Paradise on Earth

onewithhim · Post by **onewithhim** » Fri Nov 18, 2016 12:25 am

When I learned that the Bible speaks of a restored Garden of Eden and the restoration of mankind to the perfection and endless life that Adam forfeited, I was thrilled. Who doesn't want to keep living on this beautiful earth, with our loved ones, and being able to do all the things we love to do---endlessly?

If God said to you today, "When do you want to die?" would you say "now!!"? I don't think very many people would say that.

We CAN live forever here on Earth. The Bible tells us that we can.

Matthew 5:5
Psalm 37:9-11,29

onewithhim · Post by **onewithhim** » Wed Oct 23, 2019 1:34 pm

[Replying to post 1176 by Tcg]

Tcg, if God is going to resurrect back to the earth everyone who ever lived, we're talking about billions of people, not a "small slice."

"I have hope toward God...that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous." (Acts 24:15)

Studies have been done that have determined that if everyone who ever lived was brought back, each person would have basically an acre to himself. The earth would not be overcrowded. There is the possibility, also, that as the population grows, people might set out for other worlds. The possibilities are endless.

Do you think we will ever learn everything there is to know about even the uncounted stars that exist in the universe, as well as other planets out there?

onewithhim · Post by **onewithhim** » Wed Oct 23, 2019 1:36 pm

brunumb wrote: [Replying to post 1177 by JehovahsWitness]

Heaven or Earth, your links don't really provide a satisfactory explanation at all. So many holes in the story.

I'm not being sarcastic or smug when I say---take it or leave it, it's up to you. All Jehovah expects us to do is tell you.

marco · Post by **marco** » Mon Oct 28, 2019 3:55 am

onewithhim wrote:

I'm not being sarcastic or smug when I say---take it or leave it, it's up to you. All Jehovah expects us to do is tell you.

The problem with "telling us" is that the pictures selected do not show the leopard ripping up a child, or twins mercilessly joined, or blue skies torn by a devastating storm. People need help now, not in 55,000 AD or whenever God has adjusted the Earth to carry the multitudes, restricted from travel by the allocation of one acre per person. Where are the broad highways and runways, the recreation parks of miles of greenery?

I think poetic beauty is a lovely part of human dreaming. Byron might say: "She walks in beauty like the night," but in reality she grows old. The God who mad the lamb also made the tiger. We must live with that. Dorothy may have clicked her ruby slippers, but we who rejoice and suffer sometimes in disproportionate amounts, know that reality is no poet, no magician. If only wishing were fulfilment!

onewithhim · Post by **onewithhim** » Tue Nov 19, 2019 3:27 am

marco wrote:
onewithhim wrote:

I'm not being sarcastic or smug when I say---take it or leave it, it's up to you. All Jehovah expects us to do is tell you.
The problem with "telling us" is that the pictures selected do not show the leopard ripping up a child, or twins mercilessly joined, or blue skies torn by a devastating storm. People need help now, not in 55,000 AD or whenever God has adjusted the Earth to carry the multitudes, restricted from travel by the allocation of one acre per person. Where are the broad highways and runways, the recreation parks of miles of greenery?

I think poetic beauty is a lovely part of human dreaming. Byron might say: "She walks in beauty like the night," but in reality she grows old. The God who mad the lamb also made the tiger. We must live with that. Dorothy may have clicked her ruby slippers, but we who rejoice and suffer sometimes in disproportionate amounts, know that reality is no poet, no magician. If only wishing were fulfilment!

I went ahead and read your post and noticed some things that needed addressing. In the Paradise to come, the animals will NOT rip up children. That is why Isaiah 11:6-9 is quoted. It tells us that there will be peace between us and the animals. At that time, there will be no "twins mercilessly joined," nor devastating storms. That is what I and others have been telling.

Why would you think that travel would be restricted in the new system of things? I reported that if everyone who ever lived was brought back, there would be an acre per person, just to show that the earth would have room for everybody. It's not to say that people would be restricted to that one acre. We don't know exactly how Jesus will arrange things, but I'm certain that it will be delightful to everyone. I'm sure we will have plenty of parks and greenery. We will not keep people out of our own environments, but everyone will be welcome to traverse our acres and even stop in to visit. (Who is to say that it won't happen that people will choose to have several family members live with them in a big beautiful mansion or castle and COMBINE all of their acres?)

God promises us that the lion (and of course the tiger) will "eat straw like the bull." (Isaiah 65:25) There will be complete peace and a total end of suffering. (Isaiah 9:6,7; Revelation 21:4,5)

No one is trying to force anyone to accept this. It is what the Bible says, and I, for one, am just desiring to tell people what is in the Bible so that they might check into it and find some peace and hope. It's up to an individual to accept it or not.

brianbbs67 · Post by **brianbbs67** » Tue Nov 19, 2019 10:23 pm

Since we are getting a new heaven, new earth and a new Jerusalem(space, place and temple), why think in earthly ways? Surely space as infinite as it seems can contain us.

JehovahsWitness · Post by **JehovahsWitness** » Wed Nov 20, 2019 4:27 am

brianbbs67 wrote: Since we are getting a new heaven, new earth and a new Jerusalem...., why think in earthly ways?

Because JESUS told us to, what did he say the meek will inherit?

[/quote]

Post by **Tcg** » Wed Nov 20, 2019 8:40 am

JehovahsWitness wrote:
brianbbs67 wrote: Since we are getting a new heaven, new earth and a new Jerusalem...., why think in earthly ways?

Because JESUS told us to, what did he say the meek will inherit?

I notice in brianbbs67's a reference to a new earth. This of course matches perfectly with 2 Peter 3:13:

But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

This matches JESUS' promise as well unless we are to presume JESUS didn't know God was going to destroy this one and provide a new one.

Tcg

brianbbs67 · Post by **brianbbs67** » Wed Nov 20, 2019 11:03 pm

JehovahsWitness wrote:
brianbbs67 wrote: Since we are getting a new heaven, new earth and a new Jerusalem...., why think in earthly ways?

Because JESUS told us to, what did he say the meek will inherit?

[/quote]

Well, if you want this one we live upon, fine. But, scripture says it will be destroyed along with the heavens.....

JehovahsWitness · Post by **JehovahsWitness** » Thu Nov 21, 2019 3:16 am

WHY IS IT BOTH UNSCRIPTURAL AND GOD DISHONOURING TO TEACH GOD WILL DESTROY HIS OWN PLANET?

The scriptures referring to a "new" earth are not to be taken literally. Jehovah would never destroy what he has declared "very good" much less destroy all the stars and planets that have done nothing wrong!

Why should he kill every animal and human (even the righteous) and destroy his beautiful planet because of human misconduct? This is like burning your house down because you have a problem with rodents or like killing your teen because he has developped acne. Or divorcing your wife and getting a new one, because she has developped cancer. God will remove the problem on the earth, namely the wicked and in this way it will symbollically be made "new" (compare Prov 2:21,22). To claim otherwise not only to attributes less sense and critical thinking ability to God than to humans, which dishonors him but contradicts many passages in the bible that speak about the earth being mankinds permanent and ordained home.

For a more detailed explajnation of what 2 Peter 3:13 and Revelation 21:1 really means, see link HERE
viewtopic.php?p=853097#p853097

REVELATION 11:18 - Berean Literal Bible

Your wrath came ... to destroy those who are destroying the earth."

REVELATION 11:18
" ...to bring to ruin those ruining* the earth"

* Ftn: * destroy those who are destroying."
The bible prohechy at Revelaion says God will destroy those that are destroying the earth, clearly implying Gods desire to protect the planet. It is illogical and unscriptural that God stops humans from destroying the planet only so that he can have the "pleasure" of destroying it himself!

The bible is quite explicit on this, "the earth remains forever"! (Ecc 1:4).

JW

RELATED POSTS

Does the bible teach the earth is FLAT?
viewtopic.php?p=1032310#p1032310

How does the bible description of early earth fit with scientific facts?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 41#p836741

What is the bible overall message regarding the literal planet earth?
viewtopic.php?p=866903#p866903

GUARDIANSHIP

Does the bible say the earth was ever purposed for spirits?
viewtopic.php?p=992721#p992721

Will it be angels or humans that live forever on earth?
viewtopic.php?p=1075606#p1075606

Does Satan own the earth or run it?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 85#p992285

Does the bible teach that humans transformed into spirits will live forever ON EARTH?
viewtopic.php?p=1075606#p1075606

DESTRUCTION

Does not 2 Peter 3:7 say the planet earth with be burned up?
viewtopic.php?p=927158#p927158

What is symbolized by the sea that will be no more in Revelation 21?
viewtopic.php?p=1066266#p1066266

Why is it both unscriptural and god-dishonouring to teach God will destroy his own planet earth? [
viewtopic.php?p=988356#p988356

Will God burn up this our planet earth?
viewtopic.php?p=853097#p853097

Will our planet earth ever be empty of human life?
viewtopic.php?p=909495#p909495

NEW EARTH

What are the "new heavens" and the "new earth"the bible speaks about?
viewtopic.php?p=1054385#p1054385

Will there be a new earthly society or a new planet?
viewtopic.php?p=813703#p813703

Did Jesus not predict interstellar destruction ?
viewtopic.php?p=1028095#p1028095

MESSIANIC RULE

Will the Messianic rule concern the LAND or EARTH (OR GROUND) ?
viewtopic.php?p=972227#p972227

Will Jesus travel back and forth between heaven and earth during the millenium?
viewtopic.php?p=1051377#p1051377

Does the word PARADISE refer to a sprititual or a physical realm?
viewtopic.php?p=882754#p882754

Do the meek want to inherit the earth?
viewtopic.php?p=1074895#p1074895

Will the Messianic kingdom rule be over the entire globe?
viewtopic.php?p=872441#p872441

Is there scriptural support that the righteous will live in this our planet EARTH?
viewtopic.php?p=867770#p867770

If people live forever and continue to reproduce, wont the earth become overpopulated?
viewtopic.php?p=832237#p832237

FURTHER READING Will the Earth Be Destroyed?
https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/q ... destroyed/

To learn more please go to other posts related to

THE PLANET EARTH, .GOD'S KINGDOM and ... EVERLASTING LIFE

onewithhim · Post by **onewithhim** » Thu Nov 21, 2019 7:08 am

brianbbs67 wrote: Since we are getting a new heaven, new earth and a new Jerusalem(space, place and temple), why think in earthly ways? Surely space as infinite as it seems can contain us.

Do you think that God destroying the heavens really makes sense at all? Why would he do that? There is no reason. The heavens never had anything wrong with them. So what does destroying the physical earth accomplish? It isn't past re-invigorating. What is the problem here on Earth? The earth itself or the people on it?

The "new earth" we are getting is simply a cleaned-up, restored Earth. (Like a fat woman who never took a bath and wore dumpy clothes loses weight, cleans up and wears clean attractive clothes; she is a "new" woman.)

Jesus said that the end-time destruction would be just like in Noah's day. Was the earth destroyed then? What was destroyed? "...Long ago there were heavens and an earth standing firmly out of water and in the midst of water by the word of God; and that by those means the world of that time suffered destruction when it was flooded with water. [What was destroyed---the planet?] By the same word the heavens and the earth that now exist are reserved for fire and are being kept until the day of judgment and of destruction of the UNGODLY PEOPLE." (2 Peter 3:5-7)

Just as it was the ungodly people that were destroyed in Noah's day, so it will be the ungodly people in these last days. Not the earth. Not the literal heavens.(See Matthew 24:37-39)

Now, having said that, there is another meaning to "new heavens and new earth," that is familiar to Bible students. The term "heavens" is applied to governments in the Bible, and "the earth" or "the world" to the human population.

One reference book says: "The term 'heavens' can refer to ruling powers that are exalted or lifted up above their subject peoples. The very dynasty of Babylonian kings that Nebuchadnezzar represented is described in Isaiah 14:12 as being starlike, a 'shining one, son of the dawn.' By the conquest of Jerusalem in 607 B.C., that Babylonian dynasty lifted its throne 'above the stars of God,' these 'stars' evidently referring to the Davidic line of Judean kings (even as the Heir to the Davidic throne, Christ Jesus, is called 'the bright morning star' at Rev.22:16; compare Numbers 24:17.) By its overthrow of the divinely authorized Davidic throne, the Babylonian dynasty, in effect, exalted itself HEAVEN HIGH (Isaiah 14:13,14)." (Insight on the Scriptures, Vol.I, p.1061)

So....a "new heavens" would mean a new ruling government, according to Daniel 2:44 and other Scriptures.

Now, again, what does a "new earth" refer to? Not just the planet itself, but the people on the planet. Genesis 11:1 bears this fact out. It says: "Now all the earth continued to be of one language." Was the planet itself speaking one language? No, it was the people. So "the earth" here refers to the people on the planet.

Therefore, the "new earth" will mean a new society of people. The "ungodly people" will be gone.

See M'Clintock and Strong's Cyclopaedia (1891, Vol.IV, p.122): "In Isaiah 65:17, a new heaven and a new earth signify a new government, new kingdom, new people."

Our future is definitely earthly. What will remain heavenly is the New Jerusalem, which is not a literal city but the anointed "bride of Christ," his chosen co-rulers, who will reign with him from heaven over the earth. (Revelation 20:4b)

Isn't what we really desire? To be here with what we love and are familiar with, to enjoy our families and the animals and what we love to do, forever?