New Heavens
"...I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away " Rev.21:1
While sitting and musing
With the thoughts of my day,
I then did consider
That we're all made of clay;
From nostalgia's wand'rings
Through this earth's olden scene,
My thoughts gradually changed
And my soul did convene;
Still toiling and struggling,
Above earth's plane to rise,
I viewed the blue heavens
And all of the bright skies;
But looking to the earth,
My joy then soon dies;
For our sight of this heav'n
Reaches only the skies.
It was spoken by God
Who is surely all-wise,
From dust we are molded,
In dust our soul now lies;
In Hope that is surer,
Above earth we must rise,
To view the New Heavens
Which are over the skies.
Our Sky must be painted,
More than by earth's old sun;
In the image of Him
Who in clay, too did run;
For down from His Heaven
He appeared in our stead:
And His Spirit within us
Shall now raise from the dead;
We're sown in earth's weakness,
But in power shall arise;
With Him who has conquered,
And rose over the skies;
For the eye has not seen,
Nor has the ear heard
Of the glory that's given
Through Life in the Word;
Though Earth may enchant us,
Our nature, to accord;
It's not to be measured
With the Gift of the Lord.
The earth thus transcended,
With all of God's grace,
The Hope is now given
To look on His face.
Our clay must then perish,
Return to the ground;
To rise in His likeness,
In Him be thus found;
Christ now lives within us,
Of His Life we partake;
Our hope then is centered
In His dear name's sake.
For Jesus has conquered
Sin, Death and the grave,
Where the clay of His body
In earth too, did lay.
For the seed that is sown
Is not that which shall be,
God gives it a body
In His image, you see.
The ground is then sweetened
Where His Own flesh did lay,
And He freshened the ground
For our own moldering clay.
Too, feeling the severance
When earth He did depart;
He prayed in the garden
In agony and smart;
His flesh was so Holy,
Yet He must then partake
The love of our nature,
Which of flesh He did make.
For it did become Him
In our likeness be made;
Reversing the order,
While on us He was staid
He transcended the earth
And our sins left behind;
In earth where He found them,
And we no longer find;
To His tree He nailed them,
And put them out of sight;
No more to condemn us,
Or against our peace fight;
Who of this earth's sorrow,
And it's strife did partake,
In, learning obedience,
God's will cannot forsake.
My flesh dies then daily
From the indwelling sin;
But shine in His likeness,
For He dwelleth within.
For, now I am living
From His life there within,
His grace has now conquered
All my indwelling sin.
Death has lost it's old sting
No claim, the grave upon;
Of sin's strength by the Law,
In Him, too, it has flown.
His grace can deliver
Ee'n a sinner like me,
Though felt to be a chief,
He doth yet set me free.
For a hope in this life
If only we possess,
Cannot raise us over
Or spiritually bless;
For the things that are seen
Shall then soon pass away,
But that whichs' eternal
Everlasting will stay;
The house of this temple
If it must then dissolve,
Our house in the heavens
Will forever revolve;
Our outer man perish
With the ravage of Time,
Our spirit moves onward
Beyond the old earth's clime.
This good hope now saves us,
Though, yet, not realized
We wait in our patience
Till we're immortalized.
While sitting and musing
In this earth here below,
My spirit was stirred'
Though my heart is so slow;
When our hope springs again
And His Spirit revives;
Our faith in His Dear blood
Beneath all of these skies.
Copyright(c) 1996
O. Allen Bailey
