Hope When Things Are Dark
“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. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:1-5
If you were to open up your Bible and flip to Genesis 1:1, for the next two chapters God creates everything and puts Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to enjoy each other and fellowship with God. But, in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve disobey God and that fellowship is broken.
You might also notice that this happens a page and a half into the Bible. God could have ended it all right then and there and you would be left with a 1.5 page long Bible. But thankfully it doesn’t end there.
The rest of the Bible is God’s rescue plan to restore fellowship with His children. This passage is unique because it makes up the other “bookend” of the Bible. In the last two chapters of the Bible (Rev. 21-22) we see a dramatic return to the Garden of Eden.
Jesus declares “Behold, I am making all things new!” This is a great hope for Christians because the book of Revelation talks about what is still to come when Jesus returns. All of the sadness, brokenness, and death brought in by sin will be dealt with and all of Creation will be redeemed.
It’s hard not to be discouraged when you see all of the brokenness in the world around us. However, the Gospel gives us hope because there is still a life to come. One day God will once again walk with His children and every sad thing will become untrue.
This is true hope that you can base your life on because Jesus Himself has said so. Notice the last verse that says, “Write this down for these words are trustworthy and true.” That’s good news!