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The New Creation r om . 8.18-25. beyond imagination. We cannot imagine what is going to come next He has set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ecc. 3.11
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The New Creation rom. 8.18-25
beyond imagination • We cannot imagine what is going to come next • He has set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ecc. 3.11 • No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. 1 cor. 2.9
beyond imagination • Stretch your mind and strain your eyes to build a sustaining hope • HOPE is the theme to the new creation • The creation waits with eager (αποδεχομαι) longing. rom. 8.19 • Hope that creation will be set free from corruption to bring to glory the children of God. rom. 8.20-21 • We wait eagerly for the redemption of our bodies, we groan inwardly for the hope that we were saved by. rom. 8.23-24 • The new creation is unique—hope that is seen is not hope rom. 8.24-25
where is heaven and hell? • Heaven and hell are physical not just spiritual • Resurrection of believers 1 cor. 15 • Resurrection of unbelievers dan. 12.2; rev. 20 • Heaven and hell continue to exist after this creation • The Bible clarifies that heaven and hell continue after the moment God commands the cosmos to be “rolled up like a scroll” (is. 34.4), to “disappear with a roar” (2 pt. 3.10), and to “melt in the heat” (2 pt. 3.12) • Eschatology is becoming part of the world of cosmological discussion • Heat death • Big Crunch
different physics • No death or decay • “The order of things has passed away, I am making everything new! (rev. 21.4-5) • “No more death or mourning or crying or pain.” (rev. 21.4) • This implies an elimination of the second law of thermodynamics. • cf. “The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay” (rom. 8.21) • cf. “The redemption of [their] bodies” (rom. 8.23)
different physics • New Jerusalem (rev. 21.10-27) • The measurements used by the angel’s rod is given in cubits (17.5 in.) • The walls are 216 ft. thick • The length, width, and height are 1,380 miles each • The structure has corners so it is either a cube or a pyramid • Thus, spatial dimensionality
different physics • Gravity • Gravity turns all massive bodies larger than 300 miles (500 km) in diameter into spherical shapes • New Jerusalem is 1,380 miles! • Electromagnetism • Bathed in light, but not electromagnetic light • No sun, moon, or stars will exist (is. 34.4; rev. 21.23; 22.5) • No darkness, night, or shadows (rev. 21.23; 22.5)
different physics • All laws are linked to thermodynamics, gravity, and electromagnetism • The elimination of all three from the new creation implies a removal of all present physics. • God means it when he says, “I am making everything new.”
oneness with people & God • different dimension • A resemblance of his oneness (jn. 17.21) • We can never be so “far” from each other to not have immediate and intimate contact with others at the same “time.” • Perhaps time may be geometric instead of linear (there will be time) • Countless, simultaneous interaction • No schedules or lines to spend time with Jesus (2 cor. 5.8; phil. 1.21-26), a friend, a relative, Abraham, Moses, David, Mary, Adam, or whomever you wish!
prepared by grace • A full pardon gives the new creation of rewards and pleasures as expressions of grace • Only humans can experience grace, angels only observe it • Angels observe us as they seek to comprehend the full impact of this grace(1 cor. 4.9; 1 pt. 1.10-12) • Angels watch us grasp how “wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (eph. 3.18) • God’s “intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.” (eph. 3.10) • Because of grace, redeemed humans will experience new creation rewards in ways angels cannot
relationship pleasures • Beatification (1 cor. 13.12) • We will be filled and surrounded by God’s goodness • We will be taught by God (jn. 6.45) • No marriage or family • Ultimate oneness with people and God is described in the new creation as a marriage feast (rev. 19.7-9) • All of us will be family • Marriage, family, and relationships as we know it will be replaced by something so much more intimate, pure, and wonderful (even greater than sexual intimacy!). • Never again will space, time, physics, and the effects of sin keep any of us apart.
designed for us, for his glory • How deep the love! • A few glimpses and clues that God has left for the new creation are amazing! • How much the Creator has invested and will continue to invest for humanity’s sake is astounding beyond all comprehension. • Have you ever given the new creation attention? • How often are you groaning in the hope for the new creation, the redemption of this universe and our bodies? How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? (heb. 2.3)