DAY ONE HUNDRED:
The New Jerusalem
We made it! Day 100, the last day of our 100 Essential Bible Passages Study. I've enjoyed these past 20 weeks and appreciate all of your interaction.
"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.'" God will dwell with man on the new earth! This unites heaven and earth into one. We will have the same access to God, the same fellowship that Adam and Eve enjoyed before they threw it away. God will comfort us and abolish all suffering so thoroughly that we won't remember the trials and the pains of this life.
"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.' 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.'" It is done! This is in the perfect tense- it's done once and for all, nothing remains to be finished. When Jesus said "It is finished" from the cross, that too is in the perfect tense. Jesus broke the power of sin and death and opened the way for us to be children of God. The fruit of this victory, the advance of the Kingdom of God, has been slow and many have suffered for the faith. And even though the battle was won on Calvary, pain and suffering and death are still part of the human condition. Paul wrote, "For he [Christ] must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death." We saw yesterday how death and hades were thrown into the lake of fire. That last enemy will be destroyed and there will be no more death. We will drink of the water of life without limit!
But the return of Christ isn't all sweetness and light: "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." Jesus came to call sinners to repentance. He offers freely to us the gift of salvation. Those who refuse, who insist on living sinful lifestyles, have a place in the lake of fire. C. S. Lewis wrote, "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done. All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened."
An angel then took John on a tour of the New Jerusalem. It is a large city, 12,000 stadia figures out to about 170 miles for each of its four sides. The wall is over 200 feet tall, and made of jasper. The foundation is made of all kinds of precious stones. There are twelve gates, each made from a single pearl. The city itself was made of pure gold, transparent like glass. There's no temple. None is needed because Jesus paid for our sins once and for all, and there is no need for sacrifice. The glory of the Lord lights the city day and night. I can picture John trying to describe all that he saw with mere words. I'm sure this is a very pale description of the reality of the New Jerusalem. I can't wait to see it for myself!
"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever." The sparkling water of life flows from its source, God Himself, and satisfies the thirsty soul. The tree of life, which Adam and Eve forsook in favor of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, is there for everyone to taste of its fruit. What a glorious future we have!
"And he said to me, 'These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.'" Jesus said, "I am coming soon." It's been nearly 2,000 years and He still hasn't come. That doesn't sound very soon to me. Peter addressed this issue: "But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (2 Peter 3:8-9) We should always be ready for Jesus to return, but we must also do the work He has for us while we're on earth. Martin Luther was asked what he would do if he knew for sure that Jesus would come back tomorrow. He replied, "I would plant a tree today." In Luke's version of the Parable of the Talents the master says to his servants "Engage in business until I come." (Luke 19:13) Our Master has entrusted time, talents and treasures to use while we're here on earth to advance His Kingdom.
John fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who escorted him through the city. The angel stopped him and told him to get up. "I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God." Then the angel said to John, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near." I have to believe that the Book of Revelation was meaningful to the people who first read it, that it wasn't a book of strange prophecies that will be understood in the future. The persecution of Christians was just warming up. Over 300,000 Christians died from the death of Stephen to 313 AD, when Emperor Constantine put an end to the persecution. Many more suffered torture, imprisonment and exile. When the Council of Nicea met there was hardly a man there who wasn't missing an eye or a limb or was otherwise maimed. The message of this book encouraged them to endure and to overcome. It does the same for us today as well.
"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price." When I read this passage I remember my oldest daughter retelling the story of the man who threw a banquet and the invited guests didn't come. She kept repeating what the servants said to the guests, "Come, for all is now ready." That's a good word for us today. Come, for all is now ready. Come to the Lord while the door is open!
"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book." We must be careful of how we handle Scripture. It is God's Word, and we have no right to add to or take from it. We have a natural tendency toward a "canon within the canon," certain passages that we like better than others. We must look at what Paul called "the whole counsel of God." (Acts 20:27)
"He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" The word amen is the most common word in the world. With the spread of Christianity it's in virtually every language. The Hebrew word means that what was just said is true. It means yes, may it be so. Yes, come, Lord Jesus!
"The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen." These are the last words in the Bible. This puts a period on God's revelation to us. This study, by necessity, has skipped a lot of wonderful content in God's Word. It was meant as a survey, an overview of God's dealings with us and His words to us. It was designed to give you the whole context of the Bible from start to finish so that you can read what's in the middle and tie it in to God's plan for the ages. Keep reading! You'll find lots of treasures and hidden riches that will bless you and help you.
I've been wondering what, if anything, we should do in the future with an online Bible study. I'd like your opinions and what you'd like to see and participate in. Leave a comment or send me an email.
I wondered what I should choose for the last song. When I heard Phil Wickham's Heaven Song the decision was made. Listen and read the words. Let them instill in you a joyful excitement about our heavenly home.
No comments:
Post a Comment