Difficult Questions For Futurists To Answer
New Heaven and New Earth
QUESTION #1:
Assuming the earth will be destroyed with fire,
and all the nations of the earth will be destroyed
along with it, why, when the "New Earth" or
"New Jerusalem" comes, why will the nations
need healing (Revelation 22:2)? How can you
heal something that is already dead and burned?
If the New Jerusalem is the saved of all ages, when
all things have ended and we have embarked into
eternity; when sin, death, Hades and Satan have
all been cast into the lake of fire; all evil has been
disposed of, sin has been finally purged; there is
no more sickness, no more hunger or thirst; the
former things shall not be remembered or even
come to mind; why would they need healing if
they are now in eternal bliss?
QUESTION #2:
Why would the gates of this city be left open
if everything outside this city is destroyed
(Revelation.21:25)? If everyone outside these
gates were burned up and there is nobody
left alive outside these gates, why are there
people still entering through the gates into
the city after the New Jerusalem comes down
from Heaven (Revelation 21:24)?
QUESTION #3:
If, in the New Heaven and New Earth, there will
be no more death, why does the Bible say there
WILL still be physical death in the New Heaven
and New Earth (Isaiah 65:20, 66:24)?
QUESTION #4:
If, after the New Heaven and New Earth come,
there will be no more sin, why does Isaiah say
there WILL still be sin (Isaiah 65:20)? Even
Jesus Christ said there would still be sin in
the next age (Matthew 12:32, Revelation 22:15).
And Revelation says that, after the New Jerusalem
comes, there will still be sinners (Revelation 21:27).
QUESTION #5:
If the New Jerusalem is a physical place, and it will
physically come down to earth, why did Jesus say it
would not come with observation, and that people
would not say "look here or look there"
(Luke 17:20-21)? Why not say "look" if it will come
with observation? Can it possibly be because it will
be a spiritual kingdom and not a physical one?
Return of Christ
This next question is concerning the question the
disciples asked in Matthew 24:3: "And what will
be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"
Here are a few facts first.
Jesus talked to his disciples about his death but
the apostles did not understand it at all (Matthew
16:21-22, Mark 8:31-32; 9:31-32, Luke 9:44-45;
18:31-34, John 13:33-14:6; 16:16-18). This last
account in the Gospel of John takes place after Jesus
had given them the Olivet discourse (Matthew 24)
and they still did not understand that Jesus was going
to leave them and die. After all, he was God...how can
God die? They had no idea of Jesus leaving, then
coming again (John 12:34).
The disciples expected Jesus to be their physical King
and set up a worldly Kingdom at his First Coming
(John 6:15, Luke 24:21), not at his Second Coming.
So did others (Luke 17:20-21; 19:11). Even after the
crucifixion, they still had no concept about his Second
Coming, because they still thought he was going to
give them a physical Kingdom at that time (Acts 1:6).
QUESTION #6:
If the apostles had no idea that Jesus was going
to leave them, why would they ask Him about
His return (Matthew 24:3)? How could the disciple
have asked a question about something they knew
nothing about?
QUESTION #7:
If Jesus is going to come down physically on
the Mount of Olives, why did Christ warn
"Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here
is Christ, or there; believe it not" (Matthew 24:23)?
Why can't we believe someone who would say,
"Lo there is Christ descending on the Mount of
Olives!"? Can it possibly be because it will be
a spiritual coming and not a physical one?
Passing of Mosaic Law
Matthew 5:17-18, "Think not that I am come
to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not
come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say
unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot
or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law,
till all be fulfilled."
QUESTION #8:
Jesus came to fulfil the law. He specifically stated
WHEN the Mosaic Law would pass. It would pass
when "heaven and earth pass" and when "all (prophesy)
be fulfilled". If heaven and earth did not pass, and
if all prophesy has not been fulfilled, why, dear
reader, are you not keeping the Mosaic law? Jesus
said it would not pass, and must be obeyed, until
these things happen.
Resurrected Body
QUESTION #9:
If Christ was actually in His eternal physical
resurrection body, will we be raised with the
same physical body and likeness as Christ was
raised with (1 John 3:2)?
a) Was He physical? Will we have that same
physical body?
b) Was He any age? What age? Will we be
the same age as Christ?
c) Will we too have scars that we had previously?
Christ did.
d) Will we all be raised male? Christ was.
e) What about babies? Will they be raised as babies?
Or will all people suddenly be raised at the prime age
of 30 like Christ?
f) What about the food Christ ate? Obviously it took
teeth to chew. Did the food get caught in His teeth?
Did it have to go into His colon and out His *****?
Did Christ take that into heaven?
g) Will we have genitalia? Christ did. If you believe
that Christ was raised with the exact same physical
body (just eternal now), then you must believe He
still has genitalia.
Back to the New Heaven and Earth
QUESTION #10:
If the world is destroyed and all sinners are cast into
the lake of fire and the New Jerusalem comes down
and is a physical city, then who are the sinners
outside the gates of the city (Revelation 22:14-15)?
And why does John call the city "the bride"? The
angel shows John "the bride of the Lamb", which
is the city, since that is what the angel shows John,
after saying that (Revelation 21:9-10). Isn't the
bride of Christ the church? Could it be that the
New Jerusalem is a symbolic representation of
the church?
http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/difficult.html
--
"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass,
till all these things be fulfilled." - Matthew 24:34
The Last Days were in the first century:
"But the end of all things is AT HAND: be YE
therefore sober, and watch unto prayer."
- 1 Peter 4:7
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