The final chapters of the Bible paint a picture of heaven coming down to earth in the form of the New Jerusalem; a garden-city in which those who belong to God can live with Him forever, completely restored, completely renewed. This future is not something we can accomplish through human willpower or progress. It is a future that can only come through Christ’s return. Yet, as ambassadors of this coming Kingdom, we get to build for the Kingdom. We can actively announce it, and live in anticipation of its arrival.

In Revelation 21-22 we see three themes jumping out: Presence, Restoration and Flourishing. We’ll discuss all three in the text and then seek to apply how we live as a people belonging to that future reality, announcing it in the here and now, as God’s church in this city and as God’s people in our neighborhoods.