Thrones, Thirst, and the New Heaven: Revelation 21 Explained

Well, as it ties in tonight, we're in the book of Revelation,

as you know, and we're approaching towards the end.

We're in chapter 21 tonight, and the last back part of that that we started a couple of weeks ago.

And I told my family tonight, and this is always crazy when I say this,

okay? They've already laughed at me.

I always told them, I said, I believe it's going to be a little bit short tonight,

and we should be able to get into our planning meeting early.

And so Coda said, I'm putting you on the stopwatch as soon as you start.

That's what I'm saying. And he's done it already.

But this ties in tonight because we have just gotten finished not

long ago talking about the millennial kingdom right and brother

ronnie brought the verse this morning i think in his sunday school class and

i felt it tied in with what we had been talking about some

because i told him this this morning when we talked briefly but matthew i believe

it was chapter 19 verse 28 and it would somebody like to read that one for me

matthew i believe i got it right 19 verse 28 maybe let me go back to verse 27

if it gets it in context a little bit better,

Through 30-ish, I think. Take care. Richard Peter said unto him,

Behold, we have forsaken all and followed thee. What shall we have therefore?

And Jesus said unto them, Darling,

very, I say unto you, But ye which have followed me in the regeneration.

When the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit

upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

And every one that ye forsaken house,

your brother or your sisters or your father or your mother or your wife or your

children on the land, for my name's sake, shall receive in a hundred foes and

shall inherit everlasting life.

But many that are first shall be last, the last shall be first.".

And so we're looking at this morning, Brother Ronnie was bringing this up,

you know, about, you know, as he's saying, I mean, it says here that the 12

apostles are going to sit on 12 thrones and they're going to sit on 12 thrones.

Judge the 12 tribes of Israel, right?

And so we were talking about briefly in the hall. And I said,

well, I know that this is pointing to the millennial kingdom.

And I said, I'd like to look at this a little closer and take a look at this.

And I said, but, you know, Jesus said these words, right?

And so I really believe in keeping with that and talking about the millennial

kingdom that we just finished with, that this promise is literal, Brother Ronnie.

And I think it does apply specifically to those 12 apostles and not all believers

in the sense of we're not all going to sit on 12 thrones.

This was made a specific promise to the apostles.

And so, but other believers, as we've already studied, we're all going to share

in reigning with Christ, but not in this same unique role that the apostles

will have here that's mentioned.

And so the 12 apostles, they have a unique literal role and.

When he says here, Jesus says, you who have followed me will also sit on 12

thrones, when Peter was asking this, judging the 12 tribes of Israel.

And so a real future kingdom there, that millennial kingdom is referring to

actual authority and rulership, specific assignments to the apostles.

So the promise there quickly is personal, spoken directly to who? The 12, right?

And it's exclusive because it's not extended to all believers in the same way.

And even though, y'all know Judas Iscariot fell away, right?

But we also see that his place was fulfilled again, right? So there's 12, right?

And so preserving that number. And so, but what does judging mean?

I thought I would say this really quickly tonight.

Judging, I think we look at that, ruling, governing, not merely condemning in

any way. We know Jesus is the only one who is qualified to, you know,

as far as our salvation, right?

And those type things. But he makes a promise to his apostles here that they

will be ruling, governing on these 12 thrones over the 12 tribes of Israel.

So they would have that authority that he gives them over Israel.

And I think it's important to see that the apostles function here in that passage

is leadership under Jesus, right?

Administrators in his earthly reign

so it's all under him and

under his authority but all believers again as

we've studied already will reign with christ and we

all will share in kingdom authority we will receive rewards based on our faithfulness

that we've been studying about but not all believers will sit on the 12 thrones

judge the 12 tribes of israel that is for these apostles.

According to Jesus here, okay? It's reserved uniquely for them under his authority.

And so, and as y'all know, there are degrees of reward and responsibility in

the kingdom and faithfulness, just like we were studying in the gospel of Luke this morning,

faithfulness in this life affects future roles in the kingdom, okay?

God assigns specific stewardship roles, not identical ones, right?

Specific roles to us as believers, right, in the kingdom.

And I think back to this morning, even in Luke, when you saw the servants that

actually took what their master gave them, they invested it properly, right?

And they got a return. What was their reward again?

Cities, okay? So you kind of see this in view here, even with Revelation and

talking about alluding to this kingdom, right?

So literal thrones, yes. Literal judging of Israel under Christ's authority,

yes, as ruling authority.

Who does it? The 12 apostles only in that sense.

Do all believers reign in the millennial kingdom? Yes, we do.

Do we all share this exact role? No, we don't. Not this specific promise here to them.

Now, with all that being said, there was probably a little bit of human motives

here, you know, from him.

I mean, I know y'all talked about this this morning, you know,

hey, what we've been following you and they truly had, they truly had sacrificed,

but probably a little bit, you know, we think about it from that sense,

what do I get out of it? Right.

And so there's a little bit of that balance there when we think about those

things, but faithfulness in this life does affect roles in the next.

So, but we pick up tonight, I hope that maybe ties in a little bit,

because I think it fit in well with what we've been talking about some,

that question this morning, but we're We're picking up tonight in Revelation

Revelation 21:6

21, verse 6, and I just got a couple more sections, and I really think I'm going

to keep my short time tonight.

The residents of the new heaven and the new earth is what we're picking up with tonight.

Who are going to be the residents of this new heaven and new earth?

Let's look in 21, verse 6. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring

of the water of life without cost.

He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.

So there's two descriptive phrases there that reveal who will live in the glorious

new heaven and new earth. That's what we're talking about.

First, a citizen of heaven, if you look at this passage, is described as one who what?

Well, that's one of them. That's definitely, but one who thirsts too.

See that? One who thirsts. And that phrase really signifies who?

Those who actually recognize their desperate spiritual need.

A hunger and thirst for righteousness comes to mind, right? In Matthew 5, 6.

They are the ones, y'all, to whom Isaiah cries out these words.

He says, ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters and you who have no money, come.

Buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

That's in Isaiah 55 verse 1.

Isaiah 55:1

Isn't that cool? I mean, come, buy. You don't need money, okay? There is no cost, okay?

And those who will be redeemed, y'all, and inner heaven are those who are dissatisfied

with their hopelessness, their lost condition. And you know what they crave?

They thirst for, they hunger for, you guessed it, God's righteousness with every part of their being.

Has anybody here ever really been thirsty?

You know what I'm talking about, right? And you stop and think about it,

how that thirst and how, you know, I don't know if y'all been to the point you've

been so thirsty, you ever get dizzy? You know, you ever had those things?

And we think, man, you know, that thirst, and it's almost like,

well, what about anybody here ever had that experience where you got the breath knocked out of you?

That's not a fun experience, is it? I mean, you get to go and you're playing

hard, right? And all of a sudden, boom.

Right. I mean, that's like, am I going to heaven? Right.

You know, and what are you thinking of? It's like you're so desperate.

We're so desperate for that next breath of air. It's like what's going on?

I mean, there's like that little panic going on.

And when we're thinking about it, we're thinking about hungering and thirsting

and craving God's righteousness and the water of life here who thirst after God. right?

And so are we that desperate for God?

Do we have that kind of craving? Is it important to us as the breath of life that we breathe?

It reminds me of the praise song. This is the air I breathe, right?

So, you know, it's like that desperation as the deer. I think of those verses.

We'll talk about some of those pants after the water, Lord. So my soul yearns for you, right?

The psalmist expressed that desire. Psalm 42, I believe, 1 and 2.

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for who?

God. For the living God, it goes on to say, when shall I come and appear before God?

So the promise, y'all, to such earnest seekers is that their thirst,

their spiritual thirst, will be satisfied.

God, look what it says in this passage. God will give to the one who thirsts from where?

Where do they get their thirst satisfied?

From the spring of the water of life without what?

Cost. Without cost. Do y'all remember the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well?

To the Samaritan woman there at Jacob's well, Jesus promised,

you remember this promise?

Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again.

But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall what?

Never thirst, right? But the water that I will give him will become in him a

well of water that's springing up to eternal life.

That's John 4, right? I mean, it is the water of which he actually spoke Look,

even in John chapter seven, when he said, now on the last day,

the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying, if anyone is thirsty,

let him come to me and drink.

He who believes in me, as the scripture said, from his inmost being will flow, guess what?

Rivers of what? Living water, right?

This same promise is repeated again in chapter 22, verse 17 of Revelation, by the way.

It almost reminds me of that song. I was looking, going back in the,

you know, everything reminds me of a song, but going back in the day,

you know, to Maranatha and all that and to Calvary Chapel.

And I saw an old, old concert by one of my favorite bands like many years ago,

like 72 by Petra, a whole different band.

But yes, it was then. And they were singing that wonderful song,

Taste and See, that the Lord is good, right?

And it reminds me of that because here it's like we got that craving,

that hunger, that thirst.

The spirit and the bride say, come, and let the one who hears say,

come, and let the one who is thirsty come.

Let the one who wishes take the water of life. Again, it's repeated, y'all, without cost.

The water, y'all, in all those passages just symbolize what? What is it?

You know, eternal life, right? Eternal life.

Those who thirst for and passionately seek salvation are the ones who will receive

it, and they'll enjoy the eternal bliss of heaven, all of it.

And then second, as we see in this passage, heaven belongs, and Brother James

already had this one, man, you were thinking ahead.

He who overcomes, to he who overcomes. An overcomer, according to 1 John 5,

1 John 5:4

verses 4 and 5, is the one who actually exercises saving faith.

That's what an overcomer is somebody who exercises saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The overcomer, y'all, is the person who in faith, get this, drinks the water

of salvation freely offered by God. Wow.

John actually uses this distinctive term for believers in the closing promise

of each of the letters to the seven churches. Did you know that? You remember?

Remember what we studied when we first started this? the promise

here to those who overcome is that

they will what what's going to happen what's the promise inherit these things

they will obtain an inheritance which is imperishable undefiled and will not

fade away it says reserved in heaven for them how many want some treasures that

aren't going to fade away rust and decay okay.

I mean, we don't have it in this world, y'all. It's all temporary, right?

Reminds me of the meme or the little gif that my former boss used to send almost

every day when we'd get in there chatting about stuff and things that were going

on and requirements and all that.

He would send that little gif, you know, that comes from the John Dutton, burn it, right?

It's like, let's just burn it, you know, burn it down, burn it.

And so, but it's not going to fade away. The treasure that we're talking about

in heaven is not going to be able to be burned up.

It's not going to fade away, but we're going to enjoy perfection of soul,

as it talks about in Hebrews 12.

And body, by the way, we've been celebrating that, right? As we saw this new

heaven and new earth, right?

Our bodies are going to be glorified forever in that joy, that happiness,

that bliss of new heaven and the new earth.

But the most wonderful promise, don't miss this, to the one who overcomes,

who thirsts for righteousness, you know what it is?

God's promise is what? I will be his God. Do you see it there in the text? I will be his God.

Wow, y'all. Equally amazing is God's promise that the one who overcomes,

as you see in the same passage, will be my son or daughter for that matter, right?

Even in this life, it is the believer's privilege.

It's our privilege, y'all, to be the adopted son or daughter of the God of the

universe. Have you thought about it? God chose you.

You're adopted into his family. I know we can't wrap our heads around it.

Don't try to. But we're adopted.

Not because of anything we've done, it says in Ephesians.

But we've been adopted into his family. We've been adopted by the God of the

universe, but only in heaven when believers come into their inheritance,

as it talks about in 1 Peter 1,

will that adoption be fully realized.

Somebody read Romans 8, 23 for me, if you can get it real quick, Romans 8, 23.

You'll see here that adoption being fully realized, what it's pointing to here,

if somebody has that one real quick.

Romans 8 23 whoever gets

it first can read it and we believers also

grown even though we have the holy spirit within us as a poor taste of future

glory for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering we too

wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his

adopted children including the new bodies he.

Come on, y'all see it? You see it? This is when that adoption will be fully

realized here in Revelation.

You got it? All right, here's the last one for tonight.

Let's talk a little bit about the outcasts from the new heaven and the new earth.

The outcasts, okay? So we're going to pick up here in verse 8 of chapter 21. Listen to this.

It says, But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and

immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be where?

In the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Revelation 21.8.

So John actually concludes his overview of the new heaven and the new earth

with a serious but a very solemn warning, right?

He delineates those who will be excluded, those who will be excluded from any

participation in the blessings of heaven, right?

All unforgiven, unredeemed sinners will be excluded.

And there's a similar list of such sinners, by the way, that's mentioned in

this passage and passages like Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6, Galatians 5, 2 Timothy 3.

The first group, look at it quickly tonight as we wrap up. The first group excluded

from heaven are the what? Starts with a C.

Cowardly. These are the ones who lack endurance, according to Matthew 24 and Mark 8.

They actually fell away when their faith was challenged or opposed.

You know why they fell away when their faith was challenged or opposed?

Because their faith was not genuine. That's why.

Jesus actually describes such people in the parable of the soils. You remember that?

Or some of us call it the sower, right? And the souls, right?

In fact, Jesus said, if y'all remember this, that that one parable was the key

to unlocking the mystery of all the parables.

Pretty important one, right? And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky

place, as he talked about, that's the man who hears the word and immediately

receives it with joy, right?

Yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, if you remember.

And when what happens? Affliction or persecution arises because of the word,

it says, immediately what happens to him? falls away.

Reminds me of Ray Comfort. Tell him the story, right? When the flight gets bumpy, right?

And these are the ones who shrink back, it says in scripture,

to destruction in Hebrews 10.

In fact, in John 8, 31, Jesus actually defined those whose faith is genuine.

You know how he defined them?

As those who continue in his word.

Do you not think perseverance of the saints is absolutely necessary? Yes, it is.

Those who do not persevere in their faith will fall away, obviously,

and they will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. They're not going to be there.

Not going to be there, according to God. Because you know why?

Because they lack saving faith and are unbelieving, and their disloyalty actually

excludes them from heaven.

In fact, he goes on to describe them. He says they're also abominable.

That just means vile, polluted, detestable, wholly caught up in wickedness and evil.

Murderers, look at it here in the passage, immoral persons, sorcerers.

I'm gonna ask y'all, if y'all don't mind, let's kind of calm down and see if

we can find a seat, everybody.

I think we got a little bit too much movement tonight, okay? Let's kind of calm down.

We don't have much longer, all right? So we've got murderers,

immoral persons, sorcerers, it says.

And actually, that's from the Greek word, that pharmakos, from which the English

words pharmacy and pharmaceuticals derive, right?

And so those indicate the inclusion of those who actually use,

and we talked about a little bit before, mind-altering drugs, right?

In a cult religion specifically okay

and so we think of that that that pharmacus and that greek greek word there

those whose lives are characterized by that uh idolaters liars are there those

whose lives are characterized by such those things there give evidence that

they are not saved and will never enter the heavenly city.

And on the contrary, their part will be where, it says in the text,

the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

So in contrast, think about it for a minute, in contrast to the eternal bliss

of the righteousness in heaven,

of the righteous heaven, right, in heaven, the wicked will suffer eternal torment, where? In hell.

So, and we talk more about that lake that burns with fire and brimstone,

which is the second death a few weeks back, but the new heaven and the new earth

await believers, right?

And the final hill awaits resurrected unbelievers.

For believers, it's going to be a universe of eternal happiness as they dwell

forever in the glorious presence of God Almighty, their Father, right?

But for unbelievers, it'll be a terrifying place of unbearable torment and unrelieved

misery away from God's presence, it says in 2 Thessalonians chapter 1.

2 Thessalonians 1 · chapter mention

And I just want to say this tonight. The choices men and women and boys and

girls make in this life determine in which of those realms they will live forever.

Now, I wouldn't tell you all this if I didn't love you. I'm preaching the word here tonight.

The choices we make in this life determine where we will spend eternity.

It's going to be glorious. It's going to be bliss. It's going to be a celebration for the saved.

But it's going to be eternal destruction, torment, all that for those who don't

know the Lord, who don't know their father.

They have not been adopted into God's family. And I hope tonight,

maybe if nothing else, as we think about this new heaven and new earth,

that maybe tonight you're sitting there tonight saying, hey, hallelujah.

Thank God that Jesus paid it all, right?

That I can freely come and taste of this water of life. I can freely get this.

I can taste and see that he is truly good.

But it all starts with, you know, a lot of us can sing the songs, right?

We can sing the songs, maybe even lift the hands occasionally.

But it comes down to those choices that we make in life that really show whether

we're children of God or not.

I don't know if you've studied the parable of the souls, but you know what it's

about as well as all the other parables?

Every single one of them is about true and false conversion.

Every one of them is about true believers and false believers.

And they all talk about and allude to the fact that just like the wheat and

the tares, they grow together, right?

Can't tell them apart with the naked eye necessarily.

They look alike anyway. But one day Jesus, thankfully we don't have to.

One day he's going to go through and, you know, just like they did when they

threw them up in the air, what flies away?

What falls away? The chaff, right?

Off of that. But the wheat and the tares, they grow together. They look very similar.

But Jesus is the one who's going to separate those. That's going to be when

we're talking about the parables, like the good fish and the bad fish,

like the sheep and the goats, like the foolish virgins and the wise virgins.

The foolish virgins, if you remember, they didn't have any oils for their lamp, did they?

But wise virgins did they were ready all

about the choices they made it's just like here on

the parable of the sower and the souls y'all do

realize that this is not teaching that all

these souls are just different types of christians at different levels in

their life that is not the bible that's not what it's teaching this parable

is teaching that there's only one soul that's a christian and that's the one

who produces fruit that's it you're either a child of god or you're not And

that's what all the parables are about, true and false.

True and false. And guess what? The true and false kind of come together, right?

Jesus will separate us on the day of judgment.

But y'all, tonight as the Holy Spirit speaks in your heart, my heart tonight,

you can just simply say, hey, is my heart about, like we talked about this morning

even, about kingdom things?

Is the choices I'm making in my life dealing with kingdom things?

Or is the choices I'm making in life dealing with all this stuff,

like all the cares of this world, all the thorns that come in and choke it out,

all that stuff where our hearts are hard and not plowed, right?

Because all the other soil, every one of those faded away. They're gone.

They're not going to be in heaven.

Only the one that produced fruit and grew is the true believer. That's it.

I think many times today we preach in many of our churches such an erroneous gospel.

Because every one of us know that the Bible says, and Jesus said himself,

the way to life is narrow.

Few there be that find it. The way to destruction is very broad.

There is a way that seems right to a man in his eyes, right?

It looks right. But the end thereof is what? The ways of death, the ways of death.

So it's important. It's important. Well, next time we're together in a couple

of weeks, We're going to be looking at the capital city of heaven in verse,

actually, verse 9, picking up here in the same chapter,

taking us through 22, verse 5, and we probably won't get it all in one night,

but we'll be there at the capital city of heaven next time we get up in the book of Revelation.

Any comments tonight on anything tonight and looking at these scriptures and

looking at what we talked about tonight?

It's normal clarity, and especially when it comes to things in this world. Yeah.

Yeah, it's kind of like it reminds me, when you say that, like it reminds us

of the fact that thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, isn't it? It truly is.

Because, I mean, I think we all know, how many of you live in the woods?

Anybody here besides me live in the woods a little bit?

Man, if the moon's not out and you're not just, in fact, I found out that,

I think I'm in the woods, but actually when you get up in the mountains,

you know, and you don't have a flashlight coming down a mountain, that's dark.

But anyway, it's no wonder, I mean, you're, You and I are going to trip.

We're going to fall in this world without the word of God.

That's why it is a light, a lamp to our feet and a light to our path,

man. If we're not spending time, thank you for saying that, in God's word.

If all of God's word you guys get is Sunday morning, you're in trouble.

Okay? You're in trouble. That's kind of like saying all the food I ever eat,

Brother Judd, is on Sunday morning.

Nobody ever eats breakfast. Nobody eats another meal the whole rest of the week. Right?

You can't survive that way. In fact, and like you said, man,

those who know the Lord, those who really are his children, you don't have to

beg them to spend time in his word because their heart, according to this passage tonight.

Longs, thirst, hungers for righteousness and truth.

Y'all, I'm just telling you, I'm preaching the word. This is it.

Don't fool yourself. Don't be deceived.

Don't be deceived. It's really cut and dry.

Cut and dry. Jesus doesn't hide anything from us. It's black and white.

There's no gray area here. None.

You're either for me or against me, is what he said.

So y'all, I mean, it's a heart check. It's a brighten your heart up in my heart.

If we don't have a hunger and thirst for God and his word and growing and understanding

his word, that should send off red flags all over your house.