“Our Risen Savior Gives Us a Heavenly Home”
(Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23 – Easter 6 – May 25, 2025)
Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23 – 10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 12Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 14Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb…. 22But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
Dear Redeemed in our risen and reigning Savior, Jesus Christ:
“Mom, what will heaven be like?” a child asks. “Oh, it will be the best place ever, where we will get to live with Jesus. Everything will be perfect, and we will all be happy forever.” How many of us parents have answered that question in a similar way?
Thankfully our answer does not depend on wishful thinking. God’s Word tells us all we need to know for now about what heaven will be like. Most importantly, it tells us the way to heaven, through faith in Jesus who came to win a place for us in heaven. Jesus died on the cross to take away all our sins, and He rose again to give His gift of eternal life to all who believe. Then He ascended to heaven to prepare a place for us with the promise that He will take us to live with Him there (John 14:2-6).
“Our Risen Savior Gives Us a Heavenly Home.” Our text invites to 1) Enter through its gates, to 2) Build on its foundation, and to 3) Worship in its glory.
1) Enter through its gates
Heaven’s magnificence and beauty is far above earthly description. This is why it must be pictured symbolically, using earthly images to describe things far greater than we have seen. Here the apostle John is given a vision in which he says an angel “carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (vs. 10-11).
In the Old Testament, believers related to “holy Jerusalem.” It was holy because of God’s presence in the temple, where they gathered to worship Him. But this “holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” is a picture of the Church Triumphant, with all true believers in Christ finally gathered in His heavenly presence (vs. 1-3).
This is what the angel just told John in verse 9: “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” Scripture speaks of the Church as Jesus’ Bride. He is the heavenly Bridegroom, who was slain like a Lamb to take away our sins and save us as His Bride. John is seeing a picture of what it will be like when we all appear with our Savior, like a Bride happily united with her Bridegroom. In His heavenly home, Jesus’ glory will shine through His Church in a way that is described by comparing it to a brilliant light shining through “a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” In heaven, we will share in Jesus’ resplendent glory forever and ever.
In his vision, John sees more details of the heavenly Jerusalem: “Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west” (vs. 12-13). This reminds us how vital it is to enter the heavenly city through her gates. We may enter God’s glorious presence only the way He provides.
Later it says in verse 27: “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.” God alone sets the standard for entering His holy presence. His Word says: “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). It says: “Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). Just one impure thought, word, or deed would disqualify us from heaven.
The angels stationed at each of the twelve gates remind us of this. Remember what happened when Adam and Eve stumbled in just one point and broke God’s command? They severed their perfect fellowship with God in Paradise. God drove them out of Eden and placed angels to guard the way, so sinners could not eat of the tree of life and live forever (Genesis 3:24). There is no place for sin in God’s Holy presence in heaven.
Yet the picture of the heavenly city shows perfect fellowship with God restored. For on the gates were “names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” The people of Israel were sinners like us. Yet as promised, God sent a Savior among them. Christ came as the Lamb slain for the sins of all, Jews and Gentiles, to make us holy in God’s sight and restore us to perfect fellowship with Him. All believers in Jesus are the true Israel by faith “and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29; Romans chs. 4, 9-11).
By faith we are members of Christ’s Church, receiving all His blessings of salvation. As our heavenly Bridegroom, Ephesians 5:25-27 says: “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” Our risen Savior has washed us in Baptism, cleansed away all our sins and clothed us in His holiness. So we can enter the heavenly city and God’s glorious presence because in Christ we are “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (vs. 2).
2) Build on its foundation
As we enter through the gates of the heavenly city through faith in Christ, we also see how important it is to build on its foundation – the foundation Christ gives.
In his vision John says: “Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (vs. 14). Ephesians 2:19-20 says that as members of God’s household by faith, we are “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.”
“The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.” The gates of hell cannot prevail against our rock-solid foundation (Matthew 16:18). Christ’s apostles and prophets were inspired by the Holy Spirit to record His saving truth (2 Timothy 3:15-16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). The fact that His holy writers are named on the foundations of the heavenly city shows how important His Word is for our spiritual and eternal security. If you remove the Word Christ gave through His holy writers, you remove the substance of our faith and our connection to Christ the one foundation.
This is why we must take great care not to build on the crumbly spiritual foundations of this world. It is popular to treat differences in teachings as unimportant. People say, “Can’t we all just express faith together as one Church? Can’t we agree to disagree in minor points?” But this is man-made unity, not the unity God’s Spirit gives as we faithfully confess His whole truth together (Ephesians 4:3-5, 13-15; 1 Corinthians 1:10). False teachings are never from Christ. They are from Satan, whose goal is to erode the foundation of our faith even if it takes years of introducing “little” changes in teaching.
In heaven, there will be no such concerns. The heavenly city with its “great and high wall” resting on that unshakeable foundation shows that we will be surrounded by God’s everlasting protection from all evil. There, all believers in Christ will finally be gathered safe and sound in perfect fellowship, in the Church Triumphant forever.
But in this world, we must take care. Think of building your own house. While laying the foundation, who would say: “Let’s not be so concerned about the materials we use. Let’s just throw sand here and there to support the walls. It won’t make any difference.” That would be foolish. As Jesus pictured in His parable, such a house will end up falling (Matthew 7:26-27).
As Christ’s Church, we want to be faithful. As our heavenly Bridegroom, He loved us and gave His life to save us. So as His Bride, we want nothing to come between us; we do not want to unite with anything false and evil. We want to speak His truth in love and build on the rock-solid foundation He gives us in His pure Word and Sacraments.
3) Worship in its glory
As we enter the gates of the holy city by faith in Christ, and build on the foundation of His Word, finally we look forward to worshiping Him in heaven’s glory. Here John pictures that glory: “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light” (vs. 22-23).
In the Old Jerusalem, the temple was where believers sacrificed and worshiped, and God brought His saving grace to sinners in the name of the coming Christ. In the New Testament Church, our risen Savior brings us His saving grace in Word and Sacrament. But in the heavenly city, there is no need for a worship structure or means of grace. For there, we will have direct communion with “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb.” We will experience the constant, unending thrill of worship in His glorious presence.
Already, Jesus lights our way by the truth of His salvation (John 8:12). Already, we see Him through the eyes of faith. But in heaven, faith will be changed to perfect sight. “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). And “when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).
Our risen and ascended Savior fills heaven with His glory. And with heavenly bodies, we will reflect His glory. Already this is how God sees us, whose robes are washed white in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14). But in heaven, gathered around His throne, we will shine in His resplendent glory, like a brilliant light shining through the many facets of a precious jewel, “clear as crystal.” And in perfect worship, “with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven,” we will sing His praises forevermore.
“What will heaven be like?” What a blessing it is that we can answer from God’s Word. Our risen Savior is preparing a heavenly home for us. Never again will there be any sickness or pain, death or sorrow, but endless life and happiness in His presence. Imagine the joy of a Bride united with her Bridegroom, multiplied infinitely. Heaven is all we have dreamed of and hoped for. Therefore we pray with the hymn:
O sweet and blessed country, The home of God’s elect!
O sweet and blessed country That eager hearts expect!
Jesus, in mercy bring us To that dear land of rest,
Who art, with God the Father And Spirit, ever blest.
Amen.