Advent Day 13: Revelation 21

Mandy Crow
1 day ago
2 min read

A streetlamp glows amidst snowy branches in a dark, wintry forest. The warm light contrasts with the cold, creating a serene atmosphere.

Ponder Revelation 21

While Genesis recounted God’s perfect creation and how sin marred and destroyed it, Revelation 21 describes the new heaven and new earth. In today’s passage, how do you see the dark effects of sin reversed in the New Jerusalem?
What examples of light do you see in these verses?
Turn your attention to verses 22-23. How is this city different from the ones we live in or those described in Scripture?
Why is it important that there’s no temple? Think and journal about what that means.
What does it mean to say that God’s glory (v. 23) illuminates the city?

Meditate on Revelation 21

As we close out this second week of Advent, we’re also finishing up our study of light and darkness, one of the primary metaphors Scripture uses to describe salvation. As we’ve learned over the past few weeks, light represents all that is good, pure, true, holy and reliable, while darkness often represents sin and evil.

Our study began with creation, so it’s fitting that we should close this section by focusing on the new heaven and the new earth that God promises is our final, eternal home. And as you read Revelation 21, you probably saw him erasing one by one all the devastating ways sin has marred his creation.

Sin created a barrier between us and God, but in the New Jerusalem, God will live among his people once again.

Tears, sadness, crying, sorrow and pain will all be wiped away.

The greatest enemy, death, will be no more.

Beauty, light and goodness will be everywhere. We won’t need a temple because God’s presence will permeate everything. We won’t need a sun or a moon because God’s glory will be our light. This city will be perfect and true, and sin will have no place there, just as darkness cannot exist in the presence of light.

In this season of light and joy, don’t miss the enormity of God’s redemption plan made possible through Jesus’ earthly life, death and resurrection. The light, joy and hope he brought into the world that first Christmas is for all eternity. The light of Christ is about what he has done, what he is doing, and what he will do in the future. Our hope is secure, and, one day, we will live in the presence of God with Jesus as our light. Let it change the way you live today.