Revelation 21:3-4

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.

A loud voice from the throne

So, in our text tonight, God has communicated his will, that he desires to dwell with man in perfect and perpetual communion. So again, where are Christians going? Christians are headed for perfect and perpetual communion with God. Notice first in our text, in verse 3, who makes this declaration.

Previously in the book of Revelation, John is spoken to by angels. Angels so awesome that John is told,

don't bow down to me. I'm just a fellow servant with you. Worship God, not me.

And in other instances, John is spoken to by angels that are described as mighty angels. But this messenger exceeds all the previous.

The voice is said to be from the throne. The throne mentioned here is referring to the same throne spoken of in the previous chapter. Revelation 20 verse 11,

Then I saw a great white throne, and him who was seated on it, from his presence earth and sky fled away.

That means the message of our text is proclaimed from the holy throne of God. But the messenger is not God himself, but is an angel at the throne. Because in the verse immediately following our text, verse five, he who is seated on the throne speaks, and he who speaks, and he speaks in first person. So we know this is an angel and not God himself.

And notice lastly, it is a loud voice which must proclaim such a marvelous message. How could a message so exciting, so thrilling, so wonderful, be fitly spoken by a soft voice, or a calm voice, or even the voice spoken of by previous angels? No, only a booming voice from the throne could adequately deliver such a message. Our text is careful to describe the voice that uttered these words because it indicates their importance and God's desire that we should listen to this announcement.

The dwelling place of God

And now the message. Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. I will elaborate on the wonder of this message in three ways. First, look that we are unworthy of it. That the dwelling place of God should be in heaven and with the holy angels is nothing new, nothing to proclaim, but that it should be on earth and among the sons of men. This calls forth admiration and gladness. Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. What is man that God should do such a wondrous thing for him? Scripture sets the requirement for those who would dwell with him. Who can dwell with God?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart.

He who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.

Therefore, none of us can dwell with God. We are unworthy of such a privilege. We are dust and we are unholy. But God has promised and provided that we Christians will dwell with him. Behold, God has chosen to dwell with those who rebelled against Him and who hated Him. But we will not enter eternity as rebels and haters of God, for God chose to save us. Through the work of Christ, He subdued us to Himself and will make us fit to dwell with Him.

Second, the pains and costs which God has taken to bring this about. He has grudged nothing. He has not spared His only begotten Son. So infinitely desirable does He esteem dwelling with man. How much must He love us, since the accomplishment of His dwelling with us means He was willing to make such a sacrifice?

Surely this ultimate glory must be precious in God's sight, when in order to bring it about, he can submit to all such developments of evil, such an overflow of sin, such a reign of Satan for so many thousands of years, instead of at once setting fire to the guilty world and destroying it. The whole of Scripture is the exhibition of God's desire to dwell with man and man's refusal to allow God to dwell with him.

Five glorious realities of heaven

Third, our text gives us a small description of our future state. Specifically, it shows us five glorious realities of heaven. First,

he will dwell with them.

In this life, our communion with God is often interrupted. So quickly, we turn from the sweetness of fellowship with God to our sin.

But in our future state, God will dwell with us and that continually, never broken, never diminished. Our communion with him will be increasingly sweet and perfect. Second,

and they will be his people.

The saints will forever remain the apple of his eye. We shall be assimilated to him, filled with all love, honor, and delight. Throughout all eternity, we will remain vessels of God's mercy. As God's chosen people, we will forever be the recipients of God's love, grace, kindness, and gentleness.

God will show his people all his beauty throughout the unending ages of eternity. He will richly bestow on us tokens of his love. And as generously as he gives, he will never have less to give us. God has an infinite mass of grace and glory at his side to bestow upon his church. What a glorious truth that we will be his people forever. Third,

and God himself will be with them as their God.

Notice the emphasis our text places on this glorious truth.

God himself, it is as if to say God, even God, the creator of all life, the fountain of love, the source of all blessedness, he who can do all that he desires, the great God, he will be to us our God. What does it mean for God to be our God? It means that all God is, he will be to us. This is too great a thing to comprehend, but to get a taste of it, we can briefly consider who he is.

God is sovereign, and so he will order all things for our benefit. God is good, and so he will fill us with all joy, delight, pleasure, and peace. God is faithful, and so all his promises will have their perfect fulfillment in eternity. God is eternal, and so his kingdom will never end, his reign will never end, and we will never cease to be his people. God is infinite, and so he will be sufficient to fill us throughout every age. God is all-powerful, and so he will keep us from falling and keep us from all sin. God is glorious, and so he will always cause us wonder, amazement, and awe. God is merciful, and so he will forget all our past sins against him. and he will be all this and more to an infinite degree more than words can express.

Fourth,

he will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Christian, you have endured true hardship in life, and you will continue to face the misery and sorrow that the fall has brought into this world. Trials, afflictions, pains, persecutions, and sufferings are ours until we die. But at the resurrection, when our bodies are raised in glory, our tender Father will wipe away every tear with his kind hand. He will show us that all our past suffering came about for our good, and that he has ordained it to be so. Fifth, there will be no more cause of tears, never again, for the former things have passed away. Our text says,

and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.

The effects of the fall will be swallowed up along with death. Think of it. What makes life most bitter to you? It will pass away, and it will not remain. All pain will pass. All weariness will pass. All toil will pass. All sorrow. All brokenness. All discouragement. Weakness. Failure. Temptation. You will never sin again. You will no longer strive against sin. You will never be anxious. Never sinfully fearful. You will never feel distant from God again. You will always be content, always joyful, always loving. You will always be at peace. And still further, no signs, no remembrances of former sorrows shall remain any further than they may serve to increase your joy.

In this life, every comfort and honor is alloyed or mixed with a cross. We may be blessed with old age, but bear the health problems that are met with it. But in heaven, there will be no mixture of sorrow and pain, but only pure delight. The former things have passed away. All things are made new. Yet all are in the truest sense the same, the same only without the sin and the evil and the pain and the decay.

Walk worthy of such an inheritance

Christian, be assured this is your future. I encourage you to make use of this text in two ways. First, walk worthy of such an inheritance. If the future described in our text be so inconceivably glorious, how necessary is it that those who are expected to share in it should now walk worthy of it? The prospect of such glory should be as transforming as it is comforting, as sanctifying as it is gladdening, If this is our hope, how different of persons we ought to be.

Is that the case with us? We are citizens of heaven. Does our holiness make us look like strangers to this world, or do we look just like it? Are you living for that world prepared for us by God, or still for this fallen world where moth and rust destroy.

And second, prize Christ and love Christ. Not your best deed, your best thought, your best prayer has ever brought you closer to inheriting heaven. Heaven is yours only because of Christ. We owe everything to Christ. He has done so much for us. The least we can do is love him and listen to him and seek to please him. How may we please him? In light of our text, I want to remind you of two commands from our Lord. First, be ready and eagerly wait for the return of the Lord. And second, evangelize the lost that they too would repent and enjoy with you communion with God in eternity.

Let the Son of God enter now

And lastly, if you are not a Christian, what are your thoughts of that day of judgment? What hope do you have of sharing in this blessed future? At present, you have none. What have you to do with it? What has an unrenewed sinner to do with a glorified world, a new heaven and a new earth? From that world, all sin is swept away, and can you hope to dwell in it? Nothing that defiles is permitted to enter, and do you expect to enter it?

Yet Christ says,

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me.

Let the Son of God enter now. Let this Christ enter whom you have long shut out. He will come in and dwell with you and in you, and that will be the pledge of your eternity, when the dwelling place of God shall be with man.

Please pray with me. Heavenly Father, you created us, and we are made for you. We can only be satisfied by you, but we have filled ourselves with everything that makes us empty. We thank you for saving us, and I pray that you would teach us what a glorious future you have awaiting for us, that you have prepared for us. Please strengthen us to walk worthily of our calling, and I pray that you would save the lost, and I pray that you would bless these words through our hearts. May we live for eternity. In Jesus' name, Amen.