TEXT: Revelation 21:1-7
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
The Free State of Glory (Part 3)
As we have talked about Heaven over the past two weeks, we have seen the destruction of this present world and the creation of a New Heaven and a New Earth — without any of the effects of sin that mar this world. We have also seen the glorious city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, wherein God’s presence will reside with man. That is the big picture. But in order to really get a handle on Heaven, we must look at how it will affect us individually. What kind of place will Heaven be for us?
In answer to that question, John writes that he “heard a great voice out of heaven saying… God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Tears, crying, death, pain, and sorrow. This is stuff that we can all relate to. Not a day goes by on this planet without many individuals going through these sad experiences. But, in Heaven, it’s all gone.
Dr. John Walvoord said, “Some have wondered if grief and sorrow will exist for a while in heaven and then be done away with here at the establishing of the new order. [Some have thought that, in Heaven, Christians will grieve those whom they knew on Earth who ended up in Hell.] It is better to understand this passage as saying that Heaven will have none of the features that so characterize the present earth. The dramatic change of the new order is expressed in the words, ‘I am making everything new.'”
In the New Heaven and the New Earth, there will be no more tears and no more crying — and no reason for tears or crying. No mourning the loss of parents, children, or friends. No funerals. No more divorce. No more broken relationships. No more misunderstandings between close friends. No more fear. No more dissatisfaction with life. These old things will have passed away.
In the New Heaven and the New Earth, there will be no more death. No more soldiers dying in battle. No more terrorist attacks. No more mass shootings. No more children being killed because of bombs dropped on hospitals. No more plane crashes. No more car accidents. No more deadly tornadoes or floods or earthquakes. These old things will have passed away.
In the New Heaven and the New Earth, there will be no more pain. No more cancer. No more heart attacks. No more debilitating strokes. No more broken bones. No more bleeding. No more aging. No more physical ailments whatsoever. These old things will have passed away.
In the New Heaven and the New Earth, there will be no more sorrow. No more will people feel distressed over loss, disappointment, misfortune, or personal failure. There will be no more depression, no more suicidal thoughts, and no more dark days of the soul. There will be no more guilt over sin because there will be no sin. These old things will have passed away.
The New Heaven and the New Earth are of an entirely different configuration than this old world. None of the evil of this world — and none of the “good” of this world, which is still less-than-perfect — will carry over into the New World. Nor will anything in the New Heaven and the New Earth ever decay. Henry Morris said, “This means not only that everything will be made new, but also that everything will stay new. The entropy law will be repealed. Nothing will wear out or decay, and no one will age or atrophy anymore.”
All of this happens because Jesus Christ, ‘He who sits upon the throne,’ makes all things new. The beautiful thing about the Greek text is that the action ascribed to Christ is in the continuous present tense. John is telling us that, even now, Jesus is at work making all things new. He has already begun. In fact, He has begun His work in us. Paul wrote in Second Corinthians, “Though our outward man [our physical body] perishes, yet the inward man is renewed day by day… If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Jesus has already begun making us fit for the New Heaven and the New Earth. His work in us will come to perfection in that new world where we will no longer experience tears, crying, death, pain, and sorrow.
Jim Hill wrote:
There is coming a day when no heartaches shall come
No more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye.
All is peace forevermore on that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
There’ll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no pain, no more parting over there;
And forever I will be with the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face, the One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand, and leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
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Dear friend, wouldn’t you like to enjoy that glorious day — a day where there will be no more tears, no more crying, no more death, no more pain, and no more sorrow? Yes, you can have a home in the new heaven and the new earth if you place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin and the consequences of sin. Allow me to share with you how you can do that today so that you can be ready for His return.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door.” Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.
He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
BCNN1 WP 