Our Eternal Home - Part 1

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It's our joy this morning to study the word of God, and I invite you to turn with me to Revelation 21.  The way most people think of heaven, complete with halos and wings and floating around on clouds playing harps doesn't make heaven very attractive – I don't know about you, but that doesn't really appeal to me.  Fortunately, the human perception, the common perception of heaven, bears no resemblance to where you and I will spend eternity – in fact, as we're going to discover together, the Bible teaches that our eternal home will be a new earth, remarkably like this one.  Rather than in some ethereal, virtual world, we will live forever on a real earth with real cities and real people doing what real human beings do. It's sad, I think, that most Christians don't know that – maybe this is a new concept to you.

When theologians seek to describe exactly what our eternal circumstances will be, they call it the eternal state – last week, we studied the last judgment and the eternal state of the wicked, a terrible place of conscious suffering, forever separated from God and from all that's good, enduring what the scriptures call "the wrath of the Lamb."[SR1]   But today, we turn the corner, and we turn to a new chapter – today, it's our joy to begin to consider together not the eternal state of the wicked, but the eternal state of the righteous, in the new heavens and the new earth.

Let me give you an outline of where we're going in this chapter and the first part of the next chapter – in verses 1-2 of chapter 21, we're going to see a first glimpse of our eternal home; in verses 3-4, the divine announcement of our eternal home; in verses 5-8, God's personal assurance of our eternal home; and then, beginning in chapter 21, verse 9, running all the way through chapter 22, verse 5, a detailed description of the new world's capital city – that's where we're headed.  Today, let's read together just the first four verses of chapter 21.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be any death, there will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain; the first things have passed away.

Today we begin our journey into our new eternal home, and we want to start with just the first two verses – and I've called it a first glimpse of our eternal home, because John lets us see that sort of first glimpse that he had in his vision of what this will be.  It begins with a new universe in verse 1 – but, of course, a new universe first requires the destruction of this present universe, the destruction of the old.  In several places in both the Old and New Testaments, the Bible declares that God will destroy this entire created universe – Psalm 102:25-26, "Of old You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.  Even they will perish, but You endure, and all of them will wear out like a garment; like clothing, You will change them and they will be changed."  Isaiah 51:6, "Lift up your eyes to the sky, then look to the earth beneath; for the sky will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die in like manner." Matthew 24:35, our Lord says, "Heaven and earth will pass away."

Theologians have debated through the years whether our God will destroy this present universe entirely or if He will simply cleanse and renovate it – in other words, the debate among scholars is, is it a remodel or is it a teardown?  Some texts seem to imply a cleanse and remodel – for example, Matthew 19:28, some would point to, where Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" in the regeneration.  But, as we've talked about in recent weeks, I don't think that passage is talking about the eternal state, but rather the millennium, the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ.  Another text that's sometimes used, Acts 3:21, where Peter says "heaven must receive the Messiah until the period of the restoration of all things" – restoration.  But again, I think that speaks not of the eternal state, but of the thousand-year reign of Christ that follows the Second Coming.  In Romans 8:21, "the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God."  So, those passages seem to imply a renovation, but a couple of them at least don't, I think, speak about the eternal state at all.  However, on the other hand, there are passages that do clearly state that God will destroy this universe and make one entirely new – for example, Hebrews 1:11, the current heavens and earth "will perish." 2 Peter 3:10, "the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the elements be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up."

But I'm convinced that our text, Revelation 21:1, settles this argument between a remodel and a teardown – look at what he says in verse 1.  "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away."  Now, when you speak of a first and a new, what are you implying?  First implies that what follows is a second, distinct creation.  But there's another reason here in verse 1 that I believe it's a complete destruction and an entirely new universe – notice John says the first "passed away."  He uses that exact same Greek word down in verse 4; notice there he speaks of death and mourning and crying and pain, and he says, "these first things have passed away," same Greek word.  There, in that verse, clearly "passed away" doesn't mean to be renovated; it means they've absolutely ceased to exist – logically, then, John must mean the very same thing just three verses earlier.

So, this current universe will one day cease to exist in a divine act of uncreation and go totally out of existence – you say, why is that necessary?  Well, I think Isaiah explains exactly why it must happen in Isaiah 24:5 – have you ever thought about this?  Listen to what he writes – "The earth is polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant." It's sad, in our day, that the entire focus of fallen, sinful man on pollution is what goes in our landfills – we ought to be good stewards of the physical world – but the reality is, those who are championing all of those things are, in God's mind, in a much greater way polluting this planet by their sin.  That's why it has to be destroyed – this world has been polluted by the sin of the people who live on it.

Last week, we learned when this will happen; it will happen at the time of the Great White Throne of Judgment, when everything goes out of existence, and "no place was found for" [SR2] heaven or earth.  And 2 Peter 3 – turn there with me for a moment – 2 Peter 3 tells us how it will happen.  Look at verse 10 – "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up."  There's a lot here, but this verse tells us there's a coming conflagration in which the heavens, meaning the interstellar, intergalactic space with all of its creation, and the earth and its works; that is, this planet and everything connected with it, will in fact be destroyed, will pass away.  And notice how it will happen – go back to verse 7, and you see that "the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire."  So, it will be destroyed by fire, but back in verse 10, that will be accompanied by a roar – the Greek word is an onomatopoetic word that refers to a loud sort of rushing sound like that of a huge flame that erupts – and verse 10 says the elements, the basic, physical building blocks of the universe, will be destroyed with intense heat and this planet will be burned up. We now understand more of how the Lord may very well do that, right?  Over the last hundred years or so, scientists have discovered that the atomic and subatomic structure of creation makes the entire universe one huge nuclear bomb – and someday, at God's decision, the universe will be destroyed by an atomic chain reaction and will cease to exist forever.

But that will be followed by the creation of the new heavens and earth.  We shouldn't be surprised; this was predicted in the Old Testament – in fact, the language of our text, verse 1 of Revelation 21, actually comes from two Old Testament passages, both in Isaiah.  Isaiah 65:17, "Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind," as well as Isaiah 66:22, "'the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure before Me,' declares the Lord."  That's where we get the first hint of a new heaven and a new earth. But it's also predicted in the New Testament in 2 Peter 3 – if you're still there, you can look at verse 13, "according to His promise," that is, the promise of Isaiah, the promise recorded in Isaiah's prophecy, "according to His promise, we are looking," Peter says, "for a new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells." Don't you love that expression? That Greek word "dwells" can also be translated "in which righteousness is at home."  Don't you long for a world in which righteousness is really at home?  Both testaments, then, promise this universe will be destroyed, and a new universe will emerge like a phoenix from the ashes – that new universe is described in John's vision in Revelation 21.

The details that we have about our eternal home come almost exclusively, and I think appropriately, from the last two chapters of our Bible – so, let's consider, then, beginning today, what our Lord has revealed about our future, our eternal home.  Notice verse 1, "Then I saw" – we've come to recognize this familiar expression, and here it marks the final of the last seven things in John's chronology of the end times; it comes after the millennium in Revelation 20, after the thousand-year reign of Christ; it comes after the Great White Throne of Judgment at the end of Revelation 20. The next thing, then, chapter 21, verse 1, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth."  A new heaven – that's a new atmosphere for this planet, and a new interstellar and intergalactic space; everything you see when you look up; and a new earth.  A new earth.  It's interesting, isn't it, that both Isaiah, as well as John, as he sees this vision, use the same words to describe both the old and the new – similar terms for both implies that they're very similar; the new will be physical and material, like this one is.  John uses figurative language in his description, as we'll see in the next couple of weeks, but he chooses familiar images because what he saw in this vision is most like those things that are familiar to us.  Notice the points of similarity between this world and the next world.  Look at verse 2 of this chapter, there's a city; verse 10, there's a high mountain; verse 12, there are walls and gates; verse 13, there are compass directions; verse 14, there are foundation stones; verse 17, there are similar measurements; verses 18-21, there are similar precious stones and metals; verse 21, there are streets; verse 24, there are nations and kings; verse 25, there's daytime. Going to chapter 22, verse 1, there is a river; verse 2, there are trees with fruit and with leaves, and also in verse 2, there are months; that is, there will be for us who are humans the sequential passing of time, in some way, even in eternity; and verse 3, there are believers.  So, while the new creation will be different from exactly what we know here, there will be many similarities – in fact, I am convinced that most, if not all, of the things that God created and said were "very good" in Genesis 1:31, in the first creation, I believe that most, if not all of those, will be present in the new creation, since God made the first earth for sinless man, and He makes the second earth for perfect men and women.

Verse 1 says, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away" – in the new world, there are many similarities, but there's one huge difference, notice verse 1 – "and there is no longer any sea."  A lot has been written about that, but it seems to me that, in the end, there are two main reasons that there will be no sea.  First, I think there's a scientific reason – I think you understand that seventy percent of the earth's surface is covered with water, to an average depth of 2.3 miles.  The oceans on our planet are ninety-six percent water, three to five percent salt, and less than one percent other minerals – essentially, our oceans are one huge sanitation device.  Think about it – much of the mess that we make on earth eventually runs into the oceans, where the high salt content breaks most of it down and cleans the water. Then, the sun evaporates pure, clean water from the surface of the oceans, and having been cleansed, that clean water now in the clouds comes over the land and pours back onto the earth as rain. In the new world, none of that will be necessary.  But I think, more importantly, there's a moral reason, and that is the sea, in scripture, is often associated with evil, not because the sea is evil – God said it was "very good" when He made it, it still is – but because it has come to picture, and is used in a number of cases in scripture, to describe the disorder, the violence, the unrest that mark the old creation, even to the individual heart, right?  The heart of the wicked cannot rest, Isaiah writes, but it's like the sea that constantly churns.[SR3]   So many of the pictures of scripture describe the sea as a place of trouble and evil – that's why there will be no more sea in the new world.  I love this image – in fact, I'm about finished with a new hymn I'm writing called "No More Sea" that draws out those images from scripture where the sea is used in those ways, and then to show how our God redeems us from all of those things.  So, in the new world, no more sea – now, those of us who love the ocean, don't get nostalgic; God is going to fill your heart with something even better.

Verse 1, then, gives us our first glimpse of the new universe – in verse 2, we get our first glimpse of the new world's capital city.  Look at verse 2 – "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem."  When John wrote at the end of the first century, the city of Jerusalem had lain in ruins for some twenty-five years after its destruction by the Romans in 70 A.D. – but here is the new Jerusalem.  Notice it's "the holy city" – why is it holy? Because God has set it apart for Himself, because God Himself will dwell there, and He will dwell there with His saints who are now perfectly holy like His Son.  It's the holy city – but it is, in fact, a city; that means that in this description, the very fact that it's called a city means it will have all of the things that are normally associated with a city.  There will be people, there will be community, activity, work, leisure, enjoyment, friendship – but this city will be a holy city.  In our world, when people get together in tight clusters in cities, there seems to be a greater opportunity for anonymous wickedness – not in that world; it will be a city, but it will be a holy city.  Can you even imagine that?

Verse 2 goes on, "coming down out of heaven from God."  Down out of heaven identifies the origin of this city; it comes from what scripture calls the third heaven.  The first heaven is our atmosphere, the second is the intergalactic space area, the third heaven is the place where God specially manifests His presence, and this city comes down out of the third heaven where God dwells. Notice it is "from God" – that describes its Creator; you remember Abraham, in Hebrews 11:10, was "looking for a city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God" – here's that city.

Verse 2 goes on, "made ready as a bride adorned for her husband."  "Made ready" is literally "having been prepared" – does that sound familiar; does it remind you of what our Lord said in John 14 the night before His crucifixion, when He said, "I go to" – what? "Prepare a place for you."[SR4]   This is the place Christ has prepared.  Now, it is possible – and I say possible because we can't be dogmatic about this – but it is possible that this city that comes down here in this vision of John, that this city already exists as the centerpiece of the current heaven.  In fact, it's possible that this is the place that those we love who have died in Christ are right now – why do I say that? Because Hebrews 12:22-23 seems to hint at that; they're describing the current heaven, and listen to how it describes it.  "You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect."  The saints who have died are said to dwell in the heavenly Jerusalem – it's possible it's this very place.  If that's so, if this city has already been finished by our Lord, if it's already the centerpiece of heaven, then one day, our text tells us, it will descend into the new universe and onto the new earth.  What a place it must be – as we're going to see in coming weeks, John absolutely runs short of vocabulary to describe its magnificence.  This remarkable city will serve as the capital city of the new world uniting heaven and earth together.  John describes it here as "a bride adorned for her husband" – that's interesting, because you remember back in chapter 19, God's people are called the bride; here, the city is called the bride, because it's the place His people will live.  Notice it's described as "a bride adorned for her husband" – I love that word "adorned;" it actually comes from the Greek word kosmos, and this is the word here, the word "adorned," from which we get our English word "cosmetics" – all the cosmetics will have been applied, and it will be perfect in its beauty.  That's a first glimpse of our eternal home.

But John hears, after that, after he sees this vision and he gets this first glimpse, John hears what I want us to see secondly, and that is the divine announcement of our eternal home.  He sees it and then he hears this announcement which explains it, which fills it out – let's look at it together in verses 3-4.  First of all, we meet the angelic messenger in verse 3 – "And I heard a loud voice from the throne."  For about the twentieth time in the Book of Revelation, John hears a loud voice, underscoring, as it always has, the importance of this announcement.  This voice is not God; He speaks in verse 5, so this is some other voice from the area of the throne, likely an angel, as it has been often before.  So, notice, then, the rest of verse 3 and verse 4, the divine message – when you look at verse 3, there's a lot of repetition there; John is describing the same reality.  Here's the key in verse 3 – the reality is, God's presence will be among His people, but he describes that reality in several different ways, and each of them has its own wonderful nuance.  Let's look at it together.

First of all, in this divine message, we learn that God's dwelling place will be with us – just let your mind think about that for a moment; God's dwelling place will be with us. Verse 3 says, here's what this angelic messenger said, "Behold" – listen up, pay attention – "the tabernacle of God is among men."  The word "tabernacle," you'll recognize it, it's a tent or a dwelling place – you recognize that word, of course, from the Old Testament.  Here's the point – just as God did with the children of Israel in the Old Testament, He will again pitch His tent among His people.  His dwelling place will be in the middle of His people!

But it's not just His tent; secondly, we discover here that God's personal presence will be among us. God's personal presence will be among us – "and He will dwell among them."  God will specially manifest His presence among His people on this new earth forever – in other words, we are going to get to see God in ways that we cannot see Him now, and no one ever has.  In fact, you remember that non-glorified humans, even holy non-glorified humans, cannot look on God and live – 1 Timothy 6:16, He "dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see."  In the fullness of His glory, no unglorified human can see him – that's what He told to Moses, what He said to Moses, you remember in Exodus 33:20[SR5] , He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live."  You say, wait a minute – what about the promise Jesus made to us in the Beatitudes; what about the promise of Matthew 5:8, where He says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will" what?  "See God" – what about that?  Well, it's going to become a reality – go over to Revelation 22, in verse 3.  "There will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in" this magnificent city, "and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.  And there will no longer be any night, and they will have no need of the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them."  In other words, God is going to so display His glory that there is no need for a sun – we will see God.

Now, stop and think about this theologically for a moment; remind yourself, as our Lord said in John 4, that "God is spirit"[SR6]  – God doesn't have a body; He is invisible, as Paul says in 1 Timothy.  So, what is it that we will see?  Well, first of all, we will see the glorified human body of our Savior – Jesus became fully human; He is fully God, fully human, He took on Himself a human soul and a human body, and He still has it and will have it forever – He'll be like us forever.  So, we will see the glorified human body of Jesus – in other words, you and I will see exactly what the disciples saw after the resurrection.  But there's more – what we're learning here is that our triune God, who is spirit, will choose to manifest His presence, and the fullness of His glory, in some new and unique way that no human being has ever seen before – and we will see His face.  Then, glorified and perfectly pure, He will manifest Himself so that we will see the beauty and glory of our triune God.

Thirdly, God's gracious rule will be over us – verse 3 says "and they shall be His people." In Greek, people is plural – I love that; it's not just Israel.  Peoples – peoples from many nations and ethnicities – will become His unified, united people, "people from every tribe and tongue and nation,"[SR7]  united together.  And notice, He will be our God and King – we will be His people.

Number four – and I love this one – God's intimate fellowship will be with us.  God's intimate fellowship will be with us – verse 3 says "and God Himself will be among them."  Now, at first glance, you might think, wait a minute, he's already said that – and in one sense, he has; but as I said, there are nuances here that are beautiful.  Let me read this line to you literally from the Greek text; this is how it reads – "and Himself, God with them shall be."  "And Himself, God with them shall be" – now, if you're biblically literate, that should bring to mind Jesus' name, Immanuel, prophesied in Isaiah 7:14, "He called His name Immanuel," which means God with us, when it's revealed in Matthew 1:23.  God with us – this will be the ultimate expression of God with us; we will enjoy eternal fellowship with the Lord Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, with our Father – it will be the same privilege; we will enjoy the same privilege that the Twelve had during our Lord's ministry, but we will be with our triune God and enjoy fellowship with Him forever.

There's one fifth expression – God's loving heart will care for us.  God's loving heart will care for us, verse 4.  You know, the new world is so radically different from this one; similar in many ways, but in other ways radically different, that John has to describe it in negatives.  Notice what will not be there; verse 4, "and He" – again, notice the connection with all that we just looked at in verse 3 when "He dwells with us," when we enjoy fellowship with Him – in that context, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes."  I love that – this is such a powerful reminder of our God's tender compassion, not just for us as a group, but for us as individuals.  Jesus knows and cares about every single tear – notice "every tear," it's singular; He knows and cares about every single tear that ever fills our eyes.  And isn't that like Him – I mean, John 11, "Jesus wept;"[SR8]  He weeps with His people!  Remember, He commands us to "weep with those that weep"[SR9]  – where does that come from?  That's a reflection of His own heart – He weeps with those that weep.  But when He makes all things new, "He will wipe away every tear."

Now, that doesn't mean what I was taught as a young Christian, which was that we are going to enter eternity crying because we are going to stand at the judgment seat of Christ and He is going to dredge up all of our sins and play them on big screens where everybody sees us and we're totally ashamed and guilty, and we move into eternity with our eyes filled with tears.  That's a lie – it's contrary to the gospel, it's contrary to the scripture. What does Paul say in Romans 8:1? "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," and there certainly won't be then.  No, that's not what he means – what he means here is that Jesus will obliterate the hurt of every tear we have ever cried.  I would like to tell you the memory, I don't know that that's true biblically – but what I will tell you is that even if the memory lingers, the hurt will be gone.  Tears we shed now because of pain, physical pain; tears because of suffering, misfortune, regret, disappointment; tears of love lost, persecution; tears we cry in sympathy for others and their hurts and their troubles; tears over the death of those we love – Jesus will obliterate the hurt of every tear that we have ever cried in this life.

He goes on in verse 4, "and there will no longer be any death."  The most profound result of the curse that came with human sin will be no more – as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:54, "Death is swallowed up in victory" – it's gone.  That's the biggest curse – you know, you read the fall in Genesis 3 and the curse that comes after that fall, and then you get to Genesis 5, and there's the genealogy of Adam, and what does it say?  It says so-and-so lived and he died, and he died, and he died.  That's the story of the human race; that's the story of my life, it's the story of your life – but Jesus Christ will one day end death.

Verse 4 goes on, "there will no longer be any mourning."  Mourning is the internal sense or feeling of grief – we will never experience that internal sense of grief again, forever – and "crying," because all internal grief is gone, there will never again be an external expression of that grief in crying.  For all of eternity, you won't need your tear ducts.  Or "pain" – this is not emotional pain; we've just talked about that – this is physical pain.  Think about this; in your glorified body, you will never, for eternity, have one pain – not the pain of sudden injury, not the pain of prolonged illness, not the pain of getting older, your body decaying – none of it, not one.

Verse 4 – here's the reason for all those things, that they have forever ceased – "the first things have passed away."  Everything connected to sin and to the curse will be gone forever – no suffering, no sorrow, no tragedy, no sin, no evil – it passed away.  That's just the beginning of our eternal home.

What are the chief implications of what we've considered together this morning – how does our Lord intend for us to respond to these truths?  Well, I don't have to make this up – this is clearly revealed in the scriptures, so let me give you three that stand out; here's what you need to do with what we've studied this morning.  Number one – persevere in the difficulties and trials of this life by living in anticipation of your eternal home.  God wants you to do that – He wants you to face what you're going through right now, and to be able to endure it, because you look ahead and see what's coming.  Go back to Revelation 3 – this is exactly what Jesus says to the church in Philadelphia. He talks about all they're going through and the troubles they're facing in this life – persecution, troubles – all through the letter.  And then He comes to verse 11 – "And I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown."  In other words, hold on to your trust in Jesus and the gospel; don't give that up, so that no one takes your crown.  Just keep on, persevere, keep on believing and keep on believing and keep on believing – why?  Verse 12, because the one who does that, the one who overcomes – and you remember in 1 John 5:4-5, we learned that an overcomer is simply one who believes in Jesus and keeps on believing.  That's an overcomer – it's not a special saint, not some unique believer – it's every believer.  And He says, "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God;" that is, he is going to be a stable fixture in God's presence, "and he will not go out from it anymore, and I will write on him the name of my God;" he belongs to God.  But notice this – I will write on him "the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God."  In other words, Jesus says, listen – you just, as you live this life, you go through the troubles and trials of this life, you just keep on believing, because the one who overcomes, who just keeps on believing in Jesus; I'm going to write on them the name of that city because they'll belong to it forever.  This is how you face what you're facing – I don't know what you're in the middle of right now, what griefs are in your heart, what tears have spilled down your cheeks this last week.  I don't know what you're facing, what pain, what sorrow – maybe even the threat of death in your life or those you love.  How do you deal with all that?  You deal with it, and you persevere by remembering what's coming, because guess what?  None of that will be there then.  Like a marathon runner – how does a marathon runner endure the pain of those twenty-six miles?  Because he is looking to the finish line when the pain stops, and he's done, the reward is gained – that's how we do it.

Number two – pursue holiness so that you're fit to live in your eternal home.  Pursue holiness so you're fit to live in your eternal home – go to 2 Peter 3.  A moment ago, I showed you this talks about the destruction of the old universe and the creation of the new, so how do we respond to that?  Verse 11 – "Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be?"  By the way, this isn't a question, this is an exclamation – "what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct;" that's behavior that's like God, behavior that's like Christ, holy conduct – "and godliness;" that's fear of God, that's living in His presence.  This is how we ought to respond to the news of the new world that's coming.  Verse 14, "Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him" when Christ returns "in peace" – don't let your heart be all unsettled about what's going on in the world; you know the future, you know the end of the story.  And "spotless;" that's your character – and "blameless;" that's your reputation.  Live – live like a citizen of the new world because that's where you belong.

Number three – promote your joy, right now, today, by meditating on and anticipating your eternal home.  Notice what he writes here in verse 12, in 2 Peter 3:12, "looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God," and verse 13 goes on to say, "according to His promise, we are looking for" – you get that anticipation, that we're living in anticipation of this – "for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness is at home."  How do you have joy right now?  You remind yourself that, as wonderful as this world can be in spite of the curse, it's nothing compared to what's coming, and all of the evil things that mar and mark this creation will be gone in the new heavens and the new earth.

One of my favorite places on the planet is Yosemite – if you've been there, you've probably taken the drive that goes into the southern entrance of the park; you're on this winding mountain road for about thirty miles, and then you come to a tunnel, and for about a quarter of a mile, you drive through this rock tunnel that's been cut through the mountain.  And then, as you come out of the tunnel, suddenly you emerge and before you is this expansive view of the Yosemite Valley floor, and it literally takes your breath away.  Folks, this world with all of its beauty and its joys is like that tunnel – and someday, when our Lord makes a new heaven and a new earth, it will be like stepping out of this tunnel that we live in into the full expression of our God's beauty and His creation.  So, when we talk about, or when we sing songs about heaven, don't just think about the intermediate state; don't just think about heaven as it is now – think about the new earth and our eternal home; the place, the new earth in which righteousness is perfectly at home – and, oh, by the way, it's just around the next bend. Let's pray together.

Father, thank You for telling us what's coming – thank You for Your kindness in giving us this insight.  Lord, I pray You would use this text in our hearts, even as we've discussed here at the end – Lord, may we persevere in faith, continuing to believe in Jesus through all of the difficulties and the troubles of this life, knowing that one day those troubles and difficulties will be no more; we'll reach the end of the marathon and receive the reward.  Father, I pray that You would help us to pursue holiness so that our souls are truly fit for that new city, not as a way of earning Your favor, but because we love You and want to imitate You as God our Savior.  And Father, I pray that You would help us to cultivate joy today by remembering this is our eternal home, and we live in anticipation, looking for and hastening the day when that promise is fulfilled.

Lord, I also pray for those who are here this morning who won't be there – instead of not one single moment of pain, they will experience, if they don't repent and believe, an eternity of pain – Lord, I pray that You would draw them to Yourself today.  Lord, may they believe in Jesus Christ who purchased forgiveness through His death for all who would believe in Him.  Thank You that He lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death, and rose as You accepted that sacrifice – and Lord, may they believe in Him today; draw them, even through a message on heaven, to Yourself.

We pray in Jesus' name.  Amen.