purpledawn writes:
Now if heavens and earth symbolize (which is not the definition of the word) something else, then please provide outside scholarly support for that symbolism. As I said in Message 51, symbolism and idioms are cultural and unless explained within the writing can't be determined without knowing the cultural basis.
im not really interested in a scholars opinion on this verse...the writer wasnt a scholar so its not as if only a scholar can understand it.
There are instances in the OT where the heavens refers to ruling governmental powers.
One example is in Isaiah 14:9-14 describes the fall of Nebudcadnezza as one who falls from heaven...the place where he ruled.
"all the goatlike leaders of the earth. It has made all the kings of the nations get up from their thrones....
12O how you have fallen from heaven, you shining one, son of the dawn! How you have been cut down to the earth, you who were disabling the nations! 13As for you, you have said in your heart, ‘To the heavens I shall go up. Above the stars of God I shall lift up my throne, and I shall sit down upon the mountain of meeting, in the remotest parts of the north. 14I shall go up above the high places of the clouds; I shall make myself resemble the Most High
In the NT Paul makes a statment about being situated in 'heavenly places'. It wasnt a vision of the future, it wasnt a prophecy...it was simply a statement where he used a figurative use of the word 'heavens' and applied it to those in union with Christ.
Eph 2:6and he raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly places in union with Christ Jesus,
Paul, and the other christians he was speaking to, were still very much on earth when he said this. They had not ascended into heaven, yet he says that God had seated them in heavenly places. These are both examples of how the 'heavens' are figuratively used for positions of authority. In a worldly sense, its the ruling governments, in the christian context, its the authority to teach the word of God.
So back to 2 Peter3:10....the 'heavens' will be burned up because God will remove the 'governmental aurthorities' and take over the rulership of mankind. He has done so in the past when he has defeated ruling powers such as Egypt and he will do so again in order to bring about a 'new heavens' (rulership) and a 'new earth' (society of people)
Fire is also symbolic of cleansing & refining in the bible.... so its fitting to say that the 'heavens and earth that are now are stored up for fire' because they are going to be 'cleansed' and 'refined'
Malachi speaks of the priesthood (levites) being cleansed by fire at
Malachi 3:1-3 Look! I am sending my messenger, and he must clear up a way before me....
2But who will be putting up with the day of his coming, and who will be the one standing when he appears? For he will be like the fire of a refiner and like the lye of laundrymen. 3And he must sit as a refiner and cleanser of silver and must cleanse the sons of Le′vi
purpledawn writes:
In 2 Peter 3:10 the author writes: The heavens will disappear with a great noise.
So if this is a hyperbole, disappear with a great noise is the exaggeration. So what does that mean? What will the heavens actually do?
because the heavens (like earth) is figurative, and i've shown that it is figurative for governments and authorities, then the noise they make will likely be their opposition to being removed from their posts. The national rulers will not give up without a fight and they will make a big noise doing so. Revelation 16:14 tells us that the kings of the earth are being gathered together to the war of the great day of God the Almighty.
The only way we can understand these figurative uses of such words is to take other bible passages into consideration. To undertsand a verse on its own is not going to get us very far at all. And while agree that in some cases, scholars can help in our understanding, they do not necessarily provide us with an indepth knowledge of Gods word because undertsanding comes from God alone. jesus proved that when he denounced the scholars of his own time for not understanding the basics of the mosaic laws....Jesus understood better then them becuase God gave him understanding....he didnt need to learn from a scholar.
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