41.

God’s new community and the New Earth

Revelation 21: 9-27

  • Session: 41
  • Week: 6
  • Day: 6
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Introduction

In this session. Revelation 21: 9-27 introduces us to the new community, which is the wife of Christ. In Genesis chapter 1, we find the same order of creation repeated: Creation of the territories, then creation of Adam and Eve on the sixth day. We will appreciate why God had to do a new Creation by comparing the place of factory resetting principles of electronics.

Objectives

By the end of this session, the learner will have:

  • Understood the place of the new Creation, the New Heavens, the New Earth, and the new community by comparing it with the first order creation in Genesis chapter 1
  • Appreciated why God had to do a new Creation by comparing the place of factory resetting principles of electronics.
  • Been warned about those who finally reject the creator by comparing their end in the second death.

Outline

  • New creation, new heaven, new earth
  • Second death
  • New world order

Group Study Time

Revelation 21: 9-27

Connecting

  • Gather with two or more people for a community discovery bible study session.
  • Start with a heartfelt prayer, inviting God to guide and bless your understanding.
  • Explore the passage by reading it at least twice, using different Bible versions if available, then retell the story together as a group.
  • Reflect and share the challenges and blessings you experienced from the previous study.

Comprehending

  • Read 1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 6:16, and Revelation 21:3. What do these verses reveal about God’s dwelling place
  • Read Rev 21: 9-21. List 5 things revealed about the new community, called the bride of Christ or the new Jerusalem? (It’s gates, its foundations, its streets, its temple, and its lights, its purity)
  • Read Rev 21: 22-27. What is said about the city’s temple and lighting?

Committing

  • Engage with the Bible—read, study, memorize, meditate, pray, listen, and live it out.
  • List three lessons you have learnt as an agent of change that you would like to put into practice and teach others about.
  • Take time and worship Jesus with the attributes revealed about Christ.
  • Use the SPACEPETS model, to assist you in putting God’s word into practice. Look for:
    • Sin to confess
    • Promise to claim
    • Attitude to change
    • Command to keep
    • Error to change
    • Prayer to make
    • Example to copy
    • Truth to obey and
    • Something praiseworthy

Communicating

  • Identify one person you can connect with and share the valuable insights and lessons you gained from this session.
  • Reach out to a new believer—either in person or by phone—and pray with them to support them through their challenges, including any concerns about attending church.
  • Create a new group and guide others through this study to help them grow in their understanding.

Post Lesson Teaching Summary

Great job completing the study! Take a moment to listen to this summary to reinforce your group’s understanding of the text and ensure you’re all on the same page. We’re here to support your learning journey!

God’s new community and the New Earth

Revelation 21: 9-27

Revelation 21:9-21

Context

  • Revelation 21:9-21 describes the New Jerusalem, the eternal home of God’s people, following the creation of a new heaven and new earth, fulfilling Abraham’s longing for a city with eternal foundations built by God.
  • This passage details the city’s divine design, emphasizing its beauty, permanence, and God’s presence, contrasting with the corrupted world destroyed due to human sin.

The New Jerusalem: God’s Eternal City (Revelation 21:9-21)

  • Abraham’s Hope: Abraham, living as a nomad in Canaan, never settled permanently, looking forward by faith to a divine city, the New Jerusalem, which God Himself designs and builds.
  • Divine Design: The city, unlike any earthly city, is eternal, built by God with unmatched beauty. It is a cube, approximately 1,500 miles in length, width, and height, with walls 144 cubits thick, made of jasper, and the city itself of pure gold, clear as glass.
  • Glorious Features: The city’s foundations are adorned with twelve precious stones, and its twelve gates, each a single pearl, bear the names of Israel’s twelve tribes. The twelve foundations carry the names of the twelve apostles, honoring their role in spreading the gospel.
  • God’s Presence: The city has no temple, sun, or moon, as God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple and light. The glory of God illuminates it, and the Lamb is its lamp, ensuring no night exists.
  • Eternal Community: The gates, guarded by angels, remain open, symbolizing worship and service, not defense. The nations and kings bring their splendor, but nothing impure—cowards, unbelievers, or the wicked—enters; only those in the Lamb’s Book of Life are admitted.
  • Purpose of Renewal: The old world, corrupted by sin since Genesis, is destroyed because it no longer aligns with God’s original intent for an eternal, sinless existence. The New Jerusalem restores God’s design for humanity to live with Him forever.
  • Call to Aspire: Speaker 1 urges believers to ensure their names are in the Lamb’s Book of Life, aspiring to dwell in this divine city, free from death, mourning, or pain, where God resides with His people.

Application

  • Live with faith like Abraham, longing for the eternal city of God. Ensure your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life by trusting in Jesus, avoiding the fate of the lake of fire, and embracing the promise of God’s presence in the New Jerusalem.