#EndTimeMyths Busted, Part 2: Literal New Heaven and New Earth?!? I have grown up most of my life believing that Revelation 21-22 is about a literal future place known as the New Heaven and the New Earth. It was only in the last 5 years that I began to go through a massive shift in my understanding. I have come to the place in my study of the Bible that I always aim to use a Historical Contextual Hermeneutic, which means that I try to understand what the first readers of the Bible would have understood. This is the opposite of how many modern readers impose their modern understanding upon the text. Many do not put themselves into the shoes of the first century reader and thus they end up being extremely literal when they read passages that are meant to be figures of speech. So what did the first century reader understand a New Heaven and New Earth to be? Was it a figure of speech or something that we should take literally? Let’s start with the basic understanding of “heaven and earth” in the first century. Jesus says in Matthew 5:18 “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” We have likely read over this passage many times and not thought through the implications of this verse. It gives us a choice between two options. Heaven and earth exist = 100% of the Law is still in force Heaven and earth disappear = the Law can disappear So then, if we understand heaven and earth to be the literal physical earth, then 100% of the Mosaic Old Covenant Law is still in force until the end of this planet. Including the Temple sacrifices and the 3 annual pilgrimages to Jerusalem, etc. Not one Jot or Tittle has passed. Or could Jesus be using a figure of speech that everyone in the first century understood? Either Jesus was talking about something else or the Law is 100% in effect currently, until the planet is destroyed. We...
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:01:37 +0000
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