"OLD THINGS"

Press, 29 December 1980, Page 15

"OLD THINGS"

Last week we were thinking of the coming into thia world of the Lord Jesus Christ as a child, remembering that to do so He became a man leaving behind all the glory and blessing of living in the presence of His Father In heaven. We are now turning our attention to the test daysof this old yw. The Hrtrew word for oWI « Baton meaning, to fail, decay, waste away. The moaning of “old" la never annihito-. tion, butgradual change because of wear and tear. The heavens and eartit ye made <>f metadata old and decay. The idee here fected by sin and the bond- - opo pf - corruption. They , will bb : renewed and

liberated from this corrupt state to a new and eternal state, and be kept eternally new .when all sin is’ put down and everything is restored as before the curse. There will be no more curse or bondage of corruption after this. John, writing of the ages to come, wrote, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; For the first heaven and the first earth will pass from one condition to another.’* (Rev. 21:1). The writer of Psalm 102 sots down Christ's work in creation then moves into prophecy that will be fulfilled when the heavens and earth are renovated by fire at : .the 1 end ,• of the Millenium, Christ's reign on earth of a 1000 years. But to return to our Psalm, com-

mencing at versa 25, "Of old you laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of Your hands'' — this refers to the dateless past in eternity, the time before the original creation of the heavens and the earth. "Thy throne is established of old; You are from everlasting." (Psalm 93:2). This was long before the days of Adam. Angela and the morning stars rejoiced when God Md the foundations of the earth or when He placed - aH the billions of suns and stars in their solar systems. "But they shall perish but You enduro forever. They will grow old, like worn out clothing, and You will change them like a man putting on a new shirt and throwing away the old one." But you may say Scripture tail us the heavens

and the aarth are eternal. "The earth abideth forever." (Ecc. 1:4). The word perish meant to be marred because of' sin, the earth and the heavens wilt be changed. As a man changes his old garment for a. new one, so God will change the heavens and earth from their bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God — "But God Himself shaH never grow old. You are forever, and Your years never end." The material creations that , have boon cursed and brought under the bondage of corruption towox bld wfH of necessity be renewed and

changed to the state of eternal newness, but God will never wax old and never need to be renewed. He is eternally the same. Yas, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is changeless. But because of sin, you and I are full of change and decay and it is in this area of our lives, like the present earth arid heavens. He „ wants to change. Paul writes "Therefore if any man bo in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away: behold all things are become now." 12 Cor. 5:17). DIAL *A BIBLE'READING , ; PHONE »tl7