SABBATH THOUGHT 2026-09-12—ALL THINGS NEW
May God bless you on His Sabbath day!
When Christ returns, there are two significant events that happen: the resurrection of the saints and vengeance upon the wicked:
MATTHEW 24:31 “And He [Jesus Christ] will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
2 THESSALONIANS 1:7-9 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
These will begin the fulfillment of an incredible and fantastic message that is in the forefront of the minds of Believers. It is not a message of greedy and corruptible men, but from a Creator God who is eternal and good. Believers are drawn by the words of Him who made all life and all things and who is more powerful than any man or false god. What stirs up hope above all was a promise in that message that no one on earth could make:
REVELATION 21:4 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
The Gospel resonates with Believers, especially those who have been persecuted. It does not come from the lips of men because it is beyond even the most powerful to make this happen. No false god has ever uttered such a promise; they themselves are evil and no good comes from them. The promise of the Most High God to transform this world begins with extreme Vengeance of Justice upon the wicked:
REVELATION 6:9-11 When He [Jesus Christ] opened the fifth seal, I [John] saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
PSALMS 58:10-11 The [just] shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He [the LORD] shall wash His feet in the blood of the wicked, 11 so that men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the [just]; surely He is God who judges in the earth.”
MICAH 5:15 And I [the LORD] will execute vengeance in anger and fury on the nations that have not heard.”
Every Believer longs to live in a Kingdom without evil. It is so great that some chose to be martyrs rather than denouncing their convictions. Over the millennia, Believers have been persecuted, imprisoned, enslaved, and murdered or witnessed such things come upon parents, husbands, wives, children, friends, and strangers. They long for a world of justice that brings peace unto all:
LUKE 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
The heavenly angels recognized the birth of Christ was the beginning of PEACE on earth. Believers do not want destruction of life for the sake of vengeance; they seek a Judge who will enact Justice instead of the injustice that has stolen peace from the world:
[TS2009] ISAIAH 59:17-18 And He [the LORD] put on [justice] as a breastplate, and a helmet of deliverance [for the saints] on His head. And He put on garments of vengeance [for the wicked] for clothing, and wrapped Himself with [zeal] as a mantle. 18 According to their [the wicked’s] deeds, so He repays, wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies. He repays recompense to the coastlands.
[DOUAY] PSALM 119:142 Thy justice is justice for ever: and thy law is the truth.
But the Vengeance of God is only the beginning; a necessary step to “wipe away every tear from their eyes.” After the tears is when the real transformation begins:
REVELATION 21:5 Then He [God the Father] who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me [John], “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
All things NEW. Everything. “The former [old] things have passed away.” Beyond vengeance and past the tears is a world of justice and peace in place of death, sorrow, crying, and pain:
JEREMIAH 33:6-9 ‘Behold, I [the LORD] will bring it [Jerusalem] health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. 7 ‘And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first. 8 ‘I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me. 9 ‘Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.’
PSALM 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Out of justice comes peace and out of peace comes joy:
ROMANS 14:17 the kingdom of God is … [justice] and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
ROMANS 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [the promise of the Gospel], that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The words of the Most High were given to the apostles. They were spoken from their lips and conveyed on paper with a pen. Through them, God declared that entry into the coming New World requires salvation. No one enters His Kingdom by applying for citizenship. All citizens must be RESCUED from this present evil age. But only those who prove themselves worthy[1] will be saved and given the gift of citizenship:
1) Believing Jesus Christ was sacrificed for remission of sin and being baptized in His name.
2) Learning, obeying, and living in accordance with the Law of Love.
3) Enduring the works of God for perfecting faith, humility, and agape love.
Beyond these, everything else is mostly details. Why are these required to be saved? The foundation of the Kingdom is the Law of Love. The first point deals with transgressions against the Law, the second proves submission to the Lawgiver, and the third is being made into a New Creation. God said, “I make all things new.” Not a few things. Not some things. Not many things. ALL things, including the very citizens of the Kingdom:
2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
GALATIANS 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.
[DOUAY] EPHESIANS 4:24 And put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth.
Becoming a New Creation is the purpose of this life, not the next. Believers committed to the work of being perfected to God’s standards when they swore an oath to the NEW Covenant:
MATTHEW 26:28 “For this is My [Jesus Christ’s] blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Something is new because it REPLACES the old thing that existed before:
ROMANS 6:6 knowing this, that our old man [the Old Creation] was crucified with Him [Jesus Christ], that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
EPHESIANS 4:22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man [the Old Creation] which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
COLOSSIANS 3:9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man [the Old Creation] with his deeds,
To become citizens of the Kingdom, Believers must earnestly seek to be saved. The blood of the New Covenant opened up a NEW Way to come before God and cry out for His salvation:
HEBREWS 10:19-20 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,
HEBREWS 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Old things cannot be made into new things. Old things can be patched but that does not make them new anymore than old wineskins can be patched and made new[2]. Believers are like new wine—they require new ‘skins’. Replacing the Old Creation with a New Creation requires works; it is not available on Amazon. It is fitting, then, that “all things new” include the citizens of the New Kingdom:
REVELATION 21:1 Now I [John] saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
REVELATION 21:2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
REVELATION 3:12 “… And I [Jesus Christ] will write on him My new name.
REVELATION 2:17 “… And I [Jesus Christ] will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ‘
1 CORINTHIANS 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.
REVELATION 3:3 They [the 144,000] sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.
ISAIAH 65:17 “For behold, I [the LORD] create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.
REVELATION 21:22 But I [John] saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
There will be a NEW Heaven. There will be a NEW Earth. There will be a NEW Jerusalem. Jesus will have a NEW name. Saints will have a have a NEW name to go along with a NEW body. Saints will sing a NEW song. Saints will have NEW memories. God the Father and Jesus Christ will be the NEW Temple. There will even be a NEW Liberty:
ROMANS 8:21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
The Day of Trumpets portends some very disturbing events but it is also a beginning of All Things New!
May God’s grace and peace be upon you!
Steven Greene
https://sabbathreflections.org