This Day in History: 0000-06-01
June 1 – Revelation 21:1-7
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then He said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega – the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.”
How often do we lose sight of the big picture? Everything we know as reality right now, is just temporary, but do we live like that’s true? Probably not, because it almost never feels like it is, does it? Our lives are all we’ve ever known, so it can feel like it’s all there is. But God tells us that all of this, the heavens and the earth will disappear, and be replaced by something new, a new creation, all dressed up for that glorious day! We’ll live forever with God, in the places He is preparing for us right now. He’ll be right there among us, walking the same streets we walk. He’ll love us and comfort us, and He’ll wipe away all our tears! Never again will there be pain or suffering; our bodies will no longer be dying a little more each day, because death will be a thing of the past. We’ll be new; perfect! Crying and sorrow will be gone forever. Everything will be new. Everything!
Do we believe that these things are true? Do we really? Because if we do, doesn’t that dwindle the significance of our troubles? Doesn’t it put it all into perspective? Our God is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the eternal God. He had no beginning. He’ll have no end. In fact, He IS the Beginning and the End! This unfathomable God – who is so much more than our finite little brains can even begin to understand – has invited us to come to Him. He longs for us to hand everything over to Him and drink our fill of His Living Water. His deepest desire is to give us the victory that has already been won! It is finished! We will spend all of forever with our Lord and Savior, and He will be our God and we will be His children!