Revelation 21:1-6 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. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 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 water without cost from the spring of the water of life…”
I read somewhere once that while God does not fulfill all of our wishes, God fulfills all of God’s promises. That’s what this passage says to me. The things I think are worth something here are like the wind - here one moment and gone the next. But He has promised a better world for us, one without fear, pain, anger, mourning, evil and death. That’s why I hope for heaven, because this life is not all we get. Jesus is preparing an extravagant future experience for us. A better future than we can ever imagine. I personally cannot wait! I love knowing that Jesus will not fix or repair this old creation but He will re-create everything. Brand new!
It is hard for me to believe that being in such proximity to God will not bring about a lot of tears, but they will be the happy kind, like the kind we get on “this side” hearing a baby laugh or seeing a beautiful bride or hearing a great joke or getting hugs from loved ones. It’s hard to imagine a place where there will be no tears caused by disappointment or grief or pain or hunger. What a beautiful picture here of God himself wiping those tears away forever.
This passage provides us hope in situations that seem hopeless. It shows us that as a Christian there is no reason to give up—no matter how difficult the situation is. The struggle will end in the victory of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are the body of Christ and therefore part of his struggle and victory.
And we will finally be able to enjoy the kind of intimate, fatherly relationship He’s desired to have with us all along.
Lord, thank you for re-creating us and offering us a place that is beautiful beyond our wildest dreams. Thank you for Hope and a future with You. And in the meantime, while we’re still on this earth, comfort us in the pain and sorrow we must endure. In Your Name, Amen.
Toni