Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.
For believers, this passage has some of the most precious promises in the entire Bible.
God is going to dwell with His people. Throughout the ages, God has been at a distance, but now that distance is gone. God in all His glory is going to live with those who love Him and they can worship him forever. When Moses was leading the Children of Israel through the desert, God would come down and meet with Moses in a tent that was set apart from the rest of the camp. And after those meetings, Moses’ face would shine so brightly that he had to wear a veil so that people could stand to look at him.
v.4 – 5 “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away. And the One seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” 2020 was the year when many people around the world watched loved ones of all ages die from COVID – 19 or problems created with delivery of medical care as a result of it. Who could possibly wish to suffer more? Who would want to cry any more tears? Who could possibly wish to follow one more coffin to a graveyard or to read one more obituary of a friend or loved one? The promises in these verses are precious beyond belief! God saying that all those things that were so difficult will be gone forever. God Himself will comfort His people. Incredible!
v.5 “Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are faithful and true.” And He told me, “It is done!”
God Himself is ordering John to write the vision and words that are coming and assuring John that the very words themselves can be counted on. No more guessing what the Will of God is! God Himself is speaking. What does “It is done!” mean? After ages of watching, God has now acted decisively, making an end to evil and bringing in His new Kingdom.
v.6 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” John lived in a multicultural society in which Greek was one of the common languages. “Alpha” is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and “Omega” is the last letter. Here God is emphasizing that everything began with Him and all things find their final solution in Him as well. There are no hidden agendas, no loose ends.
v.6 “To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.” When John received this vision, he was sitting on the Island of Patmos, essentially a huge bare sun – baked rock in the middle of the Aegean Sea. One of the first rules of courtesy in any hot climate is to offer a visitor water, particularly if it is cool and fresh. What would be more appealing than the idea of a perpetual spring of water, particularly water ensuring eternal life?
v. 7 “The one who is victorious will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” Forget concerns about gender equality. Here God is promising that all those who have been faithful and who have continued to follow God despite suffering and trials will be treated as favored sons who receive everything that a wealthy father can give. To be the favorite son in a household was to hold a place of honor. Steadfast believers of both sexes will enjoy God’s blessings and God will claim them as His worshipers.
v. 8 “But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
Here Barclay comments: “The cowards are those who loved ease and comfort more than they loved Christ, and who in the day of trial were ashamed to show whose they were and whom they reservedness highest courage is to be desperately afraid and in spite of that to do the right thing and to hold fast to loyalty. What is condemned is the cowardice which denies Christ for safety’s sake. The unbelieving are those who refused to accept the Gospel or those who with their lips accepted it, but by their lives showed that they did not believe it. The polluted are those who allowed themselves to be saturated by the abominations of the world.”
Murderers are condemned because only God has the right to decide who lives or dies. Sexual immorality of all kinds is condemned; in this day, that would include addiction to pornography or pederasty without any attempt to break free from the addiction. There have always been sorcerers and witches attempting to control by magic. Idolaters include anybody who worships something other than the One True Living God; money, fame, social status, success in business – there are so many idols! Liars will be punished – both those who lie outright and those who lie and manipulate by remaining silent and omitting the truth.
As we read this list, we must examine our hearts. There is nobody on earth who has never told a lie. Many of us have pursued success in some form; some churches even stress financial success as evidence of God’s blessings. And how many of us have ALWAYS stood up for the truth, no matter how inconvenient or dangerous that stance might be?
Left to ourselves, none of us is good enough to earn our way into heaven. This is why Jesus had to come to earth to live as a sinless man and to shed His blood for our sins. Only faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us will save any of us from eternal torment.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for the wonderful promises in your Word for those who will believe! Lord, let everyone who reads these words examine his or her heart and realize their need for a Savior. Lord Jesus, let them turn to you! Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment