By Obed Mortey | Spotlight on the Word

Abstract

The phrase “new heavens and a new earth” (2 Pet 3:13; cf. Rev 21:1) has been read in at least three major ways: (1) a renovated earthly paradise (common in Jehovah’s Witness teaching), (2) a transformed renewal of the present creation through purifying judgment, and (3) the termination of the present cosmic order followed by divine replacement. This article surveys these options with careful attention to 2 Peter 3 and the wider canon. While acknowledging the renewal reading—especially where 2 Pet 3:10 is taken as “the earth and its works will be exposed”—the essay argues that the most textually economical and canonically coherent synthesis is cosmic replacement: the present heavens and earth are brought to an end in judgment, and God brings forth a new order in which righteousness permanently dwells.

Introduction

What does Peter mean by “new heavens and a new earth … in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet 3:13)? Among interpreters who affirm biblical authority, three broad models have been offered.

First, many Jehovah’s Witnesses speak of a “paradise on earth,” often treating Peter’s imagery as a large-scale (cosmic) cleansing after which the present planet remains the everlasting home of the righteous. Second, many interpreters suggest a renewal-through-judgment reading: the world is judged by fire, evil is purged, and creation is transformed into its final, glorified state. Third, others argue for termination (cosmic replacement): the present heavens and earth cease to exist, and God brings into being a new heavens and new earth as the final environment for the redeemed.

This article engages the relevant Scripture texts with particular care for 2 Peter 3. It also takes seriously the textual difficulty in 2 Peter 3:10 (burned up vs. disclosed/found/exposed) discussed more fully in the companion study “What Does 2 Peter 3:10 Really Mean? A Textual Analysis of ‘Burned Up’ vs. ‘Disclosed’ – Spotlight On The Word”. However, the central claim advanced here does not depend on the disputed wording of the final clause in 3:10. Rather, it rests on the cumulative force of the immediate context (3:7, 10–12), allied New Testament statements about the final passing away of the present order, and the theological logic of final judgment.

The Textual Question in 2 Peter 3:10 (and Why It Is Not Decisive Here)

A brief note is warranted on 2 Peter 3:10. The closing clause contains a well-known textual problem (Metzger 1994, 636; Wolters 1987, 405–13). A few older and many later witnesses read “the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up,” while strong early evidence supports a difficult verb meaning “will be found,” which many translations render “will be exposed/laid bare/disclosed.” Some critical editions also discuss an emendation “will not be found.”

Two implications follow. First, because the clause is textually unstable, responsible interpretation should avoid building an entire eschatological model on this single verb. Second—and crucial for the present argument—the surrounding description of cosmic judgment in 2 Peter 3:10–12 is not textually uncertain: the heavens “pass away,” the elements are “dissolved,” and the heavens are “set on fire.” Thus, even if 3:10 ends with the idea of exposure (rather than incineration), the pericope still depicts an event of catastrophic termination for the present cosmic order. The question becomes whether that termination is best understood as purification and transformation of the same material cosmos, or as its removal and replacement.

Three Interpretive Options

Before arguing for replacement, it is important to present the competing readings fairly.

1) Renovation into an earthly paradise (a common JW framing). This view treats the “new earth” as the present earth restored to ideal conditions. The “fire” language is interpreted as cleansing, often linked to the end of wicked systems rather than the literal end of the planet and universe.

2) Renewal through purifying judgment. This view takes Peter’s fiery imagery seriously but treats it as a transformative purification. On this model, the world is not discarded but radically renewed so that righteousness dwells. The first two models essentially maintain the present physical universe with modifications.

3) Termination / cosmic replacement. This view argues that Peter depicts the end of the present heavens and earth as such, after which God brings forth a new cosmic environment (spiritual habitation). The “new heavens and new earth” are not the same world reconditioned, but a genuinely new order following the removal of the former.

Brief Exegesis of 2 Peter 3:7–13

Peter’s argument in 2 Peter 3 begins with a polemic against scoffers who deny divine intervention and final judgment (3:1–4). He counters by appealing to creation and the flood: “by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water” (3:6). Peter’s rhetorical point is clear: the present order has not always proceeded uniformly; God has judged before and will judge again. Here, it is worth noting that the inspired writer effectively discredits uniformitarian presuppositions—which undergird many important theories in modern science—by alluding to the catastrophic flood of Noah. We have dealt with the dangers of uniformitarian assumptions in modern science in a previous post (See Assumptions, Dating Methods, & Implications – Spotlight On The Word). Peter writes to refute false ideas:

“For this they willfully forget that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.” (2 Pet 3:5-6)

This solitary statement has many physical and spiritual implications, the scope of which is beyond the borders of this article. However, to summarize, it is a fact that current physical processes and conditions have not always proceeded uniformly in the past, which indicates that the widely accepted view in many scientific disciplines that “the present is the key to the past” is false (DeYoung, 2012). Moreover, it is remarkable to observe that those who approach the investigation of the natural world without considering the catastrophic effect of the global flood are lawfully indicted of “willful” or “intentional” suppression of the truth, rendering their conclusions about the physical universe invalid. Indeed, all such people are justifiably without excuse (cf. Rom 1:20).

Peter then states that “the heavens and the earth which are now … are reserved for fire” (3:7). The reservation is not merely of human institutions but of “heavens and earth,” the paired expression for the total created order as presently constituted. Note the use of the passive plural verb translated “reserved”, which points to the plural subject (i.e., heaven and earth).

The description in 3:10–12 intensifies the picture: the day of the Lord comes unexpectedly (3:10); “the heavens will pass away” (3:10); the elements melt/dissolve (3:10–12); and “the heavens will be dissolved” (3:12). Even if one reads the debated final verb in 3:10 as “will be exposed,” the repeated emphasis on passing away and dissolution suggests more than a superficial refurbishment. The language is cumulative and totalizing (“all these things,” 3:11). Let us pause and note the following facts about the Parousia:

1. There are no signs or clues of the second coming of Christ; just as the coming of a thief is sudden and unannounced, so will the coming of Christ be on the last day of human history (2 Pet 3:10).
2. The heavens (and all other celestial bodies, such as stars, etc.) will pass away or cease to exist.
3. The earth (and the works done on it including all terrestrial structures and artifacts) will be burned and melted with fervent heat, although some sources suggest that the earth will be “disclosed” or “found out” (See What Does 2 Peter 3:10 Really Mean? A Textual Analysis of ‘Burned Up’ vs. ‘Disclosed’ – Spotlight On The Word)

Finally, Peter anchors Christian expectation not in the continuity of the present physical world but in divine promise: “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (3:13). The contrast marks not mere improvement of the present state but the arrival of a promised replacement environment characterized by permanent righteousness.

A Positive Case for Cosmic Replacement (Termination)

A strong case for cosmic replacement can be made without overstating any single text.

First, the most straightforward reading of Peter’s verbs favors termination. “Pass away” and “dissolved” naturally connote the end of the present order rather than its renovation or transformation. Peter does not describe repairs but dissolution.

Second, multiple New Testament texts state the same discontinuity in adjacent vocabulary. Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away” (Matt 24:35). Hebrews describes creation as perishable: “They will perish … like a garment … they will be changed” (Heb 1:11–12). Most pointedly, Hebrews 12:26–27 interprets the final shaking as the “removal” of what is made so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Removal language coheres closely with Peter’s dissolution imagery and supports the replacement reading.

Third, Revelation 21:1 expresses the transition in stark terms: “the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” While “new” can sometimes denote renewed quality, Revelation’s ‘first’/‘new’ contrast and the explicit passing away of the first order readily support the idea that the former cosmic arrangement is no longer present.

Fourth, replacement avoids a subtle exegetical hazard: reading purification/transformation into a text whose dominant imagery is cosmic unmaking. Scripture does use refining fire metaphors for people and works, yet Peter’s target is the heavens and elements themselves. The safest synthesis is to let 2 Peter 3 say what it most naturally says: the present cosmos, bound up with corruption and judgment, comes to an end, and God brings forth a new order where righteousness is at home.

This underscores the seriousness of the fall and the finality of judgment: God decisively ends the present order under corruption and establishes an incorruptible spiritual order in its place.

Brief Engagement with the ‘Paradise Earth’ Reading

The JW ‘paradise on earth’ reading rightly senses that biblical hope is not merely an escape into disembodied existence. Scripture culminates in God’s dwelling with His people (Rev 21:3). Yet the model struggles with Peter’s repeated insistence that the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire and dissolution (2 Pet 3:7, 10–12). It also fits awkwardly with texts that emphasize the passing away of the present order (Matt 24:35; Rev 21:1).

A more coherent alternative is to affirm embodied hope without equating it with the current planet’s indefinite continuation. God can grant embodied life in the future precisely because He creates a new environment—“new heavens and new earth”—after the former has passed away.

Romans 8 and the Cosmic Continuity Argument

Romans 8:19–23 is often cited to support renewal: creation awaits liberation from corruption. Many have affirmed that the ‘creation’ in the passage is in reference to the material universe. Hence, the current physical world will not cease to exist but will continue after redemption. This view, at first glance, seems right but further examination reveals a contextual strain. Paul, in this chapter, discusses the need for Christians to endure pain and suffering in the present, while patiently awaiting the Parousia. Christians, thus, eagerly await the redemption of the body in the future. The “creation” is the body personified. Man brought about his own demise through the fall. Though the spirit has already been redeemed, the flesh looks forward to the day it too will be redeemed. Thus, the day is coming when the body will no longer be mortal. Understanding Romans 8 this way, within its own context, avoids contextual strain. This prevents one passage from silencing the textual force of others.

Meaning of the Phrase “New heavens and New Earth”

The phrase “new heavens and new earth” is a figurative expression used to describe the future environment of the eternal abode of the righteous. It is an allusion to heaven itself. As one scholar has keenly observed, this can be demonstrated logically as follows:

“In logic, there is a maxim that states that things equal to the same thing are equal to each other. For example, if A=B and B=C, then A=C. If we are promised heaven as our final dwelling place (cf. Jn 14:1-4), and yet we are also promised a “new heaven and a new earth,” it necessarily follows that the new heavens and earth represent the same state as heaven” (Jackson, 1993).

Conclusion

The following are the facts regarding this matter:

1) The present heaven and earth will pass away or cease to exist (Mat 24:35; Heb 1:11-12; 2 Pet 3:10 – 12).

2) Our eternal abode is heaven, also called the “new heavens and a new earth” (Col 1:5; 1 Pet 1:4; John 14:1 – 4), which is different from the present material universe.

3) Peter teaches a future day of divine judgment that is cosmic in scope and morally searching (2 Pet 3:7, 10–14).

4) The textual uncertainty in 2 Pet 3:10’s final verb does not remove the paragraph’s dominant claim: the present heavens and ‘elements’ are described as passing away and being dissolved.

5) When correlated with Matthew 24:35, Hebrews 12:26–27, Hebrews 1:11–12, and Revelation 21:1, the most economical synthesis is cosmic replacement: the present order ends, and God brings forth new heavens and a new earth where righteousness permanently dwells.

Works Cited

1. DeYoung, Don. Thousands, Not Billions. New Leaf Publishing Group, 2012.
2. Jackson, Wayne. Notes from the Margin of My Bible. Fortify Your Faith Foundation, 3rd ed., 1993.
3. Metzger, Bruce M. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. 2nd ed. London/New York: United Bible Societies, 1994.
4. Wolters, Al. “Worldview and Textual Criticism in 2 Peter 3:10.” Westminster Theological Journal 49 (1987): 405–413.

Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise indicated.