A New Home

“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 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, the home of righteousness.” (II Peter 3:10-13 NIV)

I don’t know about you, but I find a lot to like about living on this planet. I love the beauty of the mountains, the lakes, and the streams.  I love the changing of the seasons, especially the change from winter to spring!  I love experiencing various cultures and interacting with different people. Life, in so many ways, is good on planet Earth.  Yet, I do not fear the message of this passage—that the Earth and everything on it will be destroyed.  It does not strike fear or cause sadness within me.  I am not like one of those many characters in an apocalypse-type movie that is terrified of what is to come.  Because I know the end is not the end.  

Everything will be destroyed, but then everything will be re-created.  A new heaven and a new earth.  If you like what you see now, imagine what the new versions will be like!  Perfect, without the taint of sin.  I imagine colors being richer, fruit more luscious, water sweeter and more satisfying, the air fresher and all of this in a place where there is no threat to our peace.  It will be a world beyond our greatest experience and imagination.  

But this is a home of righteousness for the righteous.  In other words, for those whose hope is in Jesus, who find righteousness not in themselves, but in Him.  It is for them this new heaven and new earth is created.  So within this promise, there is a warning:  The unrighteous will not be welcome.  Those who seek righteousness on their own, apart from Jesus, will be destroyed.  So Peter warns us to live holy and godly lives as we live on this sin-tainted planet waiting for the new one to be created, because that will be the lifestyle of the residents there. Holy. Godly.  Righteous.  

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for our new heaven and new earth to arrive.  And I hope, by the way I live, I will not only be preparing myself for life there, but will persuade others not currently desiring to go to change their minds and hearts.  

© Jim Musser 2015