Heaven [of Olivet discourse]: God’s place in the temple, & His obligation in the covenant
Earth [of Olivet discourse]: Israel’s place in the temple, & their obligation in the covenant
Isaiah 51:16
And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
Matthew 5:18
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass [the physical temple & old covenant], one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled [the prophetic writings]
(are we under the Mosaic Law today? Saved Gentiles? Saved Jews?)
Matthew 24:35
Heaven and earth [the physical temple & old covenant] shall pass away, but my words [the spiritual temple & new covenant] shall not pass away.
Peter explains:
1 Peter 2, [as he talks to Jewish Christians:]
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”[a]
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
(catch that? Peter told Jews they weren’t a people until they followed Christ and received mercy … more below that he was talking to Jewish Christians)
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation
The church is the new Jerusalem, the bride of Jesus, built upon the cornerstone of Christ, & the foundation of the apostles. There is no death for us. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit. And the Lamb is our light.