A TRANSITION FROM THE ORIGINAL CREATION TO THE
FINAL CREATION
- There is an amazing change to take place in moving from the tribulation to the Millenium. So that it is called a new heaven and a new earth.
Isa. 65:17 "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind."
- The curse will be almost completely lifted from the earth
There will be changes in the climate of far reaching significance (Isa. 30:23-26)
"Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures. The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan. And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound."
There will be an increase in the fertility of the soil (Isa. 32:13-15; Amos 9:13).
"Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city: Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks; Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest."
"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt."
The nature of wild animals will change (Isa. 11:6-8).
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den."
Disease and deformity will disappear (Isa. 35:5-6; 33:24).
"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert."
"And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity."
Poverty and the distribution of goods will change (Isa. 65:21-23).
"And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them."
Long life will be restored (Isa. 65:20, 22).
"There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed." "They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands."
But there will be sin, and death for the wicked (Isa. 65:20). And rebellion (Rev. 20:7-9)
"There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed."
"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."
During the Kingdom Christ will be bringing all things into subjection to Himself, so that He can present a perfect kingdom to the Father. 1 Cor. 15:24-28
"Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all."
- But at the end of the Millennium there will be a complete and universal transition into the eternal state
This will be effected by fire developing like nuclear power within the elements of the earth..
2 Peter 3:10, 12 cf. verse 7 "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." "Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?" "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."
Rev. 20:11 "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them."
It is not necessarily to be concluded that this takes place in an instant of time, or that it takes place universally at the same time. It is more than likely that it takes place in a progressive movement so that the saved can be moved from one place to another without peril to themselves. Finish results in a new arrangement of the substance of the heavens and the earth. Daniel and his friends endured fervent heat.
What happens in the millennium is a fore glimpse of what will happen (Isa. 65:17).
"For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind."
But twice it is affirmed that there will be a new heaven and a new earth
2 Peter 3:13 "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
Rev. 21:1-2, 5 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."
But though in all the accounts this is said to be a destruction of the old and the formation of the new, this does not mean annihilation.
All it means is the rearrangement of the substance, not the obliteration of the substance.
In both passages of the scripture where the word new is used, it means new in kind and not new in time. It is the word “kaine” in Greek.
2 Pet 3:13 "
Rev. 21:1-2, 5 "
| Re 20:1 | ¶ And kai I saw eidw an angel aggeloV come down katabainw from ek heaven ouranoV, having ecw the key kleiV of the bottomless pit abussoV and kai a great megaV chain alusiV in epi his autoV hand ceir. | |||||
| Re 20:2 | And kai he laid hold on kratew the dragon drakwn, that old arcaioV serpent ojiV, which oV is esti the Devil diaboloV, and kai Satan satanaV, and kai bound dew him autoV a thousand cilioi years etoV,
If it were a word meaning new in time, then this would suggest the obliteration of the old from existence, and an absolutely new creation without the use of preexisting material as in the original creation.
This could not mean annihilation for that would pose insurmountable problems.
Annihilation would mean the obliteration of space, so that there would be no place for the saints of hell and its inhabitants
It would mean the obliteration of hell and that the punishment of the wicked would be over.
It would mean that there is no continuation of persons from Adam into the eternal state.
It would mean that all the promises to Israel concerning the land would be nullified.
Surely there is no suggestion that the heavens where God dwells will be changed.
Surely there is no reason for the change in the stellar heavens that have had no immediate involvement in the sin and salvation of earth.
Surely it does not mean that there is any change in hell where the wicked angels and men and Satan are confined.
It does mean that there will be a complete rearrangement of the substance of the: earth and its immediate environs so that there will be no trace of the effects of sin, and the whole scene will be one clothed in beauty and holiness for the perfect kingdom that will last forever.
Psa. 115:16 "The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men."
Rev. 21:22-23 "And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."
Rev. 22:4-5 "And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."
Gen. 12:7; 13:15; 15:18; 17:7-8
"And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him."
"For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever."
"In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:"
"And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."
The first heaven and earth is definitely described as an arrangement. Kosmos kosmoV kosmos kos'-mos is the word used in 2 Pet. 3:6. It consisted of heaven and earth as indicated in 2 Peter 3:5. This is referred to as the First. When the change is effected it is referred to as the new (Rev. 2l:1-2; 2 Peter 3:13).
"Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished."
"For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:"
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
The changes is described as something passing away. Rev. 21:1. But there is nothing in these words to suggest that there is annihilation. There is destruction, but it is destruction of arrangement not of substance. The words suggest the passing from the present scenes (1 John 2:17).
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."
"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."
2 Peter 3:10, 12 with Rev. 21:5 "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." "Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?"
"And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."
This outward pattern will have removed from it all the evidences of sin and judgment that characterized the former world.
Here righteousness will settle down and be at home (2 Peter 3:13).
"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
The topography of the earth will have also changed. There will no longer be any sea. This could also mean that the mountains and the deserts also have disappeared, also the arctic regions. Rev. 21:1
Anything which divides.
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."
If this be true there will be 32 times as much space for men to live upon.
On the land surface today, only about 1/4 of it is habitable due to the presence of mountains, deserts, polar regions etc. And three fourths of the earth surface is covered with water.
The present condition of the earth was caused by the tremendous cataclysm caused by the flood. That will be changed back to the pristine conditions that existed before the flood, and beyond that will be changed for the better for eternity.
Rev. 21:2-3 "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."
This is the central location where the triune God manifests Himself. Heb. 12:22-24
"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel."
This is the home and place of operation of the Spiritual nobility, saved, and glorified.
Rev. 21:2-3, 9-10 "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." "And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,"
Heb. 12:23 "To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect."
This especially the home of the Bridegroom and the Bride. The Church is the tabernacle of God (Rev. 21:2-3, 9-10; Heb. 12:23)
"And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." "And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,"
"To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect."
This is also the home of the Old Testament saints (Heb. 12:23; 11:10; Rev. 20:6 with 22:5).
"To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect."
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." "And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."
This is also the home of the tribulation martyrs (Rev. 20:4 with 22:5).
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
"And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."
The holy angels will also have their base of operations in the New Jerusalem. Heb. 12:22
"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels."
Saved Israel will occupy the land that God gave to Israel in the original promise to Abraham.
Gen. 12:7; 13:15; 15:18.
"And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him."
"For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever."
"In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates."
They are saved during the period of tribulation and the Millennium. But they will be living in bodies from which the curse is lifted and the old Nature is removed.
Rev. 21:24-26
"And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it."
Their bodies will be natural from which the old nature has been removed and the curse lifted. They will pursue the various tasks of life suited to life in the earth with amazing skill and bring their productions into the Holy City.
There is no death, so therefore no resurrection and glorification. They will be living in bodies such as Adam possessed before the fall.
There is no indication whether there will be procreation or not.
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