These are the verses Evans presented to make his claim.
In the 'no' category, we have
Psalms 37:29, 104:5, Ecclesiastes 1:4, Isaiah 45:18,and in the 'yes' category, we have
2 Peter 3:10-13, 1 John 2:17, Revelation 21:1.Note: If I find verses to be repetitive, I may decide not to quote them.
Prefacing comment: The best I can do to constisticize Peter's extravagent and
terse 'description' of these apocalyptic verses is to build a crude model of events
in those final days just prior to the full 'restoration' of the earth by God, wherein
is no more curse of God on the earth. Apparently, the removal of the Curse of God
requires quite a bit of alteration of the earth that had been damaged by the Curse
and by Man's continual sinning upon it.
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb
shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:. -- Revelation 22:3
No:
The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. -- Psalms 37:29*
Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.*
-- Psalms 104:5
For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the*
earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed
it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.
-- Isaiah 45:18
Yes:
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.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons
ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and
hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire
shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a
new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. -- 2 Peter 3:10-13
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will*
of God abideth for ever. -- 1 John 2:17
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. -- Revelation 21:1
As described in the later chapters of the Book of Revelation, the earth will one day
be morphed ('by fire' but not destroyed) so as to enter into its final form for all
eternity -- at least there is no revelation of another morphing after that. If the earth
were literally to be destroyed -- to blow up -- then I see no reason to look forward
to this event, as Peter tells us to. I repeat, so far as the Bible tells us, the earth is
going to be continually inhabited from now on, even through its final
renovation/restoration.
If you really want to find a contradiction here, Mr. Evans, you should find some
Bible verse that goes something like this: And the earth was destroyed, once and
forevermore, never to be seen again. Problem is, I know of no verse in the Bible
even remotely like that. To be 'transformed' or 'morphed' or 'renovated', even through
fire, is not the same as to be 'destroyed'. However this morphing of the earth is to
occur, the Son of God will be there with us who are saved, and we need not fear it,
but, rather, look forward to it.
I don't know if Peter's vision of the earth passing through fire is to be taken literally
or not, but maybe it is. Why not? The Bible speaks of purifying things by passing
them through fire. Maybe to God the need for the earth to pass through fire is
necessary to purge it once and for all of its tainting by sin.
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silverBy this analogy, even as silver and gold are purified by fire, maybe also the entire
is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and
I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is
my God. -- Zechariah 13:9
That the earth itself is tainted by sin goes all the way back to Cain and Abel:
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they
were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said,
I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 10 And he said, What hast thou done?
the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11 And now
art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy
brother's blood from thy hand; -- Genesis 4:8-11
When John tells us that the world will pass away, he refers to the passing, without
mourning, of the earth corrupted by sin and the Curse. In the day that the earth
will be changed by fire and put on incorruptible, is much the same way that the
physical bodies of the saved will put off corruptible bodies and put on incorruptible:
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must putAs for the saved at the time of this regeneration of the earth, I present an analogy
on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption,
and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death,
where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
-- 1 Corinthians 15:53-55
20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery
furnace.21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and
their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace
exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego.23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound
into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and
spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound
into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the
fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace,
and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most
high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
came forth of the midst of the fire.27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors,
being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had
no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats
changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. -- Daniel 3:20-27
I get the distinct feeling that the modern Jesus haters wish to place all the Biblical
writings prior to Jesus to be written in the second or third centuries BC, and to
place all the writings of the New Testament scriptures to be written in the second
and third centuries AD. Well, you guys gamble your eternal futures on your atheism
and I'll gamble mine on my Jesus Christ, in whom I look for a new heavens and a new
earth, world without end. Amen.
Question 8: ?
Remember this: The righteous are mindful of the poor and help them; the wicked do not! (Proverbs 29:7)
You either get control of your lusts and feelings of entitlements or they will get control of you. -- Ilfinor