For a long time now, I've been convinced that the way most Christians think about redemption is influenced more by ancient Greek philosophy than by the Bible. We think of ultimate redemption as being redemption from the body, not of the body; redemption from the world, not of the world; redemption from the material, not of the material. This, however, goes against what the Bible clearly teaches about redemption.
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In the Lord's Prayer we see that God's ultimate goal for earth is that it become like heaven.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10)
God's mission is to bring heaven to earth-this planet!
There are many people who believe that God will destroy this present world-all of it-and start over, creating a new world from scratch. As I've talked to people who believe this, most base their conclusion on 2 Peter 3, where the apostle Peter says, "The heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly" (verse 7). He goes on to say, "The earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed" (verse 10).
In wrestling with this passage, one pastor recently concluded, "There is virtually no continuity between the present and the new creation. The new creation is truly new. The old passes away; it is burned up and dissolved." Like this pastor, many have tended to see in that last sentence (verse 10) more than what's there, a misunderstanding fueled in part by a questionable translation.
Let me explain.
William Graham Tullian Tchividjian (pronounced cha-vi-jin) is a Florida native, a visiting professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, and a grandson of Billy and Ruth Graham. A graduate of Columbia International University (philosophy) and Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Tullian is the author of Do I Know God? Finding Certainty in Life's Most Important Relationship (Multnomah), Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different (Multnomah) and Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels (Crossway). Tullian is also a contributing editor to Leadership Journal. He speaks at conferences throughout the U.S. and his sermons are broadcast daily on the radio program Godward Living.
