1 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Our FATHER will not destroy the physical earth in order to execute HIS judgment on men. The Creator knows how to destroy the current path of men: by conversion. Saul of Tarsus is an excellent example. King Nebuchadnezzar is another excellent example. His kingdom was converted after he was converted. Current men in power only exist in that manner because Our Heavenly Father allows them to be in their respective positions. HE is the highest authority and all other authority is a derivative by assignment.
The sun, moon, and stars speak of various aspects of rulership. A new heaven speaks of a change in rulership, power, and authority over the earth. An old earth denotes the subject, people, or physical substance under authority. A new heaven and a new earth will be the result of righteousness prevailing in those who rule- The Sons of GOD.
Mountains represent kingdoms and islands represent lesser authorities arising out of the sea of humanity. As we understand the symbolism used in Scripture, we are able to grasp what John was saying when the sixth seal was broken in Revelation 6:
14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,
16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
Carnal men would have you believe that the wrath of GOD will send some mighty fireball down on earth to scorch the earth and all its inhabitants once the Christians have been scooped up out of harm’s way. By using fear, they attempt to control the congregation into submission and further their own agendas. If they can just keep all the events external then the people never have to grow internally and become spiritually mature, hearing FATHER’S voice on their own. Paul’s writings differ from those who promote this all encompassing wrath:
Colossians 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,
7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
HIS wrath is not directed toward the righteous men and women but on the lawlessness and the carnal nature of the unconverted. In the parable of the wheat and the tares, the tares were gathered up, removed, and burned. The wheat remained and was “harvested” to be utilized in the future. The burning of the tares are associated with all unrighteousness, lack of fruit, depraved acts, lusts… anything that requires purging. Once this occurs, all things become new. The old heaven (rulership) and the old earth must pass away and be replaced. The previous spiritual order is replaced by the order of Melchizedek. The old order will be judged as prophesied in Isaiah:
21 It shall come to pass in that day
That the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones,
And on the earth the kings of the earth.
22 They will be gathered together,
As prisoners are gathered in the pit,
And will be shut up in the prison;
After many days they will be punished.
23 Then the moon will be disgraced
And the sun ashamed;
For the LORD of hosts will reign
On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
And before His elders, gloriously.
The ‘old sun and moon’ refers to the old order of authority on earth. As HIS righteous ones come forth in their white robes in the fullness of power and authority granted to them by THE MOST HIGH, a new heaven and earth will come forth hence John’s conveyance of this reality:
Revelation 21:Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
The Sons must expect with great anticipation the passing away of the old heaven and earth. The current system must be removed, not patched up with duct tape. The purging of the old must take place in order to bring in the new. The old rulership must be taken down as the new rises up in the dawning of a new day.
The physical earth was not formed to be replaced so we must trust that HE will not allow mankind to bring forth some cataclysmic event to make the earth uninhabitable:
Isaiah 45:18 For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), "I am the LORD, and there is none else. NASB
The end of the world will happen for many whose world is focused on carnality of man and all its trappings. Their world will be no more as no one retains any interest in pursuing or sustaining anything associated with that world. The new heavens and a new earth will replaced the old and what a day it will be! With this understanding, John wrote in 1 John 2:
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.