Today
we are intending to discuss an apocalyptic incident.
This
will happen after the rapture of saints, the Millennium rule of Jesus on this
earth and just after the Great White Throne Judgment.
All these incidents are spoken of in the gospels, epistles
of the apostles and are seen in a vision by Apostle John.
He has recorded it in the book of Revelation.
Here in this study, I am not giving any fresh or new
interpretations to the scripture, but we are only explaining the scripture as
we have received it.
This is my usual method of teaching the scripture.
I am not concerned with the traditional understanding of
the scripture and is not after any new interpretations.
I believe what is written in the scripture and I always aim
to explain the scripture for lay men.
This study may cover up mainly three questions:
1. What is the new heaven and new earth?
2. What is the nature of the new heaven and earth
To begin the discussion let us read the passage from the
book of Revelation.
Revelation 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first
heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. (NKJV)
The verse conveys to us three important information:
1. The first heaven and the first earth had passed away
2. There is a new heaven and a new earth
3. There is no more sea in the new earth
Revelation 20:11 speaks
of the great White Throne and Jesus Christ seated in it to judge and punish all
human souls who are not with him already.
The
verse says that as the King sat on the throne of judgment, “the earth and the
heaven fled away”.
From
this we may assume that earth and heaven fled away, because they could not
stand in the glory of Christ.
But
the verse also says us that, “And there was found no place for them”.
That
means, the earth and heaven was not removed to a distant place, for a short
time, but they ceased to exist; they were no more.
And
this happened not at His command, not by power, but by the bare presence of his
Majesty.
What is heaven and earth?
Before we move further into the study, it will be good to
understand the terms earth and heaven as used in the above verse.
The Bible speaks of three heavens.
1. The first is the atmosphere around the earth.
2. The second is sphere of the sun moon and stars
3. The third heaven is the dwelling place of God.
However all three of them will not pass away.
The Scripture makes it clear that sin entered only into the
first and second heaven, not into the realm of God. God's realm was untouched
by sin and remains perfect.
The physical universe, however, is corrupt with sin and has
to be renewed.
Therefore it is the first and second heaven that will be
changed.
In
Matthew 5:34, 6:10 and 6:20, Jesus used the term ‘heaven’ as the
dwelling place and throne of God.
There
are more passages where the word ‘heaven’ is used to denote the dwelling place
of God.
At
the same time the word ‘heaven’ and ‘heavens’ were used by the Hebrew people to
refer to the skies and outer space also.
Thus
Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:2 speaks of “the third heaven”.
The
Old Testament has no term that directly translates as "universe".
Isaiah 65:17 speaks
of new heavens to mean the universe that we are living or about the visible sky
and outer space above us.
That
means, the phrase "heavens and earth" was the Hebrew way of referring
to the universe they knew and to refer the dwelling place of God.
So
we have to understand the term by its context.
In
Revelation 20 and 21 and in 2 Peter 3: 7 &13,
the words ‘heavens’ and heaven is used to denote the space of the sky and stars
above us.
They
are said to be dissolved and renewed by the end time, these words in the
context is not referring to the dwelling place of God. It is about the outer
world we see above us.
Hebrews
12: 26, 27
26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He
has promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also
heaven."
27 Now
this, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of those things that are
being shaken, as of things that are made, that the
things which cannot be shaken may remain. (NKJV)
These
verses denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created
things.
And
that those things which cannot be shaken may remain the same.
Heaven,
God’s abode remain eternal and cannot be shaken.
The
earth that passes away is the earth that we live now.
Our
earth was created originally for angels and they dwelled here.
But
because they rebelled under the leadership of Lucifer, they were chased out of
it and God covered the earth with darkness and water.
We
do not know how long it remained thus.
Then
God decided to renew or recreate the earth and Holy Spirit brooded over it for
a long time.
Then
by His Word, God created this earth.
The
Bible starts its narration with the recreation or renewal of the earth.
There
is no clear and direct explanation to the history before the creation story
narrated in the book of Genesis.
We
are assuming by joining pieces of references and hints available in the
scripture to create the history of this earth before Genesis.
And
even after the Genesis story of creation, the earth was once again destroyed by
water during the time of Noah.
The
earth that emerged out of that water was a different one in many aspects.
Thus
we now live in a post flood earth, on an earth that was renewed by water and
through water.
Revelation
tells us that this earth has an end and it will pass away.
How shall the
earth end?
With
these basic concepts about heaven and earth, let us move forward to the study.
In
Revelation 20
and 21, John says that the
present earth and heaven will pass away and their place cannot be traced after
that.
But
John does not tell us how this would happen.
Isaiah 65:17 also speaks of “new
heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into
mind.”
Here,
the writer does not say what will happen to the present earth or how the
present earth and heaven will end.
In
Matthew 24:35, Jesus also tells us
that the "Heaven and earth will pass away”. But He does not say how it
will happen.
But
the scripture is not leaving us in total darkness about. We have a wonderful
revelation about it in the epistle of Peter.
Peter
says that this heaven and earth is doomed for fire.
2 Peter 3:7 But
the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are
reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (NKJV)
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great
noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the
works that are in it will be burned up. (NKJV)
Let
us sum up the whole argument presented by Peter.
The
present heavens and earth in which we live now is doomed by God for fire.
On
that day heavens and earth will pass away with a great noise, and the elements
of earth and heavens will melt with fervent heat.
Peter
very clearly tells here that the very elements of earth and the works are in it
will be burned up.
That
means, not only the outer crust of earth, but every elements of earth, every
works in it will be burned up.
Again
in verse 12, Peter tells us that the
heavens will be dissolved, being on fire and the elements will melt with
fervent heat.
And
according to Peter, new heavens and new earth will appear where righteousness
dwells.
Though
Peter is not sure how a new heaven and earth will be created, he is precisely
clear about the end of this earth and the outer space above us.
It
will be burned up by fire, dissolved and disappear.
And
Apostle John says that it will happen as soon as Christ sits on the White
throne of Judgment.
The new
heaven and new earth
When Revelation 21:1 refers
to the new heavens, it is likely indicating that the entire universe will be
recreated or renewed as a new earth, new skies and a new outer space.
As we said already,
the present heaven and earth will give way to the new heaven and earth.
There is difference of opinion
among theologians as to when this renewal will happen.
There are those who believe
the universal restoration will occur when Christ returns and sets up His
Millennial kingdom, the thousand year reign on the earth.
But Revelation 20:11 fixes the time of the dissolution of the earth and heaven.
Revelation 20:11 Then
I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and
the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. (NKJV)
This will come after the
Millennium.
John repeats the story of the
dissolution of heaven and earth in chapter 21
and there he adds a new information about the appearance of the new heaven and
earth.
Since this is a Bible study,
let us pause here for a while to discuss about the continuity of the old and
the new earth.
Some apocalyptic writers had thought that the
present earth would merely be transformed.
There are some others who think that the present heaven
and earth will pass away and in its place a new heaven and earth will be
created.
John does not describe the process of destruction
and recreation.
Peter spoke about the process of destruction, but
he is silent about the process of creation of the new earth.
And Hebrews 12:27 also speaks about “the removal of those things
that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot
be shaken may remain.”
Here also the removal of the old is mentioned,
but not the process of removal and reacreation.
In fact, the process of recreation of the new
heaven and earth remains a mystery.
May be it is a mystery that human mind cannot
understand.
One thing is certain, the “new” cannot be not the
as the old.
Renovated
or Replaced?
The
manner in which the new heavens and earth come into existence is a matter of
debate among Biblical scholars.
The
question is whether this present earth will continue as the new earth.
To
put it in other way, will this present heaven and earth will be renewed as new
earth or it will be totally destroyed and removed and a new heaven earth will
be created out of nothing.
John
wrote the book of Revelation in the fashion and style of prophetic apocalyptic
literature.
"Apocalypse"
is a Greek word meaning "revelation", "an unveiling or
unfolding of things not previously known and which could not be known apart
from the unveiling".
It is a genre
of prophetical writing that developed in
post-Exilic Jewish culture.
Most of them were written during
the years 200 bc-
100 ad
They contains visions or revelations
about
the end of the present evil age and the final advent of God’s kingdom, as
revealed by an angel or other heavenly messenger.
This kind of writings were popular in Judaism and
Christianity from the centuries following the Babylonian exile down
to the close of the Middle Ages.
Judaism and Christianity considered the apocalyptic
writings as supernaturally inspired which foretells the end of the present
world and emergence of a new world.
It is narrative in character and employs
pseudonymous, esoteric language, expressing a pessimistic view of the present
and treats the final events of the world as imminent.
Some parts of the writings of
the OT prophets like Joel, Amos, Zechariah, and Daniel, some portion of the
gospel and epistles and the book of Revelation are considered to be apocalyptic
writings,
Apostle John’s vision was not a mere dream of a
weary prisoner who lay unconscious in an island.
His vision was a real spiritual experience. He
saw the dwelling place of God and heard the voice of God.
And it was not possible for him to record
whatever he saw and heard in any human language.
So he chose the apocalyptic style for writing
down whatever he saw and heard.
Apocalyptic style of writing could contain the
mystery of God’s revelations concerning the cosmos.
The Revelation is no exception, so
there is a lot of symbolism to wade through to get to the meaning.
As I said before there are different opinions
about the process of the dissolution of the present world and the recreation of
the new earth.
Two main discussion is whether the new creation
comes into existence by means of renewal, that is a renovation of the old or
replacement that is totally new act of creation.
The first is called renovation
theory and the second is called replacement theory.
The renewal or
the renovation
Those
who support the renewal or the renovation theory interprets 2 Peter 3:12 & 13
as a purging of the old heaven and earth by fire and forming it into the new.
The “new heavens and new earth” will be a literal earth,
cleansed by fire.
The
process is comparable to Noah's flood, which was only a purgation of the earth.
This
provides a continuity and fulfillment of the purposes God began in the original
creation and has now been brought to completion.
There
is a continuity of the material and substance of the present heaven and earth,
but now they are given new form and character.
Christ's
resurrected body provides a model for the renewal process.
Even
after the resurrection, Christ had a tangible body that was recognizable, that could
speak and understand.
The
resurrected Christ could eat and drink if He wished. (Luke 24:43)
Luke 24:39, says that the resurrected
Christ was not a spirit, He had flesh and bones.
But
the resurrected body was different from the mortal body of man.
Christ
appeared and disappeared even in closed rooms. He was ascended into heaven
through the clouds.
“Néos” is "new in time," kainós is
"new and better in nature".
Both words suggest "unfamiliar,"
"unexpected," "wonderful," and the distinction fades with
time.
John uses the “kainos” to speak of a new heaven
and earth.
But, kainos should not be taken as
something totally new.
It is the same, but the quality has been
transformed.
In the same way, the biblical concept of the New
Earth is one of renovation and restoration.
This earth, will be either cleansed or destroyed
by fire for the purpose of restoration.
The replacement view also
depends on 2 Peter 3:12 & 13 as the key text.
The heavens and earth will pass away with
a great noise, the elements will dissolve with fervent heat, and the earth and
its works shall be consumed.
According to Apostle John, the present world will
flee away leaving no trace of it as soon as Christ sits on the judgment seat
and after the Judgment there will be the “new heavens and new earth.”
Peter did not say that the earth would be
refurbished to be an earthly paradise.
He did not say that the Lord would reign upon the
earth.
He did not say that anyone would inhabit the
present earth after the Second Coming.
Not only Peter and John, no biblical writer
affirms any of
these ideas.
The present heavens and earth was created by God
from nothing.
Later God purified the earth twice, after the sin
of Lucifer and during the time of Noah.
According to 2
Peter 3:7 the present heavens and
the earth are reserved for fire until the Day of Judgment.
Supporters of this view also cites the Greek
words “neos” and “kainos”.
As we said above, “neos” is "new in
time," kainós is "new and better in nature".
Since John uses the word “kainos” to say “new” it
must be a new heaven and earth created out of nothing.
We are not sure, what theory is correct and what
is false.
Though the disappearance and dissolution of the
heaven and earth is a truth, the process of creating a new heaven and earth
remains a mystery.
Whether the earth is entirely consumed by
this fire or the surface is melted and thereby purified, the end result will
still be a planet that is “new”
The earth will be recreated or
refashioned by God.
We see that it is still called
the ‘heaven’ and “earth”, but they are called new.
And also whether God will replace existing
stars and planets with new ones or transform those
now existing into a new state or configuration that endures forever is
something we will find out when the time comes.
What
is the nature of the new heaven and earth?
Apostle John had a threefold vision about the end
time.
1. The
present heaven and earth will pass away
2. A
new heaven and earth will be created into existence
3. There
shall be no more sea in the new earth.
The dwelling place of believers
After the
events of the end times, the current heavens and earth will be done away with
and replaced by the new heavens and new earth.
The eternal
dwelling place of believers will be the new earth.
The new earth
is the “heaven” on which we will spend eternity.
It is the new
earth where the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city, will be located.
It is on the
new earth that the pearly gates and streets of gold will
be.
The new earth is a physical place where we will dwell with glorified physical bodies.
The new earth is a physical place where we will dwell with glorified physical bodies.
The concept
that heaven is “in the clouds” and that we will be “spirits floating around in
heaven” are unbiblical.
The heaven
that believers will experience will be a new and perfect planet on which we
will dwell.
The new earth
will be free from sin, evil, sickness, suffering, and death.
It will likely be similar to our current earth, or perhaps
even a re-creation of our current earth, but without the curse of sin.
This environment of the saved is simply heaven,
though it is not the abode of God.
The earth that we now was originally created by
God as an extended province of Heaven, the dwelling place of God.
Now the sinful earth is recreated or renewed as a
new and better place
So John describes, in symbolic fashion, the place
of the realm of the saved, where they shall reign “for ever and ever”, not
merely 1000 years.
God’s will was the rule in Heaven as well as the
earth.
But His plan was thwarted first by Lucifer and
then again by humans by the influence of Lucifer.
So where God’s reign exists, that is heaven. Thus
the new earth is heaven.
Revelation 21:2, 3
2
Then I, John, 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 heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them,
and they shall be His people. God Himself will
be with them and be their God.
(NKJV)
Where God is, that is heaven
That is what Paul means in Philippians 3:20 that our citizenship is in
heaven.
The apostle also said that we have one hope, and
that our hope is in heaven. (Eph.
4:4; Col. 1:5).
In every respect, heaven will be characterized by
newness.
It is a place never before inhabited by
Christians.
It is the first time the saved, in a glorified
state, will be in the very presence of God — face to face
This new state, where sin and death are no more.
This will be the eternal abode of the saved when
the Lord returns, and the living are caught up with the redeemed of all ages to
be with the Lord forever.
There
was no more sea
In
Revelation 21, John sees no more sea
in the new earth.
This
is a striking difference from our earth.
The
sea is used in apocalyptic literature as a symbol of chaos and may symbolize
evil.
In
Revelation 13:1, we see a beast
coming from sea; in 17:1 we read about “the great harlot who sits on many
waters”.
We
have already said above how God punished the present twice with water.
So
the absence of the sea in the restored universe symbolizes the deliverance for which
the creation has been groaning. (Romans 8:22)
The
world God originally created suffered the catastrophe of sin and all of its
consequences but the future new world will be a perfect world in which the
effects of sin are no longer present.
Everything new
The
concept of new things is a major motif in redemptive history, especially in
eschatological passages.
The
new heavens and earth is the consummation of many new things.
The
crescendo of redemptive history is stated in Revelation
21:5, " Behold, I make all things new ".
It
is a new Garden where there is a pure river of water of life, the tree of life,
all kinds of precious stone and many more.
There
is no sea, no sun, no moon, no night, no curse and no marriage.
“God
will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor
sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have
passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
God will make all things new.
The
present order of creation will be replaced.
In
this new order, the only people who exist will be God's people.
They
will live in the closest of relationships.
Who are permitted to live there?
Revelation 21 introduces the final state of
perfection where, "cosmic time will be turned into eternity."
In symbolic and visual language, God allows John
to see the glory and beauty of the inheritance of His people.
If Heaven that is God’s current
abode, is the eternal dwelling place of the righteous, then there is no need to
create a new heaven and new earth.
The purpose for a new earth is
spoken of by Christ: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
Jesus was speaking about
inheriting a pure, fresh and beautiful new earth recreated by God.
God does it again for humans.
Just after the appearance of the
new heaven and new earth, John saw, “the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2).
That means, upon the recreated
earth will descend a dazzling, enormous city that extends some 1,500 miles in
each direction!
Hebrews 11:10 says
that Abraham, the “father of all those who believe” (Romans 4:11), “waited for the city which has foundations,
whose builder and maker is God”.
Verse 16 again says that, “But now they desire
a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be
called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”
When Christ returns in the near
future, He will reign the whole earth for 1000 years from the present Jerusalem,
making it the capital of the earth.
But when New Jerusalem
is on earth, it will become the capital of the entire universe!
It will even become the new residence
of God the Father Himself.
Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven
saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with
them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their
God. (NKJV)
Verse 22
adds:
“But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its
temple.”
So the new heaven and new earth
is for humans and they shall dwell in it eternally.
But those who have not trusted
God's promises will not take part.
So let us see a list of people
who will not inherit the new earth.
Revelation 21:8, 27
8 "But the
cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers,
idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with
fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
27 But there shall
by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie,
but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. (NKJV)
The future we have to look
forward to in the new earth and new heavens is truly beyond our ability to
comprehend.
The answer to the question who
shall inherit the new earth is given in the verse below:
Revelation 21:7 "He who overcomes shall inherit
all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. (NKJV)
Conclusion
Let me conclude this message.
From the passages that speak
of the renewal of the heaven and the earth, it is not clear what relationship
the new will have with the old.
Will the old heaven and earth
be merely renewed, or will it be entirely replaced.
There are passages that seem
to teach both.
In fact, this is far beyond
our human understanding.
We know few things for sure
that new universe will be without sin and corruption.
Although it is new, it will
have some connection with the old.
As is the case with the
resurrected body of the believer, there is some mystery in this process.
What is clear is that the
present heaven and earth will pass away in the form that they are presently in
and God will make something new for believers to enjoy with Him.
When Adam and Eve sinned the earth became cursed.
When Adam and Eve sinned the earth became cursed.
God promised to destroy the
old earth and make something new.
The future home of the
believer will be in the new heavens and new earth.
God is going to make
everything new. God is going to dwell with humans.
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