Bible Studies

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The Letters
Revelation 21:1-6 – Heaven Bound, Now!


Key Verses: (MSG)

• 1: “I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea.” – Redemption received, judgment unfurled, and the defeat of evil completed and in its wake a new creation lays before us.
  
  
• 2: “I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband.” – A new holy city is created for God’s people.
  
  
• 3: “I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: ‘Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making His home with men and women! They’re His people, He’s their God’” – God living among His people once again.
  
  
• 4: “He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good – tears gone, crying gone, pain gone – all the first order of things gone.” – This verse is a direct quotation from Isaiah where the prophet paints a glorious picture of God’s ultimate victory.
  
  
• 5: “The Enthroned continued, ‘Look! I’m making everything new. Write it all down – each word dependable and accurate.’” – Everything is made new as the dust and rubble from the decay of sin is removed.
  
  
• 6: “Then He said, ‘It’s happened. I’m A to Z. I’m the Beginning, I’m the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty.’” – God, the Restorer, fulfills all the needs of the faithful.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• What has God created new in your life? As you read Revelation, are you looking to a time that is to come; an end time, when, at some point in the future, everything is created new by God? Is it possible that this new creation is taking place today, in every moment of your life and in the lives of Christians throughout the world? Has your relationship in Christ resulted in new thoughts, new actions, and new expectations? Has His transformation of your heart caused you to create new hope and new love in the lives you touch? With Christ as your Savior, are you not called to make a difference in the world around you? Can’t this difference considered to be a new earth? Is the outcome of your actions in Christ the building of a new Heaven?
  
  
• Are you the Bride of Christ? In Matthew 25, the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, we were taught that we, as bridesmaids of Christ, are to be ready for His return. Is the imagery in today’s verses of the “Holy City” referring to the church of Christ? Are we, the church, being newly created as Christ’s bridesmaid? Are you ready for God? Have you prepared for His return? Are you looking forward to His coming and doing everything you can to prepare Him a way into the lives of others?
  
  
• Has God moved into your neighborhood? Throughout the Bible, God’s prophets refer to a time when God is living among His people. Has that time come? Or are we still waiting for His arrival? With the Holy Spirit actively involved in your life, don’t you feel the presence of God wherever you go? Isn’t the love of Christ evident wherever you look? Are you constantly amazed by God’s creation? Are these not proof that God has moved in and is here to stay? Are you one of His people? Is He your God?
  
  
• Is God everything in your life? Does He bless your life at the beginning of each day? Is He there when you lie down at night? Do you sense His involvement at each moment of your day? Is He quenching your thirst and satisfying your hunger? He says that you can depend on every word and every promise that He has made. Do you believe it? Are you able to give control of your life over to God’s loving care?
  

Promises of the Gospel:

Someday, maybe tomorrow or perhaps in a million years, the world will end. How and why it ends is beyond our scope of understanding. If all we have in our relationship with God is this fascination with the end of time, then we miss out on experiencing the new creation that takes place in the lives of people every day. Each Easter we celebrate that Christ lives! We have experienced and witnessed lives transformed by His love and inspired by His Spirit. God’s new heaven and earth is being created during each moment of each day in the lives of millions of Christians throughout the world. Focusing on His presence now, in our cities and neighborhoods, gives us the ability to know Him, feel Him, grow closer to Him, and become more like Him. We are His bride, anxiously and excitedly preparing a way for His kingdom here on earth as it is in Heaven, today.


FUMC Devotionals

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