you’re not 100% sure…

‍

If that’s you, have a listen to verses 6-7 one more time:

‍

6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. (Revelation 21:6-7)

‍

Once again, Jesus is pulling on a lot of imagery from earlier on in the bible. But even without unpacking all of that detail, his central point is clear:

‍

He says: “It is done!” – that’s a reference to Jesus’ last words on the cross. Because of what He did for us on the cross: if you are thirsty, you can have ‘life’ without payment. That’s ‘life’ as opposed to the ‘second death’ (which we’ll come on to shortly). Those who are thirsty, and claim the victory of the cross (that’s who the conquers are, it'sits everyone who is ‘in Christ’, and so has conquered death), ‘he will have this heritage’.

‍

In other words, if you are thirsty – Jesus holds out the water of life to you, freely. And God says: I will be his God, and he will be my son.

‍

Notice it doesn’t say: ‘I will probably be his God’ – no, it says, “I will be his God, and he will be my son”. Similarly, it doesn’t say ‘to the thirsty I will give the water of life if you behave well enough’. No! Jesus says anyone who come to him, acknowledging their need, will be given life, without payment.

‍

The door is wide open.

‍

God isn’t trying to trick us! God isn’t trying to make it difficult! No, he is our creator! He loves us! He is making it as easy as possible!

‍

If you are thirsty for the water of life, then heaven is for you.

‍

The door is wide open, but tragically, not everyone goes through it.

‍

Verse 8 says:

‍

“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 sulphur, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)”

‍

Now when we hear that, I suspect for many of us, that sounds like a problem. But can I suggest that actually, this is a good thing!

‍

Imagine if, when you died, you went up to heaven. And an angel met you at the gate, and showed you to your room. And it turned out you were going to be sharing with a murderer – but not just any murderer, an unrepentant murderer, who had not asked for forgiveness, who had not asked for a new heart. He was still just as sinful as he had been in life. How would you feel about that?!

‍

Well quite frankly, it wouldn’t be heaven, would it!

‍

We all know that sin ought to be punished. Murderers ought to go to jail. People who lie, and swindle you out of your money shouldn’t get away with it. Justice is a good thing. And that’s what God is promising here. He is saying: ‘that person who wrecked your life and seemed to get away with it – those sins will be paid for’.

‍

They will be paid either by Jesus on the cross (which will lead to a new heart and restoration), or – if that is rejected – those sins will be paid for by the person who committed them.

‍

On about page 4 of the bible you get the first murder. Cain kills his brother Able. And when God confronts Cain about this, he says “your brother’s blood is crying out from the ground! (Gen 4:10)” – it was crying out for vengeance! It was crying out for justice! It is a good thing that sin is punished!

‍

But when Jesus willingly gave his life for us on the cross, the bible tells us his blood “spoke a better word than the blood of Able (Hebrews 12:24)”. Because his blood doesn’t cry out for vengeance, it cries out for ‘mercy’.

‍

Because here’s the problem: it’s not just the murderers who don’t belong in heaven. Anyone with an unrepentant heart, who hasn’t asked for restoration, would ruin heaven! Would it really be perfect if the person next to you was a liar, or was proud, or was a cheat? None of those people, none of us deserve to be in heaven, unless we repent, and claim the ‘mercy’ of Jesus’ blood, asking him to fix our broken hearts.

‍

That list of 8 sins isn’t meant to be exhaustive. If you read through the book of Revelation, those are 8 sins that unrepentant people committed. He’s not saying ‘if you do one of these 8 things, you can’t go to heaven’. That’s obviously not true, because Abraham lied, but we know he got in! Rather, the point is, those people didn’t repent – they didn’t ask Jesus for forgiveness and restoration.

‍

Can I plead with you, don’t make the same mistake.

‍

There is a God in heaven who loves you. In fact he loves you so much he died in your place so that you would not have to experience the second death, but instead, he could wipe away every tear from your eye. So that you could live with him, the source of all good, not just as his subject, but as his child – with a place at his table.

‍

Our God is a God of justice, and a God of love. So embrace him. Cling to him! And let’s share him with a world who so desperately needs him!

‍

Conclusion

‍

As we finish then, what is advent all about? At its core, it is a time of waiting for God. That’s exactly what this passage is about.We were made to be with God in heaven. Augustin says our hearts will be restless, until they find their rest in God. When Jesus was teaching us to pray, he told us to say: “Your Kingdom come…” That is where we are heading. That is what we are waiting for.

‍

We can be certain it’s really going to happen, because that’s the direction all of history has been heading.

‍

We can be certain it’s going to be perfect, because God will be the unrivalled sovereign, and he invites us in not only as subjects, but as his sons.

‍

And finally, the door is open wide open. Isaiah writes “Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters”. So let’s fix our eyes on heaven – Come Jesus Come.

‍

Let’s Pray

‍