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NOTES
Centuries before the arrival of Jesus, God disclosed his specific plan to make a new heavens and new earth at the end of the age.
Too many people think and act as though the moment Eve sank her teeth into the forbidden fruit, that God immediately abandoned his earthly plan. As though humanity’s only hope of eternal happiness lies in leaving earth to live with God in heaven. That idea is the product of heaven-aimed Christianity. It says Jesus plans to take your spirit to heaven when you die, to give you a new body and allow you to live there with him forever. But that idea is not taught in the Bible and in this video series I’m exploring what the Bible actually teaches about the future of humanity—that the redeemed will live on a new earth. And that idea is not some new thought or promise that arrived with Jesus. God has always planned to establish the world in perfection and give imperishable bodies to humans to inhabit it. I explained the Bible’s teaching on new bodies in prior videos and now I turn to the earth.
Here’s the reasoning of the biblical authors: if God created the heavens and earth, then he has the power the restore the heavens and the earth. The earth is not perfect. It needs restoration. The earth exudes hostility to life. Yes, life is all over the earth, but so is death. And God does not delight in death nor does he plan for death to reign forever. Death is a consequence of our rejection of God. One day, death will be no more. There will be a new earth. God specified this promise through the prophet Isaiah who lived roughly seven centuries before the arrival of Jesus. Speaking for God, Isaiah wrote, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.” And again, quote, “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain. From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord.”
Now, of course, some will say these passages reflect hyperbole and use imagery to talk about God restoring the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel. And there’re good reasons for that argument, but those reasons don’t adequately explain these passages and their surrounding contexts. These texts reflect God’s plan for the whole world. Centuries before Jesus arrived, God foretold that he will harness his power to recreate earth. The blanket of death will no longer blanket humanity. The human bent toward evil will cease. Isaiah wrote that the wolf and lamb will graze together, a lion and calf will eat beside one another. It’s like the whole DNA of the earth will change for the better.
Accomplishing that plan is why Jesus came. Jesus came not to save people from the earth but to save people from sin and, with people, the earth sin’s consequences. His resurrection foreshadowed that plan. There will be a new creation one day when God decides its time. Thanks for listening. I’m Aaron Massey.