In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

Today, we are at the end of the Christian Church Year. We have been concentrating on the end times. Two weeks ago, we were reminded how our Savior's return will be like lightning. We always need to be ready for it. Last week, we learned about the final judgment. Because our Savior is the Judge, and because He is going to take believers to heaven, we can consider the Last Day our happiest day. Today, we conclude the Church Year by considering what happens after Judgment Day. Our Lord Jesus has said, "Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." As long as you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you don't need to be afraid. 2 Peter 3:13 says, "In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness." Dear believers:

1. DELIVERED FROM THIS SINFUL WORLD

Revelation 21:1 says, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away." We have been talking about the end of the world. On the Last Day, God will take his believers out of this world, and destroy the whole world with fire. Everything will be destroyed. The earth and the atmosphere will be burned up. There will be no more sun, moon, or stars. But that's not all. To be more specific, this building will be destroyed. The homes that we live in will be destroyed. All of our places of work will be destroyed. Every car will be destroyed. Every building, every monument, every road will be destroyed. The elements that comprise the planet and its atmosphere will melt and be burned up. Everything will be destroyed. And so this verse says, "the first heaven and the first earth had passed away." And here we should understand "heaven" to refer to the atmosphere, sky, and space. Look around you. Everything that you see will be gone. Everything will "pass away."

While this sounds frightening, it really shouldn't be. Yes, it will mean that everything familiar will be gone. Yes, it does mean that your favorite collectibles will be destroyed. Every great piece of art, every bit of technology, every book in the library, and every last baseball card will be destroyed! Everything that we took for granted will be gone! That does seem rather scary! But stick with this: it's going to get better!

Ever since Adam and Eve fell into sin, this world has not been right. Not only did Adam and Eve pass down sin as an inheritance to every single one of us, but the consequences of sin are everywhere in the world! Now, we have colds and flu and arthritis and cancer and heart disease. Now we have a harsh environment to live in with temperatures that are too cold or too hot. Now we have polluted air and water. Now we have weeds and wars. And, from time to time, we mourn because we lose a loved one. All of these are the results and effects of sin being in our world. As long as this world endures, this world is never going to be a perfect place. But take heart! When this world ends, God is going to make a better world for us! And all of the terrible effects of sin will be gone! Revelation 21:4 says, "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." The old order of things is the order of sin. All of sin's effects will be gone! And finally, we will be delivered from this sinful world! But that's not all! It gets better than that! Look forward to your eternal home, because you will be...

2. REDEEMED FROM ETERNAL PUNISHMENT

There is a sharp contrast between what happens to God's side and what happens to the devil's side. On the Last Day, it will be the end of the devil's ability to tempt and threaten us. Revelation 20:10 says, "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur." This, as you know, is hell. The devil and all who follow him are going to go to hell. And hell is so terrible because not only is it a place of excruciating agony, but verse 10 goes on to say this: "They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

First, let us dispense with a few false teachings. There are some who claim that hell does not exist. They will get their proof on the Last Day, but if they go there, they will never get out. There are some who claim that hell is just the end of a person's existence. That is not true! They will be tormented forever and ever! There are some who claim that everyone will get to heaven. That is not true either! The devil is going to hell. All of the evil angels, or demons, are going to hell. And so are those who follow the devil and his lies. In fact, every unbeliever is going to hell. The Bible tells us that God has a book. It is called the Book of Life. In that book, God has recorded the name of every one of his chosen ones. Every believer's name is in the book. And all of these people are going to be in heaven. But what about the rest? Revelation 20:15 says, "If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." That is very clear. They are going to hell, which is described as the "lake of fire." There has been much speculation about whether the fires of hell are real fire, or just symbolic of terrible torment and agony. A wise Lutheran professor wrote that it is best to never find out by experience. Be sure that you don't go to hell!

Revelation 21:8 gives us a list of some of the people who are going to hell. And if you read this today, you might be struck by how politically incorrect this list is! It says, "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars...their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." Look at that again. Those who give in to persecution and lose the faith are going to hell. Those who are unbelievers are going to hell. Those who live in vile and detestable since, like homosexuality, are going to hell. Those who are murderers are going to hell. Adulterers and those who sleep around are going to hell. Of course, none of these repented of their sins. They all acted in unbelief. What do you make of the part that says, "Those who practice magic arts." I realize that Harry Potter is very popular, but I urge you to consider how safe it is to have children looking at witchcraft as though it can be harmless fun. It is a grievous sin against God, and without repentance, it will lead to hell! We would expect that "idolaters" would go to hell, but what do you think about that last one, "liars"? Occasionally, people say, "Oh, well, everyone lies." The Bible declares that the devil is a liar and the father of lies. We must not become the devil's children by lying without repentance. God's Word tells us to speak the truth in love. The Bible says that all of these unbelievers will be sent to hell. There, they will suffer terribly forever and ever. Again and again, our Savior tells us that "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mt 8:12; 13:42,50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Lk 13:28). They will hate it there. They will be in sheer agony there. They will cry in pain and gnash their teeth in rage, but they will never get out. They will suffer forever.

But, believers in Jesus don't need to fear that. While we would hope that all would believe, we cannot control whether or not they do. On our part, we will reach out until time runs out. And we can look forward to our future home!

3. ENJOYING ETERNAL LIFE WITH GOD

Things will be very different for those who believe in Jesus and hear his Word and follow him. But first, we must comfort those who may misunderstand. Some of us might be troubled at that list of those who are going to hell. Perhaps you have committed some of those sins. Perhaps you are thinking of some other sin that you have committed and that rightly or wrongly continues to afflict your conscience. Confess your sins today! Confess them to God, and to others. Renounce your sins, and grieve over them. Determine that you are never going to do that again. But, how are you going to get rid of those sins? There is only one way. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life for you. Jesus died on the cross and paid for every sin, including the ones that may trouble us. He washed all of our sins away. He rose from death to prove that he had won our forgiveness. Rely on his redemption. Look to the cross and know that your sins were paid there. Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.

And that makes all the difference! In the end, God will raise up all the believers. And if we are still alive, we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Then, he will destroy this world. Then, he will judge all people. Then, he will take us to be with him in heaven. But remember that we will have both body and soul restored, reunited, and glorified. Then God will make the new heaven and the new earth. It will be the perfect home for us. It will be like Paradise Restored. Perhaps it will be like the Garden of Eden, only better. But for all eternity, we will be with God, and he will be visibly with us. Everything will be just right. No sin will be there. None of sins effects will be there. We will enjoy life with God forever.

And who will be there? Of course, God will be with us. The holy angels will be with us. All believers of all times will be with us. And that's why we call it a blessed reunion in heaven. There we will be with all believers of all times, enjoying the perfect world, the home of righteousness. Will it really happen? {5} God said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." By faith in Jesus, that perfect world will be ours! Amen.