Title: New City and New City
2009. 8. 23 New Heaven and New Earth
Text: Rev 21:1 ? 8
A Sunday School teacher at a church asked the children about heaven.
“Everyone, how can we get to heaven?”
“If I make a lot of money and donate a lot to the church, will I be able to enter the kingdom of heaven?” So, the children answered “No ~” all at once with their lips like chicks.
“Then, if I study well and pass the exam well, will I be able to get in?” I replied, “No.”
“Then, if I listen to my mom and dad, clean well, don’t fight with my friends, and do good deeds, will I be able to enter heaven?” When I asked, the answer is blurry because the children are a little vague and conflict arises.
“Then how do we get to heaven?” ', at this time a four-year-old boy answered in a loud voice. “You must die!”
I burst out laughing at the thought of that answer for a really four year old kid.
However, after laughing and thinking about it, the answer of the four-year-old child left a strange lingering impression.
In today's world, there are many things that are unthinkable and difficult to accept.
The swine flu, global terrorism, the threat of nuclear weapons, politics, education, welfare ... and so on, everything is unsettling.
There is not a single day when I feel comfortable because of money worries.
There are so many people who are worried about everything.
There are quite a few people who complain that it is too difficult to live every day.
To those who are screaming in the face of the difficulties of reality for us living in this day
What message does today's text send?
What does ‘new heavens and new earth’ have to do with me?
Today's text is an apocalyptic message about the end of the world that John, a disciple of Jesus, received from God.
The apocalypse of the new heavens and new earth is an important prophecy of the end times of this world, when there is a hell and God's justice is revealed as well as hope for the coming of heaven.
The coming of a new heaven and a new earth means the end of the world in one word.
The biblical understanding of the word end is the total collapse of the present structure of the entire universe, including the Earth, and all laws required to maintain that structure.
From this point on, a new and eternal order is established under the direct rule of God. That is the new heaven and new earth.
In this order, there is a kingdom of heaven where God's children will enjoy eternal happiness and dwell with the Lord.
There is a hell where Satan and other people who do not believe in the Lord and practice lies and lawlessness will be punished forever.
Daily dramas sometimes come to an end, and movies also use The end to mark the end.
So is our life. There must be ‘The end’.
However, what is important at this time is whether the end is a 'happy end' or an 'unhappy end' is more important than anything else. In the Bible, it is expressed in terms of heaven and hell.
There are people around us who are afraid to die. Those who die without God are such people. On the other hand, there are people who are eagerly waiting for death, filled with anticipation, because they want to enter the kingdom of heaven where God awaits.
Which one are you?
Those who are confident of entering the kingdom of heaven will wait for the Lord's return,
Those who don't are just afraid to die.
If you know the date of your death, you can live your life as you please and finish your life of faith well before you die. However, there is a saying, ‘Even a fortune teller does not know the day of his death’.
That is an extreme expression that no one knows when or when he will die.
In Luke 12:16-18, there is a parable of a rich man.
“I will tear down my barn and build it bigger, and I will store all my grain and all my goods there. And I said to my soul, Soul, many goods are laid up for many years; rest, eat, drink, and be merry."
But God said, "You fool, tonight your soul will be required of you, and whose will your preparations be?"
This verse well points out the fragility of a life in which one cannot foresee a single inch ahead, and never know what will happen tomorrow.
So, the psalmist
Psalm 90:12 humbly prays, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a wise heart.” I pray in the name of the Lord that this confession of the psalmist will become your confession.
Chapter 21 of Revelation,
It describes the new and beautiful eternal kingdom of God that will appear after Satan and his forces are finally bound. But this country is not limited to an eternal future.
After Christ came to this earth and defeated the powers of Satan with death, the kingdom of God has grown more and more powerful in this world.
Therefore, we should not accept the text as limited to mere future events.
It must be understood as the providence of God that is taking place on this earth right now.
The message of the prophecy of ‘a new heaven and a new earth’ in today’s text is clearly conveyed to us,
It is a fact that the earth we are currently standing on and the sky we look up to will disappear. In addition, God's planned 'new heavens and a new earth' will come and will be reorganized into a new order.
It means the coming of heaven and for some it means hell.
Matthew 24:44 says, “Therefore, be prepared, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”
It is said that there are ‘three things’ that will surprise you when you go to heaven.
The first is surprising, ‘I didn’t see anyone I thought was definitely there’.
The second is that you will be surprised to see 'there is a man who thought that he could not even get to the threshold of heaven'.
And, when you go to heaven, it is said that there are ‘things’ and ‘things’ in heaven.
First of all, the things in heaven are prepared for the saints at the end of the world, and there are these things.
The kingdom of God is prepared. There is a resurrection of life. There is a house that will become an eternal resting place for the saints. There is great honor. There is a crown of righteousness.
There is eternal life. There are good things that cannot be compared with those on earth.
Our bodies are transformed into holiness.
And there are 'things' in heaven.
There is no sin in heaven. There is no death. There are no villains. No pain.
No more sorrow and tears. These things never exist.
There are a lot of really heartbreaking things in this world. So there are too many things to cry about.
While fighting the good fight against evil to keep the faith, Christians suffer a lot.
Are you discouraged or weary that the Lord's return is being delayed?
Do you want to complain to the Lord that reality is so hard that you don't have the strength to fight the world?
If you have lost a lot of strength or are weary, I urge you to pray earnestly for the help of the Holy Spirit and not give up and pray until the end.
However, our Lord knows all about how I have fought to keep this belief. That is why the Lord speaks as in verse 4.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, nor will there be any more mourning or crying or pain, for the first things have passed away.”
There will be no more mourning and weeping; for the first things have passed away.
“It’s all over now. My son, my daughter, you can rest assured now. How hard has it been... … I can't tell you how comforting these words are when I think of the Lord who will wipe away my tears.
That is why the ‘new heavens and a new earth’ is a very promising promise of blessing.
When the Lord's children who are saved after leaving this world with many tears to shed, enter the gates of heaven, what our Lord does is wipe away all tears from the eyes of the saints.
I pray in the name of the Lord that all of you here will enter this kind of heaven without exception.
“New heavens and a new earth” are coming soon. However, there will be people who will die before the Lord's Second Coming. It rained heavily this year, causing quite a lot of casualties in Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
In South Korea, a crane accident last month killed 13 people.
A car suddenly rushes into a beauty salon, and a truck rushes into a store, killing them.
Buses with broken brakes hit people waiting for the bus at the platform... …
No one knows what will happen tomorrow, when, where, how, and who will leave this world first. Therefore, we must always live in preparation for the Lord’s return, not ‘later’.
We must wait for the Lord's return, but we must wait for the Lord with earnestness.
‘I will give to the one who thirsts the spring of the water of life without cost… … ’
Those who long for Christ Jesus can drink the water of life.
Who enters heaven?
If you refer to verse 7, ‘one who overcomes’ enters. What do you mean overcoming? It refers to a person who has won the victory of faith by keeping his faith in Christ Jesus until the end.
‘He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.’
We work very hard to beat others for fame or material things… … .
But, how much are you fighting for victory in order to inherit the kingdom of God? … .?
Are you living a life preparing for the apocalypse?
Or are you just getting old without being aware of the end?
We need a life that is conscious of death and prepares for it. If death is too imminent, then it is already too late. Because that is the time when God's judgment is too near.
I died and when I opened my eyes, how absurd and injustice would it be if it was hell instead of heaven? Hell is a place of eternal torment.
But how lucky you all are... …
to believe in Jesus Christ,
I believe that Jesus died on the cross to wash away my sins and died in my place.
If you hold fast only to that faith and do not let go until the end of your life, you will become a ‘victim’.
That person will be able to enter the kingdom of heaven when the new heavens and new earth are opened.
We, Akashi Church members, have the blood of the Passover Lamb Jesus Christ sprinkled on the pillars of our hearts.
Therefore, there is no reason to be afraid. Rest assured.
We must fight this battle of faith to the end until Jesus returns.
The victor will be the hero entering the new heavens and new earth.
When we were in Korea, we bought a new apartment and moved.
Even the new house I bought with my own money on this earth was thrilling and happy, but the thought of having my eternal home prepared by God in heaven is not exciting.
But just remember this.
Do you know how my heavenly home is being built?
Please don't forget that my house in heaven is being built with the materials I sent to you on this earth, called 'life of faith. Please remember that as much as I have lived my life of faith well, it will be built beautifully and strong.
In the name of the Lord, I pray in the name of the Lord that all the members of Akashi Church who live a victorious life of faith always meditate on that the new heaven and new earth are the heaven that the Lord has prepared for me.