But
the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2
Peter 3:10
One generation
passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth forever.
Eccl.
1:4
Is this an inconsistency? Is it possible that the
Bible contradicts itself on the status of the earth? Is it possible that the
advocates of a renovated earth are correct? No, no, and no. Come let us reason
together from the Scriptures and look at just the meaning of “forever.”
First, the word here in Hebrew is olam.
This word means forever in a more limited sense as in "a long
duration." Unfortunately, many are confused between things which are
eternal and things that were going to last for the foreseeable future but would
have an end one day. Shall we consider the Passover? Exodus 12:24 And
ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons forever.
Just from our study of Galatians alone, you can recall that the practices of
the Law of Moses are not binding on the Christian who is under the Law of
Christ.
Shall we consider Deut. 15:17? Then thou shalt
take an awl and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy
servant forever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise. So,
if you had a slave who wanted to stay in his master's house, the master could
pierce his ear and this would be a sign of his work status forever. Did this
slave live forever? In the Hadean realm is this servant a servant of his
master? Absolutely not.
But what about Ecclesiastes 1:4? Let us
consider the words. The preacher writes all is vanity, what profit has a man
for all his labor? Nothing that he can take with him, that is the answer. For
one generation passeth away and another cometh. The earth abideth forever. Must
we conclude the earth lasts forever? No. Why don't we just consider that the
earth outlasts generations? They come and go, but the earth has continued.
Solomon wrote this many years after Adam.
The passage in 2 Peter 3:10 does not contradict
but rather points to the end of the earth, which consequently will be the end
of the generations of men. The earth will outlast all generations of men until
it is needed no more.
Please be wary of all those who will try and
apply buzz words like forever, olam, equally. That is how the Judaizers
will force circumcision, rebuild the temple, the Sabbath, and dietary
restrictions.
Grace and Peace,
Ryan
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