Intrigued by the title I watched the movie trailer for “After Earth” this morning. The action packed film will no doubt be riveting with special effects and fear producing plots that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat with anticipation of the outcome. But I’m here to tell you they will fail in comparison to the real one! As I read www.biblegateway.com’s verse of the day, Revelation 21:2-5 (prior to watching the trailer) I thought “I need to write on this!” Then as is often the case I got distracted, by a blueberry muffin mix calling my name from the kitchen. But God is faithful! When I returned with my muffin in hand I searched for trends of the day to see what webwatchers were watchin’. And low and behold the movie “After Earth” came up as the second highest. NBA was the highest, but that didn’t capture my attention like the second.
After Earth stars Will Smith and his real life son Jaden as a distanced father of a teenage son who takes off on an adventure to restore their relationship. A description from the site describes the movie as such: “The action is set a thousand years after humanity had to evacuate a despoiled Earth for a distant solar system, to which the species has adapted. Mankind’s main obstacle is a monster race, called Ursa, which is blind and detects its human prey by smell—literally, by the scent of fear.” A one liner that I’m sure will be remembered is “Danger is very real, fear is optional.”
I’m sure it’s an awesome movie for fans of that genre, but the real thing…the one that’s in truth destined for earths inhabitants is going to be a jaw dropping, no special effect, gospel truth reality.
Revelation 21:1-5 ~ And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Will Smith’s broken relationship needing restored with his son is very reminiscent of our own with the Heavenly Father. Our relationship with Him was broken in the Garden of Eden and has been crippled by separation since then. But there will come a day that it will be restored! Shout the house down on that one!!! Our new earth will not however be filled with scary and dangerous demonic forces; there will be no fear or anything else that causes sadness, it will all have been destroyed. When John saw New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven, that Holy City was about to land on earth with God himself piloting the ship. I want to put an exclamation point after everything I write, that’s how excited I am thinking about that glorious day!
But for now there is a very real danger, and fear is still optional.
1 John 4:18 ~ There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
How do we cast out fear? Because it seems very real does it not? A perfect love is that relationship with God the Father, which doesn’t have to wait for the new earth. As a matter of fact it can’t. By that time it will be too late. A relationship with God doesn’t take the dangers of this world away, it relinquishes control to the One with power over all and affords you the peace in knowing that come what may, demons, Hell or high water, God has your back. And there will come a day that we’ll see that New Jerusalem, or we’ll be riding down with it if we’ve gone on to Heaven before that day. Our New Earth will be more than any mind can imagine; there’s not enough exclamation points in the world to illustrate the excitement level of that day.
Want to know more? Read the book! It’s in there.