Word on the Web

07 Jan 2009: New Year

Lazy readers often turn to the end of a book before they decide whether it is worth starting to read it. Wise people look to the end of the greatest volume of books ever written to see how this tormented world will end. The Bible is very clear on essentials and the promise is of God making all things new (Revelation 21;5).

The new heaven and earth is a large enough canvas and the end of the Bible in one sense goes back to the beginning with its depiction of a new creation. This does not deny the importance of our generation caring about the environment for the sake of however many generations are yet to come. But this creation will pass away (see 2 Peter 3:10-11) and then will come the completely renewed creation. As we have recently begun a new year full of global forebodings here is the Christian security.

There is one vast difference between Genesis & Revelation. The first creation began in a garden; the new creation will herald a city coming down from heaven and John seems more excited about that than about the cosmic backcloth. It will be a city speaking of community; it will be a “holy city” from which all sin is purged. The tragedy of the Genesis story has been dealt with by the inauguration of another new thing, the new covenant promised in Jeremiah & sealed at Calvary outside the city walls of the first Jerusalem. Now in the holy city all traces of sin & death are removed.

This hope should stimulate us to prayer and action to help make this present world more like that to come. Even more it will turn us to the only place of security & hope in Jesus who spans all the ages.

Philip Hacking
Former Chairman of Keswick Ministries