THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH
by
Jim Gerrish
CONTENTS
Do we now have a Platonic Heaven?
How have the Greeks influenced us?
What do we know about Heaven?
Heaven is a temporary resting place
The Kingdom of Heaven will come to Earth
The New Heaven
The New Earth
The New Heaven and Earth
The story that will never end
A challenge for us
BIBLE TRANSLATIONS USED
English Standard Version – ESV
New English Translation – NET
New International Version – NIV
New Revised Standard Version – NRS
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Copyright 2023
THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH
While a large majority of people today believe in Heaven, there seems to be a great deal of misunderstanding about this destination. Strangely, some folks who believe in Heaven are not at all sure they want to go there. Author John Eldredge in his book, The Journey of Desire, says “…nearly every Christian I have spoken with has some idea that eternity is an unending church service…We have settled on an image of the never-ending sing-along in the sky, one great hymn after another, forever and ever, amen…” 1 When we consider that many Christians today are not that interested in church services, with many dragging in late, we can understand how such a concept of Heaven is not too attractive. We might also note that many churches are no longer fond of singing hymns.
To make matters a little worse, there has been a notable change in church attendance in the new century. Barna & Kinnaman in their book Churchless say: “Two decades ago a ‘regular churchgoer’ was a person who attended at least three weekends per month and often several times per week. But today a regular churchgoer shows up for worship once every four to six weeks.” 2
Popular writer, Randy Alcorn, tells of one Bible-believing, seminary trained pastor who said: “I can’t stand the thought of endless tedium. To float around in the clouds with nothing to do but strum a harp…it’s all so terribly boring. Heaven doesn’t sound much better than Hell…” 3 Actually, I often play a little harp myself, but I would sure hate to play it for a thousand years.
Where did we ever get such strange and crazy ideas about Heaven?
DO WE NOW HAVE A PLATONIC HEAVEN?
It might surprise a lot of Christians today to learn that they have a mostly Greek concept of Heaven. Greek philosophy, following in the footsteps of Plato, demeaned the flesh and earthly things. To Greek philosophers, their so-called “spiritual realm” became of primary importance while the flesh and earthly things were spurned and looked down upon. Perhaps this is why Greek athletes could run stark naked in the races. To the Greeks, it was important to get rid of the body. Then they could ascend to that perfectly spiritual state where they could lounge around in those heavenly realms. The Greeks likely gave us the idea of sitting on a cloud in a disembodied state and strumming our harps forever.
The popular theologian N. T. Wright sums it up by saying: “…in much Western piety, at least since the Middle Ages, the influence of Greek philosophy has been very marked, resulting in a future expectation that bears far more resemblance to Plato’s vision of souls entering into disembodied bliss than to the biblical picture of new heavens and new
earth.” 4
After all, Christianity was born into a Greek world. Many of our early church fathers were either Greeks, Greek speakers or at least Greek thinkers. One father, Justin Martyr, was originally a Greek philosopher. Many of the others were deeply influenced by Greek philosophy, particularly the father Origen and the church historian Eusebius. Even the very important father, Augustine, was greatly influenced by the Greeks. Unfortunately, the early church had to swim around in a Greek soup for several centuries.
HOW HAVE THE GREEKS INFLUENCED US?
Writer and researcher Christian Overman says: “Plato actually sought a way of escape from the harsh realities of the present physical world through trance-like meditation on the metaphysical world of ideals. In essence, Plato split reality into two distinct areas: an upper level of eternal, not-material ideals, and a lower level of temporal, physical matter. The higher aspect of reality was called ‘form’ and the lower level was called ‘matter.’” 5
We can understand from this how we have inherited a dualism in our faith and theology. We can now see why so many saints in the past spurned the natural world around them and tried to live totally in that ethereal spiritual realm. This is how we got celibate monks living alone in the desert and the divisions of “sacred” and “secular” in our thinking. In modern and postmodern times, we have many Christians who spurn and almost detest the natural world while they hope to flee the world in some divine rescue operation.
So, “the outcome of Plato’s thought was a devaluing of the physical world and a mystical elevating of the unseen world of ideals and eternal ‘forms.’ He downgraded the body and exalted the soul, calling the body the ‘prison house of the soul.’” 6 The Greeks even went so far as to spurn manual labor.
This is why the Hebrews made poor philosophers. They believed that God created a “good” (though fallen) world to be appreciated and enjoyed. They believed that the human body was made in God’s image and was to be good and holy. Thus, the natural world and the natural body were not to be spurned but to be appreciated and honored. Unlike the Greeks, the Hebrews prided themselves in manual labor. To the Hebrews, matter mattered. No doubt partly because of this worldview the Jewish people have succeeded greatly in all types of trades and professions.
Rabbis themselves through the ages have excelled in various professions. The famous Rabbi Hillel was a woodcutter while the famous Shammai was a carpenter. The Talmud taught that if a father did not teach his son a trade, he thus taught him to steal.7 While the Jews sought to understand the spiritual world, they did not neglect the natural world. We see an example of this in the Book of James as he discusses giving to the poor. He asks, “If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” (Jas. 2:16 NIV).
We must not neglect the natural world that God has created. We cannot opt out of community meetings, school board responsibilities or political activities. We can do all these things and help bring the knowledge of God to a lost world. A father must not get so spiritual that he cannot at times wash the dishes or take out the garbage.
Let us further clarify the natural and spiritual. We must not focus on the natural to the exclusion of the spiritual as millions do today. As Christians, we must keep our minds on the spiritual while serving in the natural world around us. The two must be kept in good balance.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT HEAVEN
It is very strange, but we do not know much about Heaven. We know that God is there on his glorious throne. We know that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father. We know there are twenty-four elders and something that looks like a sea of glass. Also, there are myriads of angels praising God. It is a very wonderful and holy place.
At this point, some folks might say, “Wait a minute here. Didn’t Jesus promise us mansions in Heaven?” It is unfortunate that the King James Version translated it as “mansions” in John 14:2. Modern versions translate this as “rooms” (NIV, RSV & ESV) or “dwelling places” (NAS, NRS & NET). Wright clears this up by saying: “The word for ‘dwelling places’ here, monai, is regularly used in ancient Greek not for a final resting place but for a temporary halt on a journey that will take you somewhere else in the long run.” 8 Those departed saints now waiting with Jesus in the Old Heaven will soon be on their way to the New Heaven and the New Earth.
Then there is the popular idea that Christ will appear and rescue the saints, taking them to Heaven shortly before the tribulation. There they will celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb. This whole idea is based upon a misunderstanding of another Greek word. The word apantēsis or “to meet” (1 Thess. 4:17) is derived from a particular political practice in the Greco-Roman world. When a king or dignitary visited a city, the leaders and many citizens of the city went out to meet him and accompany him back to their city.9 The obvious implication of this word is that the newly resurrected saints will rise up to greet the coming Lord and accompany him back to the Earth. Jesus is coming to take over the Earth, not just to remove his defeated saints before the coming battle.
It is of note that the Apostle Paul received this kind of reception when he at last visited the capital city of Rome. In Acts 28:15 it is said: “The believers from there, when they heard of us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage” (NRS). A form of the very Greek word apantēsis is used in this verse.10 Paul did accompany them back to their city and stayed there for a long time with them.
In Revelation 21:1-4, 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…heaven and earth will no longer be separated, as they are now, but will be merged.” 11 Alcorn says “If God were to end history and reign forever in a distant Heaven, earth would be remembered as a graveyard of sin and failure. Instead, earth will be redeemed and resurrected.” 12
HEAVEN IS A TEMPORARY RESTING PLACE
Nothing is wrong with Heaven. God the Father is there and Jesus his resurrected Son is there. God’s will is being completely done in Heaven (Matt. 6:10). It is a wonderful place. When we die as believers, we will all be immediately welcomed in that wonderful abode (2 Cor. 5:8).
However, the present Heaven, or the old Heaven, is not God’s final plan. The Bible tells us in several places that there will be a New Heaven and a New Earth (Isa. 65:17-25; 66:22-23; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1-4). Many more scriptures hint at this (Psa. 37:29; Matt. 5:5; Jn. 14:2-3; Rev. 2:7; 21:23-24). This New Heaven and Earth will be revealed after the Lord’s return when the thousand-year Millennium has ended, and all judgment is over.
For information’s sake, perhaps we should clarify the subject of Heaven a little more. Heaven begins with our immediate atmosphere. This might be called the atmospheric heaven. Beyond this is outer space with the sun, moon and stars. This could be called the celestial Heaven. Finally, we have the home of God, or what is called in scripture the Third Heaven. In 2 Corinthians 12:2, the Bible tells us that Paul visited this Third Heaven, where God now lives. The Third Heaven itself indicates that there must be a first and second Heaven.13 It is generally felt that Satan, after defeating humankind, came to dwell somewhere in the lower level of the heavens (Eph. 6:12).
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN WILL COME TO EARTH
The genius of God’s plan is to unite things in Heaven and things on Earth together under the headship of Christ (Eph. 1:10). Unfortunately, we Christians have all things going up while the Bible has all things coming down. Jesus is coming down, the New Jerusalem is coming down and the Bride is coming down. Jesus instructed us to pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10 NIV). We should pray that prayer every day and ask for the heavenly kingdom to come down to Earth. Habakkuk 2:14 says: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (NIV). This speaks of a very thorough saturation. We should pray regularly for that to happen.
THE NEW HEAVEN
The New Heaven will be located on the New Earth. This has been called one of the best-kept secrets of Christianity. This great truth is one of the very important things Satan has stolen from the church. Discerning this biblical fact would revolutionize our theological understandings as well as our church practices. It would ignite a new and wonderful hope in our hearts.
As humans, we were not designed for an ethereal heavenly environment. Alcorn says, “As human beings, whom God made to be both physical and spiritual, we are not designed to live in a non-physical realm – indeed, we are incapable of even imagining such a place (or, rather, non-place).” 14 Alcorn continues: “Everything pleasurable we know about life on Earth we have experienced through our senses. So, when Heaven is portrayed as beyond the reach of our senses, it doesn’t invite us; instead, it alienates and even frightens us.” 15
Another great truth that Satan has stolen from us is that The Almighty God himself has great plans to come and live on the Earth. God says of Jerusalem, “…This is where I will live among the Israelites forever…” (Ezek. 43:7 NIV). God is going to come and live among the Israelis! Because of our latent antisemitism, this statement is certain to chap most people living on the Earth today, even a lot of Christians. When God and Heaven come to this Earth permanently it will have astounding implications. We will address some of these later.
THE NEW EARTH
As we have said, we know very little about Heaven. However, we know a great deal about the Earth. In fact, we have millions of mental pictures of the Earth – things like flowers, rivers and snow-capped mountains. We have loved their beauty even in Earth’s fallen state, but we have not seen anything yet. When God gets through with the New Earth, we will be shocked and amazed by the astounding beauty and glory of all these things. As we remember, we were made from Earth. This connection is so clearly seen in Adam, the first man, whose name often represents mankind. The Earth that Adam was made from is called in Hebrew, adamah. Amsterdam professor Richard Middleton says: “Not only are humans made from the ground (Gen. 2:7), but they are made for the ground, with a specific task or vocation in mind.” 16
Australian theologian Ian Smith comments: “Understanding the future of the earth has significant implications of how we see it now. When we understand that the end of all things is the renewal of all things, then all things become important.” 17
We need to stop and further clarify a matter or two about what we are saying. Since God is now living in a far-off Heaven, it is important to seek him there for the present. The Bible says, “Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1 NET). So, the Greeks had it partly right, but only partly. Wherever God is, that is where we must seek him. He is now in the Third Heaven. The Bible even says, “and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,” (Eph. 2:6 NET). There is a spiritual sense that we are now seated with Christ in the Third Heaven. When he comes to Earth, we will continue to be seated with him. Wherever Christ is, Heaven is, and we believers are now able to be with him in Spirit. We just have to remember not to forsake the important earthly things when we seek the spiritual ones.
THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH
John declares “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Rev. 21:1-3 NIV). There will be a New Earth and God will live in it. Let us say it again, The Almighty God of Heaven is coming to live on this planet, and he will live here forever. He is bringing Heaven with him. He will make all things new. Let us get ready for that!
Jerusalem will be his throne (Jer. 3:17; Matt. 25:31; Rev. 22:3). From Jerusalem he will not only rule the world, but he will rule the whole universe. Heaven and Earth have a throne/footstool relationship (Isa. 66:1). They belong together. This is simply astounding, earth-shaking information that affects us and that affects everything else. How did we ever lose this wonderful biblical picture? With this great truth we can now begin to rewrite all of our history and theology books. It will certainly change some of our political thinking as well. We can now understand why Jerusalem has been conquered some forty times and fought over for many, many centuries, even to this present moment. Wow! What a great truth that we are now discovering with the help of the Lord’s Holy Spirit.
There is even another astounding truth that has been hidden from us for centuries. The righteous will be ruling through Christ and for Christ on this New Earth just as Adam should have done long ago. They will rule forever (Rev. 22:5). The many godless rulers of the Earth will be displaced. That alone should bring joy to millions. The Bible says that the whole creation has been groaning in pain awaiting redemption and this rule of Christ and his saints on Earth (Rom. 8:22-23). How sad and tragic that we have also lost this precious picture. Middleton says that we have lost the plot of the redemption story. The plot goes like this, creation, fall, redemption and consummation.18
Well, with the help of the Lord, let us try to regain and reconstruct the many amazing truths that concern the future of ourselves, our Heaven and our Earth.
Heaven and Earth will not be destroyed at the end of days
There is a general feeling among Christians that in the last days, the Earth will be burned up and destroyed. Some Christians seem rather happy about this so long as they are raptured out of the earth before it is destroyed. This thinking is based on Revelation 21b, “…for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…” (NIV). It is especially based on 2 Peter 3:10, in the King James Version: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
Will the Earth really be burned up? We may have one of those textual problems here. Peter says in verse 1 that God wants to spur us into wholesome thinking. Let’s allow him to do that. Professor Middleton comments: “The NIV translators intentionally translated not the verb katakaesetai [burned up] from the Textus Receptus, but rather the verb heurethesetai (future passive of heurisko), which means, literally, ‘will be found.’ This verb occurs in Codex Vaticanus and Codex Siniaticus, two of the oldest and most reliable of the ancient Greek manuscripts (both dating from the middle of the fourth century AD)…And since the nineteenth century, biblical scholars have been aware that the more trustworthy manuscripts of the New Testament of 2 Peter 3:10 have heurethesetai.” 19
The NIV reads for this passage: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare” (2 Pet. 3:10). Other modern translations read: “be exposed” (ESV); “laid bare” (NET); “be disclosed” (NRS).
Also, here in 2 Peter we have a problem with “the elements” being destroyed. Brainard says: “The underlying Greek word stoichia (elements) was never used in the modern scientific sense of elements.” 20 It might help us if we look at other appearances of stoichia in the New Testament. In Galatians 4:3 it is translated as “elemental spiritual forces of the world.” Galatians 4:9 speaks about “weak and miserable forces.” In Colossians 2:8 it reads: “elemental spiritual forces of this world.” What we have with this term is a judgment on the evil spiritual forces of this world. It is these that will be burned up.
Is God really trashing this present world and making a brand new one? Hoekema says: “Both in 2 Peter 3:13 and in Revelation 21:1 the Greek word used to designate the newness of the new cosmos is not neos but kainos. The word neos means new in time or origin, whereas the word kainos means new in nature or in quality.” 21 God is not talking about making something brand new but renewing something that is old. Incidentally, the same word kainos is used when the Bible talks about our becoming new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15). We are not destroyed but renewed. Regarding this problem, the Bible does say that everything God does will last forever (Eccl. 3:14).
When we carefully read the Bible, we will see that the heavens and Earth are eternal and will never be destroyed. Psalm 148:3-6 reads: “Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for at his command they were created, and he established them for ever and ever – he issued a decree that will never pass away” (NIV). We read about the eternality of Earth and heavens in many passages (Gen. 13:14-15; 17:8; Exo. 32:13; Psa. 37:18, 29; 68:16; 72:5-6, 17; 78:69; 93:1; 96:10; 104:5; 119:90; Eccl. 1:4).
The Earth will finally become the dwelling place of God
We have mentioned this shocking information previously, but we do need to expound upon it a little more. Over the centuries God made a dwelling place with Israel through the Tabernacle and later through the Temple. However, God plainly says on several occasions that he will come and dwell forever with his redeemed humanity on the Earth. We have already mentioned Ezekiel 43:7 where God vows to come and live with the Israelis forever. Revelation 21:3 proclaims: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: ‘Look! The residence of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them’” (NET). Jeremiah 3:17 tells us that the throne of God will be placed in Jerusalem. Psa. 68:16 assures us that God will dwell forever in Jerusalem. Other passages of importance are Leviticus 26:11-12; Ezekiel 37:27 and 2 Corinthians 6:16.
One of the most beautiful passages declaring God’s wishes and plans for the Earth is found in Psalm 132:13-14: “Certainly the LORD has chosen Zion; he decided to make it his home. He said, ‘This will be my resting place forever; I will live here, for I have chosen it’” (NET).
Heaven and Earth will, at last, be united
We used to sing an old hymn titled This is My Father’s World. That hymn ended with the following lines:
This is my Father’s world: The battle is not done;
Jesus who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and heav’n be one.22
We sang about it, but we really didn’t understand it. At the end of days, Heaven and Earth will be united. Alcorn writes: “We won’t go to Heaven and leave Earth behind. Rather, God will bring Heaven and Earth together into the same dimension with no wall of separation, no armed angels to guard Heaven’s perfection from sinful mankind (Genesis 3:24). God’s plan again is ‘to bring all things in Heaven and on Earth together under one head, even Christ (Eph. 1:10).’” 23
Professor and theologian Wayne Grudem says that the biblical teaching “…tells us that there will be new heavens and a new earth – an entirely renewed creation – and we will live with God there…There will also be a new kind of unification of heaven and earth…There will be a joining of heaven and earth in this new creation.” 24
Acts 3:21 states of Jesus: “Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets” (NIV).
The ancient curse on the Earth will be removed
“No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him” (Rev. 22:3 NIV). We can read about this curse in Genesis 3:14-20. Because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, God placed a curse upon the ground. In the future, mankind would eat of its fruit with the sweat of the brow and with much toil. They would also have to contend with thorns and thistles that would hinder their harvest. Because the woman first listened to the devil, she would henceforth bring forth her children in great painful labor. In the end, both man and woman would eventually die and be turned into the dust from whence they came.
In this same Genesis passage, we have what has been called the protoevangelium. In verse 15 we read about the serpent, or form of the devil, who was also cursed: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (NIV). This is the very first gospel of how Jesus, the seed of the woman, or the Redeemer, would eventually crush the head of Satan.25
Alcorn writes: “The gospel is far greater than most of us imagine. It isn’t just good news for us – it’s good news for animals, plants, stars, and planets. It’s good news for the sky above and the earth below.” 26
At this point in the New Heaven and New Earth, the curse is fully lifted. We can imagine that the world will do without many evil things like famines, earthquakes, tornados, droughts, and the like. The world can be completely enjoyed without the thought of difficulty or tragedy.
Can we imagine gardening or farming without thorns, thistles, bugs, worms and all the other critters. Amos says regarding the fruitfulness: “‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills,’” (Amos 9:13 NIV).
The New Jerusalem
When we look at the New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation, we will be astounded at its size and beauty. We can read all about this in Revelation chapter 21. Alcorn says, “A metropolis of this size in the middle of the United States would stretch from Canada to Mexico and from the Appalachian Mountains to the California border… The ground level of the city will be nearly two million square miles. This is forty times bigger than England and fifteen thousand times bigger than London…” 27 The city will be as high as it is wide. It will be the largest city that has ever existed. We need to remember that Jerusalem is no longer just the capital of Israel. It has now become the capital city of the world and even of the universe. It appears that God and all his heavenly hosts will be living there.
We do not know how Heaven and Earth will be joined together but they will be. This seems to be indicated by the incredible size of the new city. Revelation tells us that there will be no more sea (21:1). Likely, with the vast size of Jerusalem there will be no room for Middle Eastern seas, especially the Mediterranean. Perhaps Jerusalem is like one end of an umbilical cord that will be connected directly to Heaven. Someday we will see and understand this mystery.
The new city of Jerusalem is not only amazingly large, but it now has an eye-popping beauty and elegance. It is made with gold as pure as transparent glass. It has a high wall with foundations of jasper and decorated with all kinds of precious stones. The gates are made of very large pearls. The gates have the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written upon them. The pearls also speak of Jesus, who is called “the door” (Jn. 10:1 & 7), and who is alluded to as the Pearl of Great Price (Matt. 13:46). John says: “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of Life” (Rev. 21:24-27 NIV).
In this New Jerusalem, there is no longer a temple. There is no need for virtual reality when reality has now arrived. The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple (Rev. 21:22). The Lamb is not only the temple, but he is the light of the city (21:23). Isaiah had prophesied this long before, saying: “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory” (Isa. 60:19 NRS).
John in Revelation continues in his attempt to describe the indescribable. He is shown a river of the water of life proceeding from the throne (Rev. 22:1). The scripture speaks a great deal about this future stream. In Psalm 46:4 it is said: “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High” (NRS). The Prophet Zechariah adds: “Moreover, on that day living waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea; it will happen both in summer and in winter” (Zech. 14:8 NET).
On each side of this river, John sees the tree of life with its fruits. All human history has indeed made a great circle. Paradise is now regained. Renewed and obedient humanity is once again in the renewed garden of God. We see that the tree of life in this new garden yields fruit continually, and the fruit is for the healing or health of the nations (Rev. 22:2). We are then told that the curse which has long troubled the Earth is finished (22:3).
The servants will now serve God forever, and his holy name will be on their foreheads. They will at last see his face (Rev. 22:4). What a blessed promise! (cf. Matt. 5:8; 1 Jo. 3:2). It is said that “they,” being the servants, will reign forever and ever (22:5). Indeed, what God began in Genesis he is now finishing in Revelation.
As we see, the Book of Revelation is a very Jewish book. The further we go into it, the more Jewish it becomes. The tribes of Israel that are written on the gates of the heavenly city will surely be an embarrassment to Christian anti-Semites. Here we see that the way into the city must still be through Israel and her Messiah. The city wall has twelve foundations and on these are written the twelve Jewish Apostles of the Lamb (Rev. 21:14).
Imagine finding Hebrew names like Shi-mon Ke-fa (Simon Peter), Ya-a-kov ben Zav-da-i (James, son of Zebedee), and Ya-a-kov ben Hal-fi-e (James son of Alphaeus) written on New Jerusalem’s very foundations! Again, we see the close connection with the heavenly Jerusalem and with people. The New Jerusalem is a city – a bride – victorious saints – apostles. She is all of these.
Hoekema emphasizes as we have said before, “There will be no temple in the city (v. 22), since the inhabitants of the new earth will have direct and continual fellowship with God.” 28 “Throughout eternity, we will never be separated from unhindered fellowship with God.” 29 Certainly, as the Bride of Christ, the redeemed will have a very close connection with Jesus, the Bridegroom.
A look at mankind’s new position
Daniel says about the Lord’s people: “Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him” (Dan. 7:27 NIV).
God’s overcomers will now inherit with Jesus and will rule with him forever over the Earth. Their rule began in the Millennium and as resurrected believers they ruled with rods of iron over the Earth. Now the rule is complete and unhindered.
Middleton comments: “In line with Hebrews 2, Paul affirms that Abraham’s descendants were indeed given the promise that they would ‘inherit the world’ (Rom. 4:13)…New life in Christ is clearly associated with eschatological rule.” 30 He says further, “In the book of Revelation we find clear confirmation of the picture of earthly rule we have been discerning from both Old and New Testaments.” 31
The crowns that the Bible talks about believers receiving in 2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12; and 1 Peter 5:4, are not pretend crowns of some sort. They will be crowns of great authority allowing the saints of God to rule forever over various portions and kingdoms of the world.
It is written that we will receive a great inheritance (Dan. 12:13; Col. 3:24). It is enough to know that we will inherit Christ. What else could we want?
A most exciting truth is that we will be made like Jesus as Philippians 3:21 states: “who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Phil. 3:21 ESV).
A word about the nations
We are reminded that as kings and priests before God, we will have authority over the nations. Revelation 2:26 says, “To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end, I will give authority over the nations;” (Rev. 2:26 NRS).
In Revelation 21:24 it is written: “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it” (NIV). Hoekema comments: “Is it too much to say that, according to these verses [24 & 26] the unique contributions of each nation to the life of the present earth will enrich the life of the new earth? Shall we then perhaps inherit the best products of culture and art which this earth has produced? Hendrikus Berkhof suggests ‘that whatever has been of value in this present life, whatever has contributed to “the liberation of human existence,” will be retained and added to on the new earth.’” 32
Revelation 15:4 says: “Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed” (NIV). What a remarkable change in the nations of the earth who have hated and persecuted Israel for thousands of years!
What we might be doing on the New Earth
There is no chance that we will be bored there. In addition to praising God and having time with Jesus, we will be very busy ruling the Earth for him and serving him in many other ways. In the New Heaven, we will know as we are known (1 Cor. 13:12). We will surely be amazed by the vast knowledge we will have of Jesus, biblical history, the Earth and the universe. There will be millions of other things that we can discover and understand.
We can think God’s thoughts and do God’s perfect will without being hindered by flesh or sin. Just one example of thinking God’s thoughts: A grain of sand is a very common and disinteresting thing, but someone meditated on that grain of sand and discovered silicon. With that discovery, the Cyber Age was born. Just think of what all remains for our discovery and understanding!
We will be eating and drinking with the Lord and each other (Lk. 22:29-30; Jn. 21:4-14; Matt. 8:11). We will probably have wonderful times with the resurrected redeemed that we have known on Earth. These will include our close family and friends who are among those chosen.
In this New Earth we will be laboring (Rev. 22:3). It seems that mankind cannot be truly happy without work to do. When we look back at Eden, we realize that there was work to do there even before the Fall of humanity (Gen. 2:15). Our work on the New Earth will be without sweat and without drudgery or curse.
We can assume that our new spiritual/physical bodies will no longer be restricted by time or space. We will be made like Jesus (1 Jn. 3:2). He was able to appear, disappear, and even walk right through closed doors (Jn. 20:19; Lk. 24:36ff.).
THE STORY THAT WILL NEVER END
The New Heaven and New Earth will continue forever and ever. The Lord says: “For look, I am ready to create new heavens and a new earth! The former ones will not be remembered; no one will think about them anymore” (Isa. 65:17 NET). Theologian A. A. Hodge says: “Heaven will prove the consummate flower and fruit of the whole creation and of all the history of the universe.” 33 The whole Earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord (Psa. 72:19; Hab. 2:14). The whole Earth will also be filled with righteousness (2 Pet. 3:13). We can say with all assurance that civilization now will have hardly begun. It will go on for millions of years and forever.
A CHALLENGE FOR US
The words of the Book of Revelation are trustworthy and true (Rev. 22:6), but only those who love the truth (2 Thess. 2:10) and those who buy it, refusing to sell it (Prov. 23:23), will ever get ahold of these things. Jerusalem will now be called the city of truth (Zech. 8:3). Only those who love the truth will enter the city or its lovely garden. Those who failed to love the truth have already received a powerful delusion and have believed a lie, resulting in their eternal damnation (2 Thess. 2:10-12).
We are told that these things must soon take place. The Master then adds: “Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book” (Rev. 22:7 NIV). We realize that the end-time is about overcoming; it is about obedience. What a challenge for present-day lethargic, disobedient Christianity! True religion is about obedience and overcoming to the very end, even if it means martyrdom. Great and unspeakable blessings of God are in store for the obedient!
The angel addressing John in Revelation says, “I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book” (22:9 NIV). We are reminded by this that even heavenly beings have the constant responsibility of obedience, just as we do.
Again, Jesus warns us today of his speedy coming (Rev. 22:20). John ends his important book by returning the church’s invitation to the Lord. What is here uttered was the prevalent attitude of the earliest Christians, and it is expressed everywhere in the New Testament. In spite of all the great judgments and disasters associated with the Lord’s coming, they eagerly and joyfully awaited it. They cry out, “Even so, come Lord Jesus!” (22:20 NKJV). May we join with them in hastening his coming.
ENDNOTES
1 Quoted in Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004), p. 6.
2 George Barna & David Kinnaman, eds., Churchless (Carol Stream: Tyndale, 2014), p. 110.
3 Alcorn, Heaven, p. 5.
4 N. T. Wright, Surprised By Hope; Rethinking Heaven, The Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (HarperCollins Books, 2008), p. 80.
5 Christian Overman, Assumptions That Affect Our Lives (Simi Valley, CA: Micah 6:8, 1998), p. 153.
6 Ibid., p. 154.
7 Ibid., p. 161.
8 Wright, Surprised by Hope, p. 150.
9 Jacob W. Elias, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Believers Church Bible Commentary (Scottsdale, PA & Waterloo, ONT: The Herald Press, 1995), p. 179.
10 J. Richard Middleton, A New Heaven and a New Earth, Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014), p. 223.
11 Anthony A. Hoekema, The Bible and the Future (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979), p. 285.
12 Alcorn, Heaven, p. 143.
13 Biblical Christianity. https://biblical-christianity.com/tag/are-there-3-levels-of-heaven
14 Alcorn, Heaven, p. 16.
15 Ibid. p. 17.
16 Middleton, A New Heaven and a New Earth, p. 42.
17 Ian K. Smith, Not Home Yet, How the Renewal of the Earth Fits Into God’s Plan For The World (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019), p. 14.
18 Middleton, A New Heaven and a New Earth, pp. 37-38.
19 Ibid., p. 162.
20 Lee W. Brainard, The New Heavens And Earth, Recreation Or Renovation? (Soothkeep Press, 2019), p. 54.
21 Hoekema, The Bible and the Future, p. 280.
22 https://gccsatx.com/hymns/this-is-my-fathers-world/.
23 Alcorn, Heaven, p. 88.
24 Quoted in Alcorn, Heaven, p. 42.
25 Warren W. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2007), p. 29.
26 Alcorn, Heaven, p. 125.
27 Ibid., p. 250.
28 Hoekema, The Bible and the Future, p. 285.
29 Alcorn, Heaven, p. 185.
30 Middleton, A New Heaven and a New Earth, p. 150.
31 Ibid., p. 152.
32 Quoted in Hoekema, The Bible and the Future, p. 286.
33 Quoted in Alcorn, Heaven, p. 99.