As the year comes to a close, so does the Bible study that I've been working on all year. This year, my fiancee and I read the entire New Testament, so naturally, in December we've been reading the revelation of John, as it is the last book of the New Testament. One passage in particular stands out to me, which I would like to share here:
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
— Revelation 21:1-8 (KJV)
Verse 4 in particular continues to amaze me. I think sometimes we forget that God is a loving God and that he will some day dwell with those whom Jesus has saved, and when he does, that there will be no more suffering because all sins will be wiped away forever and we will be the sons and daughters of the living God. The Bible uses the word "sons" here, not servants. God is our Heavenly Father. He loves us and he cares about us.
As we go into 2023, I would encourage those who are saved to consider what it would look like to apply to our lives the knowledge that God will some day dwell with us. It may not be in our lifetime, but that eternal truth should make life a little easier, knowing that the world won't be so painful forever. Some day we will have a joy more pure and more profound than we can presently imagine, and all will be made right. The nagging feeling that things are not as they should be will be no more.
To those that are not saved, I would point out that this nagging feeling points to the truthfulness of this passage. It makes it feel natural and intuitive, that if things are not as they should be, then some day they must. The evil of the word deserves to be corrected, and we can rest knowing that it will because God is a God of justice. He is the greatest being of all: the most loving, the most just, such that he is love, and is justice. If you want to dwell with such a God and enjoy the unceasing peace that comes with that, then the Holy Spirit is working in you already, so pray that you would be brought to salvation, not on your own accord, but by the work of Jesus Christ. Trust in him, and you will be saved.
Praise be to the one true living God who will make all things new and correct our innumerable sins! To him be the glory forever.
© 2019-2024 Jordan Bancino.