The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty-Two - G Nov 22, 2020 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T034_20201122.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Re 21:5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! We will continue today to look at the conditions that will exist in the endless ages. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday November 22nd 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 22G This is the Day 1). Re 21:1 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. 2 Then I, John, 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 heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! We had seen last time that there will be very significant changes that take place as the eternally saved move from the Millennial Kingdom to the endless ages. And there are 2 parallel sections of Scripture that detail the conditions that will exist in the endless ages, for the eternally saved, because of those changes. a). The first section is seen here in Chapter 21:1-6a and concludes with a statement of absolute finality, ‘It is done’. And that which has been ‘done’ - the eradication of sin and death, the New Jerusalem residing on the new earth, all those dwelling there being the people of God and the end of the division between the faithful and unfaithful eternally saved -will then exist throughout the endless ages in this unchangeable condition. b). The second parallel section of Scripture begins in Chapter 21:9 and runs through to Chapter 22:5. We will just pick up on the final 5 verses for now and come back to the other verses later - Re 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. 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 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 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. In connection to the statement that ‘it is done’, in Chapter 21, we now see the regality that will continue unchanged throughout the endless ages, through the presence of the tree of life, and this section of Scripture then concludes with another statement of an absolute, ‘And they shall reign forever and ever.’ c). And this of course is an all-inclusive statement, inclusive of all the eternally saved, those who previously had positions of rulership during the Millennial Kingdom and those who did not because of their unfaithfulness. d). And with this all-inclusive statement in mind the question arises, will the rewards received by the faithful during the Millennial Kingdom be carried over into the endless ages? In other words, will overcoming Christians have some advantage over those who will have been overcome when rulership in the endless ages begins? e). What can we know for sure from the Scriptures? Well to start with, we know that every tear will be wiped away, and the division, and therefore separation with regards to rulership that existed between the faithful and the unfaithful in the Kingdom Age is no more. Former things will have passed away and all things will have become new. f). We also know that a just recompense of reward will be given to both the faithful and unfaithful Christian at Christ’s Judgment Seat. Each will get exactly what they deserve. And so, if that given to the faithful is to be carried over beyond the Millennial Kingdom into the endless ages, then so must the negative reward that had been given to the unfaithful. And such cannot be the case because death will not be present in the endless ages – Re 21:4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, But then again, only faithful Christians will sit on Christ’s throne with Him as joint heirs during the Kingdom Age, something that is unique to the overcomers from this dispensation. And as Christ’s throne and the Father’s throne will be combined for the endless ages as, ‘the throne of God and of the Lamb’, will those sitting with Christ on His throne during the Kingdom Age make the same transition? g). The simple answer is, we just don’t know, Scripture is entirely silent on the matter, and therefore that’s where we also must leave it. h). In fact, beyond the statement that is made that the people of God will reign forever and ever and seeing that they will have access to the tree of life, nothing is said concerning either the scope or the nature of what Man’s role in the rulership of the Universe will entail. Again, we are simply not told. i). This is something that yet remains to be revealed, and until it is, beyond the end of this Age by the way, it’s best to leave it alone. 2). We do have detail given to us though, concerning the New Jerusalem during the endless ages, from the parallel section of Scripture we have not yet looked at, beginning in – Re 21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. The symbolism of John being carried away ‘to a great and high mountain’, should be obvious to us. The great and high mountain can only be God’s universal Kingdom as the endless ages begin. a). The New Jerusalem shown to John, is seen in connection with ‘the bride, the Lamb’s wife’ and ‘the glory of God’, both of which depict a regal context. b). The number 12 as we know is God’s number for government and so it is no wonder that the city from which universal rule will take place, would have 12 gates. And no wonder either that these 12 gates would have written on them ‘the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.’ c). All the eternally saved who will occupy the New Jerusalem during the endless ages, in regal positions, are there because of the children of Israel. Whether they will have come because of the Jewish Messiah, the Jewish Scriptures or Jewish evangelism during the Kingdom Age, it would be impossible to separate their presence from the purpose God determined in the children of Israel. d). And perhaps, with the gates of the city facing in 4 directions, we have the added thought of every tribe, tongue and nation. The totality of the eternally saved human race from the 4 corners of the earth. Re 21:14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. Let’s keep in mind that the 12 ‘apostles of the Lamb’ are also Jewish, and it was to these that the ‘mysteries of the Kingdom of the heavens’ was revealed. To them was given the message of the gospel of glory, and the revelation of the removal of the wall of separation with respect to Jews and Gentiles in Christ – Eph 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. It is on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets that we are now being built and if we allow the process of being built on this foundation to come to fruition, we will have the opportunity to rule with Christ during the Kingdom Age and then into the endless ages. e). It would seem entirely reasonable then that the foundations of the city would have the names of the 12 apostles. With the number 12 giving us once again God’s number for government. All in all, then, this is the city of God’s government in which the Triune God will reside with those who will rule forever and ever, where the tree of life will be found. f). And in Revelation Chapter 21:16-17, this city is described as a square, with its length, breadth and height all being equal, 12000 furlongs for each [1500 miles]. g). If this is the literal size, and there would be no reason to suppose that it wouldn’t be, then this would indicate that the new earth will be substantially larger than the present earth, as a structure of this size on an earth of the present size would be very difficult. Particularly as it would have to occupy the position of the earthly Jerusalem within the land of Israel. Re 21:21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). 26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. The 12 gates that have the name of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel are also described as being 12 pearls, with each gate being a single pearl. h). And I wonder in this if we have reference to the parable in Matthew Chapter 13 of the pearl of great price – Mt 13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. And we will remember that the one pearl of great price pictures those faithful Christians, the overcomers, who the Lord has purchased with His own blood. And we also might remember that it is the same Person selling ‘all that he had’ to buy the one pearl of great price, who is seen in the previous parable which deals with the children of Israel – Mt 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. That the gates would have the names of the children of Israel and be comprised of a single pearl bring the content of these 2 inextricable parables from Matthew Chapter 13 together and corroborate, in symbolic form, both that which we have seen with the middle wall of separation having been broken down from Ephesians Chapter 2 and both Jew and Gentile being seen as the people of God from Revelation Chapter 21. And most particularly that some OT saints and faithful Christians, will be the first occupants of the city during the Millennial Kingdom. i). And it is through these gates, during the endless ages that the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. The Gentile nations ‘who are saved’ will enter through these gates from the north, the south, the east and the west. They will have the right to enter because of Israel, because of the foundation of the apostles and the prophets and because of the Lamb’s wife. j). We can extract more detail still - 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light……………25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there) As we look at these 2 verses, we should call to mind how the sun, the moon and day and night are used metaphorically within Scripture. Something we can take back to the foundation in Genesis – Ge 1:14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. From the beginning the sun and the moon have been given as signs with respect to rulership. The sun is a metaphor for the supreme governing authority and the moon for lesser authorities. This same symbolism we have seen in connection with Israel and rulership through Joseph’s dreams in – Ge 37:9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” And we have seen it again, also with respect to Israel in – Re 12:1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. And the coming of Christ’s Kingdom in – Re 19:17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, Similarly, day and night are used metaphorically to distinguish between the present kingdom of Satan and the coming Kingdom of Christ – Ro 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. And as we see from Day 4 in Genesis Chapter 1, the sun and the moon were to ‘rule over the day and over the night’, bringing the division of the light from the darkness. k). And given the way that God marks time – the evening and the morning – there is always seen a transition from the dark to the light. From the present darkness to the light of His Kingdom – Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Simply put, from our natural perspective, the night is replaced by the day as the sun rises, giving us a continual reminder that the darkness of this present age will give way to the light of righteousness when ‘the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.’ [Malachi 4:2] l). And let’s not forget that day and night, the sun and the moon will continue throughout the Millennial Kingdom as sin and death will not yet have been completely dealt with. m). But beyond the Millennial Kingdom, with the dawn of the endless ages, that portended by the sun will have come to its fulness. There will no longer be any need for anyone to be reminded that the darkness of night will pass away as all that is associated with the night and darkness will be gone forever. Therefore, there will no longer be the need for the light of the sun and moon because that which they metaphorically picture will have been realized in totality. n). And that which we see in Revelation Chapter 22 is exactly what God had told Noah following the flood – Ge 8:22 “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” While the earth remains day and night shall not cease, providing the constant reminder, but in the endless ages the earth of which God spoke to Noah will be gone and instead there will be a new earth. And completely in line with Scripture, day and night will cease as sin and death will be no more, and the new earth will be filled with God’s holiness and righteousness. o). So, will there be a literal sun and moon in connection with the new earth during the endless ages? Well, again, what does the Scripture say? - Ge 1:3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. We might recall that light came into existence on Day 1, before the sun and the moon on Day 4. And as we have seen, the sun, the moon, and day and night came into being for a very specific purpose for those on the earth, to give them hope and certainty in the midst of the darkness of this age. p). The sun and the moon then are bearers of the light not the producers of the light. And as the purpose for which they were brought into being no longer exists in the endless ages, there would be no need for them either. q). Also, remember that – Re 21:1 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. The physical entities which are the sun, and the moon, are a part of ‘the first heaven’, and all that comprises this first heaven will have passed away. The sun and the moon like the first earth will be no more. r). If such physical entities were to exist in the endless ages, they would also have to be completely new, and Scripture says nothing about this. s). It would be self-evident though that wherever God is there is light 1 Jn 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. God provides the light for the place where the governance of the universe takes place on the farthest sides of the north And God will provide the light for the place where the governance of the universe will be administered from during the endless ages – the new earth. And in that we can rejoice – Re 22:5 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. And as the Book of the Revelation comes to a close, having presented all that we have looked at over these weeks of study, a warning is given – Re 22:18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. But this will have to wait until next time – If the Lord is willing. The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty-Two - G Nov 22, 2020 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T034_20201122.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Re 21:5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! We will continue today to look at the conditions that will exist in the endless ages. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday November 22nd 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 22G This is the Day 1). Re 21:1 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. 2 Then I, John, 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 heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! We had seen last time that there will be very significant changes that take place as the eternally saved move from the Millennial Kingdom to the endless ages. And there are 2 parallel sections of Scripture that detail the conditions that will exist in the endless ages, for the eternally saved, because of those changes. a). The first section is seen here in Chapter 21:1-6a and concludes with a statement of absolute finality, ‘It is done’. And that which has been ‘done’ - the eradication of sin and death, the New Jerusalem residing on the new earth, all those dwelling there being the people of God and the end of the division between the faithful and unfaithful eternally saved -will then exist throughout the endless ages in this unchangeable condition. b). The second parallel section of Scripture begins in Chapter 21:9 and runs through to Chapter 22:5. We will just pick up on the final 5 verses for now and come back to the other verses later - Re 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. 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 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 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. In connection to the statement that ‘it is done’, in Chapter 21, we now see the regality that will continue unchanged throughout the endless ages, through the presence of the tree of life, and this section of Scripture then concludes with another statement of an absolute, ‘And they shall reign forever and ever.’ c). And this of course is an all-inclusive statement, inclusive of all the eternally saved, those who previously had positions of rulership during the Millennial Kingdom and those who did not because of their unfaithfulness. d). And with this all-inclusive statement in mind the question arises, will the rewards received by the faithful during the Millennial Kingdom be carried over into the endless ages? In other words, will overcoming Christians have some advantage over those who will have been overcome when rulership in the endless ages begins? e). What can we know for sure from the Scriptures? Well to start with, we know that every tear will be wiped away, and the division, and therefore separation with regards to rulership that existed between the faithful and the unfaithful in the Kingdom Age is no more. Former things will have passed away and all things will have become new. f). We also know that a just recompense of reward will be given to both the faithful and unfaithful Christian at Christ’s Judgment Seat. Each will get exactly what they deserve. And so, if that given to the faithful is to be carried over beyond the Millennial Kingdom into the endless ages, then so must the negative reward that had been given to the unfaithful. And such cannot be the case because death will not be present in the endless ages – Re 21:4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, But then again, only faithful Christians will sit on Christ’s throne with Him as joint heirs during the Kingdom Age, something that is unique to the overcomers from this dispensation. And as Christ’s throne and the Father’s throne will be combined for the endless ages as, ‘the throne of God and of the Lamb’, will those sitting with Christ on His throne during the Kingdom Age make the same transition? g). The simple answer is, we just don’t know, Scripture is entirely silent on the matter, and therefore that’s where we also must leave it. h). In fact, beyond the statement that is made that the people of God will reign forever and ever and seeing that they will have access to the tree of life, nothing is said concerning either the scope or the nature of what Man’s role in the rulership of the Universe will entail. Again, we are simply not told. i). This is something that yet remains to be revealed, and until it is, beyond the end of this Age by the way, it’s best to leave it alone. 2). We do have detail given to us though, concerning the New Jerusalem during the endless ages, from the parallel section of Scripture we have not yet looked at, beginning in – Re 21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. The symbolism of John being carried away ‘to a great and high mountain’, should be obvious to us. The great and high mountain can only be God’s universal Kingdom as the endless ages begin. a). The New Jerusalem shown to John, is seen in connection with ‘the bride, the Lamb’s wife’ and ‘the glory of God’, both of which depict a regal context. b). The number 12 as we know is God’s number for government and so it is no wonder that the city from which universal rule will take place, would have 12 gates. And no wonder either that these 12 gates would have written on them ‘the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.’ c). All the eternally saved who will occupy the New Jerusalem during the endless ages, in regal positions, are there because of the children of Israel. Whether they will have come because of the Jewish Messiah, the Jewish Scriptures or Jewish evangelism during the Kingdom Age, it would be impossible to separate their presence from the purpose God determined in the children of Israel. d). And perhaps, with the gates of the city facing in 4 directions, we have the added thought of every tribe, tongue and nation. The totality of the eternally saved human race from the 4 corners of the earth. Re 21:14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. Let’s keep in mind that the 12 ‘apostles of the Lamb’ are also Jewish, and it was to these that the ‘mysteries of the Kingdom of the heavens’ was revealed. To them was given the message of the gospel of glory, and the revelation of the removal of the wall of separation with respect to Jews and Gentiles in Christ – Eph 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. It is on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets that we are now being built and if we allow the process of being built on this foundation to come to fruition, we will have the opportunity to rule with Christ during the Kingdom Age and then into the endless ages. e). It would seem entirely reasonable then that the foundations of the city would have the names of the 12 apostles. With the number 12 giving us once again God’s number for government. All in all, then, this is the city of God’s government in which the Triune God will reside with those who will rule forever and ever, where the tree of life will be found. f). And in Revelation Chapter 21:16-17, this city is described as a square, with its length, breadth and height all being equal, 12000 furlongs for each [1500 miles]. g). If this is the literal size, and there would be no reason to suppose that it wouldn’t be, then this would indicate that the new earth will be substantially larger than the present earth, as a structure of this size on an earth of the present size would be very difficult. Particularly as it would have to occupy the position of the earthly Jerusalem within the land of Israel. Re 21:21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). 26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. The 12 gates that have the name of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel are also described as being 12 pearls, with each gate being a single pearl. h). And I wonder in this if we have reference to the parable in Matthew Chapter 13 of the pearl of great price – Mt 13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. And we will remember that the one pearl of great price pictures those faithful Christians, the overcomers, who the Lord has purchased with His own blood. And we also might remember that it is the same Person selling ‘all that he had’ to buy the one pearl of great price, who is seen in the previous parable which deals with the children of Israel – Mt 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. That the gates would have the names of the children of Israel and be comprised of a single pearl bring the content of these 2 inextricable parables from Matthew Chapter 13 together and corroborate, in symbolic form, both that which we have seen with the middle wall of separation having been broken down from Ephesians Chapter 2 and both Jew and Gentile being seen as the people of God from Revelation Chapter 21. And most particularly that some OT saints and faithful Christians, will be the first occupants of the city during the Millennial Kingdom. i). And it is through these gates, during the endless ages that the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. The Gentile nations ‘who are saved’ will enter through these gates from the north, the south, the east and the west. They will have the right to enter because of Israel, because of the foundation of the apostles and the prophets and because of the Lamb’s wife. j). We can extract more detail still - 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light……………25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there) As we look at these 2 verses, we should call to mind how the sun, the moon and day and night are used metaphorically within Scripture. Something we can take back to the foundation in Genesis – Ge 1:14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. From the beginning the sun and the moon have been given as signs with respect to rulership. The sun is a metaphor for the supreme governing authority and the moon for lesser authorities. This same symbolism we have seen in connection with Israel and rulership through Joseph’s dreams in – Ge 37:9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” And we have seen it again, also with respect to Israel in – Re 12:1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. And the coming of Christ’s Kingdom in – Re 19:17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, Similarly, day and night are used metaphorically to distinguish between the present kingdom of Satan and the coming Kingdom of Christ – Ro 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. And as we see from Day 4 in Genesis Chapter 1, the sun and the moon were to ‘rule over the day and over the night’, bringing the division of the light from the darkness. k). And given the way that God marks time – the evening and the morning – there is always seen a transition from the dark to the light. From the present darkness to the light of His Kingdom – Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Simply put, from our natural perspective, the night is replaced by the day as the sun rises, giving us a continual reminder that the darkness of this present age will give way to the light of righteousness when ‘the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.’ [Malachi 4:2] l). And let’s not forget that day and night, the sun and the moon will continue throughout the Millennial Kingdom as sin and death will not yet have been completely dealt with. m). But beyond the Millennial Kingdom, with the dawn of the endless ages, that portended by the sun will have come to its fulness. There will no longer be any need for anyone to be reminded that the darkness of night will pass away as all that is associated with the night and darkness will be gone forever. Therefore, there will no longer be the need for the light of the sun and moon because that which they metaphorically picture will have been realized in totality. n). And that which we see in Revelation Chapter 22 is exactly what God had told Noah following the flood – Ge 8:22 “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” While the earth remains day and night shall not cease, providing the constant reminder, but in the endless ages the earth of which God spoke to Noah will be gone and instead there will be a new earth. And completely in line with Scripture, day and night will cease as sin and death will be no more, and the new earth will be filled with God’s holiness and righteousness. o). So, will there be a literal sun and moon in connection with the new earth during the endless ages? Well, again, what does the Scripture say? - Ge 1:3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. We might recall that light came into existence on Day 1, before the sun and the moon on Day 4. And as we have seen, the sun, the moon, and day and night came into being for a very specific purpose for those on the earth, to give them hope and certainty in the midst of the darkness of this age. p). The sun and the moon then are bearers of the light not the producers of the light. And as the purpose for which they were brought into being no longer exists in the endless ages, there would be no need for them either. q). Also, remember that – Re 21:1 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. The physical entities which are the sun, and the moon, are a part of ‘the first heaven’, and all that comprises this first heaven will have passed away. The sun and the moon like the first earth will be no more. r). If such physical entities were to exist in the endless ages, they would also have to be completely new, and Scripture says nothing about this. s). It would be self-evident though that wherever God is there is light 1 Jn 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. God provides the light for the place where the governance of the universe takes place on the farthest sides of the north And God will provide the light for the place where the governance of the universe will be administered from during the endless ages – the new earth. And in that we can rejoice – Re 22:5 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. And as the Book of the Revelation comes to a close, having presented all that we have looked at over these weeks of study, a warning is given – Re 22:18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. But this will have to wait until next time – If the Lord is willing.