What Is Heaven Like and What Will We Do There?
Sermon Notes
1. There will be a new heaven and a new earth (21.1-7).2. There will be a new holy city (21.10-22.2).
a. It will be brilliant like nothing we can imagine.
i. The city's brilliance was the glory of God Himself - her brilliance was like a very costly stone - as a stone of crystal-clear jasper (21.11).
ii. I had a great wall with 12 gates (21.12).
iii. The city was laid out as a 1500 mile cube (21.16 - over 3 ½ billion cubic miles).
iv. The city was like pure gold, like clear glass (21.18).
v. The street (main street) of the city was like pure gold, like transparent glass (21.21).
vi. It will have no temple (21.22).
vii. The glory of the Lord illumined it; the lamp is the Lamb - no need for the sun or moon (21.23).
viii. Nations walk in its light (21.24).
ix. Kings of the earth bring their glory into it (21.24).
x. The city was pure and holy (no evil will ever be there) - filled only by those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life (21.27).
xi. The city will have a river of God and of the Lamb (22.1).
xii. On either side of the river grows the tree of life bearing 12 kinds of fruit every month - its leaves are for the healing of the nations (22.2).
b. It will have a massive wall (must be at least 6000 miles long - 1,500 miles on each side).
i. 12 gates (21.12, each named after the 12 tribes of Israel).
ii. The wall has 12 foundation stones (21.14, named for the 12 apostles of the Lamb).
iii. The wall was 216' tall - nearly 2x's higher than the highest High Five overpass (21.17).
iv. The material of the wall was jasper (21.18).
v. The wall had 12 different kinds of foundations stones:
1. Jasper
2. Sapphire
3. Chalcedony
4. Emerald
5. Sardonyx
6. Sardius
7. Chrysolite
8. Beryl
9. Topaz
10. Chrysoprase
11. Jacinth
12. Amethyst
vi. The twelve gates were twelve pearls - each gate a single pearl (21.21)!
vii. The gates will never be closed (21.25).
3. Some general conclusions (22.3-7)
a. Marveling at God and the Lamb will consume our lives. Serving and enjoying them, without any curse, will be the joy of life (22.3).
b. Everything we do will have God's mark all over it (22.4).
c. We will reign with Him forever and ever (22.5).
d. Let's think about heaven and let's invest in heaven now with our lives and our money (22.6,7; Luke 16.9).
"Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22.20).