THURSDAY
Yesterday we saw the beginning of the story in Eden. This beginning reminds us that the suffering, evil and death we experience today wasn’t always here. This gives us hope that it will not always be this way either. This hope is assured in Jesus. We will revisit this assurance tomorrow, but for today let’s look at the end of the story, the destiny creation.
John writes the book of Revelation to seven churches who are either facing persecution or are threatened with persecution. So his purpose in writing to them is to reassure them of the supremacy of Christ, even over the emperor of Rome—the most powerful human on the planet at that time. He assures them of their final hope and assurance in Christ through an apocalyptic vision of heaven that God gave him.
Revelation 21:1–8 1 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. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
John then spends some time describing the dimensions of the New Jerusalem and the Temple.
Revelation 22:1–5 1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
In summary this vision describes a return to Eden. Let’s note a few things:
- It is God who is making all things new (v. 5) contra the secular utopian vision. Only God can do this. God calls us to serve him in our time on this earth. He calls us to participate in the kingdom and know it when we see it. We have the great joy and purpose of doing God’s will—pursing love, justice and peace. All the while we know that we will never fully accomplish this work apart from Jesus. Only by abiding in Jesus, through the power of the Spirit can we accomplish anything in ministry. Only upon the return of Jesus will what is wrong fully be made right.
- The first blessing of the new creation is the presence of God. “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.” This is the first and ultimate blessing in the inheritance of God’s people—God’s presence. “They will see his face.” (22:4) This is a picture of seeing the full glory of God, being fully in his presence. Hyperlink to the scene where Moses asks God to see his glory in Exodus 33-34. God shows him his “back.” God doesn’t really have a back, this is just phenomenological language to say that he didn’t reveal the fullness of his glory. The fullness of his glory is seen in his face. Moses spoke with God as one speaks with a friend face to face, but Moses didn’t see God’s face.
- The second blessing is the removal of the curse and the results of it. “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.” (21:4) We have access to the tree of life which is for the healing of the nations. (22:4) There is no more night (a picture of evil and lies) as God is the source of continuous light (goodness and truth). (22:5) What a beautiful picture.
- Next, is the inheritance of the people of God. (21:7; 22:5) In this return to Eden, God’s people will fully live as stewards of creation as intended in Genesis 1. More on this tomorrow from Romans 8.
- Finally, this destiny, again, is only for the people of God. “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (21:8) Non-Christian, there is urgency for believing in Jesus. Christian, there is urgency for sharing the good news of Jesus. This glorious inheritance and realized hope is only accessible through faith in Jesus. It is only for God’s people.
There is so much in here worth commenting on as John is hyperlinking us to so many other Scriptures. But I want you to just get this picture of the ultimate destiny of God’s people in your imagination. May it ever be before you.
Additional Content
C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity
Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth “thrown in.” Aim at earth and you will get neither. It seems a strange rule, but something like it can be seen at work in other matters. Health is a great blessing, but the moment you make health one of your main, direct objects you start becoming a crank and imagine there is something wrong with you. You are only likely to get healthy, provided you want other things more—wholesome food, games, work, fun, open air. In the same way, we shall never save civilization as long as civilization is our main object. We must learn to want something else even more.
Most of us find it very difficult to want “Heaven” at all—except when “Heaven” means meeting again our friends who have died. One reason for this difficulty is that we have not been trained. Our whole education tends to fix our minds on this world. Another reason is that when the real want for Heaven is present in us, we do not recognize it. Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise.
Reflection
Do you desire God more than anything else? Set your eyes on heaven, eternity in the presence of God. We must do this more and more as the darkness of our days increases.