Category Archives: Bible Study

42 BY THE WAY…HOW FAR IS EARTH FROM HEAVEN?

Bible Study, ,

Will we, mere humans, ever understand, how far it was for Jesus to come from heaven to earth?

Where is heaven?

Heaven, God’s  unseen realm, is where God is…and God is everywhere. 

“God is everywhere at the same time, existing both beyond our physical universe and intimately close to humanity.

Where God is Found

  • In Heaven: Scripture teaches that God sits on a holy throne and rules the universe.
  • Everywhere: God is omnipresent, meaning no place in creation is hidden from His presence.
  • Within Believers: In Christian faith, God lives inside the hearts of believers through the Holy Spirit.
  • In Difficult Times: When life hurts, faith views God as close to the brokenhearted and active even when His work remains unseen.” (Google AI)

Jesus’ journey from heaven to earth was not measured in miles or kilometres. He came from the environment of perfection to a world of imperfection. He came from holiness to sin, from wholeness to brokenness, from functional to utterly non-functional. He came  from the realm of love, joy, and peace to the world of greed and wickedness, alienation, impurity, chaos, and confusion…to set the universe and its inhabitants back on course to fellowship with the Father. 

In His heavenly realm, Jesus was clothed in the robe of perfect righteousness, His thoughts and actions perfectly just, and His nature pure love. He was equal in essence, substance, and nature, with the Father and the Spirit. 

Jesus’ role on earth was to navigate this corrupted realm, from His conception to His return to glory, without conceding, in a single second, to the pressures of His environment…not reciprocating to the corrupt society in which He had to function…living the perfect life of “the last Adam”, to redeem mankind from its lostness, beyond mere existence, to real life. 

The cost was enormous, beyond human understanding. This God-man had to lay aside every privilege and power as God…equal in glory with the Father and the Spirit. He had to submit Himself without question to the very ones with whom He shared His place in heaven, in every detail, without a second’s hesitation, whatever was required, as a frail and fragile human. 

Jesus had to depend on the directions He received from the Father…obey without question, without flinching, the Father’s will…and rely on the Spirit’s power without which He could do nothing. 

Jesus’ own testimony to His perfect fulfilment of every requirement cannot be challenged. He did it! 

“The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How was it possible for a human being to fulfil all these requirements without ever missing a beat?

He did it!

“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭38‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Every moment, every second was a test and a testimony to that commitment. Jesus was under scrutiny for His obedience to the Father. 

“Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Obedience and suffering…His lot for every day of His human life. 

Yet… over and above all that…how could a person endure a death so horrendous that no imagination can ever wrap around every detail with any kind of understanding. How could He die as He lived without falling apart and becoming like any other human who had to suffer as He did, just because the Father required it?

He did it…willingly and completely!

“Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer…

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭10‬a NIV‬‬

The testimony of Scripture is that Jesus did it…every bit…every detail…every second…as was expected of Him…as the Word predicted about Him. 

“Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away. I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭50‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Let’s turn our attention to the cross itself…the culmination of every minute detail of Jesus’ obedience to the Father. Jesus submitted before it happened, knowing full well that He could never accomplish His mission outside of the cross. 

“Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭35‬-‭36‬ NIV

Even in the agony of knowing, He settled it…once and for all…in the garden… three times…in a resolve so strong that He did not flinch…not even once…through it all. 

What did they do to Jesus…the ones who stood in our place…doing what we would have done…because we were one of them?

They stripped Him! 

They took His freedom. They took His dignity. They flogged Him until His flesh hung in ribbons from the bone. They took His blood. They took His clothes. They took His friends and His family…alienated and terrified. They took His breath…and His life. He died empty and alone…and He said nothing!

“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…or did they? 

No, they could not take a thing from Him that He did not freely give. From His first breath to His last, Jesus gave!

“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Did you get that?

Out of this intimate union with the Father, Jesus gave what no one could take from Him. He gave until He had nothing left to give. 

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How far was earth from heaven…then…and now? Only as far as we want it to be…a million miles or…into the centre of our being. 

41c BY THE WAY…WHY DID JESUS WEEP?

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Why did the Holy Spirit choose Peter to reveal Jesus’ secret of victory? Where did Peter get the insights into the way Jesus dealt with injustice, that he could tell us His true story? 

Was it not from Peter’s own sorry failure, finally deeply understood, that he could write about what Jesus’ did at the cross?

Peter was so sure of himself, on the eve of his greatest test, that it was unthinkable to him that he would fail. He spoke with all the brazenness of his own fleshly self- confidence, that he would never desert Jesus. He failed even entertained the idea that his courage would cave in when the chips were down. 

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭30‬-‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Pete was so sure of himself that he refused to heed Jesus’ warning. He was completely unprepared for what lay ahead of him, self-assured that his own will power, his own courage, would stand up under the pressure. 

So, what happened in the courtyard of the high priest’s residence? Peter fell headlong into the trap he had set for himself. He was cocksure, self-confident, and completely unaware of his own vulnerability. He was empty inside, and he imploded under the press. 

Was Peter’s failure the real reason for the violent death that Jesus predicted at the lakeside, he would suffer? Did Jesus allow this end for Peter to redeem his failure. Did He give him the opportunity to suffer with Him by refusing to retaliate?

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now, let’s look at the way Jesus handled His moment of crisis? 

He was prepared. He faced the possibility of failure before it happened. He turned to the Father…He prayed for deliverance but…not His way…not from, but through the cross. He rested His full weight on the Father and embraced the Father’s will without reservation. 

“Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭36‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus knew what lay before Him…the possibility of losing everything, including who He was…the Son of God…if He gave in during His greatest test. Up to that point, He had never failed in any challenge. In fact, He had confidently demanded of His most fiery opponents…

“Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?”

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭46‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus’ secret was eternal vigilance…with “fervent cries and tears!”

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered…”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The battle against self-preservation was so fierce that it cost Him “fervent cries and tears”. We note with awe that Jesus didn’t weep for protection from His enemies. He wept for

protection from His human nature…from giving in to the potential of His humanity. 

Again, Peter understood the agony of Jesus’ battle. Where Peter fell, Jesus stood firm. 

“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,”

‭‭I Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“…. Christ suffered for us in the flesh…”

We have already discovered, in a previous post, that Jesus suffered being tempted…tempted to fight back…to protect His ego… and that His victory lay in His refusal to retaliate. 

“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus’ submission to the Father’s will was perfect and complete in His final moments…through agony and tears…when He chose the cross. 

His tears, as always, were not for His own vindication or comfort, but for the strength to endure the test until the final victory…for you and for me. 

They stripped Jesus of everything…His honour, His reputation, His name, His dignity, His clothing, His flesh…even to the bone, His human form, His blood, until there was nothing left…just a shredded and unrecognisable human body hung on a pole…and He said nothing!

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth… Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭7‬, ‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Peter felt it, with unbearable pain… the glorious victory of Jesus against the misery of his own failure…and he marvelled!

41b BY THE WAY…WHY DID JESUS WEEP?

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The third record of Jesus’ tears appears in a passage in Hebrews describing the very humanness of His suffering. In the garden…the olive grove…the place of “the press”…Jesus felt the weight of the cross so powerfully that He cried out to the Father with the hot tears of human anguish, that the suffering be avoided. 

What was it that pressed down on Him with such agonising weight?

It was Peter who gave us the clue. Why Peter? Let’s examine this episode with microscopic precision. 

First, Hebrews takes us to the nature of Jesus’ suffering…not the things that His enemies would do to Him…the flogging, the nails, the agony of hanging for hours in the hot sun, the thirst, the unbearable pain, being unable to breathe…all so very real but…what His reaction would be. 

“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Very clear…very specific! Four words…” He suffered being tempted!” The spotlight was on His suffering in the temptation!

Again, Peter understood where the most vulnerable part of Jesus’ humanity would be touched…His flesh…the part of His nature that most resembled the “first Adam”…created innocent…but able both to sin and not to sin. 

“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,”

‭‭I Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Do you get the picture? 

Jesus was born with the nature of the first Adam, innocent, without sin, but vulnerable because He had the power to choose…exactly as Adam had. Paul called Jesus “the last Adam”. 

When Adam sinned, he retaliated by refusing to accept responsibility for his disobedience. He blamed God and his wife. 

“The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.””

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What did Jesus suffer? He suffered being tempted, specifically because temptation forced Him to make a choice…to please God or to please Himself. To please Himself would have meant death! 

Why was His suffering in what He was tempted to do? To please Himself would have meant doing what His flesh demanded…fight back against injustice because He knew He was innocent of the charges. 

Everything that people did to Jesus was the outcome of the worst, most heinous, most unforgivable injustice. His enemies had decided His fate before He was ever brought to trial. They cancelled Him first…they condemned Him because of who they were, not because of who He was. 

The most reasonable human response would be self-preservation…push back…retaliate…defend! 

Jesus knew that if He did that, He would lose the battle. Self would rule Him. The outcome would be failure…death to Himself and all mankind. 

So…

“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭22‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Again, do you get the picture? Rather than retaliate, Jesus absorbed into Himself the worst that humanity could do to Him. He chose the Father’s will above His own…and the cost to Him was physical death. 

“Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, at the peak of His temptation, Jesus wept. 

“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭34‬-‭36‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now, let’s see what Peter had to say…

“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus won His battle in the garden, not on the cross…in prayer…in His reverent submission to the Father’s will. His was not a once-off prayer…but a day-by-day attitude to the Father, culminating in His submission to the Father’s will in Gethsemane. 

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him…”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus’ tears were the ultimate expression of submission…giving Himself over, utterly and completely, to the will of the Father. 

41a BY THE WAY…WHY DID JESUS WEEP?

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The Bible mentions three occasions when Jesus wept. Only a person with real emotions can weep. Did Jesus weep only as a human? Should we ask, “Can or does God in heaven weep?”

Although the Bible does not specifically give us examples of God’s sadness, there are many expressions of how He felt about the gross wickedness of His human family, and His people’s unfaithfulness. He felt anger, frustration, grief…reflected in His words…for example…

“The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The corruption of all the people who lived at that time caused God grief. Is it possible that God could mourn over the very creation that had caused Him complete satisfaction at the beginning?

Of Israel, on the eve of terrible catastrophe, the Babylonians!!! He said…

“Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy.”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭11‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It should not surprise us, then, that Jesus’ tears were the expression of His own sorrow over situations where His people’s stubborn resistance and unbelief 

would bring judgment down on them. The crux of the matter was that His people had failed to recognise Him as their deliverer. He had come to rescue them from a greater judgment than Rome’s terrible destruction…sin that would consign them to everlasting darkness without His intervention. 

“But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭41‬-‭44‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus also wept over one of His dearest friends who, in the hour of her deepest grief, blamed Him for her loss rather than trusting Him for His better plan. 

“So he told them (His disciples) plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”…When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled…Then Jesus wept.”

‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭14‬-‭15‬, ‭32‬-‭33‬, ‭35‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So many interpretations about Jesus’ anger and sorrow! Let’s look at the situation from a purely human point of view. 

Mary wanted Jesus to come…to heal her brother before he died. Jesus had a better plan. He delayed His return to Bethany deliberately and long enough for the sickness to do its final work. Mary thought Jesus had failed her. Her trust in Him reached only to the limit of her expectation. 

When Jesus failed to turn up, Mary’s faith in Him collapsed. She turned on Him in anger. She rebuked Him. She had built a wall that shut Him out. She refused to give Him the benefit of the doubt. 

How would He react? With indifference? With nonchalance? Of course not! With anger…frustration…grief…not at Mary but at her unbelief. His tears were tears of sorrow because His friend had refused to trust Him…based on who He was. Despite sitting at His feet, she did not yet really know Him. 

Had Mary waited until Jesus had finished what He started, she would have saved herself all the agony and grief her unbelief had cost her. What if she had still sat at His feet in her heart, trusting His love, and believing in His goodness despite the situation, until He came? This is what real faith does…not collapsing in the middle, but waiting for the conclusion…leaning hard on Jesus because of who He is. 

How often Jesus must weep over us when we refuse to trust Him to the conclusion. Why not let Him finish what He started, leaning on Him because of who He is…and finding, with joy, that He can be trusted, after all?

To be continued…

39 BY THE WAY…WILL GOD DESTROY THIS PLANET?

Bible Study, ,

What does God intend to do with this planet that we messed up? Will He dump it and make a new one? What does His word say?

One thing God never does is resort to plan B. He never has a plan B. One thing God always does is restore…which is a part of His plan A.  He restores everything that is broken. 

First question… What do I mean by restore?  

God does not discard what is broken and start again. He removes what has caused the brokenness and sets everything back in order as He planned in the beginning. 

The amazing thing about God’s plan is that restoration was included in His plan A before anything was ever broken. From His eternal perspective, brokenness and restoration were already accomplished before He spoke one grain of sand into existence.  

After His first pair defected, He told the tempter who caused the destruction, what would happen to him. 

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There…the seed of God’s word was already sown…just minutes or hours after the crown of His creation fell right out of His plan. 

We have already discussed at length…in many posts…over many months…the way that God restores the broken sinner. 

However, man and his environment are an integral part of God’s plan A for His people. Like love and marriage, humans and the earth go together. God always intended for His human family to live on His planet, prepared and perfected for them,  to manage it for Him in partnership with Him. 

The second part of God’s plan is not so familiar to us. God’s design was for heaven and earth to be one environment where He and His creatures would live together in perfect harmony. Once His people were perfected in righteousness through their loving obedience, heaven would join the earth to become one eternal home for all. 

Throughout Scripture, through all the processes of His revelation…tabernacle and temple in symbolic form, and eventually His Spirit in us…God showed us that His desire was to make His dwelling with us. The final stage would be the restoration of the earth to its former perfection. 

God never intended for man to live with Him in heaven. He intended to live with mankind in a united heaven and earth. 

Let’s see what the Bible says. 

Both Paul and John saw this end of the process clearly. Wrote Paul…

“For 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.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul said nothing about the earth being discarded and a new one created. He spoke about the earth being liberated… delivered…exempted from moral, ceremonial, or mortal liability…set free. When man fell from his position of son to slave, the earth was also enslaved to the consequences of man’s sin. The natural world was corrupted with him. 

“To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The outcome, for mankind, was a hostile environment… where sweat, toil, and hard labour would be his lot. 

Now, how can a restored human creation continue to live eternally on a planet at enmity with them. Plan A must be implemented completely. 

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Very good! Perfectly functional! Nothing broken…nothing missing…everything working together in harmony…man, plants, and creatures all cooperating in a perfect system. That’s how it was…and that how it will be. 

Second question… How will God restore?

If Jesus created the universe…

“…in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬

…and upholds His creation by His powerful word…

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word….”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV

…then He will surely also cleanse and restore His broken planet by the same creative, powerful word. 

“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭23‬:‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Peter explained the process in greater detail…

“By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly…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 done in it will be laid bare.”

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬, ‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We need to unpack what Peter actually wrote… not what we think. 

The New King James Version is a more accurate translation than the NIV or the NLT. 

“But the day of the Lord (the specific moment in time set by the supreme authority) will come as a thief (the who steals) (“in the night”…not in the text), in which the heavens (that which is lifted up…not necessarily or literally “heaven” but…in context…the 

“elements”*) will pass away with a great noise (a bang), and the elements* will melt (crack, break up, dissolve) with fervent heat; both the earth (the solid part) and the works (toil) that are in it (what caused the toil) will be burned up.”

‭‭II Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

*“In the Bible, the word “elements” translates from the Greek word stoicheia, which generally means fundamental principles, basic building blocks, or rudimentary components. 

“Meaning: In this eschatological (end-times) context, it refers to the basic physical components or material building blocks of the natural universe—often interpreted as the heavenly bodies (sun, moon, stars) or the fundamental matter making up the earth and sky. It signifies that the entire physical created order will undergo a radical, fiery dissolution and renewal. 

“Rudimentary Religious Teachings

Where it appears: Galatians 4:3, 4:9, and Colossians 2:8, 2:20 (“elements of the world” / “weak and beggarly elements”).

Meaning: In Paul’s letters, the term refers to the elementary or primary teachings of worldly or legalistic religion. This included formalistic rituals, man-made traditions, or Jewish ceremonial laws that kept people in spiritual immaturity and bondage before the full revelation of Jesus Christ.”

(Google AI)

Both Paul and Peter, together, give us the picture of what will happen when God restores creation to its original perfection. By the power of His word, Jesus will remove and destroy everything that intruded at the fall…the dysfunction of the physical planet…and the world’s  systems (elements) that control  by being lifted up (elevated…probably above God’s word) and distorted by selfishness and greed. 

The entire universe will be purged of the effects of sin and left in its perfect and pristine condition as at creation. Then…finally…

“Now I saw a new (fresh) heaven and a new (fresh) earth, for the first (former) heaven and the first (former) earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New (with respect to age) Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭19‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Holy City, the Bride, the church…perfected through Jesus…forever joined to the Bridegroom…in the environment of God’s presence…

Heaven and earth, the spiritual and the natural…reunited…as God had planned from the beginning…with God and His people together

as one forever family.