PREPARED FOR LOVE
Opening Prayer
Ever-present God, today I rejoice in the certainty of your presence and the promises of your Word.
Read REVELATION 21:1-14
A New Heaven and a New Earth
21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And 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’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Footnotes
- Revelation 21:1 Isaiah 65:17
- Revelation 21:4 Isaiah 25:8
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Meditate on the width, length, height and depth of Christ’s love for you.Every one of our 14 verses is packed with beautiful truths about God, his nature and his plan. Consider verses 1, 4 and 8. God’s judgment and destruction of death (20:4,14) and of everything that is not covered in the righteousness of Christ (20:15; 21:8) means that his new creation is free from suffering (v 4), and safe (the high wall symbolizes security, v 12).
God’s Holy City/bride contrasts starkly with the ‘prostitute’ city Babylon. Whereas Babylon was consumed with her own glory, God’s prepared people shine with God’s glory (v 11). Those who were sin-soaked and separated from God are now brought near, by God’s own initiative. He prepares his people (the Holy City) in holiness (vs 2,6,10) so that we can be united forever with the Lamb (Christ).
What do the references to relationship (vs 3,7,9) tell us about God’s yearning to know us, love us and protect us? We are God’s people, his children, his bride and wife. The City expresses the nature of our relationship with our Lord: it is intimate (v 9), welcoming and accessible (v 13), holy (pure as crystal, v 11) and permanent (like a precious stone, v 11).
Apply
You are God’s servant, his child, his bride. Which of these relationships do you identify with easily and which do you need to reflect on more deeply?
Closing prayer
Lord God, I marvel that with you working in me and through me, I can make a difference. Never let me forget that.
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