Full Transcript

Welcome to Share the Word podcast. We praise God for being part of this Great Commission project, focused on providing the big ideas of the New Testament chapter by chapter and sharing the gospel around the world. Today, this podcast brings to a close the last chapter of the book of Revelation, chapter 22. Enjoy. Revelation chapter 22. From Eden to eternity.

Behold, I am coming soon. My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Here in the final chapter of Revelation, we hear God tell John for the third time, I am the Alpha and the Omega. Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet. Omega is the last.

God is at the first scene in the Bible at the creation of everything. In the beginning was God. And after all is said and done, that is what we call history has run its course, God is still there at the end. He’s not only at the beginning; He was the cause. And He’s not only standing at the end, but He has brought everything in our world to its final conclusion then. And then comes eternity.

How do we even conceive of that? We’re entirely creatures of time. Our world runs by a clock, according to a calendar. But God was before our world and will still be God after our world, after everything about this world is gone. He’s eternal, and He’s outside of time. Eden was not the beginning for Him, and the destruction of our world will not be the end.

There’s a new world coming, as we saw last episode, when John heard the Creator say, Behold, I am making all things new. In the new heavens and earth that are coming, some things will carry over, though. God, of course, who is eternal and unchangeable, He will always be central. And also those of us who have become a part of His eternal family. But we must be changed in order to adapt to what’s coming that’s new. The promise is we will be given new immortal bodies suitable for eternity.

These new bodies will be like the one Jesus came out of His tomb in. First John chapter 3, verse 2 says, When Jesus returns, we will be made like Him. And in Philippians, Paul wrote, Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await our Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body. The glorified body Jesus came out of the tomb in, and remember, His followers interacted with Him for 40 days before His ascension back to heaven, that was a physical body, one of flesh and bone. According to Luke 24, the resurrected Christ appeared to His startled disciples the Sunday evening after His resurrection and offered, Touch me if you need to. A spirit does not have flesh and bones like I do.

And to reassure them He was alive again, He sat a spell and ate with them. From what we’re told, and we’re not told everything, in eternity we also, like Jesus after His resurrection, will have a physical and recognizable body. But there will be changes. In Jesus’ resurrection body, He appeared in rooms without doors being opened. He could vanish in the blink of an eye, as He did at the inn in Emmaus. And He ascended back to heaven as His disciples watched, as though gravity did not even exist for Him.

So, since this is the model we are shown, we can look forward to being real physical beings in eternity, but very upgraded ones. We will not be subjected to limitations of time and space as now. We will also not be affected by aging or sickness or death. We will not be gods, but we will be perfectly tuned humans for that environment. Our bodies will be transformed, optimized versions of our bodies now, outfitted for eternal existence. So, just as the resurrected Jesus was, I expect, I’ll be the same person then as I am now, only with all the imperfections and irritations of sin finally removed from both my nature and my body.

My individual personality will survive into eternity, but I doubt I’ll be quite as snarky then. That we retain the essence of who we are throughout eternity, yet vastly improved by God’s grace, that’s a wonderful thought. It suggests that in our eternal home, we’ll certainly know each other and appreciate each other more, actually, because all our imperfections will be removed then. In this life, sin causes us to cover ourselves, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually. But then, when sin is finally gone completely and forever, we will be the absolute best version of ourselves with no shame, no hiding, no trying to keep other people from seeing who we really are. We will know just as we are fully known, we’re told.

So yes, we will certainly know our loved ones there, but also all of heaven’s citizens will eventually become our friends and loved ones too. Heaven will be all that is conjured up by the best words we have now: home, family, love, and with additional wonders and aspects we don’t know now because God has things planned He’s not disclosed to us, wonderful surprises we can’t even imagine. Keep in mind as well that there will be no curse affecting the world of the future or those who live in it, according to verse 3 here. That means everything from our current world, from small annoyances like weeds in the yard, mosquitoes, pollen in the air so thick you can’t breathe, like it’s been for me recently, to our planet’s biggest problems like war, droughts, disease. None of that will exist in the bright new world that’s coming. There will also be other interesting changes.

One that keeps getting pointed out to John is that there will be no night then. In fact, there’ll be no need of a sun to light the day because God’s glory will permeate everything and provide all the light that’s needed. And there will be no need for lamps to light the night, verse 5 says, because there won’t be any night. In the Bible, night and darkness are often associated with fear and threats and certainly sin. But these things will not be a part of the new order. In the ancient world, city gates were closed at night for security reasons, but the gates of the New Jerusalem, they’ll always be open wide.

Why? Because there won’t be any dangers there. It’s hard to even imagine a world without dangers or threats, isn’t it? There will be no more wicked people in this coming world, and the curse of sin will be gone. So there will be nothing and no one to be afraid of at all. There will be more special things in the New Jerusalem that John is shown beyond the streets and structures of translucent gold we talked about last time.

He writes about seeing the river of the water of life as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city, and how on each side of the river stood the tree of life bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding fruit every month. The river of life is always flowing from the throne of God through the city. I think that speaks to heaven’s eternality, as does the tree of life, which is always bearing fruit. John sees God Himself on this throne and His servants, the redeemed, gathered around it, and says, We will see Him there in that awesome setting, face to face. I think that’s so striking because throughout the Bible we’re told no mortal could see God’s face and survive.

Moses may be the one mortal man who came to know God most personally, but even Moses, when he received God’s law on the mountain and was in God’s very presence, saw the cloud of His glory and heard His voice, but could not look at God’s face. It says in Exodus 33, when he asked to, he was told, No man can see My face and live. Yet it says right here in the last chapter of the Bible, in heaven we will see God face to face. So what will have changed? Well, we’re no longer mortals then, and we’re no longer sinful then. In our sinfulness now, we could never survive coming face to face with God’s absolute holiness and glory.

But then, after we are transformed into our glorified bodies, we’ll be able to. Try to imagine the worship times as the redeemed gather around God’s throne in heaven. I don’t know about you, but I often have trouble getting into the frame of mind we call worship. But then, seeing God face to face, seeing the one who still has the scars in his body who died to save me, worship will be easy, I think. It will be sincere. In fact, it will probably be overwhelming at first.

I often think about the prophet Isaiah’s vision of God on his throne, surrounded by the seraphim who are constantly calling, Holy, holy, holy, and how Isaiah could only fall on his face in that environment in wonder at how he could even be in such a presence. But we will be, and the times of worship throughout eternity will be the most amazing times of all, I believe, realizing fully then what God did to get us there, and realizing, as a much-loved hymn puts it, that even when we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, there’ll be no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun. That’s eternity. But not all of our time will be spent in worship gatherings, I’m sure, so what else will we be able to do in heaven?

One thing I look forward to being able to do is to talk to everyone I’ve only heard of now, with no time limitations, no off-limit topics: my own family, my ancestors, my offspring. I’ll hang out with my lifelong friends. I’ll meet fascinating new ones, people from throughout history that fascinate me, characters from the Bible times that I’ve only read about. I might have to wait in line a long time, but I want to get an afternoon with the Apostle Paul. That would be, for me, most fascinating. The full answer to the question, What will we do in heaven and for eternity?

is, I’m sure, beyond our imaginations, because there will be no limitations to what God can provide. The things that God has prepared for them who love Him, Paul once wrote, no eye has seen or ear heard, nor has it ever entered into a man’s heart. Yet, if we try, imagine if you’re a baker, you’ll bake. If you’re a musician, you’ll compose and sing. Writers will write. Actors will act.

Scientists will explore. Explorers will go from galaxy to galaxy studying the wonders of God’s creation. We’ll do whatever we enjoy. What I’m saying, that’s what I expect, with limitless experiences then available to us. While we’re speculating a little bit, let me throw a theory out there which I believe will prove true. The verse that jumps out at me most as I’ve been thinking on this final chapter is the one I quoted at the beginning.

Behold, I am coming soon. My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. No one will be in heaven because of what they have done, in the sense of earning admission there through their own efforts. We know that salvation is only by grace and through faith in what Jesus has done. Getting to heaven is based only on what Jesus has done and our faith in Him. But, as I stressed a couple episodes ago, there is coming an evaluation in the future of how we have spent our lives here, what we have done with what God has given us.

And there are rewards that will be given out based on criteria Christ is looking for at that judgment. This much is clear. I can’t tell you for sure how those will be applied, but the Bible talks about crowns that will be given out as awards. Jesus, in His parables, talked about entrustments that would be given out based on faithfulness. There are other hints throughout the Bible. For example, once when Paul was writing about the difficulties he endured pursuing the Great Commission, he wrote, this is in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, I believe.

Our light and momentary troubles here are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them. Notice that Paul wrote not about glory being achieved for Christ in that place, but said that what he was going through then and what we will while pursuing Christ’s call on our lives is achieving for us an eternal glory. I think that’s vastly underappreciated point. Think with me for a moment. When we read about glory in the Bible in connection with people, it’s often revealed visually in brightness. That’s when Moses came down from that mountain with God, radiating in His glory, so much so that people could not even look at Moses’ face, or the two saints that the disciples saw gleaming brightly with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Then there’s this interesting verse in one of Daniel’s prophecies, chapter 12 of his Old Testament book, which says that in eternity, those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness like stars forever and ever. That’s interesting. So my theory is that rewards for faithfulness in serving God’s interests, for soul winning, for obedience, for suffering any loss that we’ve endured for following Christ, and so on, those things, those rewards follow us into eternity. The stars in heaven will be those who were most committed to God’s Word and ways here and now during their lifetimes, those most engaged in pursuing the things He tells us are most important. I think there will be actual glory, visible brightness about those who God wants to honor then.

Maybe a silly sounding comparison, but like we have dim 20-watt bulbs and brighter 60-watt bulbs and very bright 100-watt bulbs, I’m suggesting that the glory assigned to believers throughout all eternity may actually be visible, and one way God will honor those who have been most faithful. I should add, there are also passages that talk about being disqualified for awards, or about seeking honor from men and so forfeiting whatever honor we would have been given from God. John, in his short second general epistle, warns, for example, Watch out that you don’t lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Some serious food for thought there, no? Three times in this final chapter of Revelation, in many translations, Jesus himself says, I am coming soon. That seems odd since it’s been almost 2,000 years now and he has not returned yet.

But the Greek word is also translated commonly as quickly, as in the more literal New American Standard Bible, quickly, as in suddenly. So more to do with the manner in which Jesus returns than the timing. That makes more sense to me because Jesus elsewhere was very clear that no one knows the timing, not even him. And hinted it could be a while when he told his parables about going away to a distant country to receive his crown before he returns as king. While often the idea is expressed that when Jesus returns, it will be suddenly and for most unexpectedly. So why the delay?

The best answer to that question was given by the apostle Peter when he addressed mockers in his day. Where is the promise of his coming? Things go on and on as they always have. Don’t let this fact escape your notice, Peter wrote. With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about keeping his promises, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

From 2 Peter chapter 3. Well, there’s your answer. Remember, God is eternal. Our sense of time has little bearing on him. He wants more people to be saved, so he delays. The only way we could expedite the return of Christ is to win more people to him.

As we’ve seen, the New Jerusalem, the new heaven, has actual dimensions. Maybe it’s when it has reached its actual capacity with believers that Jesus will return. That’s another pet theory of mine. Take it for what it’s worth. In the closing words written in our Bibles, John speaking for all of us, and even the Holy Spirit, who’s in the world working now, are calling out to Jesus to come. The Spirit and the bride, that is the church, say, Come, and let the one who hears say, Come.

He who testifies to these things, that’s Jesus, yes, I’m coming quickly. Amen, John responds, Come, Lord Jesus. It strikes me that even the Holy Spirit is feeling whatever a real believer feels, the desire for the old to be done away with and for the promised new to come, for the ruler of this world to be dethroned, the one who deceives the whole earth to be destroyed, and for the rightful King of Kings and Lord of Lords to return and take up his rule. For me, that can’t come soon enough on the one hand. But on the other, I appreciate the delay because there are some I love deeply who are not believers and so are not ready. At the very beginning of the Bible, in the book of Genesis, in the Garden of Eden, there was a river that flowed through that paradise and a tree called the Tree of Life planted by the river.

Remember how, after Adam and Eve sinned against God, He barred them from Eden and actually stationed an angel at the entrance to prevent them from going back and eating from the Tree of Life after they had sinned. The implication is, had they gone back and eaten from the tree after sinning, they would have been forever, eternally fixed in that fallen state. But God would not allow that. He always had the plan of redemption in mind. Now, in this new paradise that John sees in the future, there is once again a river of life, and it’s flowing right from the throne of God down through the heart of the city, and planted beside it is the Tree of Life, which is constantly bearing fruit. That symbolism is so potent.

That crystal clear river flows from God’s throne, and the Tree of Life is nurtured by its waters. As long as God lives, the water will flow. As long as it flows, the Tree of Life will bear its fruit, and no one will be barred from it then. All of us there will be welcome to it. When we see this and realize this, I think it’s at that moment we’ll think and we’ll understand what it’s like to be living our promised eternal life, to know that we are in this wonderfully perfect place at home with our eternal family, with our Creator and Savior who intensely love us, with nothing ahead but perfect relationships, joys, and pleasures forevermore. This is how the great story resolves from Eden to eternity.

Blessed are those, John writes, who have washed their robes and who have a right to the tree of life and who may go into the gates and into this holy city. While the gate is still open wide, let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. The Bible ends with that invitation. Is that your wish? Then come to Jesus today.

Remember, He is coming quickly, and there will be no going back, no do-overs at that point. So if, after hearing God’s Word once more today, you hear or sense the call, this is the truth, you should respond to this. Make your decision to believe into and follow Christ today. We have God’s own Word that these prophecies in Revelation are exactly the way things will end up, and at the end, you certainly want to be on God’s side. If you’ve made the decision to become a follower of Christ after listening to Share the Word, we’d really like to hear from you. You’re the whole reason we created this podcast.

This is Paul. Thanks for listening to us, and if you enjoyed the series, please pass it on. Thanks again, Paul. It’s been two years, eight months, and 16 days, or I could say that it’s been 989 days, or 23,757 hours since the first Share the Word podcast was released on August 18, 2023. That podcast was the Gospel of John, chapter 1. And today, Pastor Paul Nitz closed out the book of Revelation penned by the Apostle John, the one who Jesus loved.

We’ve now completed 272 episodes, and our focus has turned to translate every episode into as many languages as possible so that we can spread the gospel around the world, and this is where we need your help. We’re a crowdfunded nonprofit organization, and we need your support not only to spread the word, but also your financial assistance. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution by going to sharetheword.org and click on Give. If you have any questions, please contact me at tony@sharetheword.org. On behalf of everyone who has sat behind this microphone and brought you this podcast, thank you.