DRAWING NEAR
December 16
Christ's Eternal Existence
"Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay a foundation of the
earth, and the heavens are the works of Thy hands; they will
perish, but Thou remainest; and they all will become old as a
garment. And as a mantle Thou wilt roll them up; as a garment
they will also be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years
will not come to an end" (Heb. 1:10-12).
Christ existed before the beginning of the world, thus He is without
beginning.
Jesus Christ is no creature. To be able to lay the foundation of the
earth and create the heavens in the beginning implies that He must
have existed before the beginning. The apostle John testified to this
when he said, "In the beginning was the Word" (John 1:1). Christ is
eternal.
Jesus is also immutable, which means He never changes. Hebrews 13:8
says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and
forever." We need to hang onto this truth as we approach a day when
much of what we know will change drastically.
One day what looks so permanent will fold up. Like the people Peter
warned, we are tempted to think that "all continues just as it was
from the beginning of creation" (2 Pet. 3:4). But Hebrews 1:11 tells
us that one day Jesus will discard the heavens and the earth, just as
we would a useless garment.
Even more amazing, verse 12 specifies that Christ will roll up the
heavens. Revelation 6:14 says, "The sky was split apart like a scroll
when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of
their places." During the time of the tribulation, the heavens, as if
stretched to all corners, will roll right up like a scroll.
But we can be confident that although creation will perish, Jesus
will not, and He will create a new heaven and a new earth. Living
creatures, worlds, and stars are subject to decay, but not Christ. He
never changes and is never subject to change. What confidence that
should give us for the daily issues of life we face each day!
Suggestion for Prayer:
Thank the Lord for His unchanging plan for your life and His ability
to keep it.
For Further Study:
Read 2 Peter 3 and develop an approach to answering charges
unbelievers make about biblical prophecies regarding the end times.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
2 Peter 3
3:1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of
which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),
2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by
the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the
Lord and Savior,
3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days,
walking according to their own lusts,
4 and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the
fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the
beginning of creation."
5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the
heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the
water,
6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with
water.
7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same
word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition
of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one
day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count
slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any
should perish but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in
which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements
will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in
it will be burned up.
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner
of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because
of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the
elements will melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens
and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent
to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;
15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; as
also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him,
has written to you,
16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in
which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable
people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of
the Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware
lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with
the error of the wicked;
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
http://www.gty.org/Gospel/
http://www.nwbible.org/
To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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