Isaiah 51:6 "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, (same language) and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished."
Now let’s come back to Psalms 102 for a moment, because we know a lot of times we read these Psalms and yet we don’t read them, and here’s another few verses that we would say most people, if they’ve read it, have missed one of the major points. Lets stop at 122:21-23 first.
Psalms 122:21-23 "To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem: 22. When the people are gathered together and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD. 23. He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days."
What do we think He’s talking about? How old was Christ when His life was ended? 33 years old, and right in the prime of life as we normally think, so that’s the reference here. Now He cries out to the Father:
Psalms 102:24 "…I said, O my God, (see that’s why Christ in the flesh and refers to the Father as His God. It’s just from that position where He is, as the Man-God or son of man) take me not away in the midst of my days: your years are throughout all generations." In verse 25, God the Son is still addressing the Father from His position on earth and says:
Psalms 102:25 "Of old have you laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of your hands." And now here in verse 26 we come back to the same language that we’ve been seeing in the Epistle of Hebrews and the Psalms, and various other portions of Scripture. Remember the Psalmist is speaking of the work of creation and says:
Psalms 102:26-27 "They shall perish, but you will endure: yes, all of them wax old like a garment; (isn’t it amazing how the Scripture just repeats itself? And we know what we’ve always said, what’s the purpose of repetition? Emphasis! God wants us to understand that this old world isn’t going to last forever. But we see most people today think there’s no end to it, and it will just keep going and going and going. Like the "ever-ready bunny." But there’s a day coming when God’s going to wrap it up, like an old worn out garment) as a vesture shall you change them, (or exchange them) and they shall be changed: (but God never changes, God the Son never changes,) 27. But you are the same, and your years shall have no end."
That’s the Psalmists way of putting it. Now let’s come back and look at some of the New Testament analogies in II Peter to see when this old planet is going to meet its end. Here we have this little epistle of II Peter with this same thought, that there’s coming a day, for not just the earth, but we feel the whole universe will be totally done away with, because everything has to be made New. Now why? Because there isn’t a corner of this universe that hasn’t been defiled by that old devil, Satan. He’s defiled it all, he’s been in the presence of God in Heaven, we know that. He’s been, we think, to the ends of the universe, and it’s all defiled, so consequently, it all has to be destroyed. Here's a point of interest many feel that Christ returned to cleans the Heavens with His Blood because of what was just said about the heavens being defiled. But that is not what the scriptures are saying. Christ took His Blood into the Holiest place to remove the veil that separated fallen man from God's presence and then sanctifies us and our hearts from a sin consciousness in the New Covenant. Now verse 10.
II Peter 3:10 "But the day of the Lord (which goes right on past the Tribulation, and through the 1000 year Kingdom until we come into eternity. Remember 1000 years with God is just a day, so don’t think in terms as we look at it, but rather in God’s thinking. In His thinking it’s all in one successive span (for us its time). So the day of the Lord “will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." Everything is suddenly going to return to the nothingness from which it first came. Verse 11.
II Peter 3:11a "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,…"
Now you know what dissolved things look like. We mean the heat just melts it down, and if we keep the heat on it long enough, it’s going to be nothing. Now reading on. It’s going to be dissolved, so consequently:
II Peter 3:11b-12 "…what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation (or manner of lifestyle and mind set) and godliness. 12. Looking for and hasting to the coming of the day of God, (when eternity will be ushered in) wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, (see there’s twice we’ve had the word dissolved in two verses.) and the elements (that make up matter) shall melt with fervent heat?" Now verse 13, and see it’s not a hopeless case.
II Peter 3:13 "Nevertheless we, (as believers who become receivers) according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness."
Now to complete this thought, let’s go all the way up to Revelation, and this just puts the capstone on it, and it’s almost the same identical language. Let’s go to chapter 20 first of all, and drop in at verse 11. Keep in mind this whole concept that everything in the universe was created by a loving and merciful God to provide everything that was needed by all life forms, whether it’s human, animal, birds, or whatever. He provided for all of us. Now verse 11, as we’re ready to usher in eternity:
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