[Hebrews 1:10-12] does not espouse a complete
discontinuity between the old and new creation. Its perspective may be
fruitfully compared with that of the book of Revelation, which also looks
forward to the appearance of a new creation that presupposes the judgment of
the previous heaven and earth (Rev 6:12-17; 21:2). At the same time, however,
the new creation emerges as a renewal of the original one.
Similarly, in Hebrews, the removal of
this world is not indicative of a negative attitude toward creation but of the
fact that it is subject to God’s judgment. Judgment leads to renewal, however.
The quotation from Ps 101:26-28 LXX (ET 102:25-27) also hints at this
understanding. The garment is changed, not destroyed. Even the term “perish” (apollymi)
does not necessarily entail destruction and disappearance but subjection to God’s
judgment. In 2 Pet 3:5, the same term is used for the flood, which brought disaster
and judgment upon the earth, but it did not eradicate it. (Sigurd Grindheim, The
Letter to the Hebrews [The Pillar New Testament Commentary; Grand Rapids,
Mich.: Eerdmans, 2023], 132)
