| Christian Life and Doctrine | March 1976 |
“Thy Kingdom Come.
Thy Will Be Done.”
“Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.” —Psalm 119:90
“One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth forever.” —Ecclesiastes 1:4
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.” —Matthew 24:35
“My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.” —Zephaniah 3:8,9
THE record of history is replete with prophecies by well-meaning but mistaken prophets of doom foretelling the dire destruction of the planet Earth, but the destruction so often foretold and placed at various times to happen has never come.
In A.D. 1000 the expectation of the earth’s destruction was held by millions in Christendom. In later days, William Miller believed that 1843 would see the burning of the earth. In 1910, Halley’s Comet was supposed to accomplish the dread event.
The fact that all these were mistaken predictions is clear. History is the true interpreter of prophecy. As dates come and go and the earth continues to abide, revisions are necessary, based upon a closer study of the Word of God. And this study has convinced many that the tradition foretelling the end of the earth is not supported by a true understanding of the Word of God.
A key text to the Bible’s meaning on this subject is found in II Peter 3:6. Peter, discussing the conditions at the time of the Flood of Noah’s day, says, “Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.” The earth that existed before the Deluge is the same earth upon which we now live. It did not perish; it was not destroyed. But the order of society that existed then came to an end. To understand how that evil world before the Flood was destroyed, to be followed by another social order which has persisted until today, is to understand what the Bible means when it refers to our present social order, “heavens and earth,” both spiritual and material, passing away in a great trouble that will end this epoch of time and give place to a “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”—II Pet. 3:13
When we think of the new order of society that will exist upon this earth, when the greed of today gives place to God’s will being done in earth as it is in heaven, we will be glad for the passing of this old order, to give place to a new and better order, even the kingdom of God, soon to be established.
The Bible speaks of three worlds, two of which pass away. The first is the world which existed before the Flood of Noah’s day, and is spoken of as “the world that then was.” It has already passed away. Another world spoken of in the Bible is the order of society which has existed from Noah’s day until now. The Apostle Paul speaks of our society as “this present evil world,” and refers to Satan as being “the god of this world.”—Gal. 1:4; II Cor. 4:4
This “world” also will pass away, and then, after the church of God has been chosen from among men and glorified, there shall be a new order of society established in the earth in fulfilment of our prayer that God’s will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. This new world is described very beautifully as one “wherein dwelleth righteousness.” It is the world of Christ’s reign on earth, which will finally result in the fulfilment of our Master’s words in his sermon on the mount, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5) For the promise is, “The earth abideth forever.”—Eccl. 1:4