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Whatever your theological posture or your persuasion, we all get many, many questions about what this text is referring to: The New Jerusalem. You probably have much better, more useful answers to the questions about the fate of the saints who have gone before us on this All Saints Day. One that I have found useful -- and that also is honest to the theology and hope I have come to hold after losing a few saints who were very dear to me, I would like to share with you and hope that God could bless it in your preaching ministry.
Did you ever go to bed at night totally exhausted? Sure you have. But did you ever on one of those nights, fall asleep -- into a deep slumber -- and then the alarm went off!
Your first reaction is to think, "My goodness, I just went to bed! This can't be for real!" Then you swipe the sleep out of your eyes, look at the alarm, and realize that, sure enough, it is eight hours later!
That is what coming into the New Jerusalem will be like for those saints who have gone before us. Maybe ten years will have passed between their falling asleep and the final coming of our Lord. Maybe it will be many, many centuries. In any case, it will be like that! Like that which is described above. "My goodness! I was sure it was just minutes ago I fell asleep!" The Lord will say, "No! Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
-- Schroeder
Whatever your theological posture or your persuasion, we all get many, many questions about what this text is referring to: The New Jerusalem. You probably have much better, more useful answers to the questions about the fate of the saints who have gone before us on this All Saints Day. One that I have found useful -- and that also is honest to the theology and hope I have come to hold after losing a few saints who were very dear to me, I would like to share with you and hope that God could bless it in your preaching ministry.
Did you ever go to bed at night totally exhausted? Sure you have. But did you ever on one of those nights, fall asleep -- into a deep slumber -- and then the alarm went off!
Your first reaction is to think, "My goodness, I just went to bed! This can't be for real!" Then you swipe the sleep out of your eyes, look at the alarm, and realize that, sure enough, it is eight hours later!
That is what coming into the New Jerusalem will be like for those saints who have gone before us. Maybe ten years will have passed between their falling asleep and the final coming of our Lord. Maybe it will be many, many centuries. In any case, it will be like that! Like that which is described above. "My goodness! I was sure it was just minutes ago I fell asleep!" The Lord will say, "No! Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
-- Schroeder
