Revelation 21:1-2 ESV
“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. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
The New Jerusalem
One day Jesus Christ is going to return, as he promised, and
he will judge the earth and the people of the earth and he will take his bride
to be with him for eternity. And all those whose names are not found written in
the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire for eternity. And then
there is going to be a new heaven and a new earth and God is going to wipe away
every tear from our eyes and there will be no more death, pain, or crying.
Now, I am no expert on this subject of these last days
events, and there are still some things I don’t understand fully, but they are
not essential to my salvation and to my walk of faith in the Lord Jesus, and
not understanding them now is not going to impact my relationship with Jesus
Christ. So I am not going to try to explain all of this because I don’t
understand it all.
But I do know that one day Jesus is going to return for us
who love and obey him, and we will be with him forever, and evil and sin and
pain and sadness will be no more, and we will get to be with Jesus forever.
Hallelujah!
What I also understand is that the Holy City is no longer
physical Jerusalem in the physical nation of Israel. Physical Jerusalem is of
Hagar, the slave woman, not of Sara, the free woman, for physical Jerusalem is
still in slavery with her children. For the physical nation of Israel has not,
as a nation, believed in Jesus Christ as their Messiah, though some Jews have.
So, the physical nation of Israel is no longer God’s chosen people.
For the promises spoken to Abraham were to him and to his
seed, namely Jesus Christ. So, it is those of us who have trusted in Jesus
Christ as our Lord and Savior who are the spiritual seed of Abraham. For, not
all who are physical descendants of Abraham are Israel, for it is not the
children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the
promise. And if we believe in Jesus Christ, we are the children of promise, and
we are of the Jerusalem that is from above, which is the bride of Christ.
[Gal 3:16, 26-29; Rom 9:4-8; Gal 4:22-31; Eph 2:14-18; 1 Jn
2:22]
Revelation 21:6-7 ESV
“And 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 from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.’”
Now, this is speaking to the present when it talks about the
thirsty, and that is because we can only come to Jesus Christ in this present
life. Once Jesus comes back to judge the people of the earth, and to take us to
be with him for eternity, and the devil and those who refused him in this life
are already thrown into the lake of fire, there is no more chance to believe in
Jesus. We have to believe in him now if we want to have eternal life with God.
So, this is a call to trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
of our lives. And it is without cost in that Jesus is the one who paid for our
salvation with his blood which was shed on the cross for our sins. But “no cost”
does not mean that there is no cost to following Jesus with our lives. For the
Scriptures teach that we must be crucified with Christ in death to sin and live
to Christ and to his righteousness in obedience to our Lord and in the
forsaking of our sins in the power of God, which is what our salvation is all
about.
[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom
6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15,21; Tit
2:11-14; Jas 1:22-25; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Heb 12:1-2; Jn 6:44;
2 Pet 1:1; 1 Co 15:58; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13]
For, with regard to this heavenly Jerusalem, the bride of Christ, who are those of genuine faith in Christ, “nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life” (v. 27).
So, if we are those who are still living in habitual and
deliberate sin against the Lord, and if we are not walking in obedience to his
commands, we are not going to inherit eternal life with God. We will not be
with Jesus in his eternal kingdom. We will not be part of this heavenly
Jerusalem where no sin and wickedness dwell, and where there is no longer pain
and sorrow.
“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
“Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” Revelation 22:15
So, if we keep living in sin, deliberately and habitually
doing what is evil in the eyes of God, and if we continue in this manner of
living, and if we do not surrender our lives to Jesus Christ to walk in
obedience to his commands, then please know that this eternal inheritance is
not ours to have. For those who practice such things as sexual immorality and
lying and hate and idolatry have no inheritance with the saints of God but will
face God’s wrath.
He
Gives Purpose
An
Original Work / June 9, 2012
“Listen to Me when I’m calling to you.
Obey freely My word.
Follow Me in all of My ways.
Do all that I say.
Hear Me gently whisper to you
My will for your life and future.
Give all of your life and heart to
Follow Me always.”
Repent of your sins and worship Jesus.
He’s your Lord and Master.
He died for your sins so you could
Live with Him today.
He has a plan for your life and
He gives purpose and direction.
He gives meaning to your life,
So follow Him today.
“I love you so much I gave My life for
You to walk in My ways,
Living for Me each day as you
Bow to Me and pray.
Witness for Me of your love for Me and
Of My grace and mercy,
How I died to save you of your
Sins now and always.”
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