{"id":14392,"date":"2022-08-08T15:19:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-08T19:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.westpark-baptist-dev.com\/?p=14392"},"modified":"2022-08-10T16:26:29","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T20:26:29","slug":"great-expectations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westpark-baptist-dev.com\/great-expectations\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Expectations"},"content":{"rendered":"<style type=\"text\/css\"><\/style><div id=\"cmsmasters_row_64ffa8ddbe4856_59908823\" class=\"cmsmasters_row cmsmasters_color_scheme_default cmsmasters_row_top_default cmsmasters_row_bot_default cmsmasters_row_boxed\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_outer_parent\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_outer\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_inner\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_row_margin\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_column one_first\">\n<div class=\"cmsmasters_text\">\n<p>Great expectations stir in every believer\u2019s heart, knowing that one day we will be living in a new heaven and new earth promised to us by God. There is no greater expectation than this: to be in our new home, to reign with Jesus Christ forever, and to worship God in this new majestic realm. It is both genuine and beyond our imagination.<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:1: \u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:2: \u201cAnd I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:3: \u201cAnd I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God\u00a0<em>is<\/em>\u00a0with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them,\u00a0<em>and be<\/em>\u00a0their God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:4: \u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Visualizing Our New World<\/h3>\n<p>We have an insatiable curiosity as to what this new heaven and new earth will be like. To the best of our abilities, we imagine ourselves entering pearly gates and walking on streets of gold. It\u2019s best to look to the scriptures in both the Old Testament and the New Testament to give us a picture of accurate details and heavenly glimpses:<\/p>\n<p>2 Peter 3:13: \u201cNevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Isaiah 65:17: \u201cFor, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Isaiah 65:18: \u201cBut be ye glad and rejoice for ever\u00a0<em>in that<\/em>\u00a0which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Isaiah 65:19: \u201cAnd I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Isaiah 66:22: \u201cFor as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The most descriptive passage of scripture of the new heaven and new earth is found in Revelation chapter 21. Unlike anything mankind has ever seen or fashioned, the words barely capture the majesty of this new realm and describe to us in the simplest of terms to help us form a clear picture. Here are some highlights of what is in store for us to see:<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:10: \u201cAnd he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:11: \u201cHaving the glory of God: and her light\u00a0<em>was<\/em>\u00a0like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:12: \u201cAnd had a wall great and high,\u00a0<em>and<\/em>\u00a0had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are\u00a0<em>the names<\/em>\u00a0of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:13: \u201cOn the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:14: \u201cAnd the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:18: \u201cAnd the building of the wall of it was\u00a0<em>of<\/em>\u00a0jasper: and the city\u00a0<em>was<\/em>\u00a0pure gold, like unto clear glass.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:19: \u201cAnd the foundations of the wall of the city\u00a0<em>were<\/em>\u00a0garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation\u00a0<em>was<\/em>\u00a0jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:20: \u201cThe fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:21: \u201cAnd the twelve gates\u00a0<em>were<\/em>\u00a0twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city\u00a0<em>was<\/em>\u00a0pure gold, as it were transparent glass.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Exact measurements are recorded in Revelation 21, and we are given detailed descriptions of the foundation, walls, gates, and streets. All in all, the new heaven and new earth descend in spectacular fashion extending 1,500 miles in every direction.<\/p>\n<h3>The Lamb is the Light Thereof<\/h3>\n<p>Even more amazing than the stunning layout of the land is God\u2019s holiness that permeates throughout this new realm. He is the sole source of energy powering the new heaven and new earth and everything else from within and without.<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:22: \u201cAnd I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:23: \u201cAnd the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb\u00a0<em>is<\/em>\u00a0the light thereof.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:24: \u201cAnd the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:25: \u201cAnd the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:26: \u201cAnd they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 21:27: \u201cAnd there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither\u00a0<em>whatsoever<\/em>\u00a0worketh abomination, or\u00a0<em>maketh<\/em>\u00a0a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb&#8217;s book of life.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Basking in God\u2019s Presence<\/h3>\n<p>We stand in awe, surrounded by the beauty of this place; it is a delight of the senses teeming in God\u2019s wondrous light. In its midst is the ever-present radiance of His holy majesty. For now, we cannot fully experience God\u2019s presence in our present state, but all that will change when we meet our Creator face to face. Scriptures give us a taste of what to expect:<\/p>\n<p>1 Corinthians 13:12: \u201cFor now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>1 John 3:2: \u201cBeloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even the whole of creation waits in anticipation of what is to come:<\/p>\n<p>Romans 8:19: \u201cFor the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Romans 8:20: \u201cFor the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected\u00a0<em>the same<\/em>\u00a0in hope,\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Romans 8:21: \u201cBecause the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Romans 8:22: \u201cFor we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Romans 8:23: \u201cAnd not only\u00a0<em>they<\/em>, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption,\u00a0<em>to wit<\/em>, the redemption of our body.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>In the Meantime<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, that will be a glorious day when we will, at last, see the new heaven and new earth. But in the meantime, we are not to be slack concerning our faith. Instead, edify God in all that we do and say. Love one another as Jesus loves us, and share the Gospel, which is our duty until the day comes, and all will be changed and no longer be beyond our imagination.<\/p>\n<p>2 Peter 3:13: \u201cNevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>2 Peter 3:14: \u201cWherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For an extensive, in-depth look into the new heaven and new earth, be sure to watch or read the sermon &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westpark-baptist-dev.com\/sermon\/a-new-heaven-and-a-new-earth\/\">A New Heaven and a New Earth<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><em>Great Expectations<\/em> Related Articles<\/h3>\n<p>==&gt; Also read &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westpark-baptist-dev.com\/pray-for-persecuted-christians\/\">Pray for Persecuted Christians<\/a>&#8220;<\/p>\n<p>==&gt; And read &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westpark-baptist-dev.com\/the-greatest-battle-of-our-time\/\">The Greatest Battle of Our Time<\/a>&#8220;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cGreat Expectations\u201d gives us a little preview and small glimpses of what the new heaven and new earth will be like. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[55,780,779,783,782,784,781],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - 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