Questioning Amillennialism

One Lutheran Woman's Search For Truth

 

 Part 7 - Will this present world come to an end at Jesus' return?
Many amillennialists point to the passage in 2 Peter as evidence that this present world is completely destroyed at Jesus' coming. You may remember that Lutheran doctrine makes particular note of that very passage:

We believe that at Jesus' return this present world will come to an end. "In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness" (2 Peter 3:13).

Here’s the whole thing from 2 Peter:

2Pe 3:7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
2Pe 3:8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
2Pe 3:10 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 burned up.
2Pe 3:11
Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
2Pe 3:12 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 !
2Pe 3:13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

This is pretty clear that during the "Day of the Lord," the earth will be burned up. However, does that happen completely at Jesus' coming? We know that this world ends when the new heavens and new earth appear, but is that at Jesus' coming?
Peter has a lot to say about the prophets. He mentions them often, especially in his sermons recorded in the Book of Acts. The Bible actually has a lot to say about the earth and the fire that is expected. Peter was familiar with those. Pay careful attention to what he says and what he doesn’t say. Remember, this is the same Peter who is expecting the "restitution of all things." I believe that if you study this "fire" business in the Bible, you’ll see what Peter means. The scripture is very plain about things being destroyed. I guess the question is – does anyone survive it? Is the earth totally done, then, and the New Heavens/New Earth replacing it at THAT point? Let’s see:

Isa 51:6 "Lift up your eyes to the sky, Then look to the earth beneath ; For the sky will vanish like smoke, And the earth will wear out like a garment And its inhabitants will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not wane.


Isa 13:5 They are coming from a far country, From the farthest horizons, The LORD and His instruments of indignation, To destroy the whole land.
Isa 13:6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near ! It will come as destruction from the Almighty .
Isa 13:7
Therefore all hands will fall limp, And every man's heart will melt.
Isa 13:8 They will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; They will writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame.
Isa 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it.
Isa 13:10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light.
Isa 13:11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.
Isa 13:12 I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold And mankind than the gold of Ophir.
Isa 13:13
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the LORD of hosts In the day of His burning anger.

 

Isa 24:1 Behold, the LORD lays the earth waste , devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants.
Isa 24:2 And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower , the creditor like the debtor.
Isa 24:3 The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the LORD has spoken this word.
Isa 24:4 The earth mourns and withers , the world fades and withers , the exalted of the people of the earth fade away.
Isa 24:5 The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant.
Isa 24:6 Therefore , a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore , the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.
Isa 24:7
The new wine mourns, The vine decays, All the merry-hearted sigh.
Isa 24:8 The gaiety of tambourines ceases , The noise of revelers stops, The gaiety of the harp ceases .
Isa 24:9 They do not drink wine with song ; Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
Isa 24:10 The city of chaos is broken down; Every house is shut up so that none may enter.
Isa 24:11 There is an outcry in the streets concerning the wine; All joy turns to gloom. The gaiety of the earth is banished.
Isa 24:12 Desolation is left in the city And the gate is battered to ruins.
Isa 24:13 For thus it will be in the midst of the earth among the peoples , As the shaking of an olive tree, As the gleanings when the grape harvest is over.
Isa 24:14 They raise their voices, they shout for joy; They cry out from the west concerning the majesty of the LORD.
Isa 24:15 Therefore glorify the LORD in the east , The name of the LORD, the God of Israel, In the coastlands of the sea.
Isa 24:16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs, "Glory to the Righteous One," But I say, "Woe to me! Woe to me! Alas for me! The treacherous deal treacherously, And the treacherous deal very treacherously."
Isa 24:17 Terror and pit and snare Confront you, O inhabitant of the earth.
Isa 24:18 Then it will be that he who flees the report of disaster will fall into the pit, And he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare ; For the windows above are opened , and the foundations of the earth shake.
Isa 24:19 The earth is broken asunder , The earth is split through , The earth is shaken violently.
Isa 24:20
The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard And it totters like a shack, For its transgression is heavy upon it, And it will fall, never to rise again.
Isa 24:21
So it will happen in that day, That the LORD will punish the host of heaven on high, And the kings of the earth on earth.
Isa 24:22 They will be gathered together Like prisoners in the dungeon , And will be confined in prison; And after many days they will be punished.
Isa 24:23 Then the moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed, For the LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, And His glory will be before His elders.

 

In both of these passages from Isaiah, it shows that there will be survivors. But, I think that you can see that these are talking about the same thing. The "Day of the Lord" comes with burning fire.

Jer 4:23 I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void; And to the heavens, and they had no light.
Jer 4:24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, And all the hills moved to and fro.
Jer 4:25 I looked, and behold, there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled.
Jer 4:26 I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a wilderness , And all its cities were pulled down Before the LORD, before His fierce anger.
Jer 4:27 For thus says the LORD, "The whole land shall be a desolation, Yet I will not execute a complete destruction.
Jer 4:28
"For this the earth shall mourn And the heavens above be dark, Because I have spoken, I have purposed, And I will not change My mind, nor will I turn from it."

 

Jer 30:7 'Alas ! for that day is great, There is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob's distress , But he will be saved from it.

 

Psa 21:8 Your hand will find out all your enemies; Your right hand will find out those who hate you.
Psa 21:9 You will make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger; The LORD will swallow them up in His wrath, And fire will devour them.

 

Psa 46:6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.
Psa 46:7
The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
Psa 46:8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
Psa 46:9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.

 

Psa 97:2 Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
Psa 97:3 Fire goes before Him And burns up His adversaries round about.
Psa 97:4 His lightnings lit up the world; The earth saw and trembled .
Psa 97:5 The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

 

Eze 22:21 Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.

Eze 22:22 As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you.

 

Isa 34:4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling [fig] from the fig tree.

 

Joe 2:30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

 

Joe 1:15 Alas for the day ! For the day of the LORD is near, And it will come as destruction from the Almighty .
Joe 1:16 Has not food been cut off before our eyes, Gladness and joy from the house of our God ?
Joe 1:17 The seeds shrivel under their clods; The storehouses are desolate, The barns are torn down, For the grain is dried up.
Joe 1:18 How the beasts groan ! The herds of cattle wander aimlessly Because there is no pasture for them; Even the flocks of sheep suffer.
Joe 1:19 To You, O LORD, I cry; For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.
Joe 1:20 Even the beasts of the field pant for You; For the water brooks are dried up And fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness .

 

Joe 2:1 Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain ! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near,
Joe 2:2 A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and mighty people ; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations.
Joe 2:3 A fire consumes before them And behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them But a desolate wilderness behind them, And nothing at all escapes them.

 

Amo 9:5 The Lord GOD of hosts, The One who touches the land so that it melts, And all those who dwell in it mourn, And all of it rises up like the Nile And subsides like the Nile of Egypt;

Amo 9:8 "Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, And I will destroy it from the face of the earth; Nevertheless , I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob," Declares the LORD.

 

Mic 1:3 For behold, the LORD is coming forth from His place. He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.
Mic 1:4 The mountains will melt under Him And the valleys will be split, Like wax before the fire, Like water poured down a steep place.
Mic 1:5
All this is for the rebellion of Jacob And for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob ? Is it not Samaria ? What is the high place of Judah ? Is it not Jerusalem ?
Mic 1:6 For I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the open country, Planting places for a vineyard. I will pour her stones down into the valley And will lay bare her foundations.
Mic 1:7 All of her idols will be smashed, All of her earnings will be burned with fire And all of her images I will make desolate, For she collected them from a harlot's earnings, And to the earnings of a harlot they will return.

Yet, this same Micah says what will happen afterward:

Mic 4:2 Many nations will come and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD And to the house of the God of Jacob, That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the law, Even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Mic 4:3 And He will judge between many peoples And render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they train for war.

 

Mic 7:13 And the earth will become desolate because of her inhabitants, On account of the fruit of their deeds.

 

Nah 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power , And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
Nah 1:4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; He dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither; The blossoms of Lebanon wither.
Nah 1:5
Mountains quake because of Him And the hills dissolve; Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence, The world and all the inhabitants in it.
Nah 1:6 Who can stand before His indignation ? Who can endure the burning of His anger ? His wrath is poured out like fire And the rocks are broken up by Him.

 

Zep 1:14 Near is the great day of the LORD, Near and coming very quickly ; Listen, the day of the LORD ! In it the warrior cries out bitterly.
Zep 1:15 A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness,
Zep 1:16 A day of trumpet and battle cry Against the fortified cities And the high corner towers.
Zep 1:17 I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind, Because they have sinned against the LORD; And their blood will be poured out like dust And their flesh like dung.
Zep 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the LORD'S wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Zep 2:1
Gather yourselves together, yes, gather , O nation without shame,
Zep 2:2 Before the decree takes effect -- The day passes like the chaff -- Before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you, Before the day of the LORD'S anger comes upon you.
Zep 2:3 Seek the LORD, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the LORD'S anger.
If this doesn’t mean rapture, then it implies survivors of the above.
Zep 2:4
For Gaza will be abandoned And Ashkelon a desolation; Ashdod will be driven out at noon And Ekron will be uprooted.
Zep 2:5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast 2256a>, The nation of the Cherethites ! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan , land of the Philistines; And I will destroy you So that there will be no inhabitant.
Zep 2:6 So the seacoast will be pastures , With caves for shepherds and folds for flocks.
Zep 2:7 And the coast will be For the remnant of the house of Judah, They will pasture on it. In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening; For the LORD their God will care for them And restore their fortune.

 

Mal 4:1 "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer, will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the LORD of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch."
Mal 4:2 "But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.
Mal 4:3 "You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing ," says the LORD of hosts.

 

Mat 22:1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables , saying,
Mat 22:2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.
Mat 22:3 "And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.
Mat 22:4 "Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."'
Mat 22:5 "But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business,
Mat 22:6 and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.
Mat 22:7 "But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire .


Hbr 10:26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Hbr 10:27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.

 

Rev 6:12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;
Rev 6:13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.
Rev 6:14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Rev 6:15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains;
Rev 6:16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb ;
Rev 6:17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand ?"

 

Rev 8:7 The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
Rev 8:8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood,
Rev 8:9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Rev 8:10 The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters.
Rev 8:11 The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.
Rev 8:12 The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.

 

Rev 16:8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire.
Rev 16:9 Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.

 

Do you see how it all hangs together? The whole Bible is a unit, all inspired by the same Holy Spirit. Yes, there is fire and fervent heat, but there are survivors, too. Remember these from the earlier section?

Matt 24:22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

Mark 13:20 If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.

2 Kings 19:31 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah 4:2 In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.

Isaiah 37:32 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah 24:6 Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.

Joel 2:32 And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.

Zeph 2:9 Therefore, as surely as I live," declares the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, "surely Moab will become like Sodom, the Ammonites like Gomorrah-- a place of weeds and salt pits, a wasteland forever. The remnant of my people will plunder them; the survivors of my nation will inherit their land."

Zech 14:16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

So, what happens after the destruction? That’s what Peter is talking about in Acts 3:

Act 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution (apokatastasis) of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

 
What is this "restitution" all about?

605 apokatastasis

AV - restitution 1; 1
1) restoration
1a) of a true theocracy
1b) of the perfect state before the fall

Jesus speaks of the same thing in Matthew:

Mat 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration (paliggenesia) when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

 

3824 paliggenesia {pal-ing-ghen-es-ee'-ah}

AV - regeneration 2; 2
1) new birth, reproduction, renewal, recreation, regeneration
1a) hence renovation, regeneration, the production of a new life
consecrated to God, a radical change of mind for the better.
The word often used to denote the restoration of a thing to
its pristine state, its renovation, as a renewal or
restoration of life after death
1b) the renovation of the earth after the deluge
1c) the renewal of the world to take place after its destruction
by fire, as the Stoics taught
1d) the signal and glorious change of all things (in heaven and
earth) for the better, that restoration of the primal and
perfect condition of things which existed before the fall of
our first parents, which the Jews looked for in connection
with the advent of the Messiah, and which Christians expected
in connection with the visible return of Jesus from heaven.
1e) other uses
1e1) of Cicero's restoration to rank and fortune on his recall
from exile
1e2) of the restoration of the Jewish nation after exile
1e3) of the recovery of knowledge by recollection
 
So, what are these prophecies that Peter is talking about?

Deuteronomy 30:3 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.

Psalm 14:7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Psalm 60:1 You have rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us; you have been angry--now restore us!

Isa 1:26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.

Isaiah 44:26 who carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, `It shall be inhabited,' of the towns of Judah, `They shall be built,' and of their ruins, `I will restore them,'

Isaiah 49:8 This is what the LORD says: "In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances,

Isaiah 58:12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

Jeremiah 30:18 "This is what the LORD says: "`I will restore the fortunes of Jacob's tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place.

Jer 33:5 'While they are coming to fight with the Chaldeans and to fill them with the corpses of men whom I have slain in My anger and in My wrath, and I have hidden My face from this city because of all their wickedness : Remember how Jerusalem is really supposed to be the church, according to Lutheran theologians? And the peace is the peace of salvation, brought in Jesus’ first coming? Just read this, and see if that idea fits.
Jer 33:6 'Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth.
Jer 33:7 'I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel and will rebuild them as they were at first.
Jer 33:8
'I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me and by which they have transgressed against Me.
Jer 33:9 'It will be to Me a name of joy, praise and glory before all the nations of the earth which will hear of all the good that I do for them, and they will fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.'
Jer 33:10 "Thus says the LORD, 'Yet again there will be heard in this place, of which you say, "It is a waste , without man and without beast," that is, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast,
Remember Pastor Gawrisch’s point that the use of the phrase "in this place" showed that it was obviously NOT meant to mean physical Jerusalem? Is he right?
Jer 33:11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, "Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good , For His lovingkindness is everlasting "; and of those who bring a thank offering into the house of the LORD. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,' says the LORD.
Jer 33:12 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'There will again be in this place which is waste , without man or beast, and in all its cities , a habitation of shepherds who rest their flocks.
This just can’t be spiritual Jerusalem. Do you see that?
Jer 33:13 'In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the Negev, in the land of Benjamin, in the environs of Jerusalem and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who numbers them,' says the LORD.
Jer 33:14 'Behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
Jer 33:15 'In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.
Given the above passages, WHEN is this talking about? Is it really talking about Jesus’ first coming? Or does this take place at his second coming?
Jer 33:16 'In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she will be called: the LORD is our righteousness.'
Jer 33:17 "For thus says the LORD, 'David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel;


Hosea 6:2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.

Alright, this is totally an aside, just for fun. That verse, above, is very, very interesting. Remember how lots of Jewish commentators expected a 1000 year reign of peace, based on the Sabbath week, and the idea that a day is like a 1,000 years? If Jesus "left" in 32 AD, when will it have been two "days?"

1000 (years per day) x 2 (days) x 360 (days in a Biblical year) = 720,000 days

720,000 days divided by 356.25 (a good estimate for days in our calendar year) = 1971.2525 = about 1971

32 + 1971 = 2003

Could that mean something? Who knows? This was just for fun.

Joel 3:1 In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

Amos 9:11 "In that day I will restore David's fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be,

Amos 9:14 I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.

Nahum 2:2 The LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and have ruined their vines.

Zephaniah 2:7 It will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; there they will find pasture. In the evening they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon. The LORD their God will care for them; he will restore their fortunes.

Zechariah 10:6 "I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.

Act 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

 
As you can see, this "restitution" idea is a very common theme in the Bible. Now, compare that to this:

2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new (kainos) heavens and a new (kainos) earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

2537 kainos {kahee-nos'}

AV - new 44; 44
1) new
1a) as respects form
1a1) recently made, fresh, recent, unused, unworn
1b) as respects substance
1b1) of a new kind, unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of

Does it mean the same thing? It doesn’t seem to. A restored car is a lot different from a new one. But, if it doesn’t mean the same thing, why did Peter skip the "restored" time period in his epistle, when he had talked about it twice before in Acts?

Act 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

Act 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

I have no idea. All I can tell is that there seems to be more going on here than our doctrine accounts for. Yes, the Bible is full of symbolism and more than one level of meaning. The Bible studies with Jesus are going to be incredible! But, I still have to believe that the plain sense of the words is also meaningful. For the most part, it all fits together perfectly - without having to be trimmed to fit into a preconceived "box." Why can’t I just read it and believe it? We’re talking about a major portion of the Bible here!

Continue on to Part 8 - The Book of Revelation

 

Back to Introduction

Back to Part 1 - Conversion of the Jews

Back to Part 2 - The restoration of Israel and earthly reign of Messiah

Back to Part 3 - Questions about the Antichrist - Already fully fulfilled in the Papacy?

Back to Part 4 - The Tribulation - A specific period?

Back to Part 5 - So how can Jesus come like a thief?

Back to Part 6 - The world doesn't end in an instant

 

 

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