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EARTH and SKY ON
FIRE AT CHRIST'S RETURN:
This article
is accompanied by a copy of 2 Peter
3 from the King James Bible. I’ve indicated verses which predict the
burning
up of the heavens and the earth.
The previous
chapter (2
Peter 2) similarly
says:
Skeptics usually
see
these predictions
of heavens and earth being burned up as mythical without scientific
foundation,
and therefore as additional reason for not taking the Bible seriously.
I will show that
there is
at least one means,
in agreement with the sciences of physics and astronomy, which could
fulfil
the predictions of 2 Peter chapters 2 & 3.
There are
Christians who
say the Bible teaches
that salvation and eternal life will be had in "heaven". Such
Christians
often take 2 Peter 3 so literally as to claim that fire will
destroy
the entire Universe at Christ’s return – Earth, stars and galaxies. Due
to the size of the Universe and the speed of light (including fire)
such
a burning would take 15 billion years! A believer in such universal
fire
would have to imagine God vastly speeding up the speed of light. Nor is
there any known source for such a fire.
Other Christians
believe
the Bible teaches
that eternal life will be lived on Earth. Such Christians often
interpret
2 Peter 3 symbolically. The word "heavens" may symbolize the
governments
and the word "fire" may symbolize destruction.
Peter compared
the future
destruction by
fire of "the heavens…and...the earth" (3:10) i.e. the "heavens and the
earth which are now" (3:7) with the deluge of Noah’s time and the
destruction
of "the heavens of old, and the earth". (3:5)
In all these
verses as
well as in verses
12 &13 the Greek words used for "heavens" and "earth" are the same.
Nor is there any indication of a change of meaning so that one use of
these
words is literal and another symbolic.
Therefore the
words
"heavens" and "earth"
should be understood literally. Furthermore, because of the contrast
with
the literal water of Noah’s time (verse 6) the word "fire" is also
literal.
Although, literal we must still understand what "heavens" and
"earth" refer to in the Bible.
In the Bible
"earth" does
not mean planet
Earth. Rather "earth" refers to the "dry Land" (Genesis 1:10) however
far
it extends and does not include the oceans. "Heavens" (Greek =
"ouranoi")
often means "sky". It refers to the sky as observed by people including
the Bible writers. It refers to what is seen by looking up.
Therefore, the
destruction
of the "heavens"
or sky would be literally fulfilled if the atmosphere were filled
with dust and fire so obscuring any view of the sun, moon and stars. Is
there any possible source, scientifically validated, for such a
worldwide
fire as described in 2 Peter 3?
The fire would need to start with "a great noise" according to 2 Peter 3:10. Many Christians
speculate
that a full-scale
nuclear war might fulfil 2 Peter 3. However, this would result in
thousands
of more or less equal noises as the bombs explode. Nor would there be
one
source of fire but thousands of more or less equal fires.
An asteroid, 5 to 10k in diameter, entering the atmosphere at 30k per second and impacting on dry land would cause conditions matching the description in 2 Peter 3. The gases in the
atmosphere beneath the asteroid
would be compressed causing superheated winds moving at thousands of
kilometres
per hour. The "great noise" of the impact would be heard on the other
side
of the planet! (A mere 100-metre object exploding over Siberia in 1908
was heard 1000km away!)
On impact the
asteroid
would burrow 50km
into the Earth’s crust throwing out trillions of tons of molten rock,
lava,
and dust. The sky would be full of the stuff and much of it above 2,000
degrees centigrade!
According to Jon Murrie: "The stuff
re-entering
would look like
lots and lots of shooting stars like a glowing layer of material
above you of several thousand degrees celsius like being under a griller." (The Advertiser 1993 June 12 "Collision Course") Much of the force of the impact would probably be transmitted through the planet and burst open part of the opposite side leading to gigantic flows of lava on that side too. Populations a thousand kilometres away from the impact and the lava flows would survive for a while. Subject to distance they might be disintegrated by the force of the sound blast, smashed by crashing rocks, blown away or fried by superheated gases and winds, or burned to a crisp by a sky layered with molten material!
Sun, Moon and stars would all
be obscured by
debris, smoke, dust and fire. Anyone looking up and around would see:
the works upon it burned up." (2 Peter 3:10)
From such a
situation
planet Earth would
in time recover. Peter says there will be:
"…a new heavens and a
new earth …" (2 Peter
3:13)
I've shown in previous articles that Peter allows for a Christian era in history lasting thousands of years. I’m not directly predicting that an asteroid will then hit Earth but I’m not denying it either. My intention in
this
article was to demonstrate
that Peter’s view of the end of the world is scientifically possible.
And
in demonstrating Peter's description to be scientifically possible and
plausible another stumbling block to treating the Scriptures as
reliable
is removed. (A)
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