The Age to Come
The book of Revelation describes the cosmic battle between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness. In the midst of this battle we realize that God is holding back on our enemy so that the nations of this world might have the opportunity to become the nations of our God and King by giving their allegiance to Jesus, creation’s true Lord. The book of revelation uses the pallet of metaphors from the prophets of Israel’s past to describe this new thing God is doing. At the end of this beautiful and mysterious book we read this passage.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
"See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them as their God;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
Each line is filled with meaning. We see the language of the “new” heaven and earth being used. The old heaven and earth had been broken by man’s rebellion and sin and by the enemy’s deceits. But the enemy and his lies are being dealt with once and for all and the sins of mankind are being judged. Now we have a new heaven and a new earth, joined together as they were intended to be. This new creation will not know the touch of evil. It’s described as having no sea. In the Old Testament the sea symbolized chaos and disorder; this has been done away with, overcome by Jesus.
The apostle John sees the heavenly Jerusalem, the true royal city of God, descending from Heaven and coming to rest on earth. Heaven and earth are joined together in relationship as they were always intended, and God says that He has made His home among humanity. When this happens there is no more need for faith, because God dwells with us. We are able to see Him and experience Him face to face.
And what does that mean for us? What happens when Heaven and Earth unite under the rule of our loving God? It means everything is set to right!
REV 21:4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away."
REV 21:5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new."
The power of these words is incredible. God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. As a pastor I have been with people during some of their worst moments. I’ve had to tell children that one of their parents has died. I’ve had to sit with parents after the death of their children. I’ve had to help people work through the pain of a murdered loved one. I’ve consoled women who have been raped, women who are dealing with the pain of an abortion, or who have felt their heart ripped out as they’ve given their child away for adoption. I’ve counseled many soldiers dealing with the pain of what they witnessed and participated in on the field of battle. I’ve watched marriages dissolve, people ruin their lives, fortunes come and go. I’ve watched people live pay check to pay check; maxed out in debt, lose their jobs and be cast out onto the streets; the list of pain that I’ve seen has been staggering. When people find themselves in the midst these situations, they are the marginalized. They are the least, the last, the lost, and lonely.
The Bible says that at the end of the age, when Jesus sets all things to right, that He will wipe every tear from our eyes. He will comfort us in our pain, and our pain will be no more. He goes on to say death will be no more. No longer will we have to contend with the loss of loved ones. Mourning, crying, pain will all be things that were part of the old creation. In the new creation no one will be marginalized. There will be no least, last, lost, or lonely because these things will have passed away. There will be no more poverty, murder, death, war, sin, or sickness because these things will have passed away. God will have made all things new.
This is the trajectory of the Kingdom. One day through Jesus there will be no under performing schools. Children who want to learn will all have the opportunity to learn. There will be no need for ministries to the homeless, there will be no need to speak up for the enslaved or the oppressed. These people will be free.
As the church, we are the community of this coming age. We are already residents of this time. When we hear Paul use language that we are foreigners or aliens to this world, or when he says we are in the world but not of it, he is describing the fact that we are the people of the coming Kingdom. So wherever we are, there should be visible signs of the old order of things being set to right; poverty, sickness, slavery, and the marginalization of people disappearing as the world and its systems encounter the people of the Kingdom; the people of the future age.
What we have to understand is that the conditions of poverty, marginalization, sickness, slavery, and violence are all reminders of the brokenness of the world. Followers of Jesus are to serve notice to the world that these conditions will come to an end completely one day by working for their eradication now. Every time we feed the hungry, comfort the mourning, befriend the lonely, heal or care for the sick, or bring peace to areas of violence we pointing towards the future God is bringing. We are demonstrating the life of the “age to come”. This is the life that will be normal when Jesus sets all things to right; it’s the life we give our broken world a glimpse of every time we act to bring the Kingdom’s order to the broken chaos of this age.
This is our duty. This is our message. This is our privilege! Paul in Roman’s 8 says that all creation literally stands on tip toe waiting for the revealing of the children of God. Every time we love the marginalized we are giving creation a sneak peak of what it’s longing for!
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