“I Make All Things New”

A look at what is going on in this fallen world that we live in can easily bring tears to our eyes. It seems like almost every day we hear or read about tragedies such as mass shootings, sex crimes and abuse, the killing of unborn children, and the like. Then there are the natural tragedies such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and wild fires. And of course, we not only hear about, but often personally experience, the pain and sorrow caused by the death of loved ones, diseases such as cancer, and other illnesses. Just thinking of these things brings tears to my eyes. It seems like the world is inching closer and closer to the final days that we read about in Bible prophecy.

But when we read of the things to come, especially in the book of Revelation, there is reason for hope, reason to push aside the despair that the condition of the world can lead us into. God’s Word makes it clear that one day, all of these things that cause us sorrow and bring us to tears will be taken away. 2 Peter 3:13 tells us that we can look forward to “the new heavens and new earth he (God) has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.” The apostle John was given a vision of that day. In Revelation 21:1, he says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared.”

In Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ, as Jesus makes His way to Calvary to be crucified, there is a scene where Jesus falls and His mother, Mary, makes her way to His side. When she gets there, Jesus looks at her and says, “See, mother, I make all things new.” Although Scripture does not tell us that Jesus spoke those words at that time (He did speak them later), and although the picture of the broken and bleeding Savior when taken at face value does not seem to project the optimism and hope that those words speak of, it is true that His pain, His suffering, and His death did make everything new. Because of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross of Calvary, the words of Revelation 21:3-5 were made possible:

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!”  (Revelation 21:3-5)

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, if we turn from our sins and confess Him as Lord and Savior of our lives, we will one day experience a world much different from the one that we are living in now. We will experience a new world, one in which there is no more violence, no more death, no more sickness, no more sorrow, and no more pain. We will experience a world where the tears will be wiped from our eyes and our hearts will experience the joy of knowing that we live in a world in which God makes His home, a world in which we will be His people and He will be our God. A world where, like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we will walk with Him and talk with Him. A world in which Jesus has made everything new!

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.