The Child Will Soon Be Born, The Marriage Feast Begun

We all love the new, the fresh, the unspoiled, the perfect. What great possibilities stand before us when we have that which is new. So says John as he now shares the vision given to him.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." - Rev 21:1-8 ESV

Jesus is called the Alpha and the Omega in the very beginning of John's book:

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." - Rev 1:8 ESV

The Greek John uses for "end" is telos. In this instance it does not mean the close or termination of all things. Quite the opposite. It refers to the end to which all creation relates, the aim, the purpose. All begins with Christ and all finds its fulfillment, purpose, meaning in Him. The Apostle put it this way:

For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. - Rom 14:9 ESV

So the new heaven and new earth is described as the holy city, the new Jerusalem, the city whose origins is from God. This is a marriage and the bride is adorned for her husband. Forever and forever God is with His bride. All that is broken, confused, twisted and filled with pain, suffering and sorrow will be gone. All things are to be made new, fresh, clean, filled with potential and possibilities! In Christ the new has finally come and what shall be is beyond our imagining.

Referencing the ancient prophet Isaiah (Isa.64:4), Paul writes,

But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"-- - 1Co 2:9 ESV

 I have no experience, nor do you, of a world without murder, hate, lies, deception, betrayal, idolatry. What would it be like? We have no basis, no experience of such a world. How is it possible? How can there be a world without sickness, suffering, sorrow and death? It is beyond us. And yet that is what John's vision gives to us.

And Jesus proclaims this trustworthy and true word: IT IS DONE! This is the Word proclaimed from the cross and recorded only in John's Gospel: "When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. - Jhn 19:30 ESV That word in the Greek is the noun telos used as a verb: tetelestai. Not only is the great work finished, but all things now find their purpose, their meaning, their Alpha and their Omega in the cross of Christ. All sin is now wiped away, forgiven, forgotten. All men are set free from death forever. All things begin anew now.

The Apostle struggles to find the words to describe what this means also for all that God has created as he writes,

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. - Rom 8:19-23 ESV

So we humbly wait and patiently endure the pain of the present, knowing that these are but the pains of childbirth. Soon, soon, soon!

The Crown Of Life Awaits

Some say the Greek word for myrrh (smyrna - Matt. 2:11) supplied the name for the second city to which John's Revelation is addressed. In ancient times myrrh was the chief export of that city.  It had been around for hundreds of years, first as a Greek city and later as one of the principal cities of the Roman province of Asia. To the believers in Smyrna, John writes in the name of Christ,

"And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: 'The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. "'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.' - Rev 2:8-11 ESV

The believers in Smyrna suffered tribulation, poverty and blasphemy. Jesus warned that believers will ever face such trials. He calls wars, famines and earthquakes the beginning of the birth pains. Added to them, He says, will be people falling from the faith, betraying and even hating one another. False prophets will also arise to lead many astray. Lawlessness, the rejection of God's revealed way of life, and a cold, calloused attitude toward believers will be part of the last days. But these are birth pains. Painful as they are, they are signs that Christ's return is imminent (Matt. 24:3-25). When He returns to judge all mankind the true children of God will be revealed and all will be made new forever (Rev. 21:5).

Already even now the Holy Spirit is at work in the hearts of believers, renewing them in the image and likeness of the Lord Himself. Paul writes,

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. - 2Co 5:14-17 ESV

This is what we still observe. Wherever the Gospel is proclaimed, the Spirit re-creates men and women. They are literally new creations. They are no longer controlled by their sinful flesh, but begin to live for him who died and was raised. This Gospel is God's means of bringing His undeserved grace into the lives of believers.

Jesus Himself is called here the first and the last, a name already coined by John in the first chapter when he used the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet to describe Jesus as the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come (Rev. 1:8, 17-18). So we are all comforted as we remember that all is in His hands. When Israel was released by Pharaoh in the days of the Exodus, the Egyptian king changed his mind and sent his army after them. To calm Israel's fears Moses said,

"Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again." - Exo 14:13 ESV

We all need such strong words of comfort as we are persecuted. The LORD permits such trials so that our faith may be tested (Rom.5:3).

In turn, those persecuting the believers in Smyrna were called those who say that they are Jews and are not, but a synagogue of Satan. The Apostle Paul spoke also of false Jews, those who failed to see circumcision as a matter of the heart, but merely as an outward ritual. They relied upon their outward keeping of the Law. True believers, true Jews, always see circumcision as a "putting off of the body of the flesh," as being buried with Christ in baptism and raised with Him through faith in the God who also raised Jesus from the dead (Col. 2:12; Rom 6:3-5).

Moses admonished Israel in the same way in his final words. In days to come, he said, if they again abandoned their faith in the LORD who graciously brought them to the promised land. When they fell again into such a religion, based upon outward rituals, the LORD would again have to bring upon them the curses described earlier, curses like those that came upon Sodom and Gomorrah when "the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing" and no plant could sprout (Deut 29:23 ESV).

In the same way the LORD speaks to all believers in these final days, not only those in Smyrna. The LORD will permit Satan to throw them into prison and even to kill them. They will be tested. Do they trust only in the LORD? Do they understand that ultimately the devil cannot harm them? Do they realize that tribulation will only be for ten days? All of God's commands are summarized in the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:1-17). Ten plagues came upon Egypt before Pharaoh set Israel free (Exod 7-11). Ten nations conspired against Israel, laying crafty plans against God's people (Ps. 83:3-8).  But this is the constant message: the LORD is in control. The nations cannot prevail against Him. The LORD laughs at them as He puts limits on the devil and those who serve him.

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us." He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. - Psa 2:1-4 ESV

So the Spirit, through John, concludes with added words of comfort. Their enemies may destroy their bodies, but they will not be hurt by the second death, the lake of fire that has no power over those who have died and risen again with Christ (Rev. 20:6, 14; 21:8).  They have already died spiritually and risen again. They cannot therefore ever die again. What awaits them is the crown of life, life that has already begun in them when they were raised with Christ to newness of life. The crown of that life is the resurrection of the body (1 Cor 15:19-26). So the final word to the believers in Smyrna and to all believers in all places and all times:

Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.' - Rev 2:10-11 ESV

We Work With Him To Heal

This discussion about sickness got started because I invited you to look with me at the story in John 9 about the man born blind and Jesus' disciples asking him whose sin brought on that particular disability. Jesus' answer is very helpful.

As (Jesus) passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. - Jhn 9:1-7 ESV

Some babies are born blind or with severe vision loss. This can be caused by many different things, including defects in the eye itself, problems with the part of the brain responsible for vision, or by infections. Some of the factors placing an infant, toddler, or child at significant risk for visual impairment include:

• Prematurity, low birth weight, oxygen at birth, or bleeding in the brain
• Family history of retinoblastoma, congenital cataracts, or metabolic or genetic disease
• Infection of mother during pregnancy such as rubella, toxoplasmosis, venereal disease, herpes, cytomegalovirus or AIDS
• Problems with the central nervous system such as developmental delay, cerebral palsy, seizures, or hydrocephalus.

As you can see, there are many biological, genetic and developmental causes of vision loss. Some cause more severe loss than others. Regardless of what modern medical diagnosis one may offer for the blindness of the man referenced in John's Gospel it is critical that we hear Jesus' answer.

"It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. - Jhn 9:3 ESV

Whatever was Jesus getting at? The man had been born blind. From childhood to maturity he'd groped about in darkness. God had permitted it. Further, we know nothing about the man's faith. Neither he nor his parents approached Jesus, pleading for him to cast out some demon of blindness or to release him from the supposed bondage of Satan. In fact, we hear nothing from the man nor his parents before Jesus healed him. From what we read later the blind man was not even aware of who Jesus was (John 9:24-33). And yet Jesus made a paste of mud to put on his eyes and told him to wash in the pool of Siloam. He did and came back seeing. Quite amazing.

Back to Jesus' answer. This man's sins and the sins of his parents did not cause the blindness. His blindness was not the direct result of anyone's specific disobedience to the will and commands of God. There is no direct correlation between some particular sins and a specific disability like this man's blindness. Jesus pointed out that the eighteen Galileans who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them were no worse sinners that all the other Galileans (Luke 13:1-5). Paul teaches the same thing. All are equally guilty of sin and have earned death.

For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, - Rom 3:22-24 ESV

Because of the sin of Adam we are all sinners, born into a world of sinful mankind (1 Cor 15:22). We who were to rule the earth have now pulled it down into suffering and death along with us. The whole earth is under God's curse (Gen. 3:17-19), a curse that will remain until Christ returns to make all things new (2 Peter 3:13; Romans 8:19). Yet in Christ we are set free from that curse. In Christ our sins are forgiven.

Yet sin remains with us who have been reborn in Christ in this present age and will until we receive new bodies in the promised resurrection (1 Cor 15:50-55). Meanwhile we struggle with our sinful nature and the temptations of satan throughout our lives. Even after his conversion the Apostle Paul had to acknowledge this.

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. - Rom 7:18-23 ESV

So back to the man born blind. Note that Jesus does not lay out some general abstract answer to the question of sickness. He simply emphasizes that this particular man's blindness was not a result of some particular sin by him or his parents. However, here was an opportunity. This poor man needed help, whether he asked for it or not, and Jesus would not pass by without reaching out to him. That was why he made the mud poultice for his eyes and tested him by asking him to wash in the pool.

Further, it seems clear that Jesus was using this as an opportunity to teach his disciples how to do the work of God, the work of compassion and love for all caught in the suffering, pain and death of this world. Joined with Jesus as disciples, yes as members of his body, we reach out to heal and bind up those suffering in darkness and pain. And in this manner we make visible the love revealed in Jesus Christ: God loves the world and sent Jesus to set us all free.

We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." - Jhn 9:4-5 ESV

Some translations have Jesus saying, "I must work the works . . ." Indeed he did and does. But an even better reading of the original text has him inviting us all to work with him, even as he works in and through us: "We must work the works of him who sent Jesus." We are God's fellow workers (1 Cor. 3:9). We work with him in this world to bring God's mercy and forgiveness and healing and wholeness for heart, mind and body. This has long been the motivating power behind medical missions, hospitals, hospice care, Christian counseling and millions upon millions of other works of mercy by Christians throughout the world. Through this work of God the light of Jesus, the light of the world is being
displayed for all to see.

This beautiful chapter of John has so much more to teach us. We will continue our study in my next posts.

The Invisible Kingdom

In my last post we heard Jesus respond sharply to those who followed him across the sea.

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal." - Jhn 6:25-27 ESV

 Notice their typical response.

Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" - Jhn 6:28 ESV

Its always that way. Everyone thinks he has to DO something to get God's blessings. In some way or another we have to get God to forgive us, like us, trade with us and so be on our side to rescue, redeem and feed us. That's called self-justification.

I've been pointing to Abraham Maslow and all his talk about the hierarchy of needs, starting with basic physiological needs and moving on to what he called self-actualization. Self-actualized people, he says, accept themselves for who they are, they're spontaneous and natural, have a mission in life, unflappable, alive in the moment, spontaneous, open to new ideas, and on an on. Maslow believed that everyone has an internal drive to realize those higher levels. Step by step anyone is capable of climbing up to that free, uninhibited uncontrolled, trusting, unpremeditated expression of the self!

Sounds really great. That's why his ideas are so overwhelmingly popular. Motivational speakers use them all the time. Corporations incorporate them into their culture. Popular writers publish books about them by the thousands.

But they all miss the point! You can't ever actualize yourself, no matter what you do.

Remember Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, one of the wisest leaders of Israel, a man who came to see Jesus secretly?

This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.  

Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 

Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" 

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. - Jhn 3:2-6 ESV

Jesus spoke about an invisible kingdom, one you cannot enter unless you are born of the Spirit. In other words, the gates are locked until God opens them and leads you in. And only those on the inside know about and see this kingdom of God. In this kingdom the insider discovers forgiveness for all of his failures. He feeds daily upon God's mercy and love. He finds nurture for his soul and his heart is filled with peace, peace with God, with himself and with his fellow men. He sees the world with different eyes. He sees God's hand at work in his life, even in the midst of suffering, pain and loss. He is vibrant and filled with a hope that reaches far, far beyond the present and on into eternity. He actually believes that his body will be raised from death and that he will spend endless ages with loved ones and friends in a perfect world. And so he is filled with endless joy and with praise to God his Father and to Jesus his Brother, Savior and Friend.

Do you know about this secret kingdom? If you do, then you know why I say that Maslow and all his disciples, as well as any other teachers—be they psychologists, philosophers or priests—don't get it. The gates of this secret kingdom are locked to them.

Listen to Matthew as he shares Jesus' words to his disciples.

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 

And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. - Mat 16:15-20 ESV

The church is built upon Peter's confession: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus is the Rock (Deut. 32:4; Matt. 7:24-25; 1 Cor. 10:4), the immovable foundation against which all the powers of hell and darkness cannot prevail. So Paul writes,

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. - 2Cr 5:14-19 ESV

The disciples of Jesus are members of this invisible kingdom. They have all been reborn by the working of God's Spirit in their hearts and lives. They are, as Paul said, a new creation. They are the church, the living, active, loving members of Christ's Body. Jesus is their Lord and King and they live to love him, serve him and love others even as he loves and forgives them.

This does not mean, of course, that Jesus has relinquished his kingship over this world. He still controls it and provides us with a certain semblance of outward peace. This we have come to call his kingdom of the left hand. But more about that another day.

My Dog Will Be Resurrected Too

I have been thinking about the appointed Old Testament lessons for this second week in the Advent season. In one the prophet Isaiah describes what shall happen when the promised Christ or Messiah comes as a shoot from the apparently dead stump of the family of Jesse, David's father. Using poetic language he writes,

"The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den" (Isaiah 11:6-7). 

Frankly, those images have always disturbed me. They make no sense to me. As much as I like the idea of security and safety for humans and all other creatures, this image of a new creation where bears, wolves, leopards and lions eat grass and straw just blows my mind. How can a bear be a bear and a lion be a lion by turning into a herbivore? They're not built that way. Their whole bodily systems demand other kinds of food. Is the prophet, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, telling me that the entire food chain will be destroyed? It does not make sense to me, based upon what I see around me in the current way the natural world operates.

Is my problem of interpretation unique? And am I pushing language too far, trying to make poetry become literal prose? Perhaps I should simply accept the prophet's language as his inspired image of tranquility and peace in all of God's creation.

My problem is, in fact, not unique at all. C.S. Lewis struggled with the idea of cutting live animals open to study them. In an essay on vivisection he wrote that performing operations on live animals for scientific experiments, particularly when done on the higher animals who have consciousness, i.e. dogs, was completely unjustified.  In his small book "The Problem of Pain" he explored the theology behind his views. He insisted that higher animals are sentient and the idea of animals preying on other animals, especially where their prey is sentient, is contrary to the Creator's original plan for natural things. In that he agrees with Isaiah's vision that in the renewed creation such animals will no longer choose one another for food. They will be content to live of off lower forms of life that are not sentient, incapable of suffering and pain. One can see how he envisioned this future by reading about how he treats sentient and talking animals in his fantasy series, "The Chronicles of Narnia".

Several such animals have been part of our family's life. We name them, take photos of them and live with them for many years. Currently Wee-Z Zacchaeus So-cute  (his full name), a Pekingese-Poodle crossbreed, is a very intimate part of our life. I am inclined to believe that he and Pepper, a Schnauzer-Poodle mix who lived with us for over 18 years before passing away, will be resurrected with us in eternity. I base this conclusion upon the promise that our Lord will one day put all things right and things would not be proper and right without our beloved animals (Romans 8:16-25). They know us and talk with us. We communicate, laugh, play, travel, sleep—and suffer with them and they with us. Eternity will not be eternity without them. And yet I note that dogs, like their ancestral wolves, are apparently natural predators who prefer to eat meat.

Obviously this discussion could get us deep into another related one about scientific experiments with DNA marketing, cross-breeding, cloning, etc., but I'm not going there today. I'm simply wondering what Isaiah was revealing about the wonder that awaits us in the new creation.

The End of the World and God's New Creation

Nope, they didn't all die in the movie 2012. By virtue of human ingenuity, planning and science, some outfoxed the forces threatening worldwide, total destruction of all life on planet earth. The Biblical story of Noah's Ark is presented anew and this time three arks come sailing into Africa's Cape of Good Hope (sic!) to start again. True enough, billions did die, but some life survives on planet earth and the whole great process of evolution continues—I assume.

I was going to say, "Thank God," but then I remembered that God has nothing to do with it in 2012—or does He? Maybe it is the gods. Who knows?

OK, so much for this latest end of all things box office hit. It's been out almost two months and has grossed over $736 million worldwide against a cost of $200 million. Not bad, not bad at all. Of course, Avatar has already passed it up with over a $1 billion gross worldwide in less than three weeks!

All in all, it looks like end-of-the-world entertainment is good, but 3-D and science fiction about other worlds and gods does better.

But back to the end of the world viewed from the Bible.

An interesting passage from the Apostle Paul must be considered.

"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

"We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently" (Romans 8:18-25).

That does not sound like total destruction of creation. Nor does the Bible teach such. God's creation will not cease to exist. Things as we know them now will indeed cease and die, even as our physical bodies must pass away. The promises of the resurrection hold the clue as to what awaits us and the rest of creation after death. Listen to Paul again.

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive" (see 1 Corinthians 15:20-28).

What the Lord has planned for us, He has also planned for the entire creation. It is in bondage now. It will decay and die, but that is not the end, just as we saw in the passages referred to by Peter. All of it will be made new.

These changes have already begun. We can see them in the reborn lives of those called to faith in the living Christ. Paul again:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
  
No such newness dwells within fictional stories like 2012 or the imaginary prophecies quoted on the Internet or TV. But we already have it. We who have been reborn are "a new creation" and that creation will continue forever.