The text: Revelation 21:10 [+/-]Revelation 21:10 [10]And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, (ESV)
, Revelation 21:22-27 [+/-]Revelation 21:22-27 [22]And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. [23]And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. [24]By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, [25]and its gates will never be shut by day--and there will be no night there. [26]They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. [27]But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. (ESV)
, Revelation 22:1-5 [+/-]Revelation 22:1-5 [22:1]Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb [2]through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. [3]No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. [4]They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. [5]And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. (ESV)

21:10 And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.
21:22 I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
21:23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
21:24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
21:25 Its gates will never be shut by day–and there will be no night there.
21:26 People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.
21:27 But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
22:2 through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
22:3 Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him;
22:4 they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
22:5 And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

We look again today at the church, through the symbolic language of the Book of Revelation.

1. The church’s place is a holy place, and a heavenly place

2. It is God’s own place (v. 22): no lesser lights are needed (v. 21:23; cf. Jeremiah 31:34 [+/-]Jeremiah 31:34 [34]And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (ESV)
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3. It is an international place (v. 24)

4. It is an open place (v. 25)

5. It is an inclusive place (v. 26)

6. It is an exclusive place (v. 27)

7. It is a life-giving place (vv. 22:1-2a) (compare Ezekiel 47 [+/-]Ezekiel 47 [47:1]Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. [2]Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side. [3]Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. [4]Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee- deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. [5]Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. [6]And he said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then he led me back to the bank of the river. [7]As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other. [8]And he said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. [9]And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. [10]Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. [11]But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. [12]And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing." [13]Thus says the Lord GOD: "This is the boundary by which you shall divide the land for inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions. [14]And you shall divide equally what I swore to give to your fathers. This land shall fall to you as your inheritance. [15]"This shall be the boundary of the land: On the north side, from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon to Lebo- hamath, and on to Zedad, [16]Berothah, Sibraim (which lies on the border between Damascus and Hamath), as far as Hazer- hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. [17]So the boundary shall run from the sea to Hazar-enan, which is on the northern border of Damascus, with the border of Hamath to the north. This shall be the north side. [18]"On the east side, the boundary shall run between Hauran and Damascus; along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; to the eastern sea and as far as Tamar. This shall be the east side. [19]"On the south side, it shall run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah-kadesh, from there along the Brook of Egypt to the Great Sea. This shall be the south side. [20]"On the west side, the Great Sea shall be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This shall be the west side. [21]"So you shall divide this land among you according to the tribes of Israel. [22]You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the sojourners who reside among you and have had children among you. They shall be to you as native-born children of Israel. With you they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. [23]In whatever tribe the sojourner resides, there you shall assign him his inheritance, declares the Lord GOD. (ESV)
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8. It is a healing place. (2b)

9. It is a place of worship (vv.3, 4)

10. It is a place light (v. 5; also 21:22)

11. It is a place of constant victory (v. 5).