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 Sermon > Official Service |
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Title |
Revelation Lectures(92) - Revelation Lectures (92) |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Revelation 21:25 ~ 22:2 |
Date |
2009-03-06 |
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Revelation 21:25 ~ 22:2
[25] In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed;
[26] and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;
[27] and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
[1] Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
[2] in the middle of its street On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
In the city of New Jerusalem, there are 12 big pearl gates guarded by dignified angels.
After Adam committed sin, God stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword at the east of the Garden of Eden.
It was to guard the Garden of Eden against entry by the evil spirits.
It is not that someone could force entry into New Jerusalem and disrupt the order if it were not guarded by angels.
The angels are guarding the gates just to show the dignity and glory of the city and its residents.
And thus, Revelation 21:25 says, "In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed."
"There will be no night there" means there is no darkness.
Heaven is filled with the light of God's glory and it always shines brightly.
Also, there is no darkness in a spiritual sense.
It's because the enemy devil and Satan which controlled the darkness are confined in the Abyss, and because there is no sin, evil, and death.
Therefore, there is no need to close the gates of New Jerusalem in order to defend the city from the intrusion of evil entities.
That's why the scripture says, "In the daytime, its gates will never be closed."
In fact, the gates which are made of a single whole pearl are usually kept closed.
When someone stands before the gate to pass through it, the gate opens automatically.
If there is no night in heaven, the term, "day" is actually not necessary.
If there are no women but only men in this world, we don't actually need the word, "man," which is opposite of "woman."
All we need is just use "people."
Likewise, if there is no night, we don't need a term which is opposite to 'night,' and thus we don't need the word, "day."
However, since there are day and night together in this fleshly world, the word, 'day' is also used in heaven for your better understanding.
Now, Revelation 21:26 says, "And they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it."
Revelation 21:24 says, "The kings of the earth will bring their glory into it."
Here, these kings of the earth who enter New Jerusalem are those who gained spiritually high ranks.
They are those who will enjoy the glory that will shine like the sun along with the Lord.
On the other hand, "they" of Revelation 21:26 does not refer just to those who enter New Jerusalem.
They refer to all the saved souls from all the nations of the earth throughout the history of human cultivation from the time of Adam.
Not only those in New Jerusalem, but at the proper time those who dwell in the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st kingdoms of heaven can also come before God in the place which is located in New Jerusalem.
They will bring the glory that they had gained on earth and come before God to offer it to God
It's like children boasting off their achievements before their parents when the family gathers together.
"I was number one in the last exam." "I was commended by my teacher." "I won this prize in a drawing contest." They say like this.
The children are happy to take pride in what they accomplished, and as the parents listen to their children they too become pleased.
Likewise, the citizens of heaven bring in the glory that they gave to God when cultivated on earth and it becomes pleasure to God.
The more the glory that is given to God while practicing righteousness and giving out the fragrance of Christ, the more honorable the position will be in heaven.
People bring such glory and honor and come before God.
Now, Revelation 21:27 says, "And nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."
What is something "unclean" here?
Something "unclean" is opposite to the thing which is "holy and separated."
Those 'unclean' people pursue pleasure, carnal desire, and immediate benefit for them instead of sacrificing and devoting themselves for something noble and worthy.
They also easily judge and condemn others, and speak words of complaint and are begrudging.
When things are not in accordance with their ideas or are not beneficial to them, they instantly judge and condemn.
They don't understand the situation from the others person's point of view, but instead they are self-centric, they judge and condemn others.
"Abomination" is defined as anything greatly disliked; it is also a vile or detestable action.
In the Bible, this term is used in various cases.
For example, there are some birds and animals that God calls abominable.
And God told Israelites not to eat such abominable birds or animals.
(God the Father has forbidden them because they have evil attributes in their natures.)
In addition, God also describes idols, idol-related things, and evil customs or acts of idolaters as abominable.
He calls other lewd and dirty things abominable as well.
Moreover, a two-faced heart, in other words, a cunning and changing heart is an abominable heart.
With this heart, people neither follow nor practice goodness even if they learn and know what goodness is.
If something seems harmful to them, they don't keep the goodness, but they change their hearts.
They know they shouldn't, but they will still move to the side of evil.
Some people even call something evil and dirty true, or they call something true wrong, and slander others.
People cannot enter heaven with such an abominable heart that is detestable before God.
Next, the scripture mentions "lying."
Since darkness prevails over the world today, people easily tell both big and small lies, but they don't realize they are lying.
Or, they speak against the truth in order to hide their false or shameful acts.
They even speak lies that harm others in order to get what they want.
Colossians 3:9-10 says, "Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him."
Well, some novice believers may tell a lie from time to time by habit of the old self that they haven't laid aside.
In this case, if they repent and turn back, they can be forgiven.
However, to the extent their faith grows up, they have to renew their self and cast off lies; they should cast off the nature of lies.
Even when they are experienced in faith and profess they have faith, if they still tell a lie, it means they have lukewarm faith, and soon they will be apart from the truth.
If the situation becomes worse, they cannot even receive salvation.
The Bible calls those who say they love God but dislike brothers also liars.
The Bible also calls those who say they have fellowship with God but walk in the darkness liars.
Those who deny Jesus being Christ are also liars.
Children of God should quickly cast off something unclean, abominable, and lying.
They should pull out even the nature of evil attributes and advance into a better heaven.
In Revelation 22:1-2 is mentioned the river of water of life, and the tree of life.
It says, "Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
The River of the Water of Life originates from the Throne of God and of the Lamb, and it flows softly and calmly.
The river flows from New Jerusalem to the 3rd kingdom, to the 2nd and the 1st kingdom, and to Paradise and all the dwelling places in heaven and back to New Jerusalem.
John 4:14 says, "but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
Every living creature needs water to survive.
Likewise, the water that Jesus gives to us gives eternal life to us, and this water is spiritually the word of God.
All the souls that are in heaven received an eternal life that God through the word of life.
For this reason, God named the river of heaven that flows from the Throne of God 'the River of the Water of Life.'
The fact that this the River of the Water of Life flows all around heaven shows that all the souls in heaven can live by the grace of God.
The scripture says this river of water of life is as clear as crystal.
Just as crystal reflects brilliant light when shone in the light, the surface of the river of water of life is eye-dazzling.
When the sun is reflected on the surface of the sea or lake, it is so beautiful.
How much more beautiful the River of the Water of Life in heaven is!
When you drink from the River of the Water of Life, it tastes so sweet, and you can feel the fullness all over your body.
When God created the earth, the water that God originally gave was from this River of the Water of Life.
However, due to the disobedience of Adam, when everything on the earth was cursed, the water was also cursed and changed.
Therefore, you cannot taste the River of the Water of Life in this earth.
You can taste the water that God originally gave to the earth when you taste it in heaven.
By the way, the taste of the water of life varies in different dwelling places.
The ingredient of the water of life is the same, but the feeling of satisfaction and happiness in each dwelling place is different.
For example, even if you drink a glass of water, it tastes different before you climb a mountain and after you climb the mountain.
The water which has been kept in a refrigerator and the water which was kept outside in hot summer sun also taste different.
Likewise, even though it is the same River of the Water of Life, the feeling of satisfaction is different when you drink it in different dwelling place in heaven.
On both sides of the River of the Water of Life is a street of pure gold, and the tree of life is planted along the street.
The river and the street are not directly adjacent; there are gold and silver sands in between.
Now, what is the reason God put the streets on either side of the river of the water of life?
First, it is to make it easy to come from anywhere in heaven to the place where the Throne of God is located.
I told you that the water of life is originated from the Throne of God.
Therefore, from anywhere in vast heaven, if you go along the street on either side of the River of the Water of Life, you can eventually reach the Throne of God.
Second, it is to show that you have come to heaven because you lived by the word of God which is the water of life on earth.
If you completely live by the word, you can eventually reach New Jerusalem, the most beautiful place in heaven.
Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
Like this verse, when you believe Jesus Christ, you become the child of God, and you acquire the citizenship of heaven.
But this is not it. You should live by the word of the Lord Jesus until you life ends in this earth.
To live by the word is to walk the way to heaven.
If you follow sign posts, you can get to your exact destination.
By the same token, you can find clear sign posts that lead directly to New Jerusalem in the Bible.
The words like "Dos," "Don'ts," "Keeps," and "Throw aways" are such posts that lead you New Jerusalem in the shortest period of time.
If you just follow these posts, you can easily reach New Jerusalem.
In order to represent this spiritual meaning, God placed the streets of pure gold on either side of the river of the water of life.
God designed it so that you would reach New Jerusalem if you follow and go up the River of the Water of Life.
I told you that there are sands between the river of the water of life and the street.
The gold and silver sands are so soft, and even when you run and jump on these sands, there is no dust and your clothes don't get dirty.
There is no chance that the sand will get in your eyes and cause irritation.
Now, the scripture says, "On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month."
There are the trees of life on either side of the street, and they are grand.
There are 12 different varieties of the tree of life.
It is not that a single tree bears all 12 kinds of fruit. Each variety of the tree bears its own kind of fruit.
So, there are 12 different kinds of the tree.
The fact that the trees yield its fruit every month doesn't mean that it yields different fruits every month. It means the tree yields the fruit all the time.
The flowers or leaves of the trees in heaven do not repeat the process of blooming and withering.
Their leaves are always green. Their flowers can always bloom and they can yield fruits all the time.
The tree of life also yields its fruit all the time. If someone picks up its fruit, a new fruit is replaced on the same branch.
The 12 kinds of fruit of each tree of life are different in their lights, sizes, shape, and taste.
I once explained in the Lecture on Genesis about the fruit of the tree of life and the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden.
They are as big as a melon in size. The fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil is a pinkish fruit like a peach.
And the fruit of the tree of life is similar to an apple, but it's not perfectly red but a beautiful fruit with a flushing color.
However, the tree of life in heaven does not yield only reddish fruit. They have 12 different colors and they vary in shape and size as well.
Even though they are both reddish, they are so different from each other.
Just as the taste of the river of the water of life is different in each dwelling place in heaven, the fruits vary in their light and beauty according to the dwelling place.
Now, what does this tree of life symbolize?
And why did God made 12 different kinds of fruit of the tree of life?
I will continue to talk about them in the next lecture.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
Alongside the river of the water of life, beautiful scenery abounds; more beautiful than anyplace of this earth.
There are countless gold benches decorated with jewels.
If you want to, you can swim freely in the river of the water of life like fish.
Then, the multi-colored fish may follow you and welcome you.
How happy will you be if you look at the brilliantly-shining river of the water of life with the Lord?
Or, you may walk the pure gold street with the Lord, singing praises with angels or talk with the Lord.
With whom do you desire to walk with along the riverside street?
Now, I'd like to introduce a part of praise that an archangel sings while looking over the souls who live happily in New Jerusalem.
"In this river of the water of life is contained the love and glory of God the Father, along with the tears and comfort of God the Father.
This beautiful river of the water of life carries the care and warm touch of Father around, and the glory of Father overflows for all souls.
By the grace of God the Father, the glory of Father is granted to the countless souls. Their faces are full of the light of Father's glory.
They all rejoice and give thanks; they praise the name of God the Father, and they praise His glory.
Thank you Father! Each soul, by the grace of Father, and in the love of His Almightiness, came forth as pure gold, singing beautiful praises before Father.
Father! Father!
God, Oh God!
Your name is glorious, and You are worthy to receive glory from generation to generation.
You alone are glorified. Your name is glorified. You perfected the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Until the souls came here, Your endurance and patience have produced these countless fruit.
God the Father, thank You!
I praise You, God the Father!
I open my mouth, and praise You.
I give thanks for the smiles on the lips of the many souls, for the peace on the face of many souls, and for the glory that is bestowed on the many souls.
For the name of God, the name of the Lord, and the name of the Holy Spirit are found over them,
I praise God the Trinity!
I praise the Father, the Trinity of God who are perfect and complete in everything who has produced such beautiful fruit.
I praise and praise You."
In heaven, not only angels but also you will sing praises and give glory to God the Trinity.
The praises that you will sing in heaven are completely different from the praises of this earth.
The melody is not harsh or intense; it is so soft and clean. It is full of emotion as if you listen to the voice of God.
Even in this earth, to the extent the composers cultivate heaven in their hearts, they can make in their inspiration their praise much closer to the praises in heaven.
If their praises are written with the heart that resembles God, God will be so pleased to receive the praises.
The same applies to the praise singers.
Instead of the heart that shows off techniques of the world and their gifts, they should put the aroma of the heart that is being sanctified in the love for God.
The praise with such aroma of technique has nothing to do with God.
Just like the prayer that beats the air in vain, no matter how beautiful their voice is, it's of no use.
I hope all the brothers and sisters in Christ will give praises from the depth of your heart to God who gives you precious heaven during your life-course.
May you in the future walk about the riverside of the water of life in New Jerusalem, and praise God in one voice together with heavenly host and angels forever and ever, in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray!
[Amen] |
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