“For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” (Hebrews 13:14)
The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed ends with a look to the future. We believe and confess that this world is only a passing phase, and that a new world will come. Therefore, we may live in the joyful expectation of this new life.
The Bible also tells us what this new world will look like. First and foremost, it is a life with God. God and man will dwell there together. God’s light will shine there so brightly that it will never be night again. In His presence there is no place for uncleanness and evil. Therefore, these will no longer exist in the new world. As a result, “neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.” Moreover, there is no death. The new life with God is eternal, endless.
This perspective colors life on earth. “So we do not lose heart,” Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:16. Even the tribulation and persecution he experiences now are only “momentary” and insignificant in light of God’s glorious future. The hope of the new world helps Paul persevere and find joy in God.
Do you share the perspective of Paul and millions of other believers throughout the ages? What gives you hope, what do you look forward to expectantly?