NOTE: “Because the church is pictured in Scripture as a bride (2 Cor. 11:2), some have tried to identify the New Jerusalem's inhabitants as specifically the church saints, excluding saints of other dispensations. However, the use of marriage as an illustration is common in Scripture, not only to relate Christ to the church but also Yahweh to Israel. Though the city is compared to a beautifully dressed bride, it actually is a city, not a person or group of people.” *

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1. ​The Old has Gone: In the new heaven and new earth, the old order of things will pass away. Find some of these changes (vv.1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 22, 23-25) and see in what ways that these changes could encourage and sustain you as you face life’s challenges today?

2. The New has Come: Paradise was lost after sin entered into the world; yet, here, God is having a paradise makeover and “making everything new” (v.5). In fact, God has started this transformation process in our lives when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (2 Cor. 5:17). Meditate on 2 Cor.5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Name some of the “Old” that you would like to put off and some of the “New” that you want to put on?

3. God with Us: What a blessing it will be, when in the new heaven and new earth, God Himself and His glory will be with us (vv. 3, 7, 23). However, even now, we could practice the presence of God by conversing with Him through prayer, meditating on His Word, and living out His will. How is your spiritual walk in this past month? Name some areas on which you could improve, and starting working on them in the coming weeks.

4. Your own insight: (fill in yourself)

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Meditation and Application:

Meditate on the above questions along with the necessary actions. Thank God for the promise of the new heaven and new earth, and continue the progress of God’s renewal in your life through putting off the “Old” and putting on the “New.”

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* The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.