I had the privilege of spending several rich days teaching and learning alongside fellow
teachers and church leaders at Oklahoma Christian’s Vision Conference. It was a time of renewal
in the company of colleagues in God’s kingdom who have given their lives to the same work, to
remember why we do what we do, and to see in one another the persistence of faith, hope and
love. I was especially glad to reconnect both with my parents who live in Oklahoma City and old
friends I seldom see in person. Our brother Matthew Morine sends his warm greetings to the
Falls Church family.
There’s a line in the book of Revelation that has always stirred my imagination: “And the
sea was no more” (Revelation 21:1). In Scripture, the sea often represents chaos, separation, the
restless deep that divides and isolates. It’s the gulf that keeps loved ones apart, the symbol of everything
in this world that fractures communion. But in the new creation—the renewed heaven
and earth—that sea is gone. The chaos is stilled. The distance is overcome.
What John saw, in that apocalyptic vision, was nothing less than the end of estrangement:
God dwelling among His people, wiping away every tear, abolishing death and division. The image
is relational at its core. Heaven is not an abstract reward; it is reunion—the recovery of all
that was lost, the mending of every broken tie in the light of the Lamb.
I look forward to that Day when all God’s saints—those we’ve loved and those we’ve yet to
meet—are gathered into one fellowship that can never be fractured again. Until then, every faithful
gathering on earth is a rehearsal for that great heavenly reunion. Come, Lord Jesus.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed
away, and the sea was no more.” — Revelation 21:1
"They will see His face.” — Revelation 22:4
Maranatha,
Jordy
