Scripture: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth (for the first heaven and the first earth has 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 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…” Rev 21:1-6a
Observation: John backs up the vision to the 50,000-foot level and describes the replacement of the Old with the New. He also leads with the Vision, the Idea, the Desire of the Most High from before Time Began— “…the dwelling place of God is with man.”
Analysis: There are a lot of thoughts here. “Oh, how can I analyze them; let me count the ways…”
At the beginning of the chapter, John writes: “I saw.” And then again, “I saw.” And then, “I heard.” And throughout John describes what he saw and heard—what he perceived. No imagination, nothing like that.
I don’t have that luxury. I read this and I must close my eyes and imagine. I must read and re-read until I put the picture all together. I must read other Scripture to assure that I have the most complete image possible that the Holy Spirit reveals to me.
And still I am going to get somethings wrong.
Why is that? Because this head on top of my shoulders is deficient; it is infected by my sin-nature. Most of that will be Pride—trying to know something that isn’t thoroughly knowable because it is eternal.
So, because I can’t know it, I should stop studying or even reading Revelation? Absolutely not! This prophecy was given to remember and hope.
The rocky place, as I see it, is that no matter what the new Heaven and the New Earth brings; whatever the description of the benefits that will accompany that Creation—I am bound to always remember that my hope on this side (the old Earth) is and must always be in the Cross, in the Atonement, in the Lamb given to take away the sin of the world.
Prayer: Lord, eternally You are done, and it is complete. Now I wait in this time-bound world to catch up with the Conclusion of all things. Is it fatalism? No—there is a certain amount of expectation for That Day that I have.
I ask that you stir up the embers of my heart to serve and make preparation to do as you wish me to do. I want to become a disciple. AMEN.