As we look around with sadness at the ravages caused by the recent pandemic on God’s creation and creatures, there is little to lift our spirits but as we turn to the end of the Bible, we are thrilled to discover that there are brighter days ahead. The time will come, when there will be ‘a new heaven and a new earth’, because the first earth will have passed away, Revelation chapter 21 verse 1.

It is an absolute delight to know that ‘there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying . . . no more pain, for the former things have passed away’, Revelation chapter 21 verse 4. The hymn writer expresses it like this:

‘Yet saints their watch are keeping,
The cry goes up, How long?
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song.’

Furthermore, ‘a great city, the holy Jerusalem’ will descend out of heaven, Revelation chapter 21 verse 10. This city will have ‘a great and high wall with twelve gates and twelve angels at the gates’, Revelation 21 verse 12. After all we have said about PEARLS in our previous meditations this week, we will probably not be surprised to discover that they feature in the structure of this city: ‘The twelve gates were TWELVE PEARLS; each individual gate was of ONE PEARL. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass’, Revelation chapter 21 verse 21. As we go through these gates, when we are in heaven, each pearl will remind us of how precious we are to God and that we were purchased by Him at great cost, i.e. the precious blood of Christ!