Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (Revelation 21:1-8), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• [1] In the future, after the End, will be a New Beginning. This earth (and heaven) will “pass away,” and will be made new. There will be no more “sea” (representing the chaotic nations in their rebellion against God and his kingdom). The eternal state will be one where the new heaven and new earth become one, where God’s people will live forever, resurrected in body and renewed in spirit—not just the existence of disembodied souls in heaven. What do you think about the idea of such a material future? How might this vision of such a future, promised to us by God’s grace, affect the way you live today? With regard to your work? Your use of wealth? Your relationships? Your pursuits, goals, and dreams for this life?

• [2-4] The main thing that will make the new heaven and new earth so wonderful is the fact that God will be with us (emphasized three times in v. 3). The Triune God, whose eternal being is love, who dwells in joyful communion, who created all things out of nothing, who rules all he has made, who was willing to sacrifice everything to forgive our cosmic treason, promises to be with us forever. Do you have a relationship with God? Do you want to be in his presence? Can you imagine what it will be like to live with him always? How do you think it will change you? How do you think it will change your experience of the whole world? Is this anticipated change meaningful to your life now in any way?

• [5-7] The All-Sovereign Lord promises the new heaven and new earth to his people—to those who faithfully entrust themselves to his Son, Jesus. Nothing can stop him from keeping his promise. It is backed up by the character of the one who is trustworthy (“faithful”) and true (see Revelation 3:14). You can trust God’s word about it! Do you have a hard time believing that eternity could be so glorious? What do your friends believe about their future? About the future of this world?

• [8] Not everyone will experience eternity the same way. Those who have established their identities to be antithetical to God and his kingdom, those professing Christians who do not persevere in faithfulness to Christ, will join the devil in the lake of fire rather than enjoying the new heaven and new earth in God’s presence. Is it unfair or unjust to consign those who want nothing to do with God to an eternity apart from God? If God is the only good, then can there possibly be any good life apart from him? Are there any aspects of this list in verse 8 that are disturbing or worrisome to you? What do you do when you wonder whether you truly belong to God or not?