(All verses quoted in this study are from the New King James Version, if not otherwise mentioned).
The new heaven and new earth, as seen by John the apostle in a vision, is the final fulfillment of the Kingdom of God. John’s revelation has immense importance in eschatology. This is the climax of God’s plan for the restoration of the Kingdom of God.
According to the revelations recorded by John, the establishment of the new heaven and new earth will happen only after the white throne judgment, after the rapture of the saints and the millennial reign of Christ. References to this new creation is found in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament books. So, this revelation is an authentic truth.
My intention in this study is not confirming any existing interpretations or not prescribing any new interpretations to the revelation. My intention is to explain the vision as John has recorded it, in the light of other scriptures. Different interpretations of scholars are also cited, for the enrichment of the believers.
Let us begin our study by reading the concerned biblical passage as recorded by John about the appearance of the new heaven and new earth.
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.
The verse conveys three important information:
1. The first heaven and the first earth will pass away.
2. There will be a new heaven and a new earth.
3. There will be no sea in the new earth.
In the backdrop of these events, John sees a white throne and Christ sitting on it as a Judge for the final judgment of humans (Revelation 20:11). All human souls, who haven’t joined Him previously, are gathered before Him. As soon as He sat on the white throne, the present earth and sky on which we live now, passed away.
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.
The present earth and heaven, which is polluted by sin, could not stand in the glory of Christ, and so they fled away. The verse continues to say 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 or force, 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. According to the Scripture there are three heavens.
1. The first is the atmosphere around the earth.
2. The second is the sphere of the sun, moon, and stars.
3. The third Heaven is the dwelling place of God.
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 first is the atmosphere around the earth, the second is the sphere of sun, moon and stars and the third is the dwelling place of God. The first and the second heaven is the present physical universe. The third is the eternal spiritual home of God.
The Old Testament has no term that directly translate as "universe". Isaiah 65: 17 speaks of new heavens and new earth and the former one.
Isaiah 65: 17 For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.
He says that, God is going to create new heavens and new earth. The former heavens and earth shall not be remembered again. By former heavens and earth, he meant 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. They used the same word for the dwelling place of God. So, we must understand the term by its context.
In Revelation 20 and 21 and in 2 Peter 3: 7, 13, the words heavens and heaven are used to denote the space of the sky and stars above us. They will dissolve and will be renewed by the end time. Heaven in this context is not referring to the dwelling place of God. It is about the outer world we see above us.
So, John is not saying that the heaven which is the dwelling place of God will pass away. 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 must be renewed. Therefore the first and second heaven will be changed. The third heaven will remain eternal.
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.
These verses point to the removing of those things which can be shaken. It is the created physical world. And the world which cannot be shaken will remain the same. The world that cannot be shaken is the Kingdom of God and it shall remain eternally. The Kingdom of God will be established in the new heaven and the new earth. So, all these verses convey to us the idea that the present earth and heaven will pass away.
Why should the present earth pass away? Why cannot it continue as it is now, into the eternal Kingdom?
The Bible starts the human story by narrating the recreation or renewal of the present earth. We are not sure about the history of our earth, before Genesis 1:1. But we have evidence sufficient to assume that the earth was created originally for angels. And they dwelled here. But a group of them rebelled against God 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, at an appointed time of God, He decided to renew or recreate the earth. As a first measure, the Holy Spirit brooded over it for a long time. When the time came for the renewal, God spoke to the earth and this earth was created.
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. We now live in a post flood earth, on an earth that was renewed twice by water and through water. Revelation tells us that this earth has an appointed end, and it will pass away.
How shall this heaven and earth pass away?
In Revelation 20 and 21, John says that the present earth and heaven will pass away, and their place cannot be found after that. But John does not tell us how this would happen. Prophet Isaiah also spoke about the “new heavens and a new earth.” But the prophet did not say what will happen to the present earth or how the present earth and heaven will end. He only says that God shall, in future, create “new heavens and a new earth”. In Matthew 24: 35, Jesus prophesied that this "Heaven and earth will pass away”. But He did 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 prophesies the present 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.
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.
The prophesies of Peter may be summed up like this: The present heavens and earth in which we live now is destined to be destroyed by fire. On an appointed day, heavens and earth will pass away with a great noise, and their elements will melt with fervent heat. The very elements of earth and the works in it will be burned. That means, not only the outer crust of earth, but every element of earth, every works in it will burn.
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 new heavens and new earth will appear where righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3: 12, 13
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which 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
Revelation 21: 1 indicates that the entire universe will be recreated or renewed as a new earth, new skies and a new outer space. But theologians differ in their opinion about the processes of the renewal or recreation of the earth.
A small group of theologians believe that the renewal or recreation of the earth will happen when Christ returns and sets up His Millennial kingdom or a thousand-year reign of Christ on this earth. They believe that the new earth refers to Christ’s Millennial Kingdom.
But Revelation 20: 11 is clear about the time of the dissolution of the present 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.
The white throne
judgment will happen only after the Millennium. John repeats the story of the
dissolution of heaven and earth in chapter 21 with the appearance of the appearance
of new heaven and new earth. So, the argument that new earth, symbolically is
the Millennium period is not acceptable.
There are two more plausible views about the renewal or recreation of the
present earth and the appearance of the new. Some apocalyptic theologians argue that the present earth will be transformed or renewed into a new earth by fire or some other means. The same earth that we live now will continue into the eternity, but will be purified by fire. Some others believe that the present heaven and earth will pass away completely, and, in its place, a totally new heaven and earth will be created. The difference between these two opinions is about the continuity of the present earth into the new earth.
Apostle John does not describe the process of dissolution of the present earth or the recreation of the new one. Peter spoke about the process of dissolution, but he is silent about the process of creation of the new earth. Hebrews 12: 27 also spoke 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 the process of removal and recreation is not described.
In fact, the process of recreation of the new heaven and earth remains a mystery. It may be a mystery that human mind cannot understand now. One thing is certain, the “new” cannot be the as the old.
Renovated or replaced?
As we have already seen, the process of creation of the new heavens and earth is a matter of debate among Biblical scholars. The question is whether this present heaven and earth will be renewed as new earth, or it will be totally destroyed and a new heaven earth will be created out of nothing.
John wrote the book of Revelation in the style of apocalyptic literature, that was popular among the Jews and Greeks, from 200 BC to 100 AD. "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. These writings contain visions or revelations about the end of the present evil age and the final advent of God’s kingdom. All visions are said to be revealed by an angel or a heavenly messenger. These 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. It foretold the end of the present world and the 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 Old Testament prophets like Joel, Amos, Zechariah, and Daniel, some portion of the gospel and epistles and the book of Revelation are apocalyptic writings.
But the “Book of Revelation” in the Bible, is not a literary work. It is a record of an authentic spiritual experience that happened in the life of Apostle John. John chose apocalyptic style, to write down his experiences, what he saw and heard. It was the popular literary style which some other writers also used to narrate their supernatural experiences and visions. Apostle John’s vision was not a mere dream of a weary prisoner who fell 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 common human language and style. So, he chose the apocalyptic style for writing.
Apocalyptic style of writing could contain the mystical revelations concerning the cosmos. These mysteries are conveyed through symbolism, hyperbole, numbers, obscure and indirect statements, and such like literary techniques.
As I said before there are two considerable opinions about the process of the dissolution of the present world and the recreation of the new earth. They are the “renovation theory” and the “replacement theory”.
The renovation theory
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 re-forming it into the new. The “new heavens and new earth” will be this same earth, but cleansed from sin and its consequences, by fire. The process is comparable to Noah's flood, which was a purification of the earth. This provides a continuity of this earth and fulfillment of the plan of God from creation. His plan will be completed and perfected by the renovation of the earth. There is a continuity of the material substance of the present heaven and earth, but they will get a new form and character.
To substantiate their argument, they present the nature of Christ's resurrected body as an example.
His resurrected body was tangible, recognizable by humans. Christ spoke, heard, and understood what His disciples spoke. 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 Christ’s resurrected body was different from the mortal human body. Christ appeared and disappeared even in closed rooms. And finally, He ascended into heaven through the clouds.
Two Greek words are translated as "new" in the English Bible. They are “neos” and “kainos”. “Néos” is "new in time, and "kainós” is "new and better in nature". Both words suggest the meanings, unfamiliar, unexpected, and wonderful. The distinction fades with time.
A close study of some verses can illuminate the meaning of these words.
Matthew 9: 17 "Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."
Luke 5: 37, 38
37 "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.
38 "But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.
In these two verses, the Greek word “neos” is used for “new” in “new wine” and ,"kainós” is used for “new” in “new wineskins”. The wine is new, made from freshly harvested grapes. The wineskin is a previously existing one, which was renewed through certain process.
Matthew 27: 60 and laid it (the body of Jesus) in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.
Joseph of Arimathea had hewn a tomb out of the rock years before, for the purpose of his burial. But no dead body was kept in it before the body of Jesus. So, it was new (kainós).
John used the word “kainos” to speak about the new heaven and earth. “kainos” is not something totally new. It is the same, but the nature and quality have been renewed. The present earth will be purified by fire and renewed. The new earth will be a renewed earth.
Replacement theory
The scholars who support the replacement theory also cites 2 Peter 3: 10, 12 and 13 as key texts.
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.
2 Peter 3: 12, 13
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Peter says that 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. After the Judgment the “new heavens and new earth” will appear.
Peter is not telling 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 God or any human would inhabit the present earth after the Second Coming. Neither Peter and John, nor any other Biblical writer affirms any of these ideas.
The present heavens and earth were created by God from nothing. Later God purified the earth twice, after the fall 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 the replacement theory, 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. The new earth must be new in all its elements and nature. So, it must be created anew.
We are not sure, what theory is correct and what is incorrect. 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 purified, the result will be a planet that is “new”. God may renew or refashion the present heaven and earth, or He may create another new earth. The “new” one also will be called, “heaven” and “earth”.
And scripture does not reveal whether God will replace the existing stars and planets with new ones or transform them into a new state or configuration that may endure forever.
The dwelling place of believers
After all these
discussions, we may conclude that, whatever the process may be, at the end of times,
the present heavens and earth will be done away with the new heaven and new
earth. This will be the eternal dwelling place of the saved souls. The new
earth is the “heaven” in which humans will spend their eternity. The New
Jerusalem which is a heavenly city will be located on the new earth. It will be
decorated with pearly gates and golden streets.
The new earth is a tangible place where we will dwell with glorified bodies. The
concept that heaven is “in the clouds” and that we will be “spirits floating
around in heaven” are unbiblical. The new heaven and earth that believers would
inherit, will be a new and perfect planet. It will be similar to our current
earth in certain aspects, a renewed or a totally new one. It will be free from
sin, evil, sickness, suffering, and death.
This environment is not the present abode of God. It is not the present Heaven where God dwells now. It will be a new environment. If Heaven that is God’s current abode is the eternal dwelling place of the righteous souls, there is no need to create a new heaven and new earth. All saved souls can be accommodated in the present Heaven of God. But God is planning to create a new dwelling place for righteous human souls.
The earth that we live now was originally created by God as an extended province of Heaven. Heaven is the dwelling place of God. The word “province” is used here as a word used by humans for a certain concept. We are not sure about the nature of the relationship between Heaven and earth. The concept of “province” among humans may convey the meaning at least to a certain extent.
The province also comes under the sovereignty of the King God. So, the same Heavenly laws and values are applicable to the province also. God’s will be done both in Heaven and earth in the same way. Though this was God’s original plan, it was thwarted first by Lucifer and then by humans.
The present earth and heavens, where we live now, is permeated with sin. So, God would create a new one, as the eternal dwelling place of the saved human souls. This would be the eternal dwelling place of saved humans. God’s will be done on the new earth as it is in His Heaven. God shall dwell with humans. All humans there would be His own people. He will be their God.
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.
Heaven is the place where God dwells. So, the new earth also will be heaven. That is what Paul means in Philippians 3: 20, when he said “For our citizenship is in heaven”.
If we are promised “heaven” as our final dwelling place, and yet we are also promised a “new heaven and a new earth,” it necessarily follows that the new heaven and earth should possess the same condition of Heaven.
In every respect, the new heaven and new earth will be new. Its inheritors have never been there before. The saved souls, in a glorified state, will be in the very presence of God, face to face with Him. This will be new environment where sin and death will be no more.
There was no more sea
In Revelation 21, John sees no sea in the new earth. John makes a special mention of its absence because this is a striking difference from our earth. John wrote, “Also there was no more sea.” (Revelation 21: 1)
The sea in apocalyptic literature is a symbol of chaos and 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”. The present earth was punished and purified twice by water. So, the absence of the sea in the new earth symbolizes the deliverance for which the creation has been groaning. (Romans 8: 22).
The present earth is suffering from the consequence of human sin. But the new earth will be free from sin. There will be no consequence of sin. That means, when humans are finally redeemed, the whole universe also will be redeemed.
Everything new
The concept of new things is a major motif in redemptive history, especially in eschatological prophecies. The new heavens and earth are the consummation of many new things. The crescendo of redemptive history is stated in Revelation 21: 5, " Behold, I make all things new ".
Genesis 3 describes how God cast out the sinful human beings from the Garden of Eden. But God did not destroy the Garden. He kept it safe and protected.
Genesis 3: 23, 24
23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.
24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
The Garden of Eden was protected by an angel, from sinful humans and Satan. Both will not enter it again. It is kept safe as a holy place. At the same time, by offering an atonement for their sins through the seed of Eve, God has promised salvation to human beings. Once humans are saved, they will have a rightful inheritance to the Garden. God appointed the angel to guard the garden until the rightful inheritors in Christ would come back to live there.
Though the scripture does not say plainly, it may be well assumed that the new earth is a new Garden of Eden, or even the old one restored. In this new Garden, there is a pure river of water of life, the tree of life, all kinds of precious stones and many more. There is no sea, no sun, no moon, no night, and no curse.
Revelation 21: 4 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.
God will make all things new. The present order of creation will be replaced. In this new order only God’s own people will live there. They will be redeemed from the sinful nature. And there would be no temptation to commit sin. No sinful external agency will be permitted there. All righteous human souls will live in the closest relationship with God and each other.
Who shall live in the new earth?
Revelation 21 introduces the final state of perfection where cosmic time will be turned into eternity. God allowed John to see the glory and beauty of the inheritance of His people. This is the inheritance that was promised by Christ, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5: 5). Jesus promised a pure, fresh, and beautiful new earth, which will be recreated by God.
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, a dazzling, enormous city that extends some 1,500 miles in each direction, will descend on to the new earth. We are not sure whether we should take the figure about the size of the city, literally. But it denotes that the New Jerusalem will have a fixed size.
According to Hebrews 11: 10, Abraham, the “father of all those who believe” (Romans 4: 11), “waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God”. Hebrews 11: 16 says, “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. When the New Jerusalem descend on earth, it will become the capital of the entire new 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.
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 accepted God's promise of salvation will not inherit it. The scripture provides 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.
Revelation 21:7 "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
It shall be inherited by those who have defeated sin, flesh and the world.
1 John 2: 16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world.
Our future in the new earth and new heaven is truly beyond our ability to comprehend.
Last words
The scriptural passages that describe the new heaven and new earth, do not explicitly state about the relationship between the new and the present one. So, we are not sure, whether the present heaven and earth will be renewed, or they will be entirely replaced with a newly created one. There are scriptural passages that seem to teach both concepts. In fact, the process of renewal or re-creation is far beyond our human understanding. There is an element of mystery in this process. We know few things for sure that new universe will be without sin and corruption. Although it is new, it will have some relation with the old. We are certain that the present heaven and earth will pass away, and God will make something new that will last eternally.
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