We're Not Done Yet

Before America was discovered, the Spaniards prided themselves. They prided themselves on having the greatest fleet ever assembled. They also prided themselves on the fact that their country was the last point of solid ground on the earth, going to the west. Beyond them, they thought that there was nothing, nothing but vast expanse of water. They thought that there was a shoreless ocean before them, really a mystery that would never be solved. And so, in their imagination, they thought that the limits of creation were Spain.

That beyond that, nothing, nothing. And so, for hundreds of years before Christopher Columbus was even born, Spain had a special motto. Their motto was three Latin words, Ne plus ultra. No more beyond. No more beyond, because the Spaniards believed they'd already discovered everything worth discovering. It was done. There wasn't anything more. So, what about us?

We've come back from the feast. We've arrived home. And we may think, we've done it all at the feast. We've done it all. There isn't anything else. But when we begin to consider the symbolism of God's holy days, and we think about the meaning of those days, starting at the Passover and the sacrifice of Christ, working our way all the way up to the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day, have we done it all?

I mean, where would we be now that we've finished the symbolism of the Eighth Day? When you consider that, well, that would mean the tribulation's passed. It's already done. The battle of that great day of God Almighty has been fought. It's been won by our Lord Jesus Christ. You think about this present evil world? It's come, and it's gone. Imagine, Christ would have already come down and set up His kingdom on earth.

The kingdom would have been here for more than a thousand years. And we, the faithful, would have reigned and ruled with Him during that time of the millennium. That's already passed. In fact, Satan had already been chained for a thousand years. A thousand years, he was put away, and that final rebellion even, over, done, finished. And ultimately, Satan, well, he's already received his just punishment.

And after the millennium, of course, we have the great white throne judgment. That time when the vast majority of all human beings who have ever lived and died throughout human history would have already been resurrected back to a physical life right here on this very earth. And we symbolize that on that eighth day. Except this time, when they come back to physical life, it's going to be different. Because Satan's gone. He's put away. And Christ would rule over the entire earth. That white throne judgment time. That time of the second resurrection. The general resurrection. That would definitely lead us to that time of recorded history being completed.

Man's history is finally at its end. But is that where the symbolism stops? Is there more to it? Are we at the end? Or is there more? What about the symbolism after the Holy Days? What is it that comes next? There's a beautiful passage in Romans 8, verse 20. As Paul writes to God's church in Rome, he begins to give us information about what comes next. So let's take a look at Romans 8, verse 20, and see what God has in store.

Romans 8, verse 20 talks about this very creation. What God has done and what God intends to do even after the fulfillment of the eighth day. After its symbolism is completed. Look at Romans 8, verse 20. It says, this creation was subjected to futility. Not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Now, it's just a couple of short little verses here, but there's so much information here. Did you catch it as we read through that? It says, the whole universe, everything physical that we see, was created in uselessness.

That word, futility, can mean vanity, or uselessness, or frailty. That's what that word means. It was created. Well, why was this universe created and subject to futility? Well, no matter what you do, no matter what I do, no matter what anyone can or will do, this universe is wearing out. This universe is decaying. No one can stop that process of deterioration, humanly speaking. Why? Because that's how God created it. God created it that way. It is wearing down. It is deteriorating. In fact, here in verse 21, it points the way to something new, something different.

Doesn't it tell us something different is coming? Something that it says will be delivered from the bondage of corruption. In other words, this creation is no longer going to be subject to wearing down. It's not going to wear out. It's not going to deteriorate. It's not going to decay. What does that mean, then? Well, what's coming must not consist of the elements that are familiar to us right now. It can't be physical elements because we know the physical wears down. And so the Apostle Paul is telling us this present physical universe will be replaced by an absolutely new creation that will be incapable of deterioration, incapable of decay.

And so we can surmise by what Paul has written here, there's no way this physical universe can be a permanent home for spirit beings in the family of God. It's wearing out. There has to be something new. There has to be something new. And in fact, that's not just a New Testament concept. That's something you'll find over and over and over again throughout all of Scripture, even in the Old Testament. If you look back to Psalm 102, we'll see the psalmist wrote about this. In fact, not just in Psalm 102, but in various places.

But we'll pick one. And notice what it says about that. In Psalm 102, look at verse 25. In verse 25, here this section of Scripture is speaking about God and what He has done and what He will do. And it's interesting, as the psalmist looks back, he also turns the other way and looks beyond. Notice what he writes, Psalm 102, verse 25. Speaking of God, it says, of old, you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are like the work of your hands. And that's where we're at today.

It says, they will perish, but you will endure. Yes, it says, they will all grow old like a garment.

You ever have that favorite shirt? I've got a favorite shirt.

It says, Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl champions.

It's getting kind of old. It's been a while. It's wearing out. T-shirts wear out. They get a whole... Oh no, my favorite shirt has a hole in it. That's what happens to garments. That's what happens to physical things. That's what's happening to this world, to this universe. It's wearing out. And so this earth is compared to shirt or a pair of pants or something. It just doesn't last.

But it says, God endures. But it also says something interesting at the end of verse 26. It says, like a cloak, you will change them, and they will be changed.

We're going to get rid of that old worn-out garment.

And this universe is going to be changed to something completely new, a new universe.

Now that may sound kind of funny, but that's exactly what Scripture says. And it says it repeatedly. If we flip back to the New Testament, head over to 2 Peter chapter 3. 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 10 also recognizes this very fact. Now Peter kind of gives a little bit of a summary of things that are happening. So he includes some of the details we've already looked at. We've already experienced as we went through the symbolism of the Holy Days. And Peter put some of these things together. But as we read through it, we can kind of separate that out and see which applies where and when. As we read what Peter wrote. 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 10. He begins by saying, The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. Alright, that's one thing. We know, looking back, that's already happened. Christ has already returned. We recognize that on what holy day? Well, that was the Feast of Trumpets. That was the Feast of Trumpets. We recognize Christ's return. Now we move past that. What will happen after the symbolism of the Holy Days? Well, it says, The heavens will pass away with a great noise. The elements will melt with fervent heat. Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. They'll be consumed. Some translations say they'll be laid bare. They'll be done, over with, finished. And so Peter says, Well, if that's going to happen, what kind of people ought we to be? Since all these things will be dissolved, gone, finished, done. Verse 12, Looking for and hastening the coming day of God, because of which, after the symbolism of the Holy Days, the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, we're looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. And so Peter includes a number of things here, but he points to the fact that after man's time, after man's judgment is concluded, a fire is going to engulf the entire planet, and the elements are going to melt, and the works of the physical things will be dissolved. Earth's history, as well as the elements, are gone. They're going to be burned up. And we can even see evidence of that, as we look back, even at the Old Testament. If we look back to the minor prophet Malachi, go back to Malachi 4, verse 1.

Malachi 4, verse 1 also gives us some insight into this time period. And he includes a couple of things in his comments, but it's interesting as he points to this future time. This time after the general resurrection, after the Great White Throne Judgment, after this period of time, this time that Peter talked about, this time when the heavens will pass away.

Malachi hints at that in chapter 4, verse 1. He says, For behold, the day is coming. What day? Well, that day that is going to burn like an oven. That sounds like what Peter wrote. And what will happen? It says, Yeah, all the proud, although who do wickedly, will be stubble. The day which is coming shall burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts. That will leave them neither root nor branch. But the question is, is that only limited to those people?

Or should we recognize what Peter is saying as well? See, there's more to it than just that. This principle that Malachi is talking about is reflected in what Peter wrote. And ultimately, it applies to everything, everything that's physical, everything that exists physically right now. It will be ultimately as though it never had been. Obadiah says that very thing. It will be just like it never existed.

And so not only will the incorrigible be burned up, their memory gone. No more memory of them. The physical, it will disappear. And those physical things, they won't even remember them anymore. Everything in existence physically today will be blotted out. We can see that also referred to in Isaiah 65. Notice Isaiah 65 verse 17. Here we see prophetically, picturing that time after the symbolism of the Holy Days, picturing this time when there will be that day, when things will be burned up, and the physical has to give way to something new, something different. And so Isaiah prophesied about this.

He prophesied about what God was going to do. So in Isaiah 65 verse 17, notice what God says. God says, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. I've got to think about those things. It's going to be gone. It's going to be gone. And in fact, it adds a little bit to it, just a page or so later.

Look at chapter 66, Isaiah 66 verse 22. Isaiah 66 verse 22 also speaks of this time. It says, For as the new heavens and new earth which I make shall remain, says the Lord, which of course implies the old isn't going to remain. It's going to be gone. So the new shall remain before me, says the Lord. And it also says, So shall your descendants and your name remain. Talking about the faithful, talking about those who follow God and obey God and do His will. And so it all points, in a sense, to complete makeover.

In fact, even more than just a makeover, the old creation is going to be burned away and it's going to reveal a new creation. We could say a new creation in Christ. All the impurities have been burned away. And the new heaven and the new earth is where creation is purified to what God initially intended it to be. I mean, think about creation for a moment. I mean, even go back to this physical creation.

What did God intend for it? Well, what was it like? What was it like? If you go back to Genesis 1, God created the earth. He creates all these wonderful things. What does He say about it? It was very good. It was very good.

And so this new creation harkens back to the original creation. It's going to be different. It's not going to be physical. But it harkens back to what God called very good. What God initially intended it to be. And if you begin to consider that, what kind of world do you expect? What will it be like once God has created new heavens and the new earth?

What will that be like? What expectations do you have when it comes to that time period? Does the Bible tell us much about that? Well, when we think about that symbolism of the Holy Days where we left off on that eighth day, now we come to this time where there will be a pure, transformed, new earth. One that will never grow old. It will never be decaying. It will never grow corrupt. And that takes us to Revelation 21. In Revelation 21, we have the setting for that time period that we're looking forward to. In fact, if you turn with me over to Revelation 21, there's something surprising here.

Does God tell us what that new heaven and that new earth will be like? Nope. He doesn't. He doesn't. Who tells us about this new heaven and new earth? John does. God didn't provide his description for this new universe. I mean, unless we say he does it through John, okay. But God doesn't himself describe it. He doesn't say, John, write this down. This is what it's going to be like.

What does he do instead? In a vision, John sees this. And God allows John to describe what John sees in this vision. So if you want to say, yeah, okay, God does through John, that's one thing. But wait a second.

Why doesn't God just say, here's the way it's going to be? Well, would you know something spiritual? If you've never seen it, never experienced, don't have a concept of what it would be like, how do you describe that? I mean, if God did, we wouldn't get it because we don't know. But when you describe it in terms of our experience, of John's experience, that's the only way he could describe it, by his perception, by his understanding. And so God uses John to describe this new heaven and new earth through his own eyes, through his experience, through this vision that God gives to him. So John begins to describe that very time, which I think is just absolutely amazing.

We see that in verse 1. Notice, this is what John says. Now I saw a new heaven and new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no more sea. How do you describe something that you don't know? Well, you do it in terms of what you do know, and you try to do the best job you can. I mean, we saw that when he describes these weapons of war earlier in Revelation. How could he describe it? He didn't know what they were. He could only describe it in terms of what he knew. And so he does that very thing here.

So he sees a new heaven. In fact, we get a little bit of a hint. There's something different about this universe, something different about this new heaven and new earth. He says, there's no more sea. Kind of a hint, what happened to the elements? What happened to water? What happened to H2O? There's no more H2O. It's passed away. So we have this hint of this spiritual creation, this new earth, this new earth that is being readied for a special city. And so God shows John in a vision, and John continues to describe what lies ahead.

Verse 2, And so John sees this and describes it. It's not a bride. It's not the bride. But the only thing that comes to John's mind, it was so amazing, so astounding, so beautiful. It's like imagining your soon-to-be wife for the very first time, stepping through that door in that beautiful wedding gown, and it just takes your breath away.

That's what John sees. It's the only words that come to mind as he describes this unbelievably huge, beautiful city. It's like this bride that is just dressed, especially for her husband. He's just overwhelmed by the sheer beauty and size of it all, and he describes it in that very way. And in fact, it's also described for us in other sections of Scripture. We know that city is also described. This place, this new earth, is also described in the faith chapter. So if you turn with me over to Hebrews 11, hold your place here in Revelation.

We're going to come back to Revelation 21. We find this city also described there in the faith chapter. We have those great heroes of the Bible described in this particular chapter. And as we recognize each of them, we see that they didn't focus on the physical. They didn't focus on this age. They didn't focus on this earth or this universe. This wasn't what it was all about. They could see beyond the temporary. They could see beyond the physical. They could see beyond what was decaying and wearing out. And so when we read about Abraham, for example, and Sarah, we know God made them special promises that just couldn't take place without a miracle.

So they saw beyond the physical, and they could see ultimately the spiritual. So when we get down to verse 10, we see that it was more for Abraham. What was Abraham doing? Verse 10 says, He waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Now that's not physical foundations. That's not a physical building.

No, that's not some temple or tabernacle. No, this is something whose maker is God. God is going to create a spiritual thing, and He's waiting for that. That new heaven, that new earth, that new Jerusalem is what Abraham waited for.

In fact, we see as we skip down just a little bit, you put them together. Verse 16, it says, But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly. Actually, the word country is not there in the Greek. They were waiting for the heavenly. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. He has prepared that city. Abraham looked forward to that new heaven, that new earth, that new Jerusalem.

He looked forward to that, that very vision that God was giving to John. That's what Abraham looked for. And so when we consider that, we see as we flip back to Revelation 21 for a moment. Revelation 21, now we have a little bit of a change of perspective, because John's been seeing, envisioning these things. God has told John, tell me what you see, write down what you see. And He describes it by His physical experience. He describes it by that. Now, it changes. Notice Revelation 21, verse 3. Change of perspective here.

Now John says, I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them. And they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And so we see this isn't something John thought of. This isn't something John's describing any longer. What is this? This is a message from God. A message directly from God. God reveals that this new Jerusalem will be God's new home. This is where He's going to be dwelling, where He'll be for all eternity. This is ultimately that time when Jesus Christ delivers the kingdom to God the Father. Finally, at this point, it says God will tabernacle with men. The tabernacle of God is with men. That's not talking about a tent, like in the Old Testament. That's not talking about a temple, like we have in later times. Literally what this is saying is God will dwell with men. Of course, converted men, spiritual people, that are now a part of His family in the kingdom. And God will tabernacle. This is the same exact word that's used over in John 1.14. John 1.14 is that section of Scripture that says, The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. We know Christ became a man, God in the flesh, and lived with man. Well, see, we fast forward to the future. That's exactly what the Father is going to do. He is going to tabernacle with us, with converted mankind. And then, from then on, the Father will always be present with the family of God on earth. So what an amazing development that will be. He will always be the supreme head of His spiritual family. In fact, we see some insight of that in verse 4. In verse 4 it says, God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There will be no more pain. The former things have passed away. No more death, no more dying, no more physical, no more decay, no more breakdown of anything. Because there's no more physical elements. None of the elements that make up this creation are present in that future universe, in that future new earth, in that new Jerusalem. Those building blocks have to be different because they have passed away. They no longer exist. In fact, verse 5 shows God's presence among His people. Then He who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful. So God gives John the directive here. And what is one of the things that He writes? Well, how much is new? It's a little bit new. It's a little bit recreated. It's a little bit transformed. It's slightly different. New improved version of the earth and new Jerusalem. Now, it doesn't say that. I make all things new. All things new. And so we finally come to that time. It's not just an upgrade. It's not, oh, earth 2.0. Nope. Not that at all. It's not the new updated improve. This is entirely new. There's no more hydrogen, no more carbon, no more gold. All those elements are gone. No more sea, no more water, no more H2O. It's different. It's different. It is new. It is new. And so we finally arrive at the point then to which God ultimately set out to achieve. Ultimately, God's will will have been accomplished. That spiritual family that He set out to create will finally be complete. Not only the family, but also the living environment. Where are we going to be? Well, God planned that out. And here we see it finally that God has made that new heaven, new earth, new Jerusalem finally created. And we have to ask, well, who's there? Who's dwelling with God?

Well, the residents are mentioned. We look down to verse 7. He tells us about the residents of this city. It says, He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. This city prepared for God's faithful elect. And God uses a special word to describe that. Did you catch that word? He who overcomes shall inherit. We'll have that opportunity to inherit all things. Think about the basis for inheritance. What's the basis for inheritance? Well, I've been a good little boy, so give me everything. Okay, it's not that. That's not it.

It's based on a relationship, isn't it? It's based on a relationship to God. It comes to us based on our spiritual relationship with our Father. In fact, a couple of chapters before this, it describes it in chapter 3. Revelation 3, verse 12, tells about those dwelling with God at that future time, and it reminds us of that very fact. Revelation 3, verse 12, notice what it says.

We can never be kicked out. We'll never miss out. We'll never have an opportunity to be deceived again. We'll never be fooled. We will be spirit beings. We will be in the God family. We will be members of the divine family. No one could ever tell us, Get out of here, because we have a home with God, and we have His name written on us and the name of this city. And so we see we have a place that God has specially prepared for us.

The overcomers. They'll be the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem. And we will have free access. We'll have access to everything that God is. Everything that God has planned that we don't even know about right now. That we haven't been told about. All of this future creation. Because ultimately, the Father is the one who's produced this, and will give it to us as an inheritance. All comes from God the Father. And ultimately, that plan will be complete.

And of course, ahead of that, we have this beautiful future. A future of eternity. For this entire family of God at that time, who all together share the same goals. Share the same dreams. We have the same values. We have the same perspective. There will be perfect unity at that time. We'll all be of the same mind. And if you were to sum it up, I think that's what verse 7 says in chapter 21. I will be His God, and He shall be my Son.

Doesn't that sum it up? Doesn't that sum up the relationship that will exist then for eternity? God the Father will always be supreme. Next, Jesus Christ will always be there, right under the Father in authority. And above, all of the rest of us, everyone else in the family of God. And together, we'll always be together. There'll be a willful and joyful submission to God the Father by everyone. And so it is such a phenomenal time to imagine that future.

What God has in store for us. And then after that, we're just not told. He hasn't told us those secret things that will happen after that in a new heaven, in a new earth, in a new city. But whatever it is, it's going to be tremendous. It will be fantastic. I mean, words can't even describe how amazing that ultimate time will be. But here we are now. Here we are now. Does any of this connect to our life right now? I mean, in the meantime, we're not there yet. We're not there yet.

Does the symbolism and what ultimately will happen after the eighth day, during this time, any of that have anything to do with us now? I think it does. I think it does. A few powerful things that relate to how we live our life now. I mean, one of the things this whole section of Scripture talked about is that we must be burned. You ever considered that? What does that mean?

I have to be burned? Well, we know this earth, these heavens, it's all going to be dissolved. It's all going to be burnt up. But what about me? You see, before a new heaven and a new earth, there has to be a difference in our life. In fact, the Apostle Paul talked about it in 1 Corinthians 3. Take a look. 1 Corinthians 3, verse 11. This concept of burning applies to us, as well as the future earth being dissolved. There are some other things that need to be dissolved when it comes to us personally.

1 Corinthians 3, verse 11. Paul writes about this very fact. I can't help but wonder if he didn't connect these things as well. Notice what he wrote to God's church in Corinth. He writes to us by extension. 1 Corinthians 3, verse 11. He says, No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus. Notice the building process he describes, verse 12.

Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, well, there's also wood and hay and straw. He says, Each one's work will become clear, for the day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire.

And the fire will test each one's work of what sort it is. He goes on and says, If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. And so what we find is each one of us has been called to a building process. But we're not building with physical things of gold and silver and precious. He's just relating that to the fact that we better be building with spiritual tools.

We better be building spiritual character. We better be growing in grace and knowledge. We better have that foundation of Jesus Christ that is not of this world. That's the foundation we build on. And ultimately, it's tested. And this life is going to test us. It's going to send flames of fire that will show only the spiritual will receive a reward. Because the rest is going to be burnt up.

And so fire has to cleanse us. We have to be cleansed of our carnality, of our human nature. And we have to build on that very spiritual foundation. And so I think this timeframe that lies ahead forces us to ask that question. Has my old creation been burned away? Has my old person, has that been dissolved? Have all the impurities dissipated? And how completely has that process taken place in our life? Are we really a new creation? I mean, this timeframe points to that. It points to the fact our character must be revealed.

We must be burned. But it also points to the fact it has to be spiritual. We must be spiritual. And God started that process in us already. If we're baptized, He's given us His Holy Spirit. He's given us a new spirit that we can overcome our humanity. When we submit to God's Spirit, we can have a new mind.

We can have a new perspective. Philippians 2 says, we have the mind of Christ. And so we must be led by that spirit. We must be that new creation. We're not to be that old person. We can't be that old person. In fact, Paul saw that so clearly. He tells us in Galatians 2.20, he saw it so clearly and could taste it. So much to the fact that he said he didn't even live anymore. He said he was crucified with Christ. He was crucified. That old man was dead and gone. But he said, you know, I'm still alive, though.

But not me. Not that old me. Not that old perspective. Not that old humanity. Not that frailty. That's got to be gone. But Christ in me. Christ in me. That's the hope of glory. That Christ is living in us and living through us so much to the point that we don't see the old man anymore.

We are that different. This time frame points to the fact we must be led by God's spirit. In fact, Paul wrote to the Romans, that's the delineating factor. Not just to have God's spirit, but we have to submit our lives to God's spirit, our thinking to God's spirit. Because he tells us as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. That offsets us from the rest of this physical creation.

Because ultimately, as we look forward, not only do we have to burn up the works of this age, not only by the power of the Spirit do we overcome, but that points us to the fact we have to live now as though there is no night. There can be no darkness. We can't have dimly lit corners of our life where the physical still survive. Ultimately, there will be no more night. And so our calling now says, we've got to get rid of those dark places in our life.

We've got to remove them. By the power of God's spirit, it has to be different for us. And it can be. It can be. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 4, he reminded them, he reminds us of who we are as we live by the power of God's spirit, and Christ is in us.

He tells us about those dark places evaporating, turning on the light of God. That light of God must never set in our lives. There must never be a dark moment. That's our goal. That's our calling. Paul writes about this here in chapter 5, verse 4 of 1 Thessalonians. He says, But you, brethren, you are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief.

Now, as God is going to surprise us, we know what's on the horizon. You, he says, are all sons of light and sons of the day. And so by the power of God's spirit, he says, we're not of the night nor of darkness. And so we've got to live a different life, a different way, a different look, a different perspective, a different frame of mind. It has to be ours. Because ultimately, if we don't, we don't submit to God's spirit. If we allow those dark corners to creep in, he says, we're going to fall asleep.

Because that's what happens when you draw the shutters and it gets dim. How about you? I fall asleep if I pull the blinds. That's what happens. So he says, verse 6, Therefore let us not sleep. Don't let the darkness in. Don't pull the spiritual shades. Let us watch and be sober.

And so our calling tells us our lives must be lives that the daylight of spirit and that spiritual perspective must be present all the time, all the time. And it certainly reminds us that that physical perspective must pass away. That's a fourth aspect when we consider the symbolism of this future time. It must pass away. It must pass away. Think about that in personal terms for a moment. What about your first heaven and first earth? My first heaven and first earth before baptism? Wow, this world was everything to me. It was everything. That's what was important. That's what I thought about. The bigger, better deal. The American way. That's what it's all about. That's the first heaven and the first earth. How important was that to us? That's when I know who was on the throne in my life. And it wasn't Jesus Christ. It was me. I was most important. What I wanted. What was my will. And the lies that were out there to me became truth. And I served myself. That was my heaven and my earth. But that's got to change. When the new heaven and new earth comes to us, which for those of us who are baptized, it's here now. That old heaven and old earth has to be gone. It has to be left behind. It has to have passed away. Because now, those spiritual priorities must be first.

And so I have to ask myself, has my first heaven and first earth truly passed away? You see, because God's already prepared that new city. He's got it ready to go. And we must remember, that's our habitation. That's what God has in mind. Because it's not even anything I can choose in that sense. God's done the choosing. He's done the calling. I have to respond to that choosing. And He's prepared this city for us. So we can become inhabitants of that city. As we choose to respond to His calling. And so we look to that. And we think about that. And we have that ultimate responsibility now to live, in a sense, in that presence of God, right now. And so what an amazing, beautiful time to look forward to. A marvelous time. And in fact, it doesn't stop there. Think about the former things passed away. Not just a new heaven and a new earth, but we're also told the former things are gone. Every tear, every sorrow, death, crying, pain. It's gone. It's gone. Do you suffer? We do suffer. Even being called out of this world, we suffer. And there is discouragement. And there is depression. And there is anxiety. And there is fear. It's part of being human. But what God says, that is all going to pass away. Ultimately, finally, when we suffer from those things, we can look forward to that time when every shred of that will be totally and completely removed. And we will ultimately, finally and forever, be set free. We think about that future time, the joy and the happiness, just the elation and the excitement of that future time. It's just immeasurable. We can't even imagine it. And it will even exceed anything that we could think of. Anything that we've experienced. Anything that we'd even hoped for to have experienced in this life. And so whatever may have been the cause of your pain will have passed away. And this time points us to that very fact. Yeah, there's some suffering right now. Even as converted Christians. And Paul envisioned that time. He recognized that very fact. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 17, in a way summarizes where we're at right now. It summarizes that as he reminds us, we're not quite there yet. We're not quite there yet. But he shows us the amazing possibilities. Yeah, put it in perspective. You know, it's not six months to the next Holy Day, is it? I mean, we might think, oh, it's so far to the Passover. So far ahead to the next feast day. Is that true?

No! Today is a feast day. Today is the Sabbath. It's the first of God's feasts that's mentioned in Leviticus, chapter 23. That reminds us, that should be our perspective. This is just the start. It's not over and done. There's so much that lies ahead. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 17 puts it in that perspective.

It says, yes, we're still physical, but wait a second. Have the perspective. This is just a light affliction. This is something that's going to overwhelm us. This is something that is just for a moment, it says. And what's it doing? He writes, it's working for us, a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Eternal, he says. He says, we do not look at the things which are seen. They're wearing out. They're growing old. They're decaying. But we look at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary. But the things which are not seen are eternal.

And that's the vision that we're left with as we finish the symbolism of God's holy days. It is a look ahead. And in fact, one of the most beautiful monuments to Christopher Columbus is a statue that you would find in Spain.

And it's a statue of a huge lion. And there are three Latin words written on that statue.

Those three Latin words? Ne plus ultra. No more beyond. But there's something different about this statue. The lion is destroying one of the words. That lion has torn away the first word, ne. Now it just says, plus ultra. More beyond. More beyond. This beautiful legacy of the explorers recognized the fact there was so much more beyond to be discovered. And that's what God says to us. There is so much more. More beyond the values of this world. More beyond what people think is success in this age. More beyond the temptations. More beyond the sins.

He points to the fact we can overcome because we have a lion. We have the lion of Judah. We have Jesus Christ who will return, who will eat up the ways of this world and establish His kingdom.

So we can take heart in the promise of God that there is plus ultra. There is so much more beyond.

So let's make that our goal. Make it a goal to see beyond today. To live beyond today. Because there is so much more beyond. Be that new creation. Be that creation where the old things have passed away. And behold, all things have become new.