The New Earth

Yesterday I commented briefly that I don't believe that God is going to create a paradise here on earth, second only to Heaven, after the end times. Just for the record the scriptures that are normally used to defend this idea are usually not taken from the King James Version Bible, but read something like Matthew 5:5, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." and Revelation 21:1, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth..." To be honest, I don't really have a whole lot to say about that, except that I believe that those verses are being interpreted. If I'm wrong, I'm okay with that, because I don't think the fact that I don't believe in a paradise here on earth would keep me from inhabiting it. Of course, the same people who believe in there being a paradise here on earth believe that there is no Hell; so, if they are right, I really have nothing to lose. Don't misunderstand me, they don't believe that everybody is going to live in paradise, most people will simply cease to exist. I'm okay with that, too. I would like to live forever in paradise, but I know that I don't deserve to, and that, if I did, it would only be because of the gift of God's grace. With the understanding that I don't deserve to go to Heaven, I would at least like to not go to Hell.

To some extent, that is what I refer to as 'blackmail logic.' You should believe this, because if you don't, that could happen. Sorry, my faith just doesn't work that way. You might get me to examine the concept more carefully and more completely if you can get me to believe that it is in my own best long-term interest to be right. Will I change what I believe just on the ground that I will be better off if such-and-such happens to be the case, and I can't prove that it is not the case? That's a little like saying, I would be better off if there were an invisible bridge that leads from California to Hawaii, and, since I can't prove that there's not an invisible bridge there, I'm going to step out in faith and walk across that bridge. That's either going to be really short walk, or a really long one (better pack several lunches, just in case).

In any case, I can't just abandon everything the Bible says about Hell and everlasting torment (Matt 5:22, Matt 5:29-30, Matt 8:12, Matt 18:9, Matt 22:13, Matt 24:51, Matt 25:30, Mark 9:43, Luke 12:5, Luke 13:28, Luke 16:23), just because there is some talk of a 'new earth' (which isn't even described as a lesser paradise). So what is the new earth? I don't know, but I believe that if it was important for me to know in this life, then it would be explained in the Bible.