Satisfied In Eternity - Can I Be Satisfied?

“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. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.’” (Revelation 21:1-6,ESV)

Do you ever long for all things to be new? Maybe you long for a debt to be paid, a second chance with someone you’ve hurt, or the ability to take back what you’ve done and do it differently. Do you wish for a clear record? We all long for newness.

Revelation 21 shows that “new” is part of God’s plan for our eternal future. We see a picture of Christ’s second coming, when Jesus will return to earth and fulfill all of God’s promises. In Revelation 21:5, Jesus declares, “Behold, I am making all things new.” We can count on the promise of newness because its foundation rests on Jesus. The passage highlights God’s plan of newness in four separate promises.

First is the promise of a new creation. John saw a new heaven and new earth in place of the old. Since the word heaven refers to the sky, the promise is for a renewed physical universe. When Jesus returns, we won’t live as disembodied souls in some ethereal place. God will bring heaven—his dwelling place—down to earth. God will reverse the effects of the curse and renew this world he created and called good, making it even better than it was in the beginning.

Second is the promise of new people. They will be presented as a bride adorned in robes of righteousness in the New Jerusalem where God dwells. No longer will we disobey, do good with impure motives, or be plagued with temptation or regret. We won’t have to question someone’s intentions or experience betrayal or manipulation because all creation will be purified. Sin will be totally eradicated.

The third promise is that of new presence. In eternity we will experience the presence of God in a fuller way. He is with us now and his Spirit dwells within us, but when Jesus returns, we will see God face-to-face. His unrestrained manifest presence will be with us. Joy of all joys!

Finally, we see the promise of new life. Our dead bodies will be physically resurrected as Christ’s was, and they will remain incorruptible. Imagine a world where you never feel the sting of death or have to worry for the safety of those you love. A world where disability is reversed, chronic illness is eliminated, and your body never grows weaker. No sorrow, no stress, no anxiety, no depression, no pain. Then God will reach out and tenderly wipe away our tears.

God’s plan culminates in the fulfillment of every promise and the healing of every wound. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be fully satisfied. On that day we’ll experience the joys of eternal life in all its perfection. Until then, we place our hope in the God who will bring his perfect plan to pass—the God who is with us even now—the God who satisfies.

Reflect:

As you reflect over your studies this week, where do you notice places in your life where you long for satisfaction? What might it look like to turn to God for satisfaction in those areas? Write down 1-3 action steps you can implement.