“I looked on the earth, and behold, it was waste and void, and to the heavens, and they had no light.” Jeremiah 4:23

In 4:23-31, Jeremiah uses words to paint a frightening scene of creation coming unraveled.  So it is with many of the descriptions we encounter in the end of the world texts assigned for reading at the end of the church year.  We can forget that these are associated with Jesus return who will bring an end to the history of the universe as we have come to know it.

But there are other words of scripture which present an awesome picture of everything being recreated.  Isaiah 65:17, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.”  A more complete picture is displayed in verses 18-25.

Once in a while I have tried to think about a perfect world.  Think of a world with no need for doctors or hospitals or pharmaceutical companies, no sports talk radio or Rush Limbaugh.  Well the list would go on endlessly.  Then there all those questions about things we can’t understand and intend to ask when we get to heaven.  If God should ask, “Any questions?”  Our answer would be, “Questions?  Why would I have questions?”  We will be too busy being filled with gladness and eternal rejoicing over his new creation.  Furthermore, we will get a complete makeover, which will make the ones we see on TV seem pretty paltry by comparison.

So if you want to drive yourself crazy, try spending the rest of the day contemplating a perfect universe, or just leave that up to God and go about the business of making our present world a little bit more like the new one.  I don’t know if that would involve trying to emulate TV’s idea of makeovers.