In the beginning God created the HEAVENS (the UNSEEN spiritual and heavenly realm) and the EARTH (the SEEN formless void physical globe) (Gen. 1:1).
God then created the PHYSICAL EARTH, and all that is in it, and the PHYSICAL HEAVENS/UNIVERSE above – the sky, clouds, sun, moon, stars, planets, galaxies and all that is in it, completing full creation at the end of the 6th literal 24 hour day (Gen. 1:2-31). It is the physical planet earth and the physical heavens/universe above that God created for humans to live and populate during their lifetimes. The physical planet earth and physical heavens/universe above, and its place in this eternal universe, was created forever.
They have been established to last FOREVER AND EVER. God’s creation is good. He will continue the PHYSICAL HEAVENS and PHYSICAL EARTH forever.
Did you realize that the common OC Hebrew thought and teaching for their millennia of existence was never about the “end of the cosmos?” They believed in two ages, the age they were in, the Old Covenant age, and the age to come, the age of the Messiah, and they believed that the age of the Messiah would never end. How was this nation under God who were raised generation after generation on the Old Testament scriptures so sure of what they believed, yet many people today teach some very different things?
- THE LITERAL PHYSICAL HEAVEN & EARTH SHALL ABIDE FOREVER: let us look at what the scriptures have to say about the existence of the earth, and let us try to allow them to teach us what God is trying to say to us:
- A. (Psalm 104:5) “You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever,”
- The literal earth is not predicted to pass away. David said that it should not be removed forever.
- B. (psalm 78:69) “And He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which He established forever””
- The Bible says that the physical earth has been established forever.
- C. (Ecclesiastes 1:4) “One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever.”
- The Bible says that the literal earth abides forever.
- D. (Psalm 148:4, 6) “Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens!… He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away.”
- The Bible says that the physical heavens have been established forever.
- E. (Psalm 119:90) “Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands.”
- God’s faithfulness is never-ending, and it is declared that it will endure “to all” generations. In the same comparison it says the earth abides forever.
- F. (Genesis 8:21) “… I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.”
- After the flood, God said He will never again destroy mankind. He had saved Noah and his family along with all of the animals when the flood came. Likewise when He destroys Israel and the Old Covenant system, He will establish His New Covenant system on the planet. It will involve true spiritual Israel which would be made from all Jew/Gentiles believers who will be His people from then on. In addition, He will allow mankind, including those who never will believe in Him, to continue their human lifetime of allotted years on the physical earth throughout history!
- G. (Isaiah 45:17) “Israel has been saved by the LORD With an everlasting salvation; You will not be put to shame or humiliated To all eternity.”
- To all eternity, or as in some translations Forever and Ever, this is the Hebrew meaning of “world without end.”
- H. (Isaiah 9:7) “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”
- Incredibly powerful verse – notice it says “there will be ‘no end to the increase’ of His government or of peace…” – you cannot have it always increasing unless there are always more people being saved to add to the increase of His Kingdom.
- I. (Psalm 2) “2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed… 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them… 6 ‘But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.’ 7 I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD…’ 8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession…”
- The Kingdom is given to Christ. Verses 6-12 does not sound like His rule and reign of the world is ever coming to an end. Verse 8 also declares that the world dominion is given as a gift from the Father to the Son. Will Christ ever lose His inheritance? – Never!
- Nowhere in the Bible does it say that all of the nations will submit willingly to Christ. It says the opposite in fact, but look how in verse 9 it shows how He will rule whether they want Him to or not.
- Psalm 2 clearly shows that there was not going to be any delay when the Lord was to establish His Kingdom, dispelling all premillennial dispensationalism teaching (Also: Isa. 42:3-4; and Psa. 89:34-37 (next)).
- A. (Psalm 104:5) “You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever,”
- J. (Psalm 89:34-37) “34 My covenant I will not violate, nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. 35 “Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. 36 “His descendants shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me. 37 “It shall be established forever like the moon, and the witness in the sky is faithful.”David is promised that his descendants will endure and continue forever. You could not have the world end and have his descendants still continue to endure forever. God’s character prohibits Him changing His decrees: Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29; Mal. 3:6; Heb. 6:17-18, 13:8; Jam. 1:17; Tit. 1:2.
- K. (Ezekiel 37:26-28) “26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. 27 “My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. 28 “And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.”’”
- His sanctuary will be in the “midst” of the nations – forevermore. This is not the language of the end of a universe, or there would not be any nations remaining. Verse 26 also says God will “multiply” the people of the new covenant. This can only be possible if people are still being saved forever (just as we also saw in Isaiah 9:7 above. Also see Eph. 3:20-22, 3:21 below).
- L. (Ephesians 2:20-22) “20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
- This was the start of the building of the Messianic temple of Ezek. 37:26-28, and notice that it is said to have started right there “in the 1st century.” This clearly is not a “physical” temple, as Jesus and the apostles were not “physical” stones, and a physical building also does not grow. No, rather, the temporary earthly physical temple was now obsolete and the reality was being fulfilled with the eternal spiritual temple –> the “church.”
- M. (Ephesians 3:21) “to Him is the glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus, to all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen.” (YLT)The renowned British scholar F.F. Bruce says, “It is the strongest expression in the Greek language for unendingness possible.” If God was wanting to tell us that His glory was no longer in the physical temple but was now through Christ in the church, and that it would remain there to every generation – for all time, forever – He could not have used any stronger language in the Greek vocabulary than He just did. God’s glory is in the church, indicating that the church can never end, as God decreed that His glory would never cease being in the church to all generations. End the church (which is also the body of Christ, and He is the head on the body) and you would end the glory of God – and that is not possible.
- K. (Ezekiel 37:26-28) “26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. 27 “My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. 28 “And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.”’”
See also related “Topic Studies & Terms”:
For a more in-depth study see the related full “Study Series”:
“Study Series 7 Lesson 3b Matthew 16:27-28 (and a Sub Study on Heaven and Earth)”