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Can you imagine the New Heaven and the New Earth?

The New Heaven and the New Earth According to John: Revelation 21

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. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 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. 4  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Furthermore he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 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. 7  The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8  But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.”

The New Jerusalem

The New Jerusalem

The New Jerusalem (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come; I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11  having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates, the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. 18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold,clear as glass. 19  The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.

22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Guillain Barre Syndrome was the thorn that brought me to Jesus

Every person who came in contact with Jesus Christ has a story to tell. The apostle Paul had his experience (then Saul) while on his way to Damascus to persecute the Church. I had mine in the St. Francis Hospital, in Hartford, Connecticut.”And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus; and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul why persecutes thou me? And he said, “who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, “I am Jesus, who thou persecutes; it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” And Paul trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou has me to do? And the Lord said unto him, “Arise! Go into the city, and someone will thee what thou must do” (Acts 9:3-6).

Many of us grew up in Christian homes, where the gospel was taught very early in our lives. Still, some of us grew up in homes where the gospel was never mentioned at all.

I grew up in what I would call; a semi-Christian home. My mom was a praying woman, and Dad was a dreamer. I never saw my dad in church, but that did not stop Mom from indoctrinating me and my brother with the gospel of Jesus Christ. She made sure we knew all the popular church songs and Bible stories. Each week she would drill the Sunday School Golden Text into our heads, and when called upon, the Golden text was to be recited without error.

Mom was truly fired up for Jesus, but she never allowed her children to know Jesus Christ for themselves. She completely ignored the simple fact about Christianity: To be a follower of Christ, everyone has to have an awakening and a personal contact with Christ. Each of us must have our own Damascus road experience. Without that experience, you are doomed to fail because the moment you decided to follow Christ your enemies increased a 100 fold.

I never had a personal contact with Jesus as a young child. I was merely following Mom’s orders. It was not until I was stricken with a very dangerous autoimmune disease called Guillain Barre Syndrome. (That’s what the doctors told me, but years later I discovered that I was poisoned). I thought I was going to die. The enemy had me cornered, and the doctors who were attending to me had never treated anyone for this disease before. I had no place to turn to, so I called upon the Church and Jesus Christ–Jehovah Rapha.

The church came and prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and prayed for my deliverance. Today I am rejoicing in the Lord, completely healed and delivered from Guillain Barre Syndrome:

I can truthfully confess that prayer works. My God is ever faithful. Whatever he says, he will do.”Oh Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me” (“Psalms 30:2). I am now a new person and a true follower of Jesus Christ.

What does Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount means to you?

The Sermon of the Beatitudes (1886-96) by Jame...

The Sermon of the Beatitudes (1886-96) by James Tissot from the series The Life of Christ, Brooklyn Museum (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: Is the greatest sermon ever preached. The Lord’s Prayer, the beatitudes, and the golden rule are in this sermon.

Jesus delivered this sermon on a mountain near Capernaum. There is some dispute whether Jesus sat while delivering the Sermon on the Mount. Sitting asserts authority, so rabbi’s often sat while teaching.

The Sermon on the Mount is in the 5th, 6th, and 7th chapters of Matthew. You can read the entire sermon here: http://www.biblepath.com/beatitudes.html. It’s divided into 5 sections listed below:

Beatitudes – Teachings that begin with “blessed.” These were meant to comfort suffering believers.

New laws – Contrasts the Old Law of Moses with the new law of Christ.
Lord’s Prayer – Instructions on prayer. Jesus also teaches the proper motives for fasting and offering gifts.

Money – Christian attitudes concerning the use of money. Reasons to avoid worry.

Warnings – Dangers of false teachers and hypocrisy. Jesus also presents the parable of the wise and foolish builders.

In Christ You Have Everything

Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. (Colossians 4-10).

Jesus Christ is above everything, before everything, and ahead of everything in your life, in this world, and in this universe. Before you ever sinned, He was already your redeemer, waiting for you to come to Him. When you had your first revelation of God, it was Christ’s image that you beheld.

Christ is your hope of the resurrection. And because He has already experienced it, He has made it possible for you to experience it as well.

Are you empty?

Christ is your fullness

Are you weak?

He is your strength

Are you needy?

He is your supply

Are you confused?

He is your wisdom

Are you seeking?

He is your destination

Are you anxious?

He is your peace

Are you alone?

He is your companion

In Christ you have much more than you could ever imagined—everything!