Comments on: How long did God dwell on earth?

By: Camella S. Cooke

Camella S. Cooke — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:16:48 +0000

Did Satan know that Jesus was God in the flesh when he was tempting Jesus in the Wilderness?

How many angles were orginally created? 1/3 of the angles were kicked out with Satan so how many are left in heaven?

By: TC

TC — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:52:31 +0000

Well, after reading somethings that you said above, I discovered that.

By: ElShaddai Edwards

ElShaddai Edwards — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:19:23 +0000

This earth is going to be redeemed. I believe that’s the meaning of a new heaven and a new earth.

Yep, we’re saying the same thing.

By: TC

TC — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:15:39 +0000

Elshaddai, I believe that at the end of the day we might be saying the same thing.

Hear Paul:

“The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God” (Rom 8:19-21, TNIV).

This earth is going to be redeemded. I believe that’s the meaning of a new heaven and a new earth.

Yes, God will dwell with His people, but I don’t see the parallelism that you see between 2 Pet 3:13 and Rev 21:3.

By: ElShaddai Edwards

ElShaddai Edwards — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:32:44 +0000

Thanks for the Greek, TC – I didn’t mean to suggest that the earth itself was mystical or incorporeal in any way, just that the recording of pre-flood human history had an aura of mythology to it. Again, that gets back to hermeneutics…

Interestingly the last part of 2 Peter 3:13, “where righteousness dwells”, parallels the end of Revelation (21:3), where God comes to dwell (again?) with his people on earth.

By: ElShaddai Edwards

ElShaddai Edwards — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:05:09 +0000

Kevin, yes, though I’d say that another way of saying “a re-created and pre-existing heaven and earth” is “the redeemed creation”.

By: Kevin Sam

Kevin Sam — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 23:47:31 +0000

If I’m processing this correctly, I understand the argument to be that the new heaven and new earth could mean either a newly created physical earth and heaven, or is a re-created and pre-existing heaven and earth.

If there is no “heavenly realm” where angels sing (as in Revelation) in the early Old Testament, it may mean that it just wasn’t written about yet by the biblical writers.

By: ElShaddai Edwards

ElShaddai Edwards — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:01:45 +0000

Yes, early Genesis really does seem to be the “who we are and why we’re here” documentation for the Hebrew tribe moving into Canaan. Lots of themes and motifs borrowed from contemporary and historical cultures to better “fit in”, but with a monotheistic twist to set them apart from (above?) their neighbors.

It would be interesting to further compare the theophanic episodes in Genesis with those of the other Canaanite cultures and/or those from Mesopotamia.

By: TC

TC — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:01:21 +0000

Elshaddai, in 2 Pet 3:6 Peter uses ἀπόλλυμι, and then in vv.10, 11 we have a different word, λύω. Does Peter want us to make a difference in how we understand these words?

Furthermore, Peter was referring to a literal earth in vv.5ff and not some mystical earthiness. I think he does the same in reference to the new heaven and the new earth.

Then Peter says of this new dimension, “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (v. 13, TNIV). I see nothing mystical about this verse.

By: Peter Kirk

Peter Kirk — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:47:55 +0000

My tentative belief is that there is not much real history in the Bible before Abraham, but from his time onward it is basically historical, of course with theologically motivated presentation. I don’t rule out a historical Noah’s flood, but it was not a worldwide one. But that does not really affect the issue here.