https://www.preteristarchive.com/StudyArchive/n/new-heavens-earth.html
David Chilton (1987)
"Moreover, the phrase
heaven and earth in these contexts does not, as Owen pointed out, refer to the physical heaven and the physical world, but to the
world-order, the religious organizations of the world, the "House" or Temple God builds in which He is worshipped." (
Days of Vengeance., p. 544)
On the Significance of A.D.70)
"Scripture connects as one theological Event - the Advent - Christ’s birth, life, resurrection, ascension, the outpouring of His Spirit upon the Church in A.D. 30, and the outpouring of His wrath upon Israel in the Holocaust of A.D. 66-70." (David Chilton,
The Days of Vengeance, p. 285)
"...the Bible speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church and the destruction of Israel as being
the same event, for they were intimately connected theologically. The prophet Joel foretold both the Day of Pentecost and the destruction of Jerusalem in one breath." (David Chilton,
The Great Tribulation, p. 21)
The Olivet Discourse is not about the Second Coming of Christ. It is a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70."
(quoted by Ice)
(On The Olivet Discourse)
"The Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21).. is a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70" (Paradise Restored, p. 224)
(On Matthew 24:13)
"We must remember that "the end" in this passage is
not the end of the world, but rather
the end of the age, the end of the Temple, the sacrificial system, the covenant nation of Israel, and the last remnants of the pre-Christian era." (
Days of Vengeance, p. 89)
(On Matthew 24:34 and the "Generation Means Race" Theory)
"Some have sought to get around the force of this text by saying that the word generation here really means race, and that Jesus was simply saying that the Jewish race would not die out until all these things took place. Is that true? I challenge you: Get out your concordance and look up every New Testament occurrence of the word generation (in Greek,
genea) and see if it ever means 'race' in any other context. Here are all the references for the Gospels:
Matthew 1:17; 11:16; 12:39, 41, 42, 45; 16:4; 17:17; 23:36; 24:34; Mark 8:12, 38; 9:19; 13:30; Luke 1:48, 50; 7:31; 9:41; 11:29, 30, 31, 32, 50, 51; 18:8; 17:25; 21:32.
Not one of these references is speaking of the entire Jewish race over thousands of years; all use the word in its normal sense of the sum total of those living at the same time. It always refers to contemporaries. (In fact, those who say it means "race" tend to acknowledge this fact, but explain that the word suddenly changes its meaning when Jesus uses it in Matthew 24! We can smile at such a transparent error, but we should also remember that this is very serious. We are dealing with the Word of the living God.)." (
The Great Tribulation, p. 3)
(On the Dating of Revelation)
“John emphasizes his anticipation of the soon occurrences of his prophecy by
strategic placement of these time references. He places his boldest time statements in both the introduction and conclusion to Revelation. It is remarkable that so many recent commentators have missed it literally coming and going! The statement of expectancy is found three times in the first chapter – twice in the first three verses:
Revelation 1:1,
3,
19. The same idea is found four times in his concluding remarks:
Revelation 22:6,
7,
12,
20.
It is as if John carefully bracketed the entire work to avoid any confusion.” (
The Beast of Revelation; Tyler, TX; ICE, 1982; p. 21-22
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Gary DeMar (1996)
"Jesus does not change subjects when He assures the disciples that "heaven and earth will pass away." Rather, He merely affirms His prior predictions, which are recorded in
Matthew 24:2931. Verse 36 is a summary and confirmation statement of these verses.(6) Keep in mind that the central focus of the Olivet Discourse is the desolation of the "house" and "world" of apostate Israel (23:36). The old world of Judaism, represented by the earthly temple, is taken apart stone by stone (24:2). James Jordan writes, "each time God brought judgment on His people during the Old Covenant, there was a sense in which an old heavens and earth was replaced with a new one: New rulers were set up, a new symbolic world model was built (Tabernacle, Temple), and so forth."(7) The New Covenant replaces the Old Covenant with new leaders, a new priesthood, new sacraments, a new sacrifice, a new tabernacle (
John 1:14), and a new temple (
John 2:19;
1 Corinthians 3:16;
Ephesians 2:21). In essence, a new heaven and earth.
The darkening of the sun and moon and the falling of the stars, coupled with the shaking of the heavens (24:29), are more descriptive ways of saying that "heaven and earth will pass away" (24:35). In other contexts, when stars fall, they fall to the earth, a sure sign of temporal judgment (
Isaiah 14:12;
Daniel 8:10;
Revelation 6:13;
9:1;
12:4). So then, the "passing away of heaven and earth" is the passing away of the old covenant world of Judaism led and upheld by those who "crucified the Lord of glory" (
1 Corinthians 2:8). "
"John Owen, the Puritan scholar, knows his Bible better than most of the rest of us, and he tells us exactly where the Old Testament foretells a 'new heaven and earth."
"Owen is right on target, asking the question that so many expositors fail to ask: Where had God promised to bring "new heavens and a new earth" The answer, as Owen correctly states, is only in Isaiah 65 and 66 - passages which clearly prophesy the period of the Gospel, brought in by the work of Christ." (
ibid., p. 495)
"Because of what may be called the 'collapsing universe' terminology used in this passage, many have assumed that St. Peter is speaking of the final end of the physical heaven and earth, rather than the dissolution of the Old Covenant world order." (
Last Days Madness, p. 540)
J. Marcellus Kik (1971)
"But what about the new heaven and the new earth? Will there not be a renovated material heaven and earth? When the Scriptures speak of a new heaven and new earth it is not a material concept, but a spiritual concept."
"Just a little reflection will show that to take Revelation 21 and 22 in a literal way is to make utter foolishness of that which John revealed. In that figurative passage you cannot say that the "new heaven and new earth" is a material concept while the rest is to be taken in a figurative way. The "new heaven and new earth" is but the same as "the holy city" and "the Lamb's bride." (
An Eschatology Of Victory, p. 254-256)