But the Lord’s day will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will pass away with a great rushing sound, the elements will be dissolved in fire, and the earth and all the works on it will be disclosed.—2 Peter 3:10
Brainy Tip: Our minds are the most powerful things in the universe after God.
Many people think that when Jesus comes back, the earth will be consumed by fire and everything will be new again. Unfortunately, that notion is based off a mistranslation from the King James Version of 2 Peter 3:10. The earth will not be burned up but rather “disclosed” or “laid bare” or “found.” The underlying Greek word comes from the word for foundry, a place where metals were rid of impurities through fire.1 Essentially, every bad thing that is not of love will be burned up and disappear, but all that is good and beautiful and true will remain. The earth that we know and that many of us love is here to stay, only it will be more perfect than we could ever imagine.
We therefore have to be careful how we treat not only other people but the whole of creation. We need to renew our minds on a daily basis, because our choices have the power of life and death. We bring heaven, or hell, to earth.
And it is certainly encouraging to remember that the love-based thoughts we build into our minds and the good fruit they produce in our lives have eternal significance—they will not be burned up in the new creation!
1. J. Richard Middleton, A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014), 129–76.