Prophecy
17 - The New Heaven and New Earth
Revelation
21:2-21:8
Beginning
Point in Time: At
the End of the 1,000 Years
Ending Point in Time: When
the Old Order Has Passed Away
Summary:
This
short prophecy introduces three
interesting topics. First,
a loud voice announces that
God’s throne will be
relocated to this planet.
The eternal and universal
ramifications of this move are
very interesting. Second,
this prophecy indicates the
saints will weep when they see
their friends and loved ones
destroyed in the fire. (I
am sure the Godhead will weep as
well.) However, Jesus will
wipe away the tears of the
saints. As strange as it
may seem, the records of the
wicked will remain forever in
Heaven’s library. They
will be preserved as “case
studies” of rebellion for
new beings to examine and
study. The memory of the
wicked will not pass away, but
the emotions and attachments (the
source of the tears) will be
eliminated. Finally, this
prophecy indicates that
overcoming our natural rebellion
against God’s authority and
will is a prerequisite for
eternal life.
The Sequence
Revelation
21:2-4
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. 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.{2}
I saw the Holy City, the new
Jerusalem, coming down from God
in Heaven, prepared as a bride
beautifully dressed for her
husband.
{3} And
I heard a loud voice from the
throne saying, “Now the
dwelling of God is with men, and
he will live with them. They will
be his people, and God himself
will be with them and be their
God.
{4} He
will wipe every tear from their
eyes. There will be no more
death, mourning, crying, or pain,
for the old order of things has
passed away.”
Revelation
21:5-8
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.{5} I
saw Jesus seated on a great white
throne. He said, “I am
making everything new!” Then
He said to me, “Write down
my words, for they are
trustworthy and true.”
{6} Again
He spoke to me: “The plan of
redemption is finished. I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the
Beginning and the End. To
him who is thirsty (for
righteousness and joy) I will
give to drink without cost from
the spring of the water of life.
{7} He
who overcomes (the cravings of
the carnal mind, the lust of the
eyes and the boasting of what he
has and does[1]) will
inherit all this, and I will be
his God and he will be my son.
{8}
But the cowardly (those who are
unwilling to do what is right),
the unbelievers (those who defy
the Word of God and blaspheme the
Holy Spirit), the vile (those who
glorify degenerate behavior), the
murderers (those who are
predators), the sexually immoral
(those who are controlled by
sexual passions), the sorcerers
(those who practice magic arts,
including divination and the
paranormal), the idolaters (those
who are greedy; loving and
indulging self) and all liars
(those who bear false witness);
their place will be in the fiery
lake of burning sulfur.
This is the second death.
Rules
of Interpretation
Consider
how the Rules of Interpretation
(discussed in the Introduction of
this book) are observed in this
prophecy:
Rule
One says an
apocalyptic prophecy has a
beginning point and ending point
in time and the events within the
prophecy occur in the order
given. Chronological order
is easy to see in this short
prophecy:
- Holy City
descends
- A loud
voice declares God’s
throne is on Earth
- (Implied)
The world is destroyed by
fire (this is the second
death for the wicked)
- God wipes
away the tears
- Jesus
creates a new Heaven and
Earth
- The wicked
have no part in the Earth
made new
Rule
Two says a
fulfillment only occurs when all
of the specifications are met,
and this includes the order
stated in the prophecy.
Obviously, this prophecy awaits
fulfillment.
Rule
Three says that
apocalyptic language can be
literal, analogous, or
symbolic. To reach the
intended meaning of a prophecy,
you must consider (a) the
context, (b) the use of parallel
language in the Bible, and (c) if
an element is thought to be
symbolic, the Bible must
interpret the symbol with a relevant text.
The language used in this
prophecy is not symbolic.
The phrase, “To him who is
thirsty I will give to drink
without cost from the spring of
the water of life” is
considered parallel
language. Consider these
two passages:
“Come,
all you who are thirsty, come to
the waters; and you who have no
money, come, buy, and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without
money and without cost. Why spend
money on what is not bread, and
your labor on what does not
satisfy? Listen, listen to me,
and eat what is good, and your
soul will delight in the richest
of fare.”[2]
“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.”[3]
Rule
Four is not used in
this prophecy.
References
- 1 John
2:16 Return
- Isaiah
55:1,2 Return
- Revelation
22:1,2 Return
