“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'” – Revelation 21:5

For followers of Jesus, we have this wonderful comfort! Jesus will make ALL things new! The disasters, devastation, destruction, and death we see so often today will pass away and the earth will be made new by King Jesus. The bad news will stop and the only news will be good news. In Christ, there is so much hope to encourage us, even when we’ve grown completely weary of this broken world.

The devastating effects of mankind’s fall into sin will one day be completely reversed. The curse will be no more. All will be as God made it to be. There will be no more sickness, weakness, suffering, or death. There will be no more beauty marred by evil, hatred, horror, cruelty, selfishness, or greed. There will simply be beauty in creation and the beauty of the Creator Who will be present with us in His creation.

These promises are certain. The words of Jesus are trustworthy and true. If Jesus is your Lord, then this future is yours! Rejoice in your forever future as you prepare to turn your calendar to a new year.

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.” – Revelation 20:11-12

One day, there will be judgment. Justice is inevitable and absolute. Everyone living and everyone dead will one day give an account of his or her life and how it was lived for the purposes and glory of God. That will certainly be difficult for everyone. We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s expectation, design, and glory. Nonetheless, there is hope, for there won’t just be the books containing the history of our lives, actions, words, and thoughts.

There is also the Book of Life. The Book of Life contains the names of everyone who will be welcomed into God’s eternal presence despite what’s written in the other books. Everyone should earnestly desire to be in the Book of Life. So, how does one get his or her name written into the Book of Life? There’s only one way!

Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. It’s only by God’s grace extended through faith in Jesus Christ that anyone’s name is written into the Book of Life. Because the wages of sin is death and we’ve all sinned, none of us can be written into the Book of Life on our own. We can only be written into the Book of Life because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins. He died and rose to life so that everyone who believes in Him will have their name written into the Book of Life.

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, your name is in the Book of Life. So, is your name in the Book of Life??? If not, what’s stopping you from believing in Jesus and having your name added to the Book?

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.” – Revelation 19:11-14

It would be easy to become discouraged in these difficult times. Our efforts can seem futile, fragile, and pointless at times. The news can all sound bad. The future can seem awfully dark. Nonetheless, there is a brighter future ahead! Better days are coming! This is King Jesus. Resplendent. Triumphant. Ready for battle. This is the glorious future ahead of us, when Jesus returns to crush every evil power and judge the living and the dead.

Jesus is Faithful and True. He’ll never leave you nor forsake you. If you are in Him, He will always be with you. Jesus is perfectly righteous and will conquer evil simply with His Word. He judges everyone with perfect justice. The angelic armies follow Him in faithful service. We never need to despair of the future, for Christ’s victory and the renewal of the earth are guaranteed.

Don’t be anxious about tomorrow or next year or ten years from now. Don’t fret about how we’ll get from here to there. Seek and obey God’s will each day. Do the hard work of making disciples and glorifying God today. Tomorrow, do the same. And the next day. Serve the Lord each day, trusting in His ultimate victory.

“Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!
Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.”
– Psalm 148:1-5

Let us join with all of creation in simply praising God! Praise God because He created. God spoke and all things came into existence. Space and time. Stars and planets. Angels and animals. God is Creator and Sustainer. He is the sovereign ruler and king. He is the author of all life. He is the source of all blessings. Praise Him in the highest heavens!

“Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned.” – Nehemiah 1:6

Nehemiah 1 is a wonderful example of how any one of God’s people can pray earnestly and impactfully on behalf of all God’s people. Hearing a sad report of the state of affairs in far-off Jerusalem, Nehemiah began to fast, mourn, weep, and pray. He fasted, cried, and prayed for days! With our short attention spans it’s hard for us to imagine sustaining prayer for hours, much less days, yet Nehemiah prayed for days and God answered his prayers. We must learn from him!

Nehemiah came before God to confess the failures and sins not only of himself but of his people. Though he hadn’t committed most of those sins, he was brutally honest about the failure of God’s people to obey God’s Law. He prayed for God’s active intervention in the world to use him to bring about restoration. Because he did, God honored and answered his prayers.

We can’t fix all of the problems in the world. We can’t fix all of the problems in Christianity. We can’t fix all of the problems in either the universal church or our local church. But we can pray for them. We can confess the sins and errors we commit and that we see in other Christians. We can confess to God our failure to make disciples, to observe all Christ commanded, to love and live like Jesus. We can confess to God our need for His work of conviction, renewal, and revival in all Christians. We can weep and mourn the state of Christianity in the west and pray for God’s active intervention to bring about revival and awakening. God will hear our prayers and He will honor them, so let us pray!