Sermon Summary - New Heaven
I recently heard a sermon by an Indian missionary Evg. John P. Thomas. It was part of a 10-day long Bible Study on Death and the Afterlife. The sermon itself isn’t in English but is linked below in case you want to hear it.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZt0rtROP34
These notes are from the last day of the Bible Study where the New Heaven, New Earth, and the New Jerusalem were discussed. This will be split into 3 different posts.
God will create a new heaven, new earth, and a new Jerusalem. This is seen not only in Revelation but in the Old Testament.
Revelation 21:1,2 - Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Isaiah 65:17 - “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.
Isaiah 66:22 - “For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord, “So shall your descendants and your name remain.
In this post, I will be summarizing the information about the New Heaven.
NEW HEAVEN
The new heaven is the final consummation of God’s eternal purpose. He created man to dwell with Him, have fellowship with Him, worship Him, and serve Him. This consummation is 7-fold and can be found in Revelation 22:3-5.
Revelation 22:3-5 - 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. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
#1) (vs. 3) There shall be no more curse. This means perfect sinlessness.
In Genesis 3, after sin came into the world, there was a curse of the serpent, on the earth itself, and mankind.
(vs. 14-19) So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”
Galatians 3:13 shows us that Christ died on the cross and became a curse for us to remove the curse from us.
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),
This new heaven shows the fulfillment of Christ’s salvation of His people. By His sacrifice, our curse is removed. It will be a blessed place.
#2) (vs. 3) The throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it
This shows that in the new heaven, there will be perfect rule and authority. God the Father and Christ will both be present in the new heaven reigning together. All blessings come from the throne of God.
Zechariah 14:9 points to the same reign of the Father and Son. They will rule together in heaven.
And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be— “The Lord is one,” And His name one.
#3) (vs. 3) His servants shall serve Him
Our normal thoughts regarding heaven are that we will all be sitting in pews singing, praising, and worshiping God throughout all eternity.
God created man to do work while he was in the Garden of Eden. Praising is only a portion of our role in heaven. Another part of our role in heaven is to serve God in whatever capacity He wants us to.
#4) (vs. 4) They shall see His face
In heaven, we will have unclouded fellowship with our eternal God. Being able to see His face is part of that.
Numbers 6:23-27 shows us that it is a blessing and a privilege to see God’s face. This privilege is only granted to believers. Hell is a place away from the presence and countenance of God. The unbelievers there will not be able to see His face.
“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’“So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”
Moses had asked to see God, but He told him that no man could see Him and live. But in the New Heaven, we will be able to see His face.
#5) (vs. 4) His name shall be on their foreheads
As children of God, He identifies us as belonging to Him by putting His name on our foreheads. He is claiming us as His own.
In Revelation 3:12,13, the Philadelphian church is told that the redeemed will take God’s name.
He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’
