When I was a kid, my family and I visited the city of St. Augustine. I remember looking at several sites there, including the oldest schoolhouse in America. It’s a really cool city with lots of history.

However, one place that really stood out was the Ponce de Leon Hotel at Flagler College. It was a beautiful place. I remember thinking when I was a kid, “Wow, this place is fancy!” Here’s a picture of the outside of the hotel, and here’s a picture of part of the inside. It stuck with me as a really special place all these years later.

In Revelation 21, we’re going to learn about “The Holy City.” I guarantee you, there is no place on all the earth that is as special as God’s holy city.

This morning, we will learn four characteristics of this city. Before we do, join me in prayer as we ask God to speak to us.

(prayer)

Ok, let’s learn together as we discover more about this really special place, the holy city.

First, . . . 

I. The holy city will be brand-new.

Let’s read verses 1-8:

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.

5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life. 7 The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son. 8 But the cowards, faithless, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Just in these eight verses, the word new is used four times. 

John says that he saw a new heaven and a new earth.

John says that he saw the new Jerusalem.

Then, in verse 5, the Lord God says, “Look, I am making everything new.”

Everything in the holy city will be brand-new!

By the way, this is not a restoration of the world; this is a replacement of the world.

God is not putting some new paint on the walls, re-insulating the attic, updating the electrical and plumbing, and putting in new cabinets. Rather, God is tearing the whole thing down and starting over.

Verse 1 says, “The first earth had passed away . . . ”

All things will be made brand-new.

Part of the newness of all this includes a coming together of heaven and earth.

This holy city, or New Jerusalem, is not assembled on earth. Rather, it’s coming down out of heaven to the new earth.

So, God will no longer dwell away from humanity. Rather, He will be with them. 

Verse 3 says, “Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God.”

Our brand-new home will be with God! Isn’t that incredible‽

You may recall that Jesus said He was preparing us a home in John 14:2–3, when He said:

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.”

Jesus gave us this promise, and He keeps His promises.

Part of the newness is that God will take away all that is difficult and terrible in the world.

Verse 4 says:

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.

Church, it won’t be long till all the previous things of this world will pass away, and God will make all things new.

God brought all things into existence, and He will take the old things out of existence.

God was there at the beginning, and He will be there at the end.

He is the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end.

In the holy city, all things will be brand-new.

Next, we see that . . . 

II. The holy city will be beautiful.

Look at verses 9-14:

9 Then one of the seven angels, who had held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me: “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 He then carried me away in the Spirit, to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 arrayed with God’s glory. Her radiance was like a precious jewel, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 12 The city had a massive high wall, with twelve gates. Twelve angels were at the gates; the names of the twelve tribes of Israel’s sons were inscribed on the gates. 13 There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 14 The city wall had twelve foundations, and the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb were on the foundations.

Look also at verses 18-21:

18 The building material of its wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold clear as glass. 19 The foundations of the city wall were adorned with every kind of jewel: the first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates are twelve pearls; each individual gate was made of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.

First of all, notice that the holy city is referred to as a bride. 

Of course, what does a bride do when she prepares to unite with her husband? She makes herself beautiful.

Such is the case with the holy city; it will be beautiful!

Second, notice some of the beautiful descriptions of the holy city:

She was arrayed with God’s glory.

She was radiant like a precious jewel.

The building material of the city contained 12 precious stones and jewels.

The gates of the city were made of huge, solid pearls.

The street of the city was pure gold, so pure it was transparent like glass.

Friends, the heavenly home that awaits the people of God is absolutely beautiful!

Not only is the holy city beautiful, also . . . 

III. The holy city will be big.

We’ve already heard of the massive high wall, the twelve gates, and the twelve foundations in verses 12-14.

Now, listen to verses 15-17:

15 The one who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out in a square; its length and width are the same. He measured the city with the rod at 12,000 stadia. Its length, width, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall, 144 cubits according to human measurement, which the angel used. 

First of all, think about how special this vision is. There’s no reason for the angel to measure this city except for the benefit of John and God’s people who would follow after. God simply wanted us to know how big this city would be.

The text says its length is 12,000 stadia. This distance is about 1,400 miles, which is roughly the distance from here to Wichita, Kansas.

The holy city will be huge; larger than city or state known to us.

By the way, the New Jerusalem will be longer on any given side than the longest stretch in all of modern-day Israel today. So, needless to say, it will be much larger than the earthly Jerusalem, both its modern version and the biblical version.

The first home that Jennifer and I lived in together was quite small. You could walk a few steps in any direction and be at one end or the other. However, as we were married longer, we got a bigger home, then a bigger one. Now, we’re blessed to have a home large enough for our family of five with three knuckle-headed boys.

However, no one in this church or anywhere in the world has a home as big as the one that awaits us in the holy city.

God is so generous, and He will welcome us into our huge future home.

Finally, . . .

IV. The holy city will be bright.

Look at verses 22-27:

22 I did not see a temple in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will never close by day because it will never be night there. 26 They will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. 27 Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those written in the Lamb’s book of life. 

First of all, notice that there was no need for a temple. 

This concept goes all the way back to creation. In the Book of Genesis, we see God walking among Adam and Eve and talking directly to them. There was no temple; it was simply God and His people.

As it was at the beginning, it will be at the new beginning.

Then, notice the brightness that comes from the presence of God in the holy city.

There’s no need for a sun or moon because the glory of God illuminates the city.

This idea of the glory of God providing bright light is prevalent throughout the Bible. In the Bible, as God would reveal a bit of Himself, His glory would provide light.

Well, here in the holy city, God’s glory is on full display. The glory of God and the Lamb, Jesus Christ, provide all the light that the New Jerusalem will need.

God’s people from all over the world will assemble in the holy city and dwell with their Father and King.

Since the glory of God provides light, it is never nighttime. No one has to secure things at dark. No doors are locked. No gates are shut. No security cameras are needed. No law enforcement officers are employed. Everything is bright, safe, and good.

The holy city will be brand-new, it will be beautiful, it will be big, and it will be bright.

Let this bottom line summarize what we are learning today:Bottom Line: The holy city reminds us that God will dwell with His people forever.

Let us remind ourselves of what we heard in verse 3:

Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God.

God is preparing a home for us. It will be brand-new. It will be more beautiful than we can imagine. It will be bigger than we can imagine. It will be brighter than we can imagine.

The holy city will be our home, and we will be with our God. Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King.

Challenge yourself this week in these two ways:Weekly Challenge #1:  Prepare yourself for your new home.

Start turning your attention to your heavenly home. Start preparing your heart and mind. 

Start disconnecting yourself from the ways of the world and connecting yourself with the ways of God.

Turn away from sin and turn to Jesus.

It’ll be here soon, so start preparing yourself now.Weekly Challenge #2: Invite someone to your new home.

When you get excited about a new home, you often will invite someone to come experience it. You get excited about your home, and you want to share that excitement with others.

Well, you can invite someone to your new heavenly home now. In fact, you can’t invite them once you get there; you can only invite them before you get there.

So, this week, challenge yourself to invite someone to join you in the holy city by giving their lives to Jesus now.

(Gospel presentation)

(closing prayer)

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