Read: Revelation 21:1-5 NRSV
Then 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. And I saw the holy city, the 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,
‘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;
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.’
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.
The exiles in Ezra’s day worked hard to build a temple, but they knew it was only a shadow of the glory to come. We, too, labor with hope. The story of Scripture doesn’t end with us escaping the earth, but with God restoring it completely—a New Heaven and a New Earth where God dwells with His people.
Every act of kindness, every prayer, and every step of obedience you take now is a “brick” in that future Kingdom. We are not building in vain; we are preparing the way for the King’s final return, when He will wipe away every tear and make all things new. The exile will be over, and we will be fully home.
Pray: King Jesus, I await Your return with hope. Until that day, help me to labor with joy, knowing that my labor in the Lord is never in vain. Let Your Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.
