December 31, 2025 -- Revelation 21:9-14 -- A vision for 2026

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Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Revelation 21:9-14 ESV
 
Context matters. To the thirsty, to those who have overcome the world in Christ, God will give the water of life and publicly confirm the gift already given of being His son, His daughter. But the cowardly, the faithless, those who willingly suppressed the truth of God for the lies of this world, they will be thrown into the lake that burns with sulphur and fire. It is too terrible to contemplate. However, the bible shows, on its every page, the glory of God, His holiness and splendour, must evoke from His creatures a response of worship, honour, glory and praise. To refuse to do so, is a violation of one’s very humanity and raison d’être.
 
Then the angel showed John, that beloved disciple of Jesus, the one vision (note the vision is a whole, so the book is called Revelation, singular) of would take place. No matter how dire, how twisted, how bloated with evil this world gets to be, there are many who hunger and thirst for God. There are many Christians who serve God fearlessly, in the strength of the Holy Spirit. Such men and women constitute the Bride of Christ—their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. What a spectacular picture is given here, such as inspires every generation of believers, so that no matter the threats, the hardship or the persecution, believers offer their hearts, minds and lives to God promptly and sincerely.
 
Believers belong to God as His Bride. Precious. Dressed in beautiful robes, which are the righteous works of Jesus Christ and added to this, the work of the Holy Spirit within the believer Who has prompted and continues to prompt such blessed ones to live whole-heartedly for Jesus. What a vision. Sin loses its lustre and temptations becoming like the stench of death when compared to what we already are and how fully what we are now in Christ will be revealed then at the return of Jesus. Believers are part of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem.
 
Believers already having the glory of God now hidden in Christ, will then have the purified eyes of faith to see the radiant glory that is already ours in Christ. We will see each and know the majesty, love, grace, compassion, the weightiness of what it is to belong to God through the reconciling work of Christ and have this guarded in us by the Holy Spirit. If by prayer, by faith, by practices of holy living following Jesus, believers exercised more now what we are (as it is revealed in this vision) how our lives would be transformed. How we’d delight to worship God. We are radiant with the splendour of Jesus!
 
Believers are depicted as those who are part of the heavenly Jerusalem. That city with high walls and angel-defended gates. The picture is that no power, no throne, no army, no weapons of any kind, no demon, no dominion, nor any other authority could ever even touch those sacred walls which protect the believer in the unspeakable joy of living in the radiant, majestic, awe-evoking presence of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
 
Dear fellow believer, as 2025 is quickly drawing to a close, with the eyes of faith, see this wonderful vision, that of the ever-drawing-nearer-to-us-in-time New Jerusalem. Those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life are so secure, are so guarded, that no matter what happens here which would attempt to pull us away from Christ, it will not happen. So, live boldly for Jesus. Love Jesus deeply. Follow Him as the Captain of salvation with the full confidence that what you know now by faith will soon be experience, you will be with God radiant with the glory of Jesus and strengthened by the Holy Spirit in your humanity to ever more fully know the magnificent, muti-faceted, splendor of God. May this vision help you to live ever more fully for Jesus all through 2026.
 
Blessed God, Who is like You in the cosmos, in the heavens, in the depths, or anywhere else in all of creation? There is none like You! You Who chose Your people in Christ already before the foundation of the world, now reconcile Your precious ones to Yourself by His redeeming blood. You Who are glorious, guard Your daughters and sons by the work of Your Holy Spirit. Triune God, hallelujahs, praise and honour and glory belong to You, now and forever more! Blessed God, as 2025 ends and 2026 springs up new, give to us the courage and the boldness of those who know our future in Christ, so that our present living will be fuelled with Holy Spirit vitality to persevere and endure until Jesus returns. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/z-yJ3xMVUDI?si=cLwTath0gFostDZm Whate’er My God Ordains is Right
 

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