There is something so nice about things that are new. Sometimes, new things are hard to explain. What makes them so great? Is it the feel of new fabric against your skin, the excitement of bringing a new baby home for the first time, the smell of a brand new car? People talk about “new” often, but rarely can they explain “new” – we explain our experience with the new thing, but why we feel the way we do escapes us.
We all long for new. New is preferred to the old, the worn out, the unusable. New, as such, is more of a concept that an actual thing. New could also be described as a state of being.
Those who reach a certain age often complain of various aches and pains, and remember back to the good old days when bringing in the groceries didn’t result in a trip to the chiropractor. How many times have we seen older folks struggle to walk a flight of stairs, or stand after sitting for a while?
The fact is, everything wears out. Clothes, cars, shoes, minds, bodies and universes. Science has predicted the inevitable heat death of the universe – it will continue to expand, molecules will separate, and everything that generates life will cease.
God has a different plan – for us and for every bit of his creation. While science would teach us that we are not the center of the universe, God’s word says that at His chosen time in the future He will make everything new – a new heaven, a new earth, new, glorious bodies such as Adam and Eve had in the beginning – the first time everything was new. What God makes new will never decay, never rot, never grow old and never wear out. And He is bringing all that New right down to where we are!
What would it be like if nothing ever wore out? Do you think this is how God designed things in the beginning? If they had never sinned, do you think Adam and Eve would still be around?
Before all this “new” can come to be, many things will occur. Evil will seem to prevail. The very foundation of the earth will seem to crumble. People will lose hope. People will be hurt and killed for their faith in God. His Word is true, and it will endure, and His promise to His people will come to pass – Jesus is preparing a place for us and when the time is right, we will be where He is!
This is the final piece of God’s plan. He will restore everything to its pre-fall state. Our earth, and everything upon it will be changed. God will walk with His people again, and we will see Him face to face. We know that as believers, we are living in the Kingdom even now, but then – Heaven will actually be on the earth, and all believers will live there. For all eternity, no death, no sickness, no sadness. Just new.
This is His promise for His people – that we will live with Him in “new” forever.
