Where is the future Kingdom of God in the new earth in the article intitled: “The Simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus?”
Presumably, the reference above is meant to put forth a belief in a future habitation of God’s people on earth instead of or in addition to an eternal habitation in heaven. With so little information contained in the quotation above, it is difficult to ascertain with any degree of certainty precisely what the querist had in mind. Further, I am guessing that the questioner reflected on verse 13 of the following biblical passage.
“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” (2 Peter 3:10-13).
The supposition that the righteous in the future will inhabit a made-over earth as opposed to heaven is an error owing to a miscomprehension of the difference between literal and figurative language. The passage above employs both literal and figurative language. Interestingly, in ordinary life, even young children successfully differentiate between literal and figurative language, but commonly adults fail to employ the same skills when literal and figurative language appear in biblical passages. Employing the same communicative skills for both everyday language and biblical texts will go a long way to improving one’s understanding of God’s message to mankind.
Clearly, 2 Peter 3:10 avows that the physical universe, including the earth and everything on it will be consumed or destroyed in the last day. The earth on which we live will no longer exist to be refashioned into some sort of future habitation for the righteous. The Greek word for “shall melt” means “shall be dissolved” (Vincent) whereas the Greek word for “shall be burned up” in verse 10 means “to be wholly consumed” (Strong) or “to burn up, burn utterly” (Vine).
Further, the makeup of persons after the second coming of the Lord and Judgment is not suitable for a physical habitation, such as this earth, even were it to be refashioned with the ‘melted elements’ with which it was formerly fashioned (1 Corinthians 15:35-54). Pay special attention to the part of the passage quoted below:
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:50-54).
In addition, at the second coming of Christ, the resurrected righteous and the living righteous will meet the Lord in the air, and the indication is that they will never return to the earth (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Even more, Scripture uniformly portrays only two eternal destinations for souls, or heaven. The foretaste of each of these two eternities appear in Luke 16:19-31 regarding departed spirits awaiting the final Judgment. Jesus described the eternality of the two eternal destinations following Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46). Jesus Ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9-11; 1 Peter 3:22) and promised to take his faithful followers to where he is (John 4:2-4).
Therefore, reference to “new heavens and a new earth” in 2 Peter 3:13 does not pertain to some future, physical and literal habitation on a planet in the material universe. The language including “new heavens and a new earth” is figurative and represents a new, spiritual habitation rather than a literal, refashioned earth.
