Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell 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’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
What is “heaven” like? This passage gives us some hints of what eternity will be like for those who put their faith and trust in Jesus. There will be a new heaven and earth, vv. 1-2. This is the fulfillment of the new creation started when we put our faith in Christ (2 Cor 5:17; Rom 8:18-22; 2 Pet 3:10-13). This is a new type of existence that is impossible for us to imagine. We only get a glimpse of it now in this life. But, we are guaranteed of our part in it by our faith now. The statement about there being no more sea shows how the sea was feared by ancient people. It was seen as chaos, uncontrollable. The sea is also crucial for life on this earth. If we read this reference as literal, that indicates that there will be a new type of existence without the need for the moisture provided by the sea. If it is figurative, then this shows that one of the great unknowns in the ancient world will no longer be part of human existence. Fear and chaos will be gone. George Ladd (NT Theology, 275): the Bible “always places man on a redeemed earth, not in a heavenly realm removed from earthly existence.”
There will also be a New Jerusalem, v. 2, that descends from God (see Gal 4:26; Heb 11:10; Phil 3:20). Is this an actual city or more figurative for God’s presence among His people, i.e. the church (see the reference to “bride” in v. 2). This passage is full of symbolic language, so it is difficult to know how literal we should read it. We are stuck half way in between.
Next comes a statement of God’s presence, vv. 3-4. In the Old Testament, God’s presence with Israel is a central theme (see Lev 26:11-12; Jer 31:33; Ezek 37:27; Zech 8:8). Verse 4 mentions benefits to the church as a result of God’s presence. Since sin is no more, there will be no separation from God. The barrier in the OT between God and people is removed. Anything related to sin is removed, including tears of pain and death itself. So much of our lives is devoted to fighting off death. Just about everything we do is related to this somehow.
For older posts, click here.