May 15, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Revelation? Here’s today’s reading:
Revelation 21 (NIV)
A New Heaven and a New Earth
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!..........Continue Reading
Friends, Revelation 21 is the new beginning for God’s saints. Everything “scrambled and messed up” in Genesis 3 is made right. Genesis 3:15 fulfilled on the cross. The end result is chap. 21.
Christ’s marriage supper, God dwells with us, and we all together forever. Death, hell, devil, sorrow, tears, all wiped away. Isaiah 25:8.
It is for this invisible, untouchable, incomprehensible promise and hope of the future we all seek as Christians, to live eternally with God, as God foreordained before the world began. My accountability brother says, we ought to compel the lost to Christ, not with mean-spirited threats of eternal hell fire and damnation, but with tearful pleading to consider Jesus as Lord, to live joyfully forever in Paradise. So often, I loose, and have lost sight of this approach. I can do better.
Peace, gordy
Revelation 20
Revelations 21 the New Jerusalem
There will be a new heaven and a new earth. It reads that the first heaven and the first earth will be passed away. That there will not be any more sea. I never saw this before. Does this mean that there will not be anymore water bodies on earth/ Is this somehow tied in with Rev. 16 ;20 [ And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.] We do know that there will come forth springs of living water from the throne. Then John sees the holy city , new Jerusalem, come down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride. God will now dwell with men. He will wipe away all tears. He says it is done. The walls of the city were garnished with many precious stones. The street is pure gold like transparent glass. But there is no temple for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple. They were the light of the city. Only those that are written in the Lamb`s book of life can enter into the city. Can you imagine walking into this holy place/ What a glory to behold. This made me think of the great hymn [ Out of the Ivory Palaces ] sung by George Beverly Shea. To think that God came down to earth to be born a helpless baby and to die for us because He loves us so much. And that we will spend eternality with Him.
When we are perplexed by life’s difficulties, we must remember the hope we have in Christ Jesus:
God will dwell among us.
He will wipe every tear from our eyes.
There will be no death, crying, or pain.
The Holy City will shine by the glory of God; its brilliance will be like that of a very precious jewel.
And nothing impure, shameful, or deceitful will ever enter it…Praise God!
The new heaven and the new earth. The redemption and restoration after such a time of wrath and destruction. I love when the city is shown to John there is no temple because there is no need for a temple because the city itself is God and His presence no distractions just worship and peace. The very thought of spending eternity like that makes any trial here on earth seem easy to endure.
Yeah, Dennis, 20:11 says simply, the earth and heaven fled away, without a place for them to go as it were. Quick statement to pass over, but has big BIG implications! 21:1 is everything made new. The entire physical existence is new. Think Peter said the natural world dissolves in fervent heat. I know Lord God told Noah, the world will not be destroyed by a flood again.
So this is where I see time ending. 21 & 22 new beginnings!
Curious, no seas? Why?
Revelation 21
What an incredible chapter revealing the power, care, orchestration and creativity of God! We are struck from the beginning and our imaginations wonder what a new heaven and earth will be like. Every facet of creation will be new but similar if the old heaven and earth are the reference point. There may be no more sea because the sea is often associated with chaos and danger. The beast also came out of the sea and the prostitute was associated with many waters. But mostly because it is no longer necessary. In the same way we are told there will be no sun or moon because they are not necessary, all the functions the sea takes care of in managing the earth (and there is a lot) will be taken care of by God. And the glory of a new creation is great, but God living with people is even better! And the earth is not only new, but our hearts, perspective, whatever would cause us to cry will be resolved and the way things have worked in this evil world will be changed.
And who is the One who is able to do such things! The One who has had in His hand and in His plan from the get go! And we certainly want to be the ones who are included here! And one of the more compelling questions in this chapter is why and how is the bride of Christ associated with the city? The city is the bride. Is it just that we live there? That the significance of Jerusalem was always about the people in it from God’s perspective? And if anyone needed to be convinced that God likes to make things beautiful and likes to put on a show, we se it here. What an absolutely glorious and beautiful city this is! (Beautiful like a bride, yes?) The length, width and height of the city is as far as Providence to Miami (it is huge!). The thickness of the wall is about 3 Living Hopes (in reference to the length of our building). And everything that would communicate wealth and beauty are the resources used in her construction. And the city will be everything God intended: a city of relationship, purity, safety and riches! It is compelling to think what it means that the glory of the nations will be brought into her….imagine if heaven was a lot like living here on earth, even with governments and nations, just with no sin and no lack and far greater capacity to experience life… You could make an argument that that is what you see here..but whatever it is, it will be beyond wonderful…more than we could ask, or think or imagine!
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
I couldn’t help but think of people, even Christians, who rationalize certain behavior and beliefs. We tolerate other religions and defend their practice, but that is idolatry. We tolerate differing sexual preferences, but telling people that they are okay with God is dooming them to a terrible end. We see what happened to Babylon. The solution is, of course, to call people to repentance and to trust and believe in Jesus. We must also stand for truth and righteousness.
“And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
I wonder what John thought when he saw his name; what an honor, and blessing.
“And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
No need for any supplemental lighting by day or by night. There will be no night.