Bennett believes that ALL are in the Age to Come, or in the New Heavens and Earth and that they are simply outside the New Jerusalem which he believes is the covenant. It is interesting that this view is becoming more prevelant in Preterist circles and clearly is very much Universalistic. They implications are that sin and death and that the present heavens and earth pass in 70ad. We are now ALL simply living in an age of grace. What stands to seperate one from being inside or outside the New Jerusalem? It would seem to me that the present heavens and earth did not pass in 70ad, but remain as a classification of the ungodly. Since according to Bennett's view it has passed and everyone is in the age to come, that they invent a new death, a new law, in order to keep the ungodly out of the New Jersualem. Were does the Bible say the ungodly will enter into the New Heavens and Earth? How bout 2 Pet 3:13. The ungodly can not enter the New Heavens and Earth, becuase they are judged in the present heavens and earth which was reserved for judgement of ungodly men. How can they be translated from one to the other if one is for the ungodly, and one is for the righteous. Clearly Bennett is adding to what is written. Another fish in the frying pan of Full Preterism.
Michael Bennett
The New Age and the NHNE does not guarantee that all are in the NJ and partake in "the tree". The tree is IN the city. The city IS the covenant.
In the OC Old Age we had the Present Age / those IN FAITH / those OUTSIDE FAITH and, then, HADES. The Death and the Sin of Adam which reigned in the Death, meant that those IN FAITH would face HADES along with those OUTSIDE FAITH. At the Great White Throne Judgment, a SEPARATION took place: in Hades, a separation of those IN faith and those OUTside the faith took place. On earth, a separation of those IN faith and those OUTside the faith and of the NJ took place.
Now, because it is NHNE with a NJ and an eradication of HADES and The Death, we have this: New Age / those INSIDE the NJ unto eternal life / those OUTSIDE the NJ but can come to eternal life if God so moves them / and then, continued eternal life for those inside the NJ on earth when they physically expire, and the lake of fire (the second, the Death) for those who, on earth, died while OUTSIDE the NJ, yet while in the NHNE.
So now I would say (in a nutshell) you are either in or out of the NJ since it CAME DOWN out of heaven. If you are in the NJ you have eternal life.
