Advent begins today. The Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming” or “visit.” Advent begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends Christmas Eve. Advent is the beginning of the Christian year. So during Advent, we remember, look back and celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Messiah. But more importantly, we also eagerly anticipate the second coming of Christ Jesus our Lord in this special season of Advent. So this year during Advent, each week we will explore different Bible passages from the perspective of Jesus’ second coming. And we will resume our study on the Book of Romans in the new year.
Advent is a great reminder that Christ will return soon. It reminds us that we must begin with the end in mind. It reminds us that our best life is not now, but the best is yet to come. It reminds us that we must set our hearts on the kingdom of God and live for eternity.
Garden of Eden and New Jerusalem
Advent is a great reminder that Christ will return soon. It reminds us that we must begin with the end in mind. It reminds us that our best life is not now, but the best is yet to come. It reminds us that we must set our hearts on the kingdom of God and live for eternity.
Garden of Eden and New Jerusalem
Today’s passage is the final chapter and conclusion of the entire Bible. Today we will explore the last two chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21 and 22. There is one dominant characteristic of these two chapters. In these chapters we cannot find any sin or evil. They are already eradicated. There is the only other place where there is no sin or evil in the Bible, that is, the Garden of Eden in the first two chapters of the Bible, Genesis 1 and 2. The entire Garden was filled with the presence of God. There Adam and Eve enjoyed a deep, intimate, constant communion with God. There was full of joy and pleasure. There was no sin, no evil, no death, no suffering, and no disease. Everything was good in God’s eyes. God created the whole universe for man and woman and let them be the lords of creation to take care of it. God even gave them perfect free will to accept his love or to reject it, because the essence of true love is perfect freedom. In the middle of the garden was the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The tree was the holiest place where Adam and Eve worshiped God and had the most intimate fellowship with him. The tree was also a loving reminder that “He is God, the Creator, and we are his creation.” The tree could be seen from anywhere because it was in the middle of the Garden. One day Adam and Eve were tempted to be like God and chose to disobey God. They chose to become the lords of their life. Since that time the way to the middle of the Garden has been blocked (Gen 3:24). Since that time the way to the sanctuary of God has been blocked. We have become separate from God. We have become slaves of sin and death.
However, the last Adam, Jesus, became human to restore the Garden of Eden. In Luke 13:33 Jesus says, “I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day--for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!” Here Jerusalem symbolically refers to the Garden of Eden. It was the place where Adam and Eve used to enjoy intimate fellowship with God. It was the place where they failed to obey God. Jesus came to the very same place. He obeyed God to the end and died on the cross. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom (Mk 15:38). He reconciled us to God through the cross. He restored our broken relationship with God through his obedience. The Bible says, “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” (Rom 5:19) Calvary was located in a high place that could be seen from anywhere in Jerusalem, just as the tree of knowledge was seen from anywhere in the Garden. The cross at the Calvary was a reminder that “He is our God. We are his people.” God was pleased to save everyone who looks at the cross and believes in Jesus. In Revelation 21:2 John sees the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, the new Eden, coming down out of heaven from God. In the New Jerusalem there is no sorrow, no death, no suffering, no disease, no sin, and no evil.
Engaged to Jesus
However, the last Adam, Jesus, became human to restore the Garden of Eden. In Luke 13:33 Jesus says, “I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day--for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!” Here Jerusalem symbolically refers to the Garden of Eden. It was the place where Adam and Eve used to enjoy intimate fellowship with God. It was the place where they failed to obey God. Jesus came to the very same place. He obeyed God to the end and died on the cross. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom (Mk 15:38). He reconciled us to God through the cross. He restored our broken relationship with God through his obedience. The Bible says, “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” (Rom 5:19) Calvary was located in a high place that could be seen from anywhere in Jerusalem, just as the tree of knowledge was seen from anywhere in the Garden. The cross at the Calvary was a reminder that “He is our God. We are his people.” God was pleased to save everyone who looks at the cross and believes in Jesus. In Revelation 21:2 John sees the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, the new Eden, coming down out of heaven from God. In the New Jerusalem there is no sorrow, no death, no suffering, no disease, no sin, and no evil.
Engaged to Jesus
God invites all of us in this room to come to his Holy City. “Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (22:17). This gospel is available to everyone who believes.
In Jewish custom a marriage took place in two stages, the engagement and the wedding. The engagement included an exchange of promises and gifts, and was almost regarded as a marriage. The engaged couple could be called ‘husband’ and ‘wife’, and if a separation happened, it would have to be a divorce (cf. Matt 1:18–19). The wedding followed some time after the engagement. It began with a festive procession, music and dancing. Then, the bridegroom went out to bring his bride, who will have made herself ready. And he would bring her back to his home for the wedding feast. We, as a Jesus’ bride, live in the engagement period. Now we are preparing ourselves and waiting for the Bridegroom. Once we get engaged, the power of the devil is remarkably weakened. But still, the devil carries out a full-scale attack to break off our engagement. He tries hard to make our attention wander. He makes us “busy” with many things. He makes us “worry” about many things. All these fragment our lives. All these pull us apart and make us lose our center. Our lives are full of many things to do or think, but we feel unfulfilled.
Our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, does not try to pull us away from the many things. Instead, he shifts our attention to the “one necessary thing” from the “many things.” In Revelation 22 Jesus says three times, “Behold, I am coming soon!” (7, 12, 20) Here Jesus is saying, “Be ready. Set your hearts on the kingdom of God first… and all these other things will be given as well” (Matt 6:33). Jesus asks us to readjust our priorities and to move our hearts to the center, “the kingdom of God.”
Maranatha Mindset
Horatius Bonar was a Scottish preacher and hymn writer. Whenever he opened the curtains in the morning, he asked to Jesus, “Lord, are you coming today?” Whenever he closed the curtains in the evening, he said, “Lord, are you coming tonight?” He was always packed and ready to go. He said, “Be ready for the last moment by being ready at every moment...so attending to every duty that, let Him come when He may, He finds the house in perfect order, awaiting His return.”
The word "Maranatha" is an Aramaic expression meaning “Come, O Lord.” In the early church when believers gathered or parted, they didn't say "Hello" or "Goodbye." Instead, they said "Maranatha!" to one another. They encouraged one another, reminded one another, and anticipated the imminent return of the Lord. Living with a Maranatha mindset means living as pilgrims and strangers in this world, traveling light and eagerly longing for our heavenly home. It means living as Jesus’ bride purifying ourselves and preparing for our wedding. It means living as servants of the Lord giving ourselves fully to the work of the Lord and laboring for our rewards.
In his sermon, “Don’t Waste Your Life,” Pastor John Piper shares two different stories with us. The first story goes like this. In his church two of the faithful church members, Ruby Eliason and Laura Edwards, who went to Cameroon as missionaries, had both been killed because of a car accident. Ruby was over eighty. Single all her life, she poured it out for one great thing: to make Jesus Christ known among the unreached, the poor, and the sick. Laura was a widow, a medical doctor, pushing eighty years old, and serving at Ruby’s side in Cameroon. As people read this story in the paper, they said, “What a tragedy!” But no, that is not tragedy. That is a glory. Then, Pastor John tells us the second story, what a tragedy is. He reads to us from Reader’s Digest: “Bob and Penny… took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their thirty foot trawler, playing softball and collecting shells.” That’s a tragedy. The American Dream: a nice house, a nice car, a nice job, a nice family, a nice retirement, collecting shells as the last chapter before you stand before the Creator of the universe to give an account of what you did: “Here it is Lord — my shell collection! And I’ve got a nice swing, and look at my boat!”[1] That’s a tragedy.
Live for Eternity
On the Day of the Lord we must give account. That day God is going to ask us at least these two questions: “What have you done with my Son Jesus Christ?” and “What did you do with what I gave you?”[2] What would be your answer? Are you ready to answer?
The promise of the second coming of Jesus occurs 1,845 times in the Old Testament, and 318 times in the New Testament. In other words, about every 30 verses of the Bible tells us about the return of the King Jesus Christ. The Bible keeps telling us, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief” (2 Pt 3:10). But, we will not be surprised if we set our hearts on his kingdom all the time. The last trumpet may sound anytime. Let us travel light. Let us be “packed and ready to go” at every moment! Let us live for eternity. Let us live to know Christ and make Him known. Let us encourage one another, remind one another, and anticipate together the return of our King Jesus. As we gather and part, let us not just say, “Hello” or “Goodbye,” but say "Maranatha!" Yes, Come, Lord Jesus!
The promise of the second coming of Jesus occurs 1,845 times in the Old Testament, and 318 times in the New Testament. In other words, about every 30 verses of the Bible tells us about the return of the King Jesus Christ. The Bible keeps telling us, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief” (2 Pt 3:10). But, we will not be surprised if we set our hearts on his kingdom all the time. The last trumpet may sound anytime. Let us travel light. Let us be “packed and ready to go” at every moment! Let us live for eternity. Let us live to know Christ and make Him known. Let us encourage one another, remind one another, and anticipate together the return of our King Jesus. As we gather and part, let us not just say, “Hello” or “Goodbye,” but say "Maranatha!" Yes, Come, Lord Jesus!
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