In Eden, the world was hospitable and kind because God walked in the garden and dwelled with creation. But east of Eden, the world was inhospitable; food grew at the sweat of one’s brow; babies were born amid pain and danger; brothers acted savagely toward one another. What changed? It wasn’t the new location but the absence of God that changed everything. Like a prodigal child looking for contentment in all the wrong places, we went in search of that which we already had. Today we see a vision of a world in which God once again dwells with humanity, a world where union with God is restored in full. What a world that will be!

Have you ever read a book so gripping that by the time you were nearing the end you just could not put it down? You had to keep reading. And as you read, you were filled with anxious energy, excitement, a full heart, or perhaps even joy. If you know this feeling, then you know quite well where Revelation 7 sits in the emotional journey of the narrative of Scripture. It sits in view of the end of it all, where the book is coming to a close and everything that the book has been building up to is beginning to get tied together. God and the Lamb are on the throne, and salvation is at hand.

Modern Christians don’t always celebrate it, but for most of church history, the Easter “season” is not a one-day affair. It goes on for 7 whole weeks! It even has a fun name: Eastertide. Like the tide of an ocean that goes up and down but requires a little patience to fully enjoy, Easter and the resurrection of Jesus lasts for a little longer than we often let it.

God has taken the most tragic event of history and turned it into the most beautiful event of history! Now, if God is able to make beauty from ashes in an event as profound as the death of Christ, just imagine what God can do with your life!