New heaven and new earth

Revelation 21:1-4 (NIV)

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.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  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.  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."

In Genesis 1:1, it is written that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”.  Now here at the end of the Bible we read that a new heaven and a new earth will be coming, replacing what God originally created.  Note how similar these Revelation verses are to the following passage from Isaiah 65:17-19:   "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.  I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.”  Both passages prophecy a new heaven and a new earth.  What we know now about earth will someday disappear.  There will someday be no sea separating the land although some scholars interpret “sea” as all the vicissitudes and unpredictabilities of life that will no longer plague people on earth.  That will be true too. 

You cannot help but think about what Peter wrote in II Peter 3:10 where he predicts that “….the heavens will disappear with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up”.  The only thing that could cause destruction of the elements (assume that these are chemical elements like oxygen, nitrogen, iron, sodium, chlorine, etc) is a nuclear armageddon

Jerusalem will be the holy city.  It will be a new Jerusalem, a city fitting to be the bride of Christ.  Of course, the bride of Christ refers to the church---all Christian people who ever lived.  I cannot answer what about people of other religions and those of the Old Testament.  Only God knows.  Think of this imagery the next time you attend a wedding and see the bride walking down the aisle.

Can you believe that someday God will dwell with and live with you?  Heaven will not be some place in the skies, but right here on earth, the new earth. He won’t be some spiritual being, never seen, only available through prayer.  He will be with you.  This thought is simply unimaginable, but it is true unless you don’t believe His Word. 

And, there will be no more death or any of the other aspects of what you have had to deal with on earth today.  You will never be sad, never be separated from anyone, never feel pain again, never have reason to cry and never experience evil.  If you are experiencing any of these troubles right now, be encouraged with hope that this will all end in eternity. 

What does all this mean to you, not only thinking of your own life, but also the lives of those closest to you on this earth?