They shall perish: but thou shalt continue: and they shall all grow old as a garment.
αυτοι απολουνται συ δε διαμενεις και παντες ως ιματιον παλαιωθησονται
11 Church Fathers comment on this verse
At the same time, it is also very consoling to know that the world will not always remain in its present condition. Everything will receive transformation and everything will be changed, while God Himself always remains living and living without limit.
He suggests something greater than creation, namely, the transformation of the world. Everything will be changed from corruption into incorruption, ...
Here, as also in the words, “they shall perish,” and so forth, the Apostle again cites the saying of David (Ps 101:26-28).
The Apostle showed that God the Word is the Maker of all. By naming heaven and earth, he embraced everything in them. He taught that He is unalterable and unchangeable.
All this is signified by the words: "They shall perish, but Thou remainest." He showed the change of creation for the better, which will be accomplished by Him, and also His beginninglessness and imperishability.
For he says: "Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail." He did not come into being, but exists. He receives no change, because He is always "the same."
By this the impassibility of the Godhead is also signified. For if God had suffered, how would He be the same? One who suffers is changed.
If He had remained in death for three days, His years would have failed. But both the prophet who wrote the testimony and the Apostle who used it teach us that He is always "the same," and that His "years shall not fail."
Having thus spoken of the divine nature, the Apostle turns again to the human.
“They shall perish.” They will be changed, as creation. He says “they shall perish” because of the change of the form they now have.
“But Thou remainest.” But Thou remainest unchanged, as Creator. “And all shall grow old like a garment.” All, that is, both heaven and earth, grow old like a garment through continual operation and through time.
The Apostle is not saying that nature undergoes a change. Rather, he makes a comparison, saying that God permits these things to perish in the future, and that they perish in contrast to the eternity of the Son.
For the Lord also, when foretelling the second coming, says that the stars will fall (Mt 24:29; Mk 13:25), and that the sun, moon, and heaven will be no more.
“To which of the angels did God ever say?” Leaving aside all creation, he speaks of what is above it, namely, the angels. For if the Son differs from the angels in that they were created and He is uncreated, how much more does He differ from all that is invisible?
It should be noted that by the words “You are the same” the Apostle showed Christ’s pre-eternity and the immutability of His nature. By the words “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve?” he showed that the Son is not a servant, but a co-worker.
The pillar of cloud is not mentioned without reason (Ps 98:7), for in the construction of a house a column is always set for beauty and strength. Thus the Lord spoke to them, and in this image He proclaimed the future building of the Church.
Then, speaking in the cloud, He uttered words which He later deigned to express more clearly through His holy footstool, that is, through the Incarnation and Theophany.
O small and lowly footstool, higher than all temples, far preferable to all spiritual beings! As the Apostle says: “For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are My Son’?” (Heb 1:5).
But what is astonishing if He is called a footstool, who compared Himself to a worm, a beetle, grass, and a cornerstone? This was not from some baseness disclosed by closer examination, but from the fervent feeling of humility. And to what height, by using these images, did He raise what was formerly most insignificant in this world?
Christ offered the firstfruits of our nature to the Father, and the Father marveled at this offering. Because of the honor of the One who offered and the purity of what was offered, He points with His ruling hand, places the offering beside Him, and says: “Sit at My right hand” (Heb 1:13).
“They shall perish.” For everything visible will be transformed and will come into immortality. Thus he says “they shall perish” with reference to the present form.
Peter teaches thus concerning that heaven and all the other creatures: “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. In it the heavens will pass away with a noise, the elements will be dissolved by burning, and the earth and the works upon it will be burned up. According to His promise, we await new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet 3:10, 13).
Paul confirms this, saying: “The creation was subjected to vanity, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be freed from the bondage of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Rom 8:20-21).
From this it is clear that “they shall perish” does not mean that the heavens, on the day of the Lord’s coming, will be annihilated and reduced to nonbeing in their essence and existence. Rather, in their properties subject to corruption, before that day the heavens and all creation will undergo alteration and change, and will be subject to corruption. After that day they will be unchangeable and free from bondage to corruption. That is, they will be incorruptible, for the glory of the children of God who have been made incorruptible.
Mark, then, the wisdom both of the Prophet and of the Apostle.
On the other hand, Ps 44:7-8 presents the Messiah, the Son of God, as God, who will reign forever. His scepter will turn neither to the right nor to the left, but will point the way straight ahead, a ράβδος εὐθύτητος.
He will be furnished with every kind of blessing, greater than those received by His partakers, that is, Christians, His co-heirs (Rom 8:17) and fellow rulers (2 Tim 2:12).
Moreover, Ps 101:26-28 bears witness to the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth. From the Apostle’s point of view, as noted above in verse 2, this means the Son of God.
He remains eternally equal to Himself, while He deals with the created world as He wills. Even the heavens themselves, which seem to us so unchangeable, are in fact doomed to perish, even the highest, πάντες.
Finally, Ps 109:1 ascribes to the Son sitting at the right hand of Jehovah, that is, participation in Jehovah’s dominion.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 10 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS