Old Earth and the New Earth

Recently my preaching has taken me into the future as we looked ahead from the incarnational coming of Jesus the Savior to the future coming of Jesus the King of All. One of the more pleasant discoveries was that our future home, where God will dwell with us, will be the New Earth. Revelation 21:1ff makes it clear that the old earth will pass away, and that God will create a new one for us to live on for eternity.

This whole New Earth thing got me to thinking. And while my thinking is still in the "discovery" stage, I thought I'd give a shot at trying to lay some of it out for review. Here goes:

I have two basic suppositions. First, we know that Peter was looking forward to the New Earth as he explained in 2 Peter 3:13: But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. I take these "new heavens" to be a new version of the universe, while the new earth will be a sin-free creation with some kind of similarity to our present sin-drenched one.

Secondly, it appears that our resurrected, spiritual bodies will be able to inhabit this new earth. I take this from the fact that Jesus walked and lived on this earth after his resurrection. This also follows from the fact that Moses and Elijah returned to join Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. I know this is less than scientific, but nevertheless it does suggest that our glorified bodies will be fitted to occupy whatever sphere of existence is normal on the new earth.

So, my big question here is this: How does the concept of a new, inhabitable earth relate to the present discussion about origins and the age of our present planet?

I have done some very cursory research and found that the "Old Earth" school of thought believes that our present planet was formed 4.54 billion years ago, but was not inhabitable by mammals until a mere 200 million years ago. So, my question is this:

Are we to believe that God will take just as long to create the New Earth? If so, we'd better settle in for a very long time before Jesus returns. Or can we assume that God could create the New Earth in a shorter time? perhaps in a hundred billion years? or a hundred years? or in a nanosecond?

My point is this: If we believe that God can create the New Earth in a moment, then we must also believe that He could have created our present one in a moment, including all those things that appear to have aged over billions and billions of years. It cannot be that creating something with the appearance of age is the one thing the Almighty can't do!

Lastly, there is great evidence that God did, in fact, create in a second something that appeared quite old. When He turned water into wine, He turned it into great wine. And as any wine drinker knows, the best wine is old wine!

Just thinking out loud,

David

Just Say It

We're all aware of the iconic Nike slogan "just do it."  I'd like to nominate another slogan for all people everywhere who have made a hobby out of critiquing others, and then bottling up their disappointment and frustration: Just say it!

One of the things I prize most is direct, honest communication. But increasingly in our day concerns are not being voiced either at a time or in a way that can be beneficial. It seems that as much as people love to critique, they also love to store up their concerns. They layer them on one another until the mole hill becomes that mountain that just can't be climbed any more. Then they explode, grasping at anything they can find and trying to pull it apart.

There has to be a better way. I'm suggesting that we get back to the simple principle of "just say it." If you see something that is amiss, or you sense that it might be, just say it. Of course, if it is really inconsequential, and can just be dismissed, that is always the best first option. But even then, make sure it doesn't come back later as a grievance. If you can flush it, do so; if you can't then do something about it. Just say it, directly, honestly, winsomely, and in a timely fashion, but by all means, say it!

Perhaps it is cowardice that keeps us from acting in the most honorable way when it comes to speaking honestly and directly to someone about things that are out of sync. I certainly have felt the pull of rationalization when I knew that I should speak directly to someone about a problem. I have succumbed to the temptation to avoid conflict at all cost. But I have seldom if ever found that such behavior solves the problem. Instead, it usually creates in me a ledger where I continue to pile up negatives against that person. It is almost as though I am punishing them for my own unwillingness to deal with the problem when it first arose.

And that's the real point here. If we don't deal with things when they are small, we often watch them pile up until we feel they are almost impossible to deal with at all. This creates another whole level of frustration. We convince ourselves that the problem has reached such tragic proportions that simple answers no longer exist. It is at this point that the biggest crime occurs: we move from frustration about the problem to an almost organic hatred of the person. We take the perceived problem, fertilize it with our frustration, and end up with a whole different kind of plant. We now think the problem is moral, embedded in the very character of the one whose actions we detest. Now the only solution seems to be to get rid of the person. And it all may have been avoided if, at the very beginning, we had summoned up the courage to "just say it."

So, here's my plea: If you see something in me, or in someone else in your life that you feel isn't best for them, you should have only two options. If it is small, and without consequence, and you are able to fully dismiss it from your mental ledger, than do it. But if it is significant, deal with it when it is still in its infancy. I'd suggest these three words as your introduction when you enter into that direct conversation: "Help me understand ..." And then listen. And in the end, just say it. Say it without generalizations, or pejorative language; say it without shouting, or name-calling; say it without a condemning tone, but just say it. Don't represent others who aren't present, and don't take up offenses for others, but just say what you believe to be true and needs to be said.

Bottom line: Don't become a storehouse of evidence against the people in your life. If you do, you'll find that negative evidence is corrosive. Like an acid, eventually it will eat its way through its container, and spill over into the rest of your life. And once you become known as a person whose outlook is mostly negative, you'll start finding yourself alone most of the time. And come to think of it, maybe that's best for those who decide to bottle up their frustrations rather than dealing with them in a way that is beneficial to all. Maybe if they are always alone they will be less able to inflict damage on the rest of us.

Hope this helps,

David