Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

⁵ 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.” ⁶ And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. ⁷ The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

1) What is significant about “the dwelling place of God”?
The idea of the infinite, all-powerful, perfectly holy and righteous God even considering dwelling with humanity is such a preposterous idea that it was truly inconceivable to people living in biblical times. Deities did not lower themselves to live with humans. But that is exactly what the greatest desire of God’s heart is, to dwell with us. Deeply. Intimately. In perfect unity. This unity is impossible because of our sin, but what is impossible with man, is made possible with God through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, who took the penalty of our sin, making us right with God. Because of Jesus, we can indeed dwell with God, and one glorious day, He will dwell with us and us with Him in physical reality!

2) What is this new heaven and new earth, when is it coming, and who will inherit it?
The new heaven and new earth is the full restoration of all of Creation. A perfect creation as it was in the beginning before sin’s decay. In essence, a flawless new universe for perfected beings with new perfect bodies to live and work and love one another in perfect freedom and harmony because they are in constant relationship with the Almighty God! The new earth will be our new home when our current Earth has been burned up after Jesus returns. This new universe comes after Jesus returns and after the final Judgment has happened. We don’t know when Jesus will come back, but we do know He is coming! Those who will inherit this newness are the Christ-followers!

3) What will it mean to have God dwelling with man?
Today on earth, we enjoy the presence of God in our hearts, but you only have to take one quick glance around to be reminded that life here isn’t perfect. But on that day when God will dwell with us in person and we with Him, every single thing that mars our experience here will be gone forever. Sadness, hurt, loneliness, weariness, heartache, loss, abuse, distrust, misunderstanding, conflict…all…gone….forever! Verse 4 doesn’t have many words, but it’s meaning is far-reaching. God will make *all things* new.

4) What part of our inheritance as Christians or “conquerors” is most important in this passage?
There is much we don’t know about the new life that God has prepared for those who love Him first and most and best, but we know enough to see that the very heartbeat of our new eternity is threaded intimately with a deep relationship with our Savior and our God. God’s heart was broken over our sin, which separated us from Himself, and He’s been pursuing us ever since that brokenness. An eternity where we are united with Him, where our satisfaction is utterly complete, where our joy is forever abundant, where all shadow of death and decay are forever dead is enough glorious knowledge about the new heaven and earth, that all of our other questions pale in importance. The most important thing about eternity is dwelling with the Lord!

1) What is significant about “the dwelling place of God”?
To never be alone. To always have confidence. To always be at peace. To never fear. To have direct access to the Almighty God. To dwell with Him. This is a richness beyond description! No feeble, human wordsmith can depict the delight of dwelling with God as He dwells with us! Every need met. Every ache fulfilled. Every sadness banished. Simply to live in perfect unity with our Creator God exactly as we were designed to live. What Bliss! THIS is the glorious inheritance awaiting us in Christ Jesus! But, oh blessedness, that we are able to taste it even now, despite our still-sin-wrecked world, our own human frailty and willingness to sin! Stolen away like intimate kisses are those moments when we delight in the relationship between us and God even now. Scripture reading, prayer time, private worship, corporate worship, these are all designed to whet our appetite for the coming glory!

2) What is this new heaven and new earth, when is it coming, and who will inherit it?
The old will pass away, and God will indeed “make all things new”. This doesn’t mean just our hearts, but every physical aspect as well. New bodies meant to last an eternity, a new universe where all death and decay have been forever banished, and new, full, and complete dimension to the relationship between believers and God will finally come to fruition. Hold tightly to this certain hope of impending reality! Know that your inheritance is a guarantee if your trust is fully in the work of Jesus Christ and not yourself! Be reminded that what you do today in your body, on this earth, with your tongue, your hands, your mind….it all counts for eternity. What investment are you making?

3) What will it mean to have God dwelling with man?
Today as you see tears, when your heart aches, when you feel lonely, when your eyes see injustice, remember that this is not your forever home. Let these things that weigh us down in our everyday, turn our hearts towards eternity, quickening our breath as we consider all that awaits us. Let our secure hope encourage us to stand strong, to hide in the shadow of the Almighty, to dig deeply into His word, and to love others well!

4) What part of our inheritance as Christians or “conquerors” is most important in this passage?
If this life is merely the cover page to a life that will never end and will be incredible beyond description. If today is the precursor to innumerable tomorrows with our Savior. Then wouldn’t we choose to invest what we have today into the safety of eternity? Will we love deeply today? Will we spend time with our Lord today? Will we give generously today? Embracing the fullness of God in our everyday starts today in this moment. What will you do now to make your heart beat faster for Jesus in light of the coming hope and promise of eternity with Him, your soul’s true mate?

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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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