Revelation Day 60 - Together Forever

DAY 60
Together Forever
Revelation 21:1-4
Have you ever ached to be with someone?

Some people crave seeing their celebrity crush: Taylor Swift or Harry Styles or Lebron James. Some people agonize over time away from a dear friend or love. And then, the moment you finally reunite! You’re overwhelmed with emotion: relief, joy, excitement, relaxation - all at once.

Revelation’s last picture of the new creation future is a REUNION.

Read these chapters again and see how many times they celebrate God’s arrival to be with us. Rev. 21:3, “God’s dwelling place is now among the people.” Rev. 22:3, “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city.” God is immediately present to us in a fresh way. There are no more meeting places to go find God, no temples, no spiritually charged places, because everywhere is spiritually charged with God’s glory! We’re filled, head to toe, body and soul, with God’s uncontainable presence!

Many people dream more about reunion with dead loved ones than reunion with God. But reunion with God has been the hope and the promise on every page of the Bible’s story. The gospel reminds us that God made us to be with him forever. The worst consequence of our sin is being separated from God. But the ultimate promise of Revelation, the ultimate promise of the Bible, the ultimate promise of the good news Christians preach, is reunion with God.

Friends, that’s the Christian hope for the future. That’s the true aim of the gospel, the reason Jesus Christ died and rose again for you - to give you a reunion with God. There’s an ache, a desire, to be so fully with another person, another being, that nothing in this life satisfies it. Physical union of lovers scratches the surface but points to something more.

The 4th c. African bishop, Augustine of Hippo, spent years trying to fill his existential loneliness with physical pleasure. When he finally trusted his life to Jesus Christ, he wrote in his Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

With Jesus, the End is chapter one of eternity. God made us to be with him. Our sin separates us from God. Sin cannot be removed by good deeds. Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again to save us. Everyone who believes in Jesus has eternal life. Life with God starts now and lasts forever.

Whether you’re 8 or 80, your story is just beginning if you trust your life to Jesus Christ. With Jesus, the End is chapter one of eternity. Hallelujah! What a day of rejoicing that will be!

REFLECT
Who do you most look forward to spending time with? How eager are you to be with God forever?

PRAY
O God, we want you. We need you. Set our hearts on fire with desire for you. We can hardly wait until that day of reunion. Keep our hearts strong and true until then. Amen.