Jesus said the meek will inherit the earth. But, I wondered who would want to live forever in this cesspool of sin? It didn't seem like a very attractive offer. As I saw it, we could never be happy or safe with all of the moral and physical pollution that has been done on and to this planet. However, I changed my mind when a friend showed me the good news from the Bible. The earth will be cleaned up. The surface will be melted down and recycled. The Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:10, "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."

This will be the biggest recycling project ever known. God's great environmental clean-up plan. It appears that the Creator will be declaring the earth to be a massive Superfund site. Of course, the difference between God's Environmental Protection Agency and that of the U.S. Energy Department is that the Lord will not run short on money, equipment or political will. The Bible says not only will He be recycling the planet's entire surface and but also cleaning up the atmosphere.

This is not a new idea. A re-creation of this planet was spoken of some 700 years before Christ by Isaiah the Prophet in Isaiah 65:17, "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." John, the writer of the Book of Revelation, also saw the fate of our planet and recorded what he saw in Revelation 21:1, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."

What will the new earth be like? The Apostle Paul, a Jewish convert who became a champion for Christ, could not find the words to describe what was to come. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:9, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

Moreover, through John the Revelator, God spoke of His plans for this planet in Revelation 21:5, "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new." One of those new things to be made will be the capital of the world. The new world capital will not be Washington, DC or Rome or Columbia! The city's name is found in the Book of Revelation 21:2,3. "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."

Next week: What does the Bible say about personal identity, multiple marriages and babies in heaven?

Marvin Hunt
February 1998
523 Words

Heaven
Part III

Identity, former spouses, babies?

Will we like it here? Revelation 21:4 states, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

After learning what the Bible said about heaven, I changed my mind. I want to be in God's heaven, don't you? Of heaven, a Christian writer once wrote, "In the earth made new the redeemed shall know, even as also they are known. The loves and sympathies which God Himself has planted in the soul shall there find truest and sweetest exercise. The pure communion with holy beings, the harmonious social life with the blessed angels and with the faithful one of all ages who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, the sacred ties that bind together 'the whole family in heaven and earth" Ephesians 3:15) --- these help to constitute the happiness of the redeemed.'

Blessings in your study of God's Word!

Marvin Hunt

There is never a charge for my articles, and if you have a good reason, there is no limit to how many you may request. However, if you find them valuable you may want to order my latest book, History, Mystery and Facts About the Bible. Order at 1-800-845-7618 (ext. 301). You may also order from Amazon.com. Proceeds from the book go to support this ministry.

Blessings!
Marvin Hunt

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