The next scene John records  in Rev. 22 highlights our eternal state. It sounds very much like what the original Garden of Eden must have looked like.  He sees a pure river. It’s crystal clear. It runs with the water of life, the source of which is the throne of God and of the Lamb. It is lined with a pathway on either side, a sort of heavenly park.
         It contains the tree of life which bears 12 fruits. It, too, bears the mark of God’s righteous government. The Greek word for healing here refers to restorative or renewing powers that bring continuous and vibrant life. A sort of fountain of youth, if you will.
           John also reports that there is no more curse—that is, no decay, sickness, nor death that are the wages/consequences of sin. With evil contained in perdition, including Satan, no curse can ever contaminate the new earth and heavens.
          Unique to this new earth is that the throne of God and of the Lamb is literally in its midst. So is the seated Court that rules forever, serving God and our Lord always. Our position is such that His name is on our foreheads, as promised in the letters to the Church.
            End-Time Lesson: Think about that for a moment. There is no more sin; only eternal righteousness. There can never be another Fall because of the Perfect Man (Jesus the Head) and His Perfected Wife (the Church, His Body) are one. We are seated at the right hand of the Father, the position of all authority in both heaven and the earth.
            Our testimony and righteous justice maintain the rule of peace. The heavenly angels and other spiritual beings who did not fall and remained loyal to the Creator have seen the awful consequences of rebellion. There will never be a need to doubt the love and goodness of the Father again. This is our destiny and purpose!
            John records, “They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: they need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 22:4-5).
           Why is John so careful to record these details? Hopefully by now you know the answer. We are meant to use these same “markers” and “colors” to match these details to other prophetic puzzle pieces in God’s “prophetic box”—His Word. They give us a clue as to what comes next. Stay tuned!

         As John considers the City in Rev. 21, he notices that something is missing. There is no temple building. How can this be? Because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple!  God and the Lamb, the Light of the World (Jn. 8:12) is its light. But that’s not all. Since His Bride is “in Christ the Lamb,” we are part of the temple. In fact, because we have overcome death through resurrection, we are pillars in this temple (Rev. 3:12)!
          John even sees that this temple has an open-door policy. “ And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).  And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.”
            As if to draw attention to the end of the Day timing of the City’s descent to the earth, John records, “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” (v. 27)
            End-Time Lesson: As further confirmation that John is seeing the end of the ages, we can look once again at the pivotal 70 Weeks Prophecy given to Daniel. The prophecy included a divine to-do list that would be accomplished by the end of the prophesied plan.
            “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy” (Dan. 9:24). You may recall that the prophecy correctly predicted the timing of Christ’s first coming and His being “cut-off” midweek at the crucifixion. The prophecy was paused as a result of Israel missing their visitation and rejecting Christ as the Son of God.
            Half of the to-do list was completed as a result of Jesus’ first coming, such as making reconciliation for iniquity (sin). The other half of the to-do list shall be completed by His second coming. When Israel sees Jesus coming again, they shall finally accept Jesus as the Messiah, thereby ending the apostasy and transgression of the Jews. With every enemy then underfoot and Hades cast into the Lake of Fire, everlasting righteousness shall come to the new heavenlies and the new earth. With all the biblical prophesies having come to pass, vision and prophecy shall be sealed up.

            The foundation of the heavenly City that descends to the new earth is laid out as a square pyramid, with each side of the base of equal length. It is a walled City with 12 gates guarded by 12 angels. Each of the four sides has three gates as foreshadowed in the encampment of the tribes around the tabernacle during the Exodus. Each gate is made from a singular pearl!
            The wall has 12 foundations, each bearing the name of one of Jesus’ 12 foundational disciples and each adorned with all kinds of precious stones—one type of gem for each foundation. Each base measures 12,000  furlongs. The wall measures 144 cubits in length, width, and height. The wall is made of jasper and the City is made of pure gold. It’s streets are also made of pure gold that looks like transparent glass.
            To get an idea of what this kind of structure looks like, we can either look to the plain of Giza in Egypt or to the back-side of the US one-dollar bill. In both cases, the capstone is not in place. The capstone (Jesus) of the Mountain of the Lord’s House will be in place when the City descends—for the Head and the Body are united as One. We still dwell in the House of the Lord forever and we still serve Him before the throne, for He  has the preeminence.
            End-Time Lesson: It is interesting to note that the pyramid pictured on the US dollar bill is a corrupted version of the monument. If you look closely at the capstone, it is not set in place. Plus it contains an eye—the eye of “enlightenment.” The Latin inscription at its base (nuvus ordo sectorium) reads “favored undertakings.” The design, like much of the architecture and design of the US capitol, comes from Freemasonry, which in itself is a corruption of the Gospel. Needless to say, the symbolism exalts humanism—doing it our way, doing it through politics.
            It is equally interesting to note that the US dollar bill says “In God We Trust.” Is this enough? James 2:19 explains “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”
            John 14:1 (emphasis added) speaks directly to our time, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” Why isn’t believing in God enough? “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). 
            1 John 4:2-4 brings it full circle. “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”  

       As the Revelation comes to a close, the One who sits on the throne then confirms to John what he is seeing. “And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes [death] shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death’ ” (Rev. 21:6-8).
       All those now on the new earth at that time are righteous because they are “in Christ.” Then an angel invites John to witness the culmination of the mystery of Christ, fully revealed in Rev. 21:9-11. The angel says that what the apostle will see is the Bride, the Lamb’s wife.
          This wording is significant because of what Paul teaches us in Eph. 5:30-32. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. He who is the way, the truth, and the life has made us one with Him. It is the mystery of Christ fully revealed (Eph. 3:1-6). 
            Acts 17:31 tells us how this happens. “He has appointed a Day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” The Man, Jesus, judges by virtue of overcoming death (resurrection). As a result of the rapture, we are complete in Him (Col. 2:9-10), ruling with Him as joint-heirs (Rom. 8:17). It is the Bridegroom and the Bride as one new Man.
            Surprisingly, what John sees isn’t a wedding ceremony—not yet anyway. Instead he sees the mountain of the Lord’s house, the great city, the holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God. His Bride is radiant, having the glory of God. The rest of the chapter gives the dimensions of the City, all of which have to do with the number 12 (symbolizing heavenly government) and the number 3 (the trinity).           
             End-Time Lesson: You may recall that His Bride is shown in the Revelation as an innumerable multitude. It is symbolized as the 144 thousands (plural). Here at the end of the Revelation we see again the significance of 12 times 12 = 144 in the design of this City.
            When God merges His Heaven with the new earth, the ruling court (the City) descends as well. This biblical truth brings down another high mountain in God’s end-time highway. This is when the Church comes down to the earth again at the end of the ages—not after the rapture.
            We rule from above during the last Day because we are completely conformed to Christ, including His holiness and glory. The mortals on earth could not bear being in the presence of such glory. But now that the unsaved have experienced the second death in the Lake of Fire and the earth has been made new, with no corruption in it, the Holy One and His holy City can come down to the new earth.
            This Mountain of the Lord’s House is described in Eph. 2:19-22. “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,  having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,  in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
            It is a remarkable moment, certainly a time of rejoicing like no other. It is time for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb to be celebrated (Rev. 19:9)! 

        The fact that the foundational apostles came to understand God’s prophetic plan of redemption across the great Week of 1,000-year Days is seen throughout the New Testament. The Apostle Paul’s summary of the rapture and the order of resurrection  in 1 Cor. 15 is just one example.
         Christ was resurrected on the third day after His crucifixion. His Body, the Church, shall be raised up as the last Day dawns. Everyone else shall be resurrected at the end of the last Day. This includes both those who have died during that time and those still alive at the end of Christ’s millennial reign. “For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.  For He has put all things under His feet”  (1 Cor. 15:25-27a).
           So what comes next? Paul tells us. “Then comes the end, when He [Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power” (1 Cor. 15:24).  Even though our Lord is the second person of the Godhead, He chooses to honor God the Father in all things.
           What has come to an end? God’s prophetic plan of redemption. It is the end of the ages set in motion at Creation. Six great Days were allotted to mankind’s work. The 7th Day was marked as the Lord’s Day, the Day of the Lord. We could even say it was marked as a Day of Restoration.
            So what happens at the end of the Days? Is there an 8th Day? Does a new prophetic Week start? No, there is a Perfect Day. A Day like no other. More on that to come. But here’s a hint. If you lay the numeral 8 on its side, you get the mathematical symbol for eternity (∞).
          End-Time Lesson: John is given a hint of what is to come in Rev. 21:1. “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” John doesn’t tell us how this happens specifically. But something has to change because our current earth and heavenlies are contaminated by sin. This is why Romans 8:22 says the earth is groaning. It is currently “laboring” with birth pains (tribulation) until the Body of Christ is birthed from death at the rapture and seated as the heavenly court.
            Jesus gave us a clue as to what happens to this present earth in Mt. 19:28.  “So Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’ ”
            Jesus is talking to His disciples, explaining the unique position they will have in the heavenly government because of their faith in Him. It happens at the regeneration. The Greek word used here is paliggensia, a compound word made from (palin), meaning new and (genesis), a generation or rebirth in nature. In other words, God restores or makes the world new again, as it was before the fall in Genesis. It’s like Earth 2.0!
           But that’s not the end of the story. Something just as miraculous happens. “ Then I, John, 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 heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away’ ” (Rev. 21:2-4).
            God merges the heavenly Mt. Zion, His throne room, and the heavenly Jerusalem with the new earth! What was foreshadowed by the earthly tabernacle and temple shall become a reality, for He now literally dwells with mankind on the earth. Those who have rejected Him have been judged and evil contained forever. All the people in this new regenerated earth are God’s children through Christ our Lord. There is no sin nor corruption in the new earth. God Himself declares, “Behold, I make all things new."

       In the Rev. 20:11-15 summary of the end of the last Day, we are told that books will be opened. The Book of Life determines which resurrection a person receives (of life or of condemnation). When a child is conceived, its name is written into the Book of Life. The person has until their last dying breath to receive Jesus as their Savior. If they have not done so, their name is removed from the Book of Life. They receive the resurrection of condemnation.
       Of course all those whose names are still in the Book of Life receive the resurrection of life. That is, living eternally with Christ and our Father God. Because we are resurrected or condemned by our choices, a child who has not come to the age of accountability is judged according to the Book of Life. This is why every child that is miscarried, born dead, or aborted automatically goes to Heaven and receives the resurrection of life at the end of the ages.
         END-TIME LESSON: The rest of the books that are opened are the records of each person’s life. For those who are in Christ, these are used to determine each person’s rewards in Heaven. You may recall that at the firstfruits resurrection of the Church at the rapture, we were judged as being “in Christ.” Each believer received their crown of life and their ruling rewards at Christ’s Bema Seat throne at the start of this last Day. All those who came to Christ afterwards, during the rest of the 1,000-year reign of Christ over the earth, shall receive their ruling rewards at the end of the last Day.
     You may recall that when Adam and Eve sinned, their disobedience brought death into the world. Therefore, any person who dies throughout the ages without having accepted Jesus as their Savior, are therefore still tainted and unholy because of sin. This includes those who have already died apart from Christ, who are already in Hades (Hell) to await this final judgment. Now separated from God, the Source of Life, this is called the first death.
        Those in Hades and as well as the unbelievers left at the end of the final Day shall likewise be judged. They shall receive their just “rewards” as well, only their works shall determine the level of condemnation, damnation, and torment they receive, just as with Satan.
       The summary passage also tells us that both Death and Hades will then be cast into the Lake of Fire, which is eternal damnation. This is called the second death. When all the unbelievers are cast into the Lake of Fire, they are separated eternally from the Source of Life. In effect, they “die” twice.