Ed Pobre
3. You say that all other faithful Christians will enjoy life in perfection here on earth.
BUT apostles Peter and Paul describes the coming of Jesus as "judgment day" reserved for the PERDITION of ungodly men (2 Peter 3:7; 2 Thes. 1:8-9) and the passing away of the heavens and melting of the elements and all the works in the earth will BURN (2 Peter 3:10).
Apostle Paul wrote that those who are ALIVE and DEAD "in" Christ will be caught up in the clouds to meet Jesus in the air and will ALWAYS be with him (1 Thes. 4:16-17). The resurrected DEAD "in" Christ will rule with Christ 1000 years (Rev. 20:4).
Are you saying that ONLY 144,000 are "IN" Christ and the rest of Christians are not? If God will BURN all UNGODLY men and all those who do NOT know God and do NOT obey the gospel of Christ (2 Thes. 1:8-9) when the Lord COMES,...
where will EARTHLY subjects come from?
Will the Earth End in Fire?
CHARRED in a nuclear holocaust, incinerated by a bulging sun, or torched by an angry godthe manner may differ, but many people are convinced that planet Earth, the home of mankind, will meet its end in an all-consuming inferno, a cataclysmic apocalypse.
Some cite Bible texts that portend a divinely directed conflagration as retribution for mans transgressions against the earth. Others echo the opinion of Paul Davies, a professor at the University of Adelaide, Australia, who writes about what he sees as the earths unavoidable plunge into fiery destruction. He theorizes in his book The Last Three Minutes: As the sun grows ever more distended, it will engulf . . . Earth within its fiery envelope. Our planet will be reduced to a cinder. What is the truth about the earths destiny? How are we to understand Bible texts that appear to predict fiery annihilation?
Does God Care?
At Jeremiah 10:10-12, we are informed: Jehovah is in truth God. . . . He is the Maker of the earth by his power, the One firmly establishing the productive land by his wisdom, and the One who by his understanding stretched out the heavens. God made the earth and firmly established it. So with wisdom, love, and understanding, he carefully prepared the earth to last indefinitely as a beautiful home for mankind.
Of Gods creation of mankind, the Bible reports: Male and female he created them. Further, God blessed them and God said to them: Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it. (Genesis 1:27, 28) When he completed his creative work, he could unequivocally declare that it was very good. (Genesis 1:31) He wanted it to stay that way. Just as some prospective parents design and furnish a nursery for their expected newborn, God planted a beautiful garden and placed the man Adam there to develop it and care for it.Genesis 2:15.
Adam abandoned perfection and his duty to care for the earth. But did the Creator abandon His purpose? Isaiah 45:18 implies not: This is what Jehovah has said, the Creator of the heavens, . . . the Former of the earth . . . , the One who firmly established it, who did not create it simply for nothing, who formed it even to be inhabited. (See also Isaiah 55:10, 11.) Though man neglected his custodial duty, God continued to execute his contract with the earth and life upon it. The Law given to the ancient nation of Israel made provision for a sabbath of complete rest for the land every seventh year. It included humane laws that gave a measure of protection to animals. (Leviticus 25:4; Exodus 23:4, 5; Deuteronomy 22:1, 2, 6, 7, 10; 25:4; Luke 14:5) These are but a few examples in the Bible that clearly indicate that God cares very much about mankind and all that he charged to mans care.
The Former Earth
So how do we reconcile Bible texts that seem to conflict? One such is 2 Peter 3:7, which, according to the King James Version, says: 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. Another is Revelation 21:1, which states: I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away.
If Peters words are to be taken literally and the planet Earth is to be consumed by real fire, then the literal heavensthe stars and the other heavenly bodiesare also to be destroyed by fire. This view, however, conflicts with the assurance found at such scriptures as Matthew 6:10: Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth, and Psalm 37:29: The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it. Furthermore, what effect would fire have on the already intensely hot sun and stars, which produce nuclear explosions continuously?
On the other hand, the Bible often uses the term earth in a figurative sense. For example, Genesis 11:1 says: Now all the earth continued to be of one language. Here, the word earth refers to mankind in general, or human society. (See also 1 Kings 2:1, 2; 1 Chronicles 16:31.) The context of 2 Peter 3:5, 6 implies the same figurative use of earth. It refers to Noahs day when a wicked human society was destroyed in the Flood but Noah and his household as well as the globe itself were preserved. (Genesis 9:11) Likewise, at 2 Peter 3:7, it says that the ones to be destroyed are ungodly men. This view agrees with the rest of the Bible. The wicked society earmarked for desolation is also the former earth referred to at Revelation 21:1, quoted earlier.
Indeed, just as a caring earthly father will take every measure possible to ensure the inviolability of his home, Jehovah God is keenly concerned about his creation. He once evicted an immoral and wicked people from the fertile Jordan Valley and assured the new caretakers of the land, who were in a covenant with him, that if they kept his statutes, the land would not vomit them out for their defiling it the same way as it would certainly vomit the nations out who were before them.Leviticus 18:24-28.
A New Earth
Today, a society that is sexually depraved, violently brutal, and politically corrupt has polluted the earth. Only God can rescue it. He will do just that. At Revelation 11:18, he promises to bring to ruin those ruining the earth. The restored and renewed earth will be populated by people who fear God and sincerely love their fellowmen. (Hebrews 2:5; compare Luke 10:25-28.) The changes that take place under Gods heavenly Kingdom will be so profound that the
Bible speaks of a new eartha new human society.
When we read scriptures like Psalm 37:29 and we comprehend the statement by Christ at Matthew 6:10, we are convinced that neither blind natural forces nor man with all his destructive power will bring an end to our planet. They will not thwart Gods purpose. (Psalm 119:90; Isaiah 40:15, 26) Faithful mankind will live on earth amid conditions of boundless beauty and endless joy. That is the truth about earths destiny, for this is and always has been the purpose of mankinds loving Creator.Genesis 2:7-9, 15; Revelation 21:1-5.
Take a look at 2 Peter 3:5-10 again For, according to their wish, this fact escapes their notice, that
there were heavens from of old and an earth standing compactly out of water and in the midst of water by the word of God; and by those [means]
the world of that time suffered destruction when it was deluged with water.
But by the same word the heavens and the earth that are now are stored up for fire and are being reserved to the day of judgment and of
destruction of the ungodly men. However, let this one fact not be escaping YOUR notice, beloved ones, that one day is with Jehovah as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. Jehovah is not slow respecting his promise, as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with YOU because he does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance. Yet Jehovahs day will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a hissing noise, but the elements being intensely hot will be dissolved, and earth and the works in it will be discovered.
The literal heavens and earth did not perish in the Deluge, neither will they during Jehovahs day. What, then, will pass away, or be destroyed? On the previous and future event what was and will be destroyed is "Ungodly Men"
Human governments that have dominated mankind like heavens will end and so will the earth, or human ungodly society. The hissing noise perhaps indicates the rapid passage of the heavens. The elements that make up todays decadent human society will be dissolved, or destroyed. And the earth, including the works in it, will be discovered. Jehovah will thoroughly expose the wicked acts of men as he brings an entire world system to its well-deserved end.