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Earth's Glorious Future In the
Beginning
Thus saith the LORD,
The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.—Isaiah 66:1 Christians often speak of heaven, but rarely about earth’s future. Yet God, speaking through the prophet, says he created the earth not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18). After speaking of a future figurative burning of both the earth and heavens, Peter says, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). Why a “new earth”? This issue of The Herald answers that question. In the preface to his 1852 book The Saint's Inheritance; or, The World to Come, Henry F. Hill wrote: “The doctrine that this earth, instead of being annihilated, will, at the great consummation, be restored to its Eden state, or made even far more glorious … has never been deemed heresy by the church, or esteemed even by its opponents an essential error. … yet, because of its present neglect, all that has been advanced in its support [in this book] is carefully proved from the word of God. This is the reason for the frequent quotations from the Bible.” Like Henry F. Hill, we will also provide frequent quotations from the Bible. We begin with Christ’s Kingdom, of which this journal is a “Herald,” followed by The Day of Judgment. Far from dreading it, Old Testament writers longed for the time God would intervene and, through his judgments, the world would learn righteousness (Isaiah 26:9). Perfect Man and His Environment is a verse-by-verse analysis of Isaiah 35, a chapter where we learn of a future “highway of holiness” returning mankind to earthly perfection. Paradise discusses the enigmatic words of Jesus to the thief as both were dying on crosses. It explains what Jesus really promised and when that promise will be fulfilled. God’s plan includes even those who do not know him now. The Desire of All Nations explains how nearly everyone prefers the earth, not heaven. Times of Restitution, a phrase from Peter’s temple sermon, examines the Scriptures that promise a better life on earth. We end with The Water of Life, a look at how the Bible uses water to picture life. Let us be refreshed as we reflect on the glorious future God has planned for the earth. |