Jesus Christ In The Writings Of John
THE FINAL RESULTS

Lesson Text:
Revelation 4:20; 21; 22; 22:1-11 (KJV)

Subject:
The Completed Results of Christ’s Mission and Work on Earth and in Heaven

Golden Text:
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne.” (Rev. 3:21)

Lesson Plan:
1. THE LONG CONFLICT BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL (REV. 4-20)
2. THE CONSUMMATION. THE CITY OF GOD (REV. 21; 22:1-5)
3. WHEN THE VISION SHALL BE FULFILLED (REV. 22:6-11)

Topics for further study:
The movement of the intervening chapters.
The conflict of good with evil today.
Is the good gaining?
The city of God as a description of the redeemed earth.
As a description of heaven.
What is included, and why?
What is excluded, and why?
How may this vision help us in our daily life?

Inductive study of the lesson:
a. The Conflict of Good and Evil. Compare the conflicts described in the middle chapters with the prophecies of Christ (Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21).
b. The New Heaven and the New Earth. With the description in Revelation, study the other visions and prophecies referring to the final consummation, and note what they add to the picture from Revelation, such as Psalm 72:2-8; Isaiah 2:2-5; 11:1-10; 54:1-17; 55:13; 60:1-22; 62:1-12; Daniel 7:18, 27; Malachi 3:17; Luke 20:36; John 14:2; 17:2; Romans 8:16, 17; Hebrews 4:9; 12:22; 1 Peter 1:4, 11; 2 Peter 3:13; 1 John 3:2; etc.
c. The Time is at Hand. Such passages as Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 10:25, 37; 1 Peter 1:13; 4:7, 13-17.

1. THE LONG CONFLICT BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL

We now turn toward the final consummation in Revelation 21 and 22. But we must first realize the meaning of the chapters leading up to the final consummation, because they are a graphic word-picture of the whole course of the history of the conflict of good and evil, lying between the Gospels and the final redemption of the world; not of the detailed events, not of a stretch of history seen as through a telescope, but of the conflicts of principles, between Christ the Lord on the one hand, and on the other the principalities and powers of evil, “the world-rulers of this darkness,” “the spiritual hosts of wickedness,” repeated over and over again in every age, the same elements thrown into fresh combinations as seen through a kaleidoscope.

When the seals of the book are opened we see visions in symbolic forms. As the eagle in the symbol of the United States, because it represents the abstract idea of freedom and independence; the lion is the symbol of England, as symbolizing strength and lordship; the bear of Russia, symbolizing not the fierceness of the tiger, but calm strength, courage, and invincible power; so there come before us, first the white horse of Christ, the armed conqueror, and then the red horse of war, the black horse of famine, the pale horse of Death. Then follow the trumpets, first, as in the case of the seals, announcing the prayers of the saints, sweet odors from golden censers, and sweet incense from golden altars; and immediately, at the trumpet’s blast, come visions of earthquakes and lightning and volcanoes and darkness and falling stars and fierce armies and horses breathing fire and brimstone.

Then came the vials of wrath poured out upon men, diseases, plagues, darkness, unclean spirits, persecutions, disasters, fierce battles. Then follows a vision of the city of worldliness and sin, reveling in luxuries, and going swiftly on the way to death.

But this is only a part of the picture, the part on which the hopeless, the pessimist, the discouraged gaze almost exclusively. It is easy to realize the feelings of many who lived “In the dark days when the number of the saints had been reduced to the very lowest, when the Church lost her members on both hands, her faithful ones by martyrdom, her faithless ones by apostasy, and when this had gone on through such awful days as those which had been foreshadowed in the seals and in the trumpets, till the Church seemed annihilated, annihilated so utterly that a Roman Emperor had struck a medal to celebrate the final extinction of the pernicious sect.” (Lewis)

But all through these visions are songs of triumph and praise, like those Paul and Silas sang in their prison torture. Hallelujahs sound sweet and clear over the roar of the thunders. Listen to the Hallelujah-chorus in Revelation 5:9-14. Hear another burst of triumphant praise in Revelation 7:9-12. See the vision of salvation in Revelation 7:13-17. Read the grand climax in Revelation 11:15.

The Kingdom of the World is Become the Kingdom of Our Lord and of His Christ: and He Shall Reign for Ever and Ever
The Babylon of worldliness falls, the beast is destroyed, the song of Moses and the Lamb is heard, the church sings with the voice of many waters. The marriage supper is prepared; the martyr spirit again fills the churches. The Lord Christ, with His banner, Faithful and True, rides triumphant at the head of His armies, Satan is bound, death and hell are destroyed, and we are ready to see the city of God, the finished work of Christ in the world.

Note:
a. That same conflict is still going on. We still feel and see the evil, we live in the chaos from which new worlds are born, and we are sometimes disheartened.

b. But the same Savior we have been studying is Leader and triumphant King.

c. All through the conflict many are singing the songs of thanksgiving and praise.

d. The way to triumph now is just the same as then, through a new impartation of the martyr-spirit, the spirit of sacrifice, of love, duty, service, and faithfulness even to the end; through the exaltation of Christ in our hearts and in the church.

e. There is a feature of the book that is too often overlooked – the repeated call to repentance of sin and separation to righteousness. In no part of the New Testament is the call to repentance and holiness more urgent or more constantly emphasized than in the Book of Revelation. Perhaps there is no other part of the New Testament that equals the Apocalypse in these respects. Twelve times (a larger number of times than in any other book of the New Testament) the verb “repent” is used either as a direct call to repentance or to tell of the lack of repentance and the punishment that came as a consequence.

2. THE CONSUMMATION. THE CITY OF GOD

We now come to that to which the whole world, under the leadership of Christ, is tending, and at which it will ultimately arrive.

The description is not of a literal city. It is not a lesson in geography or architecture. It is the description of an ideal state, of the people themselves, of the organized heavenly principles, expressed in symbols, wherever such principles rule, whether in heaven or on earth. The figures do not mean dimensions, they mean ideas. The city is ideal becoming real. It is the place and the condition that Christ’s teachings and example, His atoning death and resurrection, will produce – which they are in the process of producing all the time.

The New Jerusalem
Does this symbolize earth or heaven? Some parts of the description apply to earth and not to heaven, and some to heaven and not to earth. But, as Coffman points out, “The writer of this prophecy gave no hint, whatever, of exactly when the appearance of this holy city would occur.” Summers believed that “The writers of the New Testament . . . expected His second coming . . . in their own day.” Expressing disagreement, Coffman wrote: “How could such a remark be true in the light of the ‘one thousand years’ which John had just mentioned as leading up to the judgment day?”

The Holy City descends from heaven to earth
Regarding the Holy City, Plummer wrote: “This is the church of God, now glorified and prepared for perfect communion with her Redeemer.” Russell believed that “the old Jerusalem became one with Babylon the great harlot; but the new Jerusalem is the city which Paul calls ‘The Jerusalem that is above’ (Gal. 4:26; Heb. 12:22).” “The text does not say the church will become the Lamb’s bride at that time” (Hinds); she is already the Lord’s wife (Eph. 5:25ff).

There is to be a new earth, the outward, material expression of the perfected Gospel work, and a new heaven, the spiritual, the intellectual, the heavenly spirit and ideals. Both this world renewed, and the heaven above to which we are going, are both included in the vision. However, Hendriksen believed that “people may vainly imagine that by better education, better environment, disarmament conferences, share-the-wealth programs, etc., they can bring forth a new order.”

Some scholars believe that the ideal of the present is to be the reality of the future. Further, they believe that as the perfect society must be composed of perfect individuals, there is therefore a threefold reference, and thus they hold that the vision embodies: The perfected individual; The perfected society on earth; and The perfect eternal heaven beyond.

First: The City Descends from Heaven (Rev. 21:1).
It is the result of heavenly powers.

Second: The City Was a Cube
Equal in its three dimensions, symbolizing a perfect balance of character.

a. Height. There are mystic Christians, with high emotions, exalted feelings, revival experiences, noble, devotional fervor, uplifted by music and eloquence. There is a great blessing, and whoever has not had such experiences has lost much of the best in life. But it is possible to disconnect these feelings from daily life. One may wish to sit and sing one’s self away to everlasting bliss, and yet be lacking in self-sacrifice and common Christian duties to others.

b. Length. There are those who walk forever over the long, narrow plank of duty, never looking up to the stars, never looking around, but simply pressing on through the daily task, and making life a monotonous routine. But the commonest duties can not be best done without the inspiration and joy of higher experiences.

c. Breath. There are those who enter into a free life holding that nothing is excluded, including religious forms, secular pursuits, business, all forms of literature, all kinds of experiences, but without the narrow way of duty, or the loftier experiences of the soul.

But in the heavenly city all these are united in the individual and in the society. Each one is dangerous and narrow when alone, but each and all are blessed when united. We must not exalt one phase of our nature at the expense of another.

Third: The City Gates (Rev. 21:12, 13, 25).
In the vision there were twelve gates to the city, four on each side, and these gates were always open. The gates are open with a welcome from every direction. All people, of all kinds, of all races, of all ages, are welcome. More than this, they are open for all ideas, all good things, all true qualities of character, all good art, all truths, learning, riches, culture, all good secular things; all good that delights, helps, and builds up man.

But the gates are more than for the entrance of good things from without. They are the Magna Charta of Christian liberty. The Christian can go in and out freely. He is not limited by the walls of his own environment. He receives good from every source. He is not like the Nile that flows 2,000 miles without a tributary, but like the Amazon that drains a continent for its waters. He is free in every direction because “there is no night there.” There is nothing in the city for which night stands. Every thing is in the light. Things are seen as they are. There is no more blundering, no dim feeling of our way. There are no dangers there from darkness. Restrictions are put on liberty in this world, because it is imperfect. As soon as one’s nature is perfect, the liberty can be perfect, the liberty of the sons of God.

Fourth: The Garden City (Rev. 22:1, 2).
The story of man begins with a garden and ends with a city, but it is a city that combines all the good of both the garden and the city, the final stage of culture. The city stands for convenience, culture, power, stimulus, fellowship, enjoyment, interest in human life, all the advantages that come from the close union of many. But in the Paradise Regained, flows (v.1) “a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal … (v. 2) in the midst of the street of it.” The river symbolizes all that is refreshing, life-giving, thirst-quenching, cleansing, beautiful, flowing close by all that the city stands for. “On either side of the river,” made flourishing by it, “was there the tree of life,” yielding beauty, and comfort, but most of all bearing “twelve manner of fruits” for feeding the soul; a great variety in order to satisfy every hunger, every longing and desire, for sustaining and giving growth to every faculty, the whole being. “The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” The trees are not to be isolated, but to be brought into contact with the people, even the leaves, the means by which fruit is borne are a healing power to the nations. All the civilization, the freedom, the knowledge, the higher impulses, the spirit of progress, the better forms of society are to be brought to the nations through the trees of life.

Fifth: The Things Excluded (vs. 3, 5)
(v. 3) “There shall be no more curse.” Nothing that brings evil, nothing that injures soul or body, no barrier between the soul and God.

(v. 5) “And there shall be no night there,” no ignorance, no prejudice or sin that shuts out the light, no deeds of darkness, no love of evil, no mere groping for truth and right.

Nothing shall be there that is described in Revelation 21:8, 27, for these evils and sins are contrary to the very nature of the Kingdom of God. They can no more exist there than darkness can remain in the light of the sun.

(21:4) “There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying … nor pain.” These cannot exist because sin no longer exists. As long as sin exists in the soul, or disease in the body, there must also exist pain; as the danger-signal, as the impulse or righteous living. Someone said, “Pain is the protest of today against yesterday on its way to tomorrow.” Disease or sin without pain means death.

Illustration
Plato would exclude from his model republic, not only all bad poets and writers, but bad workmen of every kind, because, by viewing what was ill-proportioned and out of harmony, the minds of the people would be injured.

Sixth: Things Included Within the City (vs. 3-5)
a. “The Throne of God and of the Lamb” (v. 3). Their presence, guiding providence.

b. “They shall see his face” (v. 4), which only the pure in heart can see. The power and joy of intimate personal communion with God and Christ.

c. “His name,” representing all that God is in character, “shall be in [on] their foreheads” (v. 4), marking them as His children, and showing in their very appearance the heavenly character.

d. “The Lord God giveth them light” (v. 5). Direct inspiration, the illumination of the Spirit. The light is for all without distinction, doing for us spiritually all that light does for us in nature.

e. The water of life, freely.

f. The fruits of the tree of life.

g. The kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it; all that is good and desirable in this world shall belong to the perfect state. Nothing good shall be excluded, nothing good banned. “He shall inherit all things.”

h. “And they shall reign for ever and ever.” He shall reign over Himself, no longer “a heritage of woe,” but “crowned and mitred o’er thyself reign thou.” He shall reign over all things so that everything on earth and in heaven shall minister to His service in the kingdom of Heaven.

Expressing the belief of several scholars, Coffman writes: “When humanity’s long and pitiful dream of some golden age, some fair Utopia, is finally realized, it will not come through man’s devices, but ‘down out of heaven from God’; and only the redeemed shall participate in it . . . but it is only a fool’s dream. ‘It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.’ To the extent that people or nations may walk after God’s commandments now, some little likeness to the ultimate happiness may be achieved, but in no other way.”

3. WHEN THE VISION SHALL BE FULFILLED

“Shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done,” (v. 6) as stated also in the first chapter, “the time is at hand” (v. 10; Rev. 1:3). The visions were plainly meant to comfort and help the Christians in the apostle’s time. Jesus Himself is four times reported as saying that He would come again in His glory during the lifetime of some who heard Him speak (Matt. 16:28; 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32). Some scholars believe that the early Christians expected the Second Coming of Jesus to come soon. Wesley put it this way: “which will begin to be performed immediately.” “The adverb shortly modifies the verb come to pass, telling how it is to occur, suddenly.” (Strauss)

“The false idea that John expected all of the things in this prophecy to appear within a few years should be rejected. The present dispensation was described as ‘a thousand years’ in Revelation 20; and that proves that our prophecy takes a long view of the ages; and yet many of the things in it were in the process of happening at the very time it was written.” (Coffman)

If the early Christians did in fact expect the Second Coming of Jesus to come soon, were they mistaken? Some say they were; that they expected all these things completely fulfilled, and they were not. But the truth is, with a common sense understanding of the facts, they were not mistaken, because the things spoken of were at hand.

Illustrations
Some simple illustrations will hopefully make the case plain. A description is given of the glories of springtime with its flowers and fresh fruits and wealth of green, and the inspiration of the sunshine, and the sweet and low, wind of the western sky. Then the hearer is told that spring will come on the 21^st day of March. But on that day he does not see the things described, but only a little green grass, and crocuses, and swelling buds. He may be disappointed, but spring really came at that time.

Or one sees the vision of the day when the sun shines in all its radiance, but wakes in the early morning to see only a light on the clouds, and rays tingeing the mountain tops, and the battle of light with darkness. But the day has really come.

Every great era in the progress of the world comes in some such way. God knows times and seasons, but no man can tell when the great moral epochs begin and end. They come without observation. Who can tell the day and the hour of the dark ages, the era of freedom, the beginning of modern civilization, or any other great moral change? Dr. William Harrison wrote: “Oh, where is the sea? The fishes cried, As they swam the crystal clearness through. We’ve heard from of old of the ocean’s tide, And we long to look on the waters blue. The wise ones speak of the infinite sea; Oh, who can tell us if such there be?”

Conclusion We are in the midst of conflicts symbolized in the Book of Revelation, chapters 4-20. There are the outward movements of the conflict – in wars, famines, pestilences, and many forms of woe therein described; but sadder still is the fact that we have come to the period of the conflicts of principles, of ideas, of truth with error, of right with wrong, of the Gospel with “spiritual wickedness in high places,” and “the world rulers of this darkness,” all leading to wars and outward conflicts. Doubt and discouragement are far from being unknown. All this is true of our personal battles with sin, of the church, and of the whole of mankind.

But the Bible is the Book of Hope. In the whole Book of Psalms there is only one, the 88^th, which amid the sorrows and sins of men does not express also the bright side. The prophets, while denouncing evil uttering warning woes, and picturing the calamities that sin produces, always see the light beyond the clouds, the dawn of a new day beyond the night, and hear songs of triumph amid the lamentations. What a Father we have; what a Savior; giving us the precious Bible, which as a whole ends in a vision of heaven. This promise, this certainty of the final result, brings courage, hope, earnestness, and the assurance of faith that gives us eternal hope and makes the vision true.

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