Day 3 - Verse 97 - "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea existed no longer." Revelation 21:1

I mentioned before how Genesis 1:1 rings so clear in my mind when I read this verse in Revelation. Don't we have a wonderfully poetic God who writes His Word in such a manner that the end of the story ties back to the beginning in such a perfect balance?  Don't ever think that we get our human literary talents from any source other than the most incredible literary genius ever...way beyond Shakespeare, Dickens or Uris...more mysterious than Christie, le Carre', or Grisham. The Holy Spirit, writing over approximately 1,600 years, has written the most beautiful book of poetry, mystery and the ultimate romance of all time...the beautiful, continuous story of God's love for us and His eternal plan for our lives with Him, accomplished through the gift of His Son for our redemption.

So when in Genesis 1 we are told that on the third day, God separated the dry ground from the waters and he called the dry ground "land" and the gathered waters, "seas", why, now when the new heaven and the new earth have been brought into existence, has the sea disappeared?  There has to be a reason for the beginning...and the end...of this part of God's creation.  Can we dig deeper?

The beasts of Isaiah, Daniel and Revelation rise up out of the sea.  The sea seems to be, in God's literary format, a source of evil.

Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Entire Bible, states: "The third day’s work is related in these verses—the forming of the sea and the dry land, and the making of the earth fruitful. Hitherto the power of the Creator had been exerted and employed about the upper part of the visible word; the light of heaven was kindled, and the firmament of heaven fixed: but now he descends to this lower world, the earth, which was designed for the children of men...the waters, thus cleared, thus collected, and thus lodged, in their proper place, he called seas. Though they are many, in distant regions, and washing several shores, yet, either above ground or under ground, they have communication with each other, and so they are one, and the common receptacle of waters, into which all the rivers flow. Waters and seas often, in scripture, signify troubles and afflictions, (Psalm 42:7 Psalm 69:2, Psalm 69:14, Psalm 69:15). God’s own people are not exempted from these in this world." 

Just as God separated light and darkness, He separated land and sea.  He knew that, in this world, we needed the darkness, to recognize the light; we needed the sea, to appreciate the land.  Yes, in the Bible, the sea often signifies troubles and afflictions, and yes, as we know all too well, God's own people are not exempted from these troubles in this world.

But when the new heaven and the new earth are opened up to us and we see the beauty of these new places, lo and behold, there is no more sea!  There is no more sea of turmoil, temptation and sin. There is no more sea churning with beasts about to rise out of them in opposition to our Lord.  In this new heaven and new earth, the sea has been removed...no more, no more, no more!

I'm shouting Hallelujah!  Our time of having to fight against evil is over, the victory has been won, the sea no longer exists!

God is a wonderful author...He has written a most beautiful epic from beginning to end...one that we have gotten to participate in.  But the sequel to this story, that's going to be the mind-blower...don't miss it...don't take a chance of missing it!

Day 2 - Verse 97 - "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea existed no longer." Revelation 21:1

Just happens that I was in my church today and visited with my pastor, David Ritchie, about two scenes that groups in our church have painted over the last couple of years.  The first one is the Annunciation to Mary by Gabriel of Jesus' first coming.  The second is the revelation to John of Jesus' second coming.  David told me that he plans to have each of the paintings hung in the sanctuary, one on each side, with the church in between.  Makes a perfect picture, doesn't it?  The church today lives in between Jesus' first coming and His second.  We are in this unique period of time..a period of time that one day, as our verse tells us, will pass away.

We are living in the time of the first heaven and the first earth.  As much as we talk about one day being in "heaven", we don't think much about a "new earth" do we?  But we are assured there will be one...and it will be a part of our eternal existence.  What do you think about that?

Robert Morgan says in our reference book, 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart, "Too many of us have a vaporous view of eternity.  We picture it as clouds, harps, robes, and never-ending worship services.  But the Bible teaches that God is going to recreate the universe and give us a new planet Earth.  This new Earth will be a lot like the old one, only imperishable.  No sin or sinners.  No sorrow or suffering.  No pain or pollution.  No tears. No death."

Randy Alcorn says, "The first earth serves as the prototype or pattern for the new earth.  There's continuity between old and new.  We should expect new trees, new flowers, new rocks, new rivers, new mountains, and new animals.  As our current bodies are the blueprints for our resurrection bodies, this present earth is the blueprint for the new earth."

I guess I start thinking about perfection...we are told that  "when that which is perfect is come , then that which is in part shall be done away" 1 Corinthians 13:10.  This earth is "in part"...our new earth will be perfection!  Everything that we see good in our earth will become even better...perfect.  And everything that we see broken and ugly in our world will be gone forever.

Can you even begin to imagine?  Think of the most beautiful sight you've ever seen and then try to imagine that same scene exploding in even more brilliant color, without even the slightest hint of any imperfection.  Our new earth will astound us!

As I'm sitting here writing and thinking, Genesis 1:1 shouts to me..."In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

In the beginning, God created the first heaven and the first earth. In the beginning of time.  In the beginning of the ticking of this earthly clock.  And in the end, when time is complete and we move into the wonderful newness of eternity, God will create for us a new heaven and a new earth...perfect places for perfect lives.

And it will be good...forever.

I can't wait.

Day 1 - Verse 97 - "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea existed no longer." Revelation 21:1

After a wonderful weekend with my son, daughter-in-law and two beautiful granddaughters visiting from Kansas City, today starts off "back to normal"...the house seems so much quieter and I'm missing the activity and having those sweet little faces to wake up to!  Some of God's very greatest blessings in life come through our children in the form of grandchildren...there's just nothing like them!  Until they are part of your life, you just can't quite imagine how much love you will have in your heart for them.

In the same way, I don't believe we can quite imagine what heaven will be like...until it becomes our new life.  We can try, we can conjure up all kinds of images, but I think, going back to 1 Corinthians 2:9, “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him—" , we just can't really begin to imagine what God has in store for us.  And, in fact, the Bible really doesn't tell us that much about what eternity will be like, I think because God knows that our human, finite minds just cannot grasp so many of the features of the home that He is preparing for us.  So, He just asks us to trust Him....it will be good.

Our Verse 97 is one of those verses, though, that does give us a brief glimpse into the eternal picture. All things are new!  A new heaven, a new earth...and all the old has passed away.  Our earth stories...of zero consequence in the newness of eternity.  The fame we established...gone!  The wealth accumulated...gone!  The toys we worked for....gone!

The many sins we grieved over....thank You, Lord...gone!!

I often say, "wish I could do some things over, I'd sure do them differently."  I think (underlined that since I'm not quoting Scripture here!) in heaven we get that opportunity, we have an eternal life to do things right.  I'm not saying we're going to live a perpetual "Groundhog Day" existence...I don't think we will replay our earthly life's mistakes over and over until we get them right.  But I think we will live in such newness of the total understanding of who our Father God is, and who we are in His sight, that we will get to experience life in complete "rightness"---we get to live life absolutely differently than we did this first time around on planet Earth. Never having to look back and wishing we had made another choice, regretting choosing our way over God's will, because we will be living new lives basking in the glory of God Himself, always living to please Him!

Let's recap this section of verses so we can again embed them in these earthly brains of ours!

Isaiah 9:6  "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be on His shoulders.  And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,The mighty God, The eternal Father, The Prince of Peace."

Luke 2:10   "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people.' "

Luke 2:11  "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:12  "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped snugly in a cloth and lying in a manger."

Acts 1:11 "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven?  This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven."

And now add to these five verses, Revelation 21:1:

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea existed no longer."

New here - old gone...that's part of what we will experience.  And that's just the first layer of the onion of this verse.  There's a lot more to peel off!

Day 4 - Verse 96 - "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him go into heaven." Acts 1:11

"When we stand gazing and trifling, the consideration of our Master’s second coming should quicken and awaken us; and, when we stand gazing and trembling, the consideration of it should comfort and encourage us."  Matthew Henry

Motivation, comfort and encouragement.  All of these should be found in the contemplation of Christ's return. 

Motivation - we have reason to follow the Great Commission given by Jesus in Matthew---our Master is returning and He will ask us what we have done for Him in His absence.  Just as Jesus told His disciples,  "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes." (Luke 14:42-43) We have been entrusted to feed the sheep of our Master...please Lord, find us faithful to your work when you return. 

It breaks my heart when I hear Jesus' words spoken in Luke 18:8, "..when the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on earth?"  Jesus was referring to the faith of the persistent widow who kept pleading her case to an unjust judge.  Jesus had explained that if an unjust judge would grant her the justice she pleaded for due to her persistence, how much more our absolutely just and loving Father God will grant justice when we call out to "Him day and night" to right the wrong in our world.   To think of Jesus returning to our world without continuing to hear pleas for His coming and His judgment over evil...please Lord, never let it be!  Let us remain faithful to our calling, to proclaim you at every opportunity, every day. To pray for Your return, Your justice, day and night. Knowing that any day could be THE DAY!  Let Jesus return to find us faithful.  MOTIVATION!

Comfort - remembering that no matter what we go through on this earth, no matter the trial, Jesus is always with us, just as He proclaimed prior to His ascension.  "For I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  We are never alone, His Spirit resides within us and we have the Comforter that He promised, our promise of life to come. "He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory."  Ephesians 1:14.  We have a promise like other, "...the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power, to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength."  His glorious riches are our inheritance, His great power to bring us to Him, His vast strength that conquers all.  We can rely on a powerful God who works on our behalf...COMFORT!

Encouragement - Jesus is coming back!  That IS our encouragement.  He didn't just come to show us who God is and then leave to never return.  He is coming back to rule, forever.  He is coming back to restore perfect and absolute harmony between men and God, forever.  There will be a new heaven and a new earth...completely and absolutely lovely, beyond our imagination.  "What no eye has seen and no ear has heard, and what has never come into a man's heart, is what God has prepared for those who love Him."  We cannot even begin to! picture what God has in store for us...but oh how lovely it will be.  The best day on earth will fade in comparison to the glory of the home that is being prepared for us.  Just as Jesus told His disciples, "I am going away to prepare a place for you...but I will come again...so that where I am, you may be also."  (John 14:3)  When our home is ready, Jesus will come for us.  And what a beautiful, forever home it will be!  ENCOURAGEMENT!

It is good for us to contemplate Christ's return on a very regular basis...it serves as great motivation,comfort and encouragement.  It keeps our reborn eyes looking into the skies, and our earthly eyes looking around us for every chance to do His eternal work here on earth!

Come Lord Jesus!

Day 3 - Verse 96 - "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven."

The angel's question to the "Men of Galilee" seems to imply that it was nonsensical for them to keep standing there, looking up, as if to expect something else to happen at that moment.  Nothing was going to happen.  And the angel also seemed to imply that they should realize what eventually would happen...Jesus would return just like He had departed.  Now, go - get on with your lives until He does!

Do we get bogged down sometimes in our refusal to accept the changes that come in our lives? Sometimes it seems that we just can't take the next step because we're so unsure of what to do. We didn't expect to be standing here, surprised, staring into the clouds wondering what just happened...and we're frozen.

The disciples had to feel this way...what were they to do now?  Things had not turned out the way they had anticipated and now they were left alone without the Leader that had changed their lives.  So they were standing on the Mount of Olives, mouths wide open (that's the way I picture them!), staring into the clouds to see if they could still see just a glimpse of Jesus...no, He's really gone.  This time, He's really, really, gone.  And they froze.

But the angel assures them that all is well...Jesus will return.  You can move away from this point, you don't have to stand here and wait for Him.  He will come back just as He left.  The disciples left, and got on mission!  Boy did they get on mission...these "Men of Galilee", through the power of the Holy Spirit, changed the world with their testimony of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.  A testimony that would have been lost had they not put on their sandals of the Gospel of peace and trekked back down the Mount of Olives, back into a dying world.

Instead of standing, frozen and useless, we can move away from the spots that we sometimes find ourselves glued to as well.  We can know that no matter what has caught us off guard, the Spirit calls us to continue to live, to live on mission, proclaiming the testimony that God has given us to all who need to hear of God's transforming love and grace displayed through the life of Jesus, our Savior.

I just bet that the disciples always had one eye on the peak of the Mount of Olives, wondering if this would be the day that Jesus would return.  I believe they lived their lives with such passion partly because they wanted to be found doing exactly what Jesus had told them to do before He left them. They did not want to be found off course on that day.  We should live with that same passion...knowing that Jesus is coming back, and not wanting to be found living for any other purpose than His divine calling.

We, too, can change the world we live in, just as the disciples did.  We may not have a book of the Bible named after us, but we can bring the Gospel to those who have never heard, or possibly heard, but never understood.  We can live as Jesus taught us and show others a love that makes no sense.

Live for Him...until He comes!

Day 2 - Verse 96 - "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have seen Him going into heaven." Acts 1:11

In our common day vernacular, do you think the angels would have said, "Guys from Galilee - He's gone - you can quit looking up in the clouds......"

...."for now."  

For now, this Jesus is gone from your sight.  For now, you won't be able to see Him, walk with Him, hear His actual earthly voice like you've been doing for the past three years.  For now, you need to go to Jerusalem and wait, like He told you, because He is sending someone else to be your Companion (John 14:16).  For now, you won't ever truly be alone, for His Spirit will reside within you, teaching you and reminding you of everything that He has said to you. (John 14:26)  For now, remain faithful and remain strong; never be afraid for all that you have seen and heard has been true...Jesus is who He has said He is...He is your Lord, He is your King.

For now, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, and teaching them everything that Jesus has taught you.  For now, don't worry about what the world thinks of you, or even what they threaten you with.  For now, stand firm in your faith, even unto your death...for now.

Because, you see, guys from Galilee..."This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have seen Him going into heaven."

One day, all the "for nows" will be over!  Jesus will return in the clouds to claim His own.  "For now" will be replaced with an eternal FOREVER of wonderful ever after, with Jesus ruling from His throne.  

So, we don't have to continue to stare up into the clouds...for now Jesus is guiding His believers through His Spirit living within us, through His Holy Word given for our every need, and we need to be about His business...the heavenly business of spreading the Gospel throughout this "for now" world we live in. And when Jesus comes, we won't have to be standing on the Mount of Olives looking up into the very clouds where He departed in order to get a good view...for every eye on earth shall see Him coming in His splendor!  (Revelation 1:7)

Come Lord Jesus!

Day 1 - Verse 96 - "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven."

Wow!  Remember talking about the angels giving the shepherd their "sign"?  Now approximately 33 years later, the angels give another very important announcement along with an accompanying sign: Jesus will return, and He will return in the same way that He left.

This is our transitional verse from those regarding Jesus first coming to those proclaiming His promised return.  Because those first verses were s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d over a fairly long period of time, it probably is a very good idea to review them:


Isaiah 9:6  "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be on His shoulders.  And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,The mighty God, The eternal Father, The Prince of Peace."

Luke 2:10   "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people.' "

Luke 2:11  "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:12  "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped snugly in a cloth and lying in a manger."

Now we hear the angels speak immediately after Christ's ascension into heaven.  "This Jesus"...this Jesus that the disciples have spent the past three years of their life with...this Jesus that they have left their families and vocations to follow...this Jesus that they have watched die with agony, and with their remorse...this Jesus that they witnessed as their resurrected Lord and Savior, attesting to God's power over death...this Jesus, has now left them on their own to proclaim Him to the nations.

For right before Jesus was lifted into the heavens, He gave these departing instructions to His followers:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

The angels pronounced Jesus' birth, He lived, He died, He rose again, He ascended into the heavens. Now the angels tell us that He will return.  This Jesus IS coming back...we will see Him come for us, whether at the time of our physical death, or when He comes in the clouds, riding a white horse, to rule the world for eternity.  Just as the shepherds didn't doubt the angels the first time, let us not doubt them with their announcement to us.  Let us not be among the scoffers that Peter (2 Peter 3:3-4) talks about who express their doubt saying things like, "People have thought Jesus was coming back for 2,000 years...hasn't happened yet, probably never will", or, "Life is going on just like it always has...nothing is ever going to change."

Yes, it has been 2,000 years, and yes, even the disciples probably thought Jesus would return sooner than He has.  But remember how long Israel waited for their Messiah....and some are still waiting, not recognizing that the baby born in Bethlehem is the King they have been waiting for.  God's timing is perfect and He alone knows when the trumpet shall sound, announcing Jesus triumphal return.  Until then, keep looking for Him...and be among those who anticipate that day with great joy in our hearts.

Come Lord Jesus!