And
I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and
the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory
of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations
walk, and the kings of the earth swill bring their glory into it, and tits
gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will
bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will
ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those
who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:22-27 ESV).
If you have known me for anytime, you know that the Smoky Mountains are my favorite place to be. We all have those places in our lives. The memories we have made, the experiences we have enjoyed, and the time spent in these places eclipses any other place we have seen or heard about. I’ve chosen just one of the hundreds I’ve taken through the years of Cades Cove in the fall of the year to give you a glimpse of my experience in this wonderful place. It truly is beautiful; however, compared to heaven it is nothing.
Of course, we know that nowhere in the
New Testament are we given a clear, precise description of heaven. We get
glimpses of what heaven is like, but we don’t see a detailed picture. Most of
what we are given is visionary, highly symbolic, figurative, and full of
imagery. This is because of the utter newness of heaven. Heaven is like a
glorified version of the good things of this world, so we can have some idea of
what it will be like. Because of the transcendent newness of heaven, however,
we would not be able to understand a literal description of it.
We get one of these visionary glimpses
in the last two chapters of Revelation. We are told that there will be a new
heaven and a new earth. While some believe that the present heaven and earth
will be destroyed, most believe that they will be redeemed and transformed into
the new. Just as we get glorified, resurrected bodies, so this old world will
be renewed and transfigured. We are also told that there will no longer be any
sea. In the Old Testament the sea is often an image of death. The next image is
that of a New Jerusalem, replacing the old one that will be destroyed. John saw
this city as a bride, an image of God’s people prepared for Him. As she came,
John heard a voice saying that God’s tabernacle is with men and He will dwell with
them. This is imagery drawn from the Old Testament, where the tabernacle was
always pitched at the center of the camp of Israel.
John also sees the shekinah glory that
shone in the Old Testament around the person of God Himself. He sees the glory
manifesting itself as a precious jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal—symbols
that focus on the idea of light radiating through transparent and translucent
materials. The city is described as huge, 1,400 miles on each side, and as
symmetrically balanced, the perfect edifice built by the Ultimate Architect. This
is what God has done for our eternal home. No wonder that this becomes the very
foundation for wonder and joy in the believer’s life! I pray you see a glimpse
of that in all the beautiful places you cherish!
No comments:
Post a Comment