“Looking Forward to These Things”
2 Peter 3:10-14
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;”
I wanted to pick up where we left off yesterday with Peter’s comments about the promises concerning the coming of Christ and the end of this age. Remember Peter was writing this from a prison in Rome where he was about to be martyred for his faith in Christ (2 Peter 1:14). It was a dismal time for the world and for believers especially. As far as the world was concerned, they had nothing to look forward to except persecution, pain and suffering. But they were holding on to the promises of Christ coming again, and what it would be like in a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells!
We live in such a time today! What I see and hear in the news every day paints a pretty bleak picture for the future of those who believe the Bible and love America. We don’t have a lot to look forward to on earth! But my friend, we can choose to look forward to the “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells”. That why we should read and study Revelation 21-22 and be encouraged about our future and be in peace!
J. Vernon McGee, a wonderful Bible teacher who has gone to be with the Lord, had some very interesting things to say about the new heaven and the new earth in his introduction to Revelation 21-22. The following are some of his thoughts from his book and radio program called, “Thru the Bible”.
“As the long vista of eternity is before us in this chapter, we move not only from time to eternity, but to a new creation. A new heaven, a new earth, and a New Jerusalem greet us. The redeemed have previously received glorified bodies like Christ's. All things have become new. A new universe suggests new methods and approaches to life. New laws will regulate the new universe. The entire lifestyle will change. Here are some of the changes that are suggested in Rev. 21 through Rev. 22:
1. There will be a total absence of sin and temptation and testing in the new creation. This in itself makes a radical difference.
2. The New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, does not mean another satellite for the earth, but rather the earth and all of the new creation with all of the galactic systems will revolve about the New Jerusalem, because it is the dwelling place of God and of Christ.
3. The law of gravity, as we know it, will be radically revised. There will be traffic between the New Jerusalem and the earth. The church will have already left the earth, and its dwelling place is the New Jerusalem. I believe that we will have entirely different bodies, and the law of gravity will not affect us; that is, the law of gravity of this earth or of any other planet.
4. There will be no sun to give light, for God Himself will supply it directly to the universe. There will be the absence, therefore, of night. There is no night there because we just do not need that time to rest since we will have new bodies. I am looking forward to that, by the way.
5. There will no longer be any sea on the earth. The sea occupies most of the earth's surface today; approximately three-fourths of the total surface is water. This denotes a revolution in life upon the earth. Just think of the parking space we will be able to have! There will be no fish to eat. Apparently, man will be a vegetarian during the Millennium and throughout eternity, as he was in the Garden of Eden. Fruit is the only diet of eternal man (see Rev. 22:2).
6. The presence of Christ and God, together with the throne of God made visible, ushers in a new day for man -- the new creation.”
I trust you enjoyed, was blessed and encouraged with some things to look forward to, as you read Dr. McGee’s observations about the nature and characteristics of the new heaven and the new earth.
God bless!
Comentários