The Destiny of The Earth

 

Jehovah's Witnesses deny that God will one day destroy the earth by fire and use these proof texts: “WHILE THE EARTH REMAINETH, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22) “Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed FOR EVER.” (Psalms 104:5; “for ever” or “forever” means “for ages” or “a long duration.”) “Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it ABIDETH.” (Psalms 119:90; “abideth” is present tense. Note that “this day” in verse 91 is another way of saying “today.”) “One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth FOR EVER.” (Ecclesiastes 1:4; “for ever” or “forever” means “for ages” or “a long duration.”) “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in VAIN, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.” (Isaiah 45:18; “vain” means “without form;” compare Genesis 1:1-2) Note that these proof texts do not conflict with the view that the earth will be destroyed by fire unless you ignore words and the meaning of words.

What does the Bible teach? “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They SHALL PERISH, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall WAX OLD LIKE A GARMENT; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed.” (Psalms 102:25-26) “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for THE HEAVENS SHALL VANISH AWAY LIKE SMOKE, and THE EARTH SHALL WAX OLD LIKE A GARMENT, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.” (Isaiah 51:6) “For verily I say unto you, TILL HEAVEN AND EARTH PASS, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:18) “HEAVEN AND EARTH SHALL PASS AWAY, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35; also Mark 13:31 & Luke 21:33) “And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: THEY SHALL PERISH; but thou remainest; and THEY ALL SHALL WAX OLD AS DOTH A GARMENT; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.” (Hebrews 1:10-12) “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, RESERVED UNTO FIRE against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (II Peter 3:7) “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which THE HEAVENS SHALL PASS AWAY WITH A GREAT NOISE, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, THE EARTH ALSO AND THE WORKS THAT ARE THEREIN SHALL BE BURNED UP. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein THE HEAVENS BEING ON FIRE SHALL BE DISSOLVED, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” (II Peter 3:10-12) “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.” (Revelation 20:11)

 

Further reading:

WITNESSING TO JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES