The Big Story: The New Heaven and Earth



The Bible's Big Story about God's mission to save the world comes to a climax in the last 3 chapters of the book of Revelation.  At the end of chapter 20, God resurrects the dead, and they stand in judgment before him as he sits on the great white throne.  He has great books opened, which record the deeds of each person.  But the final determination of judgment is whether the person's name is recorded in the book of life.  The book of life contains the names of those who've followed Christ.

At the beginning of chapter 20, God resurrects creation, which has been subject to decay because of human sin.  Then he sends down the New Jerusalem, the eternal home of his resurrected people.  This city comes down to earth, where his people will live.  God is present in this city, so no temple is needed.  The divine and human realms come together.

God declares that a new time has come, in which he will wipe every tear from every eye, and there will be no more sickness or mourning or crying or pain.  The old, broken order of sin and death has passed away, and a new order of righteousness and life has begun!

The beginning of chapter 22 describes the qualities of the New Jerusalem, and it says the tree of life is in the city.  Genesis 3 says that after Adam and Eve sinned, they were cast out of the Garden of Eden so they couldn't access this tree and live forever.  Now, humans have access to it again.  This shows God has achieved his mission, because the brokenness brought by human has been repaired through God's work in Christ.

How should we respond to the end of the Big Story?  By following Christ and serving him sacrificially in the present.  We know how everything ends!  Still, God calls us to enter the Big Story by being his hands and feet in this world!


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