There is a faithful man at my church; we’ll call him James. James also happens to be blind. His physical blindness does not stop him from sharing the gospel with every person—and I mean every person—he comes into contact with. I often think about how amazing it will be when James steps into eternity as a renewed man, and the first thing he’ll ever clearly see is the face of Jesus. What a truly glorious day that will be!
In a spiritual sense, we are all waiting for the day when our faith will be made sight. For those in Christ, our spiritually blind eyes have been opened to the beauty of Christ, but we now await the day when we will see him face to face. In a world full of affliction, suffering, and sin, we long for that day. We cling to the Word of God for hope and pray that by the strength of the Spirit we may persevere and be found faithful in the end.
The Call to Persevere
The Book of Revelation was written for the perseverance of the saints. For a moment the veil between the heavenly and the physical is lifted and the reader of Revelation gets a glimpse into the present and the future activities of God. It opens with John writing seven letters to the seven churches in Asia, both admonishing and encouraging them to persevere for the risen Christ is ruling on the throne.
We can and should apply the truths written to these churches to the universal church today. We long for the kingdom of God, and Revelation 1: 4–8 and 21:3–4 shows the reality of the kingdom: He will dwell with us, and we—people from every tribe, nation, and tongue—will be His people.
The Kingdom Has and Will Come
Adam and Eve were banished from the fullness of God’s presence as a result of the consequences of their sin. The nation of Israel had the pleasure of God’s presence, but ultimately turned to idols instead—and God no longer inhabited their tabernacle and temple. When Jesus came as God to dwell with mankind by becoming a man, this go around with humanity was different. The perfect life, death, and resurrection of the man Jesus Christ meant the ushering in of God’s kingdom through the Holy Spirit.
Because we are indwelled by His Spirit, we are part of God’s kingdom—right here among a fallen world.
So what are we really longing for? It’s for the permanent dwelling of God with us, where “He will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more” (Revelation 21:4). When that happens, the broken world that we struggle with will itself pass away, and the bride, the church, will finally be united to the bridegroom, Christ, in the perfect presence of God. What a glorious, long-awaited day that will be.
Hope and Justice
In order to get there, we must look forward to it with hope. In his book In These Last Days, Graeme Goldsworthy writes, “We must take account of two ways of speaking about our existence: as being in Christ and thus having reached the goal, and as living in this world and thus pressing on towards the mark” (p. 472). Because our God is kind, it makes sense that He would give us the vision of heaven that we see in Revelation 21; He wants to help us be faithful in the already and not yet. We need the hope that Revelation offers, but we also need the promise of justice in the judgment that God will surely impart to the kingdom of the world in order to persevere through trials.
In the meantime, we can be encouraged because we have an inheritance that is secured for us by the Holy Spirit. My friend James, as he waits for the kingdom to come, is testifying to Christ while he clings to truths like 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (ESV).
Whatever you are facing today, cling to the hope of Revelation 21:3–4, knowing that Satan is defeated, Christ reigns, and He will return. One day, He will gather all God’s people into God’s presence forever. Live today in light of that day.
