Paradise on Earth

[onewithhim]

When I learned that the Bible speaks of a restored Garden of Eden and the restoration of mankind to the perfection and endless life that Adam forfeited, I was thrilled. Who doesn't want to keep living on this beautiful earth, with our loved ones, and being able to do all the things we love to do---endlessly?

If God said to you today, "When do you want to die?" would you say "now!!"? I don't think very many people would say that.

We CAN live forever here on Earth. The Bible tells us that we can.

Matthew 5:5
Psalm 37:9-11,29

[Capbook]

I think we are born again.

I think God will create a new heaven and a new earth as well.

You think that God will destroy the heavens and the earth? What would be the reason? There is nothing wrong with the heavens, and the earth can rejuvenate itself from all the pollution and destruction. Our earth is beautiful and will be even more so after Armageddon.

The earth was destroyed together with the wicked, Satan and demons in verse 10.

Where does it say that the earth was destroyed? (What verse 10 are you referring to?)

Satan deceive the nations (wicked) in the four corners of the earth--Gog and Magog--to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore, will devoured by fire from heaven and the lake of fire in verse 10, can it not destroy the earth?
So why there is new heaven and earth in Rev 21? And in verse 4, God shall wipe all tears, no more death, sorrow, no more crying, pain, for the former things are passed away.
Barnes understand the underlined below as destroyed.

Revelation 20:10
[And shall be tormented day and night forever] Compare the notes on Rev 14:11. All the great enemies of the church are destroyed, and henceforward there is to be no array of hostile forces; no combination of malignant powers against the kingdom of God. The gospel triumphs; the way is prepared for the final consummation.
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

You ADDED something to the verses! Nowhere does it actually say that the earth was destroyed. The "new heaven and new earth" does not mean being replaced, as the earth and heavens having been destroyed. The earth we have now is made new because all the wickedness is gone from it and it can rejuvenate itself with the aid now of God's true worshipers who are alive after Armageddon and have made it to the new system of things. The new heavens could not be the literal heavens because the universe has done nothing wrong either and need not be destroyed.

The deeper meaning of the phrase actually means that the new heavens is a new government by Jesus Christ over the earth, and the new earth is a new society of people living on the earth. People have been referred to when saying "the earth," such as at Genesis 11:1. So a new "earth" would mean a different set of people inhabiting the earth.

When fire came down from heaven Rev 20:9, and lake of fire that will destroy the devil and others, (v10) It is clear that this will happen on earth. See 2 Pet 3:10, elements will melt due to fervent heat and also burned up the earth. And see Barnes' exegesis of Rev 21:1, mentioned fire and making new heaven and new earth.

2 Pet 3:10 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.

Revelation 21:1
[And I saw a new heaven and a new earth] Such a heaven and earth that they might properly be called new; such transformations, and such changes in their appearance, that they seemed to be just created. He does not say that they were created now, or anew; that the old heavens and earth were annihilated; but all that he says is, that there were such changes that they seemed to be new. If the earth is to be renovated by fire, such a renovation will give an appearance to the globe as if it were created anew, and might be attended with such an apparent change in the heavens that they might be said to be new.

[For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away] They had passed away by being changed, and a renovated universe had taken their place.
(from Barnes' Notes)

I won't laugh. The whole universe needs to be renovated?? It does not, just as the earth doesn't need to be destroyed. It is the wicked people that will be destroyed. The "earth" stands for a society of people, as we can see at Genesis 11:1. The "heavens" stands for governments of humans which will be eradicated. 2 Peter 3:10 has a much deeper meaning than what you are saying. Again, "ungodly men" will be destroyed, not the earth (2 Peter 3:7). The physical earth was not destroyed in Noah's day, and Jesus likened the end times to Noah's day (Matthew 24:37). It makes sense for wicked people to be destroyed, rather than the literal earth, and then the earth can heal from what they have done to it.

Another version of 2Peter 3:10 renders "the works therein shall be burned up" as the works therein will be revealed, or as a footnote in the NASB says, "its works will be discovered." Not really the meaning many people think of when reading this verse. "Burned up" is not the only rendering of that verse, and "revealed" and "discovered" implies the exposure of men's evil works for what they are.

We will visit lexicons to define what burned up means.
Strongs' define "burned up" to burn down, consume wholly.
EDNT define it as, "in an apocalyptic image of the end".
And Thayer define it as burn up, consume by fire.

NT:2618
from NT:2596 and NT:2545; to burn down (to the ground), i.e. consume wholly:
KJV - burn (up, utterly).
( New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. )

NT:2618
in an apocalyptic image of the end
(from Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament )

NT:2618 katakaioo): to burn up, consume by fire
(from Thayer's Greek Lexicon)


2 Peter 3:10
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
NIV
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.
NASB
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; and in that day the heavens will be rolled up with a great noise, and the substance of the earth will be changed by violent heat, and the world and everything in it will be burned up.
(Bible in Basic English)

And even NIV, NASB and Bible in Basic English does not agree with your interpretation.

As I said, "burned up" can be translated as "discovered" or "revealed." The NASB has a note in the margin saying that very thing. Did you read the note in the margin?

Jesus said that the last days will be like the days of Noah. The earth was deluged with water, but was not destroyed. The same will occur in the end. The "ungodly men" will be what is destroyed, just not by water.

Your NIV even said instead of "burned up" the meaning is "laid bare". That goes along with "discovered" or "revealed."

Lexicons are Dictionaries that defines the original Greek or Hebrew word of what that means during that time of usage.
Visit your lexicons, I know you are using them.

Strongs' define "burned up" to burn down, consume wholly.
EDNT define it as, "in an apocalyptic image of the end".
And Thayer define it as burn up, consume by fire.

[JehovahsWitness]

Lexicons are Dictionaries ...

Have you found the word SYMBOLIC /symbolically in any?

[Capbook]

Lexicons are Dictionaries ...

Have you found the word SYMBOLIC /symbolically in any?

In KJV I found no word "symbolic".

[JehovahsWitness]

Lexicons are Dictionaries ...

Have you found the word SYMBOLIC /symbolically in any?

In KJV I found no word "symbolic".

WHAT about a dictionary?

[Capbook]

Lexicons are Dictionaries ...

Have you found the word SYMBOLIC /symbolically in any?

In KJV I found no word "symbolic".

WHAT about a dictionary?

It has to be in the Bible, so it would be defined by lexicons.
Online, symbolic means serving as a symbol.

[JehovahsWitness]

Lexicons are Dictionaries ...

Have you found the word SYMBOLIC /symbolically in any?

In KJV I found no word "symbolic".

WHAT about a dictionary?

It has to be in the Bible, so it would be defined by lexicons.
Online, symbolic means serving as a symbol.

So do you think the idea of symbol/ symbolic is in the bible?

[onewithhim]

Lexicons are Dictionaries ...

Have you found the word SYMBOLIC /symbolically in any?

In KJV I found no word "symbolic".

In the KJV Bibles that I have seen, in the margin at Revelation 20:14 it says there that "Hades" means the grave. That occurrence where death and Hades (hell) are thrown into the lake of fire is certainly symbolic even though the word "symbolic" is not mentioned anywhere.

[Capbook]

Lexicons are Dictionaries ...

Have you found the word SYMBOLIC /symbolically in any?

In KJV I found no word "symbolic".

In the KJV Bibles that I have seen, in the margin at Revelation 20:14 it says there that "Hades" means the grave. That occurrence where death and Hades (hell) are thrown into the lake of fire is certainly symbolic even though the word "symbolic" is not mentioned anywhere.

I believe lake of fire (gehenna) makes the end of death and Hades (grave). It can kills the body and spirit (breath or breath of life) Mat 10:28. And I believe the fire in Ezek 28:18, that could devour and bring someone to ashes, same fire in Rev 20:9-10. I just believe hell (gehenna) is not symbolic.

[JehovahsWitness]

I just believe hell (gehenna) is not symbolic.

Could that be because you don't have a clear understanding if what the word "symbolic" actually means ?

[onewithhim]

Lexicons are Dictionaries ...

Have you found the word SYMBOLIC /symbolically in any?

In KJV I found no word "symbolic".

In the KJV Bibles that I have seen, in the margin at Revelation 20:14 it says there that "Hades" means the grave. That occurrence where death and Hades (hell) are thrown into the lake of fire is certainly symbolic even though the word "symbolic" is not mentioned anywhere.

I believe lake of fire (gehenna) makes the end of death and Hades (grave). It can kills the body and spirit (breath or breath of life) Mat 10:28. And I believe the fire in Ezek 28:18, that could devour and bring someone to ashes, same fire in Rev 20:9-10. I just believe hell (gehenna) is not symbolic.

It has to be symbolic because you can't throw death and Hades. This stands for the elimination of death and the grave forever. Your first sentence is correct. Then you contradict yourself in your last statement.