“God Himself Will Be With Them”

At seventeen, I worked as a commercial fisherman on the East Coast of England, alongside my father on his boat. One day, we caught one of the largest magnetic mines that the Germans had laid near the harbor where we worked. It looked brand new, having been under the mud since World War II. Our net had pulled it out of its resting place in the seabed. We had to lay the mine on our deck to salvage our net. Any moment could have been my last. We managed to safely get it overboard and away from the area where we usually dragged our nets. God was faithful in nudging my soul after that near-death experience. Thoughts of where I would go after death were constantly on my mind. I knew intuitively that there was a heaven, but I was afraid I would not go there because I fell far short of what I considered a good life, weighed down by my failures and sins. At that time, I had heard nothing about God's grace or salvation plan. I thank God for the grace now revealed to me in Christ.

The awakening to consider one's life beyond the grave is a grace of God given to us. Alexander the Great's father, Philip of Macedon, commissioned a servant to stand in his presence daily and say, "Philip, you will die." In contrast, France's Louis XIV decreed that the word death not be uttered in his presence. It is good to reflect on where you are going in life and where you would like to go when this fleeting life on Earth is over. The words in the Book of Revelation, chapter twenty-one, are most comforting to the believer in Christ because they speak of the home to which God has called us to belong.

1Then 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. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And 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. 4‘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” (Revelation 21:1-4).

After writing about the Millennium and the Great White Throne judgment in Revelation chapter twenty and about Death and Hades being thrown into the Lake of Fire, John is now given the revelation of a new heaven, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem. The Greek word in verse 1, translated as "new" (kainon), signifies new in quality rather than brand new in another place. The Earth will be fully restored for a new humanity, free of sin, death, and disease. Why is there no more sea? The sea may represent the place where evil arose, as seen in the Antichrist rising from the sea in Revelation 13:1. The sea symbolizes the commotion and volatility of humanity: “You stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations” (Psalm 65:7). No more sea could describe not just a physical absence but a moral or spiritual sea that is no longer present on Earth. Before the advent of navigation instruments, the sea was perceived as a place where men were lost. The sea will no longer be a source of insecurity.

During the 1,000-year reign of Christ, Jesus will sit on his throne in Jerusalem, but now a New Jerusalem is coming down from heaven. This Jerusalem is completely different from the millennial Jerusalem. The “Lord God Almighty and the Lamb” (Revelation 21:22) will come and dwell on Earth with the Bride of Christ, the elect of God. In this passage of Scripture, we see a picture of great intimacy with the Lord drawing near and wiping the tears of pain from our eyes, for death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more. Hallelujah! No matter what you are going through, knowing what happens at the end of the Book is encouraging. If you are in Christ Jesus, you win! Keith Thomas

Taken from the series on the Book of Revelation, study 22. The New Jerusalem From God