September 29, 2022 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Ted Wilson (TW): Hello, Friends. Today we are concluding our video series on the 28 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I hope you have been blessed by these brief studies of each of our Bible-based beliefs. If you would like to watch any of these messages again, or share them with a friend, you will find them all on the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s YouTube channel at the URL shown at the bottom of the screen. [Insert: www.youtube.com/c/AdventistOrgChurch]
Nancy Wilson (NW): Our 28th Fundamental Belief is a very exciting one–it is all about The New Earth–a world that will be perfect–completely without sin. It will be a world filled with joy and happiness, a place where there will never again be any pain or suffering.
TW: In our previous message about the Millennium and the End of Sin, we talked about how sin and sinners will be destroyed by fire, and the Earth will be completely cleansed. In the book of Revelation, chapter 21, we read how the Apostle John saw the New Jerusalem come down and settle on the Earth. He then writes, beginning in verse 3, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true” (Rev. 21:3-5, ESV).
NW: What an amazing place! Imagine what it will be like when the whole earth will be restored in such a way that everything is perfect and beautiful, a place where we will live in the presence of God Himself forever! We will be able to eat the fruit from the Tree of Life and drink from the River of Life. And because of God’s bright glory, there will be no night there. We will live forever with our precious loved ones who died in the Lord and were resurrected. These are just some of the amazing things we can look forward to in the New Earth.
TW: In speaking of this wonderful place, our 28th Fundamental Belief describes it like this:
“On the new earth, in which righteousness dwells, God will provide an eternal home for the redeemed and a perfect environment for everlasting life, love, joy, and learning in His presence. For here God Himself will dwell with His people, and suffering and death will have passed away. The great controversy will be ended, and sin will be no more. All things, animate and inanimate, will declare that God is love; and He shall reign forever. Amen.”
If you would like to learn more about what the Bible says on this topic, I encourage you to visit the URL at the bottom of the screen. [Insert: www.adventist.org/the-new-earth/]
NW: In the New Earth we will have an eternity to learn and grow and discover new things. We will be able to talk with Adam and Eve, Joseph, Daniel, Ruth, Mary, the apostles, and many more Bible heroes. And best of all, we will be with Jesus–forever! All sin, pain, and suffering will be gone. No more hate, only love. No more unbelief, just worship and peace. No more sin, only salvation and safety. It will be a whole planet full of promise and possibility without any pain.
TW: In the final chapter of the wonderful book, The Great Controversy, the inspired author writes:
“All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God’s redeemed. Unfettered by mortality, they wing their tireless flight to worlds afar—worlds that thrilled with sorrow at the spectacle of human woe and rang with songs of gladness at the tidings of a ransomed soul. With unutterable delight the children of earth enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. They share the treasures of knowledge and understanding gained through ages upon ages in contemplation of God’s handiwork. With undimmed vision they gaze upon the glory of creation—suns and stars and systems, all in their appointed order circling the throne of Deity. Upon all things, from the least to the greatest, the Creator’s name is written, and in all are the riches of His power displayed” (The Great Controversy, p. 677).
NW: She continues, “And the years of eternity, as they roll, will bring richer and still more glorious revelations of God and of Christ. As knowledge is progressive, so will love, reverence, and happiness increase. The more men learn of God, the greater will be their admiration of His character. As Jesus opens before them the riches of redemption and the amazing achievements in the great controversy with Satan, the hearts of the ransomed thrill with more fervent devotion, and with more rapturous joy they sweep the harps of gold; and ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of voices unite to swell the mighty chorus of praise” (The Great Controversy, p. 678).
TW: Friend, I want to be there to join in that mighty chorus of praise, don’t you? You can be! God longs to give each one of us the gift of salvation and eternity. Have you given your heart to Him? If not, there is no better time to do that than right now. And if you have, why not re-commit yourself to Him just now as we pray.
Father in heaven, we thank you for the amazing culmination of the great controversy which brings righteousness and Christ to the forefront that we, along with all those who will be saved through the grace and the blood of Christ and what He is doing for us in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary right now in interceding for us, will come together in such a rapturous and wonderful event where we will be together forever, throughout eternity. Lord, we submit ourselves to you right now. We ask that you will control our hearts so that we and many others will join in that great, wonderful culmination when we rise into the sky and be with Christ forever. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Amen.