The Eternal City - Part 3

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Well, I do invite you to turn with me to Revelation chapter 22, Revelation 22. The common conception of heaven, frankly the one I grew up believing, the one that pictures us with wings and halos and harps floating around on clouds for eternity, that idea of heaven honestly wasn't that appealing to me. It wasn't really a place I wanted to go.

Where did that bland unbiblical view of eternity come from? It actually came from the influence of Greek philosophy on the early centuries of the Christian church. The Greek philosopher Plato taught that reality consists of the physical world and the spiritual.

But he said the physical world is imperfect, transitory, shadowy. It is the spiritual world of ideas, he taught, that represents true perfection and permanence. So, you need to understand that this concept, that the physical world and its enjoyment is somehow inferior to the spiritual world, or even evil, that isn't a biblical concept, that's a Platonic concept.

When God made this physical world that we live on before the entrance of sin, he looked around and what did he say? Everything is very good. That's the reality.

Rather than some ethereal virtual world, Scripture teaches that we will live forever in a physical world with real cities, people, and real activities. But what will the new world be like? The Bible doesn't satisfy every curiosity for us, but in Revelation 21 and 22, it gives us so much to think about, so much to anticipate.

Let's read the last few verses of this description we've been walking through. I'll begin reading in Revelation 22, and I'll read just verses 3 through 5, the passage that we'll consider together this morning as we prepare for the Lord's Table. Revelation 22 verse 3, 

There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, 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 by any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever. 

Through His apostle John, our Lord Jesus Christ, here gives us a detailed description of the eternal capital city of the new world. This is where every true believer will live eternally.

The passage begins back in chapter 21, verse 9, and runs through the passage we just read chapter 22, verse 5. In our study we have already discovered several remarkable features of this eternal city. Let me just remind you of the first three, just in outline form. We looked first at its initial introduction: it's like a jewel, a great diamond city. We looked at its architectural details, its gates and its walls and its streets.

We looked at last time at its eternal center. That is, the center of that city is God himself. He is its temple, its light, its glory, its security, its life. He is its only king. 

Today we finish our study of the eternal city by considering a fourth and final feature of our eternal home and of this city. And that is its eternal citizens. Who are the eternal citizens of this eternal city? With whom will our God dwell with them and live among them forever? Notice verse 3, "His bond-servants.” The Greek word is douloi. The plural of doulos, which means “slave.” You see, if you're a Christian, you're a slave of God and a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is your Master and Lord. He said this Himself in John 13:13, “You call me Teacher [didaskalos], and Master [kurios];” And He says, “and you are right, for so I am.”

But here's the amazing reality. We are His slaves, but Jesus never treats us as slaves. Instead, He treats us as His friends. John chapter 15, verse 15, “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father, I have made known to you.” 

He treats us as friends, but He also treats us as family. He treats us as brothers and sisters. Galatians 4 talks about the reality that we have been adopted by God the Father. And verse 7 of Galatians 4 says, “Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son.” And you know what that means? Romans 8:17 says, we are fellow heirs with Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our Brother, our older Brother. We are His family. So, we're slaves in the sense that He bought us. We belong to Him. We must obey Him. But we are also His friends and His children, His brothers and sisters. 

Let me just ask you this morning, and I want you to answer this question in your heart. As you sit there this morning, do you personally know God? Not asking if you know about God. Not asking if you know some things about the Bible. I'm asking you, do you know God? If you don't, if you've never experienced the reality of the new birth, if you are not His adopted child, how does that happen? Well, the end of this book explains. Look at verse 14. “Blessed are those who wash their robes.” That's a metaphor, it's a picture. Those who sins are cleansed through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ “so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.” Verse 17, it's an invitation. Go back to verse 16. This is Jesus: 

I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. The Spirit and the bride, say “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

Listen, this is Jesus' invitation to you if you're here this morning and you don't know God. The only way you can know God, we read it a moment ago, is through Jesus Christ. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by Me.” My prayer for you this morning, if you don't know God, that you will come to the Father through Jesus, repenting of your sins and putting your faith in the only One who can wash your robes, that is make your heart truly clean, where you can enter the city. 

But for us who know God, what will our lives be like in eternity? What will our lives be like in this eternal city? Well, our text tells us several realities. First of all, we will serve our God. We will serve our God, verse 3, “and His bond-servants will serve Him.” First of all, notice the antecedents of the pronoun “His” are “God and the Lamb.” But the pronoun is singular, “His,” reminding us about the nature of the Trinity, the God we serve. He's one God eternally existing in three Persons. 

But the word “serve” is an interesting word. It's not the normal word from which we get our word “deacon,” but rather this word, laturo, is a word with several different nuances. It explains exactly how we will serve our God and the Lord Jesus Christ in eternity. First of all, we will serve our God by worshiping from our hearts. By worshiping from our hearts. This word is used, laturo, in Philippians chapter 3, verse 3, where it says, we who are true believers “worship in the Spirit of God.” Same word. We will serve by worshiping. In fact, this word, the translated “serve” here, is used of the service of the priest. It sort of implies the priesthood of the believer. Revelation 1:6, He has made us to be “priests to His God and Father.” We will serve God by worshiping from our hearts. 

Secondly, we will serve Him by working with our abilities. You see, work, unlike what most Christians think, is not part of the curse. The curse made it work. But work itself is a blessing. It was in the Garden of Eden before the fall. There will be work in eternity. We will spend eternity learning how to use our God-given abilities in new and exciting and in completely satisfying work. One author, Fanning, puts it this way. He says, “The human potential for growth in knowledge and skills, for creativity and satisfying labor, for management of God's good creation to His glory, all will continue eternally.”

In fact, you know, there's a lot of fuzziness about what our rewards will be. People talk about our crowns. You know, the Bible does talk about several different crowns. It talks about, for example, the “crown of life.” But each of those crowns is really just another way to refer to eternal life. The crown which is life is what you get.

But what are our rewards? Well, I think the parable of the talents that Jesus tells in Matthew 25 makes it clear what our reward will be. Our heavenly reward is based on our faithfulness here. Listen to Matthew 25:21. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’” In that text, and I don't have time to take it apart, but essentially it tells us that our heavenly reward will consist of two things. Number one, and I love this, the praise of our Lord: “Well done, good and faithful slave.” And that will be enough.

And secondly, it consists of a greater capacity to serve for eternity. You've been faithful in a few things. I'll put you over many things. With all the capacity that we receive for eternity, as John McArthur writes, “We will spend all eternity carrying out the infinite variety of tasks that the limitless mind of God can conceive.” 

Thirdly, we will serve our God simply by living for His glory. The same word is used in Romans chapter 12, verse 1: “Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies, a living and holy sacrifice.” Live for God's glory. And then he adds, this is “your spiritual service of worship.” Same word. You see, we will live in the details of life to the glory of God. 

You say, “Well, Tom, what are those details?” What is it like there? Well, we don't have many descriptions of what living in the eternal city will be like, but we do have enough to know that it's similar to life now, only perfect. Let me give you a few things we do know.

We know, for example, we will eat and drink. Revelation 19:9, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” That's after the resurrection. That's when we're glorified. Revelation 22:1-2 talks about the water of life that we will drink and talks about the tree of life, the fruit of which we will eat.

We'll sing and we'll play musical instruments. Revelation 5:8-9 talks about the fact that in God's presence, there's music, there's instruments, and there's a new song that's sung. Music existed before the creation, and it will continue through all eternity.

Thirdly, we will constantly learn and discover. See, God is infinite, so we will never know all that can be known about God in our finite minds, even glorified finite minds. But we will spend eternity learning more and more and more about Him, just as in this life, we will forever be, in the words of Colossians 1:10 “increasing in the knowledge of God.”

Fourthly, we'll enjoy perfect, loving human relationships. Can you imagine? You know, if you have the joy of having a really good, close human relationship, imagine what it will be like when it's perfect. And there's no selfishness that tinges it. That's what we will enjoy. First Thessalonians 4:17, Paul reminds us that we're going be caught up together at the rapture, not only with the Lord, but with those who have gone before us who are in Christ. With our loved ones, with all the redeemed, of all the ages, and we will forever enjoy loving human relationships with them. Going ever deeper.

And number five, I love this, we will simply engage in normal human activities. We're not going to be little gods. We're going to be human beings glorified. And therefore, we will live as humans for eternity. A. A. Hodge puts it beautifully when he writes this, 

Heaven, as the eternal home of the divine Man, [meaning Jesus our Lord], and of all the redeemed members of the human race, must necessarily be thoroughly human in its structure, conditions, and activities. Its joys and its occupations must all be rational, moral, emotional, voluntary, and active. There must be the exercise of all faculties, the gratification of all tastes, the development of all talent capacities, the realization of all ideals. The reason, the intellectual curiosity, the imagination, the aesthetic instincts, the holy affections, the social affinities, the inexhaustible resources of strength and power native to the human soul, must all find in heaven exercise and satisfaction. 

Here's the bottom line, Christian: you will never be bored in eternity. And in everything you will find perfect joy and satisfaction and you will do it all to the glory of God. 

Now Christian, look at that list for a moment. Do you realize that right now, your life here is the dress rehearsal for eternity? Because you ought to be doing all of those things right now. You ought to be serving your God right now by worshiping Him from your heart, by working with the abilities and skills that He's given you, and by living life in every way that you do it for His glory. This is the dress rehearsal. How are you doing with the rehearsal? 

So, we will serve our God, but secondly, we will see His face. We will see His face. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve saw and walked and talked with God in the cool of the day. But after the fall, man and his sinfulness could never see the face of God without being incinerated. Exodus 33, God said, “You cannot see My face,” to Moses, “for no man can see Me and live!” “You shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.” John 1:18, “No one has seen God at any time.” 

But Jesus promises us that in this eternal city, look at verse four, “they will see His face.” This has always been the hope of God's people. Job, in Job 19, said, “I will see God.” Jesus, in Matthew 5, said, “The pure in heart will see God.

First John 3:2, “we will see Him just as He is.” And so, we will see Him and be with Him. John 17:24, He says, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given Me, be with Me where I am so that they may see My glory.” What exactly do we mean, though, when we say we will see His face?

God is spirit. So, when Scripture says we will see God's face, it means two things. First of all, it means that we will see the glorified body of the second person of the Trinity. Our Lord Jesus Christ is still fully human. He has a glorified body, like the one that you and I will one day receive. That's what we will see. We will see the human glorified body of the second person of the Trinity. And we will see whatever physical manifestation that God chooses to reveal, likely, certainly blazing glorious light that lights up the new universe. We will enjoy what theologians call the beatific vision. We will gaze on God. And let me tell you, that vision will forever be thrilling, captivating, compelling, and life changing. Nothing compares to that. 

Third, we will belong to Him and be like His Son, verse 4, “and His name will be on their foreheads.” That expression really implies two things. First of all, God’s name on something speaks of ownership. Believers will forever bear God’s name, that is, He will mark us as His own. Back in chapter 7, verse 3, it talks about “sealing His servants” by putting a mark on their foreheads. Sealing them in the sense of saying, “They are Mine. They belong to Me.”

But God’s name also stands for His character. You see, not only will we belong to Him, but we will be like Him, that is, we will be like His Son. You know, we talk about that often as believers: we are going to be like Christ. What does it mean to be like Christ? It means two things: first of all, it means that our moral characters will be just like Jesus’ moral character. Our moral characters will be just like Jesus’ moral character. Romans 8:29, “He predestined us to become conformed to the image of His Son.” First John 3:2, “When He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” All the divine qualities that humans can share will be ours what theologians call His communicable attributes. Attributes like love and compassion and holiness. We will be like Christ in all of those ways but not to the same fullness of the divine perfections. We will still be human. But we will manifest His moral character. You will still be you. You will still have your personality only perfected. But in your moral character you will be just like Jesus. 

Secondly, our new bodies will be just like Jesus’ glorified body. I love Philippians 3:20-21: “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;”— Listen to this—"who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory.” We're going to get a glorified body just like His.

What does that mean? First Corinthians 15, Paul describes our new bodies. He says they will be imperishable. They'll never grow old. They'll never wear out. Won't that be a wonderful reality?

They'll be glorious, beautiful, attractive. They'll be powerful, remarkable strength. And they'll be spiritual, meaning they will reflect the characteristics of Jesus' glorified body.

In other words, they'll be recognizable but different. We'll be able to eat, but not because we're hungry. Possibly like Jesus, we'll be able to pass through matter or transport from one place to another, but certainly still be able to be touched.

Our new bodies will have continuity with these bodies. First Corinthians 15 says the relationship between your current body and your new one is like that between a seed and the plant that grows from it. We bury someone's body, we put it in the ground. Paul says that's like planting a seed. At the resurrection, God will cause a new body, a glorified body to grow from that into which the soul will be reunited. So, we will belong to God, and we will be like His Son. He will write his name on our foreheads. 

Number four, we will delight in His favor, verse five, “And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them.” Now, I think this is saying something different than what was said back in chapter 21, verse 23, where it says, “the glory of God will illumine the city.” This doesn't say that. Here, the last phrase is literally, “the Lord God will shine on them.” The glory of God will shine on us. 

Along with many, I think that's likely referring to the priestly blessing in Numbers 6, verses 24 to 26. We sang that to our children every night when they were young. “The Lord bless you and keep you.” But then listen to this. “The Lord make His face to shine on you.” That's exactly what's said in our text. 

What does that mean? It means this: not only will we see God's face, but His face will shine on us in the sense that it will shine on us with eternal grace, eternal favor, eternal benediction. We will live in the joy and constant delight of the favor of our God.

Finally, number 5, we will reign with Him forever, verse 5 says, “and they will reign forever and ever.” God promised this in the Old Testament. Daniel chapter 7, verse 27 says, “Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven,”—listen to this—“will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One.” In the New Testament, Revelation 3:21, Jesus says, “He who overcomes,”— the true believer—"I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne.” Believer, that's our future.

We will reign with Christ. But in what sense will we reign? And maybe a more pressing question is, over whom or what will we reign? Well, first of all, we will reign over the new creation. Just as God appointed Adam and Eve, and with them all of humanity as vice regents over this earth and over all of its creation, God will in the same way assign to us in eternity that same role over the new world. Under our Lord and through His grace, we will finally carry out the dominion mandate that God gave to all mankind back in Genesis 1, verses 27 and 28, where it reads, 

God created man in His own image, in the image of God, He created him; male and female, He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Under our Lord and His wonderful grace, we will finally carry out that mandate. I love what Mounce writes. “In divine providence, our Bible ends with the ultimate restoration of the original creation.”

But we will also reign over other believers. That may surprise you but think about it. There will be order and structure in eternity just as there was in Eden before the fall. Equality before God never means that there's no order. God established order and structure in every human institution. There's even order and structure among the holy angels.

And there's even order within the Trinity, where there's absolute perfect equality. That's why we refer to the first person of the Trinity, the second person of the Trinity, and the third person of the Trinity. We don't know what it will be like, but clearly there will be order and structure among believers in eternity, and we will reign with Christ over the new world and the new universe forever.

I love the way John MacArthur summarizes all that we have learned about this eternal city. Listen to what he writes. 

The eternal capital city of heaven, the New Jerusalem, will be a place of indescribable, unimaginable beauty. From the center of it, the brilliant glory of God will shine forth through the gold and precious stones to illuminate the new heaven and the new earth. But the most glorious reality of all will be that sinful rebels will be made righteous, enjoy intimate fellowship with God and the Lamb, serve Them, and reign with Them forever in sheer joy and incessant praise. 

But there's one more insight about eternity that absolutely overwhelms me. Our Lord said this in Luke 12:37. He says, “Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly, I say to you, that the master will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.”

Our Lord plans in eternity to serve us. “With joy, I'll sit at His great feast, with flowing cup and table spread, my Lord will rise, greet me as friend, and serve the one for whom He bled.” That's our Lord, and that's our eternity.

As the men come to serve, take just a moment, prepare your heart for the Lord's table, confess your sin, express your praise to our Lord for all that He's done for you in His Son. 

Our Father, we truly are overwhelmed by the grace You've shown us in Christ. Thank You that You've not only forgiven our sins, You've saved us from eternal hell, but You've made us Your own children.

You've promised us a future, that You will dwell with us forever. Lord Jesus, thank You that You willingly came and offered Yourself in our place. You died and were raised again from the dead on our behalf to reconcile us to the Father, so that we could enjoy the adoption of sons and daughters.

Lord Jesus, thank You that You are preparing a place for us, and You will come again and receive us to Yourself. And we will live forever with You in this place You've just described to us. What grace.

Our Father, as we come to remember our Lord and all that He's done for us in the Lord's table, I pray that You would grant forgiveness for us. Lord, You've already forgiven us before the throne of Your justice. The gavel has come down. You've declared us forever righteous through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. But Father, You've commanded us to come still and confess our sin, not now to You as judge, but to You as Father. Because what we've done not only offended You as judge, but it offends you as Father.

And so, Lord, we come. I pray that You would bring to our minds even now, that your Holy Spirit would bring to each of our minds those sins that are a shame to us and affront to You. Lord, sins of thought, sins of attitude, sins of word, sins of action. And Lord, sins of omission. When we have failed to do what You've commanded us to do, Lord, forgive us, cleanse us. Not because we deserve it, but because Christ has purchased it for us.

Lord, may we take of the Lord's Table with clean hands and pure hearts. Receive the worship that we bring now. We ask in His name, Amen.