November 24, 2020
A Promise to Cling To
Revelation 21:1–8
Brett Bruster
Central Truth
The new heaven and new earth are coming. Our suffering is temporary. Therefore, "[l]et us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23)
Key Verse | Revelation 21:4
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.
Revelation 21:1–8
The New Heaven and the 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 the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place 1 21:3 Or tabernacle of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, 2 21:3 Some manuscripts peoples and God himself will be with them as their God. 3 21:3 Some manuscripts omit as their God 4 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.”
5 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.” 6 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. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 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.”
Dive Deeper | Revelation 21:1–8
Revelation 21:1-8 has become one of my favorite passages in Scripture. In the very first verse, John is communicating the vision of the renewed creation that God has promised to bring about. Fascinatingly, John tells us that "the sea was no more." In the ancient world, the sea was a traditional symbol for the forces of chaos and evil. (Note in Revelation 13:1 that the beast is "rising out of the sea.") John is being shown that in the new creation, the future home of those who trust in Christ, there will be no chaos, evil, or death. All that is broken will be gone forever. What a comfort for all who have experienced the destructive effects that sin has brought on us and the world!
Further, John sees that God's ultimate purpose, consistently communicated throughout Scripture, will finally be completely fulfilled: God will live in our very midst. He will live with us, and we will be His people. We will live in a world of love and mutual self-giving as it was always meant to be. No more pain, no more disease, no more hatred, no more death. The utopia that mankind has always dreamed of but never come close to achieving will finally exist, and it will never again be marred by chaos, suffering, and death.
I once lived in the midst of my own self-inflicted chaos. Rebellion toward God led me to a point where I felt as if I couldn't go on. I saw no hope. Everything was coming apart. At the lowest point of my life, God appeared to me in a dream. I was on a ship at sea (in the midst of chaos). A storm was destroying me. God said, "You are right, Brett. The storm is destroying you. And YOU are the storm!" At that moment, I surrendered everything to Christ. Christ came to still the storm.
Have you experienced His peace? I pray you will. And when you do, know that it is only a taste of what is to come—everlasting life as it was meant to be!
Discussion Questions
1. Do you spend more time thinking/complaining about the difficulties of life or contemplating what God has in store for those who trust Him? (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)
2. How does meditating on God's eternal desire to live with you (Revelation 21:3) affect your daily decisions?
3. Does God's promise to wipe away your tears and remove your sadness and pain change the way you see Him?
4. Who in your circle of contacts needs to hear what God is really like? Will you help them see how much God really loves them?