“Nevertheless we, according to His
promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells”
(2 Peter 3:13)
Often in life for some people, everything just goes on and all seems the same.
There is a certain comfort that comes from the sameness of life, but there is
also another need - many want a DIFFERENCE; they have a hope that things will change for the better; that
New Life will come in the New Year.
As these words were written, we were in New York City, staying
at a hotel near Times Square in Manhattan. The driver picked us up from Kennedy
Airport and then dropped me, my wife, Genevieve, her son, Daniel, and
daughter-in-law, Candice, off at our hotel. We quickly unpacked a few things and
walked for several miles, taking a night-time
“look” at the places we would visit for the next few days. Possible Broadway
shows were discussed as we walked and visited places we had seen before, but
never at Christmas time, such as Rockefeller Center.
It was very cold, windy, and there was snow in the gutters and
along the sides of buildings, which we were told, “fell
yesterday.” It was Sunday evening when we walked, and it was very
different from the preceding day when we were at home in Southern California. It
had seemed cold on the other side of the continent at 65 degrees Fahrenheit, but
“cold” there did not compare to experiencing New York City at 30 degrees.
The people were not the same. In California, we have often
commented on how RUSHED everything has become. People don’t have much time these days – there is so much to DO! But it’s nothing like New York, a
place where you have to keep walking quickly, in the correct direction and at
the right time, or horns will honk and other pedestrians will mutter, “Get oudda’ da’ way,” and bump you off the sidewalk.
It was similar to decades ago when I left my early life in
America and lived in Japan for two years. It was like entering another dimension
or traveling through space to a different world. Everything was somewhat the
same, but it was also different in many important ways. The cultural
differences expressed in the ways that people think and act around the world
are fascinating. Yes there are similarities because we are all human,
but the differences are important, especially since the attitudes we have about
those differences can lead nations into
war.
It’s a VERY big change for those who depart this world.
We who remain miss them, mourn their loss and attempt to go on to
what has been called a “new normal,” in which our loved ones are no longer
present. But for the ones
we mourn for, it’s not like that. THEIR "new normal" is not what most expect here on
this earth.
Suddenly, we'll be in a new place, interestingly similar to what
we knew before, but also very different in both striking and subtle ways. I
mentioned that the thought processes in differing cultures are not quite the
same, but in eternity it will be much more so. Our ways of doing
things, our thoughts about others - it will all be radically changed.
You may have noticed that tiny children around the world are
relatively unaware of physical differences when they meet new people. If they
encounter someone who is elderly, the baby is not put off by signs of aging, but
instead they are merely drawn to the kindness in that elderly person’s voice.
And very young ones are often unaware of the so-called “racial” differences
that their parents might not be able to ignore. Note Jesus’ words about
little ones: unless WE are “converted and become as
little children, (we) can by no means enter the
kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).
We have LEARNED to be prejudiced, LEARNED to reject others on
the basis of superficialities. But to be “converted”
is to begin a process in which we are changed back, leading to an eventual deeper change when we
leave this earth, for like a baby goes from the womb to the
world, we will find a place unlike anything we have ever known. We have notions of “golden streets,”
“pearly gates,” and other such things, but it is our attitudes in heaven
that will be the strangest and most wonderful of all.
When our Scripture for today mentions “new heavens” and a “new earth,”
it is described as a place “in which righteousness dwells.”
If you are a person who has trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will find
INNOCENCE growing in your soul. That process will continue, and when someday you
are in the presence of the Lord, your thoughts and actions will be
pure and clean in ways you never thought possible.
This “new heavens” and “new earth” will be a place of utter love. You will care
so much for the Lord and the others you are spending eternity with that ALL
preoccupation with self will be gone. And obviously, for those who do NOT
trust in the Lord, the opposite is true. Love's opposite is self-absorption, and
they will become self-absorbed to the point where they can perceive nothing at
all outside of themselves. Hell will not be a place where they can “party with
friends.” Unbelief, a rejection of the Lord, will cause them to implode into
utter selfishness and isolation – forever.
They will never interact again. But those who accept the Lord
will find gentle, innocent and loving interaction - without end. It is to be an
environment where you will never hunger for something that you don't have, ever again. You will be CONTENT with who and what you are, now and forever.
Words spoken in eternity will be completely true. You won’t need to wonder,
“What do they REALLY mean?” for all words and resulting actions will be honest
and uttered in love.
Whatever need you might have will be met instantly, and that
will be true for everyone. You will have love, peace, safety, rest, and the joy of
the Lord. When you think of the New Year, think of the New Life available to you,
now and forever.
When we were in Manhattan, we encountered
wonderful new people and places, including “The Rockettes” at Radio City Music Hall, “The Phantom” on
Broadway, “The Messiah” in Carnegie Hall, and much more. It was a very different
world for us, but nothing on earth will compare with that which is
“new” in eternity.
Father, we trust in the Lord and long to be with You in the righteousness,
innocence, love, justice, and joy of eternity. Thank You
for accepting us. In Jesus Name. Amen.
