If we do not know what "heavens and earth" are in the bible we will end up in confusion and stuck in some man made end time scenario. Those that know the truth about "heavens and earth" avoid the scary, so called, End Times.
Many use Isaiah 65:17 and say God is going to destroy this earth and make a new one. They skip right over the part about the New Heavens just to avoid the question of "Why does God need to make a new heaven"? And of course, everyone knows God does not need to make a New Heaven.
So, why do some people think "Heaven and Earth"
are the actual Heaven and Earth in the bible? The answer to that is they
have not studied "Heavens and Earth" or they deny truth to up hold their
doctrine.
Throughout the O.T. God referred to Israel as "Heavens and Earth."
In Deuteronomy 31:30; 32:1 - God is talking to Israel He calls them, "O
heavens," and, "O earth." He is clearly not speaking to the physical heavens and
earth. He's talking to Israel.
In Isaiah 1:1-2 God is talking to Israel. He
calls them heavens and earth.
Isaiah 24:3-6 - God refers to Israel as the earth. He says, "The earth is
utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved
exceedingly.
Isaiah 24:19-20 - The earth fades away "Notice how many times God referred to
Israel as the "earth." This symbolic language is speaking of the destruction of
the people of Israel.
If the destruction of heaven and earth were to be taken literally in all of
the Old Testament, that would mean, heaven and earth were destroyed many of
times. This language is not literal.
Hebrews 1:10-12 - this is quoted from Psalm 102. If we were a new Christian, one
would think that was referring to the physical earth. This is saying the heavens
will perish. But the Heavens will grow old like a garment. How is the world,
(heavens and earth) of old going to perish?
Psalm 102:26 - This is saying the old covenant would grow old and it would be
changed to a new covenant.
Hebrews teaches us that the "Old Covenant" and the "Heavens and earth" are the same. With careful study, it's easy to see "Heaven and Earth" are Israel and the Old Covenant.
Matthew 24:35 - Israel and the old covenant will come to an end, but my words
will not come to an end. The Bible tells us, Heaven and earth is Israel and the
old covenant.
About Matthew 5:17-18
Heaven and Earth does not refer to the universe or the planet, it is a term used
often in the Old Testament to speak of Israel. The passing away of heaven and
earth is not the end of the world, but the end of the Jewish age, the end of the
Old Covenant.
Jesus predicts that heaven and earth would be destroyed before the fulfillment
of the Law. 2 Peter 3:7-13 indicates that heaven and earth were to be destroyed
by fire.
After heaven and earth had been destroyed by fire, the Romans demolished the
Temple in A.D. 70 as a sign from God that the Law had been fulfilled.
When the "the law" and "the prophets" is spoken it indicates the entire Old
Testament. Luke 24:44 - The Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms
describes all of the Old Testament.
The phrase "till heaven and earth pass away" refers to the duration of the whole
Old Testament's authority. So, Jesus is saying that not a single item of the Law
- the Old Testament will ever be changed until heaven and earth pass away.
Jesus said that he didn't come to destroy the law but to fulfill it. What does
it mean to fulfill the law? The word "fulfill" is from the Greek word pleroo.
Matthew uses this word seventeen times, and in fifteen of them it clearly refers
to prophecy being fulfilled or coming to pass. The law, which we read in the Old
Testament and everything that has been said by the prophets, was going to "come
to pass" down to the minute detail. And until it was all fulfilled, it was
binding on the people of God.
None of the law was to pass away until it was ALL accomplished. All of the law
being accomplished would include all of the Old Testament prophecies being
fulfilled. Would it not? All of the prophetic scriptures had to be fulfilled.
This included the prophecies of the New Heaven and Earth. The New Covenant is
always associated with a New Age. This new age would not come about until all
that the prophets had spoken was fulfilled.
Other verses that teach the Old Covenant has passed away.
2 Corinthians 3:5-6 - Paul is talking about the New Covenant with the Old. He
says "The New Covenant gives life, the Old kills".
2 Corinthians 3:7-9 - He compares the Old to the New.
2 Corinthians 3:11 - Paul says that the Old Covenant was passing away (in the
first century), and that the New Covenant was going to remain (forever). When
was this "Law" to pass away? The writer of Hebrews tells us:
Hebrews 8:13 (NKJV) In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first
obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
Its heaven and earth that pass away.
Rev. 21:1-3 "Then I saw a new heaven and a new
earth, (covenant, people, city)" a for the first heaven (covenant) and the first
earth (people, city) had passed away, (unbelieving Jews, old covenant, literal
city of Jerusalem passed) and there was no longer any sea. (The sea represents
people in the bible and this sea is referring to the Jews who died in 70 AD) 2I
saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God (The
new Jerusalem city represents the church they came out of the old covenant
heaven), prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband (The New
Jerusalem city which was the church was the bride who was marrying her husband
Christ Jesus ). 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's
dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will
be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."
Revelation 21:4 Tells us the first things (old order of things/former things)
have passed away. This is clearly speaking of the end of the old covenant. In
Revelation 21:1-7 we see that The dwelling place of God is with man. He will
dwell with them, and they will be his people. So, again, this about the new
covenant relationship with God's people, not a literal city or building. Nor is
it about heaven, as some people think.