Ecclesiastes 1: 4 states, “Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.”
I ponder over this as many who claim a literal reading might notice this appears to go against Jesus words later in the Gospels such as in Matthew 5: 18. “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” One might ever bring up when Peter states in 2 Peter 3: 13 “new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.”
One cannot build a whole case on one scripture, however if we read one clear scripture and it is contrary to others (in this case clearly) one should take notice. With that in mind I began to ponder the words and verses. Was Jesus saying that the earth will end someday? I believe that may not be the case, but rather this may be a case of reading into Jesus words what we have been taught. Often the bible and Jesus used contrasts. John’s gospel often does this when he states “light and darkness”, life and death and so on. Looking at Jesus word that way may show that Jesus was saying His words are eternal—just as the earth is eternal. “What?” you say? Jesus is saying that the earth is more likely to pass away than His words which will never. The earth is eternal and so are Jesus words.
Now about Peter; he is not talking about the destruction of the planet, but the renewal of all things. This is a time when the old injustice of this world now is passed though the fire of purification and is restored. To further my case heaven and earth are thought eternal enough to take vows by in the OT. Old Testament people do not take oaths on perishable things. OT people took oaths on things greater than themselves.
I believe the bible, but I also see that many do not grasp the danger of reading into it their own doctrines. If people like Harold Camping can teach us one thing, it is to beware of our own reasoning.
