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Heaven and Earth

                 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35)

                But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.  But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. (II Peter 3:10-13)

For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:19-21)

                “Scientifically,” we “know” the universe is supposed to die in 10^100 years, (a “google”- I must giggle). Of course, a google is beyond anything our minds can fathom. Even a million years equates in our minds to forever. There are scientists who maintain that this is inaccurate, that the universe expands and contracts, making it eternal. And despite what Scripture says, we have a hard time thinking of the universe as anything less than eternal.

                Mount St. Helens and other volcanoes have shown us that it really doesn’t take long for rocks and even fossils to form, but we still seem to insist that the earth has been around for billions of years. It’s easy to understand. Look around. Things just don’t generally change that fast, unless there’s a volcanic eruption, or a massive storm (tornado, hurricane, cyclone…) We like to think that everything goes along just as it always has.

                I’m not going to wander off into a discussion of science and the evolution/creation controversy here. Instead, let’s consider psychology. In spite of ourselves, and quite naturally, we see the universe as eternal. It may not seem like a big thing. Yeah, “rocks have been around forever.” Mountains “can’t be moved” (except by plate tectonics, landslides, earthquakes, etc., but – details!)

                As Christians, we know the Scriptures above tell us that the universe is going to come to an end.  We know it, and we look forward to it, when we think about it. But when we’re not actively thinking about it, it’s just easy for our minds to go into the “this is how things will be forever” mode. So, today is just a quick reminder that it’s not.

                Even heaven is going to disappear and be created anew, because all that is truly eternal is God. The "competition" just doesn't make the cut.


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