Nevertheless we, according to his promise
Or promises, as the Alexandrian copy, and the Vulgate Latin
version; namely those in ( Isaiah 65:17
) ( 66:22
) ;
look for new heavens and a new earth;
not figuratively, the world to come in distinction from the
Jewish world or state; a new church state, the Gospel
dispensation, with new ordinances, as baptism and the Lord's
supper, all legal ceremonies and ordinances being gone, and
everything new; for these things had taken place already, and
were not looked for as future: but these phrases are to be
understood literally, as the heavens and the earth are in every
passage in the context, ( 2 Peter 3:5 2 Peter 3:7 2 Peter 3:10
) ; and designs not new heavens and earth for substance, but for
qualities; the heavens and elements being melted and dissolved,
and so purged and purified by fire, and the earth and its works
being burnt up with it, and so cleared of everything noxious,
needless, and disagreeable, new heavens and a new earth will
appear, refined and purged from everything which the curse
brought thereon for man's sin: and such heavens and earth the
saints look for by faith and hope, and earnest expectation, and
with desire and pleasure; and therefore are not distressed, as
they have no reason to be, with the burning of the present
heavens and earth, as awful as these things will be; and they
expect them not upon their own fancies and imaginations, or the
vain conjectures and cunningly devised fables of men, but
according to the promises of God recorded in the above passages,
and in which they may be confirmed by the words of Christ, and by
the vision of John, ( Revelation
20:1 Revelation
20:5 ) . The Alexandrian copy reads, "and his promises"; as
if it respected other promises the saints looked for besides the
new heavens and earth; namely, the resurrection of the dead,
eternal life, the in corruptible inheritance, the ultimate glory
and happiness:
wherein dwelleth righteousness;
meaning not the heavenly felicity, called sometimes the crown of
righteousness, and the hope of righteousness, to which
righteousness gives a right, and where it will be perfect, for
the apostle is not speaking of the ultimate glory of the saints;
nor the righteousness of Christ, as dwelling in the saints, as if
the sense was this, we in whom righteousness dwells, look for new
heavens and a new earth; for though the righteousness of Christ
is unto and upon them that believe, yet it is not in them; it is
in Christ, and dwells in him, and not in them; it is not inherent
in them, but imputed to them: by "righteousness" is meant
righteous men; such as are so not in and of themselves, or by the
deeds of the law, or by works of righteousness done by them, but
who are made righteous by the obedience of Christ, and are
righteousness itself in him; see ( Jeremiah
33:16 ) ( 2
Corinthians 5:21 ) ; now these, and these only, will be the
inhabitants of the new heavens and the new earth; there will be
no unrighteous persons there, as in the present world, which lies
in wickedness, and is full of wicked men; and they will be
stocked with inhabitants after this manner; all the elect will
now be gathered in, and Christ, when he comes, will bring all his
saints with him from heaven, and will raise their bodies, and
reunite them to their souls; and those that are alive will be
caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and will make up together
the general assembly and church of the firstborn, whose names are
written in heaven; and whereas, upon the coming of Christ, the
present heavens and earth will be burnt or purified by fire, and
so made new and fit for the spirits of just men made perfect, who
being again embodied, will fill the face of them, and shall
inherit the earth, and reign with Christ on it for a thousand
years, during which time there will not be a wicked man in them;
for the wicked that will be alive at Christ's coming will be
burnt with the earth, and the wicked dead shall not rise till the
thousand years are ended, and who being raised, will, together
with the devils, make the Gog and Magog army; wherefore none but
righteous persons can look for these new heavens and earth, for
to these only are they promised, and such only shall dwell in
them; so the Targum on ( Jeremiah
23:23 ) paraphrases the words,
``I God have created the world from the beginning, saith the Lord, I God will "renew the world for the righteous":''and this will be, the Jews say, for the space of a thousand years;
``it is a tradition (they say F12) of the house of Elias, that the righteous, whom the holy blessed God will raise from the dead shall not return to their dust, as is said, ( Isaiah 4:3 ) , and it shall come to pass as the Holy One continues for ever, so they shall continue for ever; and if you should say those years (some editions read, "those thousand years", and so the gloss upon the place) in which the holy blessed God "renews the world": as it is said ( Isaiah 2:11 ) , and the Lord alone; &c. what shall they do? the holy blessed God will make them wings as eagles, and they shall fly upon the face of the waters:''and this renovation of the heavens and the earth, they say, will be in the seventh millennium;
``in the seventh thousand year (they assert F13) there will be found new heavens and a new earth;''which agree with these words of Peter.