Dysphoria: “a state of feeling very unhappy, uneasy, or dissatisfied.”[i] You hear a lot of people today talk about “gender dysphoria.” But that’s a recent idea. Dysphoria itself is a very old one. Not just the feeling of not being at home in your skin—maybe you’re not at home in your home? In your marriage? In your family? In your church? In your neighbourhood, or city, or country? I think a lot of Canadians no longer feel like their country is home—I know a lot of Americans do! But moving to Ireland won’t give you the peace and contentment you’re looking for.

CS Lewis was right: “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists.”[ii] Babies feel hunger because food really exists. A duck wants to swim because water is real. People crave sex because it exists. But look deeper. There are longings in you nothing can fill. Lewis said, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”[iii] That’s the world I want to tell you about this morning: the world you were made for. The world that’s coming. It’s the one Jesus was talking about when he said the poor in spirit have a Kingdom in Heaven, the meek will inherit the earth, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied (Mat 5:3, 5, 6). It’s the home Jesus said, “I am going to prepare for you,” (John 14:3). It’s the one Peter called, “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,” (1 Pet. 1:4). It’s the future Paul said Creation is longing for and groaning for right now, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God,” (Rom. 8:19-21). It’s the world you were made for. But the question you need to be asking is whether you will ever get to see it?

After the end of the world, John is shown two things that tell you what you need to be living for now. So look with me at Revelation 21:1-8 and notice two things about this passage: First, in verses 1-4, John is shown a new Creation; Second, in verses 5-8, the Creator speaks. So first, everything wrong with the world now makes us wonder…

What will the next world be like? (1-4)

John sees a Universe being created. And he tells us four things about the world he sees. First, it’s a new world. "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," (Rev. 21:1 ESV). He says “then I saw.” It reminds readers what John said in the very first sentence of this book: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John..." (Rev. 1:1 ESV). This book contains a vision God showed John, a vision all about Christ. But a vision that predicts things John was told would “soon take place.” That was about the year 95AD and the things John saw did indeed start to happen soon after that. But the predictions in this book have continued to happen, and still aren’t finished. The end of Rev 19 predicts the second coming of Jesus Christ, and Revelation 20 predicts the very end of the world.

"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them," (Rev. 20:11 ESV). John sees “Earth and sky” flee from the face of God but the meaning of this part of his dream-vision is that the Universe God created in Genesis 1, dissolves and vanishes from His holy presence when He comes to judge mankind. And everyone whose name is not found in the Lamb’s book of life, is thrown into the lake of fire (20:15)—meaning whoever does not belong to Jesus is sentenced to Hell. But now look again at 21:1. John says “then I saw…” Because what he is shown next is what comes after the end of the world.

You have to read the end of the Bible with the beginning in mind. “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.” Light. Outer space. The Earth. Plants and trees, stars and planets, Sun and Moon, fish and birds, animals and bugs, and man and woman. All of this is included in that phrase, “heavens and earth.” God blessed the man and woman. Commanded them to multiply. And saw that it was very good. You know what happened. Satan deceived them and Adam and Eve sinned against God. They brought sin into God’s good Creation, and with it came death. That’s why the world is the way it is. Marred. Corrupted. Tainted. Polluted. It was so good. But it’s been slowly dying ever since. And Revelation 20 describes the end of the world: earth and sky vanish, it all flees from the presence of God Almighty on His throne on Judgment Day. Nothing corrupted survives. No sin remains. Nothing dying or mortal will be left. So John then witnesses the creation of a new heaven and earth—why? “For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away”—we just read that—the first Universe ended. The key word now is “new”. Not corrupted but clean. Not polluted but pure. New. And this time there’s no Serpent, no Satan to deceive. Rev 20:10 shows what will happen to him. So now there is nobody left who will ruin what God creates: John says, “and the sea was no more.” In the OT, the “seas” are a common metaphor for foreign nations that invade Israel, take the people captive, and threaten her territory.[iv] In Revelation, great bodies of water are symbols for the nations. Rev 17:15 says, “the waters you saw… are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.” Rev 20 shows what will happen to the nations too. “They are judged according to what they had done” (Rev 20:12), and "And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire," (Rev. 20:15 ESV). So who replaces the nations?

"And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband," (Rev. 21:2 ESV). The second thing John says about the new world is that it is home to a holy people. John describes a city coming down from heaven, but he doesn’t see buildings and walls, he sees people and he knows who they are. The New Jerusalem from God. When you say “Vancouver won the Stanley Cup,” it tells me you have a good imagination (or memory!), and that you understand figures of speech: it’s a metaphor, like saying, “Victoria elected a mayor.” You know the streets and buildings don’t vote—the people do! “New Jerusalem” is a figure of speech not for the physical city but for God’s people. It’s the people who were raised from the dead in Rev 20:4, who ruled with Jesus Christ for 1000 years before the end of the world. John sees them coming down from heaven, from God, holy, new, Jerusalem. God has been preparing them for this. [read v2b] Like a bride for her husband, God prepared these people for this world and this world for these people. The comparison is filled with meaning from Old Testament prophecies. Isaiah 52:1 says, “put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city…” calling people to turn to the Lord their God. Isa 62:1 says, “for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,” and, “The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give,” (Isa 62:2) because, “you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you… as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you,” (Isa 62:4b, 5). This is New Jerusalem coming Home to God. His people are home.

That’s the third thing John says about the new world he sees: it enjoys union with God. "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God," (Rev. 21:3 ESV). The voice from God’s throne explains the symbols John sees. To put that another way, the Word of God interprets the meaning of the vision. And it does. It’s a quote from a very ancient promise that keeps getting repeated throughout the Old Testament. It’s the covenant promise of God. Like when a bride and groom pledge “for better or worse to death do us part,” God made a covenant with Israel that if they keep His Word and obey His commands, in Lev 26:11-12, “I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” He promised to literally pitch His tent among theirs (lit. “tabernacle”).[v] The same promise is echoed in passages like Eze 37:27, 43:7, and 9, and Zech 2:11. But the loud voice John hears makes a slight change: instead of saying they shall be His “people” (sg.) like in Leviticus, He says they will be His “peoples” (lit. plural). Not just one ethnic group but many. In Mat 28:19, Jesus sent His apostles to “all nations.” Not just Israel but Gentiles also will live in union with God. Home. Happily married.

That’s the fourth thing John says about the new world he sees: it is happy forever. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away," (Rev. 21:4 ESV). Nothing ever again will ruin this happiness or disturb this peace. Nothing will interrupt the love of God for His people or of His people for God. Ever. This is a quote blending a bunch of similar promises in the Bible. Isaiah 25:8 says, “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken,” (Isa. 25:8). And Isaiah 35:10 and 51:11 say, “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away,” (Isa 35:10). And Isaiah 65 promises, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.  But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress,” (Isa. 65:17-19).

So Heaven is coming. It’s future. It’s physical. At least as real as this world! The world God makes after the end of this one is new, its peoples are holy, and safe, enjoy union with God, and are happy forever. They are home. At last. Always. Happily ever after. This is the home Jesus went to prepare; what Creation now groans and waits for—not to be destroyed but made new. After the end of the world, John is shown two things that tell you what you need to be living for now. First John sees the new Creation. Next, the Creator speaks, and the words He says answer the question you should be asking:

Who is God making it for? (5-8)

First John saw a new Universe being created.  Now John sees (and hears!) the Creator. I want to show you three ways this question is answered. First, it’s only for people who believe in God’s Word. "And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' Also he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'," (Rev. 21:5 ESV). This is the Creator speaking. And notice He says He is already making all things new. The verb “making” is not future but present: this is what God is doing. Isaiah 43:18, says, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” It’s what God is doing now. This is what Paul is talking about in 2 Cor 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…” (2 Cor. 5:17-18). And notice God commands John to write this down. Why? So preachers will preach it and hearers will hear it. That’s how God is making all things new. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ,” (Rom. 10:17). “To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (2 Thess. 2:14). God tells John His Word is “trustworthy and true” so people will trust it and believe it. That’s who the new world is for.

Second, it’s only for people who come to Jesus. "And he said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.'," (Rev. 21:6 ESV). Look at what He says: “It is done!” When hard-hearted people in Israel figured there was no urgent reason why they had to obey God now, God warned them, “None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the word that I speak will be performed, declares the Lord GOD,” (Eze 12:28). Revelation 10:6-7 says, “that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.” Then in Revelation 11:15, when the seventh angel blows his trumpet, it announces the beginning of the end. The last trumpet announces seven bowls of wrath God pours out on the world in chapter 16, and when the last one is poured out, a loud voice from the throne of God announces, “It is done!” (Rev 16:17). I am convinced we are living in those last days now. But whether that’s right or wrong, the time is short. D-Day is coming when there will be no more second chances. Because when God declares, “It is done!” it will all be over. All of God’s Word will be fulfilled. All of it will happen. And all His promises will be kept. But the world He is making is only for those who come to Jesus now.

The One speaking is the Lord Jesus Christ. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end," (Rev. 21:6b ESV). Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet; Omega is the last letter. It’s a figure of speech called a merism.[vi] Like saying, “high and low” or “night and day” you mean everything in between. “The Law and the Prophets” is a merism for the whole Bible. “Heaven and Earth” is a merism for the Universe. And when the Lord says He is Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, He means He is Always and eternal. But I’m saying this is Jesus. Why? Well it’s almost exactly what God says in Revelation 1:8—"‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” But then a few verses later when the Lord Jesus appears to John in his vision, John writes, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore…’,” (Rev. 1:17-18a. Emphasis added). We saw this last Sunday. At the end of Matthew 1, Matthew says Jesus is “God with us,” and at the end of Matthew 28, Jesus says, “Behold I am with you all the days, until the end of the age,” (my trans.). He is Α and Ω because He is God. So look at verse 5: who is speaking? Our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Yahweh enthroned (c.f. Eze 20:33!). He is the One making all things new. So your only hope for a better life in the next life is to come to Jesus now.

You need to act on what He says next: "To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment," (Rev. 21:6c ESV). Are you thirsty? “Thirsty” is present tense. The one who is thirsty now. He will give you water to drink—not from the fountain of youth. Like the Nobel Prize-winning economist who chose to end his own, healthy, prosperous life—at around 90 years of age—for no good reason! [vii] No, not the Fountain of Youth--from the spring of the water of life! The stuff you crave and lust for never satisfies. Sin never fills your empty soul. Don’t you long to have the thirst itself quenched? Do you have a deep desire to be made whole? To be healed. To be made clean. You have an inner longing—maybe you try to silence it but it won’t go away—to be able to live in righteousness, with a truly clean conscience, with honour and integrity, knowing God is pleased. It’s what Jesus promised in His Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied,” (Mat 5:6). It’s what Jesus said to the woman at the well, “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life,” (Jn. 4:14). It’s what Jesus announced in John 7:37, “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.’,” (Jn. 7:37). That’s who the new world is for.

Third, it’s only for people who persevere in Jesus. "The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son," (Rev. 21:7 ESV). In 1 John 5:5, the one who conquers is the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. In Rev 2:26, the “one who conquers” is the one who keeps the Lord’s works until the very end. “If anyone would come after me,” Jesus said, “let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it,” (Matt. 16:24-25). Are you persevering in believing and following Jesus? The world to come will be your “heritage”—your inheritance. Jesus said, “theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven,” (Mat 5:3); “…they shall inherit the earth,” (Mat 5:5), but even better than that, “…they shall see God,” (Mat 5:8), and “they shall be called ‘sons of God,’” (Mat 5:9). That’s who the New Heaven and Earth is for: “I will be His God and he will be my son.” The new world God is preparing is only for those who believe in His Word, who come to Jesus, and who persevere in Jesus. After the end of the world, John is shown two things that tell you what you need to be living for now. It’s only for believers in the Word of Christ who don’t give up.

"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death," (Rev. 21:8 ESV). But the world to come is not for cowards who obey the popes instead of Jesus; who believe in themselves instead of in Christ; who love what God detests, take life God says is sacred, or corrupt God’s design for sex; who rely on mysticism and magic instead of on God, who pray to idols of creatures and saints and the virgin Mary; or who twist God’s truth to suit themselves. What you really need to notice here is that by starting this list with cowards and ending with liars, it implies this is people who said they were Christians; who once professed to believe; who were found in churches. But people whose faith was not true, whose love was not loyal, whose spiritual thirst was not quenched in Christ—who drank from unclean wells instead of the spring of life. So stay in the church. Stay with Christ. Don’t quit. Conquer.

If this world now leaves you longing for something you can’t find here, as Lewis said, “the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”[viii] This isn’t home. That’s why it doesn’t feel like it. A new world is coming. But will you be there?