December 29, 2010
Revelation 21
Pastor JoAn Blackmon
At long last! Everything in the entire Bible directs us to the final two chapters in Revelation, where we get a glimpse of our amazing future. Following the Second Coming of Christ, the Battle of Armageddon, the 1,000-year Reign of Christ and the Great White Throne Judgment, God will create a new heaven and earth for a completely new start!
Finally, all consequences of the curse (Genesis 3) are done away with. No sin, crying (He will wipe away every tear!), death, mourning and pain - ever again! Our destination - the new Jerusalem - is magnificent and radiant with the glory of God. The foundations are adorned with every kind of precious gem. Its gates are made of pearl and the streets are transparent gold. This is the forever-place where God lives among us and we live with Him - the destiny and reward of every believer in Jesus Christ!
Perhaps you have read about the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Evangelist Dwight L. Moody’s home was one of the 17,000 destroyed buildings. A few days after the fire, he encountered a friend who said, “I hear you lost everything!” Moody replied, “No, you heard wrong. I have a lot more left than I lost.” “Really,?” the inquisitive friend answered. “I didn’t realize that you had that kind of money set aside.”
At that point, Moody opened his Bible and showed his friend a verse from Revelation 21: “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God…” (verse 7, KJV).
So it is. We have an inheritance with Christ that nothing on earth can touch. We have a home prepared for us, grander than anything we’ve ever seen. We have a brighter future than we can possibly imagine.
When the events of this chapter occur (and they will), life really does begin again. This one will last forever. To God be the glory!
Pastor JoAn oversees Grace Covenant’s discipleship ministries, from birth through adults, and serves on the church’s teaching team.
