A New Heaven and a New Earth

[Yesua888]

In today's Time, what does this mean to us?

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There is a day coming where God will bring a final and complete judgment of sin ... here is a general timeline of what will happen:

• "Rapture of the church"
• Tribulation
• Second Coming of Christ
• Millennium (The thousand year reign of Christ on the earth)
• Satan’s Final Judgment
• The Great White Throne Judgment
• The New Heaven and New Earth

After the completion of the Great White Throne Judgment, which is the judgment for all who have chosen to reject Christ, John mentions he saw the New Heaven and New Earth. So it appears that we will see this once the final judgment is completed.

1. It’s a Place of Unimaginable Beauty​

2. It’s a Place Where God’s Presence Dwells Freely​

3. It Is a Place Where God Reigns and Sin Doesn’t​

What Will Happen to the Old Heaven and Earth?​

2 Peter 3:10–13
"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. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 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? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."
Berean Standard Bible
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 its works will be laid bare.

Revelation 21:1–5
"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. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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. And 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.' Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.' "

Revelation 21:18
"The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass."

Revelation 21:21
"The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass."

Revelation 27:7 reminds us that n impure will ever enter it. This means we will never again have to deal with the impact, influence, or consequences of sin because they will have been dealt with forever.
That alone is worth the price of admission. In fact,
Romans 8 reminds us that all creation is waiting for this moment to happen because creation has also paid the price for the impact of sin.

Isaiah 65:17–19
"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying."

Psalm 72:11
"Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him."

Isaiah 9:7
"Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."

Isaiah 60:21
"Also your people shall all be righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified."

Zechariah 9:10
"I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; the battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be 'from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.' "

Luke 1:32–33
"He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

Psalm 72:7
"In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more."

Isaiah 11:6–9
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."

Isaiah 66:22
" 'For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,' says the Lord, 'So shall your descendants and your name remain.' "

What Does This Mean for Us?​

It would be good to hear your thoughts on how we cope with this knowledge today, and how we deal with it right now?​

 

[David]

God will make a new heaven and new earth. This should comfort us rather than cause us to live in fear. We can rest knowing no matter how evil this world may become God will see his word carried out.

How do we live knowing this? 2 Peter 3: 11 states "What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness."

We need to continue walking in holiness. Staying faithful to Christ and not letting our love for this world overtake us.

 

[bobinfaith]

In today's Time, what does this mean to us? What Does This Mean for Us? It would be good to hear your thoughts on how we cope with this knowledge today, and how we deal with it right now?

Good morning, Linda;

What does this mean to us? It means it's "not my work," but the mighty work of God. Yet doubters read this and shudder, what am I going to do, what am I going to do!! instead of understanding what this actually means for us.

It is the ultimate hope in all Christ is going to do. This is a wonderful thing! It also means for us to "strive" to grow in our daily relationship with Him. Remain in prayer, love and serve others, Continue to dig into the Bible, persevering through suffering, all this keeping in mind that God is leading us.

This is not wishful thinking but His Word rooted in His promises. God tells us so.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 16 Rejoice always! 17 Pray constantly. 18 Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. - HCSB

Galatians 5:13, 13 For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. - HCSB

Romans 5:3-4, 3 And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. - HCSB

God bless everyone.

Bob

 

[Composer]

Some probably won't like this. However... if... we stay within the parameters of the prophecies that Peter was giving in 2 Peter 3 about the idea of world ages, the pattern of destruction for the earth was not a complete absolute destruction, but instead a cleansing of men's works off the surface of this existing earth.

Look at the flood of Noah's day as an example. God did not completely destroy the earth turning it into an asteroid belt. He simply cleansed the surface of the earth of man's works. In 2 Peter 3:10, the Greek word for "elements" (NT:4747) actually means 'something orderly in arrangement', implying a world earth age period. Like how the world was prior to the flood, and then how the world now is after the flood, preserved unto destruction by fire the next time instead of by waters of a flood again. That Greek word appears only in three other places in the New Testament; in Galatians 4:2 as "elements" in the phrase "elements of the world", and in Galatians 4:9 as "elements" in the phrase "beggarly elements" of bondage to the world. And then again in 2 Peter 3:12 as "elements" in the phrase "the elements shall melt with fervent heat."

It is assumed in 2 Peter 3 that "elements" in the Greek means the periodic table of the elements of earthly matter. That does not appear to be the type elements Peter was pointing to, but instead to the type elements Apostle Paul was pointing to, i.e., a world age of time regarding man's works.

God's Word gives us Biblical proof that this is the right interpretation of Peter's elements idea too. Per the two angels that appeared to Christ's disciples that saw Lord Jesus ascend on a cloud into Heaven, as written in Acts 1, they said Jesus shall come "in like manner" as they saw Him go into Heaven. His disciples then left the Mount of Olives where that took place. In the Zechariah 14 Scripture, we are shown Lord Jesus at His future return with His feet touching down upon the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem, so the earth is still... here, intact, when that happens on that "day of the Lord."

And God's Word will not contradict itself, as it was given via The Holy Spirit. And Peter was talking about the "day of the Lord" with that destruction upon this earth on that day per 2 Peter 3:10. There is no other later Bible Scripture pointing to that destruction on the "day of the Lord" being later when God's new heavens and a new earth time happens either. How should we understand that then?

The last nine Chapters of the Book of Ezekiel, 40 through 47, even though it mentions animal sacrifices, still contain prophecy about Christ's future Millennial sanctuary upon this earth. It mentions God's River of the Waters of Life flowing out from it to feed other waters upon this earth, along with the Tree of Life on either side of that River, with the leaves as medicine for the healing of the nations. That can be found in the Ezekiel 47 Chapter. It even gives the physical location on this earth in the middle east. And that is a parallel to the Revelation 21 and 22 Chapters about the new Jerusalem descending to earth, along with the return of God's River and the Tree of Life. I see the Revelation 22:14-15 Scripture as a hint to Christ and His faithful Church being allowed through the gates of the holy city then, while the wicked are outside those gates and not allowed in, and that is actual still "thousand years" timing, and not the new heavens and new earth timing just yet (the wicked unbelievers will not see God's new heavens and a new earth time, as they are cast into the lake of fire at the second death beforehand).

What that points to, in my opinion, is a gradual changing of this earth towards its former glory before Adam and Eve's sin. Per Genesis 2, God's Garden of Eden and His River and the Tree of Life was here, upon this earth. God removed that after Adam and Eve had sinned to the heavenly dimension where it still is today. At Christ's future return, I see a 'beginning' of its return to earth, but still not fully the new heavens and a new earth timing just yet. Not until the second death is over.

 

[Yesua888]

Some probably won't like this. However... if... we stay within the parameters of the prophecies that Peter was giving in 2 Peter 3 about the idea of world ages, the pattern of destruction for the earth was not a complete absolute destruction, but instead a cleansing of men's works off the surface of this existing earth.

Look at the flood of Noah's day as an example. God did not completely destroy the earth turning it into an asteroid belt. He simply cleansed the surface of the earth of man's works. In 2 Peter 3:10, the Greek word for "elements" (NT:4747) actually means 'something orderly in arrangement', implying a world earth age period. Like how the world was prior to the flood, and then how the world now is after the flood, preserved unto destruction by fire the next time instead of by waters of a flood again. That Greek word appears only in three other places in the New Testament; in Galatians 4:2 as "elements" in the phrase "elements of the world", and in Galatians 4:9 as "elements" in the phrase "beggarly elements" of bondage to the world. And then again in 2 Peter 3:12 as "elements" in the phrase "the elements shall melt with fervent heat."

It is assumed in 2 Peter 3 that "elements" in the Greek means the periodic table of the elements of earthly matter. That does not appear to be the type elements Peter was pointing to, but instead to the type elements Apostle Paul was pointing to, i.e., a world age of time regarding man's works.

God's Word gives us Biblical proof that this is the right interpretation of Peter's elements idea too. Per the two angels that appeared to Christ's disciples that saw Lord Jesus ascend on a cloud into Heaven, as written in Acts 1, they said Jesus shall come "in like manner" as they saw Him go into Heaven. His disciples then left the Mount of Olives where that took place. In the Zechariah 14 Scripture, we are shown Lord Jesus at His future return with His feet touching down upon the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem, so the earth is still... here, intact, when that happens on that "day of the Lord."

And God's Word will not contradict itself, as it was given via The Holy Spirit. And Peter was talking about the "day of the Lord" with that destruction upon this earth on that day per 2 Peter 3:10. There is no other later Bible Scripture pointing to that destruction on the "day of the Lord" being later when God's new heavens and a new earth time happens either. How should we understand that then?

The last nine Chapters of the Book of Ezekiel, 40 through 47, even though it mentions animal sacrifices, still contain prophecy about Christ's future Millennial sanctuary upon this earth. It mentions God's River of the Waters of Life flowing out from it to feed other waters upon this earth, along with the Tree of Life on either side of that River, with the leaves as medicine for the healing of the nations. That can be found in the Ezekiel 47 Chapter. It even gives the physical location on this earth in the middle east. And that is a parallel to the Revelation 21 and 22 Chapters about the new Jerusalem descending to earth, along with the return of God's River and the Tree of Life. I see the Revelation 22:14-15 Scripture as a hint to Christ and His faithful Church being allowed through the gates of the holy city then, while the wicked are outside those gates and not allowed in, and that is actual still "thousand years" timing, and not the new heavens and new earth timing just yet (the wicked unbelievers will not see God's new heavens and a new earth time, as they are cast into the lake of fire at the second death beforehand).

What that points to, in my opinion, is a gradual changing of this earth towards its former glory before Adam and Eve's sin. Per Genesis 2, God's Garden of Eden and His River and the Tree of Life was here, upon this earth. God removed that after Adam and Eve had sinned to the heavenly dimension where it still is today. At Christ's future return, I see a 'beginning' of its return to earth, but still not fully the new heavens and a new earth timing just yet. Not until the second death is over.

Very interesting "Composer" ... we certainly need to look deeper into this ...

 

[Composer]

Very interesting "Composer" ... we certainly need to look deeper into this ...

Yeah, I know, it can be confusing, since the Revelation 21 and 22 examples kind of run together.

Yet per Zechariah 14:8 we are shown about the "living waters" going out from Jerusalem coupled with the time of Christ's future return on the "day of the Lord". And the leftovers who came up against Jerusalem (on the last day of this world), will still exist, and the nations who refuse to come up to Jerusalem and worship The KING with no rain on their lands, still shows rebellion by some who will still reject our Lord Jesus. So that has to be still "thousand years" reign timing, and still not the new heavens and new earth timing.

Furthermore, per Revelation 21:22, in final when both The Father and The Son return to earth, there will be no more stone temple. That tells me that as long as their is a stone temple in Jerusalem it is still not new heavens and a new earth timing. And per Zechariah 6:12-13 about "The BRANCH" (Lord Jesus), it reveals that He will build the "thousand years" sanctuary when He returns, and that is what we are being shown in the Ezekiel 40 through 47 Chapters, the Millennial sanctuary Jesus (Messiah) will build when He returns.

When I studied all these Scriptures and considered them together in mind, the above conclusion is what I feel I was led to. But it still seems a little bit cloudy, like God really isn't ready to reveal this matter fully just yet.