Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
Revelation 21:1-4 NLT
The New Jerusalem
Jesus Christ reveals many promises to John in the Revelation. One of the greatest is the fulfillment of God’s promise to establish an eternal home with us, His people. Many of the details are focused on the physical structure of the home and city with regard to the size, materials, and the very nature of our new home.
These are interesting to ponder such as what will a street of pure gold look like, what is a gate of Pearl or a wall of Jasper?
The greatest promise is in the revelation of the home environment itself. Every negative aspect of this life that we live here will be gone. It helps us better understand our journey here through the eyes of the writer of Hebrews that reminds that we are simply “nomads or travelers” in this life. (Hebrews 11:3)
Our citizenship or original and eternal place of residence is in heaven with Jesus. (Philippians 3:20)
We tend to combine the thought of a house and a home together until we have lived long enough to “feel” the difference. The house structure we may live, eat, gather, visit and sleep in is just that, a house. A home is made from the people, events, trials and happiness that we experience together while living in the house. Home is an attitude and environment that becomes a place that inhabits our spirits and hearts. It is a place we long to be a part of and share with our loved ones.
God’s power to bring all of creation into existence, put in place His redemptive plan of Salvation through Jesus Christ and to raise Him back to life on the third day can never be contained in any structure or house.
The longer we live the more real this promise of an eternal home becomes to us. We will live many joys in this life and with them many sorrows. The more we see unexplained sickness, and death the more we look forward to the promise of our eternal home.
We may experience the loss of a good friend, parent, sibling, spouse, or to see a child die where we can find no human understanding, we go to the Dr for a small ache and the diagnosis starts with the “C” word and our whole life is flipped upside down, to look across the table at the person who once taught you how to tie your shoes and feed you and now you are the one tying shoes and feeding them. The evil in this world that continues to perpetuate the violence of theft, abuse and murder is pointing us closer and closer makes us wonder how long God will continue to deal with this world?
I do not have the answer to that question, but I do know He holds the promise of the future and the day when He brings our new Home to us and it comes with the promise of Home – He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:4)
As we travel this journey may the thoughts of Home keep us living for God so that others may also know the Home we are looking forward to.
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