From Newsgroup: alt.bible.prophecy
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Sat, 08 Aug 2026 23:48:17 -0700,
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537g7l1fqa4eai935j341fut1eu2bk75f5@4ax.com>
Samuel Spade <
sam@spade.invalid> wrote: ========================================
Christ Rose wrote:
1) Forever means undefined horizons, not eternity without end:
(...)
Jonah 2:6
I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O
LORD my God.
Jonah was in the belly of the fish for only three days and three nights, yet he describes that period as being enclosed "for ever." This shows
the word can describe a very short, finite period that carries a sense
of total enclosure or completion within its setting.
Here it sounds more like Jonah was talking about his
expectation at the time, rather than telling the story
afterwards, being that he wouldn't expect to get out of the
fish alive. Since a human in a fish's stomach would have a
life expectancy of 2 minutes max, that makes sense
An interesting truth about this is that God "prepared" the fish:
rCLNow the LORD had prepared [mnh] a great fish to swallow Jonah. And
Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.rCY (Jonah 1:17, NKJV)
The same word for "prepared" is used at the end of the book to describe
things God supernaturally created or modified:
rCLAnd the LORD God prepared [mnh] a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So
Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But as morning dawned the next
day God prepared [mnh] a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it
withered. And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared [mnh] a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on JonahrCOs head, so that he grew
faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, rCLIt is better for me
to die than to live.rCYrCY (Jonah 4:6rCo8, NKJV)
The various uses of that word "mnh" (prepared) in Jonah, show that God
can create or modify things as needed in order to accomplish his
purposes: the fish to swallow Jonah and keep him alive; the plant to
quickly grow and provide shade; the worm to eat the plant; the wind to
blow vehemently, etc.
"Forever" isn't functionally different from "for the rest of
my life". After death comes eternity, during which Jonah's
story isn't going to evolve.
Yes, I believe that's the sense here, given that "forever" is a period
that lasted no longer than three days and nights.
Of course, the dictionary definition of forever is still
eternity.
Webster includes "long time" in his definition:
1 b : for a very long time
I've been waiting forever for the doctor. (merriam-webster.com)
How the Bible defines it, however, is what matters when interpreting the Bible. Given the many contexts which show it means a finite period of
time, one cannot simply cite a verse which says "forever" in it, and
conclude it necessitates a never-ending period of time.
2) The Bible directly and repeatedly states the present heavens and
earth will be destroyed by fire, dissolve, flee, and be rolled up
like a garment.
Ok.
But why would God want to destroy "the heavens" with the
earth?
The indication from Revelation 21-22 and other Scriptures is that He
will replace them with an eternal, superior, incorruptible heavens and
earth (Isaiah 65:17, 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1-5).
Isn't that where he and the angels live?
God lives in the third heavens with the angels who did not fall with
Satan in rebellion (2 Corinthians 12:2, Revelation 12:7-9, Jude 1:6, Revelation 5:11). This is above the sky and outer-space (2 Corinthians
12:2, Psalm 115:16, Psalm 148:4). It is my understanding that the
heavens and earth it says will be destroyed, are the ones God created in Genesis 1-2.
Did the angels offend him?
Yes, some of the angels offended God in Satan's rebellion (2 Peter 2:4,
Jude 1:6, Revelation 12:7-9).
We aren't just talking extraterrestrial bodies being
destroyed. It says "all the host of heaven", so it's not
talking about Mars and Europa. Unless this just reflects an
iron age notion that God & angels must live somewhere "up
there".
As I understand it, "All the host of heaven" refers to the creation God
did in Genesis 1-2:
rCLThus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of
them.rCY (Genesis 2:1, ESV).
If the "heavens and earth" it's talking about were just created in
Genesis 1-2, then it can't be the third heavens where God and the good
angels abide, because that already existed prior to Genesis 1.
As for the evil angels who fell in the rebellion, they will be sent to
the lake of fire:
rCLrCLThen he will say to those on his left, rCyDepart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.rCY (Matthew 25:41, ESV)
rCLand the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire
and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.rCY (Revelation 20:10, ESV)
So with the devil and his angels being sent to the lake of fire, yes the current abode of the fallen angels will be included in the destruction,
since they were evidently cast down to the created realm it mentions in Genesis 1-2 (2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6, Revelation 12:7-9, Revelation 20:10).
And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.
What's the point of killing off all the angels? Will the
good angels all rebel too? Please do explain.
See above. It's only the angels who rebelled with Satan who will be
destroyed (Matthew 25:41, 2 Peter 2:4, Revelation 20:10).
(...)
3) It is the New Heavens and earth which believers inherit for eternity (Revelation 21-22).
Is that going to be a physical new heaven & earth, or is it a
metaphor for the brave new spiritual world?
As I understand it, it will be literal, physical, and spiritual, all at
the same time, since the inhabitants will be both spiritual and physical
at the same time.
When 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 says "flesh and blood" cannot inherit the
kingdom of God, it's talking about "corruptible", "perishable" flesh and blood.
While the resurrected body will be "spiritual", it will also be like
Christ's glorious body (1 Corinthians 15:35-49; Philippians 3:21).
rCLwho will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body,
by the power that enables him even to subject all things to
himself.rCY (Philippians 3:21, ESV)
Christ's resurrected body was both glorious, "spiritual", and
imperishable, yet He described it as having "flesh and bones", and being capable of eating literal fish (Luke 24:39-43,Philippians 3:21).
rCLSee my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and
see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that
I have.rCY And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and
his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were
marveling, he said to them, rCLHave you anything here to eat?rCY
They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate
before them.rCY (Luke 24:39rCo43, ESV)
So I believe the New Heavens and earth will be literal, spiritual, and physical all at the same time. It won't be some ethereal fog, but will
be a place you can reach out and touch with a body that is both
"spiritual", yet has literal, incorruptible, imperishable flesh and
bones body like Christ's.
Sources
merriam-webster.com. "Forever". Merriam-webster,
https://merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forever. Accessed 10 August. 2026.
--
Good News rCa
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and God gave absolute proof of this by raising Him from the dead (Romans
1:4). God now pardons our sins without compromising His own
righteousness (Romans 3:26), saving us from His coming judgment (1 Thessalonians 1:10). This is a completely free gift reserved for those
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the Lord to be saved (Romans 10:9-13):
How to be saved: christrose.news/salvation
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