God Go Live with Dem

One old man sit down for one island wey full with rock for inside sea, far from im home. Di waves dey hit di rocks for under. And for im eye front, di whole sky dey change. Di old world dey pass away. Something new dey come down.

Di man na John, one follower of Jesus. Near di end of di first century, di Roman authorities don send am go Patmos, one small, rocky island for di Aegean Sea, because e dey witness about Jesus. Di churches wey e love for di mainland dey under pressure. Dem don kill some believers. And for di Lord day, God give John plenty visions, wey e write down for di book wey we dey call Revelation. E full with strange and powerful pictures: thrones and trumpets, beasts and battles, one Lamb and one dragon. But near di very end, di visions come quiet and bright.

And I see new heaven and new earth, because di first heaven and di first earth don pass away, and sea no dey again. For people for John time, sea dey often stand for confusion and danger, and for John wey dey Patmos, na di very tin wey separate am from di people wey e love. For di new creation, e no dey again. And I, John, see di holy city, new Jerusalem, wey dey come down from God from heaven, ready like bride wey dem don dress fine for her husband. No be people wey dey climb go up to heaven, but di city of heaven wey dey come down, fine and ready, like bride for her wedding day.

Then John hear one loud voice from di throne. Look, di tent of God dey with people, and e go live with dem, and dem go be im people, and God imself go dey with dem, and e go be dia God. Di tabernacle na di tent wey God live inside among Israel for di desert. Now di house of God no be inside tent or temple again. E dey with people, all of dem. And then some of di most gentle words for di whole Bible follow. And God go clean all tears from dia eyes; death no go dey again, sorrow no go dey, crying no go dey, pain no go dey again: because di former tins don pass away.

Think about wetin dey dat list. Death, e don go. Sorrow, e don go. Crying, e don go. Pain, e don go. Every hospital, every burial, every lonely night, every hurt. And God no just stop dem. E go clean di tears by imself, di way papa or mama dey clean im pikin face. Then di One wey sit down for di throne talk. Look, I dey make all tins new. No be all new tins, as if e go throw di old world away, but all tins new. Di same world, wey e heal and make am again. And e tell John, write am down, because dis words na true and dem dey faithful.

When dem write dis book? Around di year one hundred and eighty, Irenaeus, di bishop of Lyon, write say John see dis vision no long before im own lifetime, towards di end of di reign of di emperor Domitian. Domitian rule Rome from eighty-one to ninety-six AD. So most historians put Revelation for di nineties of di first century, when John don old.

God Go Live with Dem. You go find am for Revelation chapter twenty-one, verse one to five. For Christmas, Christians dey celebrate Immanuel, God with us, di Word wey become flesh and, as di gospel of John talk, pitch im tent among us. Revelation show where dat story dey go: one day wey di house of God go dey with im people forever, and every tear go clean. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. God promise to clean every tear. Which tears you dey wait make God clean for your eye?