Ernie Carrasco
[Originally published as A New Creation]
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. (Revelation 21:1)
At this point, with the Great White Throne Judgment out of the way (Rev. 20:11–15), sin has been purged from the earth. However, the creation was cursed with Adam’s sin, and even with the near Edenic conditions of the Millennial reign of Christ, the planet retains remnants of the curse.
God told Adam, “… cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field” (Gen. 3:17–18). The purging of the curse will come by fire. The Apostle Peter writes, “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” (2 Pet. 3:10). Earth, the planet, will not cease to exist, for God promised that it would exist forever. The psalmist states, “[God] Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever” (Ps. 104:5).
God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, says,
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” (Is. 65:17).
The Hebrew word translated as “create” is bârâ’, and it is only used when referring to God’s creative power. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1) ex nihilo, out of nothing, with only His spoken word.
John witnesses fulfilled prophecy when he reports, “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” (Rev. 21:1).
However, this time God does not need to create out of nothing. All the raw materials already exist, they only need to be purified by fire and reconstituted. Indeed, John does not see the creation of a new heaven and new earth, but rather a heaven and earth that have been made new, i.e., renovated.
What is conspicuous in this New Heaven and New Earth is the absence of a sea. Often in Revelation, the “sea” is used in reference to the masses of people (c.f. Rev. 4:6; 13:1; 15:2), and sometimes they represent those that are “the lost.” Since the lost were sentenced to an eternity in the “lake of fire,” it is possible that “no more sea” refers to these. We see this reaffirmed a few verses down. “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8).
However, “the sea” more often refers literally to earth’s large bodies of water (Rev. 5:13; 7:1–3; 8:8–9; 10:2, 5, 6, 8; 14:7; 16:3; 18:17, 19, 21). Here too, the word can be taken literally. This raises the question, how can the earth function without such massive bodies of water? I believe Dr. Henry M. Morris, Jr. provided the best explanation:
There will, in fact, be no need for a sea on the new earth. The present sea is needed, as was the original antediluvian sea, as a basic reservoir for the maintenance of the hydrologic cycle and the water-based ecology and physiology of animal and human inhabitants of the earth. In the new earth, however, there will be no animals at all, and presumably all the men and women who live there will have glorified bodies with no more need of water. Their resurrected bodies will be composed, like that of the Lord Jesus, of flesh and bone (Luke 24.39; Phil. 3:21) but apparently with no need of blood (1 Cor. 15:50) to serve as a cleanser and restorer of the body’s flesh as at present. This, in turn, eliminates the major need for water on the earth (blood is about 90 percent water, and present-day human flesh is about 65 percent water).1
For those who might lament the absence of oceans and all the aquatic activities that go along with them, the New Heaven and New Earth will more than make up for the lack of seas. As we consider the features of the New Heaven and New Earth, we need to keep in mind that John was literally at a loss for words to describe what he witnessed. The place is too wonderful to be expressed in human language, so John could only use the words available to him in his time.
“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2). Before going to the cross, Jesus promised, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2–3). This is the place of which Jesus spoke. It comes down from heaven to the newly re-created earth, and it is unimaginably beautiful like “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 21:3)
A “tabernacle” is a tent designed for portability. However, the deeper meaning is that of a “habitation” or a “dwelling place.” I have always maintained that “Zion” is a name referring to the dwelling place of God. In the Old Testament (OT), Jerusalem is often referred to as Zion, as is the mountain upon which the Temple stood. Hence, when people speak of Zion, they are thinking of either Jerusalem or the Temple. However, the name comes from the fact that God chose that place as His earthly dwelling. “So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more” (Joel 3:17, emphasis mine). Now, “the New Jerusalem,” the new Zion, descends from heaven where God will dwell among His children.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:4)
All the things that cause pain, sorrow, and tears no longer exist. How many of us can recall even one day without experiencing any of these things? I dare say that even if such days come on occasion, they are rare indeed. In the New Jerusalem, such days will be the norm, and all things that cause tears, sorrow, and pain will not even come to mind.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:5–8)
Revelation 21:9–21 describes the appearance of the New Jerusalem. Its beauty is obviously beyond words. It is not some ethereal, misty, dreamlike apparition. It is a real, physical, three-dimensional place, exceeding the most beautiful city on earth built by man. The dimensions are given as 12,000 furlongs square or 1500 miles per side (21:16).
Because the width, length, and height are all equal, some have suggested that it is a cube. However, others have suggested a four-sided pyramid with the throne of God, from which the river of living water flows, at the apex (22:1).
Whatever its shape, its height extends far into what we now recognize as outer space. If superimposed on the United States, its footprint (2.25 million square miles) would extend from Maine to Florida, and from the Atlantic coast to 600 miles west of the Mississippi River. Clearly, there is sufficient space for every believer that has ever lived, even if those numbers reach into the billions.
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. (Revelation 21:22–23)
Earlier in the Book of Revelation, “heaven” was arranged in a manner for which the earthly Temple was patterned. In the New Jerusalem, the Temple is no longer needed. The earthly Temple had the Holy of Holies where the presence of God dwelt, and no man could enter there except for the high priest once a year on the Day of Atonement. In the New Jerusalem, God dwells with and among His people without restrictions.
The sun and moon are not seen in the New Jerusalem, because the glory of God and the Lamb overwhelm the light they produce. That does not mean the sun and moon cease to exist. Remember that the New Jerusalem comes out of heaven down to earth. It does not occupy the entire surface of the earth (which has no sea), so outside its gates, there will still be a need for the sun and moon.
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. (Revelation 21:24–26)
The word “nations” here is the Greek word ethnos from which we get our English word “ethnic” referring to “people groups.” The New Earth and New Jerusalem will be populated by people from every ethnic group on this present earth. The children’s chorus “Jesus Loves the Little Children” that says “Red and yellow, black and white, They are precious in His sight” will be perfectly demonstrated in the New Earth and New Jerusalem.
There will be “kings” over the various groups and they will “bring their glory and honor into it.” I do not believe this is a tribute or sacrifice of any sort, but just their presence as the representatives of “the redeemed” will give glory and honor to the Lord and to the city. Mankind contributes nothing toward his salvation (Eph. 2:8–10). It is all by the grace of God, and all the glory goes to Him. The inhabitants of the New Earth have constant access, in and out, to the New Jerusalem. The gates of pearl are never shut (21:21).
And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:27)
Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, those to have their glorified bodies, bodies free from sin, sickness, and death, bodies that are ageless, will reside in the New Earth and New Jerusalem.
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1–2)
Since there is no sickness or death in the New Earth and New Jerusalem, the need for the “water of life” and a “tree of life” is perplexing. Dr. Morris gave a good explanation for not requiring a “sea,” so, why the need for water at all? Dr. Morris suggests:
Although the text does not say so, we are probably justified in inferring that this river (like the river in Eden which was its typological forerunner) parts “into four heads” (Genesis 2:10), which in turn descends from level to level, providing abundant water for every need (aesthetic as well as physiological) of the residents of the city.
Eventually, its four distributaries will, presumably, reach ground level and then flow out through the four walls of the city, north, south, east, and west whence it, like the eyes of the Lord, will “run to and fro throughout the whole earth” (2 Chron. 16:9). Since there is “no more sea” (Rev. 21:1), the inexhaustible waters of this mighty river will supply whatever hydrologic needs the New Earth may have. There surely will be an abundance of luxurious grasses and herbs and trees everywhere, as in the original “very good” created world (Gen. 1:11, 31), and the whole earth will be a well-watered paradise of abundant resources and fulfilling ministries for the servants of God.
The text says that the leaves of the Tree of Life are for “the healing of the nations.” The Greek word translated as “healing” is therapeia and its meanings include “service rendered by one to another” and “household service.” There is no sickness in the New Earth and New Jerusalem from which to be healed; therefore, a better understanding is that “the leaves of the tree were for the service of the nations.”
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (Rev. 22:3–5)
The curse has been purged by fire (Gen. 3:17–18; 2 Pet. 3:10). In our natural, physical state, we cannot see God and live (Ex. 33:20). However, that is not so with our glorified bodies; we “shall see His face” in all of His resplendent glory. “There shall be no night there” in the New Jerusalem because the glory of the Father and the Son will illuminate the entire place. The earth will still continue its annual orbit around the sun, and its rotation will continue to give day and night to the remade planet. However, within the New Jerusalem, the light of God and the Lamb will outshine the sun. And we “shall reign forever and ever” with Him.
Please, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Footnotes
- Henry M. Morris, Ph.D., The Revelation Record, (Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Ill, 1982), p. 437.
