Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / A New Earth - The Book of Revelation
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Let us pray. And I saw a new heaven and
- 0:04Speaker 1: a new earth, for the first heaven and the first
- 0:08Speaker 1: earth were passed away. Revelation 21.1 When I ponder and
- 0:15Speaker 1: listen to today's reading, I thank you, Lord, that you
- 0:19Speaker 1: invoke newness. Through John's account, my heart is overwhelmed with
- 0:25Speaker 1: the glorious new world you've appointed for us as your children.
- 0:31Speaker 1: a new world filled with peace, joy, love, abundance, and
- 0:38Speaker 1: your never-ending grace. As I reflect on the journey that
- 0:43Speaker 1: my life has taken, I will rest on the fact
- 0:47Speaker 1: that from Genesis to Revelation, you've proved the ultimate love
- 0:52Speaker 1: story of a father who desires to win the hearts
- 0:56Speaker 1: of his children back, no matter how far they've gone
- 0:59Speaker 1: or or mad they've become. I now see, God, that
- 1:06Speaker 1: your love is a perfect love. I now see that
- 1:10Speaker 1: the life of Jesus isn't only beneficial to my purpose,
- 1:15Speaker 1: but necessary for me to even live my purpose. I
- 1:19Speaker 1: declare that no matter what I hear, my life will
- 1:24Speaker 1: be dedicated to honoring and serving you forever until I
- 1:29Speaker 1: see you face to face. Thank you for your perfect love.
- 1:36Speaker 1: Thank you that I am brand new, that I have
- 1:40Speaker 1: been redeemed with the ultimate price, your Son. In Jesus' name.
- 1:49Speaker 2: Amen.
- 1:51Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
- 1:55Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
- 2:09Speaker 3: A NEW EARTH In our last story, John saw a
- 2:13Speaker 3: vision of past, present, and future evil reigning on the earth.
- 2:19Speaker 3: He saw mighty dragons and great beasts devouring the earth
- 2:23Speaker 3: and corrupting mankind. Then John saw a hero emerge from
- 2:27Speaker 3: the gates of heaven. The finisher and Messiah, Jesus Christ,
- 2:32Speaker 3: descended on a white horse with a robe dipped in blood.
- 2:36Speaker 3: He defeated the beasts and cast the armies of darkness
- 2:39Speaker 3: into destruction. Now we see Jesus giving way to a
- 2:44Speaker 3: new heaven and earth, a place with no more mourning
- 2:47Speaker 3: or suffering, a place where the perfect will of God
- 2:50Speaker 3: unites with the willing hearts of mankind, inspired by the
- 2:54Speaker 3: book of Revelation.
- 2:58Speaker 4: Hello, this is Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of
- 3:02Speaker 4: The Bible in a Year. This is, in fact, the
- 3:04Speaker 4: last episode in this series, and we're so grateful for
- 3:07Speaker 4: so many who have joined us, over 27 million who
- 3:11Speaker 4: have downloaded The Bible in a Year, pray.com. God bless you,
- 3:15Speaker 4: each one of you. In our previous episode, we heard
- 3:18Speaker 4: about the war to end all wars, the great battle
- 3:21Speaker 4: between Satan and his army and God's army, led by
- 3:25Speaker 4: the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a vision full of
- 3:28Speaker 4: symbolism and one that ultimately gives us great hope that
- 3:32Speaker 4: one day, and we believe one day soon, Christ will
- 3:35Speaker 4: come in victory to conquer evil for good. So as
- 3:39Speaker 4: today we come to the conclusion of our journey through
- 3:42Speaker 4: God's Word, we will hear what John saw when God
- 3:45Speaker 4: revealed things to come as the world passes away and
- 3:49Speaker 4: everything is made brand new. So let's listen now to
- 3:52Speaker 4: this great reading from the book of Revelation.
- 3:57Speaker 3: Then I saw the earth fade away. Its cities, kingdoms,
- 4:01Speaker 3: and armies dissolved like snow under the bright warmth of God.
- 4:06Speaker 3: The conquests of man blew away like ashes in the wind,
- 4:09Speaker 3: and its evils along with it. The sea was no more,
- 4:13Speaker 3: and in its place I saw a holy city come
- 4:16Speaker 3: in glory. I saw the perfect will of God meet
- 4:19Speaker 3: the earth like a dance. From the ruins of the
- 4:22Speaker 3: kingdom of man emerged a new Jerusalem, The city was beautiful,
- 4:27Speaker 3: and its people were adorned like a bride prepared for
- 4:30Speaker 3: its groom. I heard a gentle yet strong voice call out, saying,
- 4:35Speaker 3: This is the dwelling place of God and man. Here
- 4:39Speaker 3: they will exist together in unity. They will be his people,
- 4:44Speaker 3: and he will be their God. He will wipe away
- 4:47Speaker 3: every tear from their eyes, and the sting of death
- 4:49Speaker 3: will be no more. There will be no more mourning
- 4:54Speaker 3: or pain. for all the former things interweaved with darkness
- 4:58Speaker 3: have passed away, and all that remains is the light
- 5:01Speaker 3: of Christ. Then I saw him, the hero, the one
- 5:07Speaker 3: who created the galaxies with a breath, the giver of life,
- 5:10Speaker 3: the shepherd of the flock, the son of man. He
- 5:14Speaker 3: sat upon his throne with gentleness and grace. He spread
- 5:18Speaker 3: his arms to his people and said, Behold, I am
- 5:22Speaker 3: making all things new. I fell to my knees and
- 5:26Speaker 3: watched him in awe. All who were with me bowed
- 5:30Speaker 3: before him. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning
- 5:35Speaker 3: and end, he said. All who are thirsty and all
- 5:40Speaker 3: who are weak come to the fountain of living water.
- 5:44Speaker 3: An angel stood behind me as I watched. He held
- 5:46Speaker 3: my hand and said, Come, I will show you the
- 5:49Speaker 3: bride of the Lamb, the one who is redeemed. So
- 5:53Speaker 3: I was taken up again to see the new city.
- 5:56Speaker 3: Its radiance was like a rare jewel. It had a
- 5:59Speaker 3: great and mighty wall with twelve gates, and the names
- 6:03Speaker 3: of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles
- 6:06Speaker 3: of Christ were inscribed on its walls and gates. Its
- 6:10Speaker 3: streets were like gold and fine jewels, and its gates
- 6:14Speaker 3: were as pure as pearls. There was no temple, for
- 6:19Speaker 3: the glory of God was among the peoples. THERE WAS
- 6:22Speaker 3: NO NEED FOR THE SUN OR MOON, SINCE THE GLORY
- 6:25Speaker 3: OF GOD GAVE IT LIGHT. I SAW A SOCIETY WITH
- 6:29Speaker 3: PEOPLE GIVING HONOR TO GOD AND BASKING IN THE LIGHT
- 6:32Speaker 3: OF HIS GOODNESS. THE ANGEL THEN SHOWED ME A RIVER
- 6:35Speaker 3: OF LIVING WATER. IT WAS FLOWING FROM THE THRONE OF GOD.
- 6:40Speaker 3: ON ONE SIDE OF THE RIVER WAS A GREAT CITY
- 6:42Speaker 3: AND ON THE OTHER WAS THE TREE OF LIFE. ITS
- 6:45Speaker 3: LEAVES GAVE HEALING AND ITS FRUIT FED THE NATIONS. THE
- 6:49Speaker 3: PEOPLE OF GOD MET HIM FACE TO FACE. They dwelled
- 6:53Speaker 3: with him and reigned with him, creating good things for
- 6:56Speaker 3: his glory. And with that, I heard the voice of
- 7:00Speaker 3: Jesus saying to all who are on the earth, Come
- 7:03Speaker 3: to me, all you who thirst. Behold, I am coming soon.
- 7:08Speaker 3: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and
- 7:12Speaker 3: the last, the beginning and the end. Thus ends the
- 7:17Speaker 3: great story of God given to mankind. It is not
- 7:21Speaker 3: a story of man ascending to perfection or enlightenment. It
- 7:26Speaker 3: is not a story of good people doing good things.
- 7:30Speaker 3: Nor is it a story to teach moral behavior. No,
- 7:35Speaker 3: it is the story of a loving God who pursues
- 7:37Speaker 3: a broken and far-off people. It is a story of
- 7:41Speaker 3: a loving husband that courts his bride. It is a
- 7:45Speaker 3: story of a shepherd who goes after his lost sheep.
- 7:49Speaker 3: The story of God brings hope to all who feel lost, lonely,
- 7:54Speaker 3: and trapped in their sin. It points to a loving
- 7:58Speaker 3: and merciful Savior who will lay down His life to
- 8:01Speaker 3: save those He loves. The Bible is the story of Jesus.
- 8:11Speaker 4: So here we are at the end, or should I
- 8:14Speaker 4: say the beginning of what will never end, eternity. As
- 8:18Speaker 4: we open today's reading, John tells us about his vision
- 8:21Speaker 4: of a new earth, a new heavens and a new earth.
- 8:25Speaker 4: The world as we know it fades away and something
- 8:27Speaker 4: brand new, a new heavens and a new earth is born.
- 8:32Speaker 4: The sun is God's glory finally dwelling with mankind again
- 8:36Speaker 4: just as he wanted it when he first spoke light
- 8:38Speaker 4: and life into the world at creation. There is a
- 8:41Speaker 4: beautiful symmetry and strategy in the Bible. The first two
- 8:45Speaker 4: chapters of Genesis speak of the creation of the heavens
- 8:48Speaker 4: and the earth at the very beginning of time as
- 8:50Speaker 4: we know it. Now, here in the final two chapters
- 8:54Speaker 4: of the Revelation, it begins a new restoration of a
- 8:57Speaker 4: perfect creation, which is forever. The old, the sick, the
- 9:02Speaker 4: dying and hurting world has passed on. Heaven now comes
- 9:05Speaker 4: to earth, and there is a new Jerusalem, God's holy city.
- 9:09Speaker 4: The city John saw was beautiful and ornate. Words fail
- 9:14Speaker 4: to do it justice, but this is God's Word, and
- 9:17Speaker 4: so we have this magnificent portrait of what the afterlife
- 9:20Speaker 4: is going to be. All that was broken has been restored,
- 9:24Speaker 4: and those who are in Christ will dwell in God's
- 9:26Speaker 4: presence throughout all eternity. There will be no need for
- 9:30Speaker 4: a son that is a physical son because Jesus Christ
- 9:34Speaker 4: will be the light of eternity. Every tear will be
- 9:37Speaker 4: wiped away. And all that overwhelms us now will be
- 9:41Speaker 4: swept away with joy and satisfaction in God's presence and
- 9:44Speaker 4: his great glory among us. When Christ came the first time,
- 9:49Speaker 4: he gave humanity glimpses of what the future would look like.
- 9:52Speaker 4: The kingdom of God. The day that he would wipe
- 9:56Speaker 4: away all of our tears and restore the broken and
- 9:58Speaker 4: heal the sick. He did that temporarily in his first coming,
- 10:02Speaker 4: but he does it permanently when he comes again and
- 10:05Speaker 4: establishes the new heavens and the new earth. When Jesus
- 10:09Speaker 4: spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, he told
- 10:12Speaker 4: her of the living water he had to offer. Now
- 10:15Speaker 4: in this new earth, this new heaven, John saw the
- 10:18Speaker 4: fountain of living water, the very thing Jesus spoke about.
- 10:22Speaker 4: And through the city runs a river of living water
- 10:25Speaker 4: that flows from the very throne of God. This is
- 10:29Speaker 4: a reminder that God is and always has been the
- 10:32Speaker 4: giver of all of life and goodness and satisfaction. The
- 10:35Speaker 4: people whose names are written in the book of life
- 10:38Speaker 4: will live in this city. They will find complete rest
- 10:42Speaker 4: and restoration. John heard Jesus speaking to him once more,
- 10:47Speaker 4: saying in Revelation 22, verses 6 and 7, These words
- 10:51Speaker 4: are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of
- 10:54Speaker 4: the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to
- 10:56Speaker 4: show his servants what must soon take place. And behold,
- 11:01Speaker 4: I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps
- 11:04Speaker 4: the word of the prophecy of this book. As we
- 11:07Speaker 4: await the return of Jesus in glory to bring us
- 11:10Speaker 4: to our eternal home, where there will be no sorrow
- 11:13Speaker 4: and sickness or strife, where we will dwell in the
- 11:16Speaker 4: presence of God forever, may we take these words to heart.
- 11:21Speaker 4: Jesus is our Savior, our Redeemer, our Lord and Master,
- 11:25Speaker 4: the one who was there from the very beginning and
- 11:28Speaker 4: will be with us at the end and throughout all eternity.
- 11:33Speaker 4: He is the one and the only one that gives
- 11:35Speaker 4: us eternal life. If you have listened to this podcast
- 11:39Speaker 4: from beginning to end, start to finish, And if yet
- 11:43Speaker 4: to believe and trust in Jesus as your Savior, I
- 11:45Speaker 4: want to encourage you to do that right now. Jesus
- 11:49Speaker 4: loves you. God has a wonderful plan for your life.
- 11:52Speaker 4: And sin had broken our relationship with God. And so
- 11:55Speaker 4: Jesus came to this earth, perfect in his humanity, perfect
- 11:59Speaker 4: in his deity. He died on the cross to pay
- 12:03Speaker 4: the penalty for our sins and rose again so that
- 12:05Speaker 4: we could have forgiveness and forever life. Life with him.
- 12:09Speaker 4: Life with a capital L. Call upon his name today.
- 12:13Speaker 4: Here's what the apostle Paul said in Romans 10 verses
- 12:17Speaker 4: 9 and 10. If we confess with our mouths the
- 12:19Speaker 4: Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts that God has
- 12:22Speaker 4: raised him from the dead, we will be saved. Whoever
- 12:26Speaker 4: calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
- 12:30Speaker 4: Whoever means you, you can trust him today. In the
- 12:35Speaker 4: book of Revelation that we have been reading recently, Jesus
- 12:39Speaker 4: stands at the door and knocks in Revelation 3.20, and
- 12:43Speaker 4: he says, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
- 12:46Speaker 4: I will come in. So right now where you are,
- 12:50Speaker 4: invite Jesus into your life, and I promise you he
- 12:53Speaker 4: will come in. He will give you an abundant life,
- 12:56Speaker 4: an eternal life, the forgiveness of your sins, and a
- 12:59Speaker 4: fulfilling life here and now. He will write your name
- 13:04Speaker 4: in the Lamb's book of life, and you can be
- 13:06Speaker 4: secure and safe forever with him. If you are already
- 13:12Speaker 4: a believer in Christ, I hope today's episode, as all
- 13:16Speaker 4: the episodes in the Bible in a year, have encouraged you.
- 13:20Speaker 4: What a wonderful hope we have in Jesus. But I
- 13:23Speaker 4: also would encourage you to share this hope with others.
- 13:27Speaker 4: Tell them of what Christ can do in their lives
- 13:29Speaker 4: just as he has changed your heart. Jesus has charged us,
- 13:34Speaker 4: commissioned us to make disciples of all the nations, beginning
- 13:38Speaker 4: with our neighbors, and telling the story of Jesus wherever
- 13:41Speaker 4: we go. It's the wonderful story of God's love and
- 13:45Speaker 4: grace through Jesus our Lord. Let's pray together. Dear God,
- 13:50Speaker 4: we thank you for this promise of heaven and the
- 13:53Speaker 4: hope of eternal life that is provided for us in
- 13:56Speaker 4: Jesus Christ. We thank you for the Bible, dear God,
- 14:00Speaker 4: this wonderful word that you have inspired from beginning to
- 14:03Speaker 4: end and everything in between. We praise you for a
- 14:07Speaker 4: word that is infallible and inerrant. May we always trust
- 14:12Speaker 4: your word and obey it. And Lord, may we be
- 14:15Speaker 4: witnesses of the gospel wherever we go. In Jesus' name, amen.
- 14:23Speaker 4: Once again, I want to thank you for listening to
- 14:25Speaker 4: the Bible in a Year podcast. Many of you have
- 14:29Speaker 4: been with us a good while, and I'm so grateful
- 14:32Speaker 4: for the opportunity to speak God's word into your life
- 14:35Speaker 4: in these days. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
- 14:39Speaker 4: Let me encourage you to continue to follow along the
- 14:42Speaker 4: scriptures with us. You can repeat the Bible in a year,
- 14:45Speaker 4: and I certainly would encourage you to invite others to
- 14:48Speaker 4: join you in this journey as we walk through the Bible.
- 14:52Speaker 4: You can help ensure that more and more people hear
- 14:54Speaker 4: these life-changing scriptures by giving a gift today. If you
- 14:59Speaker 4: would like to keep these gospel-centered, Christ-centered messages going around
- 15:03Speaker 4: the world, reaching people everywhere, please give at www.bibleinayear.com. And
- 15:11Speaker 4: if you want more resources as to how you can
- 15:14Speaker 4: live the Christian life, then you can find these through
- 15:18Speaker 4: my sermons and books and devotionals that you can find
- 15:21Speaker 4: at jackgraham.org. That's J-A-C-K-G-R-A-H-A-M.org. Once again, thank you for allowing
- 15:30Speaker 4: me to share with you through the podcast, The story
- 15:33Speaker 4: of Jesus, who is the light and hope of the world. Jesus,
- 15:37Speaker 4: our Lord and Savior. The Bible is all about Him.
- 15:42Speaker 4: Preaching the gospel of Christ, teaching God's word, has been
- 15:45Speaker 4: my life's calling throughout my days. And I am so
- 15:48Speaker 4: very grateful for this opportunity that we have had to
- 15:51Speaker 4: share the Bible in a year. God bless you, and
- 15:54Speaker 4: may God bless His word through your life. In Jesus' name, amen.
- 16:06Speaker 5: This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative healthcare solution
- 16:10Speaker 5: for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.
- 16:16Speaker 2: Hello, I'm Dr. Tony Evans, and I'm excited to have
- 16:20Speaker 2: you join me on this new podcast, Heroes in the Bible.
- 16:25Speaker 2: Come to me, boy.
- 16:26Speaker 3: You and your God will crumble beneath my feet.
- 16:30Speaker 1: He beckoned the giant and said.
- 16:33Speaker 3: I come to you in the name of the Lord
- 16:35Speaker 3: of hosts and creator of the stars.
- 16:38Speaker 2: You know, we all have giants that we face in
- 16:41Speaker 2: our life. And when you understand that the greatness of
- 16:44Speaker 2: God affects our ability to handle the giants of life,
- 16:48Speaker 2: it will encourage, inspire, and challenge all of us to
- 16:53Speaker 2: our faith in God and our growth in Jesus Christ.
- 16:57Speaker 5: Look past his height and appearance, Samuel, for man sees
- 17:01Speaker 5: the outward appearance. We see the strength of the man's arms,
- 17:06Speaker 5: but the Lord looks into the heart.
- 17:08Speaker 2: Listen to Heroes in the Bible with Dr. Tony Evans
- 17:12Speaker 2: on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
- 17:17Speaker 2: your podcasts.