This is the second part of the exposition from Revelation 21, verses 9 to 27, entitled The New Jerusalem, the first part having been given this morning. And I remember my homiletical sin this morning, and that is I never told you what the big idea, doctrine of the passage is, even though I have it written out before me here in my notes. I never told you the thesis statement for the sermon. And so let me start with that. So it's not overlooked. Now, this is just my attempt to summarize the doctrine of the passage and others could state it differently, of course, and probably better. But I believe, uh, as a succinct statement, it goes like this, the new Jerusalem where we shall dwell with God is unspeakably glorious. The New Jerusalem, where we shall dwell with God, is unspeakably glorious. This seems to me to be the overall impression the passage is meant to convey to us as we hear it. And this has corollaries, not the least of which is in anticipation of that glorious New Jerusalem. we must press on as witnesses of Jesus Christ in the world until we see him face to face. John the Apostle received a vision from God of this spiritual reality called in the passage repeatedly, the new Jerusalem in the new creation after judgment day. This is not heaven he's describing, this is the realization of paradise restored. This is what God intended to do from the beginning, which is better than the beginning. It is everything good about the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, but more besides. It's a finer place, a more glorious place, a place where the people in it have a greater capacity for worship and happiness. This is the world to come for the righteous. And as an angel conducted John in the vision to behold the new Jerusalem, he tells about his experience as one that was approaching a city and give giving his first impressions at the site of the city in verses nine to 14. He sees that it is a great city, a holy city. even one appropriately called Jerusalem. It is a city characterized by divine glory and it has a great high wall with 12 gates and 12 foundations. The gates are inscribed with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel and the foundations with the 12 apostles of the Lamb. Now beginning in verse 15, We have more detail about the new Jerusalem. We hear of its vast dimensions, its precious materials and its glorious inhabitants in that order through the text of the verses that remain. And this new Jerusalem as the unspeakable glorious place where the righteous shall dwell with God forever. becomes even more clear and more compelling with the remaining verses. And so we will resume instead of starting anew in our reading with verse 15 and you may remain seated. Here's what the inspired text says. This is the block of the text that I've entitled its vast dimensions. And he that talked with me, of course this is the angel mentioned in verse nine. And he that talked with me had a golden reed, that is a rod or a stick. In ancient times a reed, a measuring reed like this might be, if I remember correctly, approximately 10 feet long. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth four square, and the length is as large as the breadth. And he measured the city with the reed, 12,000 furlongs. The length, and the breadth, and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, 144 cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is of the angel. For those familiar with the units of measure, which generally we're not with these units, especially the mention of the furlongs and 12,000 furlongs. That's a great distance. Would have been impressed with the size of the new Jerusalem. And that's by design. We're supposed to be impressed. Greatness in some respects can be conveyed by size. There's a verse in Proverbs 14 that says, in the multitude of people is the King's honor. In the multitude of people is the king's honor. If people hear that you're a king of 12 people, as opposed to 12 million people, they'll have a different reaction, depending on how great your kingdom is, how large it is. So notice then, first of all, in this past, this section of verses, the measurer in verse 15, the immense cube described in verse 16 and the enormous wall in verse 17. The measurer is the angel. And in scripture to measure things is sometimes spiritually significant. Again and again, John's words have had a correlation with the prophecy in Ezekiel 40 to 48. And there's a similar passage in chapter 40 verses 2 to 4, or rather 3 to 5, where Ezekiel wrote that, he brought me there, and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand and a measuring reed. And he stood in the gate and the man said to me, son of man, behold with thine eyes and hear with thine ears and set thine heart upon all that I shall show thee for to the intent that I might show unto thee art thou brought hither. Declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel. And behold, a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man's hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and a hand breath. So he measured the breadth of the building, one reed, and the height, one reed. So in Ezekiel's temple vision, there is measurement going on as well. One Bible scholar explains probably that this measuring part of the vision, and I quote, connotes God's ownership and protection of his people. God's ownership and protection. The symbolic significance of measuring the city is to say, in effect, God owns this city and God protects this city from harm. Osborne continues, the city of God is forever guaranteed the presence and the protection of God. But it's also to convey, I believe in this context, a sense of the glory of the city because it's huge. It is, by the description of verse 16, an immense cube. It's a square in its base dimensions and then it says specifically it's as high as it is broad and deep. That is, it's a cube. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. That's practically a geometrical definition of what a cube is. And it's a large cube. 12,000 furlongs are about 1,500 miles or Some scholars have said 1,400 miles. We're not exactly sure. But if you were to place a cube this size on the map of the United States, it would stretch halfway across the country from east to west because the country is about 3,000 miles wide. And then it would be that latitude as well, north and south, east and west. And then this city is as high as that distance is, which is higher than satellites circle the earth. I believe I read. So this is a large space. But again, I'd mildly reprove any notion of a crass literal interpretation of the vision. The new Jerusalem and the new heavens and earth is not living in a cube. It's not intended for us to understand that all God's people from the beginning of the world to the end, saved by his grace, are gonna live within 1,500 miles of each other, no matter where they live. That would be a very foolish interpretation. The fulfillment of the vision will not be a space this size, but an experience this awesome. That's my attempt to help you convert in your thinking from literalism to appreciate the symbolism of the vision. 12,000 mentioned here as the number of furlongs for the city has numerological significance in scripture. The number 12,000 is a combination of multiplying the number 12 by 10 times 10 times 10. 10 times 10 times 10 or 10 cubed is 1,000. And 12 times 1,000 is 12,000. The number 12 in scripture is associated with the identity of God's people. 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Christ, specifically mentioned here in the passage, who represent all God's elect. 10 is a number of completeness. In the Hebrew way of expression, Emphasis is accomplished by repetition. So 10 times 10 is emphatic. 10 times 10 times 10 is superlative. So the number of the church, 12, multiplied by 10 times 10 times 10 is to say that this great city, the New Jerusalem, is the ultimate fulfillment of God's plans to bless his people. And all the elect will live in this place, symbolically considered. And the cube shape also conveys perfection. Did you remember from your knowledge of scripture that The most holy place in Solomon's temple was stated by God to be, and actually was, a perfect cube. 1 Kings 6, verses 19 and 20. Let's take a moment and look at it. I'm going to read an alternative translation. The inner sanctuary he prepared in the innermost part of the house to set there the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. The interior of the inner sanctuary was 20 cubits long, 20 cubits wide, and 20 cubits high. He overlaid it with pure gold. So that space being described only 20 cubits by 20 by 20, a perfect cube, that little space there and then shall have its ultimate fulfillment in the New Jerusalem described here. The book of Revelation is unintelligible practically apart from comparison with other passages of scripture that make clear what the sense of the passage is. Next, John talks about the enormous walls of the city. Verse 17, he, that is the angel, measured the wall thereof, 144 cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is of the angel. Now here also, we have numbers that are symbolically significant. This is not a blueprint or a drawing or sketch of the actual physical dimensions of life in the New Jerusalem. But this is rather a vision with numerologically, symbolically significant numbers to convey spiritual truth. Again, 144 cubits here is a multiplication of 12 and 12. The actual distance of 144 cubits is about 72 yards. All that the text says is that the wall was measured and it was 72 yards. We don't know whether that was the thickness of the wall or the height of the wall. But if it is the height, it's a very high wall. I don't know that there's any wall in the world that is that high. And if it's the thickness, it's even more impressive. It just doesn't say, but it doesn't matter because like the 144,000 mentioned in chapter 14 of revelation, a symbol of all God's people. So the 144 qubit wall is symbolic. Beal says on 144,000, they represent the totality of God's people throughout the ages who are viewed as true Israelites. I think he's absolutely right about that. And the, um, there is a, a passing remark at the end of verse 17, which is a little cryptic in the King James version, where it says, according to the measure of a man, that is of the angel. What does that mean? It seems that the sense of the passage is that the angel was using a human measurement in the vision to measure the wall. Alan Johnson in his commentary on Revelation interprets the significance. By man's measurement, which the angel was using, shows that the human and divine will intersect in the holy city. The holy city to come is the city of God. It's also a city that is inhabited by human beings. We might summarize the contribution of these three verses in the vision this way, as Beal has. God's permanent presence secures and guarantees the perfected inviolability of the redeemed community. We come then next to the precious materials that are seen in the construction of the city. And that is the passage that starts with verse 18 and runs through verse 21. Clearly the obvious associated ideas Of all these things that are mentioned is opulence and beauty, which are intended by the Lord to point our minds to the blessedness of a true paradise. Here is the text, starting with verse 18. And the building of the wall of it was of Jasper, And the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third a chalcedony, the fourth an emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth barrel, the ninth a topaz, the tenth a chrysoprasis, the 11th adjacent, the 12th anamethyst. And the 12 gates were 12 pearls. Every individual gate was made of one pearl and the street of the city was of pure gold as it were transparent glass. So very systematically John goes through the different aspects of the city. He tells us about its wall, about the city itself as a whole, about the foundations and the gates and the streets. And in every case he tells us that these elements of the city are made of expensive materials. The wall is made of jasper, clear as crystal, like a diamond. That would certainly allow the glory of God to emanate brilliantly from within the city like a star, because the glory of God would shine through walls that are clear as crystal. He tells us the city is made of gold, pure gold, which is the most valuable and beautiful. And that is not about the element in the periodic table of elements. This has a spiritual and symbolic meaning. I believe it conveys to us something of the deity himself and perfect holiness found in the New Jerusalem. We know from the Old Testament instructions about how to build the tabernacle and the temple later, that gold adorned the tabernacle furniture and later the temple. And here in verse 18b, it says of the gold used in the city that it was like unto clear glass. That is a strange idea. We've never seen any clear gold before, but this was like that, it says. Another clue that it's only a vision with a symbolic meaning. Then we have in the vision, the foundations adorned or decorated with every kind of jewel it has been translated. There are 12 varieties of precious stones listed here in the passage. All these are real stones. We're familiar with them in real life. And we know then that they were created by God for analogy with the realities of the future redeemed cosmos. Why is it that there is such a thing as an emerald? Why did God make emeralds? Well, for many reasons, but one of the most significant is he was going to use it in scripture to help us appreciate the goodness and the glory and the beauty of the life to come. And so with all these other stones. Now, These are not unfamiliar to Bible readers because these very stones have been mentioned in an earlier passage of Scripture. Look with me at Exodus chapter 28, verse 17 and following. Exodus 28. These are the same stones that adorned the high priest's breastplate by the command of God. Now in your English Bibles, the list of words is not going to be exactly the same, but there is a correspondence of the stones in the high priest's breastplate with the stones that adorn the foundations of the New Jerusalem. Exodus chapter 28, verse 17. Now look, the breastplate of the high priest was an object that was square and it was attached to gold chains and the high priest would hang it around his neck and let it hang in front of his ephod, the high priestly linen garment that he wore. And these stones were in rows and columns arranged on the breastplate. That's what we're reading about in the passage. Exodus 28, 17. And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones. The first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle. This shall be the first row. And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row, a barrel, and an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold in their enclosings, and the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet. Everyone with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes. There is an obvious correspondence between the list of stones mentioned in John's vision of Revelation and the list of stones that were embedded in the high priest's breastplate with the names of the children of Israel on them. Gregory Beal, in his commentary on Revelation, expressed his belief of the analogy this way, and I quote. Now listen, these subjects get very complex and intricate, and it requires your considered attention and interest so that you can keep up. I have a paragraph from Greg Beal, it's not very long, but I found it very helpful to understand the connection here, and I quote him. In transferring the jewels of the breastplate to the city temple's wall and foundations lies partly in the fact that Aaron's garments in general were meant to be a small replica of the earthly tabernacle, which itself was modeled on the heavenly tabernacle. And even the bejeweled breastpiece was intended to be a scaled down version of the Holy of Holies. where God's Shekinah glory dwelt, which itself was to be a reflection of the heavenly Holy of Holies. The breast piece was made of the same material and formed in the same square shape as the Holy of Holies. The privilege of being in the immediate presence of God, formerly reserved for the high priest, is now granted to all God's people so that they all have a priestly character. That's profound. It is to say, whereas under the old covenant form of religion, only the high priest and no one else was allowed to go into the most holy place or the holy of holies of the tabernacle or temple once a year. He did so with his breastplate on. which anticipated the day and implicitly promised the time when all God's chosen people represented by the stones would be brought into the fulfillment of the most holy place where God dwells. Do you know what that's called? The new Jerusalem. And so we should be greatly heartened to see the same 12 stones of the breastplate now adorning the foundations of the wall of the New Jerusalem. Well, we proceed in the exposition to verse 21, where we have 12 gates made of 12 pearls. Each individual gate was made of one pearl. That's really just about inconceivable since pearls are nowhere near the size they would need to be to make a gate. And yet in the vision, that is the case. But pearls in the ancient world as today were considered beautiful and prized. And so the gates made of one pearl add to the sense of opulence of this paradise place being described. And then in verse 21, we also have a mention that the streets or the street, singular, of the city was pure gold and it was like transparent glass. And this is the same general idea. What are our streets made of? They're made probably mostly of asphalt, which is rough and cheap and common. And so this is not unusual for earthly cities. The streets are made out of cheap rough materials, but not in this city. The street itself in the vision is of pure gold. God spares no expense in his preparation of a place for his people. It's inconceivable a city with streets made out of gold. While Beale again helpfully summarizes the contribution of these verses to the overall vision when he wrote, God's permanent presence guarantees the perfected security of the redeemed community and causes it to reflect His glory. Finally, we come down to the last part of the vision in verses 22 to 27. And just as The original creation account is characterized by six days. And then the first three days, God prepares spheres for living or spheres for his creatures. And the last three days, he populates the spheres with the other creatures meant to live there. the last of them being the human race in Adam and Eve. So in this vision of the city, John has beheld in some detail the character of the city physically and the construction of it, the size of it, and so forth, the appearance of it. God says for last in the vision, the revelation of the inhabitants of the city who get to dwell in this paradise of God. And in a short way, I would say the inhabitants are God and his people. God and his people, starting with verse 22. And I saw no temple therein, For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it. And the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it. And the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. And then if I skip down to verse 27, and there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. And the verses I skipped have to do with the safety and glory of the inhabitants. Well, first of all, John sees that the Lord God lives in the city and the lamb lives there. And the evidence of their presence is the outshining glory that fills the city with light. So that the sun and the moon are no longer necessary because there's light from the presence of God in the midst of the city. And God is designated under the phrase, the Lord God almighty and the lamb. This is highly significant because it is a, uh, a reference to God, the father and God, the son. And, uh, together they are the deity that is mentioned here. One in essence, and yet distinct in persons. The old Jerusalem had walls, it had gates, had foundations, but it also had a temple in the middle of the city. This city has no temple, it says specifically. It not only doesn't need the sun and moon, it doesn't need the temple because, as it says, the Lord God and the Lamb are the temple of it, which is curious expression. It is basically to say that it's the presence of the Lord that renders the whole place a temple. To live in the city, in other words, which is the New Jerusalem, is to live in and with God and Christ. The whole city is eternally illuminated through and through with the glory of God. That's the way it is characterized in the vision. And God is the most important inhabitant in the city. But John proceeds to tell us about other inhabitants in the city. He summarily refers to them as the saved nations with their kings in verse 24. There's a textual difference between the King James Version and most other translations because in the AV it says, the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it. That phrase of them which are saved you won't find, for example, in the ESV. We still would know it's not everybody in whoever lived in all the nations that is here, but only those which are saved by definition would be here. They, they are the redeemed from all nations who are praising the lamb because he is the one who has saved them. Revelation five, nine, they sung a new song saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof. For thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. You know. People have odd ideas about what life will be like in eternity. We don't become androgynous even though we don't marry. We still have male and female gender and we still will be the people fundamentally that we ever were from various nations of the world. What is part of the new creation is brought in from the nations of the world. There will still be human diversity in many respects in the New Jerusalem and the glory of honor of Kings from this life and in this world will be admitted with the Kings who believe in Jesus Christ. This is a fulfillment of Old Testament passages like the one in Psalm 72, starting with verse eight and another passage in Isaiah 60. Look, look at Psalm 72 with me. Psalm 72, verse eight. The study notes in my Bible say this is a Psalm of David praying for Solomon showing the happiness, justice, and glory of his reign and also of Christ's kingdom under that type of Solomon's kingdom. So it has a dual reference to Solomon's kingdom and to Christ's more significantly. And it says in verse eight, He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him. All nations shall serve him. This is the destiny that God has planned from the beginning of the world, that there will be representatives of all nations and the kings of those nations. Worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ in the new creation and showing something from their own kingly regal glory of the glory of the Christ they worship. Isaiah 60 has a fairly extended passage that is also relevant here. Let's look at it. Isaiah 60, and I want to start the reading with verse three. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. This is Jehovah speaking to Israel. And especially speaking about the reign of Messiah. And the text says, lift up thine eyes round about and see all they that gather themselves together. They shall come to thee. Thy son shall come from far. Thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see and flow together and thy heart shall fear and be enlarged because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee. The forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. All they from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and incense, and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee. The rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee. They shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud and as the doves to their windows? Surely the aisles shall wait for me. Aisles in the Old Testament definitely has a connotation of Gentile peoples, non-Jews. Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee. For in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favor have I had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually. They shall not be shut day nor night, that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. Well, this is the realization of that prophecy being described as an element of the blessing of the new Jerusalem in verses 22 to 24. The vision then proceeds with an eloquent and symbolic statement of the safety and glory of the people who live there. Verses 25 and six, when it says the gates of it should not be shut at all by day. That's just what Isaiah said about the Eschaton. For there shall be no night there and they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. Open gates at all times, perpetual daylight, abundant supply, indescribable beauty. These are characteristics of the New Jerusalem in this vision. Well, that brings us to the final verse in the passage of Revelation 21 that has to do with the spiritual qualifications of those who live there. The spiritual qualifications of those who live there. We don't need to wonder and guess about what they are. Now, if you ask the common man on the street, what do you have to do? To, if you said inhabit the New Jerusalem, he wouldn't know what you're talking about. But if you could say popularly, what do you have to do? Or what do you have to be like to go to heaven? You'd get all kinds of answers about it. Because people don't know and believe what the scriptures say. But we needn't be in the dark or confused about this. It tells us specifically in verse 27 here, And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. And this is in some respects a disturbing verse because it tells us about the kinds of people that will forever be excluded from paradise. It's very much like the preview of the New Jerusalem earlier in Revelation 21 that tells us with wonder about this beautiful new place, the new heavens, the new earth with the New Jerusalem in it and the characteristic joy of the place and blessedness of the people who live there. And just as we're starting to get, you know, tempted to be loyal to a happy sleep in this beautiful dream, the preview in verses one to eight conclude with a statement of who's excluded from the city, but the fearful and unbelieving And the abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone." In other words, not in the New Jerusalem. There's a different place reserved for them. And this is just like that. Because we've had the description of the New Jerusalem, and before we move to the next subject, there is another disturbing statement about who's excluded from it. And the language here in verse 27 is very forceful. It would have, I think, come across more forcefully to the early readers of the authorized version who are accustomed to literary talk like this. But it is the idea that there are no exceptions to this rule. This is the standard, the rule, if you will. We do have the very clear phrase, in no wise, which is to say, in the vernacular, no way, no how. There shall absolutely not be allowed to enter anything, anything, that's also a word of intense emphasis. that defiles and so forth. But they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life, it's not stated explicitly in the King James, but the idea is, of course, only they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. So there's a strong contrast. None of the people who are wicked shall be allowed into the New Jerusalem. but only the people whom God predestined to be there shall be there. Here's an alternative rendering in the New King James Version. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie. but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." And that comes across a little bit more clearly, I think, and forcefully to us modern readers. Here's an amplified translation of the passage. And of course, the word anything, by the way, refers to people. When it says, There shall by no means enter into anything that defiles. It's not just talking about things, it's talking about people that defile the place if they were admitted. The Amplified New Testament puts it this way. But nothing that defiles or profanes or is unwashed shall ever enter it nor anyone who commits abominations and in parentheses, they put unclean, detestable, morally repugnant things or practices falsehood. No liars, in other words, will be admitted into the new Jerusalem. Now this, this, this would be totally demoralizing for all of us if we didn't know the gospel of Jesus Christ, because we've all been guilty of sins like these. We've all been guilty. We've all become sinners. Apart from the grace of God, we would all defile the place if God should let us in. But the clear insinuation of the passage in the context of all the scripture is this. God set his eternal love on particular sinners before the world was created. And because of his redeeming grace, those sinners come to be forgiven their sins so that God doesn't count them against us anymore. Not only that, but they are consequently washed from their filthiness and made pure like Christ. So this last verse, far from dashing the hope of any readers that they might be admitted, encourages us that as we have in our possession gospel forgiveness, and as we have experienced gospel sanctification, The gates of the New Jerusalem are wide open to us because we are, we know by our faith and good works, the elect in Christ whom God chose for salvation. As real Christians, those who truly confess in this life that Jesus Christ is Lord and we persevere in that faith and witness before the world to the end. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith, John wrote. The only people that ought to despair for the time being that they will be admitted into this new Jerusalem are those who are impenitent and therefore unforgiven with respect to their filthy sins and their abominations and their lies, not those who are forgiven and washed in the blood of Christ. So this is a place brethren I trust, for us who are members of a church like this, especially. Look, when you confess Jesus as Lord before the church, and the church judges your confession of faith to be credible, and you are baptized and then formally added as a member of that church, This is the whole body of Christ in a given place, expressing the common judgment that you are one of the citizens of the kingdom of heaven. That you are one of the favored ones, graciously favored by God, whose destiny is the new Jerusalem. We should rejoice that it is so. And indeed, if we do trust in Christ, we have his promise. that we are saved and we shall be saved. We are the people of the nations who are saved that will inhabit the new Jerusalem with Christ, glorious Christ in our midst. Beal summarizes the contribution of this last section of the text this way. The glorious presence of God and the Lamb will elicit the response of praise from true believers, but false believers will be excluded forever from God's presence. It's true. Just because you're a member of a church doesn't mean you're a real Christian. And it behooves all of us to examine ourselves whether we are in the faith. But having examined ourselves, God helping us, we will find in our hearts and in our lives warrants for assurance of salvation. And even here and now, we can be comforted in the anticipation that we too will be welcomed into this place of perfect happiness and deliverance from all ills and miseries, and the enjoyment of perfect communion with the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, may the Lord encourage his people greatly from a splendid passage like this. There's really hardly anything even remotely comparable to it in the whole Bible. Let us understand it, call it to mind and know that our labor is not in vain in the Lord. Amen.