Sunday Sermonizing: Now and Not Yet Cities

The vision of heaven is a city (Revelation 21:1-4)

This seems important to me.

It's a new Jerusalem.

Sometimes I do wonder about this. Church history is replete with New Jerusalem references. Ecclesiology, eschatology, and hymnology each refer to the importance of the physical city of Jerusalem.

And it would be important.

But, what if John the Revelator saw Jerusalem because that was his home? It was the city he knew.

What if John had been from Atlanta? Would he have seen a new Atlanta? A new New York or new Nairobi? A new Kolkata or a new Ulaanbaatar?

A new Greenville?

The now and not-yet Kingdom vision beautiful. There's hope as the world around us erodes. Everything will be made new.

There's motivation for work, as we bring transformation and grace into whatever city we live.

Today.