Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more. And I saw the holy city—the new Jerusalem—descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The residence of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more—or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.” (Revelation 21:1-4 — New English Translation)
This is part of a vision that the apostle John saw concerning the future. He saw the new heaven and the new earth prepared for the people of God. The Holy City, the new Jerusalem, prepared as a bride, is a symbolic picture of the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the time has come when God's people will receive their full inheritance—now what they have hoped for becomes reality. God will dwell with them and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or crying or pain.
This is just a small part of what God has prepared for us. Don't let anything block you from receiving it. Satan, his demons, and the world want you to be lost, but God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit want you to be saved. If we decide to fully cooperate with them, doing what They tell us to do, then we will have an abundant life now and forever. God created us to live forever, and Jesus has now made this possible through His death and resurrection.
This passage should fill us with hope and encouragement. In various Bible passages this hope—the sure expectation of heaven—is referred to as the helmet of salvation. The great future that God promises us is like a helmet that protects our minds and thoughts from despair and discouragement. Our inheritance and treasure are in heaven.
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