The Hope of Not-Another-Fall
Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Revelation 21:27
Oh my, am I ever ecstatically glad for this part of John’s vision! Can you imagine living in a world of the perfected worship of God, perfect beauty, perfect relationships, perfect health, a perfect environment, perfect culture-making, perfect food, perfect everything…with the guarantee that nothing will ever be broken again? This is what John is affirming in this passage. After Jesus comes back to finish making all things new, there is no chance that another Fall will happen again. Sin and death will be no more, forever! The new heaven and new earth will be an inviolate world of perfect peace-perfected shalom. Everything and everything will be as God designed and delighted them to be, forever and ever. Whew!!!
On a personal level, think about what this means for YOU. You will be the perfected you. You will live in a glorified body that will never wear out; you will be completely healed of every wound, hurt and betrayal; you will never hurt anyone again, even in the slightest; you will love Father, Son and Holy Spirit with holy joy, wholly; you will be completely free; you will enjoy everyone and will be enjoyed by everyone; you won’t forget anything; you will make great beauty with your every word, though, and act; YOU WILL ROCK, as will the whole family of God!
And we will never forget the reason we get to savor an eternity of such perfection and beauty. We will enjoy the perpetually inviolate world of grace and truth only because a hand much bigger, steadier and trustworthy than ours wrote our names in the Lamb’s book of life. A lot of you today need to tap into this living hope. “Fear not”, Jesus says to you, “the good work begun in you and in all of creation will be brought to completion. I am the Lamb who bore your sin and the Lord who bears your load. I AM presently making all things new, and that includes you.” Really, what more do we need to be assured of?