“A New Heaven And New Earth”

Tuesday, July 05, 2016

In Revelation 21:1, the narrator said, "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."

Now, my question is: is this to be taken literally?  Or is it just a symbolic description?  Also, in Isaiah 65:17, it says, "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind."  Is this a prophetic verse for our time?  Or was it a metaphor for that civilization?  In 2 Peter 3:13, it says, "Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness."  So, indeed, we expect the new heaven and new earth?  Is this the new Paradise?

Sincerely,
Looking Ahead

Dear Looking Ahead,

Any time we see terminology like “new heavens and new earth”, we need to make sure that we are keeping it in its context.  Depending upon the circumstance and the situation, the phrase may mean different things.  A new heaven and earth stands for a change in world-order… the new world can only be understood by looking at the context and seeing what the old world was.  In Isaiah chapter 65, the prophet is discussing the new covenant that would be set up by Christ.  The old covenant Jews are being compared to the new covenant christians.  The Jews rejected God (Isa 65:12), and the christians would be a new Jerusalem that would faithfully serve God (Isa 65:18, Heb 12:22-24).  The new heaven and new earth of Isa 65:17 is the church and the New Covenant in Christ.

However, Rev 21:1 and 2 Pet 3:13 are talking about an entirely different situation.  Once again, context is the key to understanding these verses.  In both Revelation and Second Peter, the context is dealing with the end of this physical world and the beginning of eternity in a spiritual realm (Rev 21:4, 2 Pet 3:7-10).  In those verses, the new heavens and earth represent the change from a physical world to a spiritual world.

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