Earth's Fiery End

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.

(Revelation 20:11)

In the previous section, we discussed the great white throne judgment of unbelievers. Just before their judgment begins, God will completely destroy the current earth we inhabit. Even Hades, located at the centre of this earth, will be cast into the lake of fire on that day. In the above passage of Scripture, the Holy Spirit reveals that this earth will flee from the face of God, and no place will be found for it in all of God’s creation. This simply means that God will utterly destroy the current earth.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

(Matthew 24:35-36)

Our Lord Jesus confirms what the apostle John saw in the book of Revelation. In the above passage of Scripture, Jesus clearly states that this earth will pass away. The term “pass away” also means to perish. When Jesus made this statement, He contrasted this earth with His word, showing that His word is eternal, while this earth is temporary. Although this earth has existed for an estimated four billion years, compared to eternity, it is still temporary.

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.

(Isaiah 65:17)

When God the Father does away with this current earth, He will not only destroy it physically but also erase all memory of it. In the above passage of Scripture, God declares that when He creates the new earth, He will wipe away all recollection of the current earth. Consequently, those dwelling in God’s new earth will not remember or compare it to the old, as they will have no memory of it.

But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 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. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons 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 dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

(2 Peter 3:7-12)

How will God destroy this current earth? In the above passage of Scripture, the Holy Spirit, through the apostle Peter, reveals that the earth will be destroyed by fire. We can only speculate about the intensity of the fire God will use. The passage speaks of the elements melting and then completely dissolving. We know that rocks melt at approximately 1,000 degrees Celsius and likely turn into gas at around 11,000 degrees Celsius. Regardless, the temperatures on that day will be sufficient to melt the earth and then completely dissolve it, so it no longer exists.

Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.

(Genesis 3:17-18)

Why will God destroy this current earth? There are several reasons, but one primary reason is His holiness. To understand this, we must grasp the holiness of God. Nothing defiled can ever be in God’s presence, for God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). This is why our defiled spirits are replaced through the new birth, and we receive new spirits born of the incorruptible seed of the word of God. Similarly, our corruptible natural bodies will be replaced with incorruptible spiritual bodies at the resurrection of the dead. Without this, no one can come into the presence of the Holy God. The same principle applies to this current earth. As revealed in the above passage of Scripture, this earth has been defiled and cursed because of Adam’s sin. Therefore, God will destroy this earth and replace it with a new, incorruptible earth.

The earth mourns and fades away, The world languishes and fades away; The haughty people of the earth languish. The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed the laws, Changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men are left.

(Isaiah 24:4-6)

Through the prophet Isaiah, the Holy Spirit confirms that this current earth is defiled and cursed. Because of this defilement, it is impossible for God to dwell on it. Thus, God will do to the earth what He has done with His creation, mankind: He will destroy this current earth and create a new one where only righteousness dwells. Only then can the Holy God dwell on the earth in the presence of mankind.

Michael E.B. Maher

The End of the Age

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