"Now I
saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had
passed away. Also there was no more sea." Revelation 21:1 NKJV
Do
you recall a program on television from a few years back called “Extreme Makeover”? What it was about was that they would find a
home badly in need of restoration and bring in a host of volunteers to work for
a week and totally transform it from its state of disrepair into a practically
new and unrecognizable home. How often I
wished they would somehow choose my home for one of their projects, but of
course that never did occur. Yet it was
at the very end, when the new home was revealed to the owners, that the climax occurred
as we watched their faces as they saw their transformed home for the very first
time.
I
believe it is entirely possible that many of us are unaware of the magnitude of
the coming transformation of this world that we are promised in this passage
from the book of Revelation. Where many
might believe in a simple “makeover” of what is already here, a closer reading
makes it clear that God intends to completely do away with the old and again
create a new world for mankind to inhabit.
Have you ever read the creation account in the book of Genesis and
wished you could somehow have watched God create the world we live in? Very soon it would appear we will get the
chance to observe that very thing again.
"So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that
in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you
who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes
of Israel." Matthew 19:28 NKJV
In
this passage from the book of Matthew, Jesus speaks of this very event as a “renewal”
of all things. The Greek word for regeneration used here is the word paliggenesia. It is translated to mean; a new birth, reproduction, renewal,
recreation, regeneration, hence renovation, regeneration, the production of a
new life consecrated to God, a radical change of mind for the better. The word
often used to denote the restoration of a thing to its pristine state, its
renovation, as a renewal or restoration of life after death. I am sure most of us would agree that
what is soon to occur is not only desperately needed, but probably long
overdue, yet would it surprise you to know we are not the only ones impatient
for this event to take place?
"For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly
waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to
futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the
creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the
glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation
groans and labors with birth pangs together until now." Romans 8:19-22 NKJV
According
to this passage,
the
creation itself has been groaning and laboring, waiting for the Sons of God to
be revealed so it can finally be released from the imperfect state it has been
forced to endure by the choice of mankind to invite sin into this world. We have discussed this passage before,
considering the fact that the seismic events which seem to be increasing are in
truth a sign of this world’s awareness of the nearness of the presence of God,
and its coming liberation from the state in which it is in. Although the thought of creation itself
having “awareness” might be something we struggle to accept, the Word of God
makes it clear that this is, in fact, exactly the case.
"Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the
sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field be joyful, and all
that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the
LORD. For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the
world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth." Psalms 96:11-13 NKJV
Not only will mankind, believers already with the Lord as
well as those who survive the tribulation rejoice, but this passage from Psalms
tells us that the heavens will rejoice, the earth itself will be glad, the sea
will roar, the fields will be joyful, and even the trees will rejoice at this
time when Jesus returns at the end of the Great Tribulation to judge the world. Consider if you will this excerpt from a
great commentary on the book of Revelation by the late Jack Kelley;
“The judgments of
the Great Tribulation served in part to prepare the Earth for its restoration. In
all probability, its orbit and axis will have been returned to their original configurations,
bringing again the world wide sub-tropical environment likely enjoyed by our first
parents. The vast oceans, silent witnesses to the enormity of Noah’s flood will be hoisted back
into the outer atmosphere, restoring the water vapor canopy that protected early
man and allowing the return of long life spans they experienced (Isaiah 65:20). The sea floors
will be elevated and the mountains lowered, and Earth will once again resemble
the Garden Planet it was when Adam came on the scene. Its atmosphere will
no longer be the haunt of demons, and the heavens will have been purified of
Satan’s rebellious minions forever.”
If
you choose to take the Bible at its word, what will occur at the end of the
tribulation period is not a simple “makeover” but an entirely new
creation. The old will be destroyed by
fire and God will again create a new and wonderful world for man to inhabit
which will by all accounts, be like nothing we have ever seen before. Of course, this is just the world that this
passage is referring to. As raptured
believers, the Church will inhabit an even more amazing and wonderful place,
and that will be the New Jerusalem. We
will see what the Bible tells us about our new home next week.
Keep
watching.
