Friday
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. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
(Revelations 21:1-5, NIV)
The Book of Revelations was written by the Apostle John as a word of encouragement to the early church as it entered a time of persecution. John, who was exiled on the island of Patmos, recorded his apocalyptic visions by using highly symbolic language and images. In his effort to encourage Christians to resist worship of Roman emperors, he tells his readers that in the final battle between God and Satan, God will be victorious and his people will enjoy eternity with him in a restored creation. Although persecution – even death – awaited many of them, John tells them their sacrifice would not be in vain.
The last several chapters of Revelation (chapters 19-22) include the return of Christ, the judgment against the defeated Satan, and the grand vision of a new heaven, a new earth and a new Jerusalem. Today’s verses remind us of Peter’s words concerning God’s promise of a “new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (II Peter 3:13), as well as Isaiah’s prophecy (66:22). The promise is clear: What God originally created in the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve’s sin subsequently distorted, will be restored when Christ returns. The concept of redemption must be understood in its full Biblical sense. God’s strategy of reconciling creation through his Son, Jesus Christ, involves the restoration of the physical world as well as the redemption of his people.
God has promised to re-create a new heaven and a new earth. He has promised not to annihilate the physical creation, but to redo it as he originally intended it to be. Shalom with nature will once again by fully restored. God’s care for us and for our physical surroundings and for fish, birds and animals will be abundantly evident in this restoration. Christians have a great future ahead of them because of God’s love for his “cosmos,” as John tells us in his Gospel (3:16).
Prayer
God of creation, we rejoice in John’s message that you are victorious over Satan and that we can look forward to eternal life with you. Thank you for your promise of a new heaven and a new earth. We look forward to the day when creation will be restored in perfection. Give us a vision to be agents of your love for our world right now, to your glory. Amen.