New Order!

New Order!

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.

Revelation 21:4 KJV

Context:

The apostle John had been given the grace to see insights into the future, and he was asked to write the things he saw. Today's extract speaks to the end of all things, when all that we see and know now will change. All the familiar, regular, usual and the predictable will all give way to the new eternal. John testified that he saw a new heaven and a new earth, with the first heaven and the first earth passing away. That is proof that nothing of the earth was built to outlast the earth. There is nothing I lay hold of on earth that I can take to heaven; they all will be used on and for the earth and will perish with the earth. 

God says all of these to me so I can order my priorities aright. I cannot keep my heart on the earth's resources and still be focused on eternity. The earth's resources are good, as they are required for living on earth, but they must not take the place of God in my heart. I must use the resources, bless the earth with the gifts I have been given, but I must spend them in the service of the earth, and for the glory of the One who owns and gives them as he pleases. If he does not give me something, it does not make me any less than the one who has it. At some point, all of us would have to leave the earth and answer to God for all the resources he has given us. What would my account of the things he has given me look like? 

Message and Response:

Is my heart free from the pull and attraction of the earth's resources? Have I set my heart on them so much that I cannot hear God speak about my pursuits and priorities? What lies ahead is not the normal or the usual, and I need to prepare for it. God promises that a time is coming when He will wipe away all tears. Whether it is that I will have no capacity to produce tears, or that my new position will generate so much joy that tears will not be necessary, God's promise is one of indescribable joy. It is the joy of the Holy Spirit when he is in a life. 

Of course, when God's eternal life promised here is in operation, there can be no death, sorrow, crying or pain. When these no longer exist, where then is the basis for tears? God cannot be in a life and there will still be a fear of death. The two cannot co-exist together in the same heart. Sin led to the breach of the first perfect life, where even nakedness was not an issue because God's nature of holiness provided all the cover needed. Sin broke that hedge, but Jesus' death and resurrection assures us of the restoration of that same cover. If I will look forward to that cover, I must be found in Jesus. It is his life that guarantees the cover, not my possessions, power, position or political influence. 

The qualification for entering into the new heaven and the new earth is just what it is: holiness, which is God's nature. I cannot deceive this God with mere mouth confession; it has to be the sincere conversion and daily walk with God. Everything I know about this present earthly phase is only good down here. As I live my life down here, I am preparing for the life to come. At some point in the future, everything I see now will be termed as the former things, because they will all pass away, either by death or total destruction by fire. 

With that understanding, what kind of person then must I be, if not one who is standing guard, aware of and alert to everything that is happening around me. I cannot sleep off or become insensitive to God's warnings about the world I live in. Just as the world and its desire are passing away, so must their attraction and pull pass away in my heart. I must set my heart on the things that glorify and promote God, and I must seek to make God known. God is calling out to all of us, asking that we tune our hearts to him. His gift of life is available to all men, but it is a gift that is time-based. I can only take advantage of the gift while I am still alive. Once death comes, it is too late to change my mind. Am I sure that I am a candidate for the new heaven and the new earth? My eternity hangs on the answer. His time of favour is here.