Don’t know about you but the new year looks strangely like the old one. Which is why I am holding out for another one. This one:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
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.” (Revelation 21:1-4 NLT)
Students of the Bible will know that the book of Revelation is apocalyptic literature, a term based on the Greek word “apokalupsis” which means “unveiling.”In the book of Revelation, the veil is removed so that readers can see the true picture of what is happening in history and what will happen at the end of time, so that they can find the encouragement to remain faithful to the Lord even when present circumstances are discouraging. In the more technical terms of the academy:
… the (apocalyptic) visions guide readers into a transcendent reality that takes precedence over the current situation and encourages readers to persevere in the midst of their trials. The visions reverse normal experience by making the heavenly mysteries the real world and depicting the present crisis as a temporary, illusory situation. This is achieved via God’s transforming the world for the faithful. (Grant Osborne, The Hermeneutical Spiral, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1991, 222)
As we enter 2009 we need to know that, in spite of what we see with our eyes, the Lord is in complete control of history and that He will eventually make everything right. Maybe not in 2009, but He will bring it about.
I need to know this because 2009 has begun on a hard note. Here are a few reasons why I don’t feel particularly hot this new year: Bombs and rockets are falling again in the Middle East. Innocent and guilty alike suffer and die. Ditto many other parts of the world. The financial crisis will get worse before it gets better — we hope. In Malaysia, the government has just banned the publication of the Catholic newsletter in the national language. Close friends struggle with problems ranging from cancer to difficult marriages.
Some days I really need help to continue to work on the side of the angels. I need to know that even though there are so many bad things happening in the world, everything is under God’s control. Not only that, I need to remember that God uses everything for His ultimate purposes, including evil. The book of Revelation speaks often of the Lamb that was slain, reminding us that out of the worst evil, the crucifixion of Jesus, came the ultimate good. Things are not always what they seem.
And the days when I feel that nothing ever changes, that history seems to go around in circles, I am reminded that history is actually moving toward a joyful climax, to the day that God will usher in the new heaven and the new earth. History is unfolding according to plan. In fact we are now down to the last few items in God’s countdown checklist. Jesus has come, died, and rose again. The Holy Spirit has been poured out on God’s people. Just a few items more on the check list before He returns to make everything new.
So this new year I reaffirm that Jesus is Lord. This new year I recommit myself to Him and His purposes. I embrace afresh that following Him this side of heaven will be costly. (I hope I will whine less.) It’s going to be a good year. God is on His throne.
And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:5 NLT)