04/30/2008 Revelation 21:3

04/30/2008

Revelation 21:3 - 4 (HCSB)

³Then I heard a loud voice from the throne:
    Look! God’s dwelling is with men,
    and He will live with them.
    They will be His people,
    and God Himself will be with them and be their God.⁴He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
    Death will exist no longer;
    grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer,
    because the previous things have passed away.

Winston Churchill was known for his memorable quotes. Among them is this one.

"The Germans have received back again that measure of fire and steel which they have so often meted out to others. Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

—Lord Mayor's Luncheon, Mansion House following the victory at El Alameinin North Africa, London, 10 November 1942.

He was describing the engagement of British troops in Northern Africa in World War II. The tide of events was beginning to turn. And while he could not declare this the end, nor the beginning of the end, he was certain that at least, the beginning was coming to an end.

In the book of Revelation, we have seen many things that will take place. There are so many events that have yet to be understood, yet we can be sure they will all come to pass. And now, we have reached a point that I will describe borrowing words from Churchill: we have reached “the beginning of the end.”

All of the horsemen have ridden forth. All of the trumpets have sounded, and all of the plagues have been poured out. The earth and the heavens have passed away. A new earth and new heaven have been prepared and the end of things has begun. Yet this we know, there will be no ultimate ending, for God has promised us eternal life. But the old has completely passed away.

Tomorrow we will be looking at Genesis; the creation. And while it may seem odd to wrap around from Revelation to Genesis, I contend that Revelation is the completion of what Genesis began and therefore, when we understand the end, the beginning can have deeper meaning.

What then is the end?

“Look, God’s dwelling place is with humans! He will live with them and they will be His people.”

We were created to be with God. We were created with a will so that we could choose to serve and worship God, or we could choose to rebel. The “end of the beginning” is the story of how God will sift through humanity, separating those who yield to Him and those who defy Him. The “beginning of the end” is where God establishes His residence with those who have willingly submitted to Him.

This was the purpose all along: for God to live among people who willingly honor and revere Him.

Where do you stand? After the sifting, where will you be?

Revelation 21:5 (HCSB) ⁵Then the One seated on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new.” …

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