New Jerusalem

 Having fully dealt with sin and the forces of evil, Revelation gives us the famous, and beautiful picture of the new Jerusalem. As you read, pay careful attention to the details of the new Jerusalem. What promises about eternity to you notice in this text? What does this tell you about God’s plan for His people and His creation?

 STUDY THE SCRIPTURE

Click here to access the reading from Revelation 21:6-14

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REFLECTION

The New Jerusalem

by Tom Richards

  

In preparing for today’s post there were three things that kept coming to my attention.  Even though they might be fairly obvious, I am sharing them below.

1. God (Jesus) rules over all of human history – all of it -- and he is ruling today!  From today’s reading we hear “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End”. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Revelation 1: 17-18 Jesus declares “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades”. And… Revelation 1:8 says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Reading Revelation destroys any myth that God is somehow “weak” or “out of touch”. Jesus is God and God is Almighty!
2. God wants us to be in relationship with him!  In the second half of Revelation 21:6 we are offered the “water of life”, which is widely understood to be the gospel. God offers this gift “without cost” so that we can be part of his church. As we read further in today’s scripture, we get a glimpse of the “bride (the church), the wife of the lamb”. John describes the church as the “Holy City, Jerusalem” using words like “precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal” to declare its brilliance. It is clear that the “bride” is very precious to God and was “purchased” at a very high price, the blood of Jesus. God wants us to be in relationship with him!
3. Hell is real!  We often want to minimize the reality of hell and eternal punishment. Scripture should cause us to think otherwise. Revelation 21:8 says “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.” This strong statement is reinforced several places in the bible including Mark 9:43 where Jesus states “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out”. Hell is real!

As believers we can rest in the knowledge that the God we serve is the Alpha and the Omega and that he wants everyone to receive his free gift of eternal life so that we can be part of his precious bride, the church. We can take comfort in the fact that regardless of the trials that come in this world, God is the victor and he has enabled us to share in that victory through the death and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ. Amen!

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