If the
form of the world was passing away, what world was taking its place?
(1 Corinthians 7:31) Kingdom of God, fully established at
the end of the Old Covenant age. When Paul said "the form of this
world is passing away," he was not referring to the physical
planet, but to the existing order, the Old Covenant system centered
on the temple, priesthood, and Mosaic law. This world was already in
the process of vanishing (Hebrews 8:13), and Paul was urging
believers to live in light of the coming change. The New Covenant world that was taking
its place is the spiritual Kingdom of Christ, built not on rituals
and earthly shadows but on righteousness, peace, and life in the
Spirit (Romans 14:17). It is the age of fulfillment, inaugurated by
Jesus and consummated in AD 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem, the
temple, and the final removal of the old order. So, the passing world was Old Covenant
Israel, and the new world was the eternal Kingdom, the Age of Life in
Christ.
By Dan Maines
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