Good-bye, Sun. Good-bye, Moon.

Christians—well, many Christians—believe that the Bible is the absolute truth about everything needed for a life that prospers spiritually, morally, and physically on earth and ensures eternity for the believer.   

But is all truth in the Bible?

Ultimately, yes.

Please allow me to explain. Yes, information about how fast light travels, for example, is not in Scripture, along with the description and explanation of millions of things. It is a book of spiritual truth. In it is the ultimate expression of that truth: Jesus. He claimed that He Himself was the truth (John 14:6). However, Scripture is the ultimate truth about the physical universe, as well. Jesus, who died but is alive forever, is truth, the words God speaks are truth, so truth must be eternal. The Lord speaks from eternity and thus the truth about the future of the earth and the universe.

This is what Scripture says: “For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Peter 3:5–7).

However, the Lord God Almighty will not simply burn the universe up and destroy it. He will create something completely new. Here are a few hints of what will happen to the universe as we now know it. Perhaps these verses will help us understand why God’s truth concerning everything is eternal.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more” (Revelation 21:1).

And these three:

“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’” (Revelation 21:5a).

“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23).

“And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:5).

The sun? Gone. No more heat, light, or photosynthesis. But there will be light, and there will be at least one tree (Revelation 22:14). The moon? Gone. No more tides. Makes sense. There won’t be oceans. Quantum physics and all its strangeness? Gone, or at least altered. After all, Jesus was able to walk through walls and appear or disappear at will after His resurrection. That’s the way the bodies of believers will be, since after He brings us up to Himself, we will have bodies like His (Philippians 3:20-21).

All things will be made new. What will life be like in that eternal kingdom? Well, we are only given clues and hints. But, if you are a believer, you can trust that it will be more wonderful than the beauties we now encounter in nature and in the universe. And we will be sharing it, inheriting it, and in fellowship with the One who created it all, the One who brought us into His family, the One who saved us from sin, death, hell, and the grave.

That is something to look forward to.

That’s eternal truth.

¹All Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Gif courtesy Bing images.