Understanding the end from the beginning

Revelation 21 to 22 verse 5.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.

He will dwell with them, and they will be his people.

And God himself will be with them as their God.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more.

Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.

And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new.

Also he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.

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.

The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.

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 sulfur, which is the second death.

Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues,

and spoke to me, saying, Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.

And he carried me away in the spirit to a great high mountain,

and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,

having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper clear as crystal.

It had a great high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels,

and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed.

On the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.

And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls.

The city lies four square, its length the same as its width.

And he measured the city with his rod, twelve hundred stadia.

Its length and width and height are equal.

He also measured its wall, 144 cubits, by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement.

The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold like clear glass.

The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel.

The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx,

the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase,

the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.

And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl.

And the street of the city was pure gold like transparent glass.

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God, the Almighty and the Lamb.

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives its light,

and its lamp is the Lamb.

By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.

And its gates will never be shut by day, and there will be no night there.

They will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations.

But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false,

but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal,

flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city.

Also on either side of the river, the tree of life, with its twelve kind of fruit,

yielding its fruit each month.

The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it,

and his servants will worship him.

They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

And night will be no more.

They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light,

and they will reign forever and ever.

Well, how have you experienced your world, our world, this week?

I guess I already know the answer to that question for every one of us,

and that is, we'd have to say it's a mix.

It's always a mix, isn't it?

So, on the one hand, you're aware of stunning beauty in the physical world,

yet incredible harshness and uncertainty,

climate change, devastating natural disasters, disease, plagues.

It's such a mix.

It's like the same in our relational world.

From time to time, we catch glimpses of the loving, secure, satisfying, selfless relationships

that each one of us crave.

But mostly, we're just struggling to keep our relationships together.

We're struggling just through dysfunction and brokenness.

Our brokenness and dysfunction impacting others,

and the brokenness and dysfunction of others impacting on us.

And I think it would be safe to say, without being called Eeyore this morning,

that I think most of us at the end of the week just feel a bit battered,

and bruised, and tired.

That's life, isn't it?

And then when we switch on our TVs,

if you still use a TV, or your iPad, whatever it is,

you get your news service on,

at global village level,

well, the picture's just the same, only much bigger,

much more severe.

Brutal conflict erupting every which way.

Hatred in countless forms.

Lies.

Ruthless exploitation.

We talk about man's inhumanity to man,

but that's just a cliche, isn't it, for what we see.

That reality, I think,

is very, very much to the fore in explaining why,

hope is basic to every person.

It's hope in the middle of a very, very heavy,

dysfunctional, broken world.

It's hope

that keeps a person from being stuck

in the awfulness of the past,

or the present.

Because hope gives promise of a better future.

Hope is such a powerful thing in each of us.

Hope is a really powerful thing in society.

In fact, it's so powerful

that I think it's not too much to say

that hope is the last thing we lose in life.

Once that's gone,

then it's gone.

Life's gone.

We cannot continue to live meaningfully

without hope.

It's that powerful.

It's that important.

Now, of course,

when we look at our world,

then we see

that the more hopeless people feel,

the more they experience that sense of brokenness

and dysfunction in the world,

as they observe it and experience it,

the more they demand hope.

And what we see in our world, I believe,

is that we keep recycling

the same old hopeless forms of hope.

Despair.

Black depression.

And that's an epidemic proportion

in our society at the moment.

Or, go to the other extreme,

there's escapism,

self-indulgence.

We entertain ourselves to death

at the old retail therapy,

binging Netflix,

endless entertainments,

home renovations,

personal pampering,

and so the list could go on and on and on.

It's all about escapism.

It's all about self-indulgence.

It's all about creating

a sense of paradise and security

and meaningfulness

in among the dysfunction and the brokenness.

And then there's bland optimism.

Our world seems to be

still holding on to that.

Positive thinking.

Hard to know how

after generations of war

and destruction.

But it seems like

a lot of people still,

contrary to all evidence,

believe that inherently

people are good.

And that if we can just deliver

the right educational,

economic, and social conditions,

then we can actually build

that earthly paradise

we all crave.

And that if we can just deliver

and that's more positive

in positive thinking

than I can manage,

let me tell you.

In sharp contrast to that,

there is Christian hope.

That is,

Christian hope is the past,

present, and future

connected in Jesus.

So the Christian hope,

as I introduce that term,

is just another way of speaking

about the Christian worldview,

which is spelled out

in the Bible.

And the worldview,

I've used this idea before,

the worldview is just like

a pair of glasses.

A worldview is the lens

by which we observe

and understand our world,

what our world is,

where our world came from,

and our place in the world.

The biblical worldview

gives us a framework

to understand

the frustration

and brokenness

we observe

in ourselves

and in our world.

The biblical worldview

gives us a framework

to understand

the sense of futility

and meaninglessness

which threatens

to overwhelm us

from time to time.

The Christian worldview

is a compelling

historical explanation

which guarantees

we're not stuck

in the past

or the present

because it explains

precisely how

and why

the future

will be better.

In the Christian worldview,

history is linear,

not circular,

as in many

Eastern religions

and philosophies.

that is,

in the Christian worldview,

history,

or what we know

as space and time,

actually had

a precise start.

It was created

out of nothing

by God

when he created

our universe.

And history,

space and time,

will have

a precise,

finite ending

at some point

in the future.

Also determined

by God.

and in between

those two points,

history is us

moving inexorably

towards that

final point

in time.

And the Christian worldview,

most importantly,

explains to us

that we experience

the world

not as it was

created to be,

but we experience

the world

having been subjected

to frustration

and futility.

And that fits,

doesn't it?

That fits with our sense

of what we're observing

in ourselves

and experiencing

in our world.

We just think

to ourselves,

there's got to be

something better.

This can't be

what we were made for.

We see that most clearly

at death.

We just want to cry,

no,

no,

no,

this is not right.

We were made

for better things.

But equally true,

the Christian worldview

explains that God's future

is already breaking

into the present.

Both God's image bearers

and God's physical world

will be restored

to God's original design

and plan.

Because it is

God's design

and plan.

And Jesus,

we're told

in the biblical worldview,

is the center

of history

and the Bible.

Every aspect

of the past,

present,

and future

is tied

inseparably

to Jesus

and God's kingdom.

And

so as Christians,

as believers,

those in Christ,

we have the link,

the vital piece

that puts it all together.

That is the Christian hope.

And Jesus himself

was very much aware of this.

His mission in the world,

he says in Mark 1,

Mark 1:15

verse 15,

you can check that out

for yourself at a later time,

his mission in the world

was to establish

the kingdom of God.

That is,

in the context,

he's saying,

as God's Messiah,

as God's promised

king and savior,

I will do

everything necessary

to restore

the kingdom of God.

What's the kingdom of God?

Well, the kingdom of God,

we've seen over the last few weeks

from Genesis 1 to 3,

is

God's people,

God's special people,

in God's place,

under God's rule

and blessing.

God's

under God's rule

and blessing.

In John 5,

John 5:39

verse 39,

again,

you can check it out later,

Jesus is clear

that all scripture,

that which we call

the Old Testament,

all scripture

is written about him.

And in that context,

he actually connects that

to eternal life.

So if you want to know

how to find eternal life,

what eternal life is,

then you read

the Old Testament scripture

in the light of Jesus.

He brings it to fulfillment.

He makes it real.

He delivers

all those Old Testament promises.

The same in Luke chapter 27,

verses 44 to 46,

after his resurrection,

and he was walking

on the Emmaus Road

with his disciples.

And he reveals himself

and then tells them

that, again,

the same thing,

everything written about him

in the scriptures,

the Old Testament,

as we call it,

was about him.

Again,

he is the one

who fulfills

every promise

made by God

as part of God's

salvation plan.

So friends,

Jesus literally

is the key

to understanding

the whole Bible.

We can only

understand properly

what we read

in the Old Testament

when we understand

it through Jesus.

So for example,

if we just took

the idea of sin

we saw last week

in Genesis chapter 3,

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

we can see it's awful,

but it's not

until we see

what Jesus has to pay

to undo the effect

of sin

that we understand

how awful it is.

Nothing less

than the life

of God's own son

was going to be

sufficient to deal

with it.

And so,

things that we see

in the early part

of scriptures,

we actually see

develop throughout

scripture,

and then finally

the last piece

fits in place

and we think,

wow,

so that's

what it was

all leading to.

Jesus is doing

this.

Now it all

makes sense.

Every aspect

of Jesus'

ministry

is shaped

and defined

by the problems

and issues

of the past

as he

brings God's

future

into

time and space.

Jesus.

So,

in the remainder

of my time,

I just want

to have a quick

walk through

the Bible's

plot line

of God's

salvation plan

in Jesus.

And it's going

to be very quick.

It's actually

going to be

more like a gallop.

So,

over the past

three weeks,

we've explored

Genesis 1-3

and we've

explored that

under the headings

of explanation

for why we

observe and

experience the

world as we

do.

And we

started in

Genesis 1

with a notion

that God

created.

And we saw

there the

world as it

was designed

to be.

And we

just made

some notes

in passing.

The universe

is God's

created place.

The universe

is a home

for God's

glory.

Demonstrating

his creative

power and

goodness.

And it's

in Genesis

1 and 2

and 3

that we

see the

pattern of

God's

kingdom.

So,

Adam and

Eve were

God's

special people

in God's

special place,

the garden.

Created as

image bearers

to reflect

God's glory,

they were

the first

of the

human race,

set apart

from all

other living

creatures

to enjoy

unique

personal

relationship

with God

and rule

God's

world on

God's

behalf.

And they

were gladly

under God's

rule as

Genesis 2,

as they

lived all

of life

in obedience

to God's

word and

as they

lived all

of life

as worship

of God.

And in

turn,

enjoying the

good life

of blessing,

abundance,

and rest,

as it's called

in Genesis 2,

or security.

God was

created,

then the

next step

is that

God has

rejected

chapter 3.

And the

world is

subjected to

frustration and

futility.

So,

there you

have God's

people in

God's place

under God's

rule.

Well,

chapter 3,

God's

special people

choose to

disobey God

and act

independently

of him.

And the

consequences

were disastrous

both for

them,

Adam and

Eve,

and for

every generation

that has

followed them

since.

No longer

God's special

people in

God's special

place because

they've been

banished.

They were

shut out of

God's garden.

They turned

away from

God.

God turned

away from

them.

And they

were forced

into that

very thing

which they

wanted in

their action.

That is,

they wanted

to live

independently

of God.

That was

why they

chose what

they did.

And guess

what?

They got it

as God

closed them

out of the

garden and

locked them

out.

They were

forced to

experience life

independently of

God.

And we see

in Genesis

4 to 11

that that

life was

just horrendous

as the

depth and

nature of

sin spread

from the

generation to

the generation.

No longer

God's special

people.

No longer

in God's

special place.

No longer

under God's

rule and

enjoying God's

blessing.

Now,

they were

experiencing

God's wrath,

God's judgment,

albeit partial.

But they were

seeing an

aspect of

God's

character they'd

never come

across before

until they

disobeyed.

And their

life was

subjected to

restlessness in

comparison to

rest,

frustration in

comparison to

delight and

ease,

toil,

futility,

rebellion,

and most of

all and most

destructive of

all,

self-worship.

They stopped

worshipping God.

Who did they

start to

worship?

Themselves.

They had

put themselves

as creators.

They had

inverted God's

order.

God created,

God rejected,

and then God

mirac...

Oh, no,

I've lost my

word.

God provides.

Sorry.

I'm sorry about

that.

God provides

for his

rebellious

people.

I don't

know what

happened there.

God created,

God rejected,

and God

provides for

his rebellious

people.

The situation

at the end of

chapter 3,

on one reading,

just looks

hopeless.

But in

amongst all

the hopelessness,

we see that

God is

determined to

restore his

kingdom.

God is

determined once

again to

have his

special people

in his

special place,

gladly under

his robe,

and enjoying

the blessing

that comes

with that.

And so God

commits to

acting towards

his rebellious

people in

love and

undeserving

generosity.

And the

first promise

of that is

tied to

someone in

Genesis 2,

15.

Dave looked

at this last

week.

Again, go back

and check out

the verse.

I'm going to

call that person

the bruiser.

Because the

prophecy was

that this

descendant of

Eve would

come and

bruise Satan's

head.

But in that

action,

would himself

be bruised.

The bruiser.

What was his,

what was the

promise of the

bruiser from

the God?

Well, the

bruiser, at

considerable cost

to himself,

would defeat

Satan and

undo the

effects of

sin and

rebellion and

therefore restore

God's people to

God's place under

God's rule and

blessing once

again.

So that once

again, God's

world would do

what God designed

his world to do,

and that is

perfectly reflect

his glory.

perfectly demonstrate

his power,

his aloneness in

terms of his

being and his

presence in the

universe.

Now, as I said

before, Genesis

4 to 11 records the

horrendous consequences

as sins spread from

one generation to the

next, and they are

horrendous.

Look through those

chapters.

It just beggars

belief.

It's a

but then hope

surfaces again as

God promises Abraham,

Genesis 12 we're up

to now, he says one

of your descendants

will, essentially he

doesn't use this

language, but one of

your descendants will

be the bruiser.

That is, the promise

to Abraham was in

turn of land, nation

and blessing.

God's people in

God's place in

God's rule.

And so if you're

looking at the

second page in the

bullet and you can

see this little

schematic thing, the

diagram thing, we

see that Genesis 1

to 11, the whole of

the world is on

focus, it's on view,

and then in Genesis

12 with the promise

to Abraham, we sort

of narrow down and

for the next

generations we have

the history of God's

salvation plan as

it's worked out

through national

Israel, the Jews.

And then when we get

to Jesus, then we

open up and the

whole world's back on

view again.

And finally we get to

the end.

And so it's

symmetrical.

But the rest of the

Old Testament is

basically God working

out his plan of

salvation that once

again he would have

his special people in

his special place

under his rule and

enjoying his

unrestricted blessing.

Now, how do we see

that?

Well, if I had another

three or four hours I

would take you through

all the different

genres of literature in

the Old Testament, but

I'm not going to do

that this morning.

I just want to, at

risk of being

simplistic, and this

probably will annoy

some of you, just

talk about this

massive period in a

couple of sentences,

a few sentences, and

say it, cast it like

this.

So the pattern from

Genesis 12 until we

get to Jesus is a

pattern of waiting for

the bruiser to come.

And so what happens

is this.

As we track through

and we get introduced

to the next big

character in God's

salvation history,

then the anticipation

soars.

Abraham, Isaac,

Jacob, each time the

anticipation soars.

Perhaps this one is the

bruiser.

Perhaps he'll do what

nobody else has been

able to do before him,

undo the effects of sin

and restore the

Garden of Eden

conditions, bring

God's people back

into God's place and

under God's rule.

And the expectation

soars and then

crashes.

Because we see that

successively, each of

these big figures,

although they do

great work for the

Lord in that sense,

each of them is still

part of the problem.

Sin.

And sin trips them

up and we crash

and burn again.

And we wait again

in history for God

to bring the next

one.

Expectation soars

and we crash and

burn.

And so the pattern

continues right

through until Jesus.

Finally, we get to

Jesus.

And once again, hope

surges.

Now, if you read in

the early chapters of

Luke's gospel, you'll

find people like

Zechariah and

Elizabeth, Anna the

prophetess and others

who are described as

people who are

faithfully waiting for

the consolation of

Israel.

That is, they were

people who were

living in hope, hope

of the bruiser

finally coming, hope

that God would

finally send his

Messiah, the one who

would undo the effects

of sin and restore

the world to what

it was meant to be.

They too were feeling

bruised and battered

and tired.

And they couldn't

wait for God to act

and send the bruiser.

Expectations were

soaring again.

Anticipation was

soaring.

Only this time, we

stay up there.

There's no

disappointment.

No crash and burn.

Jesus was the bruiser.

Finally arrived.

And he got busy doing

what was promised in

Genesis 2.15.

But he did it in the

most surprising of

ways.

The redemption of

God's people, that is

the restoration, the

undoing of the effects

of sin and bringing

God's people back into

perfect relationship with

God, that's what

redemption is.

The redemption of God's

people came as he was

bruised on the cross

and in death.

But his death did undo

the effects of sin.

His death did restore

God's people to God's

special place, that is,

in Jesus.

Relationship, personal,

intimate relationship with

Jesus.

It renewed them from the

inside out so that once

again they're delighted to

live all of life under

God's rule, to live all of

life as worship and to

enjoy all the blessings of

being in God's family, in

God's place, in the Lord

Jesus, as they were created

to do.

But not even Jesus brings the

story to the end, in that

sense.

Salvation or redemption as we

experience it is very much

real.

We already have God's future

reaching into the present

now.

We are in Christ.

We are holy in Christ.

We are in relationship with

Christ.

We are already being made

perfect, made suitable for

heaven.

But it's not yet complete,

we're told, in the New

Testament.

We are a new creation in

Christ, 2 Corinthians 5, 17.

Ephesians 1, 1 to 14.

We have every possible

blessing in Christ.

Our inheritance is real.

But it's not yet fully

experienced or appreciated or

enjoyed, is what we're told in

Ephesians 1, 12 to 14.

So in spite of the fact that we

already experienced so much

renewal, restoration and

blessing in Christ, in spite of

the fact, therefore, that God's

future has already come into us

in the present, then I can tell

you this morning, my friends, and

I'm excited about this if you're

not, the best is yet to come.

The best is yet to come.

And to think of the best being

yet to come takes us to the end

of history and the new heavens

and the new earth.

And those, whatever else they are,

are just pictures of renewal and

complete restoration.

For all the points we might trip

over some of the details of the

pictures, just come with me at that

point.

It's just a picture of complete

restoration where once again we see

what it will be like to be God's

special people in God's special

place under God's rule and enjoying

his blessing in a way that's no

longer restricted and inhibited by our

finiteness and by our remaining sin.

And it's a picture that's tantalizing,

to say the least.

So turn with me now to Revelation 21

and 22.

These are pictures and they are

profound pictures and yet clear

pictures and I say to you, let's not

make them too complicated.

I think they're just meant to be

simple pictures.

And notice we do that, that we

started the Bible, this series in

Genesis 1, with God's word.

The first page of the Bible is God's

word and creation.

The last page of the Bible is God's

word and new creation.

And in between that is Jesus.

God's word and Jesus working out God's

salvation plan.

Now that's a worldview, my friends,

that is so, so good to have when we're

feeling battered and bruised and weary.

Mark Twain said history never repeats

itself, but it does rhyme.

He was even more Eorish than me because

what he was really saying.

That was meant to be rhetorical, Liz.

What he's saying is that, look, nothing

ever changes in history.

It just goes round and round and

round.

That's a dreadful place to be.

In Revelation chapter 20, very difficult,

Revelation 20 · chapter mention

complicated things.

Christians have argued over this for years

and will continue to argue that in the

generations.

But let me just touch you down very briefly

in Genesis 20, verses 11 through to 15.

Genesis 20:11

Essentially this, that Genesis 20, 11 through to 15,

and you can read this for yourself, is God's

final action in history.

That is the final judgment.

And again, that parallels Genesis 3.

God brought a first judgment, but it was only

partial.

There was always going to be an expectation of

a second, final judgment if God's justice was to

be displayed in God's glory.

Well, that second, final judgment that brings

history to an end is talked about in Revelation

20, 11 through to 15.

But what then?

That was an event that had no fear for Christ's

people because their names are written in the

Lamb's book of life, as John talked about.

It was a momentous occasion.

It will be a momentous occasion, sorry.

But it has no fear for God's people.

But what then?

Well, remember the structure of Genesis 1?

Six days of action by the Lord on the seventh day.

It didn't end.

Revelation is structured in the same way.

I don't think, coincidentally, I think it's

deliberately by John.

He works through six scenes or six cycles of

history.

Each has a start.

Each has a finish.

It's a perspective of God's world over the

ages.

But then this last scene doesn't end.

It continues.

Theoretically, it should end at the end of

chapter 20 because that's the end of history.

But no, it continues.

What's left after God's final action of history?

God's people in God's place under God's rule.

It's a picture of heaven.

It's a picture of heaven.

And what a picture it is.

All the things lost and spoiled by sin and rebellion

now restored and perfected by Jesus

so that they can never be lost again.

So the Bible starts with the Garden of Eden.

And it ends with a picture of the Garden of Eden.

But far better than the first Garden of Eden.

We'll get to that in a minute.

Far more secure.

Finally, the picture, as we move into these pictures,

finally as Christ's people will experience in full what we

long for daily.

Revelation 21, verses 1 to 8.

Revelation 21:1–8

I saw a new heaven and a new earth.

For the first heaven and earth had passed away.

And the sea.

By the way, here the sea represents a chaos

and disorder in the world.

But there won't be any of that in heaven.

So the sea doesn't exist.

It's picture language.

Remember that?

Remember that?

And I saw the holy city.

New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven for God.

Prepared as a bride.

Adorned for her husband.

The new city is actually a community.

People.

The church.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.

He will dwell with them.

And they will be his people.

And God himself will be with them as their God.

God's people.

Names in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Redeemed people.

In God's place.

Right there with God.

As he walked with Adam in the garden.

We're back to that picture again.

Under God's rule.

The good life.

The eternal life.

The abundant life.

The abundant life.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

And death shall be no more.

Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.

For the former things have passed away.

Friends, don't we just long to be free from the awfulness of life?

The older I get, the more I long for it.

Don't we just long for a new home.

A place of security.

A place that's deeply satisfying.

A place that's restful.

A place that sin.

And I speak about my own sin or the sin of others.

That can't intrude.

It can't spoil.

Nor do we need to be anxious about it.

Intruding or spoiling.

That's the picture of heaven.

Heaven will be perfect.

There will be none in heaven, verse 8, who seek to live independently of God.

And heaven is God's place of security and beauty.

And blessing for God's people.

In verses 9 through to 27, there's a series of four, again, pictures.

John is showcasing God's people.

Christ's bride.

The holy city.

The new Jerusalem.

And all of these are different symbols and different pictures of the same thing.

That is, they're all describing God's people in every edge.

And so, John uses these pictures, I think, to describe what he knows to be indescribable.

It's beyond his finite ability just to capture it.

And so, he's just searching for things and piling them up.

And so, he starts by saying, verse 11 and verses 18 to 21, he uses the imagery of precious stones.

And so, he sort of visualizes God's people as just this massive, massive chasm full of the most precious stones you can imagine.

Everywhere you look, God's people are sparkling.

Why do they sparkle?

Because Christ has made them new.

He's restored them to true image bearers.

What a beautiful picture to crave and long for.

And then, verses 12 to 14, he goes on and uses what you might call a more military metaphor of picture.

He describes God's people like a fortress.

And this is an amazingly huge fortress.

You can't dig under the waters, the walls, because there's 12 foundations.

You can't knock the doors down because they're miles thick.

You can't get over the top because it's so high.

It is a perfectly safe, secure place.

And it dominates the horizon.

Why?

Because it's God's people in God's place enjoying the blessings of God's rule.

And he goes on then to use a mathematical picture.

God's people are like a perfect cube.

You know, the same this way, this way, and that way.

It was just seen to be perfection in that day when it was written.

And he describes all these things.

And then, verses 22 through to 27, he's sort of still despairing.

He just can't quite get it.

Like an artist who can't quite capture what's before him.

And then he sort of backtracks and says, well, actually, let's just go back to what's really simple.

Heaven is God's people gathered around Jesus.

Those people who've been thirsty all their lives.

Verse 6.

To the thirsty, I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.

The Samaritan lady was so thirsty when she came to the well.

She thought she was thirsty for water.

But Jesus told her, no, no, no.

Behind that thirst, there's an even deeper thirst.

You're thirsting for life.

You don't know where to look for it.

But I do.

Look to me for life, says Jesus.

And your thirst will be quenched forever.

Can you imagine that?

Well, that which we can only sort of grasp for in the depths of our minds with as many pictures as we can imagine,

that will be the reality for us in the future.

That is God's future that we now enjoy in part, but which will be delivered in fullness to us in the future.

All right, I've got carried away here.

I need to stop.

So, heaven, in summary, then, is Eden restored, only much better.

In chapter 22, verse 1 to 5, you can see the pictures of Eden again.

Once again, the river of life flows freely.

Once again, it's a land of abundance and beauty and delight.

Once again, the tree of life is available with no restrictions.

The tree of the fruit of good and evil isn't there anymore.

And I presume that's because there'll be no more craving independence that everybody will be happy to live under the Lord.

And gladly so.

Once again, God looks at what he's created and says it's good.

Once again, there's uninterrupted blessing and fellowship between the Lord and his people.

How is it better than Eden?

Because our righteousness and obedience is now sourced from Christ's work on our behalf.

And in God's Spirit who has taken up residence in us.

We have the genetic code of the second man.

The last man.

The true Adam.

Adam.

Adam.

Adam.

Adam.

Adam.

Adam.

Adam.

Adam.

Friends, knowing the end from the beginning is the basis of the Christian hope.

Make it more personal.

Knowing our end from our beginning is what gives us hope for the future.

And it's only when we have hope for the future that we have the capacity to live well in the present.

to live well now in this broken, dysfunctional world

with broken, dysfunctional bodies,

knowing that what we have in Christ is real,

but the best is yet to come.

And the question then as I wind up,

do you believe that?

Do you believe that is your inheritance?

Do you believe this is your identity?

Do you crave God as your ultimate expression of beauty?

This is what we shall be in the age to come.

This is what we are in a very real sense,

this is what we are in a very real sense already now.

So the question then is,

why would we look longingly at the things,

the hopeless forms of hope our world offers us?

When true hope that understands our world

and understands our brokenness

is to be found in relationship with Jesus.

In the terms of Genesis 1-3,

why would we keep trying to build our own paradise

here in this earth under our own resources

to try and answer the deep thirst of our soul

when Jesus says,

come to me and drink freely

with no payment.

Friends,

let's set ourselves this week

to live in the light of heaven,

not to live as those were stuck in the past

or the present

in our brokenness and dysfunction.

Pray with me, please.

Lord,

we thank you for pictures.

Pictures,

as they say,

paint a thousand words,

capture a thousand words.

And the pictures of Revelation,

Lord,

capture many, many more words than that

and yet we can scarcely even

comprehend the pictures.

Lord,

our thirsty souls

do long for that

soul-satisfying water of life

that you've already poured into us

in the Lord Jesus Christ

and in your spirit.

And we long for that, Lord,

to be topped up to full measure

in the age to come.

And so, Lord,

in the brokenness

and the dysfunction of this world

and in my own brokenness

and dysfunction,

knowing the best is yet to come,

I just simply say,

come, Lord Jesus.