The Old Gives Way to the New
Today I played “baby-sitter” for Mckenzie my three-year old grand-daughter. It made an interesting day and not too much nap time regardless of my pleading. It has been great to see how much she has grown and developed in her personality since I saw her the last at the end of last year.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed… But based on His promise, we wait for the new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will dwell.“ 2 Peter 3:10,12 HCSB
In the midst of all that we see taking place in our world and in our present culture, it is easy to loose sight of God’s eternal plan. It is both disturbing and hope-filled. We see the new emerging out of the destruction of the old. Just as God’s Word promises a new “body” in heaven to replace our earthly body, so the heavens and the earth will be made new.
It is difficult to image how and when that will all take place but we see it clearly predicted in scripture. In the Old Testament we read of the flood and how all humanity was destroyed, except for Noah and his family. This “cleansing” of the earth by water is only a foreshadowing of the “Day of the Lord” where the earth is destroy and a new earth created as the home of God’s “righteous people.”
At the end of the Book of Revelation we read, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.“ (Revelation 21:1 NLT)
This “new earth and new heaven” is not only the home of the righteous, but it signals the end of the “curse” that came on the earth with the sin of Adam and Eve. The “perfect” world that many would envision in this life, will come in the next. We read, “…there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:4 NLT)
What we see pictured for the earth, is a reminder of what Christ does for us as individuals. Jesus told Nicodemus, “you must be born again…” (John 3:3) Paul talks about those who embrace faith was moving from “darkness to light”, from “death to life.” A familiar verse declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)
Paul declared to the Romans, “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.“ (Romans 6:4 NIV)
Christ bringing the new out of the old should not be viewed as a foreign concept. He does it with each life that places there faith in Him and He will do the same with the present heaven and earth in order to have a new eternal home for those who have been made new in Him. Paul referred to Christ’s coming as our “blessed hope.” (Titus 2:13) Peter includes it as one of his “precious promises.” The bottom line is, knowing our destiny in the future, gives us strength in the present.
Prayer for today…. Lord, thank You for the newness You have brought to my life and the newness that You have promised one day for all those who love You. As we live as a people of “destiny” allow us to be hope-filled in this present world as we anticipate the next.