The new heaven and earth – 30 March 2020

Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. Revelation. 21:3

As earth dwellers, we are fond of saying gardens are the place to be. Where there is a garden, that is where God will be. We could spend eternity in the garden. This is what God must’ve meant paradise to be, not so? The closer we are to nature, the closer we are to God, we believe.

Surprise, surprise, heaven is not a garden. It’s a city with walls made of jasper and gold. The foundations are of precious stones such as ruby, sapphire, beryl and topaz. Even the river of Life is described as crystal clear. When confronted with this image, we are slightly taken aback. Are we not going to garden in the Holy City for all eternity? In Ephesians 5:8 and a couple of other places, we read that we are the children of light. We are made of a new substance which is light. In the beginning, the Bible tells us, we were made of the earth; in the new heaven and the new earth we will be changed beings, shaking off the mud of the earth under our feet as we enter eternity.

As we wait for that day, when we will be united with Christ, you and our Saviour share a secret: At the end of time, as we celebrate our reunion with the Tree of life, we will find fulfilment of God’s promises and delight in the continuous presence of the Lord. You will receive a white stone with a new name written on it and known only to the one who receives it.

Prayer: Lord, let us keep this awesome vision in our hearts, as we travel down our earthly road with our eye on eternity, where You will be all and in everything. Amen