Revelation 21:1-6
1 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, the 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,
“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”
5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 Then 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 as a gift from the spring of the water of life.”
1 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.
In the beginning…God created everything that is, ex nihilo (from nothing). God made a beautiful garden in the world that God had made, and filled it with every kind of plant and animal, with fish in the waters and birds in the air. God created human beings and gave us stewardship over the garden. It was a place of perfect peace, where no harm could come to any living thing.
And then we reached too high, tried to be like God, and brought Sin into the garden. Since then, pain, suffering, cruelty, and death have permeated this world.
But God grieved over what had happened. God wanted to return us to that state of original innocence. So God, in Christ Jesus, came to live among us, to die for our salvation, and to be resurrected to bring us all into eternal life in him.
For a time, life continues for us broken people in this broken world. But now, we live in the Sure and Certain Promise of the Resurrection. In the fullness of time, Jesus will return to gather us to himself. On that day, God will usher in a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. That “New Jerusalem”, or New Eden, will return creation to its original state where all living things dwell together in perfect peace.
Prayer: God, Our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier: Thank you for staying with us and loving us through all our bad decisions and willful disobedience. Thank you, also, for the day when you will make all things new. AMEN