- [Narrator] The Most Mysterious Places in the Bible.
Number one, Tartarus.
In the Scriptures, four locations are described
as inhabited by wicked people after death,
along with disobedient angels and spirits.
These locations are described as being places of torment.
There is a location known as Tartarus,
and inside of it are chains
that hold certain angels in place
while they wait for the day of judgment.
In the entirety of the New Testament,
the word Tartarus is only mentioned
one time in its Greek form.
2 Peter 2:4 says,
"God did not spare angels when they sinned,
but sent them to Tartarus,
putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment."
In most translations into English,
the word Tartarus is rendered as hell or lowest hell.
Another place in the Bible
that talks about fallen angels in is Genesis 6:1-4.
According to Jude 1:6,
some angels abandoned their proper dwelling in the heavens.
As punishment for this heinous act,
God cast them into Tartarus,
where they are being kept in pits of gloom
until the time when they will be judged.
According to Luke 8:31,
the demon's greatest concern was being cast into Tartarus.
Peter's mention of Tartarus
is in the context of condemning false teachers.
Those who intentionally spread hearsay
within the church will one day find themselves in Tartarus,
just like the fallen angels who were responsible
for spreading sin.
And while they wait for the day of judgment,
they're held captive in the chains of Tartarus.
In the sacred texts,
there's a location referred to as Hades.
In Hebrew, this place is referred to as Sheol.
It's frequently translated as hell,
and it is also frequently translated as grave.
"For if God did not spare the angel who sinned
but cast them down to hell, Tartarus,
and delivered them into chains of darkness,
reserved for judgment,
and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah,
one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness,
bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly
and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes,
condemn them to destruction, making them an example
in those who afterward would live ungodly."
2 Peter 2:4-6.
This is the only New Testament use of the term.
It's a temporary place where certain fallen angels
who sinned are now confined.
It is possible that Tartarus is the same place as the abyss
or the pit.
It should not be understood as any place of judgment
for wicked humans.
Therefore, hell is an unfortunate translation.
Tartarus is the place where certain sinful angels
are presently kept bound.
This specific Greek word is only used once
in the New Testament.
Number two, new heaven.
The new heaven and the new earth.
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away
and there was no longer any sea."
Revelation 21:1.
In Revelation 20,
history as we know it is over at this point,
and John begins to describe
the eternal state in which believers will dwell.
Unbelievers will exist in an eternal state
that has already been described.
Believers will live in a new heaven and a new earth
because the first heaven
and the first earth will pass away.
Revelation 21:2-4, New American Standard Bible.
"And I 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 the throne saying,
'Behold, the tabernacle of God
is among the people and He will dwell among them,
and they shall be His people.
And God Himself will be among them,
and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,
and there will no longer be any death.
There will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain.
The first things have passed away.'"
Right now, Christ dwells in a heavenly city
with the souls of all believers who have died.
John 14:2-3, New American Standard Bible.
"In my Father's house are many rooms.
If that were not so, I would've told you
because I am going there to prepare a place for you,
and if I go and prepare a place for you,
I am coming again and will take you to myself
so that where I am, there you also will be."
During the millennium, God's people will live
and work on the earth we know now,
with their capital in Jerusalem,
but after God destroys and makes the earth new,
He's going to send that heavenly city
down out of heaven to the new people,
prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
That city will be known as the New Jerusalem
and will serve as the capital of the new creation.
And there in the midst of His new creation,
God will dwell and live with His people.
As we live alongside our creator,
all sadness, hurt, and disappointment will be gone.
The idea that God will make everything new
may appear too fantastic to be true,
but He claims that this promise is faithful and true.
His people will be completely satisfied
in the new creation which is symbolized here
by the metaphor of thirst being quenched
from the spring of life's water.
When you're thirsty, the refreshing satisfaction
of downing a cold glass of water
pales in comparison to the spectacular satisfaction
that awaits you.
Every saved person will live in the new creation,
but the Christian who is fully committed,
the one who conquers, will inherit an even greater reward
and God will dwell with him
with greater intimacy as a father does with his son.
Although believers will live throughout the new creation,
the angel directs John's attention
to the capital of the new earth.
This city will shine brighter than a cut diamond
because it will be adorned with God's glory.
Revelation 21:12-17, New American Standard Bible.
"It had a great and high wall with 12 gates,
and at the gates 12 angels and names
were written on the gates,
which are the names of the 12 tribes of the sons of Israel.
There were three gates on the east,
three gates on the north,
three gates on the south, and three gates on the west,
and the wall of the city had 12 foundation stones
and on them were the 12 names
of the 12 apostles of the Lamb.
The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod
to measure the city,
its gates, and its wall.
The city's laid out as a square
and its length is as great as the width,
and he measured the city with the rod.
12,000 stadia.
Its length, width, and height are equal.
And he measured its wall.
144 cubits by human measurements,
which are also angelic measurements."
The massive high wall of the city represents the identity
of its inhabitants.
The gates bear the names of Israel's 12 tribes' sons,
indicating the presence
of Old Testament Israel believers.
The city wall has 12 foundations,
each inscribed with the names
of the 12 apostles of the Lamb,
representing the believers
from the New Testament era's church.
This signifies the coexistence of the Lord's
Old and New Covenant followers in the new creation.
In the Book of Revelation,
an angel measures the holy city,
including its gates and walls, and reveals that it's a cube
of 12,000 stadia in length, width, and height.
To put this in perspective, a stadia is about 600 feet long,
which means that each dimension of the city
is approximately 1,400 miles long,
roughly half the distance between New York and Los Angeles.
The height of the city's particularly astounding,
as it rises to multiple stories
and is only the capital of God's new creation.
Additionally, the city's walls
are incredibly thick,
measuring 144 cubits, which is about 72 yards.
Revelation chapter 21:18-27.
"The material of the wall was jasper,
and the city was pure gold like clear glass.
The foundation stones of the city wall were decorated
with every kind of precious stone.
The first foundation stone was jasper, the second sapphire,
the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
the fifth sardonyx,
the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite,
the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz,
the 10th chrysoprase, the 11th jacinth,
the 12th amethyst.
And the 12 gates were 12 pearls.
Each one of the gates was a single pearl.
And the street of the city was pure gold,
like transparent glass.
I saw no temple in it,
for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple,
and the city has no need of the sun or of the moon
to shine on it,
for the glory of God has illuminated it,
and its lamp is the Lamb.
The nations will walk by its light
and the kings of the earth will bring their glory
into it in the daytime, for there will be no night there.
Its gates will never be closed and they will bring the glory
and the honor of the nations into it,
and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination
and lying shall ever come into it,
but only those whose names are written
in the Lamb's book of life."
The wall was made of jasper
and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.
The foundations of the city walls were decorated
with every kind of precious stone.
The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire,
the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx,
the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite,
the eighth beryl,
the ninth topaz, the 10th turquoise,
the 11th jacinth, and the 12th amethyst.
The 12 gates were 12 pearls,
each gate made of a single pearl.
The great street of the city was of gold
as pure as transparent glass.
Revelation 21:18-21.
"The wall will be constructed of jasper,
a translucent gemstone.
The city will be made entirely of gold.
The city's wall foundations are to be adorned
with every type of jewel.
The list is incomprehensible.
There will be no need for the sun or moon in the city
because the glory of God will illuminate it
and its lamp will be the Lamb."
Our sun is 93 million miles away,
but its power is enough to illuminate the earth.
God's presence, on the other hand,
can easily replace the sun
because the Lord possesses even greater power and radiance.
The fact that there will never be night there
implies that believers as glorified bodies
will never tire and need to sleep.
Furthermore, we will not become bored.
On the new earth,
nations and kings will function
in a national context,
bringing their glory and honor into the city.
Everyone will visit the New Jerusalem
as the pinnacle of their lives on the new earth.
And why not, given its magnificence?
While the invitation to dwell in the city is universal,
the requirement to enter are specific.
Nothing unclean will ever enter it,
nor will anyone who does what is detestable or false,
but only those whose names are written
in the Lamb's book of life, who have accepted Jesus
as their Savior by faith.
Number three, the throne room of God.
John's description of heaven serves as a reminder
that we worship a God of order and harmony,
not chaos and anarchy.
John paints a picture that is filled
with form, structure, harmony, precision, and dignity.
It is evident that God's actions never lead to chaos.
Revelation 4:1, Amplified Bible.
"After this, I looked and behold,
a door standing open in heaven
and the first voice which I had heard like the sound
of a war trumpet speaking with me, said,
"Come up here and I will show you what must take place
after these things."
At once I was in special communication with the Spirit,
and behold, a throne stood in heaven
with one seated on the throne,
and he who sat there appeared like the crystalline sparkle
of a jasper stone
and the fiery redness of a sardius stone.
And encircling the throne there was a rainbow
that looked like the color of an emerald."
Revelation 4:2-3.
Naturally, certain aspects of John's experience
of being in the Spirit were unique
and not repeatable since he was writing Holy Scripture,
but much of it is repeatable.
The description of God as having the appearance
of precious stones, jasper and cornelian, Revelation 4:3,
refers to His value and elegance.
The rainbow that surrounded the throne, Revelation 4:3,
hearkens back to Genesis 9:12-17,
where God designated the rainbow as a sign of His covenant
with Noah never to destroy the earth with a flood again.
Each time a rainbow appears in Scripture,
it is a reminder of God's faithfulness.
Surrounding the throne were 24 other thrones,
and seated on them were 24 elders.
They were dressed in white
and had crowns of gold on their heads.
Revelation 4:5-7, Amplified Bible.
"From the throne came flashes of lightning
and rumbling sounds and peals of thunder.
Seven lamps of fire were burning in front of the throne,
which are the seven spirits of God,
and in front of the throne there was something
like a sea or large expanse of glass
like the clearest crystal.
In the center and around the throne
were four living creatures who were full of eyes
in front and behind,
seeing everything and knowing everything
that is around them.
The first living creature was like a lion,
the second creature like a calf or ox.
The third creature had the face of a man,
and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle."
Flashes of lightning and peals of thunder
depict the power and majesty of God.
The four living creatures hearken back
to awesome angelic beings described in Ezekiel 1
and Isaiah 6.
Like the angels in Ezekiel 1:5-11,
they have appearances like a lion,
an ox, a man, and an eagle,
as well as eyes facing multiple directions.
Revelation 4:8-11, Amplified Bible.
"And the four living creatures,
each one of them having six wings,
are full of eyes all over and within,
underneath their wings.
And day and night, they never stop saying,
'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God the Almighty,
the omnipotent, the ruler of all,
who was and who is and who is to come,
the unchanging eternal God.'"
Whenever the living creatures give glory
and honor and thanksgiving to Him who sits on the throne,
to Him who lives forever and ever,
the 24 elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne
and they worship Him who lives forever and ever
and they throw down their crowns
before the throne, saying, "Worthy, are You,
our Lord and God to receive the glory and the honor
and the power,
for You created all things
and because of Your will they exist
and were created and brought into being."
The concept of God as the creator
is established at the beginning.
This lays the foundation for the following chapters
in which God is depicted as intervening in creation
and fixing the damage caused by sin.
This leads up to chapter five
where the introduction of Jesus Christ takes place.