PARADISE LOST…PARADISE REGAINED
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
As you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:10-13 NIV).
In 1667 the English poet John Milton (1608-1674), published the first version of Paradise Lost. It consisted of over ten thousand lines of verse.
The epic poem chronicled the biblical story of the fall of Adam and Eve and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
Through the centuries, that poem has influenced a wide range of people; literary writers like Mary Shelley quoted it in her book Frankenstein; C. S. Lewis quotes it in his book The Great Divorce; John Steinbeck’s novel In Dubious Battle.
In music, Joseph Haydn’s opera was based on it; rap artist Eminem used it in his music video Rap God; heavy metal band Carnal Agony used it as the basis of their songs “Rebel’s Lament” and “Rebellion,” and Red Hot Chili Peppers have a music video that references it.
One of its most enduring quotes, “It is better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven,” which was uttered by Lucifer as he was cast into the pit, has found its way into film, theatre, video games and most importantly, television, where it was referenced by Captain Kirk after exiling Khan to Ceti Alpha V in the original episode “Space Seed.”
After being challenged that there needed to be a paradise found, Milton wrote Paradise Regained which, unfortunately didn’t enjoy the notoriety or fame of Paradise Lost.
Unfortunate indeed, particularly since Paradise Regained tells of how everything is set right.
Brethren, in 2 Peter 3, the Apostle Peter set the record straight by not only emphasizing the negative effects of paradise lost, but he asserted the reality of paradise regained in God’s creation of a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells.
Let’s read it again…
Now, let me set the stage for the understanding of this “new heaven and a new earth” (2 Pet. 3:13).
It begins in the Garden of Eden where God placed Adam and Eve. There they were to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). God gave them that Eden paradise as a world in which they would live and work. It was the realm where they would have daily communion and fellowship with God; walking and talking with Him in the “cool of the day” (Gen. 3:8).
Think about it; it was a world without sorrow, no disease, no death or crying or pain. It was something He had created for them and their families to enjoy…forever!
Just let that sink in…forever!
And how would they be able to do that? Genesis 3:22 says that by partaking of the “tree of life” that God had placed in the garden, they would “live forever.”
God originally created a heaven and earth wherein righteousness dwelt; where the wolf and the lamb lived together; where the cow and the bear grazed together; where no one was hurt or destroyed because the earth was full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Isa. 11:6f).
But then sin entered the world and paradise was lost. As part of man’s curse, the earth was cursed and subjected to futility and decay. It would from that point on produce thorns and thistles and Adam would have to eat bread by the sweat of his brow (Gen. 3:18). From that day forward the earth has groaned under the weight of sin, waiting for the day when God will release it from that curse and restore it to its paradise glory.
Now, I’m not making that up. That’s Romans 8…but I get ahead of myself. Before we get to that I want to remind us of the four times the phrase “new heavens and new earth” is used. It’s found twice in Isaiah. In Isaiah 65:17, prophesies, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.” In 66:22 he says, “For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure before Me,” declares the Lord, “So your offspring and your name will endure.”
The third time is in 2 Peter 3:13 and the fourth time is Revelation 21:1.
At this point in my study, I’m convinced that Romans 8:19-22 holds the key to seeing the big picture of how the “new heavens and new earth” completes the grand scheme of God’s redemptive plan. It closes the loop. What began in Genesis 1, ends in Revelation 22 with a new heavens and earth in which the “tree of life” figures prominently in the life of the redeemed.
To understand 2 Peter 3:13, we need to grasp Romans 8:19-22, where the Apostle Paul writes this about the earth: “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”
When we are glorified and set free from the suffering of this life, creation will, also, be set free: “For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now” (8:22 NASV).
When will the earth be liberated from its bondage of decay and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God? Verse 19 says it waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. And when will that “revealing” happen?
When Jesus returns!
You can use 1 Cor. 15:51f where Paul talks about being changed in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet…and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. But I like the “order of worship” out of 1 Thess. 4: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17 NASV).
Brethren, I believe that’s the revealing of the sons of God that Paul is talking about in Romans 8. And when that happens, then the earth will be set free from its slavery to corruption. God will restore it to its pre-fallen state; it will become that new earth in which righteousness dwells. It will be transformed back into paradise where the first things have passed away. We’ll live and work and walk and talk with God as good friends should and do!
No tears in heaven, no sorrows given,
All will be glory in that land;
There’ll be no sadness, all will be gladness,
When we shall join that happy band. (Robert S. Arnold, 1935)
But until that happens, “The present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men” (2 Pet. 3:7).
The phrase “present heavens and earth” leads us to the conclusion that the “new heavens and new earth” are still future.
We are currently living in a world where Satan is loose to reek havoc and destruction; a world where faithful Christians are persecuted for doing God’s will; a world where evil people enjoy the pleasures of darkness; a world where God’s laws are flaunted and mocked.
But all of that will end when the day of the Lord comes like a thief and “the heavens will disappear with a roar and the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare” (2 Pet. 3:10 NIV).
With Romans 8 in mind, where the earth is to be glorified, the destruction of this “present” heavens and earth must be understood, not as an annihilation, but as a purification of the human evil that has polluted it.
Jesus will expose (“laid bare”) all that the ungodly thought they were getting away with. Satan, sin and death will not have the last word! He thought he closed the gate to the garden and barred access to the “tree of life,” but he is wrong!
God has promised that there’s a new day coming, made sure by the blood of the Lamb and guaranteed by the power of His resurrection; “we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Pet. 3:13 NIV).
In that renewed world, the righteousness of Jesus cleanses and changes everything (Col. 1:20). We are granted access, once again, to the “tree of life” (Revelation 22:2).
Paradise lost will become Paradise Regained.
