One of the most fundamental teachings of the New Testament is that the Christian’s eternal habitation is upon a new earth where the curse placed on it in Genesis 3 is done away with and all things are made new. Going to heaven is a temporary stop over until the resurrection and the coming of the new heaven and earth, hence the reason for the bodily resurrection of the saints. Earth was created to be the home where God and Man dwell together and man needs the glorified body free from sickness and disease, or the curse to live in the new creation of Romans 8. The putting on of our “heavenly dwelling not made with hands” IE glorified bodies, in the resurrection prepares us for the eternal nature of the new earth where the two realms, heaven and earth, are united as one. It is this very hope that sustains us. Since the “remade” earth is the Christian’s hope, the notion of a immaterial nebulous existence where we float on clouds for eternity, while sin and evil are never eradicated upon the earth once and for all strike us as incongruous indeed.
If the Promise of a new heaven and earth is found in the account of the literal language used in Rev 21-22 then the understanding of 2 Peter 3 must be framed in that context. Simmons explanation is fraught with Partial Preteristic inconsistencies that begins with a spiritualization of the text where the language provides no warrant for such an interpretation.
Setting the Stage
The book of Revelation describes events of “things that are to take place.” These literal events unfold upon the literal earth and upon living men and women. We can learn from Daniel who is describing the literal events that concern the end of the sacrificial system and the ending of the Old Covenant. While apocalyptic language is used, it is used in describing literal events, not spiritual events. The destruction of Jerusalem was not a spiritual event. The New Testament epistles eschatology signals the last days as a time where the curse placed upon creation in Gen 3 is removed and the world is restored to its original purpose and all of creation is redeemed. This includes man whose fallen nature and “body of death” because of sin, is redeemed.
These last days events begin with judgment upon the church and this earth for the full measure of sin. In the midst of this turmoil a beast rises from among the nations and leads the world in rebellion against God and his people. Christ returns bringing and ending to the beast and ushering in the Millennial Kingdom where the son of Man sits upon his father’s (David’s) throne in a restored nation of Israel. At the ending of the thousand years Satan is released and deceives the nations one last time. They gather against Jerusalem and Christ the King calls down fire and this world comes to an end.
All men from Adam to the last man born, appear before the great white throne judgment and all are judged. The unjust are cast out into outer darkness and suffer the eternal torment of hopelessness of being outside of God. The just are ushered into heaven and its at that point that the fire upon the earth has made way for a renewing of the earth where the curse is gone.
Revelation 21 describes the city, the home of the saints descending out of heaven. The New Jerusalem is the bride, the church, the just returning to this remade earth. (Earth was not (ex-nihilo) destroyed and remade but made like new.”
Man and God now live together face to face for eternity in perfection.
2 Peter 3
This section begins with Peter asking the question about what will happen in the last days. Scoffers come denying the second coming and making fun of this Christian belief. Peter says they failed to make the connection as to what happened in the days of Noah. People continued to live never realizing the judgment that was about to come. In those days, it was the flood that destroyed the earth, in the last days it would be fire. Man, and the very elements of all the works of man will be burnt up and removed.
“they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them.”
As we pointed out, these are things that are to take place in the last days. Just as the OT described the literal destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, the NT describes the literal events. It is not describing God taking control over the world’s governments as Simon’s claims. It is the restoration of the garden, the hope of full redemption in which the evil of this world comes to an end in every form. This has nothing to do with the governments of this world bowing down to Christ, but Christ removing everything that is accursed and restoring man in his position of authority over the earth in which no evil dwells.
The simplistic idea that all Revelation is about, Christ ruling over the nations with an iron rod from heaven while allowing evil to continue on forever is trite and conceived in an ill attempt to justify a paradigm. Then what is ironic in their position is that it is describing spiritual realities upon a physical earth in which the spiritual never touches the physical world.
Posted by Julienne Chambers;
Came across this by Kurt Simmons today .. an excerpt from his article,
“II Peter 3:10-13!and The Day of the Lord on the Day of the Lord” >
New Heavens and New Earth:
Whatever else may be said about II Pet. 3:10-13, this much is sure: our interpretation must be governed by the promised new heavens and earth. Does Peter intend us to understand a literal conflagration is to destroy the physical earth and cosmos, only to be replaced by a material, new creation? Of course he doesn’t. It is one of the most fundamental teachings of the New Testament that the Christian’s eternal habitation is in heaven above, not upon a new earth. Putting off our bodies in death and being caught away to heaven is the very hope that sustains us. Since heaven is the Christian’s hope, the notion of a material new creation must strike us as incongruous indeed.
What then is the prophet’s intent? Given the symbolic nature of the “heavens and earth” and their reference to kingdoms and governments of earth, it is easy to see that Peter has in view a reordering of earth’s government beneath the reigning Christ. This is the over-arching theme of Revelation and all eschatological prophecy: The world, which had been under dominion to enemy powers from the time of the fall, would come under the dominion of Christ and his saints, making a new heavens and earth ruled in righteousness.
The promised new heavens and earth take their source in the prophet Isaiah, who uses them to describe the blessed estate of God’s faithful remnant over against the destruction of their persecutors.
“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered nor come to mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy….For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that form one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.” Isa. 65:17; 66:22-24
“The men that have transgressed against me” has specific reference to the Jews who failed to listen to the words of Prophet, whom Moses said the Lord would rise up from among them. For as Peter warned, “every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people” (Acts 3:23). “All flesh” worshipping before the Lord is equal to “every creature” and “all nations” of the Great Commission, and signifies the Gentiles’ conversion to Christ who worship the Lord in the new Jerusalem, the church. These would witness the awesome judgment of God upon the Jews and Romans, whose carcases strewed the landscape where they were devoured by fire and worms.
Conclusion
II Peter 3:10-13 describes God’s wrath upon the Jews and Romans in symbolic terms identical with Old Testament usage portraying times of divine judgment upon the world. The world, long under the dominion of Gentile powers, would come under dominion of the risen Christ, who now rules the nations with a rod of iron, in righteous and truth.
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