by Michael J. Vlach
As I’m working on my book, The New Creation Model, I have detected five historical views on the future of the earth in eternity. This is not a full discussion of these views, but a brief listing of these five perspectives:
1. The new earth in eternity will be this present earth purified, refined, and renewed. God’s people will live on this new earth, which has connections with the present earth, forever. (many today hold this view)
2. The new earth in eternity will be a tangible replacement of this current earth. God will annihilate the present earth and replace it with a tangible new earth where God’s people will live forever. (many today hold this view)
3. This present earth will be vacated in eternity but it still exists as a memorial of God’s workings in history. It will be frozen in light. God’s people will live in Heaven forever and not on the earth in any way. (The view of Thomas Aquinas)
4. This present earth will not be renewed. It will become a fiery hell forever for the wicked. The saints will live in Heaven forever, while the earth functions as hell for unbelievers. (The view of Jonathan Edwards)
5. The present earth ceases to exist as God’s people live in Heaven forever. (Popular throughout church history after the fourth century AD)
