(For link to audio & video recording on SermonAudio.com, click here)
(If you would like to receive Pastor Harris’ weekly sermons via e-mail, Click Here)
(If you would like to download the PowerPoint presentation for this sermon, Click here – New Heaven, New Earth, New Jerusalem)
(To see video of the worship service, click here to go to our youtube link
Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
February 22, 2026
*New Heaven, New Earth, New Jerusalem
Revelation 21:1-8
Introduction
Turn to Revelation 21. This morning we finally move past the wrath of God displayed in the seal, trumpet and bowl judgments that are described in chapters 6-19. Revelation 20 brings the seven year tribulation period to an end, briefly describes the Millennium, then concludes with Satan’s release, the final rebellion by mankind against God, and then finishes with the judgment of the wicked before the Great White Throne. (See: The Fact of the Millennium, Descriptions of the Millennium , and The Final Rebellion and Judgment). Follow along as I read Revelation 21:1-8 which introduces the new heaven and new earth and gives the first view of the New Jerusalem. I will follow this with a brief discussion of whether these are new creations or renewals of the old.
Revelation 21:1–8 (NASB95)
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” 5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. 8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Revelation 21:9-27 gives a second view of the New Jerusalem describing details of what it will look like and some of its characteristics. Revelation 22:1-5 gives a third view of the New Jerusalem describing the river that comes from the throne, the tree of life, and it being a place where this is no longer any curse or night. We will get to those next week.
*It is obvious from even a cursory reading of Revelation 21 & 22 that what is coming in the future will be radically different from what exists in the present. However, there are theological views that argue this is a reconstruction or renewal of what is present and not a creation of something that is actually new. That includes some holding to a premillennial eschatology that follow a grammatical-historical method of interpretation and not just amillennial and postmillennial theologians that interpret Revelation with allegory, symbolism and mysticism. Because of that we need to examine that topic before going into the details about what John sees.
*The Future of the Present Heaven & Earth – Rev. 21:1b
I pointed out last week from the descriptions given by the Hebrew prophets that the millennium will be radically different from what it is like in the present time, and very different from what it will be like at the end of the tribulation period after the earth has been subjected to famines, pestilence, the seas turning into blood with life in them dying, massive earthquakes that collapse the mountains and cause the islands to flee, as well as celestial signs in the sun, moon and stars falling. *The millennium will include a restoration of creation to something similar to what it must have been like in the garden of Eden before Adam and Eve fell into sin. It will be so radically different that Isaiah 65:17 describes it this way, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.” The passage continues on to describe what must be a limited reversal of the curse since there will be long life, safety, and the wolf and lamb grazing together with the lion eating straw like an ox just like in Genesis 1:30. Isaiah 66 continues on to describe life in a new Jerusalem in which the people will flourish dwelling in abundance and safety. Isaiah 66:22 also mentions new heavens and the new earth in which the people, their offspring and name will endure.
*The problem with equating Isaiah 65-66 with the new heaven and earth of eternity is the description of them is only a partial reversal of the curse for there is still sin as evidenced by death still occurring and there still being enemies of the Lord on whom He will execute judgment. Just as in the genealogies in Genesis 5, the length of life will be amazing by today’s standards for a person 100 years old will be considered a youth. But death still occurs in that passage and human death is a part of the consequences of sin (Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 6:23). *Revelation 21:4 states directly in regards to the future new heaven and new earth that “there will no longer be death,” and Revelation 22:3 states plainly that in the new earth of eternity “There will no longer be any curse.” The Isaiah passages fit a renewal of the present earth as described for what the millennium will be like. They do not fit the clear descriptions of the future earth of eternity. The same is true for Romans 8:19-22, Acts 3:21 and Matthew 19:28 which also point to a regeneration or renovation of the old and not to something new replacing the old. A simple interpretive principle is that clear passages explain and govern difficult passages.
*Added to the argument for a reconstruction or renewal of the current earth are passages such as Ecclesiastes 1:4, “A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth remains forever,” and Psalm 148 which in reference to the sun, moon and stars praising God that He “established them forever and ever.” However, those verses have to be reconciled with verses such as Isaiah 51:6 which states that “the sky will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment,” and Psalm 102:24 which in reference to the earth and heavens states, “they will perish.” Add to that Jesus’ statement in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” *Those seems like insolvable contradictions until you examine the Hebrew words translated as eternal, ever or forever, olam, qedem and ad which mean “long duration,” “antiquity” and “continuing future” respectfully, with context determining if it is describing an infinite time or something less than that which becomes the obvious case for these verses in light of the passages that clearly state they will come to an end and be replaced by something new.
*Isaiah 51:6; Psalm 102:24 and Matthew 24:35 are quite strong in themselves that the present earth will “wear out,” “perish” and “pass away,” but as we saw last week, Revelation 20:11 is even stronger – “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.” That last phrase points out that they will cease to exist, or as MacArthur described it, they will be “uncreated” for there will not be place for them to be. God spoke the physical creation into existence from nothing and He can just as easily cause the physical creation to go out of existence. Revelation 21:1 states directly that John “saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and first earth passed away.” The term is ajpevrcomai / aperchomai which means to “go away,” “exit,” “depart,” “vanish,” and it is set as a cause that allows the new heaven and new earth to come and replace them. The term is used again in a similar way in verse 4 – “the first things have passed away” – which allows for the radical differences that will characterize the new earth and new Jerusalem.
*The strongest passage describing the destruction of the present heavens and earth is 2 Peter 3:10–12. Look at verse 10, 10 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. *The term for the heavens to “pass away” (parevrcomai / parerchomai) is the same as used to refer to people that “pass away.” The time of their life on earth has ended and they have passed from it. The time of the existence of the present heavens will end “with a roar.” Roar, rJoizhdav / rhoiz don, is a “sudden noise made by swift movement,” a “rushing noise.” The elements, stoicei:on / stoicheion, “the materials of which the world is composed” will be destroyed, luvw / lu , meaning “ruin by breaking into pieces.” Colossians 1:17 states in reference to creation that “in Him all things hold together.” The elements come apart when Jesus ceases to hold them together. That will happen with “intense heat,” (kausowv / kauso ) meaning “consumed by heat.” The laws of physics inform us that when matter splits apart, nuclear fission, a tremendous amount of energy is released producing heat. That is what happens in a nuclear power plant. The result will be the earth and its works will be burned up, katakaivw / katakai , the same word used to describe wheat chaff, tares or books being burned up (Matthew 3:12; 13:30; Acts 19:19).
*In verse 11 Peter uses this description of what will certainly happen in the future to motivate people to live in holiness in the present – 11 “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.” Then in verse 12 he encourages them to long for this to happen – 12 “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God,” and concludes with another description of the complete destruction that the day of the Lord will bring * – “because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” He uses the same word for “destroyed” but this time uses a different word for burning, purovw / puro , the verb form of the root word for fire meaning “to burn with fire.” This time the destruction of the elements by intense heat is described as causing them to melt, thvkw / têkô, meaning to “become liquid.”
*The heaven and earth during the millennium will be renewed into something similar to what it would have been like in the garden before the fall of Adam and Eve into sin. It will be very different from what we experience now, and extremely different from what earth will be like at the end of the tribulation. As good as the millennium will be, it will not be perfect for there will still be sin and death. When the great white throne judgment takes place, earth and heaven will flee away and no longer be found. They will both pass away and be completely and utterly destroyed. Even death and Hades will be destroyed by being tossed into the lake of fire.
*The new heaven and new earth will be a complete replacement as part of “making all things new” (vs. 5), and not a reconstruction or renewal of the current earth which has already suffered for so long under the curse of sin. That answers the question a friend of mine who has an engineering background has always struggled with. Why didn’t God just destroy and replace everything after Adam sinned? He is going to destroy this sin cursed world and replace it with a perfect new creation, but God is more patient than man and the long delay has allowed for the redemption of man from sin which is why 2 Peter 3:15 states, “regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.”
*Let me quickly add here that the replacement of what is present with what will be new does not preclude God fulfilling all the ancient promises going back to the Abrahamic covenant and his descendants regarding people, land and blessing. The redeemed people will continue through eternity as will the blessing ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The promise of the land could also be fulfilled, though it will be re-created land on the new earth and not what currently exists. We will see that in fulfillment of the Davidic covenant that Jesus Christ will reign throughout eternity from the new Jerusalem.
Now that we have the answer to what will happen to the present heavens and earth, we can move on to examine what John says about the new ones that will replace them and be so radically different.
*The New Heaven & Earth – Rev. 21:1
1 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.” This is the next scene revealed to John following the judgment at the great white throne. *This is the first glimpse, the grand view of what is coming, but notice John’s first remark in describing its physical features is about what he does not see. “There is no longer any sea.” There will be a description of a river in Rev. 22:1, but there will not be a sea. That is radically different from the present in which about three fourths of the surface of the earth is covered with water. *The oceans and seas are critical for both the hydrological cycle and tides and all the life that is dependent upon them. The hydrologic cycle evaporates water from the oceans which brings rain upon the land to water the earth which enables plants to grow and streams, rivers and lakes to form. The tidal zones and especially estuaries are critical for many forms of sea life and land creatures. It is obvious that the new earth will not function in the same way as the present one.
*First View of the New Jerusalem – Rev. 21:2-8
In verse 2 John is given a vision of a primary feature of the new earth which he describes in detail. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
*This is a completely different Jerusalem than what exists currently or will exist during the millennium. It will be holy for God will dwell in it, there will be no curse, and there will be no one or anything unholy that will be in it as we will see in its further descriptions. It will not be a city that will be built by humans for its origin is from God and it will come down from heaven. It will be the ultimate fulfillment of Abraham’s quest of faith described in Hebrews 11:10 that “he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” It will be the ultimate fulfillment of what Jesus said John 14:2-3, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” A Jerusalem of heavenly origin is also referenced in Galatians 4:26 and Hebrews 12:22.
*The beauty of the new Jerusalem is described as “made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” We get our word, cosmetics, from the word translated as adorned here, kosmevw / kosme , which means “to cause something to be beautiful by decorating.” A bride seeks to make herself as beautiful as she can for her husband by her adornments – clothing, jewelry and cosmetics. The descriptions of the new Jerusalem are of a very beautiful place. *The inclusion of imagery of a bride will be used again in verse 9 in which the new Jerusalem is described as “the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” Dr. Thomas writes, “the figure of a bride-city captures two characteristics of the new Jerusalem: God’s personal relationship with His people (i.e., the bride) and the life of the people in communion with Him (i.e., the city, with its social connotations). . . “the bride is both the people of God and the seat of their abode, the new Jerusalem.”
*The Voice from the Throne – Rev. 21:3-4. The description continues in verse 3 where John writes, 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.” John hears yet again an unidentified loud voice. This one comes from the throne, but it is not God for it is about God, not from Him. *The term tabernacle is used to allude to God’s dwelling among His chosen people, Israel, in the wilderness when His presence was manifested by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. His presence in the new Jerusalem will be even closer than then for “He will dwell among and they shall be His people,” and there will not be any sinners among them as will be stated in verse 8. People is actually plural, “peoples,” pointing to the new Jerusalem being populated by Jew and Gentile alike, those from every tribe, tongue, people and nation (Rev. 5:9; 7:9).
The voice repeats this great and wonderful truth by stating it emphatically a third time that “God Himself will be among them.” This is the condition that existed with Adam and Eve before they sinned when God would walk and talk with them in the garden of Eden. It will be the permanent condition in the new Jerusalem. It is the ultimate fulfillment of multiple promises God has made to His people such as the new covenant in Jeremiah 31:33 in which God would write His law on their hearts and He would be their God and they would be His people, and 2 Corinthians 6:16 in which Paul applies many Old Testament promises to Christians that God will dwell in them, walk among them, be their God and they would be His people in his plea that because Christians are the temple of God they are to come out from and be separate from idolaters and the unclean.
*The loud voice continues its declaration in verse 4, “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” This the comfort and promise of the new Jerusalem of eternity that arises out of God’s immediate presence. He is the one that will comfort and will “wipe away every tear,” singular, to the point of the smallest sorrow. That can only be sorrow from memories of the past for He excludes all of the things that cause us sorrow in this life from being there including death and mortal, corruptible bodies so there will not be any mourning, crying or pain of any kind. There will be no tear of remorse for all the inhabitants of heaven will be saints who sins are forgiven and God “will remember their sins no more” (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:12; 10:17). Any sorrow over things that could have been but are not including loved ones that will not be in the new Jerusalem will be comforted and removed as we align ourselves to God’s perspective on all things including His just punishment of the unrepentant wicked.
The reason all these causes of sorrow will be absent is because “the first things have passed away.” The first things are all that belonged to the first heaven and first earth (vs. 1) and they will cease, go out of existence.
*The Declarations of God – Rev. 21:5-8. In verse 5 a different voice begins to speak. 5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” The identification here in the first phrase of this verse points back to Revelation 1:8 in which “He who sits on the throne” is identified at God the Father since it is an attestation by the Lord God, a title consistently used for the Father, concerning the truth of what is declared about the son in verse 7. * Here, God the Father calls attention to His declaration “I make all things new” (a present active indicative as in the NKJV, not a participle). This is another declaration that the old things have been replaced by what is new, and that declaration is inclusive. It pertains to “all things” not just some things. To illustrate this meaning, my wife sews, so if she says, “I made a new dress,” I know she has used new fabric, buttons and zippers and has not repaired or refurbished an old dress. So again, this points to the fact that the old heaven, earth and Jerusalem and all that is physically in them will pass away and be replaced by new ones.
*The second phrase of the verse 5 appears to be a different speaker, and it is probably the angel in either 14:13 or 19:9 that give a similar command to John to write particular words. And he said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” This command includes the reason to write what has been said for the description of the words being “faithful and true” attest to the reliability of these declarations regardless of whether they are understood and believed or not. They are true and what has been proclaimed will happen.
*Verse 6 goes back to what is said by the one sitting on the throne. 6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.” The statement, “It is done,” is in the perfect tense indicating the declared action is now complete. What God has said is accomplished which includes all the promises of blessing for the righteous and judgments against the wicked. The old has passed and the new has come.
*The proclamation, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end” not only identify the speaker as already explained, but also declare His trustworthiness to do what He has said. Everything begins with God for He is the first cause, and everything will finish with God because He is the conclusion, the finality. As Romans 11:36 states, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”
God continues in verses 6 and 7 with three promises. “I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”
*The use of thirst to express spiritual need goes back to Psalm 42:1- 2, 1 “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” The promise of having that thirst fulfilled by God freely goes back to Isaiah 55:1, “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost.” The metaphor of “water of life” being used for spiritual life goes back to Jesus’ offer to the woman at the well in John 4:10-14 to give her “living water” that will become “a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
*The promise to the overcomer points back to the promises at the end of each of the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 & 3. The “these things” given in this final promise to the overcomer in essence includes all of those in the previous seven for it encompasses all of promises given to those who humble themselves to place their faith in God. *They inherit eternal life and all the blessings that have been and will be described about the new heaven, new earth and new Jerusalem for God will be his God and he will be God’s son in all the fullness of the expression of that relationship that will exist in eternity.
*The declarations of God in verse 8 in this first view of the new Jerusalem end with a warning to the readers of the prophecy. 8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” This is not a fully comprehensive list of who will be excluded from God’s presence in eternity and will instead be cast into Hell for there are other lists such as in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that included some additional specific sins. However, it is a list that is general enough that it will cover all sinners who will go to Hell, here described as the “lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Those same elements are included in other descriptions of the final place of the wicked, all of whom will be justly condemned on the basis of their wicked deeds at the great white throne judgment at the conclusion of the millennium (Revelation 20:11-15).
*Cowardly comes from a root word (deiloi:V / deilois) meaning fearful. This includes both those that fear man and so reject the gospel falsely believing it will save their lives (Mark 8:35), and those who repudiate their faith in Christ when faced with persecution and opposition proving their faith is false (Matthew 13:20-21; Hebrews 10:38-39). All the churches in Asia minor were facing persecution, and especially Smyrna and Pergamum. They needed to be courageous and not cowardly.
*The unbelieving, ajpisvstoiV / apistois, “without faith,” also translated as unfaithful and untrustworthy, is a common expression for those who are not Christians, those who do not have faith in God’s provision of salvation according to His promises (1 Cor. 7:12; 2 Cor. 4:4; 6:14; 1 Timothy 5:8; Titus 1:5). It also includes those who profess to be Christians but whose actions prove they are not followers of God (Hebrews 3:12). The letters to the churches at Pergamum, Thyatira and Sardis were all warned about those among them who need to repent because their deeds did not match professed faith. Jesus warned there would be tares among the wheat, so this remains a common problem in churches today.
*The abominable, ejbdelugmenvoiV / ebdelugmenois, refers to those who are defiled by sin and made detestable, and in the tribulation this will particularly apply to those who worship the beast. A cognate of this word is used in Titus 1:15-16 to describe those defiled in mind and conscience and demonstrated by their actions even if professing to know God. The warning was especially relevant to the church at Pergamum which had some who held to the teachings of Balaam, and to the church at Thyatira which tolerated Jezebel. It remains a relevant message to society in general and to those in churches that tolerate flagrant sin.
*Murderers, foneu:sin / phoneusin, are those that willfully take the life of another human. That will become common during the tribulation period especially in the martyrdom of the saints (Rev. 17:6; 18:24). Jesus pointed out in Matthew 5:21-22 that the actions of physical murder begin with unrighteous anger for which God will hold the sinner accountable. This would be an encouragement to the godly that God’s justice would be upheld on those that had murdered their friends and loved ones.
*Immoral persons, povrnoiV / pornois, refer to those involved in sexual sin of all kinds. It was a general problem throughout the Greek / Roman world and in particular in Pergamum and Thyatira (Rev. 2:14, 22). Sexual sin, anything outside the bounds of a husband and wife, is a common problem in our own society for which scripture gives many strong warnings to personally avoid it (Eph. 5:5; 1 Tim. 1:10; Hebrew 13:4) and not associate with those who profess to be Christians but practice immorality anyway (1 Cor. 5:9-11).
*Sorcerers, farmavcoiV / pharmakois, we get our word pharmacist from it, are those that practice sorcery, divination, mix potions, or use magic to deceive. It is one of the deeds of the flesh (Gal. 5:20) and one of the means by which the beast and false prophet will deceive the nations (Rev. 18:22). Sorcery was common in pagan worship.
I want to expand a little on this because sorcery exists today in both many religious and secular forms. The religious practices are usually obvious, but practices of modern pharmacology can also fall into being more akin to sorcery than science. I think it is fair to ask if doctors are being medical or following sorcery when they advocate drugs as the solution to problems that could and should be handled by self-control, healthy diets and lifestyle, and the pursuit of godliness. Psychotics are especially prone to becoming sorcery with the claim the drug can resolve mental and emotional issues. Why would a doctor prescribe a drug that might help reduce a person’s depression, but has a known side effect of increasing the risk of suicide? Part of the reason I did not fall for the many lies that were part of the COVID crises in 2020-2022 is that I quickly recognized the claim that man could conquer the COVID virus was medical sorcery and not science. Sorcerers will not have a place in the new Jerusalem unless they repent.
*Idolaters, eijdwlolavtraiV / eid lolatrais, are those who worship idols or anything other than God, the creator of all things. Idolatry will dominate under the reign of the beast. God has always rejected idolaters who will not repent (Exodus 20:3-5) and is the first step down into depravity for those that will not glorify God and give Him thanks (Romans 1:21-23). Idolatry dominated the Greco-Roman world and all the early churches had to contend with it and the pressures to participate in it or face some form of persecution. While we do not face that kind of pressure in our society, the danger of idolatry is still real since the prevalence of false religions, cults and secularism continues to increase as does false worship and doctrine within churches that are supposed to be Christian. Worship that is man centered instead of God centered is a form of idolatry even if it the setting is a Christian church.
*The final group, all those who lie, seems to surprise many people because lying so casually practiced in our society. But lying, yeudhvV / pseud s, not being truthful and deceiving, is a very serious sin. It is contrary to the character of a Christian (Col. 3:9) and can subject even a Christian to severe punishment (Acts 5:1-10). It is a primary characteristic of the devil (John 8:44). It is included in all three lists in Revelation of those doomed to eternity outside the new creation (Rev. 21:8; 27; 22:15). And carefully note that this applies to “all liars” irrespective to whatever level of seriousness a human may judge it to be. A so called “white lie” done with a motive to keep from offending someone’s feelings is still a lie and contrary to godliness.
*Conclusions
The warnings in verse 8 are serious and apply today and will continue to apply through the millennium. *The good news is that no one has to remain condemned or characterized by any of those sins. There is forgiveness of all sin by turning from it, your pride and self-righteousness to humbly cast yourself on God’s mercy and grace to believe in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and His work of redemption which will make you a child of God. All of the blessings of the new heaven, new earth and new Jerusalem are guaranteed to those who are in Christ Jesus. *Christians have no fear of God condemning us, so we look forward to the return of the Lord Jesus, the millennium and eternity with Him. If you do not have confidence those promises apply to you, then talk with myself or any of our church leaders. Don’t leave without getting things right with God and having His peace.
Sermon Notes – 2/22/2026
New Heaven, New Earth, New Jerusalem – Revelation 21:1-8
Introduction
Rev. 21-22 make it obvious that what is coming in the future will be ___________different from the present
The Future of the Present Heaven & Earth – Rev. 21:1b
In the millennium creation will be restored to something _________to the garden of Eden, but not perfection
Isaiah 65-66 speak of a new heaven & new earth, but the description fits the _______________, not eternity
Sin & ______continue in the millennium, but they will not continue into the new heaven & earth of eternity
Statements of an eternal creation must reconcile with verses that describe their ________________
The actual meaning Hebrews translated as eternal, ever or forever must be determined by ______________
The _________earth will “wear out,” “perish” & “pass away.” It will flee away with no place found for it
2 Peter 3:10–12 is the most clear passage describing the _______________of the current heavens & earth
It will “pass away with a roar.” The “___________will be destroyed with intense heat” & be “burned up”
That is a motivation to live a __________life in the present
“the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will ___________with intense heat!”
The earth will be renewed in the millennium, it will then be ________, & a new heaven & new earth created
The new heaven and new earth will be a complete ________________, not a reconstruction of the old
Replacement will not preclude God from keeping ______of His ____________including the covenants
The New Heaven & Earth – Rev. 21:1
In this first glimpse of the new earth, what John notices the most is that “There is no longer any ________”
Without any sea, there will not be a ___________________cycle or tides as in the present
First View of the New Jerusalem – Rev. 21:2-8
The new Jerusalem will be holy because God dwells in it. It originates in ___________and is built by God
It will be ___________like a “bride adorned for her husband”
Vs. 9 describes it as the “the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” The bride is the people of God & their abode
The Voice from the Throne – Rev. 21:3-4. Which emphatically declares God will _______with His people
The voice also declares the ___________God’s people will have because the first things have passed away
The Declarations of God – Rev. 21:5-8. He makes all things __________
An angel commands John to write what has been revealed because they are “faithful and _________”
God declares in vs. 6 that “It is done.” All His promises are _________________
His identification as “the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning & the end” ____________the declaration
Satisfaction of spiritual thirst without cost is _____________(Ps. 42:1-2; Isa. 55:1; John 4:10-14)
The over-comer will inherit all the __________things God has promised
The over-comer will have God as his God, and he will be God’s ________
This first view of the new Jerusalem ends with a very serious warning to the readers of the prophecy – vs. 8
Cowardly – those that ______________more than they fear God (Mark 8:35; Matt. 1:20-21; Heb. 10:38-39)
Unbelieving, without faith – ___________in God, His promises, or whose actions prove they do not believe
Abominable – defiled by sin & made ______________- Defiled in mind, conscience, action (Titus 1:15-16)
Murderers – willfully take human life. That will be common in the tribulation – ___________
Immoral – sexual sins of ________________, anything outside the bounds of a husband & wife
Sorcerers – those that practice sorcery, divination, mix potions, use magic to _______(Gal. 5:20; Rev. 18:22)
Idolaters – those that worship something ____than God the creator. A first step down into depravity (Rm. 1)
All those that lie – _________________________& deceiving – a very serious sin at any level
Conclusions
The warnings in verse 8 apply __________and will continue to do so through the millennium
Sinners do not have to remain condemned or characterized by those sins. There is ______________in Christ
Christians have no fear of God’s condemnation, so we ___________Jesus’ return, the millennium & eternity
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Count how many times the new earth and new Jerusalem is mentioned. 2) Discuss with your parents eternity will be like for Christians.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. How different will the Millennium be from the conditions on the earth following the tribulation? How different will the new heaven and new earth in Revelation 21-22 be from the descriptions of the millennium? How can you determine if a passage is pointing to the millennium or eternity? How do we know that the present heaven and earth will be destroyed? Why can’t the new heaven and new earth of Rev. 21:1 just be a renewal / reconstruction of the present ones? What is the significance of John stating, There is no longer any sea, in Rev. 21:1? What was John’s first impression of seeing the new Jerusalem? What was its origin? Why is the voice from the throne so emphatic about God dwelling among His people? Why is that so important? How will God comfort those in the new Jerusalem? Why will that comfort be available? What is the significance of God declaring, Behold, I am making all things new ? What is the significance of God declaring, It is done ? What is the significance of God identifying Himself as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end ? What three promises does God give to the over-comer in vs. 6-7? Why is there such a strong warning in vs. 8? To whom is it given? How does it apply today? Explain each of the particular types of sinners mentioned? What will happen to them? How can those who have committed those sins escape that condemnation? Have you done that?
If you would like to receive Pastor Harris’ weekly sermons via e-mail, Click Here)
Grace Bible Church Home Page || Sermon Archives
For comments, please e-mail Church office