A New Heaven and New Earth

The Christian Mark of the Beast Survival Manual Copyright © 2014 by Erik K. Olinger All rights reserved.

READERS: This is a rough-draft of the manuscript.  It is unedited and contains errors that will be corrected at the final release.

A New Heaven and New Earth

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” (NIV Rev. 21:5).

The assault reigned on earth via the hands of the devil who caused the corruption of creation, has contaminated the earth. It will need to be mended and rebuilt before there can be eternal paradise on earth, and the old contaminated creation will come to an end in destruction and cleansing. This is the complete and final consummation of sin and evil, and every tear will be wiped away (Rev. 21:4). God intends that His relationship with man be fully restored. Unlike the separation we seem to have from His direct presence (but not His Spirit) today, God is going to close the gap and be near to the people. In Eden and in the Exodus, God was personally in communication with man (Ge. 2:16-17, 3:8-9, 11, 13, 16-19; etc.) and present in a sometimes visible personal way that has dwindled since the Exodus. This communion with the presence of God will be reestablished. Earth is going to become paradise, and God will be near and even closer than in any point in mankind’s history.

Chronology

It is not entirely certain when in the future God will provide a new heaven and new earth as he promised, but the chronology of Revelation and the incorporation of O.T. Scripture indicates that everything is made new after the devil is thrown into the lake of burning sulfur after the close of the thousand years (please see Satan’s Final Battle and the Great White Throne Judgment). Some pre-millennialist scholars believe the new heaven and new earth will be created at the start of the Millennium, however after the thousand year reign has a well-grounded basis because in the new earth “there was no longer any sea” (Rev. 21:1), and water was prophesied to be in the Millennium (Ps. 72:8; Isa. 11:9, 11; Eze. 47:10, 15, 17-18, 20, 48:28; Zec. 9:10, 14:8). The book of Isaiah has one of the most prominent O.T. passages concerning the new heaven and new earth,

“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord (NIV Isa. 65:17-25).

The Three Heavens

For creation to be repossessed, the former must pass away (Mt. 24:35; Mk. 13:31; Lk. 21:33; 1Jn. 2:17; Rev. 21:1, 4). God must decisively destroy the corrupt heavens and earth so that all will become holy. The new heaven that comes about should not be confused with the third heaven throne of God. There are three heavens that the Bible intimates are in existence. The third heaven (2Co. 12:2) is the realm of God and the angels. The heaven which passes away may only be the second heaven where Satan may freely roam. The second heaven is the realm of the atmosphere, the stars and sky. Evil has means to enter the second heaven and first heaven, the latter being earth. It is disputable if evil can really enter the third heaven throne of God in a position of accusation before the throne. When the heavens and earth are cleansed, fire will purify the heavens and earth, and suddenly the curse of sin will no more (Rev. 22:3),

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. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells (NIV 2Pe. 3:10-13).

Coming down out of Heaven!

When the first heaven and first earth pass away, the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, will become home to the people of earth. This city is prepared by God (Rev. 21:2) and is God’s dwelling (Rev. 21:3)! God is going to do the unthinkable for mankind! The New Jerusalem and God are going to come down out of heaven and descend to earth in splendor (Rev. 21:2), and the saints will truly be with their creator forever,

The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name (NIV Rev. 3:12).

What Descends?

It is plausible that the complete third heaven does not fully come down to earth. The New Jerusalem Holy City will descend, albeit God will dwell there and His throne will be in the city (Rev. 22:3). But is the New Jerusalem the entire third heaven? In the book of Revelation, there is a temple in heaven referred to ten times (Rev. 3:12, 7:15, 11:19, 14:15, 17, 15:5-6, 8, 16:1, 17), however a temple was not seen in the New Jerusalem by John in vision, because God and the Lamb are its temple (Rev. 21:22). All ten references to a temple in heaven seem to be chronologically pre-creation of a new heaven and new earth, however the third heaven throne of God is not corrupt like the second and first heaven, and does not seem as if it is in need of recreation. If the Holy City is not the entire third heaven, it is a sure bet that it will yet not disappoint the saints. This city will be an unimaginable pleasure ground that will welcome and unite mankind in sonship with God and fellowship with the angels. God will wipe away “every tear” and there “will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” God is making everything new!

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. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true” (NIV Rev. 21:1-5).

Appearance of the Holy City

This city will be as sensational as one would presume it to be. After all, it is the wife of the Lamb (Rev. 21:2. 9). This city shines like a clear crystal and is made of pure gold. The city walls are decorated with precious stones, and the twelve gates of the city are made of one solid pearl each (Rev. 21:19-21). The length, height, and width of the Holy City is nearly double the length of California State from its northern Oregon border to its southern border of Mexico, double about 800 miles (Rev. 21:16). The sun and the moon will not be the city’s light source, but rather the glory of God and Lamb together light the city (Rev. 21:23-24). This breathtaking city was described in detail to the prophet John,

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 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 (NIV Rev. 21:9-27).

Eden Restored

The restoration of creation reaches a climactic completion when God returns access to humans the Tree of Life that they have been banished from since Eden (Ge. 3:24). The tree provides the eater of its fruit with immortality (Ge. 3:22), and its leaves provide healing for the nations (Rev. 22:2). The curse of sin will cease and never be again (Rev. 22:3). God will write His name on His servants’ foreheads (Rev. 22:4), and they will reign for ever and ever (Rev. 22:5). God will have finalized the redemption of mankind,

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 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. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever (NIV Rev. 22:1-5).

Final Remarks

The Holy City descending and Eden’s restoration is the beautiful ending of the events of the prophecy of Revelation. God truly has an awe-inspiring plan, and He loves His children enough to provide them with a heavenly dwelling and to grace them with His presence. The Lord is faithful and all of this is true! One should be converted, and the Lord will heal, and then one can too, participate in the new heaven and new earth.

Chapter Summary

1. God intends to fully restore His relationship with mankind by bringing sin and evil to an end.

2. The view that the new heaven and new earth chronologically takes place after the Millennium was discussed.

3. The old earth and heavens must be destroyed for creation to be repossessed.

4. There Bible identifies three heavens (though only one is God’s throne):

   a. The third heaven throne of God.

   b. The second heaven, the atmosphere and sky.

   c. The first heaven, earth.

5. The third heaven throne of God may not be destroyed in the creation of a new heaven and new earth, as it is not corrupt.

6. Fire will purify the heavens and earth.

7. A Holy City is prepared by God and is God’s dwelling, and will descend to earth to the saints in the age to come.

8. The complete third heaven throne of God may not fully descend to earth because Scripture enlightens that it has a temple in it, whereas no temple will be in the Holy City (God and the Lamb are its temple).

9. The Holy City, the wife of the Lamb, has the following attributes:

   a. It shines like a precious jewel, clear as crystal.

   b. It has a high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates.

   c. Is laid out like a square, 1,400 miles in length, width, and height.

   d. Its wall is 200 feet thick.

   e. The wall is made of jasper.

   f. The city is made of pure gold.

   g. The foundations of the city walls are decorated with every kind of precious stone.

   h. The twelve gates are each one solid pearl.

   i. The street of the city is made of pure gold.

   j. It does not have a temple, because God and the Lamb are its temple.

   k. It does not need the sun or the moon, because the glory of God gives the city light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

   l. It has no night, nor does it have its gates ever shut.

10. God will restore the Tree of Life that was in Eden and the curse of sin will be no more.