Revelation 21:1–6

The Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C

Paul Dazet, a wounded healer

May 11, 2025

Everything Made New

Revelation 21:1–6

Opening Reflection

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine a world that isn’t unraveling.

Grief feels endless.
Systems seem irredeemable.
Creation groans.

But here, at the climax of Revelation, we are given a vision that refuses despair.

Not of escape, but of restoration.
Not of heaven far away, but heaven come near.
A new heaven. A new earth.
A new way of being where sorrow is not the last word.

God does not replace the world. God remakes it.

And the voice from the throne declares what we long to hear:
“See, I am making all things new.”

This is not just a future hope.
It’s a present truth breaking into our present pain.
New creation has already begun.

Context

Literary Setting: This passage comes near the end of Revelation, following visions of judgment and resistance. After conflict, the scene shifts to comfort. The Lamb’s victory leads not to vengeance, but to healing.
Historical Setting: Written to early Christian communities under Roman oppression, Revelation offered a bold counter-narrative: the empire is not ultimate. God is. And the end of the story is not violence, but presence.
Theological Frame: This is resurrection language for the world itself. Creation is not discarded but renewed. The dwelling of God is with us, not above, not apart. The One who was crucified is now speaking as Creator again.

Read the Passage

Revelation 21:1–6 (NLT)
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.
2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying,
“Look, God’s home is now among his people!
He will live with them, and they will be his people.
God himself will be with them.
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes,
and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.
All these things are gone forever.”
5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”
6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End.
To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.”

Key Insights

God Moves Toward Us: The holy city descends. God comes close. This is not about evacuation or abandonment, it’s about incarnation. Love doesn’t stay distant. It draws near.
Tears Are Sacred—and Temporary: God does not tell us to stop crying. God wipes away the tears. Each one seen. Each sorrow known. This is holy tenderness, not erasure, but healing.
New Creation Is Already Speaking: When the voice says, “I am making all things new,” it’s present tense. Not just future hope, but a now reality. Even in endings, the Creator is creating.