“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.”
My Notes
What Does Revelation 21:5 Mean?
The one on the throne speaks — and what He says is the Bible's ultimate promise: "Behold, I make all things new." Not some things. Not most things. All things. And then He adds the most important footnote in Scripture: "Write: for these words are true and faithful."
The present tense — "I make" — is significant. This isn't a future plan or a distant hope. It's a present-tense declaration of ongoing activity. The making-new has already begun and will reach its completion in the new creation. But it's happening now, too. Every act of redemption, every transformation, every restoration is a preview of this promise.
God commands John to write it down because the promise is too important to be left to memory. "These words are true and faithful" — in a book full of symbols, visions, and metaphors, God pauses to say: this one is literal. I mean it. Write it down. All things new.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What in your life most needs to be made new — and do you believe God is already working on it?
- 2.How does 'I make all things new' differ from 'I make new things' — and why does that distinction matter to you?
- 3.What broken thing in your life would you most want God to renew rather than replace?
- 4.On the days when nothing feels new, how do you hold onto this promise?
Devotional
"Behold, I make all things new." Five words that carry the weight of every promise in the Bible.
Not: I make new things. That would mean starting over, scrapping what was broken and building from scratch. But: I make all things new. The old material — the broken relationships, the scarred bodies, the damaged minds, the wounded world — all of it gets made new. Not discarded. Renewed.
That means nothing you've been through is wasted material. The abuse. The loss. The failure. The grief. The shame. God doesn't throw those out and hand you a replacement. He remakes them. The very things that were broken become the things that are made new.
And He told John to write it down. Because you'll need to come back to this on the days when nothing feels new. When the same old patterns repeat, when the same old pain resurfaces, when the same old brokenness seems permanent. Come back to this verse. Read it again. These words are true and faithful. The one sitting on the throne — the one who holds all reality together — is actively, presently, making all things new.
Including you.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And he that sat upon the throne said,.... By whom is meant, either God the Father, who is often represented in this book…
And he that sat upon the throne said - Probably the Messiah, the dispenser of the rewards of heaven. See the notes on…
Behold, I make all things new - As the creation of the world at the beginning was the work of God alone, so this new…
We have here a more general account of the happiness of the church of God in the future state, by which it seems most…
And he that sat upon the throne said The first time that He speaks. The reference is rather to the eternal throne of Rev…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture