New Heaven and Earth

Revelation 21:1-8

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.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned 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 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.  The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.  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.

Genesis 1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

The Creator is the only real authority.  The same God who created the earth and the heavens also created you and me.  He alone is capable of determining when the earth and heavens will be extinguished, despite the global warming and climate control authorities’ intended message.  Also, recognize the statement “the sea was no more.”  In this context, John is not referring to the sea as a body of water, but rather the place where the “beast” came up from.  Refer back to Revelations 13:1 – “Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads…”.  

John’s vision here is a new Jerusalem, prepared to be the dwelling place of God with man.  This is going to be our eternal resting place with God amongst us.  Being in His presence forever and ever more will be the reward.  This new realm will be the perfection of God, without fear, suffering, death, mourning, crying, or pain.  Those things that resulted from the evil in our world will not exist in this new world.  God’s love will be overwhelming at all times.

Because God is the Alpha and the Omega (beginning and the end), He alone controls all things.  Life, death, and eternity are within his purview and authority.  He was there when you were created, He was there when you were afraid, He was there when you did that stupid thing, He was there when you were angry, He was there when you were sad and felt lost, He was there when you fell in love, He was at the wedding, He was at the childbirth, He was at the job interview, He was at the funeral when you’re best friend died, He was even there when you hated Him for that season.  You see, He never left your side.  He knows all that you have been through, and He has been through it with you.  God is omnipotent, sovereign, and ever-present, there is nowhere you can go and nothing you can do without His knowing.  Read Psalm 139 and reflect on the fact that God knows you completely.

In Revelation 20 we saw God’s eternal judgment poured out upon those who continued to deny and reject Him.  John refers to them again here: the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, liars, and the like will be cast into the lake of fire.  Having died once physically, this death (second death) is eternal.  There will be no opportunity for them to repent and come back from the bottomless pit to join us in the new realm with God the Father.  Eternally, they will be separated.

Let’s reflect for a moment on those who have passed away with faith and belief in Jesus Christ.  We are comforted to know that they are no longer in pain, no suffering, no tears, no fear, no torment, or worry.  This is warming to the very heart of those of us still here.  We long for them, for their voice, their hug, their laughter, their love, their smile, and their presence, but we know they are in a much better place.  We trust that we will one day stand side by side with them and our Creator again in this new world.  This is hope.  This is our longing and our expectation, because we are promised by the Creator.  

If those you love and cherish do not have a faith or belief in Jesus Christ, there is an eternal fate for them, but it will be separated from you and the Father.  Please take seriously every opportunity to share the truth and the gospel with them.  If you love them at all, you want nothing but the eternal best for them.  You may feel it is not your business, but you are wrong.  Yes, it is a private decision that every person must make, and God gives each of us the free will to make it. However, you have the opportunity to share your decision and ensure they have the full story to make an informed decision themselves.  Don’t let another day go by; do something for the ones you love today.