Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries (epm.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching biblical truth and drawing attention to the needy and how to help them. EPM exists to meet the needs of the unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled and unsupported people around the world. Randy is a best-selling author of over 40 books including Heaven, The Treasure Principle and the 2002 Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written numerous articles for magazines such as Discipleship Journal, Moody, Leadership, New Man, and The Christian Reader. He produces the quarterly issues-oriented magazine Eternal Perspectives, and has been a guest on more than 600 radio and television programs including Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, The Bible Answer Man, Revive Our Hearts, Truths that Transform and Faith Under Fire. (from VIMEO)
See –
- Watching from heaven & Is there sorrow in heaven?
Millennium or New Earth
How do we know what parts of the Old Testament prophecies applies to the new heavens and the new earth (Isaiah 60 & Isaiah 65:17-19)? How do you know what applies to the millennial kingdom?
Turn to Isaiah 60, I think this is a great passage. Now, Isaiah 65, which I’ll mention, as you’re turning to Isaiah 60, says:
17 “For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
and her people to be a gladness.
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
and the cry of distress.
So, it’s new heavens and new earth. So the question is: How can we distinguish when it’s talking about new heavens and new earth from when it might be talking, in essence, about a millennial kingdom? Well, it’s talking about new heavens and new earth. We know this because it says it is. But, then, what happens in verse 20?
20 No more shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for the young man shall die a hundred years old,
and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
What? There’s death! I mean, there’s long life, it will be nice talking about a time that will be much better, but it won’t be perfect, cause there’s still death in the world. This happens in prophecy all the time, where the prophet is looking forward to an era, but sometimes that era is the ultimate, which is the new earth- no more death, no more pain, no more sin in the world.
Now, if you are of the persuasion of the literal millennial kingdom, and again, that’s not required for orthodoxy, there are very amillenial people who are godly in their beliefs. But, if you believe in a literal millennial kingdom, then you would say, „Oh, it looks like now he’s talking about the millennium. Because it will be much better than, but it won’t be perfect, and there’ll still be death. Then it says they will build houses, they will dwell in them, they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
So, should we be thinking of millennium, or should we be thinking of new earth? Well… cause we’ve got both right there. He starts by saying ‘new earth’, he’s talking about it and now he’s this, and that sounds like that just needs to be restricted to the millennium. Well, the building houses and dwelling in them, planting vineyards and eating their fruit could apply to either or both. Now, a lot of people say, „Well, that could only be millennium, because obviously on the new earth, we won’t build houses and dwell in them. There won’t be vineyards on the new earth. There won’t be eating on the new earth…. Well, yeah! There will be. So this could easily apply, the building of houses and all. „Yeah, but Jesus is gonna prepare a place for us.” Sure, but that place is brought down to the new earth. Do you think any of us will use skills and architecture and design, and building and contributing to the development of Godly Christ centered culture. We are exercising dominion over the earth as we reign over the earth. Sure, that would be doing all that to the glory of God. That would make sense. And you have verse 22:
22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
Then you’ve got verse 25
The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.
Millenium or new earth? Well, arguably both. But I think the most obvious interpretation would be new earth. Why? Because he started this by saying, „I’m talking about the new earth, and sometimes we move into what might be millennial. But, now, when he is talking about the wolf and the lamb lying down together and eating grass like an ox, no more harm and destruction … Well, doesn’t that sound more like the new earth, because what’s gonna happen at the end of the millennium? Rebellion, sin, conquest of Christ, judgment, so there is still some harm, yet to come. There is still some death, yet to come in the millennium. Yet, this is talking about a time where there’s gonna be no more death. So, I think that’s the proper, that’s the best understanding: That it’s primarily new earth, with maybe a secondary application to millennium.
From a video on Vimeo which is no longer available.
Read another article about this subject:
- Will heaven be exciting? Part 1 of What’s so exciting about heaven?
- Our existence in heaven – Part 2 of What’s so exciting about heaven?
- The New Heaven and the New Earth – Part 3 of What’s so exciting about heaven?
- The future glories of heaven – Part 1 of What Will Heaven Be Like?
- Questions children have about heaven – Part 2 of Heaven: What Will It Be Like?
- How can you be sure you are going to heaven? Part 3 of Heaven: What Will It Be Like?