Jesus, and before him Daniel, prophesied concerning an abomination that causes desolation. In the holy place, in the Temple, something was set up and worshiped besides God -- therefore, the presence of God left the Temple. Desolation.
Years ago someone pointed out to me that Jesus announced "This house is left to you desolate, for you will not see *me* again ..." (Matthew 23:38-39) the last time he left the Temple before his crucifixion. He equates the Temple being desolate with leaving it himself; interesting, as far as understanding his identity. In the next conversation, he speaks of the abomination that causes desolation and the destruction of the Temple. One obvious fulfillment was during the invasion in 70 A.D., when sacrifices were offered in the Temple to a pagan idol rather than to the only God.
But Daniel's prophecy seems to keep fulfilling itself. I think whenever we worship something besides God, that's the abomination, and desolation is sure to follow. It tends to happen in the holy places -- where somehow, something goes badly wrong when people try to control a religion which was never ours to control in the first place. Jesus had spent the majority of Matthew 23 talking about abuses of religion at the hands of religious leaders. It had come to the point where the leaders of the holy people did not recognize that they themselves were a key part of the destruction. This pattern has repeated itself throughout history: the holy place which ought to be kept pure is instead the center of corruption. It even becomes the center of enmity towards God. Then there is no more holy place. God walks out and does not look back except to field questions about when, how, and why this place must be destroyed.
When there is no more holy place, where do you look for God? Following Jesus' movements the last few days of his earthly life, when God leaves the holy place he goes to the accursed place. If his people cannot come to him, he will go to them. If there is no more holy place, then he will hallow every place, even a supposedly condemned and accursed place like the hill where the executions take place. And so even the desolation of the Temple is turned for our good; now all places harbor the presence of God. Especially the accursed ones. There is no darkness so deep that he is not deeper still.
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Fascinating meditation, especially when we note what occurred at the moment Jesus cried 'it is finished' - desolation was broken - the tombs were open, and God was no longer 'contained' behind a thick veil - reconciliation had truly come to the world through the one who saves us through His death and life.
I wonder what the LORD meant when He said that this world is passing away and that the elements will melt with fervent heat.
Dave,
I believe this (melting) is from the apostle of Peter, and the Greek is referring to a purification of creation, not a termination (see Paul in Romans 8 regarding the glorification of God's creation).
The 'world' (kosmos -corrupted systems of the fallen world) is passing away to furnish the beginning of the new - the redeemed and glorified heavens and earth - that is the true 'rest' of God's work of reconciliation.
Howard,
So, how's the LORD going to "purify" this world/universe?
When He first did something like that in Noah's day, what happened to everyone and thing not in the ark/living in water?
Are you suggesting that the elements won't "...melt with fervent heat (3300 Celsius by my calculation)?"
BTW, Peter may have physically written it; but he was under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and, hence, the LORD said it.
My position is that the entire Bible is the word of God. I think that even Peter acknowledges that holy men of old/God wrote as the Holy Spirit moved them...no prophecy ever came by men.
D.
Hi there
I don't consider myself any expert on end-time prophecies. There's a place for those who study each thing, but in the big scheme "Not all are ears, not all are eyes, not all are feet" (etc), expertise on the end times is not my calling. So I figure, in my simple way, that when the Lord said the elements would melt with heat, that they would melt with heat. (I don't figure Peter to be one to come up with something like that on his own.) In the meantime, in the same way Noah did not need to have any fear except fear of the Lord, I figure we're in the same boat, if you'll pardon the levity.
I watch the storms of the world roll around, and I can't get too fussed about the commotion. God's got our backs. Ours is to trust him. So if I saw the world melting with heat, I hope I would go down singing "God is our refuge and strength" and not worrying about the rest.
Take care & God bless
Anne / WF
Dave,
Whilst there can be no doubt that the events which surround the 'day' of the Lord will be as momentous and in some regards as cataclysmic as those evidenced by Noah, the passages in Peter and Revelation speak of the newness (kainos) of renewal - a glorified continuity of God's handiwork, so as in Romans 8, the key theme here is redemption, not destruction per sae. There is no disunity in the Holy Spirit's message to us through Paul, Peter and John - they are all declaring that work of redemption of God's good handiwork. We know that the day approaches when we will stand in our flesh and see the marvel of that work.
Howard,
I appreciate that the Bible is an intricate parable and that the parts describe parts of whatever is in view. I think you've settled on an aspect of the meltdown. As with gold, silver, etc., the melting drives away the dross.
I'm not sure what you mean by "newness of renewal" but I don't get the sense of "renewal" when I put everything together from God's word. On the contrary, I get the sense of "ex nihilo" new. If we "stand in our flesh" this implies that we will know what will surround our being; but I think that's not possible since the LORD tells us that we cannot know (now) what's in store for us in the new heavens and new earth...and there will be no time there, so "the day" will not approach since there won't be time.
Somewhat confusing but it all makes sense.
Dave,
Whilst we clearly have yet to understand much of what is to come, the key promises are clear -
our bodies will be raised,
creation will be redeemed (glorified) when this wonder transpires,
and eternal life will be bodily (physical), not a gnostic 'ascendancy' into some non-corporeal realm. The focus of scripture is the salvic work of God in Jesus Christ - He came as man to save what was lost. Creation is currently 'bound' because of our rebellion, but that state will end, and the good work of God - the very presence of the Lord Himself - will reside at the heart of the new (redeemed)realm.
The aim is not a "new" (completely separate) creation, or a non-physical realm - if that were the case, creation could have been scrubbed after our fall - if the physical has no redemptive value, why seek to redeem it? The Lord inhabited creation - His refreshment within it on the 7th day, making it holy, so it has been sanctified by the work of His Son. All that is contrary to Him will be removed from creation on that day, but His work will endure forever.
Howard,
Is it easy for you to believe that there will be no creation of a new heavens and new earth?
Your statements seem to indicate that the "what will be created" is a "redeemed present heavens and earth" and by that "redemption" all things will have become new. Much like the flood left the universe in essentially the same shape that it was before, your new heavens and new earth (after washing with fire this time) will leave things essentially the same with the primary exception that "all that is contrary to Him will be removed on that day."
How do you treat a verse like Ephesians 1:4 which clearly states that before sin, before the flood, before even the world was created, we were chosen. What, then, was the purpose of His creation of the world, His birth, death, and resurrection? From your perspective, He could have "scrubbed" the whole thing and gone right to redemption. Yet you seem to cling to the physical...how can we do otherwise...or perhaps it's the physical that clings to us? Is it the clinging, infiltrating sin that turns us into the physical? After all, we don't know what our bodies looked like before the fall. For all we know the physical may be the consequence of eating the fruit of the tree.
Hi Dave
I don't quite get, if the physical was the result of eating of the tree, what exactly the "tree" was if it wasn't physical, or the man/wife/one flesh thing was if not physical. And in Revelation, the world to come looks physical again ... even trees again. The physical world is good, or "very good in every way" to stick to Genesis 1. Leaving aside the questions of whether we know every detail of how the prophecies play out, I think we can safely say that the physical world is God-made and good.
Take care & God bless
Anne / WF
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