New Beginnings: A New Heaven And Earth

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.  For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.  According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.  

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

Wow! What a future.  If we can just look at the big picture, our future just gets better and better the more we study God's Word.  Some day, whether we are alive or have died, we will all be caught up together in the sky to be reunited and to live with the Lord forever and forever.  What a picture!  What a future!  I can hardly wait.

For most of us who are getting older, life gets a little weary sometimes. Sickness and injury takes its toll on our bodies.  Life's burdens and sorrows wear us down. Sometimes we feel that we have nothing left to look forward to.

We could not be more wrong!  Just look again at the scripture above.  If you can't get excited about that, what could excite you?  You have never seen a movie or read a book that is more exciting than that passage.  Allow your mind to dwell on it.  Picture it. See Jesus coming in power and might with great fanfare.  Kings and princes in this world have never been heralded like that! 

Loud cries. Shouted commands.  Trumpets sounding.  Imagine these things being loud enough to be heard all around the world.  No sound system ever invented can hold a candle to this! Millions of people arising around the world going to meet our Lord in the sky.  What a spectacle!  Do I ever want to be part of that!  Talk about new beginnings.  That is a new beginning to end all beginnings!  Are you ready?  What if it happens tomorrow?

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  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. ‘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 (Revelation 21:1-4).

Pat Eppler