In awe of the power of the One seated there, the heavens and earth flee away. They are not eternal as men dream, but though vast beyond our ability to conceive, they are merely props put in place for the first act in the drama of redemption. At the end of this world’s history they will be removed and a new fabric set up (Hebrews 1:10-12). They have no intrinsic permanence or ability to persist one moment longer than Christ sustains them. When his use for them is finished, they flee away. If the very heavens, cannot endure one second beyond the appointed time, what permanence can rebellious man have? The ungodly look up with respect at the most stable objects that they know. The stars have kept their configuration over the entire period of recorded history. The Greeks described the same constellations that we see today. They are as far out of reach for us today as they were for those who had not learnt to leave the earth’s surface. Man admires these unchanging heavenly glories. In comparison to them, he regards himself as very transient, yet they will flee away and no place will be found for them. Where there is no purpose for a thing in the plan of God, it cannot continue to exist. How much less can sinful human beings maintain their place in this world and resist God’s decree that they should be banished to judgment! The heavens are personified and pictured as retreating from the face of the One who sits on the throne. The time for the renewal of all things has come. The curse has affected not only the heart of man but all creation as well. God caused the effects of sin to be seen visibly so that man would be continually reminded of what he had done in disobeying God. This universe cannot now be improved. It cannot only be redeemed by being destroyed and recreated from nothing. In preparation for this the heavens and the earth flee away.