What will life be like in the new heavens and the new earth? What is the joyful symbolism of this day? Earlier this morning we talked about judgment, but this afternoon, as we close out the eighth day and prepare to return home to our mundane and usual day-to-day existence, I would like to discuss what it is that we picture by celebrating this day. After all, the eighth day is really about a new beginning for the entire universe, a new start free from sin and corruption, free from death and suffering, and for that reason we celebrate on this commanded Holy Day. What is the connection between the eighth day and the new heavens and the new earth?

In order to understand the meaning of this day, let us see the eighth day through the eyes of two people. One person is someone who lived a wicked life and refused to repent to God. The second person is someone who repented and was resurrected into eternal life. How will each of these people see the eighth day differently? Let us examine how through the pages of scripture, and then ask ourselves which of these people we are, or which do we want to be, as we examine what the Bible says about the fate of both the repentant as well as those who remain rebellious.

The Fate Of The Unjust

Let us first examine what kind of people are likely to end up on the bad side of the Great White Throne Judgment we discussed this morning. Let us examine three different passages that deal with people who are going to face judgment. Again, in looking at these examples let us not point fingers at other people, but rather examine whether we ourselves belong in these categories if we do not repent of our sins and accept the mercy of God and submit ourselves to His ways.

First, let us look at Romans 1:28-32. This passage gives a lengthy list of sins that prevent one from entering into God’s kingdom. Do we have any of these sins in our own lives? Romans 1:28-32 reads as follows: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”

This is a difficult passage when it comes to going around pointing fingers at others. After all, we might say to ourselves that we are righteous and sincere people, but if we hate others, are proud and self-righteous, war and strife with others, gossip about others, are unloving or spiritually undiscerning, or are harsh and unmerciful towards others, we are in the same boat as the murderers and sexually immoral. Do any of us have any room to brag? I know I do not—and I know that without the love of God working through me I am on this list, because of my own natural combative tendencies, and my own serious natural difficulties with honoring authorities. And even if we are free from any of these sins ourselves, which is very unlikely, if we approve of other people who are sexually immoral, or violent, or gossip, or are unloving and unmerciful toward others, then we too share in their condemnation. Do we want to end up in this boat? I don’t.

Let us now turn to the book of Jude, which has some very harsh things to say about false Christians who despite their own wickedness and ungodliness have no fear in considering themselves as Christians or in attempting to woo genuine Christians into joining their rebellion against God. Jude verses 11-15 reads as follows: “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging wves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

This is pretty harsh language. Jude is talking about people who are violently hostile against the righteous, just as Cain became the first murderer in Genesis 4 against the righteous Abel, whose blood called out for vengeance. Jude is talking about hirelings who are well-paid ministers who instead of serving God’s flock only serve themselves and their own interests. Jude is talking about rebellious ministers who cannot submit to authority but rather speak evil of it, not realizing that submitting to human authorities, even when they are occasionally unjust, prepares us to accept the authority of God. As these are areas I personally struggle with, I recognize the need to be merciful as well with others who struggle. But those who revel in their wrath or their greed or their rebellion are in a totally different situation from those who struggle against their evil tendencies—and Jude is talking about those who revel in their sins and who encourage others to sin like themselves as well. Jude compares them to trees without the fruit of the Spirit, clouds without rain on a hot, dry day, rebellious angels or wayward planets, who will receive the second death and who have their places reserved in eternal judgment, to be destroyed forever. We do not want to have these reservations for ourselves.

Let us now look at the example of the rich man in a parable from Jesus Christ Himself, which not only describes a type of person who will be in eternal judgment but also some of how that judgment feels to someone who is condemned to the second death. We read of this in Luke 16:19-31, the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Luke 16:19-31 reads as follows: “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purpose and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades [the grave], he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ Then he said. ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may also testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”

What relevance does this passage have for us? Aside from the fact that it is a parable, and therefore is not a straightforward expression of doctrine about the afterlife, and aside from the fact that the dead know nothing while they sleep, including how much time passes, let us comment on what Jesus Christ is saying here about the afterlife. A lot of people have a lot to worry about. We have a rich man who enjoys fine dining every day and a righteous beggar whose sores are licked by filthy and unclean dogs. The rich man had the means to help Lazarus but was unmerciful and hard-hearted and did not give of his treasure to help the righteous but indigent Lazarus. As a result of violating God’s law, which forbids being hard-hearted towards one’s brethren, and the frequent condemnation of the Psalms and the prophets towards the wealthy who exploit and mistreat the poor, the rich man finds himself in eternal judgment for not using his earthly treasure to help others, so to build up spiritual treasure with God. Likewise the righteous Lazarus finds himself in the resurrection of the just with Abraham looking down in judgment on the unrighteous who are burned up in the Lake of Fire. Let us take a warning from these messages.

What happens to those in the Lake of Fire, though? Let us first look at Revelation 20:10, which talks about the fate of Satan (as well as the beast and false prophet discussed earlier in Revelation), and by extension the rest of the unjust who refuse to repent. Revelation 20:10 reads as follows: “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” This verse, taken on its own, would seem to indicate that the suffering will be eternal, implying that there will not be destruction but rather eternal pain and suffering and misery in hell fire.

However, this verse is not the only one that discusses the fate of Satan, and so we need to view it in context with other verses. For example, let us examine Ezekiel 28:17-19, which views Satan as a demonic king of Tyre. Ezekiel 28:17-19 reads as follows: “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you. You defiled your sanctuaries by the multidue of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; therefore I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; you have become a horror, and shall be no more forever.”

This passage too talks about fire, but it talks about a fire that destroys the wicked (including Satan, it would appear) into ashes that horrify the leaders of the world who followed Satan’s bidding and who “knew” him. It horrified them because they saw themselves sharing the same fate, being ashes under the feet of the righteous. No immortal soul. No power and glory. No memory of one’s life and existence. Simply the darkness of blackness forever—total destruction of one’s bodies, one’s memory, and one’s existence. After the torments of approaching flames talked about in Luke 16, an eternity of nonexistence is what the rebellious evil have to look forward to. Oblivion is a fate I wish to avoid.

And God Will Wipe Away Every Tear

We have examined the grim fate that awaits those sinners who do not repent of their sins and who remain proud in their rebellion against God. But what is the happier fate of those who repent and enjoy eternal life? What is their life like? Is it playing harps while passing eternity idly in heaven? Or does God have something more active planned for us? Let us see what the Bible has to say, at least.

We only have a few details about what life is like for believers in the new heavens and new earth, but they are very wonderful, so let us talk about them now. We are told four things about this city and its inhabitants, so let us examine these passages in order. First, we are told what life is like in the New Jerusalem from an emotional and spiritual point of view, in Revelation 21:1-8. Revelation 21:1-8 reads as follows: “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.” 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. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 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.”

Here we see what God gives to those who overcome all things: the universe, eternal life, citizenship in the New Jerusalem, and an up-close and personal relationship with Him. We do not go up to heaven—heaven comes down to us, so to speak. There will be no more suffering, no more death, no more sorrow. Once the wicked are “outside” of the city—they are outside for good, destroyed for all eternity, for their suffering is over as well. There will be no thought of them to bring suffering to the godly, only the joy of eternal life and all that brings.

Next, Revelation tells us about the glory of the New Jerusalem and what kind of city it is like. We read of this in Revelation 21:9-21: “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “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 light 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 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 walked 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, breath, 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 the 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.”

This passage tells us both of the beauty of the New Jerusalem, its streets paved with pure gold, its walls and foundations of precious stones, its gates of pearl, as well as the purpose of both Israel and the Church for God. The gates have the names of the twelve tribes of Israel—meaning that everyone who enters the New Jerusalem must do so by the tribes of Israel. After all, all believers are grafted into Israel, and those of Israel and Judah who initially rejected God will be grafted back into the Israel of God. Ultimately, there is no Jew and Gentile, only spiritual Israelites, among the believers of God. Additionally, the twelve foundations of the city have the names of the twelve apostles (minus Judas Iscariot and plus Mathias). Here we see that anyone who enters the New Jerusalem does so on the foundations of Christianity established by the Apostles, not the shaky foundation of sand of human tradition that many churches follow today. As an interesting aside, the city itself, being perfectly square, is imagined as a very large city in the Lanna design of Northern Thailand, only it is not described as having a moat, and its dimensions are about 4000 kilometers long, 4000 kilometers wide, and 4000 kilometers tall, making it a massive city, with walls that are about 70 meters thick. The dimensions given are all in multiples of 12, showing the perfect “new beginning” of the New Jerusalem. To belong to this city is to have a far greater blessing of riches and splendor than that enjoyed by even the richest and most magnificent kings of this earth. And that is our inheritance if we overcome this world and enter into God’s Kingdom.

The third passage that deals with the New Jerusalem talks about its light and its lack of a temple, intriguingly enough, because the whole city appears to be the tabernacle of God, and not only a small portion of it, as we see in Revelation 21:22-27. Revelation 21:22-27 reads as follows: “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple. 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. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, orcauses an abomination or lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”

Here we see that the city itself does not have a temple because the presence and righteousness of our Heavenly Father and our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ, the Lamb, are its light and its righteousness. There will be no night—nor any need for the sun and moon—and the gates of the city will never close, but those who enter the city will be in the Book of Life, granted citizenship into the city, and will be able to enter freely, bringing the glory of the redeemed people of God into the city whenever they come. Therefore, we not only belong to a city that is gloriously beautiful, but also one where God and Jesus Christ are present and deeply and intimately involved with its people, and where everyone who enters the city shares in the righteousness and glory of God.

Finally, the fourth passage here at the end of Revelation lets us know at least a little bit about what the redeemed people of God will be doing in the New Jerusalem, in Revelation 22:1-5. Revelation 22:1-5 reads as follows: “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be on it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: they ned no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”

Here we see that the New Jerusalem will have a river of living water for the thirsty to drink, and the tree of life to eat. No more will we eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and have the curse of death, but we will live eternally, and the leaves of the tree of life will heal the nations. We have to admit that the world needs a lot of healing right now, in our lives, our families, our congregations, our communities, and our nations. And God will provide that healing to us. And we will not be lazily playing harps, but we will be serving God and reigning in His Kingdom forever and ever. The Bible does not tell us how we will serve, though we may speculate on that matter ourselves, but whatever it is that we will be doing it will be active and it will be for all eternity. The work of God does not end with the end of Revelation, it simply has a new beginning into something far more wonderful than we can imagine as human beings. Let us be found worthy to enter into that glorious eternity of serving and knowing God.

Conclusion

Let us review what we have discussed today as we draw to a close. As human beings right now, there are two sets of eyes through which we can view the events of the Eighth Day. We can either view this day through the eyes of those who are hostile and rebellious to God, who view this day as torment and the threat of eternal destruction, or through the eyes of those who submit to God, are redeemed, and are raised into eternal life and serve Him joyfully for all eternity. The Bible does not give us all of the answers to the questions we may have about this day, but it gives us enough knowledge for us to understand that this day is a glorious and bright day, whether we share in its light and glory or whether we suffer its fiery judgment. Let us hope that we are all found worthy to enjoy the glory of this day, when there shall be no more suffering or pain for all time.