Quote of the day
"New creation is precisely that future of the present world, of all created reality, which does not emerge from the history of this world but will be given to it by God. It requires an originating act of God, just as creation in the beginning did, but in this case it will be an act which preserves the identity of the first creation while creatively transforming it"
(Bauckham and Hart, Hope against Hope, cited in Marianne Meye Thompson's brilliant new two horizons commentary, Colossians & Philemon, 78)
Labels: Eschatology
posted by Chris Tilling @ 11:48 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Good theology, but is it biblical? What about those texts that speak of the destruction of this world by fire (e.g., 2Pe. 3:7ff.)? What about Rev. 21:1, which says that the first heaven and earth will pass away, to be replaced by a new heaven and earth?
We tend to underestimate the extent to which the apocalyptic notions of the intertestamental period influenced the New Testament writers. Apocalyptic assumes that this world is irremediable, fit only for destruction. No?
Only to say that I am with Byron on this. Apart from exegesis, an entirely destroyed creation creates insurmountable theological problems.
Thanks for your thoughts, Byron, very helpul. It was a good question, Stephen!
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