F O O T H O L D
READING
99 GOD'S NEW WORLD
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PRAY Thank you Lord, for
your word, your power and your presence
today.
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READ Revelation 20:11-21:8.
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THINK What does 21:1-8 teach
about God's nature? Notice also, the
things that are missing from
God's new city.
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FOCUS HUMANITY JUDGED (11-15).
At the final judgement the dead will
stand before the great white
throne. (In the word pictures of
Revelation the throne
represents 'rule' and white 'purity'.)
Books will be opened (12).
Some are a record of human deeds but
this does not mean that we
shall be saved by our 'good works'.
What decides that issue is
whether or not we are in 'the book of
life'; and we get there
because of God's mercy and Christ's love.
But if we are there, our
deeds will show it.
NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTH (1-8).
In the beginning sin had opened
up a gap between God and man
when Adam was driven out of the
garden. Since then,, death,
grief, crying and pain (4) have
dominated human experience.
But finally the split is to be
healed, and these things
will be no more? It's almost impossible
to imagine what that will be
like. God will make his home with
mankind. All our needs will
be staified, as when a thirsty man
finds a spring of fresh
water (6). But note that not everyone
will enjoy the bliss of that
wonderful world (8).
In this section of
Revelation we do not merely have a picture of
the future. The Bible is
never interested in the future merely as
future, but in its bearing
on our lives in the present. So
repeatedly there is a word
to the reader.
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PRAY Help your people so to
live this day, Lord, that others may catch
some glimpse of the glory
that will finally be realised in
Christ's everlasting kingdom.
