Morning Manna | Revelation 21:1-5 | All Things New

Revelation 21:1–5 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

We have come to the end of our journey through the Scriptures, and like all great stories, it concludes with the happiest ending there has ever been. Yet this is no fairy tale—it is, as our verses declare, “true and faithful.”

What is the conclusion of this whole matter of salvation, redemption, and reconciliation? What of heaven? What of earth? What of God and man? These few short verses give us the grand finale to the story that began in Genesis and followed a faithful remnant through the ages. Though this moment is yet to come, it will surely come to pass.

The story of redemption ends with a new heaven and a new earth. Every former thing passes away. Neither heaven nor earth will remain the same, for Christ has reconciled “all things… things in heaven, and things in earth, and you” (Colossians 1:20–21). What’s the difference in this new world? There are surely many, but the one our text points out is this: “there was no more sea.”

This isn’t a reference to the oceans, but to that sea of glass mentioned earlier in Revelation (4:6 and 15:2)—the sea that surrounds the throne of God. Seas represent separation, and this one in particular signifies the divide between our realm and God’s manifested presence. But one day, that unseen veil will be torn away, just like the veil in the temple. We will have access into the very heaven of heavens—not just in spirit, but in both body and spirit. Reality in its fullest will be ours, and the fellowship that Adam once had with God will be restored—only greater still, for there will be no Satan to tempt! What a day that will be!

We often think about going up to heaven, but the conclusion of the matter is that heaven comes down to us. “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2) In that day, there will be no more distinction between heaven and earth—they will be joined forever. Heaven and earth, God and man, united in perfect and eternal union. What a marriage this will be! This is the moment we have longed for as the hopeful bride, and it is the moment our Bridegroom has awaited since before the foundation of the world.

We can’t begin to imagine the joy and peace of that day. It is a place prepared for us by our soon-coming Groom. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” My heart no longer simply longs to go up to heaven for a time—it yearns for the day beyond that day, when heaven comes down to us.

And here is the purpose of it all: “The tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” This was God’s design from the beginning. In the garden, He walked with man, but sin brought separation. He had to distance Himself—but He never removed Himself. The tabernacle, the sacrifices, the partitions—they were all reminders that sinful man could not approach a holy God without cleansing and blood.

Even now, we have a closeness that saints of old never knew—His Spirit dwells within us, and we are His temple. But in that day, it won’t just be spiritual. We will dwell with Him in every sense—in soul and body. We will walk with Him, not just in prayer, but in presence. We shall see Him as He is. Faith will give way to sight, and we will live with our God forever.

Everything that causes sorrow will be gone. No more death. No more crying. No more pain. All the effects of sin will be fully and finally removed. All things will be made new! This is a truly new world—one in which God reigns in His manifest presence. A new heaven, filled with saints made perfect by the blood of the Lamb. This is the end of the story. This is where we are headed.

So why then do we fret? What is there to fear? The story has already been written, and not one jot or tittle will fail until all is fulfilled.

Look up, weary Christian—Jesus is coming! Heaven is coming! No more separation, no more sin, no more distance. Only eternal fellowship with one another and with God.

Dear lost ones, look at what is offered to those made whole in Christ. See the joy that awaits them—and the sorrow that awaits those outside of Him. Come today. Be reconciled to God. Find peace. Find hope. It was for you that He died. It is not His will that you perish, but that you come to repentance. And you, too, can be a partaker of what He has prepared for us.