Reading Revelation ... Chapter 21

June 9-15
Revelation 21:1-22:6
(Week 11 of 12)

 

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth”
Dr. Robert Wall

Suggestions for Daily Readings

• 21:1-8
• 21:9-14
• 21:15-21
• 21:22-27
• 22:1-6

 

A World without the Sting of Death

Last week we talked about Jesus’ arrival on the scene and the judgment of evil that followed his victory.  This week we read about God’s work of creating a new heaven and new earth. 

As I read Revelation 21 and the Lectio commentary of SPU professor Robert Wall, it wasn't lost on me that this week’s reading speaks to a community that has recently experienced the stinging reality of death.  The Seattle Pacific University community is reeling from a shooting incident in which one young man was killed and three were wounded, and an entire campus traumatized.  It’s a harsh reminder that the kingdom Jesus inaugurated has not fully come to earth.  But in Revelation 21 the SPU family hears God speak about where He’s leading things – God is creating a new world in which “death will be no more.”

There are few quotations ever recorded that stir the soul like the words spoken in a loud voice from the throne of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:3-4.  Take some time and meditate on the richness of this message; consider how it links up with your deep human longings.

³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

 

Taking up a theme developed in Isaiah’s prophecy, we learn that the one seated on the throne is renewing all things: “Behold, I am making all things new” (v. 5).  The words Jesus spoke on the cross he says again at the end – “It is finished” (v. 6).  Living water flows freely, and produces the fruit of healing (22:1-2).  Repeatedly, it's emphasized that there's no need for light – natural or artificial – because the light of God will shine perpetually.

In the last two chapters of Revelation, the roller coaster we've been on levels out and takes us into a world we've never seen before. Stunning and serene, it is all we've ever wanted, all we've ever needed.  And it was totally worth the wild ride. 

Questions for Application

• How have you experienced death recently?  What have you mourned about?  Cried about?  Felt the pain of?  How have others you know experienced the sting of death?

 

 

• What does it mean to you that God’s plan results in His “wiping every tear from our eyes?”  What tears have you cried that God might tenderly wipe away from your face?  What kind of spiritual practices might help us experience a foretaste of God’s compassionate healing of our wounds?

 

As always, here are some general questions to reflect upon or discuss to get a sense of the story and drama of the passage:

The Scene

What does the scene look like?  What stands out to you visually?  Revelation contains a strange mix of vision elements – some readily understood and others quite mysterious.  What do you understand?  What remains mysterious?

The Characters

Who are the living characters who appear in this scene?  What does the text tell you about them?  How do they interact with one another…what is the dramatic action?  What remains mysterious about them?

The Message

What do the characters do or say or sing?  If you were to summarize this in a word or phrase, how would you put it?  What remains unclear or mysterious with regard to a message in the text?