Paradise
Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me." (Matthew 11:29) To learn, means to get an understanding about God, His will and purpose for you in His Kingdom. It is the truth that we seek to know and understand. What the Lord reveals to us holds us accountable. (Luke 12:47-48)
Learning involves searching, (Jeremiah 29:13) and seeking, (Matthew 6:33, 7:7). You must be willing to open the door of your heart (Revelation 3:20) and have a willingness to change as you grow (2 Peter 3:18).
When you start looking, that's when you start finding. The more you look, the more you find. (Luke 10:23-24, 24:45) God will reveal knowledge unto those who seek to know His will. (Daniel 2:22. 1 Corinthians 2:10). The deeper you dig into the Word of God, the greater the treasure you find. (Colossians 2:3, Romans 9:23, 11:33, Ephesians 3:16). "“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (Matthew 5:6)
2 Peter 3:1,6,7 says: This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
2 Peter 3:12-13 says: "waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for "new heavens and a new earth" in which righteousness dwells".
The Apostles and the Prophets were not speaking about the end of our physical planet. All the books of the Bible deal directly or figuratively with the end of the world (age) which was present when Peter wrote this second letter.
The end of all things in the story of redemption is what was going to happen. It was the end of the Gentile world, the end of the Jewish world, the end of the "temporary" world of the Christians.
Today, in the New Covenant world, there only exists two types of people; 1) believers and 2) unbelievers. It was the beginning of an age that NEVER ends. "Of His kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke 1:33)
In 2 Peter 3:3, the apostle Peter connects those days with the last day and the coming of the Lord Jesus. When we think of the world, we think of a heaven and earth. In verse 6, the heaven and earth (world) that then was, was overflowed with water and perished.
Obviously, the world, the heaven and earth, was not the physical planet, for it was not destroyed. The world, or this heaven and earth, was the people. Those people perished because of unrighteousness.
Therefore, we can conclude that Noah's world was the "first heaven and earth".
In 2 Peter 3:7, Peter talks of the world, "the heavens and earth, which are "now" that is the world which was in existence in Peter’s Day.
These were the people who were living in the first century.
The word "now" indicates that it was not the world in the past, nor was it the world in the future. "Now" was the world in which Peter was living.
Peter's world, his heaven and earth, was going to be destroyed by "fire".
"1 For behold, the day (the Last Day) is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch....3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts". (Malachi 4:1,3)
This is the fire and the "day" that John the Baptist had in mind when He said, "Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." (Matthew 3:10)
When Peter wrote this second letter, the then present heaven and earth was about to be destroyed by "fire". Of this Jewish world, its elements and works would be burned up, melted, dissolved.
Therefore, this Jewish world was the "second heaven and earth" which was given at Mount Sinai, the Old Covenant. Jesus said in Matthew 5:18, "....until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished."
I want to address this particular verse in Matthew 5:18 for a minute for our brothers and sisters who believe and teach that this passage of scripture is saying that we are to be keeping the Law of Moses today.
I use to teach this and I know many that still do. It is presented that that the Torah or Law of Moses did not end with Jesus and Jesus did not come to do away with the Law or Torah and because we still have Physical heavens and a physical earth therefore the Law of Moses or Torah is still in affect and MUST be kept today.
I myself can see where they and where I was coming from with regards to this passage of scripture.
The mistake I made and the mistake that many continue to make is the lack of understanding of "Audience Relevance". Whenever we read any passage of scripture we must ask the following questions:
1- When - In the First century (Not in 2025 and onwards).
2- Where - Many have suggested it was on the Mountain of Beatitudes which is almost 200 miles north of the city of Jerusalem.
3- Why - Because there was crowds following him and he needed to speak with his disciples away from the crowds. (Some suggest that he spoke to the crowds from this position as the area catered for the mass of people). Personally I believe he was only speaking to his disciples because that's how these verses seem to flow however that's my own personal opinion and view.
4-What - Jesus introduced teachings on kingdom living and redefined righteousness. It outlines the characteristics of those who will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven (the Beatitudes) and emphasizes the importance of a righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, focusing on inner purity and love for others. He was in no way shape or form teaching that every one is to keep the law of Moses in its entirety in fact if you continue reading the chapter in context he is describing the 10 commandments and addressing these in regards to the disciples relationship with one another and with their God.
5- Who -The disciples (NOT YOU AND ME)
As we continue you will see that until heaven and earth pass away which indeed did pass away in AD 70 that the Law or Torah is no longer binding on the believer in Christ Jesus.
Now when we understand that the "the heavens and earth, which are "now"" as described in 2 Peter 3:7 and many other verses was the world which was in existence in the days of the disciples and followers of Jesus.
However unless you are willing to see that the heavens and earth passing away is NOT referring to the physical planet and the physical stars and planets etc then you will NOT move past this idea that the Torah/Law is still in affect.
Now lets move on to the subject at hand.
Hebrews 8:13 says "In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.."
But there is another world after the world of the Jews. It is called the New Heavens and the New Earth or the third heaven.
There are only four times this expression occurs in the entire Bible.
The first time is in Isaiah 65:17-18, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. 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".
This is the New Jerusalem of Hebrews 12:22-23.
Here is a prophecy of the coming of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the heavenly "Jerusalem". God was to create the New eternal heaven and earth. This was to be the third (New) Heaven and New Earth of 2 Peter 3.
The second mention of "New Heavens and New Earth" is Isaiah 66:22, “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain". If a thing remains, it is eternal.
Obviously, this is the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. The third mention of the New Heaven and the New earth is in Revelation 21:1-2: 1 "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband".
This relationship in the New Jerusalem, in the New Heaven and in the New Earth is the marriage relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. This is referring to the eternal heaven and earth, the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The fourth and final time that the New Heaven and the New Earth are mentioned is in 2 Peter 3:13. Peter is looking for the Last Day and the end of all things. (1 Peter4:7) He is looking for the arrival of the eternal age, the eternal heaven and earth, the eternal wife of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The bride was making herself ready these forty years, (AD 30 - AD 70).
The time of the wedding was at hand. These were the things of the immediate future in the days of the days of the Apostles. THESE WERE THE LAST DAYS. The New Heaven and the New Earth were the new eternal world without end.
At times, the Holy Spirit allowed some to look into the future, into that New Jerusalem, that new world, that New Heaven and New Earth. (John 8:56) In Revelation 1:10, John was privileged to see and experience "the Lord's day". He looked into the New Heaven and New Earth which was in his future.
2 Peter 3:13 also refers to the New Heaven and the New Earth. Paul refers to the third heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:1-2. He then calls this third heaven paradise in 2 Corinthians 12:3. Paradise is where the Tree of Life is located. (Revelation 2:7, 1 John 5:11)
If a person is in Jesus, he has eternal life which is in paradise. We eat of that tree of life today in the eternal kingdom of God, in that eternal day the Lord’s Day.
The Tree of Life which was lost to Adam and Eve has been regained in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is that New Heaven and New Earth in its eternal glory and splendor that excels any physical glory or physical heaven and earth. It is the Kingdom of God in its eternal state, totally spiritual in nature.
Our gaining the Tree of Life, eternal life in Jesus in the eternal Kingdom is what the Bible is all about. Spiritual death is swallowed up in victory. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57) We have eternal life! (1 John 5:13) If we are in Christ, we have eternal life in Jesus.
We are in the third heaven, the New Heaven and the New Earth now!
The Tree of Life is accessible to us right now today!
With growth comes change. With change comes freedom from the traditions of men. With freedom comes responsibility. To whom much is given, much shall be required.
The tendency today is to let others do our thinking for us, particularly the ministers and elders and accept what they say as "Gospel". God has revealed His will in such a way that all of us can understand it. (1 Corinthians 1:13, Ephesians 3:3-4) We must make our own investigation of the Word of God. The faith which you have, hold it as your own conviction before God. (Romans 14:22)