“The Promise of Easter”

Scripture: Revelation 21:1-6; 21:22-22:5

As Jesus’ humanity slowly ebbed from his body on Calvary, he offered up 7 thoughts – some to his Father, and some to those who were gathered around him. The last of these “words” was “It is finished.” (John 19:28-30), and then, he “gave up his spirit” and died. The word “finished” implies an end – that whatever had been underway was now over, that it no longer was.
But with 2,000 years of perspective before us, we know that it was only Jesus’ mission to earth that was finished – that there was still more to come from His ministry. Easter was just a few short days away, and everything that the Lord has said and taught and did would slowly begin to make sense.

Easter is a promise of glory that is yet to come. The depth and power of that promise is still veiled, the details of that glory are only partially known, and none of it can ever be fully understood. But the promise is still there, for all who love and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, even as the fullness of the promise remains unknown for now.

Read Revelation 21:1-6

Romans 12:2 tells us “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Don’t worry about the ideals, the ways, the structure, the beliefs that are based in worldly concepts - they are all so temporary, they don’t even matter. The Revelation emphases this point, in that everything that we know in this day is going to vanish – and not just be hidden, they will be GONE! Heaven will be gone, the earth will be gone, all of the physical created order will be gone, and the sea, which represents judgment, will be gone. In Chapter 13:1-10, we read about the “Beast of the Sea” – this is the anti-Christ, and he comes out of “judgment”, out of conflict, out of, if you will, sin. And not only will sin be banished, but the source of sin will disappear from existence.

But the void that is created by the destruction of all that is in place now, will be filled with God’s glory. A new city – a holy city – will come down from the new heaven, and will become the new resting place for all of God’s people. This City of God will epitomize the concept of newness!
No more tears! No more death. No more sorrow. No more pain. It will be a freshness, a renewing, that we all long for, but, quite honestly, I doubt that any of us can even begin to understand what that will be like! We will no longer have to build those emotional walls to protect us from the evil and pain that comes from the world! Distrust will vanish! Hatred will be banished!
Life will become complete and joyful and sufficient in a way that is, without question, unknown to us now. Even the concept of life will be changed – Newtonian physics, chemistry, gravity, thermal dynamics, physical structure, mental concepts – nothing that we know will survive the change! NOTHING!

Read Revelation 21:22-27

No more physical places to worship in – no more temple, no more churches, no more cathedrals, no more chapels! Worship is going to be in and of the Father and the Son directly. No more pastors, no more Bible study, no more committees and committee meetings (Yea!!), no more sacraments! The newness that will be, will be complete and perfect!
No more sun, no more stars, no more moon – the glory of God will bathe all who worship and reside in the Lord’s newness. Remember the first day of creation? (Genesis 1:1-3). The Light that God spoke into existence was his Shekinah Glory, and the emptiness, the darkness that preceded the coming of Light is the chaos and hopelessness that comes from evil and sin. In the remaking of all that is, there is no more evil or sin either! It will be gone!

The Light of God will be the peace that covers the newly created order. Worldly authority will surrender to the Light; the need for worldly security will be no more; national pride and divisiveness will vanish; unity in purpose and thought and joy and celebration will replace all of the different ways we currently live and worship. And this new way, this new life, this new worship will only be available to those who have already claimed the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, as their personal Lord and Savior.

The Promise of Easter will only be available to those who have claimed that promise for their own lives.

Read Revelation 22:1-5

Remember Jesus’ conversation with the woman at Jacob’s well? They talked about water, and who was going to give who a drink? (John 4:1-42) Jesus would promise her the Living Water when he told her that the water that he gives will become a “spring of water, welling up to eternal life.” Now we learn that this living water comes, not from a well, but from the throne of God, and flows sufficiently to fill the greatest street of the Holy City.

It is not only a life giving flow, but it sustains the tree of life – the second tree in the Garden of Eden that Adam and Eve were forced to lose out on. They ate from the tree of knowledge because of their own arrogance, but were ejected from the Garden before they could eat of “life” (Genesis 3:21-24). This tree is also a new creation – unlike any that we have ever heard of. It stands on both sides of the Life giving flow – not two trees, but one on both sides. It produces, not one crop of food each year, but twelve crops every month! And its leaves are a healing balm – not for the people, because there will no longer be a need for any kind of healing, except for the nations. There will no longer be tribes, or countries, or even families(!) – they will be “healed” – they will be united in one Family – the Family of God – it will be “one nation, under God, indivisible”, if you will.

Isn’t this an incredible new way, a new concept, a completely new life? None of this could be possible without Easter!

And then the most improbable will occur. The face of God will be revealed, and all will be able to look upon him without fear of death or calamity. As we read through the Hebrew texts, we see that no one can look upon God, or even touch the place of God, without fear of death. (Exodus 33:18-23). But now, the faithful will be able to look fully on the face of God, and will even have the holy and unspeakable Name placed on the forehead of every believer. Our intimacy with God will take a huge step upward. As much as we know that the Lord God is always there for us now (Hebrews 13:1-6), we will come to know him in a new and wonderful and complete way in that day.

The Promise of Easter is no longer in a single day – it is eternal. From the first day of creation through the glorious day of timelessness, the promise of Easter, the new life of Jesus Christ, the new birth that comes by faith in the Son of God, will reign supreme and forever.

The Promise of Easter is the live giving flow that comes directly from the throne of God, and it will never dry up – not by one drop or even by one molecule. It is forever.

The power and joy of Easter is one that keeps on giving and giving, over and over, and there is even more coming than we can ever imagine.