Some argue that the Bible is contradictory concerning whether the earth will remain forever. The argument is that Psalm 104:5 and Ecclesiastes 1:4 say that the earth will remain forever, but Isaiah 65:17 and 2 Peter 3:10 say that the earth will not remain forever. However, the answer to this alleged contradiction in the Bible is very simple.
He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved.
Psalm 104:5
A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
Ecclesiastes 1:4
both your iniquities and your fathers’ iniquities together, says the Lord; because they made offerings on the mountains and insulted me on the hills, I will measure into their lap payment for their former deeds.”
Isaiah 65:7
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies[a] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
2 Peter 3:10
The solution to this alleged contradiction is that Psalm 104:5 and Ecclesiastes 1:4 are speaking about how humans ”’perceive”’ the earth, while Isaiah 65:17 and 2 Peter 3:10 are speaking about what will happen to the earth in the future.
From a human perspective, it appears that the earth remains forever, since remains while generations of humans come and go. However, the reality is that sometime in the future, Jesus will return and God will create a “new heavens and a new earth.” However, even this does not mean that the earth will not remains—it simply means that the earth will be changed in a very significant way.
There are some foundational principles that apply to all alleged and apparent contradictions in the Bible. To read more, see Bible Difficulties: Foundational Principles.
To read more answers to alleged and apparent contradictions in the Bible, see “Contradictions” in the Bible Answered.
These books are also excellent resources:
Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World - Josh and Sean McDowell
Little Pilgrim's Progress (Illustrated Edition) - Helen L. Taylor