Read Revelation 21:1–22:5
At the end of history and the end of the Bible, we come again to where it began. In Genesis 1–2, at the creation of all things and the beginning of the Bible, everything was perfect. Adam and Eve were with God and enjoyed the garden He made for them. There was no sickness, evil, or death until sin entered the world. Now, in today’s passage, after all sin and evil have been judged and conquered, everything has been restored to its pre-fall perfection. Ultimately, our hope is in this final restoration of all things.
That restoration is hard to imagine because we have never fully seen it. Every experience you have had on Earth has, in some way, been under the curse of sin. Even the good experiences, from a simple good book (or devotional series!) to a great wedding, have been incomplete. Every book ends, every wedding has mistakes, and every life has death. Now, try to imagine all of those things—every glimpse of God’s goodness revealed through them—in complete, never-ending perfection. That is the restoration of all things: nothing bad and everything good.
The best part about that restoration is not the things themselves—it is the fact that God’s people will be in perfect union with Him. John describes a lot of beautiful things here about the new Jerusalem, but the true value of the city is not in its material wealth. At the culmination of John’s description, he concludes simply that we will see God’s face, worship Him, and be led by His light. That is the best thing about Heaven, and it is the best thing about our lives today. So, as you get previews of this final restoration through the partial restoration you experience today, remember and look forward to the new Heaven and new earth and perfect union with God. Let that hope be what sustains you through the imperfections of our present experience.
