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2. A New World Comes Into Being (Revelation 21:1)
Why Does the Previously Existing Universe Have to Pass Away? The love of Christ and the sensitiveness of his apostle covered in this vision of the beginning of a new world the bankruptcy and shame of the old creation. The hitherto existing creatures had all failed. To the misery on the earth and the increasing corruption we all have contributed. The air around our globe is infected by demons. Godless posters delude into free sex and unlimited pleasure. The prince of this world, while smirking, is keeping his slaves, whose hearts have been leaning towards him from their youth, in leading strings. Being called images of God they had wanted to be still more “independent” and “more emancipated” – like God – and rebelled against their creator and his commandments. Instead, they became enslaved by Satan and fell deeper and deeper. Even the blessings of the Millennium could not convert all hearts but revealed the susceptibility of the masses to the lies of Satan: they welcomed the tempter and deceiver anew.
Nobody is able to love and judge in such a radical manner than God and His Son (John 5:21-30). The holy Trinity does not tolerate a trace of uncleanness, lie, rebellion and hatred. The seer had already recognized before (Revelation 20:11) that heaven and earth fled away from the face of the holy judge. They disappeared into the infiniteness and dissolved into nothing. Even the place where Jesus sat with his Father on his throne (Revelation 3:11) had to pass away. The new world is more holy, more glorious, more loving and purer than the previous heaven! The sons and daughters of God, who are new-born by the blood of Christ and His Spirit and who are called and chosen out of the corrupted mankind, will in their new existence as family of God (Ephesians 2:19-21) see and experience the new creation of heaven and earth where the glory of God will clear up the last bit of their ungodliness and burn it up. The Lord have been demanding at all times, “You shall be holy; for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; and other verses). Jesus explained this commandment and said that we should be merciful just as our Father also is merciful (Luke 6:36). And he summed up his about 1000 commandments given in the gospel to two commandments, “Be therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48); “A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34).
Already today the new creation is dawning in the children of God. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Breathless and with widely opened eyes John saw the holy and sinless heaven and the new earth break forth in their blaze of glory.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ, we breathlessly read and hear that You will create a new heaven void of sin and a new earth full of righteousness and peace. Take away all residues of haughtiness and selfishness from our hearts and minds. Let Your name be hallowed in our conduct, and Your will be done in our behavior. Amen.
QUESTION:
- What are the particular characteristics and laws of the new heaven and the new earth?