THE NEW JERUSALEM
Carey Madding
Today’s Scripture: “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” Revelation 21:5, ESV
Theme: We were not promised peace on Earth and will not completely experience that Jesus returns. In the new Jerusalem, God will make all things new.
“LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH”
The song of that title is special and has validity. The part that convicts me is this: “Let there be peace on earth...and let it begin with me.” We should pray for peace. Even more than that, we should be peacemakers, actively stepping into conflict and reconciling people to Jesus and to each other. But the cry for total peace will not come to fruition in this fallen world. We can and should work towards it, but we cannot be disappointed that disagreements, conflicts, and even war continue to break out. Jesus told us this would happen before and until the end of the age. “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Matthew 24: 7-8, ESV).
THIS JERUSALEM
My heart is bound to Jerusalem. I love it and the people there; I am grieved at the destruction, and I do pray for its peace, as the Bible instructs: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!” (Psalm 122:6a, ESV). Yet this city has been the center of conflict for centuries and is still fought over by religious factions. Even the Christians fight each other in Jerusalem! Because of this, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, shared by several Christian denominations and entities, has a strange solution. Since they cannot work together, the keys are held by a trusted Muslim family to whom custody of the site has been passed down for generations.
True peace will not come to any person or people group without a personal knowledge of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. The Jews are God’s chosen people, and now I am also His chosen child, a Gentile, grafted into the family of faith (Romans 11:17). God loves Israel, and He loves me, too. Yet Jesus promised His followers that they would have troubles: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, ESV). In the same breath, He gave us His peace, His Comforter, His Spirit.
BEST NEWS EVER
Someday, Jesus the King will return to Jerusalem. Someday, “the wolf and the lamb shall graze together” (Isaiah 65:25a, ESV), Someday, “they shall beat their swords into plowshares’” (Isaiah 2:4b, ESV). Someday, the Son of God will be the light of unending day (Revelation 21:23). Anyone can live in this marvelous city where Jesus is King. It won’t matter your nationality or ethnicity, your ability to live a perfect life, or how you were raised. Your faith in Jesus will be your visa and passport into the Kingdom of God and the eternal city. At that time, every tear will be dried; every hurt healed; and God will make all things new.
Make It Personal: Final, lasting peace will come when Jesus returns. In the meantime, I need to introduce my friends and neighbors to the Prince of Peace. I need to turn gossip into encouraging, glorifying words. I need to not only pray “Thy kingdom come,” but bring His kingdom with me into any place or situation I enter. I challenge you, believer, to embody Peace, empowered by the Spirit within you, all the while pointing the way to ultimate Peace, Jesus.
Pray: Lord, my heart breaks for the Holy Land. It breaks for those in war and those suffering around the world. Help us to see with eyes of compassion and hearts of mercy for both sides of this conflict. Root out evil and preserve the lives of the innocent. Father, I pray for the Hebrew people, the root of faith which blessed us with Messiah, that they may will come to know Jesus, the Lion of Judah. I pray for their enemies, that they would also come to know You, the One True God. Your kingdom come; Your will be done. Let there be peace on earth...and let it begin with me. In the holy Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Read: Matthew 24:5-14; Psalm 122:6-9; Romans 11:17-18, 23-24; Isaiah 11:5-7, 2:4; Revelation 21:22-27, 22:4-5
Weekly Memory Verse: “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” Ephesians 2:14-16, NIV