day no. 16,446: the world washed by water and by fire

"Is all this admirable universe, sinless and perfect everywhere beyond the Moon, to perish at the last day? It seems not. When scripture says the stars will fall (Matt. xxiv. 29) this may be taken 'tropically'; it may mean that tyrants and magnates will be brought low. Or the stars that will fall may be only meteorites. And St Peter (II Pet. iii. 3 sq.) says only that the universe will be destroyed by fire as it once was destroyed by water. But no one thinks the flood rose to the translunary regions: neither, then, need the fire." — C.S. Lewis, The Discarded Image

When God destroyed the world by water, He did not do away with the world entirely. He wiped out every living thing with breath save eight and those with them on the boat, but the world was still there when the flood was over. God did not wash the world away per se, but washed the worldliness off of the world. He didn't throw the plate in the trash, He washed it and dried it and put it back onto the table for use.

2 Peter 3:6-7

Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

We too often imagine God's cleansing fire as an incineration. We imagine the world reduced to ashes and the new earth being ex nihilo two point oh well. But Peter here says the world will perish by fire in similar fashion as to how it perished previously by water, which is to say that those outside of Christ will be washed away, but those inside Him will inherit the earth. Only this cleansing will be accompanied by a complete and total restoration of Edenic blessing where sin is absent and God is forever and fully present.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

There is no foundation other than Christ which can support any work of any kind. But the work done on that foundation varies and the fire will test it. That which was good will be refined and purified by the fire like gold and will come out the better for the fire. That which was no good will be burned up entirely, but the foundation will hold the person who labored frivolously upon it.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Work done by, for, through and to the Lord will not be in vain. It will survive the refining fire and be better for having been exposed to it. The ark will save those inside it and the fire will save the goodness of any work He inspired through them.