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1 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, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." 5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6 Then 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 water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. (Revelation 21:1-6a)
A very blessed and tremendous Tuesday for you, dear Friend, is my prayer for you. Let us continue to pray for one another, for those who have shared needs with us, and for the needs of the world. The Rev. Roberto Gomez is slowly improving daily, and so, thanks be to God for that. Let us continue to lift him up. Also, while on vacation I received a text from a dear friend who let me know that he and his wife lost their third daughter. David and Irene Sonnen, like us, had four daughters, and his third daughter, Natalie, died under mysterious circumstances. Let us pray for their comfort and peace. Her funeral will be Saturday, May 21, 2022 in San Antonio. She was 31 years old. I also had the pleasure of speaking with The Rev. Harlene Sadler, retired pastor, formerly of Smiley, TX, now living in Cleveland, TX. She is the one who taught me "Why do we pray? Because God answers prayer!" And indeed it is so. She has a very active prayer ministry. Let us pray for her and this important ministry.
I confess I am a big Disney World nut. I blame my mother and father for this addiction. We were huge Walt Disney followers and we faithfully watched his Sunday night programs, included The World of Color, on our oval-shaped black and white TV. Somehow, my Mom got the idea that to save money for a vacation to Florida to visit Walt Disney World in 1972 would be a great idea. And a completely unexpected surprise for the five of us kids. Dad simply told us, "Pack your suitcases," and off we went, headed east on Interstate 10. To feed this addiction and to keep myself updated on the latest and greatest additions to the park, I watch a lot of YouTube videos. This weekend was the preview for season pass holders of the newest ride, Guardians of the Galaxy at Epcot Center. The videos, of course, do not do justice to the actual experience of being there, but close enough. It does build up within, an eagerness to go back one day, Lord willing, to experience the ride and the other attractions that this very expensive theme park offers.
Today's passage is a preview of better things to come. It is the revelation shared with the Apostle John by Jesus so he could write down and share a YouTube preview of what is to come and be, for all eternity. Though this passage is relatively short, it is very powerful one. John saw what is. Yes, it is to come. But, by faith, we know it is to come for us. Let us look at this preview with eyes of faith. The most obvious is that there is a new heaven and a new earth coming. And please note that heaven refers to the sky. The old sky and earth will pass away, and with it the sea will disappear. Here I must pause and mention that this is theological profound. The Old Testament speaks of God taking our iniquities (sins) and throwing them into the sea as found in Micah 7:19. I pity the sea life that has had to live among our sins! But this passage shows how awesome is God's forgiveness; when thrown in the sea they are forgotten by God, and when the sea is no more, they are gone. For ever.
The shift is then directed to the holy city of Jerusalem; a new Jerusalem will discend from Heaven from God, and it will be dressed as a bride ready for her wedding. At this a loud voice from the throne will say, "See, the home of God is among mortals (men and women). God will dwell with us, and we will be His peoples, and God will be among us as our God. And hear what God will do; God will wipe away every tear from our eyes; and the main cause of tears, death, will be no more. With death, mourning, crying, and pain will be gone forever, too. These are the first things and their days are numbered. And the voice from the thone will continue with this, "See, I am making all things news." That means all things. The first things are gone, and those left are made new. And with another declaration of this being true, He says, "It is done! I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life." The preview is awesome and our desire should be to be there. There is a megachurch in Corpus Christi, Texas, whose mission statement reads simply, "To get people into Heaven." Their sole purpose for existing is to have ministries and programs designed to win people's souls for Jesus so when they die, they know where they will spend eternity. And they take it very seriously. The only service I attended there in person, I was handed a sealed white LifeSaver candy with instructions not to open it until told. There were actual life rafts on the stage, eleven of them representing the campuses they had at the time. And, the ushers wore lifevests as did the pastor. I was told the LifeSaver was not for today but next Sunday, IF I brought a first time guest with me. Then, I could enjoy the crunching sound of those others in attendance who had brought back first time visitors. This is as serious as it gets.
PRAYER: Loving God, get me serious about Heaven, so that I can win others to join me in that trip that will get us to our eternal home. Let me also be serious about helping those here on earth who live in hell that I can better their conditions and yet still build up their hope for a better tomorrow; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share a glmpse of Heaven in what you say, think and do.
Receive my blessings for joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
This one's on YouTube too! https://youtu.be/d9W51ZJbUsk
