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The New Jerusalem
Wow - today's passage is a great one. Having come through so much of the confusion and destruction and wrath that is in the book of Revelation, we are now at the passages that speak of all things new! The end of yesterday's passage definitely started us in on this. The old, broken earth that groaned under the curse will be no more, but let's not forget that it doesn't merely pass away - it is remade. Just as we will not simply stay whispy spirits floating around (as people often picture those "in heaven"), but will have new, better resurrection bodies, so also we will not dwell in a place this isn't physical as well. There will be a new earth. How can it be summarized and described? I think that words of Sam Gamgee phrase it well. He asks, “Is everything sad going to come untrue?”[1] The answer at the end of Revelation is a resounding yes!
As we've gone through this book, I think it's become clear that it can be difficult to understand. Different people have different opinions on how we should interpret some of the things in this book, but there is one thing that can be agreed upon: Jesus wins. He is King. Everything sad will come untrue. I think that we very rarely stop to think about this, and if we did, we would live our lives differently and with a changed perspective, particularly on suffering.
Take some time to meditate on these passages today and tomorrow. Think over them and let them change you.
Also, I wanted to include a picture today. A lot of today's passage is devoted to describing New Jerusalem, and while I don't have a great picture of exactly what it might look like, I do have one that can give you a sense of its size. It's superimposed on a map of the US to give a you better sense of the scale. Hope it's helpful!
The New Jerusalem
Wow - today's passage is a great one. Having come through so much of the confusion and destruction and wrath that is in the book of Revelation, we are now at the passages that speak of all things new! The end of yesterday's passage definitely started us in on this. The old, broken earth that groaned under the curse will be no more, but let's not forget that it doesn't merely pass away - it is remade. Just as we will not simply stay whispy spirits floating around (as people often picture those "in heaven"), but will have new, better resurrection bodies, so also we will not dwell in a place this isn't physical as well. There will be a new earth. How can it be summarized and described? I think that words of Sam Gamgee phrase it well. He asks, “Is everything sad going to come untrue?”[1] The answer at the end of Revelation is a resounding yes!
As we've gone through this book, I think it's become clear that it can be difficult to understand. Different people have different opinions on how we should interpret some of the things in this book, but there is one thing that can be agreed upon: Jesus wins. He is King. Everything sad will come untrue. I think that we very rarely stop to think about this, and if we did, we would live our lives differently and with a changed perspective, particularly on suffering.
Take some time to meditate on these passages today and tomorrow. Think over them and let them change you.
Also, I wanted to include a picture today. A lot of today's passage is devoted to describing New Jerusalem, and while I don't have a great picture of exactly what it might look like, I do have one that can give you a sense of its size. It's superimposed on a map of the US to give a you better sense of the scale. Hope it's helpful!
[1] Sam Gamgee to Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings (chapter 4, Book Six)
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