
In the book I quoted last week by Anthony Hoekema, The Bible and the Future, he says, The most breathtaking description of the new earth in the entire Bible is found in Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; 3 and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; 4 he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.
An incomparably beautiful existence is pictured in these verses. The fact that the word kainos describes the newness of the new heaven and earth indicates, as was pointed out previously (see last post), that what John sees is not a universe totally other than the present but one which has been gloriously renewed. There is a difference of opinion on the question of whether the words “and the sea was no more” should be understood literally or figuratively. Even if they are to be literally understood, they undoubtedly point to a significant aspect of the new earth. Since the sea in the rest of the Bible, particularly in the book of Revelation (cf.13.1, 17:15), often stands for that which threatens the harmony of the universe, the absence of the sea from the new earth means the absence of whatever would interfere with that harmony.
Verse 2 shows us the “holy city, new Jerusalem,” standing for the entire glorified church of God, coming down out of heaven to earth. This church, now totally without spot or blemish, completely purified from sin, is now “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband,” ready for the marriage of the Lamb (see Rev. 19:7). From this verse we learn that the glorified church will not remain in a heaven far off in space, but will spend eternity on the new earth.
From verse 3 we learn that the dwelling place of God will no longer be away from the earth but on the earth. Since where God dwells, there heaven is, we conclude that in the life to come heaven and earth will no longer be separated, as they are now, but will be merged. Believers will therefore continue to be in heaven as they continue to live on the new earth. “He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people” are the familiar words of the central promise of the covenant of grace (cf. Gen. 17:7; Exod. 19:5-6; Jer.31:33; Ezek. 34:30; IICor.6:16; Heb.8:10; IPet.2:9-10). The fact that this promise is repeated in John’s vision of the new earth implies that only on that new earth will God finally grant his people the full riches which the covenant of grace includes. Here we receive the firstfruits; there we shall receive the full harvest.
The bold strokes of verse 4 suggest far more than they actually say. There will be no tears on the new earth. Crying and pain will belong on the former things which have passed away. And there will be no more death – no more fatal accidents, no more incurable diseases, no more funeral services, no more final farewells. On the new earth we shall enjoy everlasting and unbroken fellowship with God and with the people of God, including dear ones and friends whom we have loved and lost a while. The highest joy and the greatest privilege of the life of glory is expressed in verse 4 of chapter 22:”They shall see his [God’s] face, and his name shall be on their foreheads.” In short, existence on the new earth will be marked by perfect knowledge of God, perfect enjoyment of God, and perfect service of God.
The doctrine of the new earth should give us hope, courage, and optimism in a day of widespread despair. Though evil is rampant in this world, it is comforting to know that Christ has won the final victory. Whereas ecologists often picture the future of this earth in gloomy terms, it is encouraging to know that some day God will prepare a glorious new earth on which the ecological problems which now plague us will no longer exist. This does not imply that we need do nothing about these problems, but it does mean that we work for solutions to these problems, not with a feeling of despair, but in the confidence of hope.
Earlier the point was made that there will be continuity as well as discontinuity between this age and the next, and between this earth and the new earth. This point is extremely important. As citizens of God’s kingdom, we may not just write off the present earth as a total loss, or rejoice in its deterioration. We must indeed be working for a better world now. Our efforts to bring the kingdom of Christ into fuller manifestation are of eternal significance. Our Christian life today, our struggles against sin – both individual and institutional – our mission work, our attempt to develop and promote a distinctively Christian culture, have value not only for this world but even for the world to come.
As we live on this earth, we are preparing for life on God’s new earth. Through our kingdom service the building materials for the new earth are now being gathered. Bibles are being translated, peoples are being evangelized, believers are being renewed, and cultures are being transformed. Only eternity will reveal the full significance of what has been done for Christ here.
At the beginning of history God created the heavens and the earth. At the end of history we see the new heavens and the new earth, which will far surpass in splendor all that we have seen before. At the center of history is the Lamb that was slain, the first-born from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Some day we shall cast all our crowns before him, “lost in wonder, love and praise.” The Bible and the Future – The New Earth. Pages 284 thru 287







Okay, I’m still thinking about marriage because after all my eldest son Alex just got married. It was a beautiful wedding for Alex and Meghan and our shared community of friends, family and followers of Jesus. Here are a couple of quotes I especially liked and incorporated into the service.


Larry is the senior pastor at
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