Beliefs about the Afterlife (xxxxvii)

In this chapter we continue to address how and when the present heavens and the earth perish, or pass away, and when they are followed by new heavens and earth. All this is in the context of our study of the afterlife and of life in the ages to come. We are discovering what life will be like for the righteous living and dead when Christ comes and the thousand year period of Christ's rule on earth is realized. We are also speaking of this in the context of what life will be like in eternity for the redeemed of all the ages.

Of the passages which speak of the ending of the present heavens and the creation of the new, Peter gives the most details describing 1) the day and time when the present heavens and earth pass away, and 2) the manner of their destruction or passing away. Before analyzing Peter's prophecy, let us first show some other scriptures that speak of - 

Perishing of the Present Heavens and Earth

"And: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11 They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; 12 Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.” (Heb. 1: 10-12 nkjv)

"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (Matt. 24: 35) 

"For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished." (Matt. 5: 18)

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more." (Rev. 21: 1)

As nearly all commentators affirm, the "passing away," or "perishing," or "destruction," of the heavens and the earth does not mean the entire annihilation of heavens and earth, only that there is a cosmic change in earth and skies. This is clear from the texts cited in the previous chapter that describe the new heavens and earth. It is also clear in the text above from Hebrews chapter one. The perishing of earth and heavens involves they being "changed" so that they are no longer "the same." Yes, there is an annihilation, but it is an annihilation of the previous environment of mankind, not of the physical world itself. 

These verses also suggest that the new heavens and earth begin when the "first heaven" and "first earth" have ended. That leads us to ask the question - "are the thousand years of the reign of Christ part of the first heaven and first earth?" Strictly speaking the very first heaven and earth would have been in the time of Adam and Eve when in innocence in the garden of Eden, or at least of the antediluvian world, for Peter speaks of that world saying "the world (cosmos) that then was perished by the flood of waters." He contrasts that age and world with "the heavens and earth which are now since the flood." The statement in Revelation 21: 1 however seems to suggest the millennial age was not in any sense the promised new heavens and earth of Isaiah. 

It could be that the adjective "first" in "first heaven" and "first earth" means not first in relation to other ages of each, but first in relation to the new heavens and earth of the ages that follow the Millennial Kingdom Age. The word "first" (Greek "protos") may mean "prior" and so it is true that the new heavens and earth of Revelation chapter twenty one will bring to an end the prior or preceding heavens and earth of the Millennial age, but that does not deny that much was new about the heavens and earth of the thousand years. It may mean not only prior, but before or former. Also, the word "renewed" or "renewal" carries the idea of being continuously made new. 

Destruction of Present Heavens & Earth 

in the Apocalypse

As previously stated and affirmed, the destruction or passing away of the present heavens and earth is what occurs as part of Christ's second apocalypse, or his second coming. Ergo, it occurs prior to the Millennium. 

What takes place when Christ acts as a Redeemer in opening the seals of the seven sealed scroll of the Apocalypse corresponds to those things that will occur in conjunction with Christ's coming again, with "the day of redemption" (Eph. 4: 30, etc.), either by way of precursors, accompaniments, or via a vanguard of royal announcers and other attendants who prepare the way for a king's coming and who are part of his entourage. Therefore, the destruction we see occurring in Revelation chapters six through twenty is suffered by the earth and its wicked inhabitants, just exactly as described by Peter in the third chapter of his second epistle, and in what other bible writers also spoke about.

If that is true (and it is), then we can see how the destruction of the present earth and heavens is not all at once, in a single hour, day, week, or month, or year, but is rather what takes place over a period of years, as the narrative of Revelation shows. Even the destruction of the old heavens and earth in the days of Noah did not occur in one hour, day, or week. It rained for forty days and nights and Noah and his family were in the ark for a little over a year, while the old heavens and earth were being remade. 

Yes, it is true that some statements in Peter's prophecy, as in Revelation 20: 11, seem to suggest that the destruction is all at once, as when Peter says that the present heavens and earth will "pass away with a great noise" or John writes about the heavens and earth "fleeing" when the Lord and the great white throne enter the scene. But, things are not always as they seem, and so we cannot affirm that the destruction, like the changing of bodies in the resurrection, occurs "in the twinkling of an eye" (I Cor. 15: 52), from such statements (as we will see further). 

Now let us notice the texts in Revelation that describe the destruction of our present heavens and earth. I will cite them all first, and then make comments and observations thereon. Notice the words in bold type that show end time destruction to heavens and earth.

"12 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth...I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" (6: 8, 12-17)

"So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. 7 The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. 8 Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. 10 Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter. 12 Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night. 13 And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!" (8: 1-13)

"By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed--by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths." (9: 18)

"The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth." (Rev. 11: 18 nkjv)

"And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe." 19 So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses' bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs." (14: 18-20)

"1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth." 2 So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. 3 Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died. 4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood...Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory." (16: 1-4, 8) 

"17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, "It is done!" 18 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great." (16: 17-21)

That is certainly, in my mind, the very destruction or passing away of heavens and earth that the prophets of old, Christ, Peter, and the other new testament prophets and inspired writers foretold as occuring in the years wherein the tribulation, wrath, judgment, and vengeance is poured out from heaven, by the Lord, as recorded in the Apocalypse. 

Is fire and burning and intense heat and melting of things, as described by Peter, seen in the above verses? Yes. Are the present heavens (skies, atmosphere, etc.) and earth (land and sea) ruined by the awful judgments that occur in conjunction with Christ's return and initiating the day (years) of wrath? Yes. Are most of the human race destroyed? Yes. Do the above texts in the Apocalypse not say that the earth and sky are destroyed by those judgments and plagues? Yes. 

Further, if we prove that the passing away of the present heavens and earth occurs when Christ returns and prior to the Millennium, then the new heavens and earth must begin immediately when Christ returns (unless there is a gap between the ending of the old and the start of the new - which is not tenable). Thus, our proposition is proven, that both the Millennial age and the ages that follow may be viewed as new heavens and earth, though John, in the Book of Revelation, focuses strictly on the new heavens and earth that follow the Millennium. 

OT Prophecies

“For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the Lord of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. 3 You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this,” Says the Lord of hosts." (Malachi 4: 1-3 nkjv)

Again, all the texts cited above from the Book of Revelation describe the several years of destruction that will end this present evil age and the present heavens and earth. That being so, who can deny that the burning up of the earth and its inhabitants as described by the prophet Malachi is not one and the same scene as described in Revelation chapters five through twenty? In earlier chapters we saw how the trampling and arresting of the wicked, as promised in the above text and in Psalm 149, and in other places, occurs in Revelation chapter nineteen when Christ descends from the clouds with the angels and with the raptured and resurrected and glorified saints. 

Also, the language of Malachi is in conformity with that of Peter's prophecy of the end of the present heavens and earth. Peter too speaks of fervent heat, and of melting of elements, and how it is all reserved for fire in the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 

Notice how the same day of the Lord's coming is good for the righteous but bad for the wicked. See the words highlighted in red above. Those who fear the Lord will find "the day" that is "coming" a time of healing, growth, and prosperity (denoted by a simile - "like stall-fed calves") but the unsaved wicked man will be burned up, trampled, become ashes under the feet of the saints. 

Of course, such prophecies as the above concern the living and not the dead. It describes mostly what will be done to the world's occupants when the day of the Lord, the day of wrath, begins and ends. 

The above contrast in the effects of the coming of the day of the Lord are also well described in these words of the prophet Amos:

"Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light. 19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him! 20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?" (5: 18-20 nkjv)

For those living people's at the time of Christ's return (and his initiating the day of judgment, wrath, and destruction) who are saved, they will be instantly translated, like Enoch of old, so that they do not see death, they being raptured into the skies (as we have previously written about) and experience their bodies being glorified, made immortal, and made immutable in holiness, and it is a day of final salvation, a time of jubilation, but also a time to participate in the events of the last day and the beginning of the Millennial day. 

For those living at that time who are not saved, they will be left behind, and among them will be the few who survived the great tribulation and day of wrath (that preceded the rapture of believers) and these will be divided as sheep nations from goat nations, as we have observed. The goat peoples still alive when Christ descends to earth and gathers them together will be sent away into their final place of imprisonment, into "everlasting fire" that was originally prepared for the Devil and his angels. The sheep peoples are those who were not saved prior to the rapture and resurrection of the righteous, but saved when Christ descends from the clouds of heaven with his resurrected saints and shows himself to them and rewards them with privilege to enter into kingdom of God and heaven, and with all its newness for them and the environment.

"Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty...Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger." (Isa. 13: 6, 9-13 kjv)

This is the day of the Lord that Peter spoke about, when the heavens and earth will pass away with great noise, and the day described as the day of destruction or day of judgment, wrath, and vengeance. It also testifies that only a small remnant of the human race survive the judgments of that day, and that the judgment of the living who remain will further and finally destroy all the wicked. Only the meek will remain to enter the Millennial kingdom age. That is what is signified by the statement that a man will be more precious than gold, the idea being that human beings are rare (very small population) like gold. This described destruction does not occur after the Millennium as so many affirm, but rather precedes the Millennium. It occurs in conjunction with the "shaking" of heavens and removing of earth out of her place. This shaking is referred to in Hebrews.

"25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I [k]shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we [l]may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire." (12: 25-29 nkjv)

This shaking undoubtedly occurs in the day of Christ's second coming, associated as it is with the day of wrath or day of the Lord. This shaking is of the heavens and earth. The result of this cosmic shaking is "the removal" of many things, such as the present heavens and earth, a purging which results in the unshakable kingdom of God being received and welcomed by resurrected saints and by the sheep nations. Notice also how the above text puts the time of this shaking with the time when God becomes, to this present evil world, a "consuming fire." The above citations from the Book of Revelation show that the heavens and earth are being repeatedly burned up by literal fire and shaken in the years making up the Apocalypse of Christ. 

The day of God's fierce anger (or shaking) is not what happens at the end of the Millennium, but prior to the start of it. That being so, we cannot help but conclude that the new heavens and earth are to a great degree realized in the thousand years. 

The destruction of Babylon (described by Isaiah and the apostle John), the mega city of end time prophecy, is 

1) an example of the kind of destruction that will come on all the world at the end of this age, and 

2) a destruction of the wicked commercial system of the evil world in existence when Christ returns. 

Those graphic old testament descriptions of the destruction of the tyrannical Babylonian empire in Isaiah and Jeremiah were not all fulfilled in the overthrow of that empire by the Persian Empire. They are, however, all finally fulfilled in the end time destruction of end time Babylon, it being at that time the newly created world trading center (all trade between nations being managed by a central governing agency via becoming an "international city" designed for that purpose). 

So, though the words of Isaiah chapter thirteen, cited above, are in the context of the destruction of ancient Babylon (both city and empire), they are not the final or larger fulfillment of the prophecy. The destruction of the megalopolis city state of the end time political world described by John in the Apocalypse (Rev. chapters 17-18) fulfills it. There was no shaking of the earth and heavens in the day when God destroyed the Babylonian city and empire, at least not as it will be when Christ returns to judge the world. 

In the next chapter, we will continue discussing when the present heavens and earth pass away and when the new heavens and earth are created. We are also getting a clearer picture of what life will be like in the coming first age of eternity, to life in the new heavens and earth of the Millennial Kingdom.