A Daily Walk

John Randall: Pastor John Randall with an important question for you today. One second after your heart stops, one moment after you take your last breath, where will you be? Will you be ushered into this city? Will you see the illuminated glory of God as you walk in and you hear the sounds of hallelujahs? Will you see the King?

Will you be embraced by Him? Will you hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord"? Or will you hear Him say, "Depart from Me, I never knew you"? Friend, the choice is yours.

Guest (Male): Since heaven is to be our eternal home, we ought to prepare for it and cultivate what the Bible calls a heavenly mind as we journey here on earth. Today's "A Daily Walk" will help us with this. This side of heaven, many things that are good don't last. A good day or a good week, even a good year, are too often met with a bad one.

The good comes and goes so quickly. But one of the great things about eternity in heaven is that it lasts forever. That is, if you're on the right side of eternity, it's great. Here's Pastor John Randall with more about the New Jerusalem from Revelation chapter 21.

John Randall: Following the invitation to see the structure of the city, John receives the measurements of the city. How large is this city where God dwells and His glory shines? Well, it says here in verse 15, "He who talked with me, that is the angel, had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its walls. Now the city is laid out as a square. Its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of man, that is, of an angel."

Having introduced John to the wall, to the gates, to the foundations, next the angel measures for John the major dimensions of the New Jerusalem. And he uses what is mentioned here called the reed, which is estimated to be a measurement of 10 feet long, the unit of measure that was common in those days with which to measure the city, its gates, its walls. And the angel finds that the city is like a square. Its length and its breadth are the same: 12,000 furlongs.

Again, it is believed that a furlong is equal to 582 feet. The measured distance is equivalent to 1,342 miles, often spoken of roughly as 1,500 miles. So just picture that in your mind if you can. If you can't, it's 1,500 miles. A guy by the name of Dr. Henry Morris, who is both engineer and author, did the math based upon the data presented in Revelation. He projected that given an estimated population of, let's say, 20 billion residents in this city, each person would enjoy a block of space approximately one cubic mile.

Its length and breadth and height would be a little over a third of a mile in each direction. And what I'm telling you about the measurements, here's what I want you to know: there's room for you. There is room for you. It's not going to be overcrowded. Listen, there's room for you. God's made a way for you. Friend, listen, there's room for you in the New Jerusalem. And if you don't know if you're on your way to that city yet, listen, today you can know for sure.

In a moment, not long after this, I'm going to allow you to come and stand below this platform and pray to receive Christ as your Savior so that you can know that you're going to be in that city and you're going to be surrounded by the glory of God. Friend, the only way you can know that is by coming to know Jesus Christ as your Savior. Well, finally, John now sees the materials that the city is built with. You construction workers, you go in and you see how materials are getting so high.

Wait until you see these materials. You can't find these, I guarantee you. Look at what it says. What is this place made out of anyway? Well, look at the foundations of the wall, verse 19, of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, if you can say it. The fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.

The 12 gates were 12 pearls. Each individual gate was of one pearl. That's a huge oyster. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. Imagine going up to Lowe's, "Y'all take... you got any amethysts? Any sardonyx? Where's the sardius? Where's the sardius? Where's the pearl gates? You guys are out of them? What, are they still out in the harbor? They haven't come in yet? Where are they? I'm just curious. Where's the supply chain?"

Listen, there's a list of these gems that are described here that I've only seen on tiny little rings. I think they were real, but you know, they're just these tiny little stones. The walls, guys, the walls of this city are made of the most expensive and beautiful stones, as jasper, which is said when it's in its purest form is like crystal. Can you imagine a 200-foot thick clear-as-crystal wall with the illuminated glory of God just shining right through it?

The gates are made of pearl. A gate of a large city just one pearl. The foundations, all the foundations, are adorned with precious stones, 12 in all, each about 500 miles long, 1,500 miles on each side. We can't even begin to fathom what a precious stone like that would look like. And by the way, the streets, the parking lot of heaven, what is it? Gold. Gold streets as clear as crystal is what they walk on up there. That's what it's like. That's what the city is like.

The size of the city is mind-boggling. The beauty of the city is unprecedented. The materials used as the building blocks are unimaginable. Yet what surpasses the city itself is the One who's going to be in the city, and that's the Lord God Almighty. That's who's going to be in the city where He dwells. And this brings us back to verse three as we consider having taken this tour. We're coming back to find out who gets to dwell in that city.

What are the blessings of those who live there? What can they expect to find? What can our loved ones who are with the Lord presently, what are they experiencing right now? You want to know what the blessings are? Look at verse three. John says, "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.'"

As this New Jerusalem, John says, comes down from heaven, the greatest of blessings is the presence of God. He will dwell, the word is tabernacle, among the people there. Now, in the Old Testament, Moses was instructed, you may recall, to build a tabernacle in the wilderness. It was like a tent in the middle of the desert. And there, once the tabernacle was in place, the glory of God resided over it in the form of a cloud, a pillar of cloud by day, fire by night.

The glory of God descended, was over the tabernacle, and that was the way that God dwelt among His people. Then God sent His own Son, Jesus, the Bible tells us, to this earth. And He dwelt among us, John said. The word is literally He tabernacled among us, and John said, "We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." But in the New Jerusalem, the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they're all there, and John beholds the glory of it.

No longer will we be separated by time and space or another dimension. God's presence is as near and as close as it's ever been. Folks, listen, somebody said that the greatest glory of heaven and the ultimate restoration of what was lost in the fall of man is this: I don't think that the glory of the Garden of Eden lay in the grassy walks or in the overflowing fruit trees, but the glory lay in this, that God walked in the garden in the cool of the day.

That was Adam's highest privilege that he had, companionship with the Most High. And when we're there in that city, that fellowship, that relationship is completely restored. That is the glory of heaven: God Himself will dwell with us. As a result of God dwelling with us, folks, listen, the apostle goes on to describe that heaven is a place of "no mores." What do you mean, Pastor John? Look at what it says in verse four: "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

Now, when it says that every tear will be wiped away, it's not implying that there will be tears in heaven. Don't misunderstand. We won't shed tears in heaven concerning the failure of our former life here on the earth. The emphasis here is on the comfort of God, not on the remorse of Christians in God's presence. The tears seem to refer to the tears that were shed on the earth as the saints endured suffering for Christ's sake, rather than the tears shed in heaven because of human failure.

We read this earlier in Revelation chapter seven when it says, "They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; nor shall the sun strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to the living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Someone said that man comes into the world with a cry and he goes out with a groan, and in between is more or less filled with helpless wailing.

But the hallelujahs of a renewed world will drown out the voice of sorrow forever. Have you shed any tears this week, this month, this last year, this morning? Has sorrow filled your heart or your life? Has it caused you to break down or even want to give up? Listen, every tear you've ever cried, God knows about. The Bible tells us this in Psalm 56 verse eight when it says, "You number my wanderings; and you put my tears into your bottle; are they not in your book?"

God knows every tear that you've cried. Have there been some consequences that you've felt as a result of the decisions that you've made apart from the will of God that have led you to weep over the mess that you've made or the sin that you've committed or the people that you've hurt? It's humbled you, it's broken you. Every tear will one day be wiped away. No more sorrow, no more pain. The former things will be passed away and all things will become new.

Again, we're limited in our capacity to fathom what a world would be like without tears and sorrow and pain, for that is all that we know. But the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians chapter four: "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though the outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. Listen, our light affliction is but for a moment, and it's working in us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. So while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal."

They're eternal. What else won't be in heaven? Great news: no more death. There will be no more death. Death is the greatest of all mortal curses. Every week, people die. In fact, the statistic is staggering: 10 out of 10 people die. It's what happens at some point. Death dies in the eternal state. There's no more death. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:26, "The last enemy, which is death, will be destroyed."

Paul said it this way: "I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then it shall be brought to pass the saying: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. Friends, listen, death dies in the eternal state. There's no more death. Praise God. You know, many people today are afraid of dying. And one of the reasons they're afraid is because they don't know what will happen after they die. If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, you go to heaven to be with the Lord, to the place that He's prepared for you, this place of "no mores" where the glory of God dwells that we just described.

But if you're not a Christian, if you reject Christ in His salvation, you go to a real place called hell that Jesus died to keep you from. The choice is ours. The apostle John hears a voice then of the Lord speaking and declaring, as we're almost through, verse five: "Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are faithful and true.' And He said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.'"

There we see the Lord seated upon His throne. He's making all things new and He declares, "It is done." It reminds us of the words that Jesus said when He hung upon the cross and He paid for our sins. He said, "It is finished. It is done. It's completed." The price has been paid for your salvation. You can be forgiven. You can know that you have the hope of heaven. It's finished. And then the Lord gives an invitation, and John hears it.

The Lord gives an invitation and a promise. Listen, to anybody who's thirsty, whoever you are, He says, "Come and drink of this water freely." There are many people in this world today that are looking for something in this world to quench the deepest thirst that they have, and they come up empty or thirsting for more. Some try to find it in their career path: "If I could just achieve this, if I could just get that, then I'll be satisfied." Or if I could just meet that person, or if I could just achieve this goal or do this.

But what you find is that you come up empty. It's like drinking from a well that only makes you thirstier for more. There's only one person that can quench the deepest longings in your life, and that's Jesus Christ and a personal relationship with Him. That's the one who can satisfy you. If you're thirsty, come to Him. Jesus said to the woman at the well, "If you drink from this well, you will thirst again." And you can put that over every passion, over every desire that you have.

You can pursue it, you can run after it, you can even achieve it, but it'll still leave you longing for more. Maybe you've been searching for something in this world to quench your thirst. Maybe you've been running from God. Maybe you've been pursuing things that are taking you further and further away from Him, and you find yourself unsatisfied. You know that there's an emptiness, you know that there's a void. It's tangible, you can feel it.

And when you lie there in your bed at night and you're alone and you experience it, why am I so empty? I'll tell you why you're empty: because you need a relationship with a living God that loves you and He wants to fill that void in your life. That's what you're experiencing. God is pursuing you. He loves you. Someone said it this way: "Our hearts are restless until they rest in You."

Folks, the final and most important point is this: who will have access to this city? Who will walk these streets of gold? Who will enjoy the glory of the Lord? Well, here we find those who are in the city and those that are out. Pay close attention, friend. Notice what it says: "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But notice this, the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

The apostle John concludes his overview and tour of the new heaven and the new earth with a serious and solemn warning. He tells us those who will be given entrance and those who will be excluded from entrance. Those who will have the blessings of heaven and those who will not experience the blessing of heaven. And he gives us lists. And there are several lists, by the way, in Scripture that speak of those who will be included and those who will be excluded.

First of all, those that are inside the city, it says: the overcomers, those who have accepted Christ's salvation, purchased for them at the cross through the blood of Jesus and through His resurrection. That person who has put their faith and trust in God and in the work of Christ will have entrance and live and dwell in this eternal kingdom in this holy city. But friends, there's a group that's outside of that city. And the list of those who will be excluded from entrance is those who have rejected Christ's salvation, who have chosen a life of sin over a life given to the Savior.

The Bible has a few other lists that describe this same group. For example, in Romans chapter one, Paul said this: "See if this is you. They did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do they do the same, but they approve of those who practice those things."

They won't be in the city, folks. These are the unbelievers, those who have refused to follow Christ. But friend, my question to you this morning is: where will you be? One second after your heart stops, one moment after you take your last breath, where will you be? Will you be ushered into this city? Will you see the illuminated glory of God as you walk in and you hear the sounds of hallelujahs? Will you see the King?

Will you be embraced by Him? Will you hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord"? Or will you hear Him say, "Depart from Me, I never knew you"? Friend, the choice is yours. The choice is yours. You've got one life to live and it'll soon be passed, and only what you do with Jesus will last. What will you do with Jesus Christ? He's done everything possible for your salvation. He bled, He died for your sin and mine there on the cross.

Then He was buried and then He rose again from the dead and He offers you salvation. Have you been saved? Are you on your way to this city? Have you been washed by the blood of Christ? If you haven't, today can be your day. Today you can know that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. And when you get there, you will be ushered in and welcomed. You can have your eternal address changed today. But it's up to you.

Friend, do you want to go to heaven? Do you have a desire to spend eternity with Jesus? People have a lot of misconceptions about heaven. Oh, it's just that he's off in the great beyond. He's in a better place. The only way you're going to be in a better place is if you come to know Jesus as your Savior. But the beautiful thing is not only does He prepare your heart and give you the hope of heaven, but He also gives you life on the earth while you're here.

There's real life. Jesus said, "I came to give you life and that more abundantly." You might be searching for life, looking for some fulfillment. Friend, you're never going to experience true life in its fullest sense until you come to know the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And He's calling you today. And I'm going to give you that opportunity to receive Christ as your Savior, to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you're on your way to heaven.

In a moment, I'm going to ask you to get up out of your seat and come and stand below this platform. And what I'm asking you to do is not just make a one-time decision. I'm asking you to make a commitment to follow Jesus for the rest of your life. You think about that. He'll give you the power. He'll give you the strength. He'll give you everything you need to follow Him. But if you come down here today, what you're saying is, "I choose to follow Christ. I want salvation."

Maybe you grew up going to church, but you don't follow Jesus. Maybe you have some biblical knowledge, but you don't know the One who wrote the Scriptures. But you want to today. Friend, I'm going to challenge you to get up and come. For others of you, maybe you're far from the Lord. You've walked away from the Lord. The Bible says return more than it says turn, and you need to get right with God. You need to come back to God.

But if you get up and you come down here and you stand below this platform, just know this: this is the end of the road right here. Today's the day. The decision's being made. You're going to follow Christ. You're turning your back on the old life and you're choosing to follow Him. He loves you, friend.

Guest (Male): Don't you look forward to the time when we'll dwell with the Lord in this city? We want to see you there one day, so be sure to RSVP through faith in Christ. Today on "A Daily Walk," we listened in to Pastor John Randall's message called "All Things New." Hear it again online at adailywalk.org or wherever you get your podcasts, or download our church app so you could listen through your mobile device. Just search for Calvary South OC.

When a listener takes the time to write or call, it really blesses us more than words can tell. And yes, Pastor John reads your emails and letters. The Lord deserves all the credit for anything good that comes from and through this ministry, and it's an opportunity to praise and thank Him for what He's doing. Share a praise report or a prayer request at adailywalk@gmail.com. That's adailywalk@gmail.com.

Our featured resource right now is a book from Jack Marino Chen, "Ensnared." This encouraging book will help you recognize spiritual deceptions, respond with biblical clarity to those who are ensnared, and point people to the freedom only Christ can give. Discover how to overcome the darkness of the New Age and occult with the light of God's truth. The cost is just $12. You can order it right now at 877-242-0828. That's 877-242-0828. You can also get it online at adailywalk.org.

And if you believe in what we're doing here at "A Daily Walk" and would like to get behind us, we'd very much appreciate your prayers and financial support. While there are substantial costs of being on the radio and internet, God has proven to be faithful to provide where He's guided us. So we continue to rely upon Him and look to our listeners for help. To make a donation today, drop by adailywalk.org or again call 877-242-0828. We've got one more study to go in Revelation and we'll share that with you on our next two programs on "A Daily Walk." Pastor John Randall will emphasize Jesus is coming soon.