A new heaven and a new earth

Revelation 21:1-4 (NIV)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

In Genesis 1:1, it is written that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”.  Now here at the end of the Bible we read that a new heaven and a new earth will be coming, replacing what God originally created.  Note how similar these Revelation verses are to the following passage from Isaiah 65:17-19:   "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.  I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.”  Both passages prophecy a new heaven and a new earth.  What we know now about earth will someday disappear.  There will someday be no sea separating the land although some scholars interpret “sea” as all the vicissitudes and unpredictabilities of life that will no longer plague people on earth.  That will be true too. 

You cannot help but think about what Peter wrote in II Peter 3:10 where he predicts that “….the heavens will disappear with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up”.  The only thing that could cause destruction of the elements (assume that these are chemical elements like oxygen, nitrogen, iron, sodium, chlorine, etc.) is a nuclear Armageddon.

Jerusalem will be the holy city.  It will be a new Jerusalem, a city fitting to be the bride of Christ.  Of course, the bride of Christ refers to the church---all Christian people who ever lived.  I cannot answer what about people of other religions and those of the Old Testament.  Only God knows.  Think of this imagery the next time you attend a wedding and see the bride walking down the aisle.

Can you believe that someday God will dwell with and live with you?  Heaven will not be some place in the skies, but right here on earth, the new earth. He won’t be some spiritual being, never seen, only available through prayer.  He will be with you.  This thought is simply unimaginable, but it is true unless you don’t believe His Word. 

And, there will be no more death or any of the other aspects of what you have had to deal with on earth today.  You will never be sad, never be separated from anyone, never feel pain again, never have reason to cry and never experience evil.  If you are experiencing any of these troubles right now, be encouraged with hope that this will all end in eternity. 

What does all this mean to you, not only thinking of your own life, but also the lives of those closest to you on this earth?

Contentment

Philippians 4:11-13 (NIRV)

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it's like not to have what I need. I also know what it's like to have more than I need. I have learned the secret of being content no matter what happens. I am content whether I am well fed or hungry. I am content whether I have more than enough or not enough. I can do everything by the power of Christ. He gives me strength.

The theme of these verses is contentment.  In the context of money management, contentment is accepting what you have and what you can truly afford and not being unhappy over what you do not have and not being foolish to borrow what you cannot afford to repay.  Contentment may be one of the most coveted, yet least possessed characteristics of human behavior.  If a poll were taken of 100 average people and they were asked to be totally honest about whether or not they were content with their lives, how many do you think would respond affirmatively?  Very few!  Recall the famous quote by Henry David Thoreau: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation”.  For whatever reason(s), particularly for we Americans, no matter how much we have, it is never enough.  And, indeed, we never seem to appreciate the blessings we do have, e.g. good health, unless we lose it.  We don’t fully appreciate others until we lose them.  We often long for times past yet during those times past we were as discontented as we are now. 

Contentment is not a natural characteristic of human beings.  Note that Paul states that “I have learned to be content…..”.  Contentment involves a process of learning and does not happen overnight.  Learning to be content takes years and even after many years, perhaps a lifetime, many people never learn to be content.  That is so tragic because there may not be a greater blessing in life than a life that is content.

Paul stated that he learned the secret of being content no matter what circumstances existed in and around his life.  What might that secret be?  He answers this question in verse 13—the power of Christ.  He can do everything by the power of Christ.  You can too if you allow Him to work in and through your life.  It all depends on your faith and attitude.     

“When you can think of yesterday without regret and tomorrow without fear, you are near contentment.” -- Unknown

“Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.” -- Unknown

Heaven and earth belong to God

Isaiah 66:1-2 (NLT)

This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is My footstool.  Could you build Me a temple as good as that?  Could you build Me such a resting place?  My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are Mine.  I, the Lord, have spoken!   I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at My word.”

Life is full of mysteries.  Common mysteries most, if not all, humans wish that they knew the answers to include the start of creation, how the brain really works, is there life elsewhere in the universe, why pain and suffering really need to exist, and who is God?

When you study what Isaiah writes about God, how many mysteries could be answered if we could get God to respond to them?  You know the answer-----all of them.  You know the answer-----all of them.  Note what He says above, “My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are Mine”.  “Everything”.  This is an absolute declaration from the Lord; He is claiming that He has made everything—no exceptions—in heaven and earth.  Can you believe this claim?  Is there any doubt in your mind?  Can you defend this claim to skeptics?  Are you comfortable with the position, “While I cannot explain the answers to these questions (Note:  believers would not list #10) and even if they were explained to me, I likely would not clearly understand anyway, but by faith built up in my studying the Word of God, I do believe God knows the answers to all these questions and I put my trust in Him.”  Can you take this position?  It’s a significant question to ponder and understand where you stand in your faith.

The fact that brilliant scientists in history has pursued answers to questions like these and discover many other truths along the way and yet still cannot come to the conclusion that there is a God and He alone is responsible for these mysteries simply astounds me.  Pursuits of knowledge and truth lead to some answers but then generate as many or more questions.  The more you know or learn, the more that you know what you don’t know and need to learn.  Humankind can never find the complete answers to these mysteries; they belong to God and God alone.  All pursuits of knowledge eventually lead to the need to rely to some degree on faith. 

Francis Collins, MD/PhD, famed director of the Human Genome Project, made this astounding statement[1] -- “Reason alone cannot prove the existence of God.  Faith is reason plus revelation, and the revelation part requires one to think with the spirit as well as with the mind.  You have to hear the music, not just read the notes on the page.  Ultimately, a leap of faith is required.”  Yes, in all things, especially life’s mysteries, ultimately a leap of faith is required.  What mysteries of life require you to have a “humble and contrite heart” that lead you to tremble at His word and put your absolute faith in Him?

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[1] http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/03/collins.commentary/

No detail too small for God

Luke 2:1 (Message)

About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire

My wife and I visited Rome for the first time in June, 2008.  Like becoming enamored with royalty when you visit London, in Rome you quickly get engaged in Roman imperialism.  Augustus became the first leader to be entitled “emperor” of Rome starting in 27 BC [1].  Augustus was emperor when Jesus was born.  Herod the Great was the Roman king of Judea and held this role for 34 years until his death in 4 AD, described in Matthew 2:19.

Why did Augustus order a census to be taken of the entire Roman Empire?  Interestingly, the King James Version says that “there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed”.  That makes sense.  Augustus’ reign was marked by peace and security (“Pox Romana) and the construction of a huge number of buildings throughout the empire.  To keep control of his empire and to pay for all these projects, he needed to know how many citizens existed and who could be taxed. 

Have you ever wondered why Luke chose to include this political fact in his gospel?  Well, apparently one requirement of the census was that people had to register in their “hometown” (Luke 2:3).  Joseph, therefore, needed to go to his home town of Bethlehem (Luke 2:4).  The town of Bethlehem was predicted to be the birthplace of the Messiah (Micah 5:2).  Bethlehem was described by Micah as being “too little” so certainly the scribes and Pharisees must have laughed when they read this prophecy.  Yet, because of the edict of the Roman Emperor for a worldwide census to be taken, Joseph and Mary ended up in Bethlehem where prophecy could be fulfilled. 

This is an example of God using political events or, for that matter, any other worldly event to fulfill His purposes.  We can never assume that any event, any circumstance, any detail is too small for God.  Read Matthew 10:29-31.  Jesus says here that His Father counts every hair of your head (well, some of us are easier for Him to count than others!).  God the Father pays attention to every detail of your life.  You are not insignificant to Him.  He cares about every aspect of your life 24/7.  Take time to think about this.  Despite what you might think or how much the devil has deceived you, every detail of your life matters to God.  If this encourages you, think of someone else in your life that you can encourage too with this awesome truth. 

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[1] Caesar was murdered in 44 BC and it took 17 years of unstable leadership (including Mark Antony and Cleopatra) before the senate declared Augustus (aka Octavian) “Emperor”.  Augustus ruled until his death in 14 AD and was followed by Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. 

Christmas--God with us

Matthew 1:18-25 (NASB)

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.” And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

When a child or someone asks you to define Christmas, what would you say?  Anything else other than it’s the time of year where the Christian church celebrates and/or commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ?  Yet the majority of people in the world think of Christmas either as a non-holiday for them or the time for Santa Claus to visit.  No thought nor appreciation for the real reason why Christmas exists. 

The real reason why Christmas exists is explained in this passage from Matthew.  The key statements of this passage are (1) “……..for He will save His people from their sins” and (2) “God with us”.  Two extraordinary, indescribable truths, yet so many fail to grasp their true significance for this life and the life to come.  Either people don’t understand, don’t believe, don’t care, or simply take these truths for granted without giving them any thought and how they apply in life on earth and life eternal. 

Take time right now to meditate over these two remarkable, almost incomprehensible truths.  First Jesus was born for the purpose of saving you from your sins.  Okay, so what?  So what means that without Jesus there would be no way for your sins to be forgiven.  Without forgiveness the penalty for sin is death---eternal death---complete and forever separation from God.  Eternal death is oblivion.  I know people and you do too who claim that they know that when they die, they will enter oblivion and don’t seem to be concerned about it.  Oblivion means to be completely forgotten.  Oblivion is a component of being in hell.  Yet Jesus came to save all believing souls from oblivion. He was born on earth to be the atonement for the penalty of sin and complete and eternal separation from God. What Jesus did on earth enables you, if you believe in Him, to escape oblivion and have eternal life with Him in heaven.  He also promises you an abundant life while living on this earth.     

That thought leads to the second great truth here—Jesus means “God with us”.  Before Jesus came to earth, man was separated from God.  There was no way for a holy God to be connected to sinful man.  Jesus was born in order eventually to die for the sins of the world.  Think of the cross as the connector between holy God and sinful man.  Think of the vertical beam as the pathway for man to enter into the presence of God.  Think of the horizontal beam as Jesus outstretched arms to gather you into His presence and His presence to enable you to be intimate with God.  Immanuel---God with us. 

Norman Vincent Peale wrote the following wonderful story[1]--A little boy woke up on what he thought was Christmas day.  Yet his joy turned to horror when he saw no stockings hanging from the fireplace mantel.  No Christmas tree.  No Christmas lights, no singing, no time off from work, no joy in the world, not even a church.  The little boy saw a man injured in the street, yet no ambulance was available to pick him up because there was no hospital.  The little boy was so horrified over all this that he had to find the family Bible.  Yet where the New Testament should have started, there were only blank pages.  There was no Christmas story, nothing.  The little boy began crying terribly when his mother ran into his room to wake him up.  He had been enduring a nightmare.  He leaped out of bed and saw the stockings, the tree, the lights, heard the music, heard the church bells, and all other aspects of Christmas that is celebrated.  The little boy shut his eyes and said, “You came……thank You for coming.”

Yes, sing a praise in your heart this morning, thanking the Lord for His coming!

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[1] Norman Vincent Peale, “If He Had Not Come”, The Guideposts Christmas Treasury, Doubleday, 1980, pp 301-302.