There is not much written in the bible about this particular subject, but what is written certainly deserves our attention. We will look at three passages: in Matthew, 2 Peter, and Revelation.

Matthew 24:35

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

Here Jesus is telling His disciples that in the future heaven and earth will pass away, that they are not permanent or eternal, but His words are eternal.

Revelation 20:11 and 21:1

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away…

As we see in Revelation 20:11, as soon as it is time for the judgment of all non-believers at the great white throne, the earth and heaven will go away. After that, in Revelation 21:1, John saw a new heaven and a new earth, which appeared to take the place of the old heaven and earth. And I take “heaven” here to mean the universe—but, as we will see, some will disagree with me.

2 Peter 3:10-13

 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people 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 destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

This passage, as we see, presents the details that the other passages leave out.  All three of the passages are speaking of the Day of the Lord when the earth and the heavens are destroyed, but this passage is themost precise. So, as we discuss this subject more thoroughly, we will mainly look at this Peter passage.  And to give this subject a fair hearing we will look at four different commentaries holding different views. The first two will be from an earlier time—over two-hundred years ago. The second two are living today.

Adam Clark (1762-1832). From his bible commentary on 2 Peter, he writes,

[From verse 10] As the heavens mean here, and in the passages above, the whole atmosphere, in which all the terrestrial vapours are lodged; and as water itself is composed of two gases, eighty-five parts in weight of oxygen, and fifteen of hydrogen, or two parts in volume of the latter, and one of the former; for if these quantities be put together, and several electric sparks passed through them, a chemical union takes place, and water is the product; and, vice versa, if the galvanic spark be made to pass through water, a portion of the fluid is immediately decomposed into its two constituent gases, oxygen and hydrogen;) and as the electric or ethereal fire is that which, in all likelihood, God will use in the general conflagration; the noise occasioned by the application of this fire to such an immense congeries of aqueous particles as float in the atmosphere, must be terrible in the extreme.

[From verse 11] Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness. [“All these things”] will all be separated, all decomposed; but none of them destroyed. And as they are the original matter out of which God formed the terraqueous globe, consequently they may enter again into the composition of a new system; and therefore the apostle says, 2 Peter 3:13: we look for new heavens and a new earth-the others being decomposed, a new system is to be formed out of their materials. There is a wonderful philosophic propriety in the words of the apostle in describing this most awful event.1

From Clarke’s comments it is clear that he gives no possibility of the heavens to mean the universe. He is quite content to think that the passage is only referring to our atmosphere being burned off by fire. And then after the fire a new heavens (our atmosphere) and earth will be formed.

Jamison, Fauset and Brown. (of the same time period as Adam Clarke). In this commentary they write,

The certainty, suddenness, and concomitants, of the coming of the day of the Lord. Faber argues that the millennium. etc., must precede Christ’s literal coming; not follow it. But “the day of the Lord” comprehends the whole series of events, beginning with the premillennial advent, and ending with the destruction of the wicked, final conflagration, and general judgment (which last intervenes between the conflagration and the renovation of the earth)… As “the works” in the earth are distinguished from “the earth,” so by “elements” after “the heavens,” Bengel explains ‘the works therein’-namely, the sun, moon, and stars (as Theophilus of Antioch, pp. 22, 148, 228; and Justin Martyr, ‘Apology,’ ii. , 44, use stoicheia). Rather, as “elements” is not so used in Scripture Greek, the component materials of “the heavens,” (including the heavenly bodies (mentioned in the world’s destruction, as in its creation): it clearly belongs to “the heavens,” not to “the earth,” etc.2

Here the heavens are depicted as the universe (the sun, moon and stars). And other theologians are referred to: Johann Bengal (1687-1752), Theophilus of Antioch (writings from 180-185 AD), and Justin Martyr (100-165 AD). I would say, they have some excellent sources.

Randy Alcorn, from his book Heaven (published 2004). Alcorn has an entire chapter devoted to this subject, entitled, “WILL THE OLD EARTH BE DESTROYED…OR RENEWED?” Here are a few quotes:

A variety of theologians take this view of temporary, not final, destruction. Wayne Grudem, in his discussion of 2 Peter 3:10, which speaks of “everything” in the earth being “laid bare,” suggests that Peter “may not be speaking of the earth as a planet but rather the surface things on the earth (that is, much of the ground and the things on the ground).3

John Piper argues that God did not create matter to throw it away. He writes, “When Revelation 21:1 and 2 Peter 3:10 say that the present earth and heavens will ‘pass away,” it does not have to mean they go out of existence, but may mean that there will be such a change in them that their present condition passes away.4

Several prominent ancient theologians acknowledged the continuity between the present earth and the New Earth. Jerome often said that Heaven and Earth would not be annihilated but would be transformed into something better. Augustine wrote similarly, as did Gregory the Great, Thomas Aquinas and many medieval theologians.5

As God may gather the scattered DNA and atoms and molecules of our bodies, he will regather all he needs of the scorched and disfigured Earth. As our bodies will be raised to new bodies, so the old earth will be raised to become the New Earth. So, will the earth be destroyed or renewed? The answer is both—but the “destruction” will be temporal and partial, whereas the renewal will be eternal and complete.6

It appears that Alcorn has done some great research, but I think he has pretty much gathered from only those that agree with him. I would say that he is in the same camp with Adam Clark. And they speak only of the earth and not the universe.

John MacArthur (taken from his The MacArthur Study Bible notes on 2 Peter 3:10 and Revelation 21:1). From 2 Peter 3:10, he writes,

The “heavens” refer to the physical universe. The “roar” connotes a whistling or a cracking sound as of objects being consumed by flames. God will incinerate the universe, probably in an atomic reaction that disintegrates all matter as we know it…The “elements” are the atomic components into which matter is ultimately divisible, which make up the composition of all the created matter. Peter means that the atoms, neutrons, protons, and electrons are all going to disintegrate…The whole of the physical, natural earth in its present form, with its entire universe will be consumed. Cf. Is 24:19, 20; 34:4.7

From Revelation 21:1 MacArthur writes,

The entire universe as we know it will be destroyed (2 Pet. 3:10-13) and be replaced by a new creation that will last forever. This is an OT reality (Ps. 102:25, 26; Is. 65:17; 66:22), as well as a NT one (Lk 21:33; Heb. 1:10-12).8

As we can see, MacArthur’s view is much different than most others. That is because he sticks closely to the literal meaning of the text without rationalizing or reasoning as to what would be more logical. Also, instead of going to other human sources, he is more content in using only (or mostly) Scripture.

As for my beliefs and comments on this awesome subject, I would like to go first to the small phrases: “fled away” (in Rev. 20:11), “passed away” (in Rev. 21:1, and “pass away” (in 2 Pt. 3:10 and Matt. 24:35). They seem to depict a going out of existence, not a burning off for a later renewal. I think Revelation 20:11 is the most convincing of this. It says, “[the] earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.” It sure sounds like they (heaven and earth) disappeared to John. And when you add the 2 Peter passage to it, we may understand that the fleeing away will be quickly and in all directions—like a huge atomic explosion or an incineration.

And then, in Revelation 21:1, when the new heaven and earth come into existence, they will come to replace the old heaven and earth; for it says, “for the first heaven and the first earth passed away.” Note also that there is a clear distinction from the heaven and the earth, confirming that the heavens referred to is not earth’s atmosphere; it is the universe.

Now some may have the belief that God will bring us back to the garden of Eden, that He will want to continue what He started—a do over; hence the belief of earth’s renewal. And I am not apposed to thinking that the new earth will be similar to Eden. But I don’t think it will be a renewal. It will be an all-together new and different earth—a new creation that will last forever, without flaws.

Certainly, God is not opposed to destroying and starting over. He did it with the flood, and He did it with Sodom and Gomorrah. But next time it will be a total destruction and a recreation.

Also, we see in Matthew 24:35, and other references, that this earth and the heavens will not last forever. Here are a few of those other references.

Psalm 102:25-26

And the heavens are the work of Your hands.

26 “Even they will perish, but You endure;

And all of them will wear out like a garment;

Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.

Isaiah 34:4

And all the host of heaven will wear away,

And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll;

All their hosts will also wither away

As a leaf withers from the vine,

Or as one withers from the fig tree.

Matthew 5:18-19

“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Hebrews 1:10-12

“YOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH,

AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS;

11 THEY WILL PERISH, BUT YOU REMAIN;

AND THEY ALL WILL BECOME OLD LIKE A GARMENT,

12 AND LIKE A MANTLE YOU WILL ROLL THEM UP;

LIKE A GARMENT THEY WILL ALSO BE CHANGED.

BUT YOU ARE THE SAME,

AND YOUR YEARS WILL NOT COME TO AN END.”

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1 Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.

2 Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.

3 Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.: Wheaton, Illinois, 2004). P. 146.

4 Ibid., pp. 146-147.

5 Ibid., p. 149.

6 Ibid., p. 150.

7 John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible (Thomas Nelson, 2006), John MacArthur’s notes on 2 peter 3:10.

8 Ibid., notes on Revelation 21:1.