Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 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 dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:1-8)
Reflecting on Christ’s Message to the Churches: What Kind of Church Are We Getting Inside Us? Revelation 21:1-8
We find this hope-filled message toward the end of John’s Revelation. John catches a vision of a new heaven and a new earth and the new Jerusalem. In this vision of reality in God’s kingdom, heaven and earth are combined as God intended in the beginning. A summarizing declaration of this kingdom reality is declared in a loud voice echoing from heaven’s throne: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.” God is now dwelling with His people, promising to wipe “every tear from their eyes.” On that day death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more. All these promises are certain, because God is, even now, “making all things new.” This One who sits on heaven’s throne is “the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.” Those who thirst will drink from “the water of life;” those who remain faithful to the end will know the heritage of being called children of God. The unfaithful will experience the second death, but those who “conquer” will overcome as Christ overcame and defeated sin and death.
· As you reflect on these great promises, how do they speak to you on this side of our Revelation study of the seven churches?
· Have you seen your own reflection in this study of the seven churches of Asia Minor? In what way?
· How can we press forward in faith, even through difficult times, clinging to the promise of this passage?