What is the New Heaven

Replies

Reply 1

I. Identify your classmate’s eschatological view.

Classmate 1’s eschatological view is premillennialism. This is a literal interpretation of Revelation.

II. Firstmajor differences between your description of the new heaven and new earth and your classmate's description (with implication of these differences).

The main difference between my description of the new heaven and new earth and my classmate’s are that my classmate’s view is literal while mine is figurative. The implication is that in a literal interpretation, there is the expectation of a new creation to emerge, whereas in the figurative interpretation, which is mine, there is only the conviction that the New Heaven and the New Earth refer to the permanent and final reign of Christ the King following His return at the end of the world. This is known as the second coming, at which time the Final Judgment will take place and the new heaven and earth will be effected, with the souls that are saved enjoying perfect happiness with God in Heaven and the souls that are not saved being cast into Hell for eternity.

III. Secondmajor differences between your description of the new heaven and new earth and your classmate's description (with implication of these differences).

There are not really any secondary differences, as my classmate also views, like I do, that there will be a union at the end, in which the saved enjoy perfect happiness with God. The only other difference is the chronology view and the expectation of a new timeline.

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Reply 2

I. Identify your classmate’s eschatological view.

Classmate 2’s eschatological view is postmillennialism. This classmate views that Christ will return when the message of the Gospel has been spread to the entire ends of the Earth and everyone has had a chance to receive the message of salvation.

II. Firstmajor differences between your description of the new heaven and new earth and your classmate's description (with implication of these differences).

The first major difference between this classmate’s view of the new heaven and new earth and mine is that this view holds that the new heaven and new earth is a present reality though we might not recognize. Or it might be happening in waves, slowly, as the kingdom of God becomes a lived experience and a conscious reality for us. My view is that the reality is in Heaven, that the kingdom has been established there, that the Church has been established here, and that Christ’s return is not dependent upon man’s work here.