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 21:4 (Revelation 19-22)
The Garden of Eden was the place God and man dwelt together, but sin separated man from his loving Creator. Now, there is a New Heaven and New Earth where God will dwell eternally. John sees the wedding of The Lamb and His Bride, The Church. There are many references to wedding guests being invited, but collectively, they are The Bride. Throughout the Bible, the corporate and individual sinner has been labeled prostitute or adulterer. In contrast, it is an honor to be invited as a Bride, without blemish or wrinkle.
John watches as total destruction comes to the unrighteous and their father Satan. His domain was the abyss, the lake of fire, now it is his eternal prison of torture. There are now only two classes of people, the saved and the lost and John sees the glory of God become an eternal light, blotting out darkness and the need for locks and lamps forever. The New Jerusalem has no temple, but why would there be, God and Jesus are our eternal dwelling place, the sacrificing and repenting is done, we have arrived!
The vision ends, but an angel remains to verify all John has seen and been instructed to relate to those who will follow and believe. John establishes that all he says is true and finally, Jesus authenticates John’s revelation.
In the divine person of Jesus, we are given love, power and the hope of resurrection. The sum of all these things is Abundant Life, today and forever more.
Love,
Gretchen
Dear Beloved Readers,
This post concludes my journey through the Bible chronologically. When I began my blog 1,094 days ago, I felt God was calling me to three years. Today marks 36 months. It has been an incredible undertaking and I am changed forever. To the future, I am going to rest a little and try to publish some of my other writings, some fiction and some non. For those who have supported and encouraged me from the very first post, thank you so much. You are game changers. For those who have only begun to read my thoughts and studies, if you would like to keep reading my daily devotionals, I am going to return to my first posts and edit them for better understanding. I will begin Sunday, August 18 reposting those for future use, but please understand they are rewrites of my previous work.
I am blessed to call you my friends. Diving deeply and daily into God’s word is the greatest joy I’ve ever known. Thank you for joining me.
Love Always,
Gretchen