"And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (Revelation 21:4–5—NKJV)

There is a certain joy to the word new. Humans are a fickle lot. We get bored easily and hunger for something new to us that captures our interest. New shoes, new cars, new experiences, and the list goes on and on. Advertisers use the word with disdain for the tried-and-true current model. Doctors use the word when they are suggesting joint replacements, though they use it in more of a “newness in time” rather than a “newness of quality,” generally speaking. Employers use it when referring to a new job, though it is not new in time, it is new to you in experience, as you give up the familiar for the unknown.

When God says that He makes all things new, He is not just talking the language of men. We go through weight-loss programs or recoveries from surgery and say something like, “I feel as good as new.” We are generally happy to be restored to where we were sometime before our trouble. But God is not selling you a new car that should replace what you have for the sake of newness, nor is He telling you He is going to take that troublesome knee and give you relief by the ingenuity of men, nor is He offering you an invitation to a new job full of unknown hazards where you work for Him in return for a paycheck. He is in the business of creating out of nothing that which is truly new!

By the time we get to the 21st chapter of Revelation, new things have been promised to believers already. There is the believer’s new name (2:17) and the Lord’s new name (3:12) reminding us of God’s ownership of His own and His utilization of the Name Jehovah in Exodus. There is the new song (5:9) which is often symbolic of new victories when new songs are alluded to in the rest of Scripture. There is also the New Jerusalem (3:12 and 21:2) which will be His city in the Millennium and will be His city in the eternal state.

Here we have the declaration that He makes all things new! It is the capstone to all of the preceding news. What is truly astounding is to realize that God says these words, not a mere man. Not only does He mean it, but He can do it! The possibilities of newness exponentially expand beyond our wildest dreams and fondest thoughts. What is it like when God makes all things new?

Our thoughts selfishly go to our bodies first. As the old hymn writer used to say, “Age and decay in all around I see.” God will put a stop to our aging, but even more characteristic of God is the fact that He will fit our resurrected bodies out for eternity to be lived out on the new earth, which will be created after the old heaven and old earth have been consumed in fervent heat (2 Peter 3:11–12). Our bodies will be designed to endure for eternity, to never weary, labor in travail, or feel the gnawing of pain. They will be unencumbered so that every believer may tirelessly be a worthy praise to God.

But is that all? Doubtless there is much more. The Scriptures give some tantalizing hints concerning our Creator making all things new. 2 Corinthians 5:17–18 reads, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new. Now all things are of God….” Literally, “behold new things have come.” At the point of salvation you were given a “foretaste of glory divine.” Think of the new things that God made of you even in your unglorified state (just wait until He glorifies you): spiritual life where there was only death; desires that stirred within to serve your Lord and Savior; love for things He loves; a conscience that embraces morality and virtue; the indwelling Spirit of God so that you begin to understand the mysteries of the spiritual life that elude the unregenerate; a sense that though you are unworthy to come into the presence of God, you are inexorably drawn as His child into His holy presence on the basis of the merits of Jesus Christ; and a defining value and purpose to your life that will guide you into eternity. This is what is spoken of in Colossians 3:10, “And have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.” (See also Galatians 6:15, Romans 12:1–2, Ephesians 4:23, and 2 Corinthians 4:16.) Oh, did I mention “I make all things new” is what makes your eternal life possible and what makes your spiritual cleansing complete? Examine your life and see if you are falling back into the old ways. Put them off and put on the “new man.” Trust and obey.