24. A New Heaven And A New Earth
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people; and God himself shall be with them and be their God" (Revelation 21:1-3).
A New Heaven and a New Earth are pictured on the Art Chart (www.BibleSupport.com/a/gppc.png) at the very end of the diagram.
The full purpose of God will be realized in a perfect age when man has been restored, the earth has been renewed, Satan and sin have been defeated, death and hell have been vanquished, and Christ has been crowned King of kings and Lord of lords.
Then Christ will have finished His reign during the Millennial age, and will have put all enemies under His feet. He will have finished the work that He was given to do as the Son of Man. In that perfect and eternal age, Christ will surrender the Kingdom to God, that God may be "All in All." The divine "Godhead" will act again as a "Unity."
The meaning of "a New Heaven and a New Earth" is extremely interesting and important. Bible students differ in their interpretation and meaning of this.
The verse of Scripture at the beginning of this chapter would lead us to believe that the earth, as a planet, and the heavens surrounding the earth, will be completely destroyed by fire. A closer study, however, does not seem to reveal total destruction. The word "New," in this verse, does not appear to mean something just coming into existence. It appears to mean something already in existence becoming reconditioned, renovated, or physically transformed by fire. This latter meaning of the word "New" is accepted by most Bible students.
The Greek word "Cosmos" as used in this verse by the apostle, means "land surface," and the Greek word "Parerchomia" means to pass "from one condition to another." Reference to these two Greek words, therefore, leads one to believe that the exterior surface of the earth will be completely changed. All the curse that Satan and sin have brought upon the surface of the earth will be destroyed, and the atmosphere around the earth will be purged from evil and destructive things; but the framework or foundation of the earth will remain. The old creation of heaven and earth must be purified from the stain of sin (2 Peter 3:5-15).
It seems quite incredible that the present earth, which God first created, will become extinct; for the reason that the primitive earth, which in prehistoric times was made void by Satan, was restored again by God. This same earth, which was cursed before the flood by sinful things and by sinful people, was purged of evil people by the flood which covered the earth, so that a new people under Noah was started. In a similar way, it would seem that the surface of this earth, which in the time of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, was pure for innocent man, must be cleansed from sin by fire, by the destruction of organic substance on the earth, and of all combustible matter around the earth, so that the earth again will be free from sin, and will become a fit material dwelling place for the resurrected saints, those who have been redeemed from sin and a sinful earth.
The natural interpretation of much of the Scriptural teaching about the earth is that this earth will be the final abode of the redeemed people. The earth will be made perfect for the habitation of the saints in the kingdom of God. The saints will inhabit the earth. In Genesis there is described an earthly paradise lost, with a curse inflicted; while in the Revelation there is described the curse removed by fire and by judgment, and an earthly paradise restored. "One generation passeth away and another generation cometh, but the earth abideth forever" (Ecclesiastes 1:4). The Bible speaks of the eternal home of the glorified beings below on a glorified earth. The glorified will spend eternity here on earth.
The Millennium will not be a perfect age, for at that time there will be conflict within some men. In the "New Heaven and the New Earth" there will be no conflict of forces. There will be no pain, no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, and no crying. Christ will have triumphed over sin and death. Christ will have surrendered the glorious kingdom to God. All people will depend upon God and the Lamb. All things celestial and terrestrial will be subject to the Son of God.
The chasm between heaven and earth will be bridged. The tabernacle of God will be with man, so that separation of man from God will be at an end. God’s servants will see Him, and will serve Him with gladness. There will be no night there, for God Himself will be the light of the universe.
There will be a new city, a Holy City, the New Jerusalem, which will come down out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. It will have no temple, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb will be the temple of it. Then the tabernacle of God will be with men.