A New World is Coming — The Lighthouse Vision
The Lighthouse Vision By Greta Peters
The Lighthouse: Shining as Beacons of Hope in Dark Times
This message began with a powerful vision—a lighthouse shining brightly in the dark. Since June last year, during our annual three months in the UK, I had numerous encounters with lighthouses in different ways, and I believe these natural signs confirmed what God is saying right now.
Here are just a few examples of these divine encounters: In the UK, we stayed briefly in an east coast town, and it struck me that the dominant building was a large lighthouse. Then down in Plymouth, I went on an early morning run along a cliff road, and as I rounded a corner, the huge red and white lighthouse really hit me between the eyes as if I'd never seen it before.
Back in New Zealand, on a plane, the first scene on the video was New Zealand's northernmost lighthouse. In Australia, while ministering in a few cities on the Sunshine Coast, David and I came across a lighthouse we never knew existed. Near Melbourne, we stayed in the same little Airbnb as we had in a previous visit, and I noticed something different in the bedroom—they had replaced the painting with a lighthouse.
David and I watched a TV program set on Christmas Island in Canada, and it kept showing scenes of the lighthouse on the rock. The final scene kept showing the light shining into the pitch dark of night, just like that vision I kept seeing.
These lighthouse encounters span five nations: the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and America. Through the symbol of the lighthouse, I believe God is speaking to the churches, to us personally, and to nations, especially these five that I've mentioned.
The Church as a Global Lighthouse
We are living in a time of shaking, shifting, and many changes across the world. Yet we are also in an incredible window of opportunity, and we need to seize it and make the most of it. The Spirit of the Lord is moving across many nations right now, often unseen and in unexpected ways. These are incredible days to be alive.
In the midst of all the various upheavals going on, the Church of Jesus Christ will stand strong like a lighthouse. Lighthouses are always built on solid rock, and I sense Jesus saying this: "I am building my church. I am the foundation on which she is built. I am the rock on which she is built, so she will remain unshaken."
Lighthouses are also built on the coast overlooking the seas, and they guide those in danger and distress to safety. Over the centuries, countless lives have been saved through the light of lighthouses. I believe the Lord is calling His church globally to be a lighthouse in their town, in their city, in their nation and beyond—to shine so brightly that countless peoples and nations are saved.
Just as in Revelation 17, where the seas symbolise the peoples and nations, God wants us to be a lighthouse to the peoples and nations. The house of God should be a house of light that shines in the darkness, and as living lights together, we shine exponentially brighter.
Jesus: The Light of the World
Jesus declared in John chapter 8: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." What an incredible promise! But then He goes on to declare in Matthew 5: "You are the light of the world" because you have the light of life living in you—now you have Jesus in you.
He then went on to say: "Let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and give glory to your father in heaven." So it is time for our light to shine as beacons of hope. We need to shine for Jesus more than ever before in our communities, so that those who live in darkness can see Christ, the true light.
God is also after a fresh reformation in every sphere of society. So every single believer, wherever you live, work, study, or whatever you do, be a shining light of hope in your sphere of influence. Light dramatically changes things. Just one candle can transform a dark room. Your light really matters. It makes a difference to atmospheres, to situations, to people's lives.
Practical Ways to Shine
How do we shine practically? Here are three key ways:
First, through how we live. Philippians 2:15 says: "Live clean innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people."
Second, preach the gospel or testify—tell people about Jesus. Jesus said: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses and tell people about me everywhere." We are not all preachers, but we are all testifiers.
Third, pray. This is something the Holy Spirit is stirring among people across the globe—to pray like we never have before. The lighthouse of God is also God's house of prayer for all nations. For a number of you, God's going to be putting specific nations on your heart to intercede for them. The Holy Spirit is going to give you prophetic words to pray back to God.
He's going to release such an anointing on so many of your individual prayer lives, and also corporately your prayer. Corporate prayer meetings are going to go to another level. God is going to do incredible things because everything starts with prayer. When we pray God's own words into being, He releases His light and transforming power into lives and into nations.
Nations Called to Be Light
Some nations, the Lord has called to be a light to other nations, and I believe it includes these five I've already mentioned: the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and America. They are on His radar for revival and awakening.
Here is a quote from the founding fathers of America: "God oversaw the creation of the USA for His purposes of being a city on a hill, a light to other nations, and an evangelist to the world."
Can the United Kingdom be one too? I've looked at the map, and there are numerous lighthouses to the north, south, east, and west of this nation. Can the church of Jesus Christ shine so brightly across this country that God releases awakening, and the United Kingdom steps into her God-intended destiny to be a light to other nations and a great mission-sending nation to the nations of the world once again? She has been in the past, and God wants to do it again.
The Promise of Eternal Shine
I close with this important truth that the Holy Spirit really highlighted from Daniel 12: "Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like stars forever and ever."
If we shine like bright lights now on the earth, we will shine like stars forever in eternity. Isn't that a fantastic promise?
A New World is Coming By David Peters
I hope this message about a new world coming lights a fire in you. I think one of the great epidemics of our day right now is hopelessness, particularly among those who don't know the Lord. We, of all people, should be overflowing with hope.
From Creation to New Creation
The Bible begins with the creation of this world in Genesis 1 and 2, and the Bible ends with the creation of a new world in Revelation 21 and 22. In 2 Peter 3:13, we read: "But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth He has promised, a world filled with God's righteousness."
This world is our temporary home right now, but it's not our final destination. God has something much better in mind for us. He is going to create a new world, and if we realize this, it will affect the way that we live.
The Power of an Eternal Mindset
An American pastor went down to Brazil to speak at a church conference. This church movement has over 300,000 people in it. There were 12,500 pastors and leaders from the movement. He just assumed a movement that size must have been around for 50 or 60 years. But when he sat down and talked with the apostolic leader, that leader said: "Well, actually this movement started only 16 years ago with one person."
He thought, "How could you have such explosive growth?" And this is what the apostolic leader told him: "Because we teach our people on eternal rewards and judgment. In the west, you have a 70, 80-year mindset. Our people have an eternal mindset. When you have an eternal mindset, it will absolutely change the way that you live."
Famous Christian author C.S. Lewis said this: "If you've read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were those who thought most of the next."
When you have an eternal mindset, it absolutely affects the way that you live in this current world. It gives you a desire to make a difference, but you've got to see it clearly.
The Reality of Judgment and Reward
One day, Jesus will return to earth, and when He comes back, the dead will be raised to life, and the living will be transformed. We get glorious bodies when the dead Christians are raised—glorious resurrection bodies. But every person that's ever lived in history will be raised from the dead as well.
Those that have rejected God, those that have accepted God—everybody gets raised from the dead when Jesus returns, and then there is judgment day. There is a day of judgment. God is into justice. Every sin that someone thinks they've gotten away with on planet earth, they will be called to account on that day.
Good news for believers is that our judgment is to determine our level of reward, because if you've believed in Jesus, He will not bring your sin up on Judgment Day. It is nailed to the cross, you are washed in the blood of the Lamb, it is blotted out of the record books in heaven.
The New Earth: Our Eternal Home
After God has judged all the dead, raised us, judged us, and the Christians have been rewarded, then He creates a new world and a new universe. In Revelation 21:1 and 4, John the Apostle had a vision of this great happening: "I saw a new heaven, new universe, galaxy, stars, planets, and a new earth for the old heaven, and the old earth had disappeared, and the sea was also gone."
"I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, 'Look, the home of God is now among his people. He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will remove all of their sorrows. There'll be no more death or sorrow, or crying or pain for the Old World and its evils are gone forever.'"
This heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, is up there in heaven at the moment. When God creates this new planet—total landmass except there'll be a river of life that flows from the throne of God in the city to water the whole earth—when God brings the city down upon planet earth, it will become the headquarters and the central government of the new planet.
This city is enormous—1,400 miles on all sides. What a loving God to bring His home heaven to our home earth. You will not spend eternity in heaven; you will spend eternity on earth, albeit a new earth in resurrected bodies.
Features of the New Earth
What are some of the features of this new earth? There's no night—just perpetual daylight. There are nations and rulers present, so God will preserve ethnicities. There'll be rulers because we know that Jesus told a lot of parables about how well we live here on planet earth will determine our level of authority and rulership in the new earth.
It'll be organic paradise. If God's first creation was beautiful, and then it fell, and this is a world still under the curse, and yet it's beautiful—what will the new world be like? It will be utterly incredible. It will be paradise, it will be beautiful, the universe will be amazing.
There'll be universal harmony according to Isaiah the prophet. There'll be no wars, there'll be no need for militaries because everybody will be a believer that's been raised from the dead, will be like Christ. There'll be no potential to sin. There'll be no struggle with sin.
Even the animal kingdom will be at peace. It says the lion will lie down with the lamb. Even the plant kingdom will be at peace, because Isaiah says in the place of thistles, trees will grow. No weeds in the New World!
Jesus Made This Possible
It's Jesus that made this possible. If He had not come to earth to rescue humanity from a fate of eternal separation, if He had not gone to a cross and bled, and shed His blood on that cross—what was He doing? He was paying the price for the sin of the world. There is nothing in the universe that will cleanse your sin and mine.
God is so holy, even one sin will separate you from God forever. God doesn't want anyone to be separated, anyone to perish. So Jesus comes to earth, God in human form. He dies, the sinless Son of God on a cross. Why? So that all that believe in Him and receive Him to be their Savior, He gives them power to become a child of God.
You don't get into the kingdom, you don't get into that new earth, you don't get a resurrection body by being a religious performer. Nothing you do religiously will be good enough to get you into that new world. Only Jesus opened up the way, only the cross makes a way for you and I to get into that kingdom.
He is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Him. He not only died to bring us to the Father, He died to bring the Father to us, so that Father could bring His heavenly city down upon this new world, where we will live with Him eternally in these physical resurrected bodies that will be glorious.
The Ultimate Blessing
The ultimate blessing of the heavenly city will be Revelation 22:3-4: "For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there. His servants will worship Him. They will see His face."
Can you imagine what worship would be like when you see God face to face? Can you imagine when you see Him in His full glory? Paradise without God isn't paradise at all. He makes it Paradise. It's God with us that makes it special. It's Jesus with us, it's the Spirit of God with us.
How Should This Affect How We Live?
What should be our response to where we're headed? How should this affect the way that we live now? I believe that we are meant to enjoy this current world that we're in. 1 Timothy 6:17 says: "God richly supplies us with all things to enjoy."
We're passing through, but He wants us to make a home here. If God's called you to be married, build a great marriage that'll last a lifetime. Be a model husband and wife to your children. Raise children that will love the Lord, not love the world. Raise them, pray for them every week.
If you're a business person, be an honest business person, pay your taxes, pay fair wages, do the best you can. If you're an employer, look after your employees. If you're an employee, be the best employee that you possibly can for your workplace.
If you're a sportsperson or a musician or an artist or whatever you are, be the best you can for the Lord. Do it as unto Him, and know that as you do that, it's like an act of worship.
Swimming Through the Fog
Life down here is tough. There's suffering, there's disappointments, there are trials. Jesus said: "Here on earth, you have many trials and sorrows, but take heart—I have overcome the world."
Florence Chadwick was an American swimmer who was the first woman to swim the English Channel. Then she wanted to follow that up with another swim from Catalina Island off the west coast of America to the coast of California—a distance of some 20 miles.
On the day of her attempt, it was very cold and foggy. The fog never lifted, and she swam for 15 hours through the cold water, through the fog. Finally, she became exhausted, and she said to the chase boat: "Pull me out of the water, I can't go any further."
They pulled her out, and then she asked: "How far was I from the shore?" They said: "Half a mile." She said to them: "All I could see was the fog. If I could have seen the shore, I would have made it."
I want to suggest to you folks—we can see the shoreline. Don't let the fog of disappointment, the fog of loss, the fog of grief, the fog of adversity, the fog of trouble, the fog of faulty theology about what eternity looks like—don't let any fog of the devil's demonic lies stop you from reaching the shoreline.
Keep swimming, keep walking, keep running, keep flying, keep going. It's worth it in the end.
Working for a Grand Entrance
2 Peter 1:10-11 says: "So dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove you really are among those God has called and chosen. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
You've got to work hard in this Christian life. Work at it—not in our own strength, but in the strength that He provides. I want to be like those Brazilian leaders, I want to be like those Brazilian Christians. I don't want to just think 70, 80 years of what my life might look like. I want to think eternally. I want everything I do every day to somehow be seed for that world that's coming.
You're going to have a lot of ordinary days. You're going to have a lot of days where you don't think about eternity. You're going to struggle to get through that day. But I pray and I hope that in the midst of the struggle, you'll pray: "God, just lift the fog again a little, so I can see the eternal shore."
When you read the Bible, you'll see the eternal shore. It's full of the Bible from the front pages to the back pages. You'll see prophetic words about eternity and what is coming, and it will lift the fog from you.
Writing Eternity on Hearts
There was a man called Arthur Stace, a World War I Australian veteran soldier, an alcoholic from a poor family—miserable life. One day he got saved, his life got transformed, he fell in love with Jesus. One day, a preacher came to his church in Sydney, Australia and talked about eternity. Partway through his sermon, the preacher said: "I wish this word eternity could be written all over the city of Sydney."
Arthur took him literally. Arthur bought a life supply of chalk, and he went all over the city of Sydney and wrote the word "eternity" in that script all over the footpaths, buildings, and fences of Sydney. He did it between 1932 and 1967—more than half a million times he wrote that word.
No one knew who it was until just before he died in 1967, when he owned up that it was him. It got into the psyche of a city. He died in 1967. On New Year's Eve 1999, when we were tipping over into the year 2000, they lit up Sydney Harbour Bridge with the word "Eternity." Thirty-two years later, they remembered a simple man that wrote eternity on the pavements of Sydney in chalk.
God has called you and me to be the chalk in the hands of the Holy Spirit, to write eternity on the hearts and minds of the people that come into contact with us—through a smile, through a good work, through letting your light shine, through sharing the gospel. Whatever it is, however God uses us, we are to write eternity.
We cannot live to ourselves. We cannot live our 80, 90 years and say that's just it. We have got to think eternally. There are people that God wants in the kingdom, and He's going to use you to write eternity on the hearts of a whole lot of people.
The Power of a Simple Smile
Can I close with this story? A guy came up at the end of a service in Rotorua, New Zealand. He said: "I want to tell you a story. I was in a supermarket a few weeks ago. I'm walking down the aisle and there's this young man comes towards me. He is dressed shabbily, his clothes are dirty, he smells, he looks unkempt, and I just smiled at him as I walked past.
"A couple of weeks later, I'm in our church drop-in centre, and that guy came in, and he said to me: 'Do you remember me?' I said: 'Yeah, you're the guy from the supermarket.' He said: 'Yeah, I was on my way out of that supermarket to commit suicide. Your smile gave me hope.'"
You never know what writing eternity on the hearts of someone can look like. It can be as simple as that.
We're going to pray that the power of the Holy Spirit would be released afresh upon us. Acts 1:8 says: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you'll tell people about Jesus." We can't do this without the power of the Spirit. You cannot do that without the power of the Spirit.
The time is now. The world is waiting. Let your light shine.
This blog is based on sermons delivered by David & Greta Peters on June 15, 2025 at the City Church Swansea