New Heaven and New Earth

Revelation 21–22

Story to read: New Heaven and New Earth
Bible: Revelation 21–22

1. What do you think heaven is like?

Take answers before you read anything. You will usually get: seeing people again, no more sad things, everything nice forever.

Hold those. They are not wrong. They are just smaller than what is actually here.

2. Three pictures at once

Heaven — the New Jerusalem — is described as three things at the same time, which is why it feels confusing at first:

• a city
• a garden
• a bride

Take them one at a time and it opens up.

3. The city that is shaped like the Most Holy Place

Its length, width and height are all exactly the same. A perfect cube.

There was only one other cube in the whole Bible: the Most Holy Place in the temple, the single room where you were closest to God — and where almost nobody was allowed to go.

The old temple had a problem. You could be very near God in it, or very far away, depending on which room you stood in. So the new city is all Most Holy Place. There is no far-away part left.

Which is wonderful, and also means something: this is a place for people who actually want to be near God. Not people who want what they can get out of him — that was the harlot’s cup.

4. The garden

There is a river and a tree of life with leaves for the healing of the nations.

That is Eden — the thing that was lost on about the third page of the Bible, given back on the last. God wanted to walk with people in a garden, and now he does.

5. The city part matters too

Notice that God does not simply put everyone back in the garden.

People built cities for themselves after Eden — for safety, because they were on their own. And God does not knock the city down. He comes and lives in the middle of it.

He takes what people made out of fear, and moves in.

6. And the bride

Because in the end it is all about the relationship. Not the streets, not the gold, not even the no-more-crying — though he does wipe every tear.

The line the whole book has been walking towards is this one: “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.”

The point of heaven is that God is there, and we are with him.

7. The last invitation

And the book ends not with a warning but with an invitation. The Spirit and the bride say “Come.” Whoever is thirsty, come. Whoever wishes, take the water of life freely.

Twenty-two chapters of dragons, beasts, trumpets and bowls, and the last word is come.

Memory verse: “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.” (Revelation 21:3)

Look for yourself

Take longer over this one. It is the last time you get to look.

The city comes down and God moves in, and the first thing he does is not a speech. He goes round wiping faces.

Close your eyes. He gets to you. What is he wiping away?

Now look up and out. What is the first thing you want to see? What do the fruit on the tree smell like? Who is coming through the gate that you have been hoping to see?

And the very last thing in the book is an invitation: “Come.” What do you want to say back?

8. Prayer

Father, thank you that the ending is you living with us. Thank you that you make everything new instead of throwing it away. And thank you that the last word of the whole Bible is an invitation. We would like to come. Amen.

Appendix: Ideas for leaders

Opening activity: The heaven question in section 1, with answers written up. At the end, add the real one underneath and compare.

Craft idea: Build a cube from paper or blocks and talk about the Most Holy Place. Or draw the city with a river running through the middle and a tree on each bank.

Questions:

1. Why do you think heaven is a garden and a city?
2. What does it mean that God moves in with us, instead of us moving out to him?
3. The book ends with “come.” Who would you like to bring?

Song suggestions: Something joyful; a closing song the group knows well — this is the last session and it should feel like an ending.

Prep note: This is session sixteen. Come back to the question from session one — who is really in charge? — and let the children answer it themselves. They will have sixteen different pictures to draw on by now.