Week 52, Day 4

Week 52, Day 4
December 29, 2022
Revelation 21
 
“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 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. ‘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.” 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.” 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. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 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.”” (Revelation 21:1–8, TNIV) 
“I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.” (Revelation 21:22–24, TNIV) 
God is making his home here with us. The hope and culmination of scripture, the culmination of everything is God with us. All our pain and suffering will be over. God will wipe every tear from our eyes. God will right the wrongs and end the pain of sin and death.
 
As the Church continues to face so many challenges of faith and allegiance to God, as we navigate the pain and suffering of life and death in this world, we are looking forward towards heaven. We have hope up a new day that is dawning.
 
Fix our hope on him.