Eschatology Notes: Samuel Waldron
Introduction:
Biblical prophecy looks forward to a redeemed world and a renewed earth as the eternal inheritance of God's true people. This doctrine is crucial both to a proper understanding of Christian eschatology and to a proper appreciation of the Christian hope. We shall expound this important Biblical teaching under three headings:
A. The Redemptive-Historical Necessity of the Doctrine
Here we shall look both at how the whole biblical presentation of redemption demands the doctrine of the new earth and at how a denial of this doctrine frustrates its whole intention.
B. The Significant Objections to the Doctrine
Under this heading we will state and answer the most important objections to the doctrine with the goal of further confirming the doctrine of the new earth.
C. The Practical Conclusions from the Doctrine.
Finally, I hope to show you the practical importance of a clear understanding and appreciation of this doctrine.
The Redemptive-Historical Necessity of the Doctrine
It is commonly acknowledged that the Bible is a book of redemptive history. Its theme, in other words, is the historical unfolding of God's redemptive plan for the world. Redemption--as well as its biblical synonyms like salvation and reconciliation--all contain the same implication. They plainly imply the restoration--the buying back--of that which is saved and redeemed and reconciled.
Christianity from its inception has understood that what was lost and forfeited in the fall was far more than simply individual spirits or souls. Among the earliest heresies against which Christianity vigorously defended itself were Docetism and Gnosticism. Both these heresies in typical Greek fashion exempted the flesh--the physical side of humanity from participation in redemption. The Apostolic Fathers in reaction are filled with vehement assertions about the importance of the flesh of Christ and the reality of the resurrection of the flesh of Christians.
This instinctive rejection of the extreme spiritualizing tendency of Greek and Gnostic thought is well-grounded even in the earliest biblical presentation of redemption.
1. The Beginnings of Redemption in Moses
Genesis begins with the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth by the immediate activity of God. There is the constant refrain of Genesis 1 that this physical creation was good (1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25) which culminates on the sixth day with Genesis 1:31: " And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good."
In this same account the very creation of man is closely linked with this physical creation. Genesis 1:26-28 is the account of the creation of man. In that account the link between man and the earth is immediate and intimate. "Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." .... And God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."" These same relationships between man and the physical creation are only further confirmed by the parallel account of creation found in Genesis 2:4-25. That account emphasizes the physical as well. The creation of man's body is described. His vocation and responsibility to care for the Garden of Eden is stressed. The creation of the woman suited to his needs is emphasized. Even the physical nakedness of the first married couple is brought out.
It is not surprising, then, that the fall of man brings disastrous consequences for man physically and for the physical creation (earth) over which he is to rule. The account of the fall in Genesis 3 has immediate physical consequences. Adam confesses shame over his physical nakedness. Physical pain in childbirth for the woman is another result. Physical death--returning to the dust--is yet another awful result. Most significant for our present subject is the fact that the physical creation--the ground or earth (3:17-19) is cursed as a result of man's fall.
It is not far-fetched in such a context to suppose that the seed-promise of redemption contained in Genesis 3:15 implies the reversal of these curses. It is a promise of the victory over the seed of the serpent given to the seed of the woman. The bruising of the serpent's head must surely imply the undoing of the evil done to man including his physical body and to his physical domain--the earth.
This supposition would be all the more confirmed by a study of what John Murray has called the Adamic Administration.[1] A thorough study of this subject would provide sufficient grounds to believe that the original probation of Adam--if it had been successfully completed--would have issued in his confirmation in holiness, his immunity from death, and in the eventual transformation of his natural body into that transformed and glorious body that we now associate with the resurrection of the righteous. This implies that all that is achieved in Christ, the second and last Adam, is simply the restoration and accomplishment of God's original purpose in creation. Redemption cannot mean the annihilation and destruction of the physical creation. It does mean and must mean the transformation and glorification of creation.
All this is confirmed in the later development of God's redemptive purpose in the Books of Moses. In particular the relevance of the promise of the land given to Abraham and his seed must be understood and appreciated. This promise is a constant theme in God's covenantal dealings with Abraham (Gen. 12:1; 15:7, 18; 17:8). This promise is not annulled by the later developments in the history of redemption. The farthest horizons of the Books of Moses hold out the land as the final inheritance of God's people. In Deut. 30:1-10 it is still the promised land that is held out as their inheritance. Even after the blessing of taking the land and the cursing of being banished from the land (Deut. 30:1), God's last promise is to gather them back in blessing to the promised land (Deut. 30:2-5). Furthermore, the later references to the land in the history of redemption show that the promise of the land is not annulled but broadened or universalized into the promise of a new earth.
2. The Pictures of Redemption in the Prophets
Here I am using the term, Prophets, in the way that the New Testament frequently does in the phrase, Moses and the Prophets, to refer to all the rest of the Old Testament beside the Books of Moses. Simply stated, the land or the earth (The same Hebrew word may be translated according to context in either way.) is everywhere assumed to be the sphere of redemption and the final inheritance of God's people. Consider the following specimen texts:
Psalm 10:16 The LORD is King forever and ever; Nations have perished from His land.
Psalm 25:13 His soul will abide in prosperity, And his descendants will inherit the land.
Psalm 37:9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
Psalm 37:11 But the humble will inherit the land, And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
Psalm 37:22 For those blessed by Him will inherit the land; But those cursed by Him will be cut off.
Psalm 37:29 The righteous will inherit the land, And dwell in it forever.
Psalm 37:34 Wait for the LORD, and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
Proverbs 2:21 For the upright will live in the land, And the blameless will remain in it;
Proverbs 2:22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land, And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.
Proverbs 10:30 The righteous will never be shaken, But the wicked will not dwell in the land.
Isaiah 14:1 When the LORD will have compassion on Jacob, and again choose Israel, and settle them in their own land, then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob.
Isaiah 14:2 And the peoples will take them along and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of the LORD as male servants and female servants; and they will take their captors captive, and will rule over their oppressors.
Isaiah 49:8 Thus says the LORD, "In a favorable time I have answered You, And in a day of salvation I have helped You; And I will keep You and give You for a covenant of the people, To restore the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages;
Isaiah 57:13 "When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you. But the wind will carry all of them up, And a breath will take them away. But he who takes refuge in Me shall inherit the land, And shall possess My holy mountain."
Isaiah 60:21 "Then all your people will be righteous; They will possess the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified.
Isaiah 62:4 It will no longer be said to you, "Forsaken," Nor to your land will it any longer be said, "Desolate"; But you will be called, "My delight is in her," And your land, "Married"; For the LORD delights in you, And to Him your land will be married.
Jeremiah 32:41 "And I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul.
Jeremiah 33:11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, "Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting"; and of those who bring a thank offering into the house of the LORD. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first, 'says the LORD.
Ezekiel 36:28 "And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.
Ezekiel 37:14 "And I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it," declares the LORD. '"
Ezekiel 37:25 "And they shall live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons, and their sons' sons, forever; and David My servant shall be their prince forever.
Ezekiel 39:26 "And they shall forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid.
Psalm 2:8 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Thy possession.
Psalm 21:10 Their offspring Thou wilt destroy from the earth, And their descendants from among the sons of men.
Psalm 34:16 The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
Psalm 104:35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, And let the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD!
Psalm 109:15 Let them be before the LORD continually, That He may cut off their memory from the earth;
Psalm 112:2 His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed.
Psalm 119:119 Thou hast removed all the wicked of the earth like dross; Therefore I love Thy testimonies.
Proverbs 11:31 If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth, How much more the wicked and the sinner!
Isaiah 11:9 They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 42:4 "He will not be disheartened or crushed, Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law."
Isaiah 58:14 Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. "
Isaiah 62:7 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Jeremiah 33:15 'In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.
Daniel 2:35 "Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
Daniel 2:44 "And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.
Daniel 7:23 "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.
Zechariah 14:9 And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.
Zechariah 14:17 And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them.
These texts put beyond doubt that the Old Testament perspective is that salvation and redemption is an earthly matter both in terms of the sphere of its operation and the sphere in which its results will be enjoyed. A question may be raised, however, with regard to how seriously this emphasis in the prophets should be taken. It might be asked, Does not the possibility that the prophets are speaking of supernal and heavenly and eternal matters by means of imagery drawn from the world and experience of the people of God in the Old Testament raise doubt about whether these earthly images can really be the basis for a doctrine of a redeemed earth? How much of this emphasis on the earth and the land can be accounted for in this way?
It is true that some of the prophetic images found in the Old Testament must be explained in this way.Yet, it is certain that it cannot explain all of this language. The emphasis on the earth and land is too pervasive and too deeply rooted in the biblical doctrine of creation itself to be completely explained away on this basis. Anyone who attempts to so explain it runs the distinct risk of importing into the Scriptures assumptions alien to them. It is difficult to think that all of the emphasis on the earth and the land can be simply dismissed in favor of a more "spiritual" view of the eternal state.From whence would we derive this conviction that the eternal state must be more spiritual than this?Hopefully, the reason for this conviction would not be a kind of Platonic mindset inherited from Greek philosophy.Assumedly, such a conviction would be grounded in the New Testament. We must, therefore, now turn to the New Testament and ask what it makes of, how it interprets, this pervasive emphasis of the Old Testament on the physical creation as the sphere in which redemption takes place and eternally abides.The New Testament interpretation of this Old Testament emphasis on the earth must surely be normative for our understanding of it.
3. The Predictions of Redemption in the Apostles or the New Testament
When we turn to the New Testament, however, we do not discover any tendency to spiritualize this Old Testament emphasis on the earth as the sphere of redemption. A number of key New Testament passages which reflect upon this emphasis must now be surveyed.
a. Matthew 5:5 - "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth."
This verse is a quotation of Psalm 37:11.The terms, "meek" (or gentle), "inherit," and "earth," are the precise words used in the Greek translation of Ps. 37:11. The context of Matthew 5:5 and in particular the other "Beatitudes" shows that the inheriting of the earth spoken of in verse 5 is, at least primarily, an eschatological event. In verses 3-9, 19, 20 a future, eschatological receiving or entering the kingdom of heaven is mentioned in a synonymous or parallel way. This shows that Psalm 37:11 must have reference also to an eschatological event.
Jesus shows no signs in this verse of spiritualizing the Old Testament emphasis on the earth. There is a possible universalizing of the emphasis (if one prefers to translate Psalm 37:11 with the word, land, and Matt. 5:5 with the word, earth), but there is no spiritualizing of the emphasis.
b. Matthew 6:10 - "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven."
In no less significant a place than the Lord's Prayer the doing of the Father's will on earth is linked with the coming of His kingdom. The implication is patent that the consummate coming of God's kingdom involves the perfect doing of His will on earth. There is again no sign here of any spiritualizing of the earthly expectations of the Old Testament. Rather the coming of God's kingdom involves precisely the moral transformation of the earth.
c. Matthew 13:38-41 - "and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness.and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear."
Here in the interpretation of the Parable of the Tares its symbols are interpreted in perfect accord with the earthly expectation of the Old Testament.The field in which is planted the Word of God is the world. This world-field is then identified in verse 41 as the kingdom of the Son of Man.The return of Christ brings not the annihilation of this world-field, but its purification.With its purification it becomes the kingdom of the Father in which the righteous shine in resurrection glory.Again the assumption of this parable is that the eternal kingdom has for its scene the transformed and purified world or physical creation.
d. Matthew 19:28 - "And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, shall receive many times as much, and shall inherit eternal life."
Here the key word is paliggenesia. This key word is used twice in the New Testament and both times it is translated regeneration. In Titus 3:5 it is used of the spiritual rebirth of individual Christians.Here it is used of the rebirth of the world and the theocratic kingdom. Thayer's Greek Lexicon provides these definitions: "A 1) new birth, reproduction, renewal, recreation, regeneration 1a) hence renovation, regeneration, the production of a new life consecrated to God, a radical change of mind for the better. The word often used to denote the restoration of a thing to its pristine state, its renovation, as a renewal or restoration of life after death 1b) the renovation of the earth after the deluge 1c) the renewal of the world to take place after its destruction by fire, as the Stoics taught 1d) the signal and glorious change of all things (in heaven and earth) for the better, that restoration of the primal and perfect condition of things which existed before the fall of our first parents, which the Jews looked for in connection with the advent of the Messiah, and which Christians expected in connection with the visible return of Jesus from heaven. 1e) other uses 1e1) of Cicero's restoration to rank and fortune on his recall from exile 1e2) of the restoration of the Jewish nation after exile 1e3) of the recovery of knowledge by recollection." Not only does the definition clearly fix its meaning here, but so also does the context. The reference to the 12 tribes being ruled over by the 12 apostles of Christ is clearly theocratic in tone and points to the restoration of the theocratic kingdom.The restoration of the theocratic kingdom clearly assumes the restoration of the earth. Verse 29 provides a further contextual indication of the meaning of the word, by describing the condition in view in verse 28 as "eternal life". This passage clearly affirms, then, the earthly expectations of the Old Testament and teaches us that God's intention is not merely to regenerate individuals, but also to regenerate the world.
e. Acts 3:21-- "whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time."
In this passage there is an explicit reference to the predictions and expectations of the Old Testament prophets.They are said to have spoken of "the period of the restoration of all things." This period is viewed as yet future, since it is thought of as commencing at the time of Jesus' return from heaven (cf. also 3:19, 20).The Greek lexicon defines the word, restoration, as follows: A 1) restoration 1a) of a true theocracy 1b) of the perfect state before the fall." The term, restoration, then, is very clear.Christ's return brings not the annihilation of all things--as some assume--, but their restoration.
The question is, What is the "all things" of which verse 21 speaks? It may refer to either the entire world or to all the things associated with the theocratic kingdom of Israel. It is possible that the phrase, "all things," has special reference to the theocratic kingdom.At Christ's second coming the theocratic kingdom, destroyed in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, will be restored and glorified in a redeemed earth. Cf. Acts 1:6, 7. Even if this is the proper reference, the restoration of the world is still assumed.For, of course, the theocratic kingdom cannot be restored without the restoration of the world of which it is a part. This assumption is all the more necessary since the context speaks of what "the prophets" and "all the prophets" predicted, and it is clear (as we have seen) that they did predict the restoration of the earth.
f. Romans 8:18-23-- "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body."
In Romans 8:18-23 we come to one of the most plain and important testimonies to the doctrine of the new or redeemed earth.Yet, so alien to the thinking of many interpreters has been the doctrine of the redeemed earth that considerable diversity of opinion has arisen over a passage which is very plain in itself. John Murray has ably silenced the multitude of conflicting voices with regard to the identity of what Paul here simply calls "the creation" or "the whole creation".Here are his remarks:
The word "creation" denotes the creative act in 1:20. Here it must refer to the product. The question is: How much of created reality does it include? It must be observed that it is delimited by verses 20-23.And the best way to arrive at the denotation is to proceed by way of exclusion in terms of this delimitation.Angels are not included because they were not subjected to vanity and to the bondage of corruption. Satan and the demons are not included because they cannot be regarded as longing for the manifestation of the sons of God and they will not share n the liberty of the glory of the children of God. The children of God are not included because they are distinguished from "the creation" (vss. 19, 21, 23)--there would be no purpose, for example, in saying "and not only so, but ourselves also" (vs. 23) if believers were included in the groaning predicated of creation in the preceding verse. Mankind in general must be excluded because it could not be said of mankind that it "was subjected to vanity, not of its own will" --mankind was subjected to all the evil it is called upon to endure because of the voluntary act of transgression. The unbelieving of mankind cannot be included because the earnest expectation does not characterize them.Even those who are at present unbelieving but will be converted are excluded because they will be comprised in the children of God who, as partakers of the glory to be revealed, are distinguished from "the creation" (vss. 19, 21). We thus see that all rational creation is excluded by the terms of verses 20-23. We are restricted, therefore, to non-rational creation, animate and inanimate.[2]
This passage, therefore, teaches in the most plain and literal language which could be desired that the physical creation will enter into and enjoy the glory of the sons of God.This glory is plainly identified in verse 23 as the redemption of the body. The glorious transformation which at the return of Christ transforms the bodies of Christ people will also transform physical creation delivering it as well from the slavery to corruption in which it now lies. A resurrected earth will be, therefore, the context for the enjoyment of the resurrected bodies of the sons of God.
g. John 3:17--"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.
John 3:17 speaks clearly of the salvation of the world as the intended result of the sending of the Son of God to the world. The world in this context must, of course, be primarily a reference to the great multitude no man can number which will be saved by Christ's death and one day constitute a redeemed race. It is parallel to a number of important statements about the salvation of the world made in the New Testament. Here are a few of them:
John 6:51 "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh."
John 12:47 "And if anyone hears My sayings, and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.
Romans 4:13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.
While these passages plainly have reference to a redeemed humanity, yet that reference witnesses to the corporate character of the redemption achieved by the Lord. Such a corporate salvation of humanity is clearly associated with the idea of the restoration of the physical creation over which humanity was to rule. The term, world, used in these passages may even include this thought. The purpose of Christ is not, in other words, to salvage a few individuals from a ruined world and take them to heaven.It is to save the world, and this implies the salvation also of the physical creation from ruin.
h. Colossians 1:15-23-- "And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach-- if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister."
Colossians 1:15-23 is an extended hymn of praise to Christ. It exalts Him as the head both of the old creation (vv. 15-17) and the new creation (vv. 18-23).Its perspectives plainly require and teach the redemption of creation by our Lord. He is "the first-born of all creation .... all things have been created by Him and for Him." If the world was created for Christ, and He is its first-born or heir, can we think that God will allow it to be finally destroyed as a result of Satan's machinations? Of course, the answer is no, and the passage goes on to make clear that Christ has redeemed the world made for Him. The "all things both in the heavens and on earth" which were created for Him (v. 16) are reconciled to God by Him (v. 20). While this must not be understood to support the heresy of universal salvation, it must mean something, and the terms used cannot be satisfied without the preservation and transformation of the physical creation.
I. Revelation 5:10--"And Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth."
There is a textual variant in Revelation 5:10. Some manuscripts have the present tense of the verb, reign, and should be read, "they reign on the earth." In this case, however, no doubt should be entertained as to the correct reading.First, the external evidence of the ancient manuscripts is clearly in favor of the future tense. Second, the internal evidence of the context also clearly favors the future tense. It is emphatically not the viewpoint of the Book of Revelation that believers were at that time reigning on the earth. They were suffering on the earth. The whole perspective of the Book of Revelation requires the future tense.
This future reign clearly awaits the second coming of Christ in glory. Just as clearly, that return of Christ does not result in the evacuation of Christians from the earth forever. Rather, it results in their eternal reign upon the earth. Again, the Old Testament earthly perspective is not spiritualized, but universalized and affirmed.
j. Revelation 11:15-- "And the seventh angel sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever."
The implication of this verse is plainly that the world is conquered by Christ and that He reigns (with His people, Rev. 5:10) in it and upon it forever and ever.
K. Revelation 21:24 "And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it."
Revelation 21 begins with a reference to the new heavens and new earth (vv. 1-4). The implication of this phraseology will be considered below, but Rev. 21:24 points already in the right direction with regard to its interpretation.The new earth does not bring the destruction of the present earth or its rightful inhabitants.The nations and kings of the earth bring their glory into the city of God even in the new heavens and new earth.
B. The Significant Objections to the Doctrine
The doctrine of the redeemed earth has not been universally accepted by Christian theologians. In order to more fully expound the Biblical evidence for this doctrine, I want to state and answer three of the most significant objections to it.
Objection 1. The Bible teaches the future annihilation of the present heavens and earth.
a. The Objection Amplified
The objection is that the Bible teaches the total destruction or annihilation of the present heavens and earth.It is true that the Bible teaches in a number of places the destruction of the world and the coming of a new heaven and new earth.
Isaiah 65:17 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
Isaiah 66:22 "For just as the new heavens and the new earth Which I make will endure before Me," declares the LORD, "So your offspring and your name will endure.
Matthew 24:35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.
Matthew 5:18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.
Mark 13:31 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
Luke 16:17 "But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
Luke 21:33 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
2 Peter 3:7 But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
2 Peter 3:13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
Anthony Hoekema in his excellent book entitled, The Bible and the Future, answers this objection to the doctrine of the New Earth. But before he answers this objection, he ably summarizes the objection and the evidence commonly cited in support of it.
"But now the question is, Will the present universe be totally annihilated, so that the new universe will be completely other than the present cosmos, or will the new universe be essentially the same cosmos as the present only renewed and purified?Lutheran theologians have generally favored the former of these two options. G. C. Berkouwer mentions a number of Lutheran writers who favor the concept of the annihilation of the present cosmos and of a complete discontinuity between the old earth and the new. Appeal is made by these theologians to passages such as Matthew 24:29 ("The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven will be shaken") and 2 Peter 3:12 ("The heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire").It is clear that cataclysmic events will accompany the destruction of the present earth - events which will constitute a divine judgment on this earth with all its sin and imperfection."[3]
b. The Objection Refuted
We must reject the concept of total annihilation for the following reasons.
1) The Explicit Assertions of the New Testament
The New Testament, as we have seen, explicitly and directly asserts that the earth will be redeemed and renewed.With such teaching before us, it would be an obstinate mind which would insist on interpreting these passages in such a way as to contradict these plain assertions, if another satisfactory interpretation is available. Such an interpretation is, however, available.
2) The Analogy of the Resurrection Body
The analogy of the resurrection body of believers contradicts the idea that the earth will be annihilated and a completely new universe created. Hoekema says,"Previously we pointed out that there will be both continuity and discontinuity between the present body and the resurrection body. The differences between our present bodies and the resurrection bodies, wonderful though they are, do not take away the continuity: it is we who shall be raised, and it is wewho shall always be with the Lord.Those raised with Christ will not be a totally new set of human beings but the people of God who have lived on this earth. By way of analogy, we would expect that the new earth will not be totally different from the present earth but will be the present earth wondrously renewed."[4]Hoekema is exactly right.Is the new body completely new, or is it the resurrection of this body from destruction? Our Confession asserts properly that it is the self-same body but with new qualities. It is the same body. Inspite of the fact that the old body is completely destroyed by death, there is continuity and identity between this old body and the new one. It is just the same with the new earth. It is the present earth resurrected from the destruction of the last day.
The fact that the destruction of the world does not mean its total annihilation is plain in several of the very passages cited above. We have already seen the implication that the earth is not totally destroyed in Revelation 21:24 where even after the passing of the old earth, the nations and the kings of the earth are mentioned. Even more significant is the context of the statements quoted from 2 Peter 3.Perhaps, if any passage might appear to teach the annihilation of the present earth, it would be this one. Yet it must be remembered that the destruction of the now world and the coming of the new world has a plain contextual parallel in 2 Peter 3.The old world was destroyed before the coming of the now world. 2 Peter 3:6-7 says, "through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." The destruction of the old world did not mean its utter annihilation.So also we must not assume that the destruction of the now world implies its annihilation.
3) The Theology of Redemption
The theology of redemption requires the rejection of the doctrine that the earth is annihilated at the last day.Many passages in the New Testament teach that creation as a whole has been redeemed and reconciled to God (Col. 1:15-23; Eph. 1:10). Hoekema again states the matter clearly. "If God would have to annihilate the present cosmos, Satan would have won a great victory.For then Satan would have succeeded in so devastatingly corrupting the present cosmos and the present earth that God could do nothing with it but to blot it totally out of existence.But Satan has been decisively defeated.God will reveal the full dimensions of that defeat when he shall renew this very earth on which Satan deceived mankind and finally banish from it all the results of Satan's evil machinations."[5]
Objection 2. The phrase, New Heavens and New Earth, has reference to the millennial reign of Christ (Isa. 65:17-25).
Introduction:
It is not uncommon for both postmillennialists and premillennialists to apply many of the passages which speak of the future glory of the people of God in the earth to the millennium as they understand it.Many objections may be brought against such an application of these passages. We have seen throughout our study multiplied reasons to reject both postmillennialism and premillennialism. If there is no future millennium, then, of course, these passages may not applied to such a period. Many of the passages so applied speak not of a temporary or millennial reign, but of an eternal kingdom on earth. Finally, the passages under discussion say many things which assume the perfection or sinlessness of this future kingdom. The millennium is not a perfected kingdom in anyone's estimation and, therefore, cannot be that to which these passages refer.
There is, however, one passage which is problematic in this regard. Isaiah 65:17-25 speaks of the new heaven and new earth in terms which at first glance seem to fall short of perfection. By way of exemplifying and answering the objection that the new heavens and new earth may refer to the millennium, this passage must be examined.
Isaiah 65:17 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. 18 "But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing, And her people for gladness. 19 "I will also rejoice in Jerusalem, and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying. 20 "No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Shall be thought accursed. 21 "And they shall build houses and inhabit them; They shall also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 "They shall not build, and another inhabit, They shall not plant, and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, And My chosen ones shall wear out the work of their hands. 23 "They shall not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD, And their descendants with them. 24 "It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. 25 "The wolf and the lamb shall graze together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain," says the LORD.
a. The Problem Stated
Verses 20-23 seem to speak of future, golden age of the earth as taking place prior to the eternal state.This passage seems to apply the language of "a new heaven and a new earth" to a period in which death is still a reality.It speaks of great longevity and remarkable freedom from early death for the people of God, but assumes that in the end death will still claim its victims. Because of this language, this passage has been a classic prooftext for those who believe in some form of millennial golden age.
b. The Problem Solved
Several conclusive arguments may be brought forward against the millenarian interpretation of this passage.
1) All the other uses of the phrase, "New Heaven and New Earth," in the Bible have reference to the eternal state and the perfectly redeemed earth (Isa. 66:22-24, 2 Pet. 3:13, and Rev. 21:1). 2) The condition described in Isa. 65 appears to be permanent (vv. 17b, 18). 3) The promises contained in this passage are applied by the New Testament to the eternal state. Cf. v. 19 which reads, "I will also rejoice in Jerusalem, and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying," with Rev. 21:4 which reads: "and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." Only the perfectly redeemed earth (and not the millennial earth) brings about the cessation of weeping and crying. 4) The perfection of the conditions described in Isaiah 65 do not permit the millennial interpretation. Isaiah 65:25 says, "The wolf and the lamb shall graze together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain," says the LORD." Only the eternal state brings about the cessation of all evil and harm being done. 5) How, then, do we deal with the statements in this passage which assume the continuation of death in the New Heavens and New Earth?We do this by means of a very important principle in the interpretation of Old Testament prophecy.Old Testament prophecy frequently predicts God's coming, glorious kingdom by means of things familiar to the people of God. Even we in the New Testament era cannot understand what an earth without death would be like.Because of that fact, which was even more of a reality in the age of Old Testament shadows, the Spirit of God had the Prophets speak of the age to come as the highest earthly happiness possible in the world as we know it. Thus, they do not speak of the absence of death, but of the greatest earthly blessing conceivable, great longevity and the absence of premature death.They speak of the unknown in terms of the known, of the future in terms of the past. Ezekiel's prophecy of the wonderful temple illustrates this well (Ezekiel 40-48).The prediction of sin offerings within that temple must be explained on this basis (43:18-27).
Objection 3. The Bible teaches us to look to heaven as our hope or final inheritance and not to the earth.
There is a strong tendency throughout much of modern Christianity to think and speak of heaven as the place to which Christians should aspire. Indeed, it may seem to some that it is nothing short of obvious from the Bible that heaven should be the focus of the believer's expectations and aspirations. Much could be said in response to such a viewpoint. Clearly, it does not do justice to the many biblical passages and perspectives already brought forward in this study which demand a redeemed earth as the consummation of Christ's redemptive work. Still the Christian used to thinking in these terms may wonder what to make of the many passages about heaven in the Bible which seem to support this viewpoint.
Indeed, there are a vast amount of references in the Bible to heaven. Many of them appear at first glance to point the Christian to heaven as his reward.Entering the kingdom of heaven is to be his aspiration. Having treasure in heaven is to be the goal of his earthly effort. A heavenly country and city are to be his hope.He has a heavenly calling.Consider the following selection of New Testament references to heaven:
Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10 "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:12 "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 6:20 "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
Colossians 1:5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel,
2 Timothy 4:18 The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.
Hebrews 11:16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.
Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,
Such texts seem to present a massive and air-tight case for viewing heaven as our hope and destiny.Several simple observations will, however, manifest that such a conclusion would be seriously misguided.
First, the kingdom of heaven is not the kingdom which has for its sphere or realm heaven. As we have previously observed, kingdom in the Bible often refers primarily to a reign and not a realm. The kingdom of heaven is the kingdom ruled over by heaven.Kingdom of heaven and kingdom of God are, after all, synonymous. Heaven is the throne of God. Matthew 5:34 remarks, "But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God." Thus, the kingdom of heaven includes the earth and its inhabitants and may be entered and dwelt in by them on the earth. Consider the following New Testament statements in proof of this:
Matthew 8:11 "And I say to you, that many shall come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven;
Matthew 11:11 "Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Matthew 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.
Matthew 13:24 He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
Matthew 16:19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Matthew 23:13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from men; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
Second, it must be remembered that the term, heavenly, frequently refers to the source of something not its nature or sphere. The heavenly man is the man from heaven (1 Cor. 15:47, 48). The heavenly vision consisted of light from heaven (Acts 26:13, 19).The heavenly calling is not a calling to heaven, but a calling from heaven. The heavenly country is not a country in heaven, but a country which comes from heaven as to its source. The heavenly kingdom is the kingdom from heaven and not the kingdom in heaven.The heavenly city is not merely a city in heaven, but a city which comes down out of heaven from God.
Third, it must be remembered that the treasure stored up for the people of God in heaven descends from heaven at the return of Christ. Though heaven is the happy abode of the disembodied righteous during the present age, in the age to come heaven comes to earth. Their inheritance is only reserved in heaven until the last day.Our treasure is only temporarily stored up in heaven. Consider the many assertions of the New Testament to this effect.
1 Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
2 Thessalonians 1:7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,
1 Peter 1:4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
Revelation 3:12 'He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.
Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
Revelation 19:14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
Revelation 21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
C. The Practical Conclusions from This Doctrine.
1. This doctrine enables us to answer the best argument of millennialists of every kind.
What is the best argument that those who believe in an earthly millennium have? It is, in my opinion, the countless Old Testament and New Testament prophecies, many of which we have looked at in this lecture, which clearly prophesy a future, earthly kingdom. In the past those attempting to oppose millenarianism often utterly failed to provide a satisfactory interpretation of such passages.They attempted to apply them to the church in the present age or to heaven. It did not make sense to many good people. It shouldn't have! It wasn't right.It was "spiritualizing."Only the doctrine of the new earth provides a fair interpretation of such passages without resorting to millenarianism. Hoekema very aptly responds to millenarians who have urged such objections."To the above we may reply that prophecies of this sort should not be interpreted as referring either to the church of the present time or to heaven, if by heaven is meant a realm somewhere off in space, far away from earth. Prophecies of this nature should be understood as descriptions--in figurative language, to be sure--of the new earth which God will bring into existence after Christ comes again-a new earth which God will bring into existence which will last, not just for a thousand years, but forever."[6]
2. This doctrine enables us to appreciate the life to come.
One of the biggest hindrances we have in obeying the Biblical commands to "rejoice in hope of the glory of God" is our unbiblical and ethereal, platonized and idealized views of the life to come. We tend to think of it as a timeless, spaceless, heavenly existence completely unlike our present life.But we cannot grasp or understand such an existence, so how can we look forward to it. Better far was the method of the Spirit which encouraged the people of God to think of the life to come in terms of this life glorified and redeemed.Sometimes I am more than a little uneasy with some phrases of certain hymns in the Trinity Hymnal."Great God, what do I see and hear the end of things created."? Hoekema remarks, "One gets the impression from certain hymns that glorified believers will spend eternity in some ethereal heaven somewhere off in space. The following lines from the hymn "My Jesus, I Love Thee" seem to convey that impression: "In mansions of glory and endless delight/I'll ever adore thee in heaven so bright." But does such a conception do justice to biblical eschatology?"[7]We must think more realistically of our hope. Psa. 149:5-9 tells us that we will have a hand in cleansing our planet of abortion clinics and adult bookstores: "Let the godly ones exult in glory; Let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand, To execute vengeance on the nations, And punishment on the peoples; To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute on them the judgment written; This is an honor for all His godly ones. Praise the LORD!"
3. This doctrine enables us to properly exalt the work of Christ.
Every Christian rejoices in the work of Christ, but only to the degree that he understands it. If we have narrow, constricted, or defective views of what he did, it will diminish our ability to exalt Him. The Arminian thinks Christ's work only makes salvation possible.Certain Calvinists think of Christ's elect as only a small group saved from the general destruction of the world.The Bible teaches, however, that the work of Christ accomplished nothing less than a new creation, a redeemed race, and a redeemed world. Col. 1:19, 20 says, "For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him and through Him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of the cross . . . whether things on earth or things in heaven." The result of Christ's work will be nothing less than a New Heaven and a New Earth.Isa. 66:22, 23 asserts,"For just as the New Heavens and New Earth which I make will endure before me . . . All mankind (a redeemed world!) will come to bow down before me."
[1]John Murray, The Collected Writings of ..., vol. 2, (The Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh, 1977), pp. 47f.
[2]John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans, vol. 1, (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1965), pp. 301, 302.
[3]Anthony Hoekema, The Bible and the Future, pp. 279, 280.
[4]Hoekema, loc. cit., pp. 280, 281.
[5]Hoekema, loc. cit., p. 281.
[6]Hoekema, op. cit., (pp. 275, 276).
[7]Hoekema, op. cit., (p. 274).