LET’S UNDERSTAND

NEW EARTH & PARADISE: The last book of the Bible ends with a scene of redeemed humanity returned to the tree of life. We have come full circle: “Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:1, 2). The same tree God planted in Paradise in the beginning is back.

Remember how Jesus promised Paradise to the criminal on the cross? Here we are, standing by the tree of life. Its fruit is described in vivid and luscious words. Then John utters the seventh and last beatitude in this book: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city” (Rev. 22:14, NASB). The expression “washing their robes” has already been explained previously in Revelation: “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:14). The blessed ones have the right to the tree of life, a symbol of immortality, because they have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb; they accepted the ransom paid by their Go’el. This is the only reason why they have the right to go back to the tree of life, which humans lost when they followed the kidnapper.

“Clearly one tree is on both sides of the river. This is an allusion to the Garden of Eden with the tree of life on the bank of the river flowing from the garden (Gen. 2:9). To eat from the tree of life in Eden meant ‘to live forever’ (Gen. 3:22). It was after Adam and Eve were banished from the garden that they were forbidden to approach the tree of life and eat from it (Gen. 3:23-24). The tree of life in the New Jerusalem symbolizes eternal life free of death and suffering. On the new earth—the restored garden of Eden—the tree of life is no longer forbidden; it is located in the midst of the new Jerusalem, and all the redeemed have access to it. Once again human beings will share in the gift of eternal life that Adam enjoyed before sin entered the world. All that was lost through Adam is now regained through Christ” (Stefanovic, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, pp. 592, 593).

COVENANTAL PHRASE AND GOD’S PRESENCE WITH US: We have studied how God made a covenant to rescue His children and how, throughout the ages, He kept providing ever new information about this covenant. God constantly kept uttering the phrase that reminded us of His commitment to humankind: “I will be their God, and they will be my people.” As we mentioned in the previous section, this phrase was used many times throughout the Old Testament (see Lev. 26:11, 12). The fact that we will experience God in intimate communion is highlighted by the use of possessive pronouns: “He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them” (Rev. 21:3). One early manuscript reads: “and be their God,” which is consistent with previous occurrences of this phrase (see Lev. 26:11 and Ezek. 37:27).

“He is their God” (cf. Ezek. 36:28; Heb. 11:16). These words describe an intimate bond. In Ezekiel’s vision the name of the city was given as ‘the Lord is there’ (Ezek. 48:35). John writes of the fulfillment of what the prophet saw” (Morris, Revelation, p.238).

Commenting on Revelation 21:3-4, Stefanovic adds: “The redeemed on the new earth will be his people. This is the promise that was originally given to the people of Israel: ‘I will make My dwelling among them … I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people’ (Lev. 26:11, 12; cf. Exod. 29:45; Jer. 30:22). ‘My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people’ (Ezek. 37:27). John switches the singular ‘people’ to the plural ‘peoples.’ The plural form indicates the inclusion of all God’s children from all ages—’from every nation and tribe and people and tongue’ (Rev. 7:9)—in the population of the new earth.” (Stefanovic, Revelation of Jesus Christ, p. 577).

He is our God, we are His people, and He is with us! This intimate bond that humankind had from the beginning with God as He came to visit His children in the garden of Eden (Gen 3:8), is a reality once again in the New Earth. He has always been and will always be for us, “Immanuel: God with us.”

In his Gospel, Matthew tells us that Jesus was the embodiment of the presence of God with us: “Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us’ “ (Matt. 1:22, 23). And he ends his Gospel with Jesus’ words that remind us of His presence with us until the very end: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

In Revelation 21:3, we realize that God’s Presence is with us forever, and that He fulfilled His promise to be with us all the way through our journey home. He never left us, because love never ends.

LET’S REFLECT

I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want first? I usually want good news first, hoping it will outweigh the bad news that follows. “It’s curable; that’s the good news.” Well, praise the Lord! Thank you! Thank you! So, what’s the bad news?

On Mother’s Day, 2011, my parents, my husband, and I were celebrating the special day in a restaurant. In the middle of the meal, my dad showed us an unusual swelling on his neck. He casually mentioned that he must have strained a muscle or something, but the swelling had grown to a golf-ball size within the last four days. I made him promise to go to the doctor that week. He, like my mother, is a cancer survivor. He had already survived two types of cancer, and was doing great.

When the results came back, my father now had a third type of cancer, located in the lymphatic system. We didn’t know much more than that. But after several tests and a biopsy, the good news and the bad news came in. The good news: his chances of survival were great; it was considered a pretty curable cancer. Science had advanced in this area of cancer treatment and the percentages presented to us were on his side.

What about the bad news? He would have to suffer through several months of heavy and difficult chemotherapy. Much suffering awaited him throughout the upcoming months, for most of a year. But the good news far outweighed the bad news. When the suffering was over, the cancer would probably be gone! As I write these Bible study guides in 2012, my father is cancer free and the only news left is the good news! Once again, I praise the Lord!

The Revelation of Jesus Christ unveils the final outcome, and it is really good news: we will be back in paradise! This is not just probable good news; it’s certain through the blood of the Lamb! Because of sin, humanity will go through suffering and difficulties. But the good news far outweighs the bad news! The last word of the Bible is there to encourage us!

 

 

God gave us the gift of the weekly Sabbath celebration on the seventh day (like a weekly Jubilee, lesson 4) to remind us that He, our Creator, is also our Redeemer, our Deliverer, and our Provider. We can rest in His ability to take us back to Paradise. Read the following verses: Genesis 2:2, 3; Exodus 16: 29, 30; 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Matthew 11:28-12:8; Hebrews 4:8-10. Why do we need a constant reminder to trust our Go’el, and rest in His ability to rescue us and our land?

 

 

What does the weekly Sabbath feast of remembrance have to do with the New Earth (see Isa. 66:23)?

 

 

We are living between creation and re-creation. Why do we need a weekly Christcentered rest? How does the Sabbath rest point back to creation and forward to re-creation (see Heb. 4:9, 10)?

 

 

LET’S COMPREHEND JESUS IN SCRIPTURE

Let’s read once again Revelation 21:22, 23: “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” I have always been intrigued by these statements: the Lamb is the temple and the light.

The fact that Jesus is the Light of the world has been developed by many authors, especially by John in his Gospel, starting from the very beginning (see John 1:1-5). The Word was God, the active Agent of creation. He Himself was Life (see John 1:4). He didn’t just give life, He was Life. And following the order of Creation, John talks about light (see Gen. 1:3–5). He says that the Word was life, and that life became “the Light of men” (John 1:4). And just as in the process of Creation, when the Light appeared, darkness was exposed (verse 5; see also John 3:18-21). John goes on to say that Jesus “was the true Light which … enlightens every man” (John 1:9). Every person can choose to accept or reject the Light.

Then we learn that when the Light came home, those at home did not receive Him. What a tragedy! Home is supposed to be your own place, where everybody knows your name. The Word, the Life-Giver, and Light Bearer “was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (verses 10, 11). This is the bad news.

But there is also good news. Some did accept the Light. And to those who received Him by believing in Him, He gave a gift: a new status—children of God. In one of His “I AM” statements found in this Gospel, Jesus boldly claims, “ ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life’ “ (John 8:12, see also John 9:5). In Revelation, John reveals that the Lamb is the lamp in the New Jerusalem. Jesus illumines us from Genesis to eternity!

In his Gospel, John also develops the theme that Jesus is the Tabernacle of God. “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (verse 14). The words used in this verse are of utmost importance.

First, John’s choice of the word flesh is designed to highlight the fact that the Word did not make just a spiritual appearance; Christ had a real, physical body. Jesus is at the same time fully God and fully man.

Second, the word dwelt means that He encamped or, in Old Testament vernacular, tabernacled among us. This is key, because it derives from the root word tabernacle, the sanctuary in the wilderness, the place where God’s presence resided with His people. John wants his readers to catch the connection, and to understand that the term refers back to the tabernacle Moses built in the wilderness. Right afterward, John uses another word, glory, which also comes from the tabernacle vocabulary: “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exod. 40:34).

Now the tabernacle is the flesh, and we see God’s glory through Jesus Christ. He is the fullest revelation of the glory of God. Furthermore, His utmost glory is the cross, where God is revealed most fully. When humanity sinned, God found a way to continue His relationship with us and He developed the idea of the tabernacle/sanctuary/temple; so that, through the services and sacrifices performed there, He could demonstrate His plan for us, and we could understand Jesus’ redemption on our behalf. When Jesus came to earth, He tabernacled among us and we saw more clearly the glory of God. When Jesus ascended to heaven, He left the members of His church as temples through which His glory may be revealed. In the New Jerusalem, the Lamb is the temple forever! He is truly Immanuel, God with us! He wants to be close to us forever!

LET’S RESPOND TO GOD’S AMAZING RESTORATION

It is impossible to describe the New Earth adequately. We can just imagine the voice declaring all the benefits that will be ours when God dwells with His children forever. Think about it: just the abolishing of the effects of sin alone should make our hearts soar—death, crying, and pain—they are all history!

The Bible ends with an invitation. It is the most important decision of our lives: Come to Jesus, accept Him as your personal Savior, and become His disciple. “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Rev. 22:17).

Will we accept Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf and embrace our new identity as children of God? Do we wish to take the water of life without cost? If so, let’s confess our faith in Jesus as our Go’el, and His ability to rescue us and our land. He paid His life for our eternal lives, so that we may receive it without cost.

This is not just a fairy tale. It is the real history of humankind from the beginning to eternity. It goes full circle from Creation to Redemption, made possible only because of a costly ransom paid by our Go’el. Are you surprised by this much love? This is the story of the truly unexpected and successful rescue of God’s kidnapped children. The restoration of paradise is assured through Jesus’ blood. Forever and ever we will study God’s amazing grace, who simply refused to go through eternity without us, his beloved children.

We already know the end of the story: And God and His children lived happily ever after! The End. Amen!