Does heaven really have pearly gates?

Ever wonder what heaven will be like?  If we were to believe the culture, we’d be wearing bath robes, floating on clouds, and strumming harps.  With lots of chubby babies around – for what reason, I’m not sure.

However, God does give us a description of His holy city.  God reveals this description to the Apostle John, who (fortunately for us) recorded what he saw.  In this part of John’s description, he details what he sees as the angel measures New Jerusalem:

Revelation 21:17-20
Then he measured its wall, 144 cubits according to human measurement, which the angel used.  The building material of its wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold clear as glass.  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,
the fifth sardonyx,
the sixth carnelian,
the seventh chrysolite,
the eighth beryl,
the ninth topaz,
the tenth chrysoprase,
the eleventh jacinth,
the twelfth amethyst.

Some of these stones we recognize, others we may not.  Remember, John is describing what he sees as best he can – relating his observations to things he is familiar with.  Interestingly enough, many of these precious “foundational” stones listed here were also in the breastplate of Israel’s High Priest. 

What we do know for sure is that the city is prepared like a bride adorned for her husband (21:2), and after unveiling the city, when God said “I am making everything new.” (21:5)…and He means it.  These descriptions of Heaven aren’t like the sleepy, harp-strumming, so-boring-I’m-going-to-gouge-my-eyes-out portrayals we get from modern culture. 

Just imagine seeing this as you walk into New Jerusalem:

Revelation 21:21
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.

The largest pearl found on earth is about 1 foot in diameter and is estimated to be worth about $130 million USD.  What kind of artistry goes into making entire city gates out of individual pearls?  Do they shine, do they glimmer?  How would these gates feel to the touch? 

The magnificence of New Jerusalem certainly overwhelms John.  When I let my imagination play with his descriptions, I can’t help but be filled with awe and wonder at the thought of just being there…

And then I remember what God previously announced to John, that the one who conquers will inherit these things (21:7)…being there, in the New Jerusalem, will be wonderful; however, we are invited to inherit it.  Since inheritance is conditional, our choices now determine if we are an conqueror or not.

What, exactly, can we inherit in the New Jerusalem?  We’re not told “exactly” what that will entail…however, given the overwhelming descriptions of New Jerusalem’s beauty, and God’s promises to those who are conquerors – it would be safe to say that living for Christ now, no matter what cost we pay in this life, has an eternal reward far beyond what we would call “good” or “worth it”.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Special rewards for those who conquer

When studying the Scriptures, it is always best to consider the context and author’s word choice with their writing before comparing how a word or phrase is used in another book of the Bible.  Within the English language we recognize that the same word can have different meanings…and the author’s intended meaning is conveyed by looking at the context of the word.  For example:

I ran a marathon.
I ran a meeting.
I ran for political office.

Same word, totally different communication – based upon the context.

Revelation 21:6-7
…I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life.  The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

When we looked at the term inherit, we had to go outside of the book of Revelation for context…because in Revelation 21:7 is the only time John uses the word.  However, the phrase he who conquers IS used several times within Revelation, and primarily by Jesus himself.

At the beginning of the book of Revelation, John recorded letters that Jesus dictated to each of the seven churches.  These letters were written to believing Christians.  The contents in each letter deals strictly with the actions and choices of the people in the church, there is no mention of Jesus’ saving work on the cross.  These letters were focused on how these believers were living their lives in view of eternity.  In each of His letters, Jesus describes a specific task or obstacle that the church was currently facing.  He then followed up with an exhortation and a specific reward to those who conquer.

Let’s take a look:

Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7) – Jesus said they had done great things; however He also said: “but I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first…repent, and do the works you did at first…to the one who conquers, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God”

Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11) – They were warned that persecution was coming, but Jesus also told them to “be faithful to the point of death”, and as a reward for this, Jesus said “and I will give you the crown of life”.  Jesus also encouraged them through a figure of speech called a litotes – which is expressing an affirmative idea by negating its opposite (e.g. – “I am not amused” actually means “I’m really annoyed”).  Jesus said “The one who conquers will never be harmed by the second death”.  The point of the Lord’s promise is that those who remain faithful will experience eternal life to the utmost in the life to come.  Even though the first death might hurt them briefly, the second death (eternal separation from God) wouldn’t hurt them at all.

Pergamum (Rev. 2:12-17) – False teaching had infiltrated this church, as some were teaching that you can live in sexual immorality and recklessness without consequence.  Jesus’ exhortation was just two words before explaining their potential reward: “So repent! …To the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna.  I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it.”

Thyatira (Rev. 2:18-29) – They also dealt with false teachers.  To those who resisted the false teaching, Jesus gave just one command, “Only hold on to what you have until I come.”  However, Jesus followed it up with an amazing promise: “The one who conquers and who keeps my works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations…just as I received this from my Father.  I will also give him the morning star.”

Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6) – Jesus warned them, “Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before My God.  Remember, then, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent…the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life (another litotes) but will acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels.”

Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13) – Jesus said, “I am coming soon.  Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown.  The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never go out again.  I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God – the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God – and (I will also write on him) My new name.

Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) – Jesus reprimanded them, “you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.  I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see.  As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline.  So be zealous and repent…to the one who conquers I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also conquered and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

I love how Jesus used Himself as the example to the believers in Thyatira and Laodicea.  He completed His mission; He conquered the struggle placed before Him.  The world didn’t see Jesus as victorious, but God the Father certainly did – and in the end, His opinion of how we lived our lives is the only one that matters.

After looking at the rest of Revelation to how Jesus intends to reward the one who conquers, we need to be thinking: What is our God-given mission?  Do you have a plan on how you will be one who conquers?  Eternal rewards are available for us…but we must choose to pursue them in the here and now.

Revelation 21:6-7
…I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life.  The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

God wants you to be a conqueror

Let’s be honest.  The Christian life is hard, and sometimes we wonder if following God is really worth it.  How much does it matter that we abide by God’s principles as we navigate our days, months, and years?  There’s got to be a larger reason for choosing to follow God, something more than just being “a good little Christian girl” or “a good little Christian boy”, right?

As we take a look at the last chapters of God’s final book of the Bible, we’re finding out that God DOES INDEED have more – much more – in store for those who follow Him.

Revelation 21:6-7
…I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life.  The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.

Inheritance is conditional – it is based upon the choices a person makes in the life they live after they have accepted Christ’s free gift of eternal life.  Knowing this, the next question we need to answer is this:

Since a conqueror is the one who inherits, who are the Christians that God refers to as “the one who conquers”?

The Greek word for conquer is nikao.  In ancient Greece, it was a verb that meant to overcome or overpower; to conquer or triumph.  In legal terms, it meant “to win one’s case”.  The verb was used to describe winners of athletic contests.  It was also used in reference to the victorious ruling Caesars.  When used in its noun-form, the word nike means victory.  It was also the name of a Greek goddess, who was often represented in art as a symbol of personal superiority.  In our modern days, not only is “Nike” a clothing and shoe brand, but the company’s marketed identity purposely conveys an overcoming, victorious attitude.

So, to be a conqueror is to be victorious over any task, obstacle, or arena you are in…and thus have the right to claim the victor’s spoils.  This definition fits in perfectly with what we have learned about a believer’s potential inheritance in the New Jerusalem.  Since inheritance is conditional, those that obtain it are those who have lived a victorious life in Christ.

Paul used similar language as he encouraged the believers at Corinth.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize?  Run in such a way to win the prize.  Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything.  They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we [do it to receive] an imperishable crown.

Paul says we should be striving for a crown that lasts forever…and in Revelation 21:7, we are told what the prize is for the one who conquers – it is the right to inherit in the New Jerusalem.

Making wise choices now, living victoriously for Christ through whatever circumstances we face, overcoming the obstacles that are trying to pry us away from our relationship with God…these are the actions that will make us – by God’s definition – one who conquers.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

A believer's biggest choice, this side of Heaven

A key to understanding Revelation is to keep in mind that John assumes his readers know their Old Testament.  Oftentimes when a new concept or symbol is presented, an interpretation is immediately provided (like the explanation of the seven stars and seven lampstands in Revelation 1:20).  However, when describing the throne room of God in Revelation 4:3, John states that a rainbow…surrounded the throne.  He doesn’t interpret the rainbow’s significance; he expects that you already understand it from knowing Genesis 9:8-17.

Last time we started to look at this verse:

Revelation 21:7
The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.

Since this is the only time the word inherit is used in Revelation, to understand what is going on here, we’ll take a look back to the Old Testament.

Throughout the Old Testament there were two kinds of inheritance – an inheritance of God himself (e.g. – Psalm 16:5) or an inheritance was the right to a possession.  However, with this possession-inheritance, the ownership wasn’t automatic, there were conditions involved.  The land of Canaan was the nation of Israel’s promised inheritance.  However, the ability of a particular Israelite generation to actually inherit, or physically own, the land was dependent upon their obedience to God’s commands.

After God rescued the Israelites from slavery and bondage to Egypt, they rebelled and grumbled when they got their first look at the work to be done in order to possess the promised land of Canaan.  They even claimed that the Lord hated them and that they were better off back in Egypt.  Moses recounted this event:

Deuteronomy 1:34-38
“When the Lord heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath: ‘None of these men in this evil generation will see the good land I swore to give your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh.  He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he remained loyal to the Lord.’

“The Lord was angry with me also because of you and said: ‘You [Moses] will not enter there either.  Joshua son of Nun, who attends you, will enter it.  Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit it.’

The easy response to this passage would be to say that the generation of Israelites that died in the desert must not have been “saved”, or they weren’t “true believers”.  But…that can’t be the case, because these were the same people that trusted God and performed the first Passover.  They took the blood of a perfect lamb and spread it on the doorposts of their homes – doing so demonstrated their trust in God’s promise that they would be passed over when the destroying angel came by to take the life of the firstborn son.  The Passover prophetically foretold of Christ’s perfect blood sacrifice for mankind on the Cross.  This was also the same generation Paul later used as an example for other believers:

1 Corinthians 10:1-5
Now I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.  They all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink.  For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.  Nevertheless God was not pleased with most of them, since they were struck down in the wilderness.

According to Paul, the people of the Exodus generation of Israelites were right (positionally) with God, on the basis of their faith in the foreshadowed Christ.  However, their disobedience later in life marred their relationship with God and prevented them from physically inheriting the Promised Land. 

Now that we have the Old Testament context for the word inherit, we can see that God takes possession-inheritance very seriously.  Fortunately, a believer’s potential inheritance is also discussed in the New Testament.  While there are many passages we can look at (and perhaps that’s a future study), the following selections help us understand what God is talking about in Revelation.

1 Peter 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Because of His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

Notice that Peter says God the Father has given us new birth into two things – a living hope and an inheritance.  Some have argued that heaven will be a Christian’s inheritance; however, Peter is indicating that this inheritance is something found in heaven.  So this means that the inheritance can’t be heaven itself…either it is a part of heaven or something else, in addition to heaven.

Jesus also gave similar instructions during the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 6:19-20
“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.”

Jesus states that the treasures are in heaven, and not heaven itself.  Also important is the contrast Jesus presents here (store up treasures on earth OR store up treasures in heaven).  He wouldn’t give us these directions if they weren’t necessary.  So from this we can conclude that it is possible for a believer to not store up treasures in heaven, and whether or not we have treasures in heaven is dependent upon our choices here and now.

So what is this inheritance that can never perish spoil or fade and these treasures in heaven that cannot waste away or be stolen?

Revelation 21:6-7
I will give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life.  The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Having a relationship with God can be had without cost to us because Jesus already took the punishment for our sins.  Remember that to inherit these things refers back to the New Jerusalem.  And from looking at other scriptures, we understand that inheriting New Jerusalem is dependent upon the choices we make here and now.

Choose wisely.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Owning a slice of Heaven

Throughout the Bible, God continually talks about the general and then gets to specifics.  An example of this is seen in the broad, sweeping creation account in Genesis 1 being further explained with more specific details during creation starting in Genesis 2:4.  Another example can be seen during the Sermon on the Mount, where several times Jesus taught principles and then gave focused examples of how these principles were to be fleshed out in our daily lives.

We see a similar narrowing of focus in this section of Revelation 21 also.  As we saw last time, God begins verse 6 proclaiming that he is both the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  Then He states that a relationship with Him begins with the acceptance of His free gift, and that this gift is available to anyone.  In verse 7, God gets even more specific:

Revelation 21:6-7
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.  The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

In order to fully understand what God is saying in verse 7, we need to remember the context of both the situation at hand, the book of Revelation as a whole, and the historical context of the original recipients.

Revelation 21:7
The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Exactly what God is referring to by saying inherit these things can be understood from the immediate context.  John has just witnessed the arrival of the New Jerusalem – the Holy City, the city Abraham was looking forward to.  This is the place that will be inherited by the one who conquers.

Let’s consider that statement for a minute. 

God is telling us that it will be possible to obtain actual “ownership” within the New Jerusalem.  With inheritance comes possession, and there is certainly a difference between living in a city and possessing property in a city. 

So what does “inheriting” consist of?
And who is it that “conquers”?

Those are excellent questions.

For the moment, though, it’s pretty exciting to think about inheriting/owning part of this magnificent future God has planned.  God says that He will look at certain believers and say, “This belongs to you.  You own it.”

The New Jerusalem – Heaven on Earth – will obviously be more than just showing up and being happy to be there.

Keep Pressing,
Ken