People have become conscious about how they are harming the world, although few see it as harming God’s creation. Some are desperately trying to do something towards limiting the problem of climate change, which is starting to affect their lives, and there is every prospect of it getting worse.

In God’s creation nothing was wasted. All that was “waste” served a purpose in some other aspect of the functioning of His creation. But the western world especially has created a “throwaway” society. Why? To make life easier and more enjoyable. How much pollution is caused in creating it!

These thoughts arose from reading the final two chapters of the Bible and the picture of the time when “the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Revelation 21:4) and a “loud voice” says, “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 … for the former things have passed away” (verses 3,4).

The next verse tells us, “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’”. This led us to meditate on the extent and wonder of “making all things new”. The follies of our human lifestyle have made a “new” creation more essential than ever.

How awesome is verse 8; it tells us there will be a “second death” – which means there is a whole category of people who are raised to life again – but only temporarily. It says, “but as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion … is the second death”. We also noted that our Isaiah reading mentioned one particular aspect of life in the future age. The prophet states that God says, “my house (temple) will be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (56:7). What a wonder to be there. How we live now will determine whether we, by the grace of God, will be there.