17 Jul 2012
II Peter 3:13
II Peter 3:13: “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
In the past I’ve seen this as a reference to Revelation 21 and the new Heaven and Earth that are created after the Great White Throne judgment, but I think that is incorrect. When Peter wrote these words Revelation 21 hadn’t been written yet. Nothing about the Eternal State was revealed until long after Peter was executed.
It’s far more likely that Peter is referring to the “new heaven and earth” that is mentioned in the book of Isaiah. That “new heaven and earth” is a reference to the Millennial Kingdom. In other words, Peter is telling us that we are to be looking forward to the Millennial reign of Christ!
That is certainly an interesting thought. Very few people today are looking forward to it – or have even heard of it, for that matter. In fact, great masses of Christians think that the very idea that Christ would reign on Earth is unbiblical, unspiritual, and positively evil. They are not looking forward to this Kingdom.
Yet it is coming, and Peter says that we ought to seek it and long for it. The Lord Jesus Himself said that we ought to pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven”. This is another clear reference to the Millennial reign of Christ. How many people have prayed that prayer without even realizing what they were asking for?