Wilhelmus à Brakel asked, “Do the last two chapters speak of a glorious state of the church on earth or do they speak of the glory of heaven?” What a great question. Even better is his answer, which I wholeheartedly agree with: “Some believe that they describe a glorious state of the church on earth at the end of the world, which will continue until the judgment. But we establish that they display the glory of the elect in heaven, with a mixture of consolations, warnings, and encouragements, empowered by the future glory.” This is exactly what these final two chapters of the Revelation are about—the consummated kingdom of God where the saints will reign with Christ and like Christ for all eternity.

DOCTRINE. In the consummated Kingdom of God, the Lord Jesus Christ will make all things new and the saints will reign with Him in perfect holiness and happiness forever and ever.

As for the outline of these two chapters, I want to point you to twelve general truths concerning the consummated kingdom of God. We are going to simply walk through this entire forrest. We are not getting into the weeds, but we will stop to look at a few trees along the way.

I. THE CONSUMMATED KINGDOM OF GOD WILL HAVE A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH, WHERE ALL THINGS ARE NEW. “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). What will happen to the first heavens and the first earth? It will burned with a purifying fire to melt away all dross. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet. 3:10-13). It will also be regenerated. “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, in the new world (lit. regeneration), when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel’” (Matt. 19:28).

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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. 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. 21:2-4). There will be no more tears, death, mourning, crying, nor pain. Why? Because of what the one seated on the throne will do.

II. THE CONSUMMATED KINGDOM OF GOD WILL BE USHERED IN BY THE ALPHA AND OMEGA, WHO MAKES ALL THINGS NEW (vv. 5-6). “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.’ 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. 21:5-6).

III. THE CONSUMMATED KINGDOM OF GOD WILL BE FILLED WITH THOSE WHO CONQUERED WITH CHRIST IN THE FORMER LIFE. “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 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. 21:7-8). Matthew Poole commented, “The most of this time hath been, and will be, a time of fighting with the world, the flesh, and the devil; but whoever he be that shall fight this good fight, and come out of it a conqueror, shall inherit all the joys and happiness of heaven.“ We conquer with Christ by faith in His blood to save and strength from His Spirit to preserve and protect.

IV. IN THE CONSUMMATED KINGDOM OF GOD, THE CHURCH WILL BE IN PERFECT UNION WITH CHRIST. “Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb’” (Rev. 21:9). We are, in some sense, only pledged to Christ now. It is as though we are betrothed, and we are waiting for Him to come and take us to His home to marry us. “In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (Jn. 14:2-3). Trapp noted that, “Bishop Ridley, the night before he suffered, invited his hostess and the rest at table to his marriage; for, said he, tomorrow I must be married. Some other martyrs went as merrily to die as ever they did to dine.”

V. IN THE CONSUMMATED KINGDOM OF GOD, THE CHURCH WILL BE AS BEAUTIFUL AND SAFE AND BEJEWELED CITY WITH 200 FOOT WALLS (vv. 10-14). “And he 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, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement. The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass” (Rev. 21:10-21). All our shame and insecurities will be gone. The church triumphant will be adorned with glory and honor and beauty, which signifies the perfect holiness we shall enjoy in our glorified state with Jesus. All our fears and anxieties will be gone. The church triumphant will have high walls, which signifies our peace and rest with Christ.

VI. THE CONSUMMATED KINGDOM OF GOD WILL NEED NO TEMPLE NOR SUN NOR MOON, BECAUSE THE LORD WILL BE OUR TEMPLE AND LIGHT. “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations” (Revelation 21:22-26). You, believers, will need no more Bibles, no more sermons, no prayers, no more Lord’s Supper, because you will be in the present of the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.

VII. THE CONSUMMATED KINGDOM OF GOD WILL NEVER INHABIT ANYONE OR ANYTHING UNCLEAN. “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life” (Rev. 21:27).

VIII. THE CONSUMMATED KINGDOM OF GOD WILL BE WHAT ADAM SHOULD HAVE MADE EDEN. “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month” (Rev. 22:1-2a). The first Adam failed in fulfilling the dominion mandate. Oh! but the final Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, has succeeded where the first Adam failed.

IX. IN THE CONSUMMATED KINGDOM OF GOD,

ALL HARMS WILL BE HEALED. “The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:2b). John Trapp wrote, “Heaven’s happinesses are so many that they cannot be numbered, so great that they cannot be measured, so copious that they cannot be defined, so precious that they cannot be valued.“

X. IN THE CONSUMMATED KINGDOM OF GOD, THE SAINTS WILL WORSHIP THE LORD IN THE UNADULTERATED SPLENDOR OF HOLINESS. “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him” (Rev. 22:3).

XI. IN THE CONSUMMATED KINGDOM OF GOD, THE SAINTS WILL SEE CHRIST’S FACE. “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads” (Rev. 22:4). In the consummated Kingdom, there will be no more veil to hinder our sight of Christ. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Cor. 13:12). “There we shall see His face and never ever sin; there from the rivers of His grace drink endless pleasures in” (Isaac Watts).

XII. IN THE CONSUMMATED KINGDOM OF GOD, THE SAINTS WILL REIGN FOREVER IN THE LIGHT OF THE LORD. “And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 22:5).

CONCLUSION.

Revelation 22:6-21: “6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.