One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
One generation of people dies and vanishes from life and another follows in its place, while the earth itself continues on. The earth was formed to be inhabited and to endure as humanity's lasting home, and its continuance is everlasting and eternal. It will not be annihilated, blotted out, exploded or burned out of existence when probation ends. It will not remain in its present sin-cursed condition, but this same earth will be melted with fervent heat, cleansed and purified by fire, and renewed and restored when sin and sinners are destroyed. So purified, it remains forever as the clean and literal eternal inheritance and home of the meek, the faithful and the redeemed under the everlasting kingdom of Christ.
Words and Historical Setting
A generation arises about every twenty-five years, yet the preceding generation does not all die within that period, so that some of the aged remain until after a third generation has arisen and three generations may be present at once — the aged remnant, their successors, and the younger generation. To pass away means to vanish or disappear, and is commonly used to mean dying or departing from life. Generation means all the people living at a given time, without reference to a special beginning or ending, with one such generation passing away and another following while the earth remains.
The verse belongs to the Preacher’s sermon and testimony by Solomon himself, the son of David and king in Jerusalem, written in his last days about 977. It was set down after he tasted all pleasures this world could give — luxury, power, wealth, glory, popularity, feasting, wine, women and idolatry — and yielded to the desires of the heart and flesh until his many wives turned away his heart and led him away. It records from actual experience that all such wisdom and pursuits apart from God are vanity and vexation of spirit, showing the folly of earthly pursuits without hope in God and the nothingness of humanity without God, since wisdom and glory and wealth and popularity would not bring rest of soul. It stands in hearty repentance leading to the only wise and blessed conclusion that man’s whole duty is to fear God, keep His commandments and trust Him, with excellent practical instruction interwoven in the sermon.
The book of Ecclesiastes was written earlier than the second century B.C. The passing of generations while the earth continues describes the world’s present condition of vanity and sorrow brought by human transgression, where life and labor pass from one generation to another while the earth remains.
Human Succession and Mortality
One generation passes away and another takes its place, while the succession of generations continues without pause. Human life is brief and mortal, and people of every age and station die. The generations that come repeat the same human life and its familiar experiences as those who came before them. They pass away in turn while the earth remains, and each life is brief and ends in death.
The world continues after any one person is gone. Human generations pass away while the earth and its familiar natural beauty continue. Each generation lives actively, but its people die and are soon forgotten as life goes on for those who follow.
Earth Abides Forever
The earth itself remains forever and will not be annihilated or blotted out of the universe when human probation ends. It will not explode, become a cinder, freeze, burn up, or dissipate, but endures to be renewed and restored after sin and sinners are removed. Its continuance is consistent with its restoration and renewal when Christ comes. It will be preserved eternally as a memorial of the redemption accomplished there, including the incarnation, suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ.
Forever means eternity when it describes what God has established, so the verse fixes the length of the earth's continuance as everlasting and eternal. The earth will not be put out of existence but will exist eternally, though not in its present condition. It was made to remain forever and formed to be inhabited and not in vain. It was formed as the lasting home of humanity, whose life and dominion were intended to endure as part of God's greater dominion, and that permanence belonged to the original Eden plan.
Its permanence means that, had humanity remained loyal to God, people and their descendants would have lived on the earth in a happy, holy state forever. The earth itself is distinct from the world in the sense of an age and distinct from the world in the sense of the inhabited earth in its present sinful condition, which lasts about six thousand years. It is that condition, age, or present form and arrangement that passes away, while the earth itself remains forever and will be transformed by God into a new earth in the coming age beyond the millennium. The former order of land and water perished in the Flood, so the present arrangement of the earth dates from after the Flood and cannot establish where Eden was or determine the Sabbath's original meridian, since the Sabbath began at creation before the Flood.
There is no direct prophecy or Bible indication that the world would stand six thousand years, and no prophet prophesied that period. It is concluded by some Bible students from types and divisions of time like the week, the week of years, the jubilee and other figures in connection with the one thousand years of Revelation 20, during which the earth lies desolate and rests as its Sabbath. That the earth abides forever is confirmed by God forming the earth to be inhabited. The end of the world does not mean the end of creation or of the everlasting earth, but the winding up of the present age, order, or dispensation, as in the harvest parable.
The earth itself is not destroyed when the present age ends or when the present order ends. It will be renewed under a new decree, when the wilderness blossoms and the lion eats straw like the ox. It does not come to an end but passes through different ages and changes before continuing into the eternal ages, while generations pass away.
Renewed Earth and Inheritance
The earth does not abide forever in its present sin-cursed condition, but is to be cleansed, melted with fervent heat, purified by the fires of the last day and fitted by God's power, then renewed. Its future burning does not mean it will be burned up and cease to exist or be reduced to cinders, and its desolation is not its final end. As the first formless creation was brought into order and beauty, so the old earth will be purified and a new earth arise from its ashes. Other worlds may cease to exist and new ones be created without putting God's universe out of order.
The promise of a new earth is the promise of this same earth made new, not a different creation made of entirely new material and not an annihilation. After sin and sinners are removed it is melted and renewed, restored and delivered from sin, changed, renovated and cleansed. Only the works of the devil, death, sin, sinners and the devil himself are destroyed.
Thus purified and preserved, the earth remains forever as the literal and lasting, clean and pure home and eternal inheritance of the meek, the faithful, the righteous and the redeemed, where they will dwell forever and be again inhabited by them. A clean pure earth inhabited by a righteous people with no more curse, whose foundations shall not be removed, filled with the glory of the Lord and peopled with the saints of the Most High, is essential to the eternal purpose of God who made the earth good and made the first man and woman upright, and though they fell and brought sin and death and a curse, His purpose has not changed. Over this lasting earth the glorious and everlasting kingdom of Christ and His saints will be established in literal reality as the final bliss, blessed hope and joy of the ransomed.
The earth was made as a habitation for humanity and God's plan for it will not be frustrated. Human sin may interfere with the intended outcome during probation, but cannot prevent it, because probation will end. God's works were not made to be destroyed, and He formed the earth to be inhabited for generation after generation to dwell upon.
The enduring earth remains eternally as a memorial of redemption accomplished there, including the incarnation, suffering, death and resurrection of Christ. Because the work endures, the memorial of the work is coeval with the work itself and endures with it, even as God Himself is the same, an ever-abiding living memorial of His creative power for all generations on the earth.
Prophecy and Scriptural Connections
The word generation in the verse denotes a mass of people living at a particular time, one such body passing away while another follows and the earth remains. That sense fixes the meaning of Jesus' phrase this generation in his prophecy of the signs, showing it refers not to the Jews as a race nor to the people alive when he first spoke, but to the people living when the predicted signs appear. That generation alive at the appearing of the signs will witness his coming in the clouds.
The verse stands among the creation texts establishing that Christ was associated with the Father in creation and that Christ himself was the maker of all things. That fact of Christ as maker forms the foundation for accepting the seventh-day Sabbath. The declaration that the earth abides forever proves that the material earth itself will never be annihilated and will not be burned up out of existence, as a careless reading of 2 Peter 3:10 might suggest. It will only melt with fervent heat and be cleansed by its baptism of fire, then be renewed by the power of God into the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Thus renewed, this same earth remains as the territory of the kingdom of God which shall never pass away nor be destroyed, which the meek and righteous as its present heirs shall inherit and dwell in forever, while only the works of the devil — death, sin, and sinners — are burned up root and branch in the lake of fire, the second death.
One generation of people dies and vanishes from life and another follows in its place, while the earth itself continues on. The earth was formed to be inhabited and to endure as humanity's lasting home, and its continuance is everlasting and eternal. It will not be annihilated, blotted out, exploded or burned out of existence when probation ends. It will not remain in its present sin-cursed condition, but this same earth will be melted with fervent heat, cleansed and purified by fire, and renewed and restored when sin and sinners are destroyed. So purified, it remains forever as the clean and literal eternal inheritance and home of the meek, the faithful and the redeemed under the everlasting kingdom of Christ.
Words and Historical Setting
A generation arises about every twenty-five years, yet the preceding generation does not all die within that period, so that some of the aged remain until after a third generation has arisen and three generations may be present at once — the aged remnant, their successors, and the younger generation. To pass away means to vanish or disappear, and is commonly used to mean dying or departing from life. Generation means all the people living at a given time, without reference to a special beginning or ending, with one such generation passing away and another following while the earth remains.
The verse belongs to the Preacher’s sermon and testimony by Solomon himself, the son of David and king in Jerusalem, written in his last days about 977. It was set down after he tasted all pleasures this world could give — luxury, power, wealth, glory, popularity, feasting, wine, women and idolatry — and yielded to the desires of the heart and flesh until his many wives turned away his heart and led him away. It records from actual experience that all such wisdom and pursuits apart from God are vanity and vexation of spirit, showing the folly of earthly pursuits without hope in God and the nothingness of humanity without God, since wisdom and glory and wealth and popularity would not bring rest of soul. It stands in hearty repentance leading to the only wise and blessed conclusion that man’s whole duty is to fear God, keep His commandments and trust Him, with excellent practical instruction interwoven in the sermon.
The book of Ecclesiastes was written earlier than the second century B.C. The passing of generations while the earth continues describes the world’s present condition of vanity and sorrow brought by human transgression, where life and labor pass from one generation to another while the earth remains.
Human Succession and Mortality
One generation passes away and another takes its place, while the succession of generations continues without pause. Human life is brief and mortal, and people of every age and station die. The generations that come repeat the same human life and its familiar experiences as those who came before them. They pass away in turn while the earth remains, and each life is brief and ends in death.
The world continues after any one person is gone. Human generations pass away while the earth and its familiar natural beauty continue. Each generation lives actively, but its people die and are soon forgotten as life goes on for those who follow.
Earth Abides Forever
The earth itself remains forever and will not be annihilated or blotted out of the universe when human probation ends. It will not explode, become a cinder, freeze, burn up, or dissipate, but endures to be renewed and restored after sin and sinners are removed. Its continuance is consistent with its restoration and renewal when Christ comes. It will be preserved eternally as a memorial of the redemption accomplished there, including the incarnation, suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ.
Forever means eternity when it describes what God has established, so the verse fixes the length of the earth's continuance as everlasting and eternal. The earth will not be put out of existence but will exist eternally, though not in its present condition. It was made to remain forever and formed to be inhabited and not in vain. It was formed as the lasting home of humanity, whose life and dominion were intended to endure as part of God's greater dominion, and that permanence belonged to the original Eden plan.
Its permanence means that, had humanity remained loyal to God, people and their descendants would have lived on the earth in a happy, holy state forever. The earth itself is distinct from the world in the sense of an age and distinct from the world in the sense of the inhabited earth in its present sinful condition, which lasts about six thousand years. It is that condition, age, or present form and arrangement that passes away, while the earth itself remains forever and will be transformed by God into a new earth in the coming age beyond the millennium. The former order of land and water perished in the Flood, so the present arrangement of the earth dates from after the Flood and cannot establish where Eden was or determine the Sabbath's original meridian, since the Sabbath began at creation before the Flood.
There is no direct prophecy or Bible indication that the world would stand six thousand years, and no prophet prophesied that period. It is concluded by some Bible students from types and divisions of time like the week, the week of years, the jubilee and other figures in connection with the one thousand years of Revelation 20, during which the earth lies desolate and rests as its Sabbath. That the earth abides forever is confirmed by God forming the earth to be inhabited. The end of the world does not mean the end of creation or of the everlasting earth, but the winding up of the present age, order, or dispensation, as in the harvest parable.
The earth itself is not destroyed when the present age ends or when the present order ends. It will be renewed under a new decree, when the wilderness blossoms and the lion eats straw like the ox. It does not come to an end but passes through different ages and changes before continuing into the eternal ages, while generations pass away.
Renewed Earth and Inheritance
The earth does not abide forever in its present sin-cursed condition, but is to be cleansed, melted with fervent heat, purified by the fires of the last day and fitted by God's power, then renewed. Its future burning does not mean it will be burned up and cease to exist or be reduced to cinders, and its desolation is not its final end. As the first formless creation was brought into order and beauty, so the old earth will be purified and a new earth arise from its ashes. Other worlds may cease to exist and new ones be created without putting God's universe out of order.
The promise of a new earth is the promise of this same earth made new, not a different creation made of entirely new material and not an annihilation. After sin and sinners are removed it is melted and renewed, restored and delivered from sin, changed, renovated and cleansed. Only the works of the devil, death, sin, sinners and the devil himself are destroyed.
Thus purified and preserved, the earth remains forever as the literal and lasting, clean and pure home and eternal inheritance of the meek, the faithful, the righteous and the redeemed, where they will dwell forever and be again inhabited by them. A clean pure earth inhabited by a righteous people with no more curse, whose foundations shall not be removed, filled with the glory of the Lord and peopled with the saints of the Most High, is essential to the eternal purpose of God who made the earth good and made the first man and woman upright, and though they fell and brought sin and death and a curse, His purpose has not changed. Over this lasting earth the glorious and everlasting kingdom of Christ and His saints will be established in literal reality as the final bliss, blessed hope and joy of the ransomed.
The earth was made as a habitation for humanity and God's plan for it will not be frustrated. Human sin may interfere with the intended outcome during probation, but cannot prevent it, because probation will end. God's works were not made to be destroyed, and He formed the earth to be inhabited for generation after generation to dwell upon.
The enduring earth remains eternally as a memorial of redemption accomplished there, including the incarnation, suffering, death and resurrection of Christ. Because the work endures, the memorial of the work is coeval with the work itself and endures with it, even as God Himself is the same, an ever-abiding living memorial of His creative power for all generations on the earth.
Prophecy and Scriptural Connections
The word generation in the verse denotes a mass of people living at a particular time, one such body passing away while another follows and the earth remains. That sense fixes the meaning of Jesus' phrase this generation in his prophecy of the signs, showing it refers not to the Jews as a race nor to the people alive when he first spoke, but to the people living when the predicted signs appear. That generation alive at the appearing of the signs will witness his coming in the clouds.
The verse stands among the creation texts establishing that Christ was associated with the Father in creation and that Christ himself was the maker of all things. That fact of Christ as maker forms the foundation for accepting the seventh-day Sabbath. The declaration that the earth abides forever proves that the material earth itself will never be annihilated and will not be burned up out of existence, as a careless reading of 2 Peter 3:10 might suggest. It will only melt with fervent heat and be cleansed by its baptism of fire, then be renewed by the power of God into the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Thus renewed, this same earth remains as the territory of the kingdom of God which shall never pass away nor be destroyed, which the meek and righteous as its present heirs shall inherit and dwell in forever, while only the works of the devil — death, sin, and sinners — are burned up root and branch in the lake of fire, the second death.