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. Rev. 21:1(NIV)
Lord Jesus, this one verse is crammed full with so much intrigue and hope. Thank you for securing a future for us that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has any mind imagined the wonder of our coming life in the new heaven as new earth.
As surely as the waters cover the sea, so the knowledge of your glory will cover the earth one Day (Hab. 2:14). As surely as you came to destroy the works of the devil, so you will return to eradicate every semblance of sin and evil.
Indeed, the “passing away” of the first heaven and the first earth doesn’t speak of its replacement but of its restoration, for you are making all things new, not all new things. The “sea-less” future of John’s vision isn’t a “beach-less” world, but a world in which all brokenness and heartache, sin and evil will be gone. Dolphin and sharks will swim together; no more angry sea beasts or menacing leviathan; no more tempest and terror, only the triumph of the Lamb.
Jesus, our joy is fueled, as we try to picture the glorified beaches of the new heaven and new earth. We can hardly wait for the day when we get to hear “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea,” and all that is in them, saying: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!'” (Rev. 5:13).
It’s hard to imagine a world of perfect peace and inviolate shalom, but that’s our inheritance and future, all because of what you’ve done for us. May this hope encourage us to engage our broken culture, not retreat; to show up, not disappear from systemic evil; to be filled with missional hope and neighbor-love, as we seek first your kingdom and long for your return. So very Amen we pray, with piqued longings and great joy, in your awesome name.
