https://odb.org/2025/08/27/a-beautiful-ending
Revelation 21:1–5 (NIV): 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.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
For many years in my Christian life, I thought that life everlasting or eternal life in John 3:16 is a life lived in heaven with God and Christ for all eternity. Thus, life on earth is temporal, and we are mere pilgrims passing through; although we are in the world, we are not of the world. The existence of heaven as a place of abode for those in the faith is not in doubt. It’s just that it is not our final permanent destination. Also, more notably, in heaven, we are in spirit form with God, who is spirit. We don’t have our earthen vessel (as Paul describes our body). That body had long perished and returned to the ground when we passed away from the land of the living.
The reason for my misconception was also compounded by the fear I had of reading the book of Revelation. It was perceived as mysterious and complex. But over the last 10 years, with more emphasis placed by preachers on endtimes, the LORD has somewhat opened up Revelation to me.
The truth is that our final permanent destination as believers of Christ is the new heaven and new earth, the new Holy City of Jerusalem, described in Revelation 21. It is a very special place because God dwells among His people, and there will no longer be tears and sadness as there will be sin no more. Satan and his hordes of evil spirits have been banished to the eternal lake of fire where there is gnashing of teeth. In addition, we will not exist in spirit form but in our glorified resurrected bodies. It will be Eden recreated, the place where humankind was originally intended to live before sin came into the picture. In this etermal place, we will have access to the streams of living water and the tree of life and thus immortality. The only condition is that our names are written in the Book of Life.
To live happily ever after was an illusion created by fairy tales when we were young. As we grow up, we realise that life is full of challenges and struggles. Yet, as believers, we know that there will actually be a beautiful ending for us – a happily ever after moment, similar to David’s Psalm 23 ending where surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
The pertinent question this morning is our name written in the Book of Life? Will our names be written in the Book of Life on that day when we face Christ at the Bema Judgment Seat, or will we end up facing God at the Great White Throne Judgment? Are we responding to His calling for us? Are we living in the centre of His will, fulfilling His plans and purposes for our lives?
Ronnie's Thoughts 