Revelation 21

In the Blink of an Eye

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever been in a moment that seemed like it would go on forever?

A first kiss, sitting in the Operating Room waiting area, the month before Christmas, a painful reprimanding by your mom, being in labor with your first child, church administrative meetings … lots of things feel endless.

Of course the end eventually comes and in hindsight, you realize that it wasn’t as bad as you thought in the moment. Well, except for church administrative meetings.

Our sense of time and our perception of its passing are easily skewed by our expectations. If you expected a meeting to be over in half an hour, then by the third hour you are sure you’ve been there for days. The month before Christmas is exactly four weeks, no matter how ready you aren’t or excited you are. A first kiss is probably more fleeting than you realized … but when your Mama is yelling at you, well, that really did go on for an eternity.

When working with people who have lost a loved one, the subject of time and our perception of its passing are often a part of the discussion. In the grand scope of things, this earthy existence is but a blink of an eye. One blink, and there is your 89.5 average years of earthly existence. By contrast, the scope of eternity is, well, endless:

Revelation 21 New International Version (NIV)

A New Heaven and a New Earth

21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Can you even imagine? All the pettiness, grief, hardship, heartache, and even all the pleasures of earthly life will pass in the blink of an eye, and we will dwell with God forever. And in our new Jerusalem, there will be no more pain, no more crying, and even no more death.

This is the perspective of time which we would do well to remember. So often we focus on the seeming endlessness of everyday life, when actually every day is minuscule compared to what is to come. So the aggravations of this world end up not amounting to much in the end. Yet in the moment, they certainly can overwhelm everything.

So next time you are stuck in a place or situation that you long to flee, remember the new Jerusalem. This moment, this thing, this burden will quickly pass, but God’s eternity is endless. His love endures forever, world without end. Amen.

Gone in the Blink of an Eye by Michelle Robertson

Make the Connection

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever been in a situation where you encounter a new thing, person, or place and your mind is realizing that there is some connection to be made? My husband had a conversation like that with our neighbor. We knew that both of them were raised in Navy families, and also knew at different times of their lives they lived in the Virginia Beach area. But one evening a conversation led them to realize that the houses they lived in were in the same neighborhood, which meant … you guessed it … they went to the same Elementary school. Instant connection! Suddenly the conversation switched to remembering favorite teachers, playground memories, what it was like to walk to that school, etc. The familiar became really familiar in that moment.

I felt that way when I read Isaiah 66. This well-loved Old Testament prophet wrote about a “new heaven and a new earth” and I realized a connection with his vision and the words written in Revelation. Another random connection is the number 66. This is from the 66th chapter of Isaiah, and Revelation is the 66th book of the Bible.

Today’s Scripture is a journey into what happens at the end. The Old Testament prophet talks about how God will gather all the nations and cultures together to see his glory, and points to the new heavens and new earth that God will create.

Isaiah 66 (Common English Bible)

18 Because of their actions and thoughts, I’m coming to gather all nations and cultures. They will come to see my glory. 19 I will put a sign on them, by sending out some of the survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Libya, and Lydia, and to the archers of Cilicia and Greece—distant coastlands that haven’t heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will declare my glory among the nations. 20 They will bring your family members from all nations as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels—to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, like Israelites bringing an offering in purified containers to the Lord’s house. 21 I will select some of them as priests and Levites, says the Lord.

22 As the new heavens and the new earth that I’m making will endure before me, says the Lord,
    so your descendants and your name will endure.
23 From month to month and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
    all humanity will come to worship me, says the Lord.

People love to speculate about the end times. Scholars, Bible study teachers, preachers, and the average Joe in the pew have differing ideas about what will happen when Jesus returns to claim his kingdom. Scriptures from Matthew, Second Corinthians, Ephesians, Daniel, Acts, Revelation, etc. sketch out what will occur. The study of end times theology is called eschatology. Notice the connection between Isaiah 66 and these passages from Revelation:

Revelation 7 (Common English Bible)

9 After this I looked, and there was a great crowd that no one could number. They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language.

Revelation 21 (Common English Bible)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 

One connection I hope we make today is that heaven will be filled with people from all nations, races, cultures, and languages. Why do we struggle so much to get along on earth? Why do we war with one another when in eternity, all those “differences” will be set aside?

Perhaps this is a good reminder to do everything we can to live each day as though it we are living in heaven on earth. People, get ready! Heaven awaits.

Heaven on Earth by Michelle Robertson