Lesson 11: Be Courageous (1)
Read Revelation 21:9-27 - https://www.bible.com/bible/59/rev.21

Everywhere we look today we see reasons to be unsettled. Our countries are in upheaval, our families are falling apart, our churches are dying, education is failing, and the specter of war is not as far-fetched as it used to be. Financial security systems we have always believed in are all but gone. Older people, who know they can no longer get jobs to support themselves, fear for their very lives. Young people, who see their dreams for their futures dissipating like fog in the morning sun, believe there is nothing left to live for. The old grasp for whatever they can get, and the young grasp for entertainment or escapism so they don't have to think about their futures. We are a people without hope. We have, for too long, attached our hope to something that could never satisfy in the end. We need to find a permanent and true source of hope which cannot be changed by an election or terrorist attack or even death.

We mentioned hope in other lessons and suggested looking at the "back of the book" is a way of getting this hope for ourselves. Where can I find courage to go on? Let us go to the back of the book, the Bible, and see what it says.

The back of the book is Revelation. Let us start with chapter 21 where we are told about a new heaven and a new earth. There is also a "New Jerusalem." We will also find a description of the city. For now, let us just keep looking here. We talked about the Jewish culture being rich in symbolism – look at the symbolism here. We have a "bride adorned for her husband" as well as God dwelling with mankind. We have God wiping away every tear and the elimination of all death, sorrow, and crying. There is no more pain. God says everything is done, it is finished. What incredible pictures those words paint for us of a splendid future.


Now the description of the new city – our home. Everything about her is light. There are great, high walls and 12 gates, each gate made of a single great pearl. There are 12 foundations to the city. We are given the dimensions of the city – nearly 1400 miles long, 1400 miles wide, and 1400 miles tall, making this city over two billion cubic miles. The wall is made of jasper (diamond), and the streets are paved with pure gold, as translucent as everything else about this city so the light of God shines through it without casting a single shadow. The foundations of the city are formed of 12 different precious stones: jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, and amethyst. The colors here are extraordinary – gold and diamonds we understand, sapphire blue, sky blue, emerald green, sardonyx is a red and white, sardius ranges from orange to red, chrysolite is yellow, beryl ranges from yellow-green to aquamarine, topaz is usually yellow or yellow-green, chrysoprase is apple green, jacinth is one of the darker shades of red, and amethyst is purple.

Now note this is the last of the actual description of this city. We are only told about the streets and the walls. But oh what a picture we are painted! If Jesus has prepared such a place for us (see John 14) and all we are told about now are the streets and the walls, how much more glorious will the rest of the city actually be!?

*Why are walls important, either in a positive or negative way?
We will look at more in the next lesson.