Revelation Day 56 - The Last Chapter
DAY 56
The Last Chapter
Revelation 21:1-8
Have you ever been disappointed in how a movie or TV series ends?
So many popular TV shows have disappointed fans with the final episodes: Seinfeld, Lost, Heroes, Game of Thrones, How I Met Your Mother, Gilmore Girls. We are storytelling creatures and it’s almost like there’s something hard-wired into us to have a satisfying end of the story.
Revelation 21-22 are the end of the story. They end the book of Revelation but also end the New Testament and the whole Bible. They seem to fit all three just right. But they also focus on the end of our story, which we started on in our last message.
What does the end of the story look like? And how do we get ready for it?
Revelation ends with a kaleidoscope of pictures. Pastor John helps us imagine a bright future with five pictures that we’ll look at this week.
One of the pictures we see at the end of Revelation is a NEW CHAPTER. We tend to think of death and the return of Christ as the End - the final page of the book. But that’s not what the Bible reveals! In the NIV translation, Rev. 21:4 says, “The old order of things has passed away.” A better translation is, “The first things have passed away.”
This new chapter has two sides. On one side is for us personally. A new chapter in our life story can start today! Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ has eternal life that starts now and lasts forever. 2 Cor. 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” With the help of God’s Spirit, we change from the inside out.
On the other side, the rest of the universe gets a new beginning, too! God will recycle our world into something better and permanent. Romans 8:21 says, “The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay.”
What will a new chapter in our story look like in eternity? We only have hints, symbols, and sketches, but if you imagine eternity as you bored, wearing a white robe, playing a harp, singing all day, then I think your imagination is stunted. One of my favorite examples of this new chapter is in C.S. Lewis’s The Last Battle. He wrote:
“But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
With Jesus, the End is chapter one. Life today is a shadow of the real life to come. And if life today is the prequel to eternity, doesn’t that put everything now into new perspective?
REFLECT
What do you think chapter one of the new creation story will be like?
PRAY
Lord, thank you for making me new. Get me ready for your new creation! Help me to see life now as the prequel to the Great Story yet to come. Amen.
The Last Chapter
Revelation 21:1-8
Have you ever been disappointed in how a movie or TV series ends?
So many popular TV shows have disappointed fans with the final episodes: Seinfeld, Lost, Heroes, Game of Thrones, How I Met Your Mother, Gilmore Girls. We are storytelling creatures and it’s almost like there’s something hard-wired into us to have a satisfying end of the story.
Revelation 21-22 are the end of the story. They end the book of Revelation but also end the New Testament and the whole Bible. They seem to fit all three just right. But they also focus on the end of our story, which we started on in our last message.
What does the end of the story look like? And how do we get ready for it?
Revelation ends with a kaleidoscope of pictures. Pastor John helps us imagine a bright future with five pictures that we’ll look at this week.
One of the pictures we see at the end of Revelation is a NEW CHAPTER. We tend to think of death and the return of Christ as the End - the final page of the book. But that’s not what the Bible reveals! In the NIV translation, Rev. 21:4 says, “The old order of things has passed away.” A better translation is, “The first things have passed away.”
This new chapter has two sides. On one side is for us personally. A new chapter in our life story can start today! Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ has eternal life that starts now and lasts forever. 2 Cor. 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” With the help of God’s Spirit, we change from the inside out.
On the other side, the rest of the universe gets a new beginning, too! God will recycle our world into something better and permanent. Romans 8:21 says, “The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay.”
What will a new chapter in our story look like in eternity? We only have hints, symbols, and sketches, but if you imagine eternity as you bored, wearing a white robe, playing a harp, singing all day, then I think your imagination is stunted. One of my favorite examples of this new chapter is in C.S. Lewis’s The Last Battle. He wrote:
“But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
With Jesus, the End is chapter one. Life today is a shadow of the real life to come. And if life today is the prequel to eternity, doesn’t that put everything now into new perspective?
REFLECT
What do you think chapter one of the new creation story will be like?
PRAY
Lord, thank you for making me new. Get me ready for your new creation! Help me to see life now as the prequel to the Great Story yet to come. Amen.
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Archive
2023
June
COMING SOON! RevelationRevelation Day 1 - TAKE IT TO HEARTRevelation Day 2 - IN THE SPIRITRevelation Day 3 - Learning to SeeRevelation Day 4 - The VoiceRevelation Day 5 - A Faithful WitnessRevelation DAY 6 - Past, Present, or Future?Revelation Day 7 - PRESS ONRevelation 8 - Comfort and ChallengeRevelation Day 9 - Compromised CommitmentRevelation Day 10 - I'm Fine, ThanksRevelation Day 11 - Holy, Holy, HolyRevelation Day 12 - Who is Worthy?Revelation Day 13 - Don't Give Up!Revelation Day 14 - No ContestRevelation Day 15 - Worship WellRevelation Day 16 - The Problem of EvilRevelation Day 17 - When You Don't Know WhyRevelation Day 18 - The Limits of SufferingRevelation Day 19 - Is God Angry?Revelation Day 20 - Saved Through Suffering
July
Revelation Day 21 - The Cry for JusticeRevelation Day 22 - The Judgments of GodRevelation 23 - They Still Did Not RepentRevelation Day 24 - Don't Curse CorrectionRevelation Day 25 - Search Me, O GodRevelation Day 26 - You Shall ProphesyRevelation Day 27 - Eat This BookRevelation Day 28 - Fight!Revelation 29 - Let the Truth TalkRevelation Day 30 - Worship and WitnessRevelation Day 31 - Our EnemiesRevelation Day 32 - The Enemy's WeaponRevelation Day 33 - The Enemy's FallRevelation Day 34 - Our ChampionRevelation Day 35 - Our BattleRevelation Day 36 - Where the Wild Things AreRevelation Day 37 - The Sea MonsterRevelation Day 38 - The Antichrist?Revelation Day 39 - Ordinary FaithRevelation Day 40 - The Heart of Ordinary FaithRevelation Day 41 - God's Guarantee
August
Revelation Day 42 - The Ugliness of EvilRevelation Day 43 - God's WrathRevelation Day 44 - God's DelightRevelation Day 45 - God's Just-nessRevelation Day 46 - The Wild Woman on a DragonRevelation Day 47 - Why a Wild Woman?Revelation Day 48 - Why is Babylon So Bad?Revelation Day 49 - Get OutRevelation Day 50 - Renew Your VowsRevelation Day 51 - He Shall Come AgainRevelation Day 52 - We Will Be JudgedRevelation Day 53 - Each of Us Will Give an AccountRevelation Day 54 - Afraid or Inspired?
September
Revelation Day 55 - Victory in JesusRevelation Day 56 - The Last ChapterRevelation Day 57 - The City of GodRevelation Day 58 - There Will Be No More DeathRevelation Day 59 - The Wedding of the LambRevelation Day 60 - Together ForeverNew Devo Starts SoonJames DAY 1 - Does This Thing Work?James DAY 2 - Two Kinds of TrialJames DAY 3 - Obstacles or Opportunities?James DAY 4 - How to Grow Through Hard Times (Pt 1)James DAY 5 - How to Grow Through Hard Times (Pt 2)
2022
October
November
Five Invitations - Day 12Five Invitations - Day 13Five Invitations - Day 14Five Invitations - Day 15Five Invitations - Day 16Five Invitations - Day 17Five Invitations - Day 18Five Invitations - Day 19Five Invitations - Day 20Five Invitations - Day 21Five Invitations - Day 22Five Invitations - Day 23Five Invitations - Day 24Five Invitations - Day 25COMING SOON - The Gifts of ChristmasAdvent 1 - Your Favorite GiftAdvent 2 - Where Are You From?Advent 3 - Unexpected Help