Is It Carnal To Believe In New Earth & Heavens?

Most Hardshells have historically been anti Premilleninal. The reasons for this are several, though I will not delineate now. Further, they associate belief in a literal "new heavens and new earth" with Premillenialism. They therefore almost universally reject the idea of a literal new earth or that earth is to be part of the eternal home of the elect. There are some few who have historically believed in literal new earth and heavens while remaining Amillennial. Some, like Elder Sylvester Hassell, were Premillenial, and thus did oppose those of his brethren who were Amillenial and who denied the literalness of the term "new heavens and earth." Elder David Pyles, a leading present day Hardshell, believes in a literal new earth. Those who do not believe in a literal new heavens and earth are forced to spiritualize the term and prophecy, making it apply to "the old Baptist church." When they read about the saints reigning on the earth, or inheriting the earth, they are forced to deny that such things speak of a literal earth, or land, but to the spiritual promised land, the old Hardshell church. But, such handling of the word of God is abominable.

One of the things that those who oppose believing that "the new heavens and earth" are literal and yet future do is to decry such an interpretation as "carnal," and not a "spiritual" one. Yet, I find such an accusation to be wholly without merit. Such an accusation shows that the ones making it are controlled by the heretical hermeneutics of Origen and Gnostic thinking. Not everything that is physical is "evil," as the Gnostics reasoned. It is no oxymoron to say "heavenly earth" or "spiritual earth." The new heavens and earth simply denote "heaven on earth."

In response to those who say that interpreting "new heavens and new earth" literally is "carnal," the great J. A. Seiss wrote (emphasis mine):

"Some people tell us that it is quite too low and coarse a thing to think of the earth in connection with the final bliss of the saints. They preach that we do but degrade and pervert the exalted things of holy Scripture, when we hint the declaration of the wise man, that “the earth endureth forever,” and that over it the glorious and everlasting kingdom of Christ and His saints, is to be established in literal reality. But if the ransomed in heaven, with golden crowns upon their brows, kneeling at the feet of the Lamb, before the very throne of God, and with the prayers of all saints, and the predictions of all prophets in their hands, could sing of it as one of the elements of their loftiest hopes and joys, I beg to turn a deaf ear to the surly cry of “carnal” — “sensual” — “unspiritual” — with which some would turn me from “the blessed hope.” Shall the saints in glory shout: “We shall reign on the earth,” and we be accounted heretics for believing that they knew what they were saying? Is it come to this, that to be orthodox we must believe that these approved and crowned ones kneel before the throne of God with a lie upon their lips? Shall they, from thrones in heaven, point to earth as the future theatre of their administrations, and give adoring thanks and praises to the Lamb for it, and we be stigmatized as fanatics and Judaizers, for undertaking to pronounce the blessed fact in mortal hearing? Oh, I wonder, I wonder, how the dear God above us can endure the unbelief with which some men deal with His holy word." (Chapter five of his famous book "The Apocalypse")