2 Peter 3:13 "But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness." NIV
The Bible says, there is a new Heaven and a New Earth, and this place is called the home of righteousness. WOW...! How wonderful this place. I want this place. This is our home place, the Bible says that we are only strangers here on earth, strangers stay only temporarily in one place, time comes that we will go home to our real home place.
How Can We Describe This Place?
1. The home of righteousness is a place of perfect peace.
Everyone wants a peaceful place. We do not want to live in a place where there is always trouble in the surroundings.
When I was a child, I always heard that Mindanao Philippines is always in war. I live in Visayas in 1970's where I have my two cousins who were solders assigned in Mindanao, and they said they were in a war.
In those years, we heard through radio that Vietnam was in war. I thank God I was not born before the world war 2.
We may think that our place that we live is peaceful, no war no physical trouble, it's a place where there is peace because there are many police men and guards all around. There is no even thief nor dangerous men.
But the truth actually, in the mind of the people especially those who do not trust in God, still they felt troubles in their mind. Some troubles are caused by the routine of life, misunderstanding between two or more in relationships.
Stress, anxiety over fatigue, headaches and heartaches are still operating in each individuals. So therefore... no peace at all.
We cannot find perfect peace here on this old heaven and earth. The perfect peace is in the new heaven and the new earth, the promise of God for those who longs to live on it.
2. The home of righteousness is a place of perfect safety.
We want a safe place, where we can walk in the middle of the night, we do not have fear of danger.
Can we find a place which is safe and sound that you can sleep very well in the night when you are tired from your work?
Maybe we can find a place which every body thinks that this place is a safe place for us. But how sure we are? To tell the truth, no place here on earth which is safe at all.
Yah! Maybe it's a safe place for a moment, but no one can predict what will happen in the future.
Don't you know that, even we are having a high technologies today still they are limited. The time is changing, climate is changing. Many may think that we are developing and progressing because of the high technologies.
Maybe there are things that are developing and progressing into the good and into the best, but in the other side, our earth and the universe is getting older that any time there will be trouble in the solar system that no person can stop.
Earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes cannot be stopped by our technologies.
Crushes on highways and airways still happening every moment throughout the earth. There is no safe place....!
Sickness is also getting high grade, while the technologies in making any good medicines are computerized and it is well developed, but don't you wonder that the more people are getting sick.
Maybe someone could boast of his good health, but actually he does not know that cancer could take advantage later on, that he even cannot refuse it to come any time. There is no safe place here on earth...!
We cannot hide from any danger while here on earth. The only place where there is a perfect safety is in the new heaven and the new earth. That's my place....!
3. The home of righteousness is a place of perfect righteousness.
Many religious people I heard say that if you live righteously, absolutely you are going to heaven when you die.
These people believe that because you are good and religious surely and absolutely you are bound for heaven. I do not believe to that, it is a lie, absolutely a lie.
You will not go to heaven, because you are good and you always do good. Heaven cannot be bought by your good works. How much is the worth of your good works, how many millions of dollars is the price of your good works?
Can it be enough to pay to enter heaven? Is the new heaven and earth for rent of for sale? No!
The reason why Apostle Paul said, you are not saved by your good works, because if it so, you will boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). My own term, but it is the point.
If you count your good works as your own righteousness and because of that you are going to heaven, I tell you,! You are wrong and you will never enter heaven.
Because you trust on your own good works to save you. You replaced Jesus Christ as the only savior by your good works or your own righteousness.
Your righteousness as the result of your good works is nothing in the sight of God. It is counted by God as filthy rags.
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Isaiah 64:6That is why, Apostle Paul said in his writing in Philippians 3:9, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:"
The Apostle here is talking about the two kinds of righteousness. The righteousness of man produced by observing the law or doing good works, and the righteousness of God which is in Christ receive by faith.
Except that your own righteousness be replaced by the righteousness of God in you, not by doing the good works of the law, but by faith of Christ, you are not righteous in the sight of God.
You can receive the righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ in the time that you believe in him.
"Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:..." Romans 3:22.
When you have that righteousness of God in you, in the sight of God you are righteous. Every good work you do for God has now become acceptable in His sight because He sees you as already clean, not like filthy rags anymore.
That's why the new heaven and the new earth is a place of righteousness because those who will go there are already righteous because God's righteousness is in them.
The Place of righteousness is intended only for the righteous.
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