He Who Makes All Things New

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." — Revelation 21:1–5

When the year turns and we long for something new, Scripture points us to the God who has promised to make all things new—and calls us to faithful work until He does.

A New Year and the Anticipation of New Things

How many of you are looking forward to a new year? It's that time of the year when LA Fitness and 24-Hour Fitness make all their money, because everyone jumps on the scale after Christmas and decides it's time to get fit—and then by week two wonders why they ever bought the membership. It's a season of resolutions, many of them already abandoned, but it is a season of anticipation, of planning and looking forward to new things.

The reality is that the new year is really only new to those of us who live under a Western culture and calendar. There's nothing biblical about December 31st becoming January 1st. But it serves as a mental marker that stirs anticipation. If you're anything like me, you look back over the previous year—the highs, the lows, the challenges and triumphs—and then you look forward and ask, "Lord, what do You want to do in the new year?"

A Prophetic Encouragement, Not a Prophecy Update

It's common in evangelical churches at year's end to focus prophetically on the future with a "prophecy update." I don't want to give a prophecy update so much as a prophetic encouragement from the Scriptures.

Here at Cross Connection, we hold a futurist position on Bible prophecy. Together with all orthodox Christians, we believe in a yet-future event called the second coming of Christ. All the major creeds of the church point to it—the belief that one day Jesus will return in fulfillment of both Old Testament and New Testament prophecies. The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel spoke of it, but so did Jesus Himself in John 14: "I will come again." He gave that prophetic promise on the eve of His betrayal, death, and resurrection, preparing His disciples for troubling circumstances by saying, "Let not your heart be troubled." We say unabashedly that we believe He will come again, in fulfillment of prophecies written 2,000, 2,500, even 2,700 years ago.

A Preface: Against Speculative Eschatology

Let me preface this message with something important. I am not a fan of what I would call speculative eschatology. Eschatology is the theological study of the last days. Speculative eschatology is a study of the end times characterized by excessive overemphasis on current events. It used to be called "newspaper eschatology." Today I'd call it "YouTube eschatology." It pays scant attention to the Scriptures but jumps into "the end is near" hysteria anytime there's an earthquake, a hurricane, or a lunar eclipse.

Jesus actually spoke against that kind of hysteria. In Matthew 24—the Olivet Discourse, the largest section of Scripture where Jesus deals with the last days—He says you will hear of wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, and famines. And three times He says things like, "but the end is not yet." When His disciples asked for the sign of His coming, He told them what the sign is not: it's not earthquakes and famines and pestilence that make people freak out. Then in verse 14 He says, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached for a witness in all the world, and then shall the end come." The one specific sign He points to is the abomination of desolation, prophesied by Daniel.

The Petri Dish of the Internet

The internet has provided the perfect petri dish for speculative eschatology. You don't even need a computer anymore—just a smartphone to create high-quality video and build a global following almost instantly. That makes it incredibly easy to lead people down paths of things that are not real.

Here's an example. You've all heard of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. But how many have heard of Haji, the Lake Hodges Monster? You think I'm joking—I printed this from the internet this morning. A friend told me his friend created the Lake Hodges "Scientific Research Center" website as a joke about ten years ago, and now there's a global following of people who actually believe there's a monster in Lake Hodges. You can't make this stuff up.

Why is this a problem? Speculative eschatology thrives on this kind of credulity, but it devastates true Bible study about the end times. Just as economists say market speculation helped cause the 2008 worldwide economic collapse—prices inflated until the bubble burst—speculative eschatology has caused many in America to push back from the church. People say, "I believe in Jesus and want to follow Him, but I'm not interested in the church stuff," because of figures like Harold Camping setting dates, or the Y2K panic of 1999 when people made money selling tapes—and some still have MREs in their garage. That stuff sells. Hollywood knows it, which is why it's investing over $100 million in the upcoming Noah movie and a half-dozen other Bible films. They've rung the zombie bell long enough; now they've moved on to the Bible.

So when we talk about the last days, we must not go hunting for events—an earthquake here, a tsunami there—and try to line up dates to declare the time of the end. Jesus spoke against that. We need to be careful, church.

Jesus' Final Words: From Kingdom to Mission

Do you think a person's last words are important? I do. In Acts 1, just before Jesus ascends, He gives a lesson appropriate for us today. His earliest disciples—Peter, James, John, Thomas—also had an inordinate focus on the coming messianic kingdom. In Acts 1:6 they asked, "Will You now restore the kingdom to Israel?" They knew Old Testament prophecies had not yet come to pass, and they were excited. It's not wrong to be excited, but you can be inordinately focused on it.

So Jesus gives a mild rebuke that refocuses them—from messianic fervor to mission:

It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put under His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. — Acts 1:7–8

Don't get so consumed with the coming messianic age. Wait until you receive the power of the Spirit, and then be witnesses in all the world—because, as Matthew 24:14 says, "this gospel will be preached for a witness in all the world, and then shall the end come." Two thousand years later, there are still more than 1,200 distinct people groups among the 7 billion in the world who have no witness of Jesus Christ, who have never heard the gospel. It's hard for us, living amid such saturation of Bible teaching, to fathom that.

"This Same Jesus Will So Come"

Though Jesus mildly rebukes them, look at what immediately follows:

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. — Acts 1:9

How awesome to have stood on the Mount of Olives and seen that! Over the previous weeks they had watched Jesus tried, crucified, buried, raised, and now—after forty days of signs and wonders—He simply lifts off the ground and a cloud takes Him out of sight. They're left standing, stunned. Then two men in white apparel appear:

"Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." — Acts 1:11

Jesus' promise in John 14, "I will come again," is confirmed by these angelic beings. Just as you saw Him go up, He will one day come again.

"Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled"

In the midst of everything this life brings, Jesus says, "Do not be troubled." When He spoke those words in John 14, it came on the heels of very troubling statements. In John 13 He said, "One of you is going to betray me," and the disciples looked around asking, "Is it I?" He told Peter, "Before the rooster crows, you'll deny Me three times." He told them all, "Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter." They were troubled.

In the midst of that He says, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me." What is the basis of peace amid trying circumstances? Faith in God and in Christ. And if you believe, there is this promise: "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

This is not the only place that speaks of His coming. There are dozens. Matthew 16:27—"The Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father." Matthew 24:27—"As lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be." Matthew 24:30—"All the tribes of the earth will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Hebrews 9:28—"Christ will appear a second time...to save those who eagerly wait for Him." And Jude 14—"Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints." He will come with power and great glory, with angelic beings and ten thousands of His holy ones, to rescue those who have eagerly waited for Him.

The Purpose of His Coming: He Makes All Things New

What will He do when He comes? Revelation 20 tells us He will return with "King of kings and Lord of lords" written on His robe—not riding a donkey but a white horse, as a conquering, triumphant King. He will establish a kingdom that lasts a thousand years upon the earth, the millennial reign of Christ. Some Christians are amillennial, believing there is no literal earthly reign but only a spiritual one through the church now. I disagree; I believe Revelation 20 is yet future—a literal kingdom here on earth for a thousand years.

At the end of that thousand years, something great takes place. The apostle John, who penned the gospel of John, records the vision: a new heaven and a new earth, the first having passed away, and no more sea. He sees the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven, "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." A voice declares, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them." Then:

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. — Revelation 21:4

And the One on the throne says, "Behold, I make all things new." This is a broken world, a fallen humanity—not what God desired for His creation—and so He will make all things new: a new heaven, a new earth, a new Jerusalem, a new day with no tears, no pain, no sorrow, no death. That's good news. This is our hope in Christ. Paul told Titus we are "looking for that glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2). He is the God who makes all things new.

Made New Now, Ready for the New Then

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; the former things have passed away." In His first coming Jesus came to die on the cross in our place, to take the punishment of Almighty God upon Himself for our sin, opening the way of salvation. When you put your faith in Christ, you become a new creation—and you are made ready for the new creation He will make in the future, that new heaven and new earth where God dwells with His people.

But those who have not received that new life are not ready for that day. Revelation 21:8 says the cowardly and unbelieving—whose unbelief is revealed in their actions as murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars—"shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone." Bible scholars debate whether that means eternal torment or annihilation; wherever you land, it is not a good place to be. The only way to escape it when the new heaven and new earth are made is to receive the new life that is in Christ.

When we think about prophetic things to come, we should always default to the gospel and to the recognition that there are still lost people who need to be saved. Too much of the focus in American evangelicalism on the end times is completely selfish—it doesn't care about the rest of the world. It just says, "I want to get out of here," failing to recognize the call Jesus gave.

Watching, Waiting, and Working

Jesus ended the Olivet Discourse with three stories, each carrying a point we should take to heart. First, a master left a chief servant in charge, promising to return; but the servant grew lazy and began beating the other servants, and the master came when he wasn't watching and judged his unfaithfulness. Second, ten virgins waited for the bridegroom—five wise with oil in their lamps, five foolish without; when the bridegroom came, only the ready went in. Third, the parable of the talents: a master gave five, two, and one talent to three servants; two invested and doubled, but the one who buried his was judged for being unfaithful.

The point of these three stories is this: we who are His people need to be faithful servants who are wisely watching, waiting, and working until He comes. Why? Because before He ascended, Jesus also said, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel...make disciples of all nations." Matthew 24:14—"This gospel shall be preached in all the world for a witness, and then shall the end come."

My 2013–2014 Prophecy Update

Here, then, is my prophecy update. It sounds very similar to last year's: Jesus is coming. As far as I can tell, He has not come yet, so we need to get to work. We have work to do in the new year, because there are people in our community who have not yet heard the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Though we may face difficulties and troubling times in the new year, we know this—let not your heart be troubled. Because you believe in God, believe also in Jesus, and if you do, He has gone to prepare a place for you and will come to receive us to Himself. We know that for certain. We don't have to worry. We don't have to be looking for blood moons or chasing every theory about who the Antichrist is—and no, I don't think it's Barack Obama. I've seen the emails. You can prove anything on the internet. Jesus will come again. He has not come yet, so get to work. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Lord, thank You for the assurance we have from Your Word, the assurance from the promise that You will come again. Help us to rest in that—not worried about all the events happening around the world. But Lord, may we not rest in such a way that we fail to fulfill the ministry and mission You've called us to. Give us the ability by Your Spirit, just as You did with Your disciples in Acts 1 and 2, to be witnesses of You here in our Jerusalem, San Diego County; in our Judea, the state of California; in our Samaria; and on to the rest of the world. Work in us to be witnesses. And Lord, I pray for any here today who don't yet have that assurance, that absolute certainty and hope of being with You for eternity, because they have not yet put their faith in You. Stir their hearts and draw them to Yourself. In Jesus' name, Amen.