The Day of the Lord – New Heaven and New Earth
In our last post on “Pre-Millenialism”, the voice in the video was brother Dean Flanders. He seemed to have a problem explaining 2 Peter 3:9-13, as thou it appears to say that “Everything will be literally burnt up with fire”. This is a favorite scripture used by “Al-Millenialist” to prove that they are right and there will be no literal 1000 year reign on the earth, as “Pre-Millenialism” teaches. Let’s briefly look and see what 2 Peter actually says.
(2Pe 3:9-13) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 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. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 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? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
If I heard brother Dean properly, he claimed that these verses would be fulfilled after the thousand year reign – he seemed to admit that he had no better explanation to offer, well I do, so if it is alright, let me give you a little of what I believe I understand to be true about this. Let’s deal with each of the above declarations in 2 Peter and see if we can find some other scriptures that tend to support our view.
1) “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.”
This statement alone should prove to anyone looking at the timing of it’s fulfilment thousand-year, this cannot be fulfilled, as Dean suggest, at the end of the thousand-year reign. Matt. 24:43; Luke 12:39; 1Th. 5:2
2) “in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
(Rev 6:12-17) And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
(Rev 12:7-9) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
This “War in heaven” is what 2 Peter 3 refers to as “fire”. You can read several places, OT and NT, that the Lord is coming in the day of the Lord with “fire”, another way of saying trouble, fiery trial, what I am saying is the term used here in 2 Peter 3 doesn’t not need to be fulfilled in a sense that we here on earth may understand as the kind of fire that could be put out by the fire department. A few more scriptures that also speak to this: (Isa 13:9-11) 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. Notice in Isa. 13 that the Lord is coming to lay the land desolate and destroy the sinners out of the land. The “land” spoken of is NOT the land of the earth, but the spiritual land of Jerusalem, the Lord is going to destroy the sinners out of the spiritual land, it is the elements of this spiritual land that will melt with fervent heat and it will be the works of wood hay and stubble that will be burnt up. I would ask the question to any person interested, Where do proclaiming Christians build their works of wood hay and stubble, in a physical realm or a spiritual realm? OF COURSE A SPIRITUAL REALM! The elements in that spiritual realm will be burnt up, the devil finally kicked out of heaven, and the fight of the true Saints will no longer be wickedness in high places. Read my article “Jerusalem is Babylon” and “Jerusalem is Babylon Part Two”.
3) "Look for a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
Notice the words in Jeremiah 4:23, they are the same words used in Genesis 1:2, the ONLY difference is in Genesis 1:2 darkness was on the face of the deep, but in Jeremiah 4:23 darkness was in the heavens. Can’t you see this?
(Jer 4:7-10) The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant. For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us. And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! Surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.
(Jer 4:19-28) My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment. How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding
they are wise to do evil, but to do good they do not know. I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
Finally, I conclude, 2 Peter 3:9-13 is described in our previous quote in Jeremiah 4, Rev. 6 & 12, Matt. 24 & Luke 12. The Lord is, upon his return as a thief in the night, he is going to make war with the devil and his demons, he is going to burn up the spiritual land with fire (spiritual fire), the elements in that land will melt with fervent heat. The Lord is going to destroy ALL of the sinners out of that spiritual land and cleanse it, but notice that there will still be sinners living during the thousand year reign. Who will the Saints rule over, if there were no sinners alive during the thousand year reign? The Lord is going to create a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness, the devil will be bound for a thousand years according to Rev. 20 and righteousness will dwell on the earth with the Saints ruling. The earth will be returned to the garden of Eden, just as it was created by the Lord and the heavens will be utterly destroyed and created to a new heaven where no more wicked powers dwell.
ISN’T THIS SUCH A GREAT AND WONDERFUL PROMISE? ANYONE WHO UNDERSTANDS AND BELIEVES THIS WOULDN’T CARE A BIT ABOUT THEIR BEST LIFE NOW AND WOULD GLADLY GIVE IT UP FOR THE ONE TO COME!
(Mat 19:28-30) And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
I am new to this but have been reading and soaking it all in. I, like you have a huge tradition of pew sitting, teaching, hearing, and yes, studying. My mother, back in the 70's bought EVERY cassette tape from John MacArthur! So I had a 24/7 influence for over 20 years, then made my own copy of that environment for the next 25. All of that to say that finding that I was in Babylon, supporting, and growing Babylon, it is a bit devastating. Humility comes from the most interesting places. God says, "you just thought you knew it all, honey. Let me show you." From that flows mercy and love in as great measure as the devastation of…