Bible Reading Plan | Devotion for the week of March 7, 2021

Weekly reading: Revelation 18-21
Passages referenced: Romans 8:18-22; 1 Corinthians 15:22; Revelation 21:1-5; Revelation 22:1-3, 21

God’s timing is pretty impressive. We set up the Bible Reading Plan well over a year ago. Our current series, Paradise Lost, was decided a couple of months ago. And here we are this week seeing these two meet up. On Sundays, we’ve been looking at the creation of Heaven and Earth, life in the Garden of Eden, and many other details of our origin story. And this week, we’re finishing up our reading of the New Testament, which includes John’s prophecy of “a new heaven and a new earth” and Eden being restored in chapters 21 and 22, respectively. As I said, God has some pretty impressive timing.

In the last few weeks, we’ve looked at God’s perfect creation and the perfect life He created in the garden. But then we’ve also looked at how we now live outside that perfection because of free will and bad choices. But thankfully, we know the story doesn’t end there. “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22)

Think back to high school English class. Is that when we learned about story structure? Or maybe middle school? I can’t remember anymore – it was too long ago. Anyway, at some point in our education, we learned about story structure. Here’s a little refresher for you:

Introduction – background information that establishes the setting, mood, and characters; it describes the situation and may provide some backstory

Rising action – exciting forces or inciting events begin to occur; often, characters face or try to solve a problem which results in conflicts within themselves or with other

Climax –the turning point; the crucial moment; the point where the building tension reaches a peak

Falling action – the part of the story that explores the consequences of the climax; the tension in the story begins to ease

Resolution – the story’s central problem is finally solved, leaving the reader with a sense of completion

Many stories follow this structure, especially ones that are short and simple. But the Bible is far from simple and short. And it is both one story and many stories. It has many sets of rising and falling action. But if we look at it as one large narrative, we see a beautiful story of redemption. The introduction is what we’ve been covering on Sundays. The rising action is what takes place between the Fall and the arrival of Jesus. The climax is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The falling action is the establishment of the church up to our point in time and beyond. And then the resolution will be what we in Revelation 21 & 22:

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away… And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:1-5)

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse… (Revelation 22:1-3)

As we find ourselves in the falling action of this great story of redemption, at times, it can be difficult to know what to do as we long for the resolution. First, we can take comfort in knowing that isn’t a unique feeling. Paul discussed this in his letter to the Romans:

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Romans 8:18-22)

We wait here in the falling action, in ‘eager expectation’ of what is to come. But we can rest in the knowledge that all things will be made new, death will be replaced with life, and God’s presence will permeate every bit of His new creation. And there’s plenty for us to do while we wait. We can get busy joining God in His redemptive work by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with those that don’t yet know Him.

And as we wrap up our year in the New Testament, it feels fitting to have the last words of the Bible be the last words I leave you with. So, as we long for the resolution of this story and share the truth of God’s redemptive story with those around us, I pray that “the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.” (Revelation 22:21)
– Sarah Neel