A New Heaven and A New Earth

Revelation 21:1-7

 

INTRO:  In Revelation 21, we read about a new heaven and a new earth.  As a matter of fact, there are seven new things recorded in Revelation 21:

1.                New Heaven

2.                New Earth

3.                New peoples- no depravity, resurrection bodies,

4.                New Jerusalem

5.                New Temple

6.                New light

7.                New paradise.

As we see the first of these new things mentioned is the new heaven and the new earth.

          The last chapters of Revelation are chapters of triumph, the ultimate triumph of Christ.  The last two  chapters of this final book of the Bible form a strong contrast to the book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible.

In Genesis: “In the beginning God created the heaven & the earth.

In Revelation: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth.”

 

In Genesis: “The darkness He called night.”

In Revelation: “There shall be no night there.”

 

In Genesis: “Thou shalt surely die.”

In Revelation: “Death shall be no more.”

 

In Genesis: “I will greatly multiply your pain.”

In Revelation: “Neither shall there be anymore pain!”

 

In Genesis: “Cursed is the ground for your sake.”

In Revelation: “There shall be no more curse.”

 

In Genesis: “Driven from the tree of life.”

In Revelation: The tree of life reappears.

 

In Genesis: Satan appears.

In Revelation: Satan disappears.

          The subject of our message specifically is the new heaven and the new earth.

 

I.                   THE PURGIN OF THE OLD HEAVEN AND OLD EARTH

 

A.               At the end of the millenium and before the eternal kingdom begins, the old heaven and old earth are purged.  The old must pass away (Rev 21:ab).

B.               Because of Adam’s sin in the garden, the earth was cursed by God (Gen 3:17-18).

1.                Because of the curse, it will be necessary to remove all evidence of the curse before the eternal kingdom commences.

2.                Everything that has been defiled by sin and Satan must and will be purified by fire and made new.

C.              The method of purification is given to us in the Word of God.

1.                In II Peter 3:7, it indicates that the earth is stored with fire.

a.                 “Kept in store” is the Greek word thesaurizo (thay-sow-rid-zo), meaning: “Treasure up, keep in store, in store, lay up.”

b.                What Peter said is scientifically true.  God will destroy the earth by its own fire.

2.                As we read II Peter 3:10-13, we see the scope of this coming purging of heaven and earth.

 

II.                A NEW HEAVEN

 

A.               “Heaven” in Rev 21:1 does not mean the place of God’s immediate presence, but the aerial heavens—this is all that is between the earth and God Himself, the astronomical and the atmospheric heavens.

1.                The old heaven was where Satan operated from and was therefore not clean in the sight of our holy and righteous God.

2.                The prince and power of the air—Satan, has polluted the atmospheric heaven.

B.               The new heaven will be so different; it will be constituted in such a way the sun, moon, stars, and atmospheric properties will no longer be necessary.

1.                At last there will be a sunrise without a sunset.

2.                There will be no need for the sun for the Son will shine.

C.              Also it is to be remembered that the space between us and God’s abode is so cluttered up with missiles, rockets, satellites, and miscellaneous space junk that it will have to be cleansed.

 

III.             A NEW EARTH

 

A.               “A new earth.”  The word for new here in Rev 21:1 is kainos meaning “fresh” or “renewed.”  It seems that the new earth will be the old made new again by purging out all the age-long evidences of sin and the curse, decay, and death.  The very elements will have been melted and dissolved in fervent heat (II Pet 3:10-12); then all rejoined by the creator in a perfect world again.

1.                Isaiah 65:17 predicted the purging of the old creating the new.  So renewed will be the new that the old will not be remembered.

2.                One thing that will make the new earth so different is the absence of seas.  Never again will saved families be separated by vast bodies of water.

B.               The old earth must disappear because:

1.                It has witnessed the sin and violence of man.

2.                It is soaked with the blood of Abel and other innocent murdered.

3.                It has been soaked by the blood of millions of martyrs.

4.                It has been stained by the blood of the Redeemer.

5.                It has been drenched with millions of tears—tears of heartache and pain, tears of godly men and godly women.

C.              The new earth will never experience:

1.                Sin,

2.                Sorrow,

3.                Slaughter.

D.              The new earth is characterized by a series of no mores:

1.                No more sickness,

2.                No more pain,

3.                No more hunger,

4.                No more thirst,

5.                No more sorrow,

6.                No more tears,

7.                No more sea,

8.                No more death,

9.                No more sin,

10.           No more night.

E.               With Satan forever banished, temptation will be forever absent.

F.               The new earth will be a place without tragedy, tribulation, or evil practices.

 

CONCLUSION:  The righteous will feel at home in eternity future (II Peter 3:13).

 

 

---