Matthew chapter 24 and verse 35. Matthew 24 and verse 35, the Bible here says, and Jesus, of course, is speaking. You'll know that right away if you use a red letter Bible. But here's what he says here. He says, heaven and earth, shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. When we think about this, he's not limiting his words only to what's written in red, but he's talking about the word of God deemed. What we know is all 66 books of the Bible. None of this is gonna pass away, but that's not my subject today. My subject this morning, I wanna preach to you on the subject of the new heaven and the new earth. I wanna speak to you on the eternal ages to come. Today I want us to think about and set our minds to what it's going to be like after the judgments are done, after the millennial reign of Christ. I want us to think about, for the child of God, what things are going to be like when the last enemy of the Lord has been removed from the earth and the final saint has gone to be with the Lord. what life will be like for all eternity in the eternal ages to come. And what do you think about when you think about that word eternal? What does eternal mean? Isaiah, what does eternal mean? What do you think about when you think of eternal? Everlasting, forever, right? Goes on and on and on. I promise you that though this message is on the subject of the eternal ages, this will not be an eternal sermon. It's going to have an end. So don't worry. I'll not go on forever and I'll try not to make it seem like it goes on forever. The fact is I'll probably break this up into a couple of sermons. Because this is something exciting and something I think we ought to consider. You know, as I thought about what I preached today, I thought about, I thought about preaching on defense of marriage, because the government has done an awful job of defending marriage, haven't they? Even though they passed a law that was supposedly in defense of marriage. But the reality is that One of these days, all of this will be behind us. All of this. All of these troubles and trials and all of the sin and filth of this world is going to be done with. And in fact, what we have here will not last. Even contrary to what we often say and what we think about, even heaven as it is now is not our eternal home, but rather a restored heaven, an earth that will be purged For the Bible tells us here in this text, here in this text, that we look at in Matthew 24 and verse 35, heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. The generation the generation that Jesus was speaking to could not imagine. They could not imagine some of the things that Jesus was speaking about, just like our generation can't imagine what Jesus is talking about. In fact, if you go back just a little bit in his sermon, and in this chapter here, in Matthew chapter 24, verses one and two. Look there with me and you'll see what I'm talking about, I believe. Matthew chapter 24, verses one and two, it says, and Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. Jesus said unto them, see ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. I've seen artists' pictures of what the temple and some of those buildings in that there in Jerusalem was like. They were mighty, great buildings. I have computer software that shows kind of then and now and what the temple looked like and what's there now, and it's just unbelievable the way things were and the way things are. And so I understand why they had a hard time of imagining what it would have been like to hear what Jesus said when he said, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. Because our generation's like that. It wasn't too many years ago when they built that great big ship, they called it unsinkable. And I'm talking about the Titanic. It was a marvel, that boat. But where's it at now? It's at the bottom of the ocean, you see. I think it was in 2015, I was with a friend in Richmond, Virginia, and we went and marveled at the great memorials that were built to commemorate Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson and during that time there were some of the other monuments that had been taken down and my friend said they'll never take these down because they're so huge and where are they at now? They're gone. They're gone. We think about the mighty America and We think that America will never fall, but you know what? That's what people thought about the Soviet Union and the Roman Empire. Backwards we go. Some of the great things that have fallen Jesus said, heaven and earth shall pass away. Heaven and earth, that's bigger than any monument, bigger than any building, bigger than any empire or country. Jesus said, heaven and earth shall pass away. But my words, my words shall not pass away. That's fantastic. That's amazing. And we get into it a little bit more. There's not a lot written about the eternal ages. Even though eternal is forever. goes on and on and on, yet very little is written about it in the Scriptures. But what we do have, the places where God does choose to pull the curtain back a little bit and give us a glimpse, all those places, those places where we do have those glimpses, it's amazing. It's fantastic. And for the child of God, all we long for that, And the older we get, not necessarily in age, although usually that's the way it works, but the more mature we get as a Christian, the closer we get as a child of God to the Lord, the more we long for that day. when we see, when faith, when faith becomes sight, when we see face to face our Lord and what we read about becomes real, as real as this pulpit, as real as the pew that you're on. Because let me tell you, it's coming. Every prophecy, every everything that the Bible has told about that's been fulfilled has all been fulfilled literally. The way that it's been told and so as as real as it or as unbelievable or as amazing or as hard to believe as it is. It's coming. It's coming. And oh, what a day that'll be. and how we long for it. We look forward to it. I've been preaching about this eschatology for a little bit, and I realize that it's exciting to talk about the Lord's return and to get excited about it, but let us also remember, like one preacher said, Let us also remember that while we think about these things, it's good to think about them. But remember that while we're here, we've got work to do. We don't circle the wagons and just wait for the Lord to come back. Obviously, we are in perilous times. These are the last days, as we've seen. The Lord could come back in any moment. But our eschatology must not be the type where we simply circle the wagons and sit and wait until the Lord comes back and not do anything. You see, if we do that, we've missed the point. We've got work to do, but while we're working, we know that there's something great coming. There's something great coming. So while we're here, we must be telling others about Christ. We must be warning them about the judgment that's coming. We must be inviting people to church and on all of those things. In Revelation chapter 21, Revelation chapter 21, We'll be spending quite a bit of time here, but we'll be in some other places as well. Revelation chapter 21 and verse 1, John says, I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. There was no more sea. It is fitting here that John uses the same word, pass away. as what was used by Jesus there in Matthew chapter 24 and verse 35, when Jesus said, heaven and earth shall pass away. Keep that in mind as we read on. We'll come back to that. Verse two, and I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband. I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. He will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be with their God and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away. He that sat upon the throne said, behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, write, for these words are true and faithful. We'll stop there for now, but like I said, we'll be back in Revelation chapter 21 more as we continue on. The new heaven and the new earth will be united together as one glorious realm of life and service for God's people. Right now there's division. You can't pass from earth to heaven or heaven to earth at will, but there's coming a time when you will be able to. This is for God's people now. What a time that will be. In this new state, we see the new Jerusalem coming down, prepared by Christ for His bride. I believe that's what Jesus was talking about in John chapter 14. John 14 and verses 1, 2, and 3. I believe that's what he was talking about there when he tells them, let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself. That where I am there, you may be also. Whether I go, you know, and the way you know. And some people read this and they say, well, the Lord's going to go and prepare for me a mansion. Well, hold up a second. If you read this a little more carefully, he says in my father's house are many mansions. The mansion's already there, but he's going to prepare a place, something that's not there yet, but he's going to prepare it. I believe he's talking about New Jerusalem, the place for his bride. Now, and you get over here into chapter 21, we find the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. We'll get into more about New Jerusalem in the next message on this subject, but New Jerusalem will not only be the dwelling place of the bride, but will also be the center of worship, I believe, for God's people throughout all the ages. The question comes, why will there be a new heaven and a new earth? Why is all this going to happen? Well, because the old has been polluted and corrupted. In Ephesians chapter 6, Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 12. After we're told to put on the whole armor of God. In verse 12 he says, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness, High places. Folks, I don't want you to mistake this. He's not talking about spiritual wickedness in the White House or in the throne of England or something like that. There are wickedness going on in those kind of high places. But I believe the high places he's talking about is spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. There's things going on in this world and even in the heavenly places where Satan and his demonic beings are working and are at work even now. The heavenly realm has been polluted by Satan and his demons as they have waged war against God and God's people. And the earth has been defiled by human corruption, by sin, wars and violence and rebellion for generations and thousands of years. And for these reasons, these reasons alone, this is why there must be a new heaven. As I said there in Matthew chapter 24 and Revelation 21, we read that phrase, pass away. Pass away. We use that term sometimes when somebody dies. We say, so-and-so has passed away. The term does not mean annihilated or ceased to exist. That term means that they have transitioned from one place to another. That's what that means. that they have gone from one condition to another condition. And so as the commentator Henry Morris put it, it could be a fresh heaven and a fresh earth. No more sin, no more death, no more decay. You remember when God created this world? in this universe, the heavens and the earth. Do you remember what He said at the end of it all in Genesis? Chapter 1, verse 31. Genesis 1 and verse 31. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Everything that God had made was very, very good. I mean, it was very good, God said. But we look out in this world And we see glimpses of the goodness of God's creation, yes, but not everything is good. We see the thorns. And we see the troubles and the trials. We see death and decay. We see sin and cancer. Pain and suffering. in the animal kingdom and in the humans and in the world. We see it all around us. What we see today is not God's very good world. We see a world that has been cursed because of sin. You see, it's a fallen world. But one of these days, One of these days all that's going to be refreshed. We'll be walking and living in a fresh heaven and a fresh earth. Isaiah chapter 65. Sorry, hold your place there and go with me to the book of Job. Job chapter one, verse six. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God, and is true of evil? You see, Satan, In his deception and in his work, he even has had access before the Lord, but all of that will be erased in the future when we see this new heaven, this new heavens and a new earth. No more Satan. Satan will be gone. in hell, the lake of fire, eternal punishment for him, no more access to God, no more of that either, you see. Isaiah 65 and verse 17, the Old Testament gives us a glimpse of what's coming. Isaiah 65 and verse 17 says, For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered nor come into mind. Think about it. Time when we'll be celebrating the Lord, worshiping the Lord, enjoying the things of God so much so that we won't even think about or consider the trouble, the trial, the sins. This old world being left behind. What a great time that will be. We see how that he says, I create new heavens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembered nor come to mind. That's a lot different than the way they wrote about the original creation. How's this all going to come into being? How's this going to transition out? And for the next few moments, I want us to consider how this is going to transition over from what we have now to what's coming, the new, from the old to the new. You know, when we think about it, if it's not an annihilation, if it's not a complete destruction, how's it going to come? Well, the Bible gives us the answer about that in 2 Peter chapter 3. In 2 Peter chapter 3, we'll begin reading with verse 1. He says, this second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you, in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." That should sound pretty familiar, doesn't it? There are people in this world who say, Where is Jesus? Where is the promise of His coming? It's been 2,000 years. Christians have been saying Jesus is coming. Where is He at? Scoffers. Scoffers. People make fun. People laugh. They mock. They ridicule. Don't let your faith be shaken, beloved. Don't get upset about those people. They need the Lord. The Bible says here in verse 5, For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water. whereby the world that then was being overflowed with water perished, but the heavens and the earth which are now by the same word are kept in store, reserved under fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. So he takes us back to something that happened in this world previously. And that event was a great worldwide event known as the flood of Noah. There was a great event that took place that radically changed this world. When the whole world was flooded, by a worldwide flood. He says they're willingly ignorant of it. How in the world could a person, how can he say that they're willingly ignorant of this thing? Well, it's because the evidence is all around us. Do you realize that there are evidence of the flood from Noah's day all around us. I'm talking about fossils that have been found of marine animals up to the highest mountains and in deserts and all over the place. Fossils of animals that should only be found in the oceans. They find them all over the place where there should be no oceans. They try to explain it away. They come up with all sorts of reasoning. They don't want to believe that there was a worldwide flood. But what do those fossils cry out? If they could say anything, they cry out. They say, God judges sin. They cry out and say, the Bible is true. But they're not listening. It's like they hold their ears shut and their eyes closed, willingly ignorant. The world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. Verse 7, but the heavens and the earth, which are now by the same word, are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord, as a thousand years and a thousand years is one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." Peter says, hey look, the heavens and the earth are kept now by the same word. The same word what? The same word that kept the antediluvian world. until the rains came, the floods came and destroyed them. The same word that is holding this world, you see. But understand something. Understand something. One day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years is one day. Realize something about that verse. That verse doesn't have anything to do with creation. It doesn't have anything to do with the days of creation. That verse has to do with the coming of the Lord, the judgment, the coming judgment. And when you're talking about when is the Lord coming back, understand something. with the Lord, it's like He has only been gone on our calendar 2,000 years. But on God's calendar, it's like He just left day before yesterday. He ain't been gone that long, folks. God's time is not our time. He is coming back and judgment is coming. He's not forgotten about this world. He's long suffering and praise God for it. Oh, we get weary about it. We get weary. It hurts to see this country going the way it is. It hurts to see this world the way that it is. But praise God that it is because guess what? There must be some folks out there who need to know about the Lord. There must be some people out there who need to repent. We need to be busy telling them about Jesus. We need to be busy warning them about this because forget about climate change and man-made global warming. This world's gonna be destroyed. with fervent heat, but it ain't gonna come from the exhaust of a bunch of SUVs and all that sort of thing. It's coming from Almighty God. And this is what he's talking about when we read about a new heaven, the new heavens and the new earth. He says, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up. God is angry with the wicked. And in however many thousand years that we've been upon this earth, we've not improved it. We've made a mess out of God's very good creation. And he's going to clean it up and make something good out of it again. And everything that man has done, all the works the major cities, the so-called improvements that have been done, all of it will be burned up. All of it will be gone. Verse 11, he says, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. You think about this for a minute. All the time that we spend working and toiling for, I get upset about stuff sometimes, I can't get the words out. It pricked at me too when I was thinking about it. But all the time that we spend toiling and working for material things, for material things that ain't gonna last. I mean, already we should realize this, the stuff that we work for and we labor for, they either lose value, they rust, they rot, but they don't last. And we spend all our time laboring for it and working for it and all that, so much so that we ain't got time for spiritual things. And Peter says, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, it's all gonna be burnt up. All of it. What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation? That's not just the way we talk. That's part of it, certainly. But all holy conversation and godliness, that's the way we live. That's the way we act. That's the way we are as God's people. Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God. Wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Oh, beloved, there's more to life. than just a good retirement, a great 401k, and a day on the beach. The Lord's coming back, and we've got an eternity to be with Him. And oh, how we ought to long for and hope that there'll be people, friends, loved ones, that'll be going with us. Nevertheless, we, verse 13 says, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look, that ye look for such things, wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look, For such things, what are you looking for in life? What's your goal? What are you looking for? Be diligent that he may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless. And account that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation. even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you. And also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to be understood, which they are unlearned and unstable rest, as they do also the other scriptures in their own destruction. That's important, too. The New Testament scriptures, He puts them on the same level as what He was writing, on the same level as the Old Testament. You see, all that was important. Don't be like those who rest them to their own destruction. Take the Word of God. God says what He means, means what He says. Take it. Take it. He says, ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, both now and forever. Amen. There's coming. There's coming something great. The Lord is coming. That's number one. Jesus is coming. And along with Jesus, understand something, we've got an eternity to look forward to. New heavens and a new earth. The only way to get there is through Jesus Christ. Oh, when we think about the heavens and the earth being purged completely with the powerful fire of Almighty God, that's amazing to think about. What a blessing it'll be to walk with the Lord, to be with the Lord forever and ever. A purified, cleaned up earth. in heaven and eternal ages. What a blessing. This is just the introduction. Lord willing, next time we'll begin to look at some things, some characteristics of this new heavens, new earth, new Jerusalem, all these things. What a glory it is. What a blessing it is to be in Christ, Christ to be in you. Do you know Him today? Trust Him, believe Him, repent. May God add a blessing to His Word.