Greetings members and friends and welcome to another commentary and preview to this Sunday’s study of the Word. This Sunday’s study text is entitled “A New Home” and it is based on Revelation 21:1-9.
The Book of Revelation is a book of prophesy unlike any other. According to the text itself, it was given by Jesus to be given to His followers and believers so that they would know of things to come.
John, the apostle of Jesus Christ and author of the gospel which bears his name, is the messenger through which Jesus delivered the prophesy to the church. John said he was instructed to write the things he saw and heard so that those who believed would know what was and is to come.
Revelation describes what shall and will happen in the end. The end in this sense means the end of physical and real world as we know and have known it. It is analogous to tearing down an old building and putting a new one in its place. The current reality as we know and have known it will be replaced with a new one.
Old buildings are torn down and new ones erected in their place because the old building have lived out their usefulness and can no longer accommodate the needs of the future. There is a time coming when the current earth and heavens will endure beyond their usefulness. Both will have succeeded in doing what they were created and made to do.
The purpose of the present heaven and earth was and is to produce a generation of living being made in the image of God who would and will become the sons and daughters of God Himself.
This heaven and earth are like a crop someone planted in a field. The crop came up and produced fruit until the all the fruit that could and would be produced had come forth and been harvested. Once this happens, the field is plowed up and something new can be planted in its place.
This is another way of seeing what is and shall happen to the heaven and earth we current know and have known. There shall come a time when no more souls will be saved. No one else will believe. When this happens, the end of what we now know as heaven and earth will come to an end, be plowed up like the field or torn down like the old building, and God will take that which was good that came out of it and incorporate or bring it into a new version of heaven and earth.
This is what the title of the lesson calls “A New Home”. The current heaven and earth have been our home and the home of all human beings before and after us. But their days are numbered. They will endure beyond their usefulness and purpose. When this happens, God will replace them with something new.
This is the hope of believers everywhere and in all generations. That they and we may be part of this renewal of heaven and earth. That our life will remain and continue as we become part of this new heaven and earth that God will bring into existence for those He loves and those who love Him.
These nine verses of this study describe the moment when this transition takes place. It describes the passing away of the old and the coming in of the new. It tells of the joy and relief of those who placed their faith and trust in God and the agony, despair and destruction of all those who didn’t.
This world is a test. It is a proving ground for those who shall be accounted worthy to be part of this new heaven and earth. It rests on faith as the condition for passage. Why faith? Only God knows why He chose faith as the determining factor.
Maybe we will understand it better or fully when the end comes and all this described in this prophesy comes to pass. But for now, all we can do and must do if we want to live in this new heaven and earth is believe.
Well, be sure to look over the study again and come prepared to offer your comments, questions and perspective on the meaning of the study. If you can’t attend your own Sunday School class this Sunday, you can join us live and online at 9:00 am at www.fbmbc.org and clicking the online services link.
You can also join us live by dialing 508 924-2890. If you have any comments or questions, be sure to place them in the comment section or you can share them on Sunday. So, let’s all have a great lesson and discussion this Sunday and remember to fear God and keep His commandments.
Pastor Jordan
