Revelation is NOT a Book of Fear!

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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. 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” (Revelation 21:1-4 NKJV).

We live in a society driven by fear.

Politicians play on it. Advertisers exploit it. Satan relishes it. Yet throughout Scripture God tells us to “fear not” in one form or another well over a hundred times. But the Book of Revelation rouses fear, some say. With all the wrath and plagues poured out, beasts and dragons, blood and wars, shouldn’t we be afraid? If you are, you are either not His or you are viewing the Book of Revelation through the wrong set of lenses. It should be viewed through the lens of grace, not fear. Now, if you are not His, you have a lot to be fearful of, but not if you belong to Him. The Revelation of Jesus is ultimately about grace because He is about grace. As His bride, instead of fearing the future, we look forward to it. Our future is not unknown. God is making all things new. He is redeeming, restoring, and reconciling this fallen, broken world while dealing with evil and righting every wrong. Satan is the “god” of this world for now. “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.”[1] Part of that blindness is the glorious future for God’s people. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they gave legal right/domain over to Satan to become the dictator of this world, running it with his wicked schemes and principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this age, which is the spirit of Babylon.[2] But God is getting it back, legally. His plan has been in place since before the fall. He is remaking our true home.

I know it sounds too good to be true, but it’s not wishful thinking. It’s a reality. “He has also set eternity in the human heart,” wrote Solomon.[3] There’s a longing built inside every human being for something more that this world can’t completely satisfy. It’s a longing for home. C. S. Lewis put it this way, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”[4] Bottom line: Revelation is about Jesus and home. In Revelation 21:1–22:5 we have a crystal-clear snapshot of our future in Jesus—of home. It also reveals the heart of God. There’s no need to fear the future if we know Him. “Perfect love casts out fear,” wrote John.[5] In the midst of all his persecution and suffering, John knew perfect love. He knew Jesus as the One who died for him on the cross and also the Son of God in heaven.

The message of Revelation is about the end of this age, but it’s also about the beginning of a new one. “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Rev. 21:1 NKJV). It’s about our ultimate home. Everything in this life is preparing us for our final and eternal home, even our gifts. The giftings He gave us on earth, regardless of how small or insignificant they may seem, are going to be utilized to their fullness in heaven—musicians, writers, carpenters, cooks, and horse whisperers. Somehow, God is going to utilize our gifts and bents for His future creations. Creation is not going to stop in heaven. It’s only getting started! The God of creation is not going to stop creating. We are going to be involved in some way doing God’s work. That’s why obedience is so important. We’re not going to float around on a cloud for eons. No, we are going to worship and work. Our work will be our worship too. We will live in a perpetual state of His presence with no sin nature to deal with. No lust, greed, envy, fatigue, and brain fog interrupting our flow. Just uninhibited life in His presence. “Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new’” (Rev. 21:5 NKJV). Notice God didn’t say, “I will make all new things,” “but I make all things new.” Placement of the word “new” after the word “things” in this sentence is critical. It means God is remaking all things that have been made, including us.

People tend to have this limited, religious view of heaven, but we have to put on new glasses that widen our view. “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you,” said Jesus.[6] Wow! Think of it. God spoke and all of creation came into being, from butterflies to buffaloes, from microscopic tardigrades to supernovas and everything in between. Our mansion may be our own planet or a galaxy. For sure, it’s going to be more magnificent and amazing than anything from this world! Stop limiting God to our limited perceptions. In eternity our minds are going to be unleashed. As we have seen, currently we understand in part, but then we will understand in full. Everything will be in full. This is the message of the Book of Revelation. A world without sin, a world without limits. The Book of Revelation is the biblical story of time and how it is coming to an end, but the end is actually the beginning of a whole new world outside of time. A child in the womb can’t imagine the wonderful, vast, amazing new world waiting outside the confines of the uterus. Likewise, we can’t imagine our wonderful, amazing new world awaiting us. Revelation gives us a glimpse.

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2 ESV). Can you see it? The bride coming down the aisle, the city coming down made by God, with Jesus, for us. Home—“I go to prepare a place.” You have to read about it! Go ahead. This passage is a bit lengthy, but it’s anything but boring.

“Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” 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, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 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: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 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. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 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 (Rev. 21:9–21 NKJV).

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss heaven! My brain is about to explode. I want to stop and just worship. Heaven and the New Jerusalem are literal places. They are not metaphors. After Jesus rose from the dead, He ate with the disciples. They felt His hands and touched Him. He had a glorified body. So will we. It’s hard to wrap our minds around it, but those stones in the New Jerusalem will be just as real as this book in your hands. And we are being drawn to our new home every day because home is planted in our hearts. When we understand Revelation in this way, our perspective changes.

It’s grace. Heaven is the fulfillment of God’s grace. It’s His gift to us. Of course, the Book of Revelation is about judgment of sin and evil, but it’s ultimately about God’s grace—the Revelation of Jesus, who is the fullest manifestation of grace. He took the wrath of God for us, bought us, and paid the dowry. We are His, but the world has to be made right and justice served. It’s about us, but it’s about so much more than us. Principalities and powers were defeated, brought to justice, and the universe brought back into alignment. Drop one tiny speck of something unclean into a pure glass of drinking water and it is contaminated. To get it pure again, it has to be taken through a process of filtration. God cannot allow sin to contaminate heaven the way it did this earth. This is the message of Revelation. All things made new. All things purified. A new heaven, a new Jerusalem, a new earth. “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.’ And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts’” (Rev. 21:5–6 NKJV, emphasis added).

Tears and pain will be gone too. “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” (Rev. 21:4 NKJV). Can you imagine no death? People talk about the great circle of life as if death is a natural process and should be embraced, kumbaya. No. Death is a curse. We were not created to die. We were created to live eternally. Trust me, watching your parents age is no fun. Of course, we can live out our days fully. That is God’s best. But our bodies will age, and we will die. The Psalmist wrote, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”[7] Wisdom is understanding that our time on earth is short, that life is a vapor. The Book of Revelation shows us this world is temporal and our ultimate home is eternal. Understanding Revelation gives us an eternal perspective on suffering too. When heaven is our home, our worst day on earth is our best day. “O death, where is your sting?”[8]

Revelation 21:8 continues, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (NKJV). Ouch! Babylon can’t enter heaven. Our sin nature has to be dealt with before we can enter. We must be born anew.[9] Sin is why we die physically and spiritually. Those born again by the Spirit of God and washed clean by the blood of the Lamb are alive spiritually, but their physical bodies are still decaying. One day our physical bodies will catch up with our spirits. “So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’”[10] That speck of dirt can’t contaminate the pure. Those armies dressed in fine white linen in heaven are washed clean, purified by the Lamb.

But grace. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”11 If you want eternal life in heaven, receive His free gift. The wrath of God is upon those who reject His free gift through unbelief.[12] Riding on the white horse was the One called Faithful and True. “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son” (Rev. 21:7 NKJV). Overcoming is all about clinging to His promises. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”[13] We can trust in His promises because He is faithful and true.

“But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Rev. 21:22 NKJV).[14] We will live in His presence. “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”[15] Living in His presence will be a life full of peace and joy unmatched by anything on earth—that feeling my friend Max had worshiping between and along with the two olive trees, that I had while worshiping in the swirl and rush of water.

“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” (Rev. 21:23 NKJV). No shadows. I heard the testimony of a man who died and went to heaven. It was incredible, and well-documented. He said in heaven there were no shadows. We don’t think it’s that big a deal here, but when you live with no shadows it makes an amazing difference. Everything has the glow of the light of God. Not too much, not too little, just perfect. Again, our finite minds can only speculate.

This light will be everywhere. God dwells everywhere. Colors will be more vivid than we can imagine. Maybe new colors. Try to think of a new primary color, not one that is a mixture. You can’t do it. It will turn your mind to mush.

A city of light. “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. Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:3, 5 NKJV).

 Notes

1. 2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV

2. Ephesians 6:12

3. Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV

4. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/6439-if-we-find-ourselves-with-a-desire-that-nothing

5. 1 John 4:18 NKJV

6. John 14:2 NKJV

7. Psalm 90:12 NKJV

8. 1 Corinthians 15:55 NKJV

9. John 3:3

10. 1 Corinthians 15:54 NKJV

11. Romans 6:23 NKJV

12. John 3:36, Romans 1:15–32

13. Hebrews 10:23 NIV

14. Revelation 21:22 NKJV

15. Psalm 16:11 NKJV