Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
—Psalm 96:11-13
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
—Luke 10:29
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
—Colossians 1:19-20
But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.
—Jude 1:17-19
John Lennox, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Oxford University, has pointed out that the well-known early figures in the development of western science expected to find law in nature because of their belief in a law-giver.
Luke records the heavens erupting with a message of joy to the shepherds. Jesus, in the model prayer for His disciples, prayed, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Psalm 19 describes the heavens as declaring God's glory and the sun as running “its course with joy.”
The ancient Greeks saw the planets moving differently in the sky than the stars, so they thought of them as vagabonds or wanderers—planetai—which eventually became the English word "planet". But the planets do not wander aimlessly; they follow laws that took humans centuries to understand in progressively greater clarity.
But, at ground level, order requires effort. Weeds and thorns "infest the ground". Production of food depends on labor. Genesis 3 points to disobedience as the root cause. Paul wrote to the believers in Rome of creation groaning as it awaits freedom from bondage to corruption.
The coming of the One who sets things right has caused—and will cause—heaven and nature to sing for joy. And that knowledge calls for human hearts to prepare Him room.
And Heaven and Nature Sing (part 1)
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
—Psalm 96:11-13
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
—Luke 10:29
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
—Colossians 1:19-20
But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.
—Jude 1:17-19
John Lennox, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Oxford University, has pointed out that the well-known early figures in the development of western science expected to find law in nature because of their belief in a law-giver.
Luke records the heavens erupting with a message of joy to the shepherds. Jesus, in the model prayer for His disciples, prayed, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Psalm 19 describes the heavens as declaring God's glory and the sun as running “its course with joy.”
The ancient Greeks saw the planets moving differently in the sky than the stars, so they thought of them as vagabonds or wanderers—planetai—which eventually became the English word "planet". But the planets do not wander aimlessly; they follow laws that took humans centuries to understand in progressively greater clarity.
But, at ground level, order requires effort. Weeds and thorns "infest the ground". Production of food depends on labor. Genesis 3 points to disobedience as the root cause. Paul wrote to the believers in Rome of creation groaning as it awaits freedom from bondage to corruption.
The coming of the One who sets things right has caused—and will cause—heaven and nature to sing for joy. And that knowledge calls for human hearts to prepare Him room.