Gunter maintains 70ad was the passing of the present heavens and earth and the beginning of the new heavens and earth. He questions a assumption that the new heavens and earth are temporal in nature due to the 70ad line which Preterists have drawn in the sand. "Wouldn’t we, of necessity, conclude that it was on planet Earth?" This is a stretch of the imagination and a complete delusion. The problem extreme prets have made is making the age to come or the new heavens and earth temporal in nature. It is by no means of this earthly realm. Saying the old passed in 70ad places ALL in the New Heavens and Earth where ONLY RIGHTEOUS dwell. (2 Pet. 3:13) I guess Preterist miss the implications that if the present heavens and earth pass in 70ad that ALL are in the NEW.
Jim Gunter Article The New Heavens and Earth
With all of those bits of internal evidence, I am persuaded that the prophecies in this marvelous epistle were penned before 70 A.D., and their fulfillments culminated with the fall of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D., because I see this as the destruction of the old heavens and earth. (Jerusalem as the Destruction of the Heavens and Earth????) Yes, it was at that time that the old covenant world (NO MORE SEPARATION FROM GOD), with the temple as its epicenter, the earthly priesthood, and the typical holy of holies, was destroyed and removed. And because of this, it was then time for the creation of the "new heavens and earth."
You may recall Peter’s words of 2 Pet. 3, where he spoke of the soon-coming "day of the Lord" [v-10] or, "day of God" [v-12], when the old "heavens and earth" were destroyed and removed, and the new "heavens and earth" were created. (old heavens and earth which are reserved for judgment of ungodly men is removed and destroyed, NICE!!! So does that not mean there is no longer judgment of the ungodly, or does judgment of the ungodly fall in the new heavens and earth, and they are simply in the lake of fire. And how is that different than the present heavens and earth? If they are in the lake of fire, then are they not still in the present heavens and earth?)
Beloved, there are several observations that need mentioning here. First of all, John was shown the capital city of the new heavens and earth, and he said in v-2 that it was "new Jerusalem." Now take careful notice of the source of this new Jerusalem. He said with unmistakable clarity, that he saw it "coming down out of Heaven from God." My dear friends, I understand that to be of great significance! For, if John saw the new Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven to occupy its rightful place in the new heavens and earth, then what does that tell us about the location of the "new heavens and earth?" Wouldn’t we, of necessity, conclude that it was on planet Earth? (WATCH OUT! Can you make the spiritual promises any more temporal and earthly?)
Yes, beloved, the things of that old "heavens and earth" were only types and shadows of which Christ was the substance and body [Heb. 10:1-4; Col. 1:19; 2:16, 17]. (If the present heavens and earth represent those outside of Christ, would not the new heavens and earth represent those inside Christ. )
http://www.eschatologyreview.com/newheavensandearth.htm
