New Heavens and a New Earth

Well, we are studying the last things, eschatology, the end times, and we're looking at what the Bible holds out as a very simple plan that divides all of time into two categories.

There's this present age, and then there's the age to come. And for several weeks, we've been looking at that little horizontal dividing line between this present age and the age to come, and we have seen that that is the return of Christ.

That's where Christ comes. He divides this age and the age to come. And we've been noticing that when he comes, there will be a general resurrection of all men, calling all men to a general judgment when all men will be judged.

And what we see this morning is that at the same time, there will be this making of a new heavens and a new earth. And all these things together are this great momentous event that is yet to happen when our Lord Jesus Christ splits the skies and returns for his own and for judgment.

So this morning, then, we're looking at the fourth activity in this momentous event, the making of a new heavens and a new earth.

How many of you have problems with vandalism? I don't mean necessarily that you personally have been vandalized. Maybe your business and job sites or homes have been vandalized.

But is there something that really bothers you when you see vandalism? The senseless destruction of property. Maybe it's something as simple as beautiful sandcastles built along Lake Michigan and some bullies come along and just destroy it.

Or maybe it's a beautiful piece of art. Or maybe it's a beautiful piece of art that has had graffiti and all kinds of things defacing it. Or maybe a yard, a beautiful graveyard just totally vandalized.

In Genesis chapters 1 and 2, we have the description of God's great work of art. The creation of the heavens and the earth.

And man being the pinnacle of his earthly creation. The highest earthly creature to rule over all and to subdue the earth.

And at the end of the sixth day of that work of art, our Lord stands back. And he looks it all over and he says, it is very good. Very good.

Perfectly reflecting his beauty, his glory, his power, his creativity was this grand work of art. It brought honor to the artistic creator.

Enter Satan. Enter Satan. A thief. A thief. Who comes to kill. And to steal. And to destroy.

To destroy. We're not told plainly anywhere in the Bible. And especially not in Genesis. All about Satan's fall.

All we know is that after Satan's fall. He looks at the good work of art. That God had made. And he determines to destroy it.

Both man and his environment. And so we have the account in Genesis 3 about the temptation. And how through temptation to sin. He brings destruction and death.

To man and his world. Destroying his relationship with God. With other human beings.

Adam and Eve. And also with his world. Because man's sin not only brought the curse down upon man himself. It affected his environment. How so? Somebody tell me.

All right. He had to work for his food. By the sweat of his brow.

And why sweat now? Why is there the introduction of hard labor? Because of weeds. And why the weeds? Sin. But he cursed the ground for Adam's sake.

Didn't he? So not only did Adam come under the curse. But the very ground that he walked upon now is cursed. And that's what makes it all the harder.

To eke out a living. And to work the soil. Genesis 3.17 and 18. You can see that the ground was cursed. For man's sake.

And now. The great work of art has been vandalized. God's glory has been impugned. Questioned. His glorious handiwork has been defaced.

His honor has been affronted. And the question comes now. What will God do? What's God going to do about this? What's his plan? Is he just going to leave the world in a mess?

He could. He would be just. To do so. But instead we find that he. Has a glorious plan of redemption. Revealed in chapter 3.

That the seed of the woman would come and crush the head of the serpent. A glorious plan of restoration and salvation. But the question is.

Of what? Just of mankind. Is his plan of salvation and restoration. Just reserved to. To the sons and daughters of Adam.

Or does it involve his environment as well? The physical domain of man. The earth. Yes.

It does. Include. The earth. God's purpose in redemption. Is the reversal of the curses on man and his world. His champion son is to undo the evil done to man and his environment.

And he's to accomplish such a grand work. That it will have cosmic ramifications. Not just affecting man. But the restoration and redemption of the whole created order.

The earth. And it's that redeemed. Renewed. Restored earth. That's held out in the Bible. As the eternal inheritance of God's true people.

That's your inheritance. That's your eternal inheritance. A redeemed. Restored earth. Now this truth is progressively revealed in the Bible.

Like all truths are. You get seed form in the Old Testament. Increasing truth and statement said. And the full blown picture in the New Testament.

Well. This truth of a redeemed earth. As being the inheritance of God's people. Is seen in seed form. In the Old Testament promise of the land to Abraham.

And all his descendants. Now we don't have time to look up these references. But in Genesis 12. 15. And 17.

We can see that the promised land. Was to be the final inheritance of God's people. And later references to the land. Throughout the rest of the Bible. Show that the promise of the land.

To God's people. Is not annulled. It is not cancelled. It's not spiritualized. The way to nothingness. But it's rather upheld. And broadened. Or even universalized.

To see that. The land promise. Not only includes. A piece of territory. Over in Palestine. But it includes. The whole. Earth. That's what we see. As the.

Bible. Progressively. Reveals. This. Idea. Of the land. The earth. Being. Being. The eternal inheritance. For the people of God. Now for it to be a good thing.

A good inheritance. Something's got to happen to this earth. I don't know about you. But I don't want it in its present form. That wouldn't be much of an inheritance. No. There must be a grand.

Remaking. A new heavens. A new earth. And that's what. We see. Is promised. But the earth. Itself. Is to. Partake.

In the redemption. Of God's people. Now the New Testament. Underscores. This place. Of the earth. In redemption. And. As the final. Inheritance. Of God's people. We're going to look.

At several passages. Some of them. Are so familiar. I trust. You don't have to turn them up. The first. We've had recently. In our studies. On the Beatitudes. Matthew 5. 5. Say it with me.

And fill in the blank. Blessed. Are the meek. For they. Will inherit. The earth. Have you thought. About that.

Lately. They will inherit. The earth. The earth. Inheriting.

The earth. Is what's promised. To the meek. Now all those. Promises. In the Beatitudes. Though they have. Relevance. Here and now. They point. Especially. To the end.

The end times. The very end. The eternal age. Blessed are those. Who mourn. Because they will be comforted. Comforted now. But especially. When Christ comes back. And so you could go.

With every one of them. Blessed are the pure in heart. For they will see God. And those promises. Of the Beatitudes. Point to the. End. Of this age. When Christ returns. So it is with this one.

Blessed are the meek. For they will inherit. Of the earth. When? When Christ returns. The universalized.

Stretching. You see. Of the. Of the land promise. To Abraham. And all. Of his descendants. And we remember.

That all. Who are in Jesus Christ. Are Abraham's children. And heirs. According to the promise. Matthew 6. 10.

Again. Quote it with me. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. On earth. As it is. In heaven.

I'm sure. We've prayed. This prayer. Often. Without. Thinking. About. The. End times. Ramifications.

Of it. And the cosmic. Ramifications. Of it. This prayer. That's been offered. To God. Through Christ. For. Over. 2,000 years. Now.

Is yet. To have. A fulfillment. A literal. Fulfillment. How is God's will.

Done in heaven. Someone tell us. How is God's will. Done in heaven. That's what we're asking him. To do here on earth. How is it done in heaven. Alright.

It's done in a way. That glorifies God. It's done perfectly. Alright. Yeah. I think that. Sorry.

Without any resistance. Or hindrance. There's no sin. There's nothing. To. To hold back. The doing of God's will. It's done speedily. It's done wholeheartedly. Willingly.

Isn't it? Isn't that the way. The angels carry out. The will of God. Well. There's coming a day. When that's how. The will of God. Will be done on earth.

Perfectly. Without any resistance. Any resistance. Not. Not. Just a little resistance. Such as.

The millennium. Of the. Dispensational. Three millennial. Say that. Evil is held down. But it's still there. No. There will not be. Any resistance. It will be perfectly done.

That's what we look forward to. And when will this happen? When will God's. Will. Be done on earth. As it is in heaven. You think it will be done in this age?

What did we learn about this age. That would rule that out? Anything? This age will end. Okay.

It's an evil age. Paul refers to it as this present evil age. Didn't we see that? That in this age. You have. To the very end of this age. You have a constant mixture. Of good and evil.

Righteous and unrighteous. It's only at the end of the age. That the fish are sorted out. And the wheat and the tares are separated. So. This present age. Is an evil age. So. Do we expect God's will to be done.

On earth. As it is in heaven. In this age. No. Then when do we expect it to be done? The age to come. Which is the eternal age.

The. Eternal state. That's when we. Expect to find. This promise. Fulfilled. This earth. Is to become the home of righteousness.

Where the will of God. Is done. Perfectly. Even as it's now done. In heaven. Romans 4.13. For this. You may need to turn it up. I don't know if you're.

As familiar with. This passage. Romans 4.13. This idea. Of the earth. Being the eternal inheritance.

Of God's people. And being a. A place. Of. Perfect. Service. To God. Here. In. Is seen.

Throughout our new testaments. Romans 4.13. It was not through law. That Abraham. And his offspring. Received the promise. That he would be.

Heir. Of the world. But through the righteousness. That comes by faith. The whole argument. Is arguing that. Blessing. Came to Abraham.

Not because of any works. Or obedience to the law. But because. Of the righteousness. Of Christ. That was imputed to him. By faith. And yet. In stating that principle.

Paul. Notice the blessing. That he refers to. Is the blessing. Of. The promised land. That was to be given. To Abraham. And his offspring.

But now. We see that in the new covenant. There is the expansion. Of that promised land. Not just to that strip. Of real estate. In Palestine. But. That encompasses. The world.

The cosmos. The promise. That he would be. Heir. Of the world. He. And his offspring. And again.

His descendants. Who are they? Galatians 3.29. All who belong to Christ. Are Abraham's seed. Or his descendants. And heirs. According to the promise.

If you belong to Christ. You. Have your name. On the title deed. To the land. And the land. Is not just something. Over there.

In the Middle East. The land. Is the world. Paul tells us. That was just the type. Fulfillment. Is the whole world.

That's to be given. To Abraham. And his true seed. The believers. So again. We see. That the promise. Of the land.

Is not. Spiritualized away. So that. It's some spiritual lesson. And no physical reality. To it. It's very physical. It's what we're standing on. This morning. This is promised.

To the. Followers of Christ. The true children. Of Abraham. Abraham. So. Canaan. Was a type. Of the full inheritance. For Abraham. And all of his children.

In Christ Jesus. The whole world. Is to be renewed. In righteousness. As the home. Of God's redeemed race. In Jesus Christ.

The second Adam. Now notice. In Acts 3. Acts 3. In verse 21. Again. If this is to be. Any comfort.

To us. Or any joy. To think that we. Inherit. This earth. Something's got to happen. To it. And that's what we see here. Acts 3. We'll go back to verse 19.

And leading up to 21. Repent then. Peter preaching. After the day of Pentecost. In the temple. Repent then. As he talks to the Jews.

Turn to God. So that your sins. May be wiped out. That times of refreshing. May come from the Lord. And that he may send the Christ. Who has been appointed for you.

Even Jesus. He must remain in heaven. Until the time comes. For God. To restore everything. As he promised long ago.

Through his holy prophets. Long ago. In the Old Testament. You have these promises. Of a restored earth.

Of a restoration. Of all things. What Satan has. Vandalized. And destroyed. Is to be restored. And made new. The prophets. Spoke of it.

And now. Peter says. That's what's going to happen. When Jesus Christ returns. He must remain in heaven now. Until. The time comes.

For God. To restore. Everything. Christ's return. Does not bring about. The total. Annihilation. Of all things.

But rather. The restoration. Of all things. Do you see that? Not the annihilation. Of all things. But the. Restoration. Some of you. Ever.

Been involved. In restoration. Around the home. You take an old home. And restore it. What are you doing? You're. You're. You're bringing it back. To its.

Original. Glory. You pull up those. Carpets. And you. You sand the floor. And you. Try to bring it back. To how it looked. In the first place. That's restoration work.

And that's the kind of work. To be done upon this earth. When Jesus comes. When he returns. The defaced. Piece of art. The dilapidated.

Old house. Will be restored. Colossians 1. 15 through 20. We don't have time.

To linger. With any of these passages. But. It's not an isolated. Text. Here and there. But. Part of the very good news. That Paul announces.

To the Colossian church. That Jesus Christ. Is the head. Both of the old creation. And of the new creation. The old creation. As stated first. 15 through 17.

Speaking of Christ. He is the image. Of the invisible God. The firstborn. Over all creation. For by him. All things were created. Things in heaven. And on earth.

Visible and invisible. Whether thrones. Or powers. Or rulers. Or authorities. All things were created. By him. And for him. He is before all things.

And in him. All things hold together. You see. He is the head. The Lord. Of the old creation. Now the question comes. If the world was created.

By Christ. And for Christ. And if he is the firstborn. Or the heir. The one to inherit. This earth.

This creation. Can we think. For a moment. That God will. Allow this earth. To be finally destroyed. As a result. Of Satan's machinations.

That's the question. That Sam Waldron. Puts to us. Can we think. That. The earth. Will just be. Annihilated. And thrown away. When Christ. Has made it.

And made it for him. It was made. For him. He's to inherit it. Will God. Just allow it. Then. To be destroyed. And of course.

The answer. Is a resounding. No. Never. God forbid. Satan. Will not be handed. The victory. Over. This earth. God's plan.

In creating. The world. Must finally. Triumph. It must trump. All of Satan's. Best tricks. Satan's plan.

To destroy it. Must not win. In the end. The world. Was made. For Christ. And therefore. Will be redeemed. By Christ. Now. That's not just. Our logical.

Thinking. It's stated. In the text. Verse 20. Verse 19. For God. Was pleased. To have all. His fullness.

Dwell in him. In Christ. And through him. To reconcile. To himself. All things. Oh. Just. Just thinking. About spiritual. Things here. Now. No.

Whether things. On earth. Earthly. Things. Or things. In heaven. God. And how. Will he do. This great. Work. Of reconciliation. By making peace.

Through his blood. Shed on the cross. He's not only. Restoring. Sinful. Men. He's restoring. Our environment. As well. Our earth.

The physical. Creation. John. Puts it this way. In first. John. Three. Eight. The reason. The son of God. Appeared. Why'd he come.

From heaven. To earth. The reason. The son of God. Appeared. Was to destroy. The devil's. Work. Think about that. What have we seen. The devil's work is.

It's vandalism. It's destruction. He's destroyed man. And his environment. He's introduced. The curse. Into man's world. And why is Jesus coming. Well he's coming.

To destroy. The work of Satan. The destroyer. So if. Christ comes. To destroy. The destroyer. That means.

He's coming. To restore. What the destroyer. Has destroyed. It's to be redeemed. All that Satan. Has vandalized.

Of this earth. This physical creation. Is to be redeemed. And so the purpose. Of Christ's redemption. Was not just to salvage. A few individuals.

From. A ruined world. And to take them up. To heaven. And then to give. This world up. As a lost dream. And a lost plan. That he had originally. To give to Christ. Not. Not.

Not at all. Rather. His plan is to save. The world. To deliver. Even the physical creation. From ruin. And that's precisely. What we find.

In that final vision. That John has. At the. The book of Revelation. Turn to those passages. Revelations 5. 10. What's going to happen.

In the end. Who's going to triumph. And what will be the triumph. Will it include. The earth. Revelation 5. 10. This is what they sing.

A new song. To the lamb. And they sing. To the lamb. You have made them. That is those. From every tribe. And language. And people. And nation. That you've purchased.

For God. By your blood. You have made them. To be a kingdom. And priests. To serve our God. And they will reign. On the earth.

So the final picture. Of. Redemption. Has. Men and women. Purchased by the blood. Of Christ. Reigning.

With Christ. Serving God. Where? On the earth. On the earth. And that's an eternal reign. As chapter 11.

And verse 15. Points out. It's not just a thousand year reign. It's a. It's an eternal reign. The seventh angel. Sounded his trumpet. And there were loud voices. In heaven. Which said. The kingdom of the world.

Has become the kingdom. Of our Lord. And of his Christ. And he will reign. Forever. And ever. This reign. Of Christ's people. With their. Savior.

Is an eternal reign. Revelation 5. 10. Says. They will reign. On the earth. And then we turn. To Revelation 21. Again.

Taking us. To the end. Of time. To the return. Of Christ. To the making. Of this new heaven. And new earth. What do we see? 21.

1 to 5. Then I saw. A new heaven. And a new earth. For the first heaven. And the first earth. Had passed away. And there was no longer. Any sea. I saw the holy city.

The new Jerusalem. Coming down. Out of heaven. From God. Prepared as a bride. Beautifully dressed. For her husband. And I heard. A loud voice. From the throne. Saying.

Now the dwelling. Of God. Is with men. And he will live. With them. They will be his people. And God himself. Will be with them. And be their God. He will wipe.

Every tear. From their eyes. There will be. No more. Death. Or mourning. Or crying. Or pain. For the old. Order of things.

Has passed away. He who was seated. On the throne. Said. I am making. Everything. New. When is this to happen?

The first word. Then. If you look back. At what proceeds. And you can't always. Revelation does not run. Continuously. Contemporaneous. One thing. Following another.

There's constant. Recapitulation. Going on. But here. What it's following. Is the judgment. That has just taken place. At the end of chapter 20. The dead are judged. And cast into the lake of fire. Who have not.

Whose names were not found. Written in the book of life. Christ has returned. Judgment has been held. And. John sees a new heavens. And a new earth. When?

At the return of Christ. And the holy city. The new Jerusalem. Which is. Throughout. A reference to the bride of Christ. Coming down. As a bride.

Prepared for her husband. Coming down. Out of heaven. From God. And. If it's coming down. Out of heaven. From God. Where is the bride of Christ. Coming? To earth.

To earth. The new dwelling place. Of God and his people. Where God. Is pleased to dwell. In their midst. And live with them. Wasn't able to be done before.

Because sin. Polluted the earth. And God cannot dwell. In an unholy place. And with unholy things. Is. Christ has. Ransomed.

And redeemed. And restored the earth. And now. The dwelling of God. Is with man. And now. There's the complete. Renovation. Of man. And the earth. Such that the old order.

Of things. Is passed away. And just a few of the things. That are listed. Is no. No death. No mourning. No crying. No pain. The old order. Is done away. And rather.

I am making everything new. Everything. Jesus says. Not just men. Men. But their environment.

As well. Revelation 22. 3. Further describes this. This city. This life of city. On the earth. And it says.

No longer. Will there be any curse. No longer. Any curse. Just as. Man's. Sin. Brought the curse. Upon his environment.

In the beginning. Such that the ground. Was cursed. For man's sake. So. Christ's. Redemption of man. Will reach to the redemption. Of his environment. And there will no longer. Be any curse.

I love. Isaac. What's him. And. We do need to sing it. More than just in the Christmas season. Joy to the world. And that verse. That says. He comes.

He comes. Speaking of the return. Of Christ. His coming. To this earth. Whether viewed as his first coming. Or his second coming. The whole. Business of Christ's coming.

Why is he coming? What's his job? What says. He comes. To make his blessings flow. Christ is coming. With arms laden.

With blessings. And. And he's going to make these blessings flow. How far? Someone tell me. Far as what? We've sung that a lot. Haven't we?

Far as the curse is found. Far. Far. What's he talking about? He's talking about. This very thing. We're talking about. Satan's defaced the present earth. And world.

Not just man. But his environment. And Christ is coming. Why? To destroy the works of the destroyer. And. To make his blessings flow. Just as far as the curse.

Has extended. Has the curse. Extended to your bodies. Christ is coming. To bring blessing. To your bodies. Your physical bodies. Has the curse. Extended to.

This earth. The physical creation around you. Christ comes to bring his blessings. Far as the curse. Is found. And so redeeming.

And restoring. The entire physical creation. From the effects of sin. Chapter 22. Chapter 22. And verse 5. Says. There will be no more night.

They will not need the light of the lamp. Or the light of the sun. For the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign. Forever. And ever. A reign that we have seen. Is a reign on this.

Restored. Earth. In other words. The Garden of Eden. That appears early in the Bible. In the book of Genesis. Appears again. In the last book of the Bible.

Revelation 21 and 22. It's now that whole. New Jerusalem city. It's a garden city. You read about it in 21 and 22.

What's the. What's the. What's the lesson here. English majors. What's going on here. You had. Paradise in the beginning. Paradise lost. Is to become.

Paradise again. Paradise regain. When Christ returns. Again. I love that hymn. This is my father's world.

It reminds us. As we look out at the news. And we see bloodshed. And we see destruction. And those who destroy the earth. As they're described in the Bible. To remember. This is my father's world.

He made it. And he made it for Christ. He's going to give it to Christ. As his inheritance. Forever and ever. And to all of his people. All of his descendants. Who are trusting in him.

This is my father's world. Oh let me ne'er forget. That though the wrong seems off so strong. God is the ruler yet. This is my father's world.

The battle is not done. Jesus who died. Shall be satisfied. And what? And heaven.

And earth. Be one. That's it. The restoration. Of the earth. Such that the will of God is done on earth.

As it is in heaven. The whole inheritance. Heavens and earth. The inheritance of God's redeemed people. So. A quick.

Run through the New Testament. Shows us that this promise of the land. Has not been. Spiritualized away. Rather it's. It still holds. Very physical.

Tangible promise. But it's been expanded. From just. Canaan. To the whole world. That's to be redeemed. And restored. And given to God's people. Now I've saved the two strongest texts for last.

You say. Well these have been plenty strong. I believe so too. I believe if these other two verses. Or sections weren't in our Bibles. We would have plenty to say. That when Christ comes again. There will be a total remaking.

Of the heavens and the earth. And that. New created. World. Will. Be. The place. Where God. And his people.

Reign forever and ever. The eternal state. The age to come. But we turn to these. Two. Texts. Perhaps they're strongest.

Because they're the longest. But. Romans chapter 8. And it's not real long. Verses 18 through 23. And let me just read.

The passage. And. Be thinking now. About what we've just seen. This earth. Is to be the inheritance of. God's people for eternity. And it. Must therefore be.

Restored. And. Remade. Romans 8. 18. I consider. Paul says. That our present. Sufferings. Are not worth.

Comparing. With the glory. That will be revealed. In us. The creation. Waits. In eager. Expectation. For the sons. 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 other words.

Why was the creation. Subjected. To frustration. Why is the creation. Not what it could be. And what it once was. And what it once will be.

It wasn't because of any. Personal. Willful. Choice. Of the creation. That we want to be cursed. No. It was subjected. To frustration. Frustration. Because of man's fall.

And of God's curse. Upon the earth. And so. It's been subjected. To frustration. Not by its own choice. But by the will. Of the one. Who subjected it. In hope.

It's groaning. In hope. That the creation. Itself. Will be liberated. From its bondage. To decay. And brought. Into the glorious freedom. Of the children of God.

We know. That the whole creation. Has been groaning. As in the pains. Of childbirth. Right up to the present time. Not only so. But we ourselves. Who have the first fruits.

Of the spirit. Grown inwardly. As we wait. Eagerly. For our adoption. As sons. The redemption. Of our bodies. Now creation.

In this passage. Refers to. The non-rational. Creation. Both animate. And inanimate. The trees.

Inanimate. The dogs. Inanimate. The whole. Created order. But the non-rational creation.

Doesn't include. Human beings. Not in this section. Now granted. Other places. Creation speaks of human beings. But how do you know. It doesn't include human beings. Well. You take the lost human beings.

They're not groaning. And waiting. For the redemption. Creation. Of. God's people. So it can include them. Does it. Include believers.

Are we part of this creation. That it's talking about. No. Because. It sets them side by side. It says the creation is groaning. And we too.

Are groaning. So the creation is something. Other than we. Who are groaning. Who have the first fruits. Of the spirit. What is it? It's the. Non-rational. Creation.

Physical creation. Animate. And inanimate. The physical creation. Around us. And. It is to be. Liberated. Set free from this.

Curse. And frustration. And bondage. To decay. When. Somebody tell me. When. From the text. From the language. Of the text. When. Is this liberation.

To take place. When the sons of God. Are revealed. You can. Look at first. John three. One and two.

And it says. The world does not know us. Because it did not know him. There's yet coming. A revelation. Of the children of God. The world doesn't. It's not yet been revealed. Just who the children of God are.

Many claim to be. And aren't. And. You might be disappointed. You might be surprised. Who the children of God are. There's coming a day. When it will be revealed. When might that day be.

Any hints in the. In the passage. The very end of the. Passage. Verse 23. What's the timing.

Description. What are we looking forward to. The redemption. Of our. Bodies. When. Are believers. Bodies. Redeemed. When.

Is the fulfillment. Of that redemption. Of the body. Granted. Christ purchased it. At his death. And resurrection. But when are we. To share in that. Redemption. When's our body. To share in that.

Redemption. At the resurrection. Right. What the creation. Is longing for. Is for the children of God. To be revealed. And that will take place.

When Christ. Is revealed. From heaven. And he gathers. His own. To himself. It will be seen. Then. Who are the children. Of God. And the creation. Itself. Will share. In the glorious.

Freedom. That the children of God. Will share in. At the redemption. Of our bodies. At the resurrection. So it's when Christ. Returns.

Christ said. I will raise them up. At the last day. So again. This is part of that. Momentous event. That complex of events. At the end of. At the end of the age. When Christ returns.

And our bodies are restored. And transformed. Made like to be. Christ's glorious. Body. Then the creation itself. Will be. Gloriously transformed. And will share.

In. This. Glorious. Freedom. Christian. You know what that freedom is. In part. Right now. Freedom. From the bondage of sin. You'll know it.

In a greater. Measure. When. You have freedom. From all the effects. Of the curse. All your bodily ailments. Forever gone. And you will see. What freedom. In Christ. And this creation.

Is to share. In that freedom. A resurrected earth. Will be the environment. For the enjoyment. Of the resurrection bodies. Of the children of God.

Now rather than try. To squeeze in. The strongest soldier. That we want to marshal. For the argument. Second Peter three. I'll give you that. As assignment. For next week. And we'll look at that.

Next week. Any questions. Here. That we might break. Before we close. We have. A couple minutes. Any questions. Or comments. About this idea.

Of the earth. To be. Redeemed. Restored. The vandalism. Of Satan. To be. Undone.

And for this earth. To become. The. Final inheritance. Of. All the. Descendants. Of Abraham. Who belong. To Jesus Christ. Glorious reality.

Aaron. Aaron. away. And the answer to that suffering that tribulation is under is Romans 8 and 18.

Consider our present sufferings. Our work is comparing the glory that will be revealed that finds his comfort. And the new heaven is in the world and he's suffering right now.

And it can be down to the practical applications. But there's our comfort. Excellent. Did you hear that? We talked about Paul's sufferings and how great they were.

And yet here he tells us that the thing that enables him to deal with his present sufferings are comparing it to the greater glory that will be his. When? When this whole created order is restored.

And his own body is restored. Or when he lives in a new heavens and new earth where there's only righteousness and there's no more persecuting and the wicked will cease their troubling. Can you see why Paul calls the return of Christ the blessed hope?

The happy hope of the believer. Because it's what they constantly are looking to. Is it trouble you're going through? He says, oh, look away to your blessed hope. Remember what's going to happen when Christ returns.

How your life, your bodies, your troubles will all vanish. No more curse. That day is to affect this day. That day is to affect the emotion with which we live in this day.

Excellent. Raj? Why? I can see him understanding why there's a need for a new earth. Why a new heaven? Well, that's a good question. Why new heavens?

Because remember in Ephesians 6, 12, Paul reminds us that our struggle is not with flesh and blood, but with what?

But against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

The heavens have been polluted by Satan and his demons. The fallen angels have polluted the heavens as well. They must have a day of harvest too. The whole created order must be purged of sin.

I don't know. That's just the thing that comes first to my mind as I thought of that as well. That the heavens themselves have been polluted. We don't know physically how that might have affected the heavens.

Perhaps it does. But at least spiritually, the heavens need a cleaning job, don't they? That much, we know, needs to be cleaned, restored to its original created glory.

Raj? Would that be distinguishing the heavens as it would be? The sky is the suffering of God. That's a good point.

You know that the Bible refers to heavens in different ways. You have the heavens as the firmament, the skies. And then you have the highest heavens, the dwelling place of God.

And again, it would be a good study to try to see what is the heavens here? Is it referring to the firmament, the sky, not so much to as if God's dwelling place is defiled?

We're not saying that. But I believe that's a valid distinction. Any other thought on that or other issues growing out of this? Well, may the Lord encourage our hope.

One of the things we'll see next week is that this reality isn't a fairy tale off in the distance. It's right here. Life right here will be changed forever.

And that ought to make heaven more real to us. That ought to make the eternal state, I should say, more real to us. And what it is we look forward to. Amen.