SDAnswers

Hello fellow SDA..i have a group here in japan thru website only,and we are discussing the second coming of Christ..and i want to explain this topic clearly,so i want to ask the experts..

one member said :

{ The book of Revelation was written in figurative language, therefore itis not literal. I agree that what is written there are true, but totake it all literally is wrong. also, you cannot just based yourunderstanding of the scripture just by looking on some few passages.you have to consider other passages and take it into consideration inorder to understand the Word as a whole not partially and accordinglyto each religion's advantage. I may not be excellent in writing downbible scriptures but there are lots of verses in the bible telling usthat the world will remain forever. There is Second Coming that is trueand there is judgement, that is also true. But these things will passtar away from our limited understanding of the Word. That is why, itwas also written in the Bible for us to pray unceasesingly so we mayknow the truth of what it is to come and be save, not by any religionbut by our own faith in God as well as doing good deeds.}

other member said this:

{ Ecclesiastes 1:4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

Psalm 104:5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

Proberbs 2:21-22 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.

But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

Revelation 22:2..the leaves of the trees were for the *curing* of *the nations.* 3) And no more will there be any curse.

Matthew 5:5 are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth. (Jesus words)

and many more verses.....

The Bible Does Not Contradict Itself

Some,though, may wonder, ‘How can we harmonize the above-quoted Bible textswith other verses that seem to speak about the earth’s coming to anend?’

What, then, does the Bible mean when it speaks of heaven and earth as ‘passing away’?

TheBible frequently uses the expression “earth” in a figurative sense,meaning human society. For example, consider the following verse: “Allthe earth continued to be of one language and of one set of words.”(Genesis 11:1) Obviously, “earth” here refers to the people who wereliving on the earth. Another example is Psalm 96:1, which according tothe King James Version states: “Sing unto the LORD, all the earth.”Clearly, in this and many other passages, the word “earth” is usedfiguratively to refer to people.—Psalm 96:13.

The Bible’s wordsabout heaven and earth ‘passing away’ apparently refer to the end oftoday’s corrupt human society (2 Peter 3:7) That will open the way forGod’s new heavenly kingdom which is actually the original plan when theworld was created in the beginning (Genesis), to bless a righteous newhuman society, for “there are new heavens and a new earth that we areawaiting according to [God’s] promise, and in these righteousness is todwell.” — 2 Peter 3:13.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there wasno longer any sea.Revelation 21:1-3 (Take note: The word 'passing' istotally different form the word 'annihilation'. So when Jesus said theold heavens and earth are passing they will be moving into the newheavens and earth. Passing is transformation.)

The fieryjudgement of fire is symbolic, it is actually a tranformation. Likewisein the case of Baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire symbolicallyrepresents a process of transformation (Acts 2:1-4). }

some comments:

{ God is a parent of love, and I don't think God will use such extrememeasure just to eradicate evil. He did once from the beginning duringthe time of Noah. But in the end, God was very sorrowful and HEpromised not to destroy this world again and put a rainbow as atestament of His promise. A promise is a promise, and since God is anabsolute God, He will surely keep his promise. It will only be the endof man's evil ways but not the end of this world. The truth should notonly be Biblical but must also be logical and just. Besides, who canclaim that they are the people belong to the church founded by ChristHimself? All Christian denominations are claiming that they are thetrue church. But historically speaking, Jesus founded Christianity andnot any of the particular denomination that exist today. The successionwas handed down from Peter to his disciples from generations togeneration up to what is now we call the Roman Catholic Church. Therewas a clear line of succession in the History of the Roman CatholicChurch irregardless of the controversies surrounding it. And from theoriginal Church came Protestantism during the era of Reformation. Therest of Christian denominations are history.

And now, because ofgreed and quest for power and dominance, different Christiandenominations formed out of conflict and rebellion. Each religion arein competition for the prize of eternal salvation instead of helpingeach other resolve their differences. Most wars resulted from religiousconflict, and religion has failed its purpose. Therefore, Religioncannot save us, only our direct relationship with God can save us. Itis our being true Christians that is vital for our salvation, not bybeing a part of any particular denomination or religious affiliations.So the question we should ask ourselves is... are we true Christians?

Bythe way, i was born as a Catholic but I have friends from differentfaith. I am a free Christian, and I am not bounded by any religion noteven by the Roman Catholic faith. Only the truth matters, nothing else.}

please help me to answer them..i am not equipped well..

There are two questions here. First is about the future of this planet earth if it will be changed or not and the second one has something to do with the Roman Catholic Church's claim to be the original church founded by Christ. I would like to address the first question. If we will read the whole Scripture we will not find a single passage that says this earth will be destroyed. It will only be purified by fire. If you read Revelation 20:7-10 you will noticed that right after the 1000 yrs the Earth is still there and that could not be the New Earth since Satan and the evil nations were still existing. Then when God will send fire from heaven, the passage mentioned only that it destroyed Satan and his followers not the Earth. Compare this passage with 2 Peter 3:10-13. This passage is talking about the Second Coming of Christ along with the destruction of the heavenly and earthly elements by fire.  This should not be taken literally otherwise this will contradict Rev 20 where it mentioned about the existence of the Earth right after the millenium.

The Roman Catholic Church's argument about the Apostolic Succession is weak. First, there is no mention in the Bible that Peter was the FIRST POPE. It was only a tradition out of Scripture. Secondly, the EASTERN ORTHODOX CHURCH also claims to have the apostolic succcession in rival with the Roman Church. They both use the Scripture and Tradition to back up their case. Therefore, apostolic succession is a myth. The apostolic succession has nothing to do with the church position but rather with the TEACHINGS.  Paul said:

But even if WE or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel that is different from the one we preached to you, may he be condemned to hell! (Gal 1:8 GNB)

The GOSPEL is the test not the APOSTOLIC POSITION. Take not on the use of "WE". Paul stressed the fact that even if they have the authority of the apostles but they teach different gospel they should be judged.