November 30, 2023 | Be On Mission
The New Jerusalem
Scripture: Revelation 21(NIV)
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! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 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 water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick.18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Devotional
Jesus wins! In the end, He will take His people to be with Him for all of eternity in heaven. Again, the imagery of a wedding is front and center. In my years of ministry, I have officiated at hundreds of weddings. In every one of them, the preparations months ahead are only exceeded by the pageantry of the day. The bridesmaids hold bouquets of flowers and the groomsmen stand at attention, as bookends encasing the groom. Together with the gathered family and friends, all rise as the bride enters center aisle, arriving at the side of her husband-to-be. This is the picture of the church, beautifully adorned for Jesus.
The church is also symbolized by “the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God” (v. 2, 10). As with the wedding imagery, the heavenly city is nothing if not ornate. In this picture of heaven, precious jewels, metals, and stones are mere building and paving material. In this heavenly Jerusalem, God with His Son Jesus ARE the temple!
No more thirst.
No more crying, pain or darkness.
No more impurity, shame or deceit.
No more immorality, idolatry, or unbelief.
No more death.
This eternity with Jesus awaits you if your name appears in His book of life! In John 10:10 Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Will you receive His gift of eternal life right now? If you are ready, pray this prayer:
“Dear Jesus, I trust in you. I believe that you died on the cross as a punishment for my sins. I am sorry. Please forgive me. I repent of my sins and turn my life over to you. Help me to live fully for you. I want to live eternally with you in heaven. And I want to live right now on earth, as it is in heaven. Holy Spirit, enter my life and enable me to live that way. Amen.”
Poem
Creation Recreated
Creation’s labor groans will cease
A new birth! Glad rejoicing!
The crowning head we all will see
Creation recreated!
O day of Joy! O day of Love!
The Resurrected Glory!
Comes pouring forth! New bodies all!
Creation recreated!
