The Big Story · Stop 6

How does the big story end, and where do we fit in it?

The Bible ends where it began, with God making things. But this time it's a new heaven and a new earth, with no more tears. In between is the part we're living in right now. Today you'll find out how the story ends, and your place in it.

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All things new

After Jesus rose, he sent his friends to be his witnesses everywhere, to the ends of the earth. The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, and the church began. The book of Acts and the letters of Paul and others tell how it spread.

The church's story is still being written. Every baptized person is part of it. That includes you, your congregation, and Christians all over the world.

The last book, Revelation, uses dream-like pictures to show how it ends. God lives with people. God wipes away every tear. Death is gone. And God says, “See, I am making all things new.”

So the big story goes from a good creation, through a broken world, to a new creation, with Jesus at the center. You're living in the middle chapters, and you already know how it ends.

Read it in your Bible

Acts 1:8. Before he returns to the Father, Jesus tells his friends they'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes. They'll be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in the nearby lands, and to the ends of the earth.
Revelation 21:3–5. A loud voice says God's home is now with people. God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death, crying, and pain will be gone. The one on the throne says, “See, I am making all things new.”

The Apostles' Creed, and Luther's explanation

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

…in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life. This is most certainly true.

Words to know

Acts. The book that tells how the church spread after Pentecost. Its full name is the Acts of the Apostles. The Spirit is the main character.
Witness. What Jesus said his friends would be, to the ends of the earth. A witness tells what they've seen. You can tell what God has done for you.
Revelation. The last book of the Bible, full of dream-like pictures of how the story ends. It's written to give hope, not to scare people.
Tears. What God will wipe from every eye in the new creation. God cares about every sad thing. None of it lasts forever.