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For those who believe the heavens and the earth are to be literally destroyed . . . ?

How do you explain:

(Genesis 8:21, 22) “21 And Jehovah began to smell a pleasing aroma. So Jehovah said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground on man’s account, for the inclination of the heart of man is bad from his youth up; and never again will I strike down every living thing as I have done. 22 From now on, the earth will never cease to have seed-sowing and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night.””

(Ecclesiastes 1:4) “ 4 A generation is going, and a generation is coming, But the earth remains forever.”

(Proverbs 2:21, 22) “21 For only the upright will reside in the earth, And the blameless will remain in it. 22 As for the wicked, they will be cut off from the earth, And the treacherous will be torn away from it.”

Even Peter tells us it was the 'world of the ungodly' who are destroyed at the flood.

Peter tells us the 1st heaven and earth were destroyed by water and yet we are still living on the same planet, and looking at the same nightly sky Adam and Eve saw.  What changed was the "expanse between the waters".

Update:

Gen 8:21

(MKJV)  And Jehovah smelled a sweet odor. And Jehovah said in His heart, I will never again curse the ground for man's sake,. . And I will not again smite every living thing as I have done.

(ESV)  “I will never again curse the ground because of man,. . . Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.

(NASB)  "I will never again curse the ground on account of man, . . . and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.

The NWT is correct.

Update 2:

Thank you Joe for a complete answer to my question.

I can understand your comment concerning Gen 8:21 but it disagrees with vs 22.

Eccl may be poetic, but it is still truth; which means in Pr 2 is forever. Ps 37:29

True Peter is talking about a future event 2Pe 3:13

As to 'new heavens' Barnes' Notes "The heavenly bodies often represent kings & princes."

Is there a new king & his princes? 

Yes, Jesus and those who rule along side him. 

Da 7:27; Mat 19:28; Rev 1:6; 5:10; 20:6; 22:5

14 Answers

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  • Joe
    Lv 4
    2 weeks ago

    Key words, “as I have done” in Genesis 8:21, meaning god will not destroy the earth by a global flood again.

    Ecclesiastes was poetic language.

    Proverbs does not say forever.

    Peter tells us of an event that has not yet happened.

  • 3 weeks ago

    Supernaturally remodeled and renewed. Not destroyed.

  • Bill-M
    Lv 7
    3 weeks ago

    Putting the Bible aside and sticking with Science only, the Planet Earth will be completely Destroyed by our sun when it turns into a Red Giant in about 4.5 Billion Years.

  • Justin
    Lv 7
    3 weeks ago

    "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be discovered.

    "Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!" (2 Peter 3:10-12).

    These scriptures literally state that the heavens, earth and fundamental elements of nature will be 'discovered,' 'unchained' and 'liquefied' by fire. Those are the Greek words. 

    The end result will be a 'new' heaven and earth. 

     

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  • Anonymous
    3 weeks ago

    That greatly contrasts with the noxious odor of Noah's shatty thong that Jehovah smelled before he flooded Earth.

  • 3 weeks ago

    IT MEANS GOD WILL REMAKE THE EARTH..

  • 3 weeks ago

    More Jehovah Witness false crap, and is certainly unbiblical.  The JW New World Translation is nothing more than a purposely mistranslation in order to back up the false teaching of this anti-Christ cult.  In the last days the bible told us that many false prophets and false teachers would come on the scene.  JW's are certain one of these.

    The event usually referred to as “the end of the world” (eschaton) is described in 2 Peter 3:10: “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” This is the culmination of a series of events called “the day of the Lord,” the time when God will intervene in human history for the purpose of judgment. At that time, all that God has created, “the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), He will destroy.

    The timing of this event, according to most Bible scholars, is at the end of the 1000-year period called the millennium. During these 1000 years, Christ will reign on earth as King in Jerusalem, sitting on the throne of David (Luke 1:32-33) and ruling in peace but with a “rod of iron” (Revelation 19:15). At the end of the 1000 years, Satan will be released, defeated again, and then cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-10). Then, after a final judgment by God, the end of the world described in 2 Peter 3:10 occurs. The Bible tells us several things about this event.

    First, it will be cataclysmic in scope. The “heavens” refers to the physical universe – the stars, planets, and galaxies—which will be consumed by some kind of tremendous explosion, possibly a nuclear or atomic reaction that will consume and obliterate all matter as we know it. All the elements that make up the universe will be melted in the “fervent heat” (2 Peter 3:12). This will also be a noisy event, described in different Bible versions as a “roar” (NIV), a “great noise” (KJV), a “loud noise” (CEV), and a “thunderous crash” (AMP). There will be no doubt as to what is happening. Everyone will see and hear it because we are also told that “the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”

    Then God will create a “new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1), which will include the “New Jerusalem” (v. 2), the capital city of heaven, a place of perfect holiness, which will come down from heaven to the new earth. This is the city where the saints—those whose names were written in the “Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 13:8)—will live forever. Peter refers to this new creation as “the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).

    Perhaps the most important part of Peter’s description of that day is his question in verses 11-12: “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” Christians know what is going to happen, and we should live in a way that reflects that understanding. This life is passing away, and our focus should be on the new heavens and earth to come. Our “holy and godly” lives should be a testimony to those who do not know the Savior, and we should tell others about Him so they can escape the terrible fate that awaits those who reject Him. We wait in eager anticipation for God’s “Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). 

  • 3 weeks ago

    "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up."  2 Peter 3:10

  • ?
    Lv 7
    3 weeks ago

    just another contradiction.

  • 3 weeks ago

    Are you joking? The Bible can and has been used to prove thousands of different and conflicting doctrines, each declaring themselves to be the correct one.

    They can't all be right, but they can all be wrong.

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