I Believe in a New Heaven and a New Earth

This I Believe

Meditations on My Core Christian Beliefs 

January 21, 2022

I Believe in a New Heaven and a New Earth

And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!”

Revelation 21:5a

Read: Revelation 21:1-7

In Genesis 1, we learn that God created earth and humankind for his intended purpose to come and dwell with His people. In Revelation 21 and 22, the Apostle John has a magnificent vision of a new heaven and a new earth where God will dwell with His people.

In chapter 13, evil, in the form of the beast, came out of the sea. Here in chapter 21, when John says the sea was gone, it is an apocalyptic way of saying that evil has been removed. In this new earth, humans will enjoy the immediate and unhindered presence of God, and with that death, crying, and pain are gone.

As John continues with his description of New Jerusalem, he reveals that the entirety of the new city is the Holy of Holies, and God will dwell with all his people, continuously. Interestingly, no Temple is described in this New Jerusalem, suggesting that where, at one time, worship was limited to a place and a time, now worship will be a state of being as God is worshiped through everything that a person does, wherever they may be.

My eternal destination is not in heaven, far removed from earth. My eternal destination is with God in His new heaven and new earth. In this new creation, every promise of God, from Genesis through Revelation, will be fulfilled.  

My Takeaway: Hebrews 12:2 tells us because of the joy awaiting him, Jesus endured the cross. Because of the joy awaiting me in God’s new creation, I too can endure my burdens. And because of the glorious future promised to me, I can avail myself of God’s grace to resist evil and allow my promised future shape my witness for Christ today.

Epilogue: In my meditation on November 24, 2021, building on the theme of “Know what we believe and say it!”, I noted my plan to begin on January 3, 2022, a six- week series of meditations of what I think are the core beliefs of the Christian faith. At that time, I was thinking more in terms of key doctrinal beliefs. That plan changed and evolved into a three-week series on my core Christian beliefs. I chose fifteen Bible passages that I believe reveal God’s grand design to redeem humankind. I believe these passages show the wonderful continuity in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. These passages draw me ever closer to the heart of God, and I pray they have helped you in your spiritual growth as well.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.