The Heart of God: The End in Sight (7)

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24.27

Read and meditate on Revelation 21 and 22.
John is shown a vision for the new heavens and new earth. But he is also given to understand that this great there and then is becoming a reality in the here and now.

For reflection
1.  Meditate on Revelation 21.1-8. In what ways do you see this language is deliberately contrived to invoke the unifying threads of God’s covenant – His glory, His people, His work of redemption?

2.  John is shown the Bride of the Lamb in verses 9ff. Does he actually see a Bride? What does he see? How is this described, and how can you see that this description is meant to draw the Old and New Covenants together into one new entity?

3.  It seems clear from verses 22-27 that this New City already exists and is coming while things that defile or cause abomination are still operating (v. 27). Where is this New City, this Bride of the Lamb, and how do verses 22-27 teach us to think about its existence in the midst of the City of Man?

4.  Meditate on Revelation 22.1-5. How many covenant images or referents can you identify in these verses? This passage intends to tell us that all the covenant promises of God come to full realization beyond time, in the new heavens and new earth. Explain.

5.  According to Revelation 22.6-21, how are we supposed to respond to what we have learned from the book of Revelation?  

Summary
The City of God has come, is coming still, and will come to full and glorious realization in the new heavens and new earth. There, as the Bride of the Lamb, she will abound with beauty, goodness, and truth, resting and delighting in the blessings of God, without sorrow or sin, for all eternity. Why is it important that we as believers understand and focus on this vision here and now?

Closing Prayer
Those who trust in the LORD
Are like Mount Zion,
Which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So the LORD surrounds His people
From this time forth and forever.
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
On the land allotted to the righteous,
Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.
Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
And to those who are upright in their hearts.

Psalm 125.1-4

T. M. Moore

Two books can help you gain a fuller understanding of the terrain we will be covering in this series. Kingdom Documentsprovides a concise overview of the primary teaching of the Old and New Testaments, and shows, through early Church creeds, how our forebears understood the primary teachings of God’s Word. (click here to order). I Will Be Your Goddevelops more fully the idea of God’s covenant and leads us to consider the practical implications of our covenant relationship with God (click here).

Visit The Ailbe Seminary, where our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, offers a parallel study of our theme in this series, using brief video presentations and the workbook God’s Covenant: An Introduction. All courses at The Ailbe Seminary are available without charge.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.