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Index To All Six Sections
ON THIS PAGE
Emphasis Mine In Bible Verses
The Earth is Permanent
The Earth Will Be Completely Destroyed
The Mount Of Olives, The Golden Gate, and The City Of Jerusalem Exist After The Seven Bowls
Heaven and Earth Will Become One When The New Jerusalem Descends
Will Time Exist In The New Earth?
The Earth is Permanent
Psalm 104:5 and Ecclesiastes 1:4 are among the verses quoted in defense of the perpetual earth position.
He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not totter forever (Heb. olam) and ever. (Psalms 104:5 NASB)
A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth remains forever (Heb. olam) (Ecclesiastes 1:4 NASB)
The Hebrew word olam was translated "forever" in the above verses. However, it can but does not necessarily mean a literal eternity. Strong's Lexicon defines olam as "long duration, antiquity, futurity". Here are three example in which olam very definitely means an eternity
"When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting (Heb. olam) covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." (Genesis 9:16 NASB)
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting (Heb. olam) God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. (Isaiah 40:28 NASB)
"I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting (Heb. olam) possession; and I will be their God." (Genesis 17:8 NASB)
See The three interconnected and inseparable promises made to Abraham HERE
However, in the following verse olam cannot be understood as forever but as a long, indefinite period.
then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently (Heb. olam). (Exodus 21:6 NASB)
Many of the Old Testament rituals and sacrifices were called "permanent" but were either a ‘type’ of something to come as in the first two examples below, or did not apply once the temple was destroyed. All were eventually replaced (Hebrews 10:11-12)
Now you shall have this as a permanent (Heb. olam) statute, to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year." And just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so he did. (Leviticus 16:34 NASB)
Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is to be a perpetual (Heb. olam) statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. (Leviticus 23:14 NASB)
Note the two verses above were part of the Seven Feasts of Israel that not only celebrated a historical event in Israel's past but were also a prophecy of future events four of which have already come to pass. These feasts were given by God in a set chronological order. Therefore the sequence of events they symbolize will take place in exactly same order.
It shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the Lord's offerings by fire, his portion forever (Heb. olam) (Leviticus 24:9 NASB)
"Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, dedicating it to Him, to burn fragrant incense before Him and to set out the showbread continually, and to offer burnt offerings morning and evening, on sabbaths and on new moons and on the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, this being required forever in Israel. (2 Chronicles 2:4 NASB)
The Earth Will Be Completely Destroyed
On the other hand, there are several verses of Scripture that seem to indicate the present earth and heaven will one day be completely destroyed then replaced by an entirely new creation. One example from each of the Testaments
For behold, I create new (Heb. ha·da·sim) heavens and a new (Heb. ha·da·sah) earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. "But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing and her people for gladness. "I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her the voice of weeping and the sound of crying. (Isaiah 65:17-19 NASB) (Note: ha·da·sah is transliterated chadash)
Then I saw a new (Gk. kainos) heaven and a new (Gk. kainos) earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. (Revelation 21:1 NASB)
However, these verses are not conclusive proof of the total obliteration of the earth simply because both the Hebrew châdâsh and the Greek kainos do not necessarily mean something that has recently come into being. Both words can also mean something fresh or rejuvenated. For example, in the following verses, the Lord's kindness is renewed every morning as the psalmist said (a), and people's heart's are renewed or refreshed, not replaced (b).
a) The Lord's loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new (Heb. châdâsh) every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23 NASB)
b) Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new (Heb. châdâsh) heart and a new (Heb. châdâsh) spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 18:31 NASB. Also see Ezekiel 36:26)
It is true that kainos largely means brand new however, there are instances in the NT in which new doesn't make any sense at all, but renewed does. In fact, Strong's defines kainos as "new (especially in freshness)" thus it is rendered "fresh" in the first example.
a) Nor do people put new wine into old wine skins; otherwise the wine skins burst, and the wine pours out and the wine skins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh (Gk. kainos) wine skins, and both are preserved." (Matthew 9:17 NASB)
b) Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new (Gk. kainos) creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB) (Also see Ephesians 4:24)
Earth and Heaven Flee
Some take Revelation 20:11 to indicate that the old heaven and earth no longer exist. It reads
"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them",
The problem with is that Revelation is steeped in imagery and uses a bewildering and sometimes weird array of symbols - angels with trumpets and bowls, beasts emerging from the sea, locusts shaped like horses with tails like scorpions, waters turning to blood, a bottomless pit, dragons with seven heads, a woman sitting on a scarlet beast etc. none of which is meant to be taken literally. See The Symbolism Of Revelation.
In keeping with the reast of the book, Revelation 20:11 paints a picture of God's majesty so overwhelming that even the planets cannot stand before Him. Saying the earth and heaven "fled" before God is dramatization.
Zephaniah 1:2-3, 18
It is true that one prophet of old told us that Yahweh will utterly consume 'everything off the face of the earth'. However, that phrase does not include the planet itself
I will completely remove all things from the face of the earth," declares the Lord. "I will remove man and beast; I will remove the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, And the ruins along with the wicked; And I will cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the Lord... Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord's wrath; and all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth. (Zephaniah 1:2-3, 18 NASB)
As an aside, "those who have turned back from following the Lord and those who have not sought the Lord or inquired of Him" are included in this destruction (Verse 6) See The Message of the Bible and The Warning of The Bible
2 Peter 3:10-13
Peter's second letter seems to unambiguously point towards the heavens and the earth being totally burned up by fire. Or does it?
In chapter 3, Peter warns scoffers that not only will the day of the Lord come but that it will be sudden, unexpected, and disastrous for all who have not repented of their sins. There will be no escape. He exhorts his readers to remember how God destroyed the world once before and tells them that when that day arrives the heavens will pass away with a roar, the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
(10) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens (Gk. ouranoi) will pass away with a roar and the elements (Gk. stoicheion) will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth (Gk. ge) and its works will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10 NASB)
An element is a fundamental, essential and irreducible (cannot be reduced any further) component or constituent of a complete whole. In other words, it is the simplest component of a complex substance. However, there is more than one school of thought regarding the phrase "burned up"
There is a difficult textual variant on that last verb, with many reliable manuscripts reading, "will be found.” If it is original, the idea is probably as the NIV translates, "will be laid bare,” or as the ESV puts it, "be exposed.” The idea would then be that those who thought that they could hide their sins from God will be exposed. No one, no matter how clever, will get away with anything. [01]
The Berean Study Bible renders the verse as
But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare. (2 Peter 3:10 BSB)
On the other hand, in his first book Peter wrote that like gold is refined by melting it and extracting any other metals present) genuine faith is proved by adversity or 'tested by fire'. All that is left at the end of the process is pure and undiluted gold, while faith emerges stronger.
so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (1 Peter 1:7 NASB)
Therefore it is entirely possible that Peter was using the earth and heavens being burned up with fire as symbolism for a "smelting process from which the world will emerge purified". In other words, Peter's words may very well not refer to the physical destruction of the world, but to its purification. The earth will not be destroyed, but will be restored to the state it was in when God called it "good".
It is, admittedly, not an easy question to resolve. However, there are a number of reasons including some often overlooked prophecies not to believe that the earth will be totally obliterated
The Mount Of Olives, The Golden Gate, and The City Of Jerusalem Exist After The Seven Bowls
We all know that Christ first made His appearance in a small town in Israel but the Bible also clearly tells that “In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives” (Zechariah 14:4)
The Golden Gate that faces the of Mount of Olives across the Kidron valley is located on the eastern side of Jerusalem's old city wall. It was built anywhere from the 5th to the 7th century over the ruins of a much older gate, which dated back to, about the 6th century B.C. [02] Suleiman the Magnificent, the tenth and longest-reigning 16th century Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, was a great patron of culture, and oversaw the artistic, literary and architectural development of the Ottoman Empire.
Although we do not know exactly why he sealed the gate in 1541, some believe that because of the belief that the Jewish Messiah would enter the city of Jerusalem through this gate he wanted to prevent this from happening. But, whatever his reasons, it brings to mind the words of the prophet Ezekiel, who was told by the Lord that
"This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. (Ezekiel 44:2 NASB)
Suleiman had no idea he was fulfilling prophecy, and the gate remains sealed to this day, which leads to the most important aspect of the Golden Gate.
Matthew 21 tells us that, just prior to his trial and crucifixion, Jesus was in Bethphage - a village at the Mount of Olives from where He sent two disciples to get the donkey on which He would ride when He entered Jerusalem that, in all likelihood, was though the Golden Gate - the closest gate to the Mount. As He entered the crowds...
took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, "Hosanna! (oh save) blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel." (John 12:13 NASB)
This fulfilled the prophecy made in Zechariah 9:9,
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9 NASB)
However, Zechariah was equally clear about exactly where the Lord would first make contact with the earth on His Second Advent
In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. (Zechariah 14:4 NASB)
In other words, when Christ returns (in the not so distant future) He will return to the same place He left from.... the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:9-12). It is only logical to believe that He will then enter Jerusalem through the gate closest to the Mount of Olives - The Golden Gate. Only this time as its King.
The point is that if the prophecy is to be fulfilled, the Mount of Olives, the Golden Gate and the city of Jerusalem itself have to exist when Jesus returns to earth.
Heaven and Earth Will Become One When The New Jerusalem Descends
We can be certain that God never had any intention of permanently maintaining a separate heaven somewhere 'up there' . Modern day charlatans please note that, with the exception of Paul's rather enigmatic account in his second letter to the Corinthians (12:2-4), there is NO record of anyone ever visiting or being taken up to God's throne room. And no, Elijah wasn't either.
See Did Elijah and/or Enoch Ascend to Heaven?
In three separate verses, the book of Revelation tells us that the holy city Jerusalem comes down from Heaven. Katabaino, used some 80 times in the New Testament, literally means to descend. [See for example, John 6:33 and James 3:15]
'I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 'He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down (Gk. katabaino) out of heaven from My God, and My new name. [Revelation 3:11-12 NASB)
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down (Gk. katabaino) out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them [Revelation 21:2-3 NASB)
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down (Gk. katabaino) out of heaven from God, [Revelation 21:10 NASB)
It is from this New Jerusalem that God will rule and rejoice.
"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. "But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for gladness. "I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying. [Isaiah 65:17-19 NASB)
"Thus says the Lord, 'I will return (Heb. shûb) to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.... and I will bring them back and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.... 'So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord.' [Zechariah 8:3, 8, 22 NASB)
As said by Randy Alcorn, founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries
"... it seems clear to me that if God's special dwelling place is by definition Heaven, and we're told that "the dwelling of God" will be with mankind on Earth, then Heaven and the New Earth will be essentially the same place. We're told that "the throne of God and of the Lamb" is in the New Jerusalem, which is brought down to the New Earth (Revelation 22:1). Again, it seems clear that wherever God dwells with his people and sits on his throne would be called Heaven. [02]
Incidentally, it is sometimes claimed that the New Jerusalem will not actually land on earth but will remain suspended in the air. This stems from the idea that Heaven and Earth must always be separate... one being holy, and the other far from it. However, when John watches the city "coming down" from Heaven, there is nothing that indicates it stops before actually touching down.
The earth is presently a sinful place thus cannot in any way be joined with Heaven. However, the new earth occupied only by the resurrected bodies of the redeemed will be a blessed place. And we will have heaven at last. See The Kingdom... When?
Will Time Exist In The New Earth?
I am not sure why some maintain that time will cease to exist once this world comes to an end. In some cases time has even been connected to a "fallen world", which doesn't make a whit of sense considering that time predated sin. Long before man ever existed God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh - Time. In fact, the fifth verse of the first book of the Bible tells us that "God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day" (Genesis 1:5 NASB).
In our modern world time often brings stress, especially since we are so aware of how little of it we have. In the world to come time will not be an enemy
The passing of time will no longer threaten us. It will bring new adventures without a sense of loss, of what must end... Time will no longer be an hourglass in which the sands of time go from a limited past to a limited future. Our future will be unlimited. We'll no longer have to "number our days" (Psalm 90:12) or redeem the time, for time won't be a diminishing resource about to end. [03]
Continue On To Part VI - that explains John's rather enigmatic statement in Revelation 21:1 - "there is no longer any sea". HERE
End Notes
[01] Steven Cole. Living in Light of That Day (2 Peter 3:10-13) Bible.org.
https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-13-living-light-day-2-peter-310-13
[02] The Gates of Jerusalem Golden Gate - Sha'ar Harahamim - Gate of Mercy - Eastern Gate.
http://www.jerusalemonmymind.com/Jerusalem%20gates%202.html
[03] Randy Alcorn. Excerpt from Randy Alcorn’s book "Heaven" (Tyndale House, 2004): Will there be space and time in the eternal Heaven? Chapter 26. http://www.epm.org/resources/2010/Feb/3/will-there-be-space-and-time-eternal-heaven/
[04] ibid.
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