Read and pray: "And he said to me: It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the one who is thirsty, I will give freely from the spring of the water of life." (Rev 21:6)
NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH
Let us now consider Revelation 21:1-7: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with mankind. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And he said, ‘Write this, for these words are faithful and true.’ And he said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the one who is thirsty, I will give freely from the spring of the water of life. The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.’"
The description of the kingdom in Revelation 19 and 20 is completely different from the description of the new heaven and new earth in chapter 21. When describing the kingdom, the Bible speaks about what man has done. However, when describing the new heaven and new earth, there is no longer mention of what man has done.
From chapter twenty-one onward, the Bible simply speaks about what God does. God said He makes all things new. God said the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. All these things will be accomplished by God.
The dwelling place of God will be with mankind. He will dwell with men. We are His people; God Himself will dwell with us and be our God. He will wipe away all our tears, so there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain, for all the former things will have passed, and all things will be new.
God said all these words are faithful. He said He is the Alpha and the Omega. Man has no part in this. These verses continue, telling us what God has done. There is no condition or requirement. If you want to know how to obtain such a wonderful new heaven and new earth, just hear this word: "And he said to me: It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End" (v. 6a).
In other words, everything is done by God. "To the one who is thirsty, I will give freely from the spring of the water of life" (v. 6b). After all these things have been said, everything is summarized in one sentence: "To the one who is thirsty, I will give freely from the spring of the water of life."
As long as there is thirst, as long as there is need, God will give freely from the spring of the water of life. This is grace. Grace is giving from the spring of the water of life freely. The new heaven and new earth come from grace.
God is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. The new heaven and new earth are entirely His. The next verse says: "The one who conquers will inherit these things." Who are the conquerors John refers to? The conquerors here are different from those in the letters to the seven churches at the beginning of Revelation.
Here, by using the term conquerors, a distinction is made between the people of the world and Christians. The distinction here is not between one type of Christian and another. In the first three chapters of Revelation, conquering is related to Christians among other Christians. But in chapter twenty-one, conquering is related to Christians among the people of the world.
How can we drink from the water of life? Through faith. Those who believe can drink. In order to drink freely from the water of life, we need to believe. Faith enables us to overcome the world. Compared to the people of the world, every Christian is a conqueror. However, compared to other Christians, many Christians are flawed.
Regarding the people of the world, we are all conquerors because we have faith before God that they do not have. Those who conquer and drink from the water of life will inherit these things, and God will be their God, and they will be children of God. Chapter twenty-two also mentions the new heaven and new earth.
Verses 1 to 5 say: "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, on either side of the river, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse. There will be the throne of God and of the Lamb, and His servants will serve Him, they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night, and they will not need lamp or sunlight, for the Lord God will shine upon them, and they will reign forever and ever."
The main feature of the New Jerusalem is the river of the water of life. This river proceeds from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Because it is the river of life, there is the tree of life, with its fruit of life growing. In Revelation 22, after everything has been said, one thing stands out: the river of life.
This river of the water of life flows throughout the city. How can we enjoy the river of the water of life? At the end of Revelation, after the kingdom age and the church age have ended, verse 17 says: "The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come, and whoever wishes, let him take freely from the water of life." In other words, everyone is welcome in the new heaven and new earth.
In the new heaven and new earth there is a throne, and from the throne flows a river. The river comes from God and has the throne as its source. The throne is the center of the new heaven and new earth.
Moreover, the word Lamb is never mentioned in relation to the kingdom. But in the new heaven and new earth, the Lamb is certainly mentioned. The throne is of God and of the Lamb (22:1); the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of the city (21:22); and the Lamb is the lamp of the city (21:23).
The fact that the Lamb is mentioned in relation to the new heaven and new earth indicates that this will be an age of grace. At the end of Revelation, the church, the kingdom, and the tribulation are no longer mentioned.
Instead, we find that all who are thirsty may come and take freely from the water of life. This means you are invited to the new heaven and new earth. Everything is free. And being free means it comes from grace. Therefore, the new heaven and new earth are entirely distinct from the kingdom.
The new heaven and new earth are given to us freely. According to the teaching of Revelation, we can say that in the new heaven and new earth God deals with man based on grace. In the kingdom, however, He deals with Christians based on righteousness. Therefore, we must admit that it is in the kingdom that God disciplines us.
In the new heaven and new earth everything is received freely. Here we see the relationship between the present and the future. If today we love the world, walk according to the flesh, and live carelessly, in the age to come we will be disciplined by God.
But if we love the Lord today and abandon everything for the Lord, we will receive God’s grace and His reward. This is the biblical teaching regarding these three ages. I am not responsible for what I am saying here. I am only speaking the Word of God.
The Word of God says that in the coming age there will be these things. God Himself takes responsibility for His own words. I only know that the Son of God spoke these words. It is true that man can enjoy eternal life today. But the kingdom is the time when God deals with His children.
If you live carelessly today, you will be disciplined in the future. Therefore, we have eternal security, but we also have temporary danger. We have the guarantee of the new heaven and new earth. However, there is the danger of the kingdom. In the kingdom, we may suffer severe punishment and discipline. Although salvation has been established through the work of the Lord Jesus, the reward will be determined by each person’s work.
Salvation comes through the work of the Lord Jesus. Reward comes through our own work. We are rewarded for obeying God’s will and for not walking according to our own will. May we value the grace we have received, heed God’s warning, and pursue the reward of the kingdom.
Enjoy more:
Hymn – Praise to the Lord – "His Humanity"
https://hinario.org/detail.php?tab=1&mainmp3=admin/Uploaded-mp3-Files/0061.voz_piano.mp3&id=74
No comments:
Post a Comment