The New Jerusalem

Read Rev 21:1 - 22:21

Dave Kusumoto

The redemptive history of God’s people, interestingly, begins in a garden and ends in a city.
A city? Most of us want to get out of cities and into the country. This is where many of us
feel closer to God. But this is exactly what we find in today’s reading. In the final chapters of
Revelation, John sees, descending from the heavens, The New Jerusalem, a city as radiant as a
jewel and filled with God’s light.

What’s so significant about Jerusalem? In the history of God’s revelation to man, Jerusalem is
the most important city on earth. No other place is more surrounded with praise or promises
of ultimate glory and permanent peace. To understand more about God’s relationship with
man, we must go back to our first reading in Genesis and revisit the garden. The Garden of
Eden is where Adam and Eve walked with God. “In the cool of the garden”, the author says,
we walked with our Creator. This is a beautiful and poetic way of describing the perfect unity
we once had with God. It was a time when we existed in a world without shame or sin. It was,
literally, Heaven on Earth. Theologians call this perfect unity with God, “Shalom”, the Hebrew
word for Peace.

That Shalom was broken when mankind sinned and rebelled against God. But ever since that
time, God has been carrying out his Master Plan to restore us to Himself completely and fully.
So this is our ultimate destination, the New Jerusalem, where once again, we will walk with
God, and all things will be made whole again. “There will be no more death or mourning or
crying or pain.” We will be part of the great multitude shouting, “Hallelujah!”

P R AY E R
Lord, help us to live fuller, more devoted lives for You. Knowing where we are headed gives us
the confidence to be in Your will and under Your reign as Your story of redemption comes to
pass. In Christ’s name, Amen.
 DAY 100

QUESTIONS
Are you still anxious about what heaven will be like?

Has your reading in the Book of Revelation given you a sense of hope or do you still have
doubts about our eternal destination?

In view of recent economic upheavals in our nation, do you find any encouragement or
relevance in reading these passages?

MY REFLECTIONS
Does any particular verse (SCRIPTURE) in today’s reading speak to you?

OBSERVE what this verse is saying to you:

How can you APPLY this verse to your life today?

My PRAYER for today is: