Scientists believe the world will end.

[stovebolts]

I do not believe the Bible predicts the world will "end". Quite the opposite, as Paul asserts in Romans 8, creation will be liberated (restored).

People have, through the centuries, misread "end of the world" language that, understood in its Biblical setting, is clearly not to be taken literally.

Such language is used metaphorically to denote socio-political change, not cosmic events.

2 Peter 3:10-11 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness,

so.. what are metaphorical elements? Heaven is a metaphor too? ;)

Was the flood just a metaphor too?

 

[Drew]

2 Peter 3:10-11 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness,

I believe the 2 Peter text is indeed metaphorical, but do not have the time to argue the point right now.

But it is crystal clear - both from certain Biblical texts as well as from non-Biblical ones - that the writers of scripture lived in a cultural matrix where such "end of the world" language was commonly used to denote socio-political change.

The failure to understand this - and worse, the failure to accept it once the evidence has been presented - has caused huge problems in modern Christian culture.

Heaven is a metaphor too? ;)

No it is not, and your implication is not correct. There is no "rule" that its either "all literal" or "all metaphor".

 

[Classik]

Drew, StoveBolts' post makes alot of sense. Do you mean we would remain in this filthy world? What has Christ gone to prepare for us?

 

[Drew]

Drew, StoveBolts' post makes alot of sense. Do you mean we would remain in this filthy world? What has Christ gone to prepare for us?

The Bible teaches that this present world will not be destroyed but redeemed and transformed. So no one is suggesting that we remain in a "filthy" world - the world be "restored" to its Edenic state. That is what passages like this from Isaih are all about:

The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
<SUP id=en-NASB-18754 class=versenum>13</SUP> “Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up,
And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up,
And it will be a memorial to the LORD,
For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.â€

Isaiah is speaking here of the reversal of the fall. God declared creation to be very good. Is He going to burn away his beautiful creation? Certainly not!

In any event, there should be no doubt: what Paul says in Romans 8 proves that the world will not be destroyed, it will be saved.

For generation, people have been misled by taking "end of the world" language literally that is instead demonstrably metaphorical.