Introduction

Friends, can we begin with a breath of hope? Hearts get heavy, headlines howl, and some weeks feel like a long night with the lights off. Yet here we are, loved by the Lord, gathered under grace, held by hands that never let go. Your Father has a word for weary people and a promise for tired souls. Revelation 21 opens a window and lets eternity’s wind rush through the room. It points us forward and pulls us near, whispering, “Home is coming.” The Bible does not hand us escapism. It hands us expectation. A garden of goodness awaits, a city of glory descends, and God is with His people. The last chapter of your story is written by nail-scarred hands.

John Wesley said, “The best of all is, God is with us.” If God is with us, what fear can finally hold us? If God is with us, what tears will He leave untended? If God is with us, what tomb will stay shut? Revelation 21 shows the Father’s future and the Christian’s confidence: God will dwell with His people; He will wipe every tear; He will make all things new. New heavens and new earth. New city and new song. New world where sorrow starves and sin is silenced. Can you picture it? Streets like glass, gates like pearls, walls like gemstones. No temple needed because the Lord Himself is the sanctuary. No sun required because the Lamb is the light. No night. No locked gates. No more aching Goodbyes. Only face-to-face fellowship and unending gladness.

What does this mean for us today? It means we can lift our heads and steady our hearts. It means we can live as citizens of God’s dwelling even while we walk through Monday’s meetings and Friday’s fatigue. It means our endurance has a direction and our obedience has a horizon. The King is coming. The city is descending. The story is moving toward the Savior. So bring your burden. Bring your questions. Bring your longing. Listen for the voice from the throne: “Behold, I make all things new.” That promise meets us in the pew and walks with us into the week.

Let’s read the Scripture in full and hear the hope that holds us.

Revelation 21 (KJV) 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 which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. 10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. 17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. 18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. 19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. 22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Opening Prayer: Father, thank You for the promise of a new heaven and a new earth. Thank You that You will dwell with Your people, wipe tears from our eyes, and make all things new. By Your Spirit, steady our hearts, strengthen our hope, and set our eyes on Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega. Teach us to live as citizens of Your city with courage, purity, and praise. Grant endurance for trials, faith for today, and joy that cannot be stolen. Speak, Lord, and shape us by Your true and faithful word. In the name of the Lamb who is our light, Amen.

Behold the New Heaven and Earth

John was given a view of a world made fresh. Sky and soil made new. The old order fading like a storm that has passed. The restless deep is gone. The world is steady. The air is clear. Creation breathes again.

This scene speaks to the heart of the whole Bible. God began with a good world. Sin scarred it. Grace does more than patch it. Grace brings a full remake. The same God who spoke light at the start speaks again. His word still carries power. His word shapes a future we can count on.

The picture is personal. This is not a far land with cold walls. This is a true home. The Lord comes near and stays near. He sets His house among us. He tends to what hurts. He ends the rule of grief. He stops the reign of pain. He does not leave a single wound untended. He bends down. He dries eyes. He heals hearts.

The voice from the throne seals it. The promise is firm. The plan is complete. The story does not stall. The thirsty drink without paying. Desire meets gift. Need meets grace. The spring never runs dry. The giver never grows tired.

This future also names a people. Those who hold fast receive a full share. He calls us His own. He gives us His name. Adoption is not a picture on a page. It is a family bond with the King. The victory He won becomes ours. The life He has becomes ours.

The scene widens to a city. A gift from above. Prepared with care. Measured with glory. The shape catches our eye. Length, width, height the same. Like the inner room in the old tent. Pure presence filled that room. Now presence fills the whole city. Nothing stands outside His nearness. Nothing sits beyond His care.

The details tell a story. Twelve gates with the tribes named. Twelve foundations with the apostles named. Old covenant and new covenant brought together in one people. The wall shines with stones that gleam. Jasper. Sapphire. Emerald. And more. The pavement shimmers like clean gold. Purity and beauty are the air we breathe. It is weighty and yet light. It is rare and yet near.

The source of light is the Lord Himself. No lamp can add to it. No star can rival it. His glory floods every street. His radiance warms every square. The nations walk by that light. Leaders bring their treasures in. Culture finds its true end in worship. Work and art and honor are carried in as gifts.

Entrance is safe. Doors are open. Panic is gone. No threat waits beyond the wall. Nothing false is allowed to cross the line. Nothing vile passes through. The register of the Lamb settles the matter. Names written by mercy. Lives kept by grace. Truth has the last word.

The line, “there was no more sea,” is easy to rush past, yet it matters. In the ancient world the sea stood for chaos and danger. Storms rose fast. Ships vanished. Monsters came from dark waters in old tales. Israel knew that fear. Pharaoh’s army chased them to the shore. Waves blocked their way. God split the waters and made a path. Later, the psalms sing of the Lord who rules the flood. In this vision the threat is gone. Chaos is silenced. Creation is calm and ordered. You can plan. You can build. You can rest. Nothing surges out of the deep to wreck what God has made whole. This is peace that holds. This is stability we have long wanted. The healed world is not fragile. It is firm under His hand.

The cube-like city pulls our eyes to the old Holy of Holies. Only one person went there, and only once a year, with blood and fear. That room was a square in every direction. It signaled perfect holiness. Now the whole city takes that form. This means presence is public. Holiness is not hidden in a back room. You do not stand at a distance. You do not wait for a priest to go in for you. Every street is holy ground. Every home feels like the inner room of the temple. The names on the gates and on the foundations preach unity. The family of Abraham and the witness of the apostles are one story. God’s promises are not scattered. They meet and hold together here. The measuring reed in the angel’s hand is not trivia. It signals care, precision, and beauty that can be known. Nothing is slapdash. Every span, every jewel, every gate speaks of purpose and love.

The light in this city changes everything. You do not look for a lamp. You do not check the clock before you walk. There is no cycle of dread. No long shadows that make you hurry home. The Lord’s brightness reaches every corner. It gives sight, warmth, and joy. The nations move within that glow. Think of culture made whole. Think of music without envy. Think of trade without greed. Think of leadership without pride. The phrase about gates that never need to shut shows welcome and safety at once. No invader lurks. No thief plots. Security does not come from thick bars. Security flows from the presence and reign of God. This is why honor and glory can be brought in. Nothing is lost to fear on the way. Nothing is tainted at the door.

The closing lines guard the promise from false hopes. Entry is by grace, yet grace never excuses evil. The list of sins in the chapter is plain. Violence dies. Lust is refused. Magic and idols are gone. Lies are silenced. The change is deep. Purity is not a performance. Purity is what people want because they love the King. The Lamb’s book of life is central here. Names stand there because He gave Himself. Names stay there because He keeps His own. This is why the water is free. This is why the inheritance is sure. The future city is clean and glad because its people are made clean and glad by the Lamb. His work does not halfway save. His work brings a world and a people all the way home.

Live as Citizens of God's Dwelling

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