Hey, this is Jim Graham from the Masculine Journey Podcast, where we explore relationship instead of religion every week. Your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just a few seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing the Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network. A city that's holy with no practicing centers, with houses and streets of transparent gold, and a fountain and tree giving life?
Is this a mythical place dreamed up by Homer, Mark Twain, or C.S. Lewis? Or did a 90-something Fisherman turned prophet, exiled on a lonely island, described this place in his apocalypse, The Revelation.
Well, stay with us, listen, and learn. You're listening to Until He Comes, a blend of prophetic and practical biblical studies with Dr. Greg Hinnant. Author of the second coming of Christ, His Appearing, His Return, Our Preparation. And now.
Author and teacher Greg Hennett. Welcome to the broadcast. We're going to continue discussing New Jerusalem, our dream city. In our previous episode, we We read Revelation 21, verses 1 through 20, and we made some amazing discoveries. First of all, that this present heavens and earth will be destroyed by intense fire and a new heaven and earth, a new cosmos Will be created fresh from the hand of God.
This tells us that God never loses his. Creative ability. He has the same ability to create today that he had in the beginning. And so this will be a new beginning for The entire Cosmos. The entire Universe.
And the earth. and man. Because now God has a born again earth ready to be inhabited by a born again people. And he rejoices. We read in chapter twenty one that the Lord said, Behold, I make all things new.
So he's just ecstatic. He is just in a he's just rapt with joy over what has occurred finally Redemption has been completely worked out, and he can do what he wanted to do from the beginning, live with us. As he started to live with Adam and Eve before. the serpent came and man sinned. Spoiled That Blessed Amazing, wondrous union.
Now Revelation 21 says that he will make his tabernacle, his home, his house, if you will. with men. This is the most amazing fact about the city of New Jerusalem, not the other. Amazing information that we have read and will read about this physical place, and it will be a material. Shitty.
on a material earth, Um but The fact that we will live in the presence of God is always going to be the greatest Fact. that we should rejoice over. We also learned that John saw this new city, New Jerusalem, descending from heaven, so it was not of earthly origin. And he called it the Lamb's Wife. That's interesting.
Because it immediately helps us understand that this city is the city Jesus prepared for his bride church. When he left, he said I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again. and receive you unto myself. John fourteen. Those should be very dear words to Christians everywhere, knowing that our loving Christ is coming back for us and that He has prepared a place for us.
And I say to you that this city is the place that The lamb has prepared for the The lambs. wife, the Lamb's bride. And in chapter nineteen Revelation tells us that this bride church has made herself ready. Friend, today, are you making yourself ready for eternal life with the Lord? Are you building such a close walk with him filled with Worship.
poring over his word, feeding on his word, Praising Him, offering Him thanks all day long, joyfully fulfilling His will in your life. If so, this is the place that you're headed. you're going to be in this city with God forever and ever.
Now we also learned some other facts about this city. Its appearance is like crystal.
Now that would have been rock crystal in John's Yeah. And rock crystal is in every case translucent, and in many cases, it's transparent.
So the whole city was Will sparkle like a giant diamond. Diamond. And as the glory of God shines through it, then it would just present an amazing spectacle.
Now we also learned that the city has walls that are two hundred sixteen feet high. And probably wad. and that the city itself is of just colossal dimensions. unimaginable dimensions, fourteen hundred to fifteen hundred miles square. in width In length.
And In height.
So this city is in the form of a cube. And that last fact suggests that perhaps there will be multiple living levels in this. Awesome city. We will have to wait to find that out.
Now let's pick up with verse twenty one and continue our expository reading of what John has recorded for us. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each one of the gates was of one pearl. Again, this is showing us the immense material value of this city. Each gate is of one pearl.
216. feet in diameter. That's an amazing pearl. what is this telling us? Perhaps God is saying here that The people who dwell in this city are gods, but pearl of great price.
And conversely, God And this wonderful dwelling place with him is our Pearl. of great price. which is so invaluable, so priceless, that we would give up anything in order to have it. to have him And the street of the city was pure gold, not the word pure. This is laying emphasis on the purity of this city.
This is a pure city for a purified people. People who have been purified by the blood of the Lamb, By the washing of the word, by the way. obedience to the word. and by the constant conviction And cleansing of the Holy Spirit. As He convicts us of sin, we confess and repent and turn from the sin to the Word of God in that issue.
and we're washed in the blood, we're cleansed, and we are being continually Purified.
So this city was Of pure gold. Again, gold being the most valuable precious metal in John's day, platinum was not discovered for. over fifteen centuries. And so this was the greatest value of that day. And of course, gold is still highly coveted and sought after today.
And now he said this goal though looked like transparent glass. Again, we see the transparency of this city. Are you living a transparent life before God? Are you quickly confessing sin when he convicts you and turning away from it and forming a new habit of obedience in that area of your line and I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. Two facts here.
We see the Father, the Lord God Almighty, and Jesus, the Lamb, as the central attractions of this city. When people say, come to New Jerusalem in this new world. and the redeemed flock through the gates. They will be coming to see the streets of gold. They'll see them.
And it will be an amazing visual spectacle. No, but they're coming. to see God. and we're going to read in just a moment that we will see his face.
Now The Father and the Lamb are the temple. What does this mean?
Well, this means that. We don't need a memorial building or temple or shrine to represent God We have God Himself. For instance, today we have our memorials In Washington, we have the Washington Monument, we have the Lincoln Memorial. and we have the Jefferson Memorial.
Now we have these memorial structures, but we don't have the men, they passed. many years ago. But in this case, we will need a memorial building in New Jerusalem because we will have God Himself Oh, this is an awesome thing. It should make you want to prepare for this wonderful eternal life we will have with Him. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it.
Now, why is this?
Well, the rest of the verse tells us: for the glory of God. Deadlighted. The glory of God is the amazing Shekanah. They Brilliant blinding white light of God's presence. When Sol of Tarsus.
Saw the glory of God on the Damascus road, it not only put him on his face, but it blinded him. He could not with his natural as, with his mortal as, behold, the splendor of the Immortal One, And so He was struck blind and had to be prayed for to have his sight restored. But in our glorified bodies, we will be able to look at Jesus, and I believe we will see the form of him. and of his robe. as if etched on a white board and in every direction.
This glory light will be beaming from him Malachi speaks of the Son. of righteousness rising with healing in his wings or his light beams. That's Jesus.
So he will be in this city. Light will emanate from him and from the Father. the Glorylight will just be awesome.
So this city doesn't need celestial lights. It's got Inner light. And the lamb is the lamp of. Another word lamp here is the same word that's used for a hand lamp in ancient Israel. what does this tell us?
If the lamb is not only the light of the city, but the lamp of the city, it means we won't have need of interior lights for our homes or our buildings because the glory of God will also light them.
So this means that perhaps because of the transparency of the buildings, Or because the light itself that comes from the lamb will Bend and fill every nook and cranny and every building and home. You say that sounds ridiculous, it sounds supernatural.
Well, my friend, we're discussing a supernatural city.
So, nothing is too hard for God. I think that's what is implied here. Because clearly, this. lamp a lamp would not be used to light the exterior of a building or home. No, not at all.
Or to the sky. It's a very small l lamp that was held in the hand of a of a um citizen of Israel, and they would put it in an alcove or they'll put it on a stand that's attached to the wall to provide a light for the homes.
Now the text continues by saying and the nations of them who are saved shall walk in the light of it.
Now here nations is ethnos.
So it's referring to ethnic groups or the various nationalities of the human race, including race as well.
So there will be people of all races and colors and ethnic groups. that have been saved, that that designation is specified. The nations of them who are saved. and we know salvation comes. by confessing ourselves a sinner, and asking Christ to forgive us, wash us in His blood, And believing that he died for our sins, he rose for our justification.
And if you're not saved today, friend, you need to do that right now. believe that the Father sent Christ for your sins. and he has paid the price for them to be forgiven. Ask him to come into your heart. Turn fully from your sin.
And the Bible says, To as many as received him, to them gave he the power, or the ability. or the authority. To become the children of God. Do that right now if you are not saved.
Now these nations will walk in the light of it. That tells me they will live in the outside the city, and the light will emanate on every side. Because as we learned in our previous lesson, this city of New Jerusalem is not only Amazingly High in its elevation. But it sits on top of a large and great mountain, John has told us in Revelation 21.
So it will be a mesa, a flat top mountain with this city sitting atop it.
So it will be a tremendous. lampstand, if you will. For the city that's filled with the glory and light of God, and it will spread light in every direction.
Now Then we read, and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. This is interesting. There will be kings in the new world.
Now we know the Father and the Son are ruling.
So, what do the kings do? The kings are the heads of state. Ethnic groups of the world.
So this is telling us that nationality will Survive into the eternal world.
Now, of course, Christ's rule is over all nations and these kings. They will bring their glory and honor into it. Their glory is their regal majesty. And their honor is honor that has been given them because they have honored God.
So we see a principle here that. Them that honor me I will honor. This leads me to believe that these kings will not be the natural heirs of natural. dynasties. In other words, those who are kings or queens today, and we still have those designations in various countries.
will not be able to pass on to their children Merely by natural birth, the right to rule in this eternal kingdom. Instead, These kings will be Overcomers. How do we know that? Because in Revelation 2, Jesus said, He that overcomes. And keeps my works to the end.
Will I give power? Power over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.
Now, that text in Revelation 2. Applies most immediately to the millennial reign of Christ, but I think this continues into the eternal. World.
So there will be kings. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day. Oh, what a wonderful fact. This is God's invitation. He's saying, Come in, come in.
His loving hospitality is inviting us to come into this city.
So that means there will not only be residents in the city, but residents outside the city who come and go through the twelve gates. For there shall be no night there. This is something we can't fully grasp. because we're used to the A continuing cycle of day and night, but here there will be no night. This has to do with physical darkness.
It also speaks to spiritual darkness. There will be no Dark spirits. to create a spiritually dark atmosphere or environment anywhere on this new earth. No night, And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.
So the Lord will continue to honor nations because they are created of Him. These the families. of the various nations will continue to rejoice in their national identity. There will be perfect unity with diversity.
So we'll have all these diverse races and ethnic groups and tribes and families. But all will be gloriously submitted to Christ, worshiping Him, loving Him. His word will be law. and it will be a delight to obey him. They shall bring their glory and honor Into it, and there shall in no way enter into it anything that defiles, neither he that works an abomination, or makes a lie.
But they who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. This is one of three exclusion statements that are clearly placed in this description of New Jerusalem. The other two are in chapter twenty one, verse eight. We read that in our previous lesson And the third is found in chapter 22, verse fifteen. For outside or outside of this city are dogs, sorcerers, fornicators, murderers, and idolaters, and whoever loves and makes a lie So, God is saying the people who live like this, the people who practice these.
sins will not live in my holy city.
So it's a very simple warning. Dogs refers to Gentiles or the unredeemed Gentiles.
Sorcerers refers to those who a dabble in the magic arts. and try to bring harm on others through it. Fornicators are those who are living in having sex without marriage. Murderers, we know, and I would say America has so much blood on his hands through the murder of the innocents, we're far worse than Herod. Idolaters, those who worship anything other than God and whoever makes and loves a lie.
Liars who harm others. Reputation and impugn their character will not be in this city.
So, we will continue our discussion. In our next episode, we will begin by reading chapter 22 and continue to find out some more wonderful facts about New Jerusalem, our dream city. This month, for a gift of any amount, we are offering Dr. Hinnan's book, Walking in His Ways, which describes 24 spiritual disciplines of a New Testament disciple of Christ. Whether a new convert or an experienced Christian, this book will speak to you in a timely way.
For a gift of $60 or more, we'll send you the complete four-volume Hidden End Times Prophecy Collection: The Second Coming of Christ, The Tribulation Story. Revelation Notes, a verse-by-verse commentary on Revelation. And the Day of the Lord Commentary, which interprets all Old Testament prophecies and foreshadowings of the end times. And if you are a Logos Bible Software user, you may purchase The Second Coming of Christ, The Day of the Lord Commentary, and Revelation Notes from the Logos Online Bookstore.
Now, again, Dr. Hinnant. And now it's time for some Q ⁇ A. Stewart from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, asks, How does King Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel chapter 2 impact or affect prophecy? Great question.
The short answer is: Nebuchadnezzar's dream, verses 31 through 35, though given to a Gentile monarch, is a divine prophecy, foretelling the course of Gentile world empires. Nebuchadnezzar envisioned a great man with a head of gold, shoulders and arms of silver, torso of bronze, two legs of iron, and ten toes of clay and iron, joined but not fused together. This speaks of Gentilism. humanism, secularism, or the rule of fallen man. And it marks the beginning of the times of the Gentiles, which Jesus spoke of in Luke 21, 24.
This period may be defined as That period of human history in which God authorizes specific Gentile nations to rule the world. Including, in particular, permission to overrule his chosen people, the Jews, their land, the promised land. and their capital, Jerusalem. From the time the dream was given and interpreted by Daniel in verses thirty six through forty five, the succession of dominant Gentile empires it predicted first Babylon, then the Medes and Parsians, then the Greeks under Alexander, then the Romans, then the divided Roman Empire, which occurred late in the third century, and in the soon coming tribulation period, a ten nation federation will form in the region of the former Roman Empire sharing the remnants of ancient Roman culture, its language, Latin, It's low. Its government, a republic with bicameral government, Even its entertainment, having great coliseums and circuses or racetracks.
With the exception of the next dominant empire, which was the Medes and Persians. who were already strong in Daniel's day. the rise of the other empires described by Nebuchadnezzar's dream was humanly unpredictable. Alexander would not be born until over two centuries later. and the Romans had not yet conquered the Italian peninsula.
so no mere man, however intelligent, could have foreseen the rise of these kingdoms, much less the order in which they rose. Nebuchadnezzar, the consummate worldling, saw the great manlike image from fallen man's perspective. To him, it was impressive or awe inspiring. It was shining glorious. beautiful or admirable, valuable as much as precious metals.
And strong, enduring. But Daniel's vision of Gentile world rule in Daniel seven. gives us gods or heavens. perspective. Fallen nations Are like vicious wild animals.
violently devouring one another. And truly, history shows us that every nation has been established by war and maintained by military power. Nebuchadnezzar's vision is infallible. That is, it does not and cannot err. it is sovereign of supreme authority.
It is sure every detail has been, is being and will be played out. It is controlling. Only those nations mentioned will rule and no others. which explains why Napoleon, Hitler, Toujo and Stalin all failed to rule the world. Their dominance was not authorized by this vision.
It reveals God's omniscience. That he could predict these future empires would rise and the order of their succession. And it showcases his omnipotence. He alone has the power to carry out the vision, causing one empire to fall. and another to rise.
Most importantly, Nebuchadnezzar's vision foretells the end of Gentile world rule. In the days of the ten toes, that is, the end times, A gray stone or rock. cut out without human hands, meaning divinely formed, Will not Gradually but suddenly smash the image to pieces. This is Armageddon, where Jesus, the stone, Crushes Antichrist and his ten-member Western Federation and all the nations of the world gathered with him. After this, the image never recovers.
But the stone That is Christ. Becomes a great mountain, which is a prophetic symbol of the kingdom, and fills the earth. and endures. Forever. Email us your biblical questions today online at info at greghennettministries.org or call us at 336-882-1645 or send your letters to Greg Hennett Ministries P.O.
Box 788, High Point, North Carolina, 27260. We are so glad that you tuned in to the broadcast today. In our next episode, we will open up more wonders of New Jerusalem and the eternal world that await born-again Christians. And I can hardly wait to tell you about them. If this message has blessed you, tell your friends and please consider helping us stay on the air by sending your tax-deductible donation to Greg Hennett Ministries.
Also, remember, you may download the Until He Comes podcast from your preferred podcast app. May you walk closely with Christ and trust and obey Him in your daily tests of faith and patience until He Comes. This is the Truth Network. Uh
