Revelation 21King James Version (KJV)
21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
It was a beautiful morning, in my new home in Cuenca, Ecuador. Juan, our amazing, bilingual handyman was putting some finishing touches to a few things around the house. Over the past few weeks, my husband and I have gotten to know Juan and his beautiful wife, Rosa. They both lived in the United States for 20 years and are now back in their native country, Ecuador. Just before getting into the routine of the day, Juan, who has become a part of my new family in Ecuador suddenly asked if I could bring my Bible. I was a bit confused since Juan and I had never discussed religion. He must have read my thoughts because he blurted out, ” I am a Jehovah’s Witness”. Our discussion suddenly focused on the fact that so many so called children of God have abandoned the father, to pour adoration on the son. Interestingly enough, we were in one accord. For a long time, this has been an ongoing battle that I’ve internally struggled with. Why has the name Jehovah become obsolete? What happened to the revelation of His new identity as revealed to Moses in the book of Exodus Chapter Six. (KJV)
6 Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.
2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord:
3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them.
Juan then opened my parallel English/Spanish Bible, and asked me to read the book of Revelation Chapter 21 verses 1-8. As I was reading, I was secretly claiming the beautiful promises of God for myself. The book of Revelation has always quickened my spirit in a challenging and powerful way. My divinely connected bible study partner broke the silence. He said these words are for now, not in another life time! My heart jolted, the confirmation came; the third verse of Revelation 21 set my whole being ablaze. I received illumination; the light of God set me free instantly. This was not about sect or religious denomination, God was in our midst at that moment revealing the secret things from the throne of heaven!
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Wow! The new Jerusalem is here and now! We are in the new earth and yet we are oblivious of it. Jehovah sent His only son, Jesus Christ to mankind; so that all things would become new. Old things have passed away, through the cleansing by the blood of Jesus. In Christ Jesus, we have redemption; No more pains, sorrow, sickness or weeping. He came to set the captives free. Our Savior is alive and so are we. The sting of death is gone and we have eternal life! Death is defeated and vanquished because we do not fear it. Satan the accuser of brethren has also been indicted by the blood of Jesus.
The son of God is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end; He is the well of life that came to give us the water of life freely. This is the only water that can quench our thirst. When we drink of it, we are satisfied forever. How then did we miss out on this revelation? How do we continue to live in the past holding on to our chains and shackles that were broken thousands of years ago! The answer is evident in verse 8 of Rev 21
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death
Unbelief and all works of flesh have continued to prevent us from entering the new Eden! As long as we are doubtful and walk in sin forsaking the righteousness of Jehovah made available to us through Christ Jesus, we will continue to suffer and burn in the lake of fire and brimstone making the great sacrifice made by Jesus meaningless!