Greetings, fellow eschatologists! Welcome to the very last series in our study of the book of Revelation. We’re going to look at the last two chapters, 21 and 22. These last two chapters contain a description of the heavenly new Jerusalem and the “holy consummation.” Enjoy!

Revelation Chapters 21 and 22

First in a Five-Part Series
by Karen Thompson

REVELATION 21, 22: NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH, NEW JERUSALEM

The last two chapters of Revelation focus on the new Jerusalem and what it will be like when God the Father, once again, lives and dwells with His creation. This event is called the holy consummation, which means completion, perfection, and fulfillment.

New Heaven and New Earth

Rev. 21:1 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. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

In the first eight verses, we learn about a new heaven and a new earth. Then a proclamation is made by God that He will, once again, dwell with mankind. And He then lists all the things the believers will inherit in this new heaven and new earth.

New Heaven and New Earth

In verse one, we see one such example of the closing out of the story first started in Genesis. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and earth.” Here in Revelation 21:1 it says, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth.”

As already discussed, Isaiah described to us what this new earth and new heaven will be like. Everything will change for the Israelites. For a great deal of their existence, they have been a persecuted people. As a nation, God says Israel is His inheritance (Isa. 19:25). The Lord had a very special plan for the Israelites, to be a peculiar people, to be a kingdom of priests, a holy people. Israel has never fulfilled God’s will and plan for it as a nation. Throughout their history, the Israelites have sinned against God and were unfaithful to His Word. Now it is a new day with a new earth and new heaven. The former things will be no more. Jerusalem will no longer be that unfaithful wife. The Israelites will proclaim that God is their God, and God will declare they are His people. They will become that holy nation of priests. Exodus 19:1–6 says, “… if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”

The Lord offered to make the children of Israel a peculiar treasure to Him above all other peoples. He would make them a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. In return, they as a nation were to simply keep His covenant. They never achieved what God had planned for them. At the time of the holy consummation, Israel will finally become that peculiar treasure unto God above all people. They will be that kingdom of priests and a holy nation. That is what the new earth and new heaven will be all about.

There Will Be No Sea

Now let’s look at the very last phrase of verse one which says “and there was no more sea.” Commentaries agree this is referring to a significant change in earth’s makeup. Presently, three-fourth of earth’s surface is covered with water. This verse seems to suggest that the oceans will no longer cover most of earth’s surface. It’s assumed there will still be rivers, lakes, and streams of water, but the vast oceans will no longer exist. 

This is a remarkable statement. It’s a drastic change to the creation story. If we go back to the beginning of Genesis and look at the creation story, you’ll see the significance of the statement, “And there was no more sea.” In the beginning verses of Genesis, God establishes Himself as the creator of the universe and tells us the order in which He created the world in which we live. When we study it from a certain aspect, we’ll see how the phrase “there was no more sea” is extraordinary! Let’s start by looking at each of the creation days.

On the first day, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. He divided the light from the darkness. He called the light day and the darkness night. (Gen. 1:1–5)

On the second day, He created a firmament (He called the firmament heaven) to divide the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. Water in its gas form was above, and water in its liquid form was below. (Gen. 1:6–8)

On the third day, He created the dry land and seas. Apparently, the waters covered the entire earth because He gathered all the waters together in one place so that dry land would appear. He called the dry land earth and the waters that were gathered together He called sea. He then covered the earth with grass, trees, and every herb bearing seed.

If you noticed, in the first three days, He created three spaces: the heavens, the earth, and the sea. In the next three days, He filled the spaces.

On the fourth day, He filled up the heavens. He created lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night. These lights were for signs, seasons, for days and for years. These lights were created for mankind to denote time by the seasons, by days, and by years. He created two great lights: the greater light (the sun) to rule the day, and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night. And He made the stars. (Gen. 1:14–19)

On the fifth day, He created living creatures that swim in the waters below and fowl to fly in the firmament or the atmosphere. Then on the sixth day, He created animals of every kind to live on the dry land. He also created on the sixth day Adam and Eve and gave them dominion over every living thing in the earth. (Gen. 1:24–31)

Each day has its complement. The first day when God separated the light from the darkness is complemented by the fourth day when He created the various lights in the heavens: the stars, sun, and moon.

The second day when He divided the waters from below (liquid) from the waters from above (air) is complemented by the fifth day when he created creatures to live in the seas and the fowl that fly in the air.

On the third day when He gathered the waters into one place so that dry land appeared is complemented by the sixth day when He created animals to live on the dry land. And the last living creature He made was mankind who also lives on the dry land and has dominion and authority over all the earth. Psalm 115:16 says God gave the earth to men, meaning He gave mankind authority and dominion over all His creation on the earth.

Throughout the Word of God, we see praise offered up to God as the one who created three spaces and who filled the three spaces. This is “creation praise.” In Revelation alone, there are four instances of creation praise, the most quintessential example is in chapter 10: “And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein…” (Rev. 10:6; see also Rev. 5:13; 12:12; 14:7).

God is praised for creating the three spaces: heaven, earth, and the sea. And He is praised for filling up the spaces. Let’s look at a few more examples. “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day…” (Exo. 20:11). “…which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is…” (Ps. 146:6; see also Ps. 96:11). “…Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is” (Acts 4:24; see also Acts 14:15).

God created three spaces: the heavens, the earth, and the sea. But after earth’s renewal, there will be no more sea. That is extraordinary. Throughout the Bible, God is praised for being the creator of three spaces, but here we read how the third space, the sea, is no more. It doesn’t mean, however, that the earth will no longer have water. I surmise that it means there will no longer be great and vast oceans.

The Proclamation

In the next scenario, John begins by saying, “I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” John says he saw the new Jerusalem descending from heaven. The city is described as a bride adorned for her husband. As already noted many times before, Jerusalem, from her very beginning, has been referred to as God’s bride, His wife. This denotes an intimate relationship, one of fidelity, faithfulness, and loyalty to God.

The Proclamation That the Tabernacle of God Is Now With Men

As John watched the city descend, he heard a voice out of heaven making a proclamation. This proclamation announced the beginning of a new earth and a new heaven where God the Father now dwells with His creation. The first thing the voice said was to proclaim that God would now dwell with men: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (v. 3). New Jerusalem descending from heaven marks the beginning when God is able to once again dwell with mankind. God will live with them, and they will be His people, and He will be their God. This is the first description of what it means to have a new earth and a new heaven.

 No More Sorrow

We see in verse four a further description of what it means to have a new earth and new heaven: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” There was so much pain and sorrow for the children of Israel in the old earth and the old heaven. This will change. Death and sorrow will come to an end. The prophet Isaiah also prophesied the end of death and sorrow: “He will swallow up death [in victory; He will abolish death forever]. And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; and the reproach of His people He will take away from off all the earth; for the Lord has spoken it” (Isa. 25:8 Amp.).

We saw in the preceding chapter that the last enemy to be thrown into the lake of fire was death and hell. Indeed, this is a new day. Israel will no longer suffer reproach, being blamed for all of earth’s woes. All that will be a thing of the past. In fact, everything will be turned on its head. 

In Isaiah chapter 60, the prophet Isaiah prophesied how the reproach will be removed from Israel and how differently the nations will treat her: “The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations” (vv. 14–15). The reproach will be removed. Instead of hating Israel, the nations will call her a joy.

God Himself Makes a Proclamation

Starting in verse five, God Himself makes a proclamation: “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” The phrase, “he that sat upon the throne” is referring to, of course, God. The Lord makes the declaration, “Behold, I make all things new.” Again, this is another indication that marks the beginning of a new earth and new heaven. Nothing will be the same.

The Lord then said to John, “Write….” The Lord instructed John to write down the things God was going to proclaim. The first thing John was to write down were the words, “these words are true and faithful.” This phrase would be the equivalent of today’s colloquial expression, “His word is as good as gold, and you take that to the bank.”

What “All Things New” Means

Then in verses six and seven, the Lord described what the faithful will inherit in this new earth: “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”

He said, “It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” It is done. This means everything He has prophesied through His prophets has come to pass. He has fulfilled His word to mankind. In the beginning of Genesis, God dwelled with His creation. Since the fall of mankind, He has not been able to live and dwell with His creation. At that point, God will be able to dwell with His creation once again. Mankind will have completed a full circle to their existence.

God says the thirsty will be able to drink freely from the fountain of the water of life. Who are the thirsty? The word thirsty is a term used to describe people who are thirsty for God, who desire Him and seek Him with all their hearts. King David used this same metaphor to describe his desire for God, saying, “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You” (Ps. 63:1).

Then the overcomers are told they will inherit all things. Everything God has will be given to them. The Lord reiterates the statement, “I will be his God and he shall be my son.” That is what is meant by a new earth and a new heaven. It is at this point that God becomes “all in all.” Let’s go back to 1^st Corinthians chapter 15 where it talks about how after Christ’s millennial reign, God becomes “all in all.” “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:24–28). After Jesus reigns for 1,000 years, He then becomes subject to God. That’s when God becomes all in all. And those who are thirsty and the overcomers inherit all things.

Excluded From the New Earth

After telling us what the thirsty and the overcomers will inherit, verse eight tells us who will not inherit these things: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” All the people that fall under these categories will have been dealt with—they will have all been thrown into the lake of fire—the second death.

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