Read:
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this
down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 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 water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
One of the things I love most about the Bible, and there are many, is how it is filled to overflowing with promises and assurances from God. You can find them everywhere whether in the Old Testament or the New, whether recorded by Moses, King David, a prophet, an apostle, or some unknown person, there are an abundance of promises just filling the pages. As I contemplate the many ways God has provided us assurances and re-assurances of His love, there is one place in His Word that absolutely jumps out to me. The Book of Revelation can be rather confusing and yes, even a little scary, but it does contain some of the most powerful promises made by God.
When life gets discouraging, when there is bad news – illness, job issues, relationship struggles, family pain, strife in our nation, anger and conflict around the world – we can turn to Revelation to find hope. There we find God has promised His dwelling place will be among His people. We will be His people. He will dwell with us – remember the name Emmanuel from our Christmas celebrations? It means God With Us. Every tear wiped away. No more death, no mourning or crying or pain. God tells us He is making everything new! We will be fully and completely refreshed from the spring of the water of life – He paid for it, we won’t need to. This is true, all encompassing, and eternal hope.
When it seems as if God is silent toward your experiences or to the terrible things happening in the world, remember the verses in Revelation. When it feels like God is doing nothing, reflect on His proclamation “It is done.” Yes, we’re still in this world living life subject to the impact of the world’s influence. But the Apostle John was faithfully following the instructions to write this down. God’s words are trustworthy and true – we will in fact, be His children. He is our Beginning, He will be our End. It’s a promise!
