Revelation 21:1

Revelation 21:1

The Bible says in Revelation chapter 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.”

The book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ tells us many things that will happen to this world at the end of this age. There are many terrible and destructive events that are foretold and will come to pass as a part of God’s plan for bringing salvation to the human race and bringing judgment for sin. But chapter 21 is a wonderful chapter that reveals in great detail the wonderful grace of God, because it tells us how God will ultimately fulfill all the promises He has given to His children. God will make a new universe; it will be a creation free from sin and suffering, and the children of God will dwell in eternal bliss with God in this new creation.

We know that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and when He finished His creation, He said it was good. But ever since sin corrupted the universe because of the pride of Lucifer and the disobedience of the first man, Adam, the world in which we live has been cast into a state of chaos, turmoil, and spiritual warfare.

Romans 8:22 says, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”

The daily struggles and tragedies of life testify to this truth. All humans will experience the groanings or the pains and sorrows of life that is all a direct result of sin. But thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ that God is a God of infinite grace and love and in His eternal wisdom He is able to proclaim that where sin did abound grace did much more abound.

Matthew 9:16-17 says, “No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.”

Because of the sinful and corrupted world in which we live, all things in this life are temporary and break down eventually. If you live long enough your physical body will break down and wear out and you will die. If you buy a car eventually it will break down if you drive it long enough. And the heavens and the earth, which God created in the beginning, are steadily and surely falling apart.

The first part of Isaiah 51:6 says, “Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner:”

When something falls apart, then it is time to replace it with something brand new and perfect. And this is exactly what God plans to do with the universe in which we live. If God promises that there will be a new heaven and a new earth and that the old things will pass away, then this means everything in this new creation will be perfect. These first several verses in Revelation chapter 21 tell us what some of the differences will be between the new creation and the old creation.

It is interesting to notice that verse 1 says that there will be no more sea. When the Bible uses the word sea sometimes it means a literal ocean but sometimes it is used symbolically like when God promised Abraham his children would be as the sand of sea or in Revelation 13:1 where the beast rises up out of the sea, which is the masses of humanity.

The Bible says for all have sinned but most people in the world have not trusted in Christ and most people do not make it one of their main goals in life every day to do what is right and to improve themselves as a person. This mass or sea of humanity that lives only for their own selfish desires; cause great suffering upon others through their wicked deeds. Any Christian who tries to be a testimony for Jesus Christ knows, through experience, that the sea of society is filled with unspiritual people who are very critical and condemning towards them even though the Bible says there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. But in God’s new creation there will be no critical and condemning unsaved and there will be no critical Christians either.

When Christ recreates the world, human society will be an utopia more real and blissful than any human writer could imagine in some science fiction novel. One reason it will be such an utopia is because mankind will work cooperatively together in love and unity to accomplish the will and work of God and spread the knowledge of God. There will be no people in society who live only for themselves, taking advantage of other human beings. There will only be people who put God first, others second, themselves last and always treating others with a heart and mind that is filled with love and a positive and encouraging attitude. The new heaven and the new earth will be the utopia of God. That is why the last part of Isaiah 51:6 says, “but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.” The righteousness of God will make it so.

Revelation 21:2 says, “And I John saw the Holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

When the end of the world has come and Satan, death, hell, and all that defiles and is unclean has been cast into the lake of fire; then God will reveal His infinite grace and love in a way never revealed to man before. And all those who have trusted in Christ finally see with their very eyes, just how precious the blood of Christ truly is. What a marvelous moment that will be.

In verse 2, God calls this new city holy. When we look at the cities of this world we often think of the pollution and especially the crime that occurs in them. It is usually the big cities of the world that have the large amount of murders, rapes, robberies, and other terrible crimes day after day and year after year. But God has prepared a city for His children that is pure, perfect, free of all pollution and all crime; a holy city.

All good things come from God. And as the golden city of Jerusalem descends from the skies of God’s new creation there will be a special ceremony, specifically for the purpose of glorifying God. It will not be a once in a lifetime event, but a once in eternity event. God compares this event to that of a marriage. And why not, God created marriage. Ideally two people fall in love and marry and stay married the rest of their lives. This is the way God meant it to be. The marriage ceremony celebrates the commitment two people have made with each other; two flesh become one flesh. And what God has joined together let no man put asunder. God is in love with us and we were created to love God. And at this special event that God has planned, man will celebrate his eternal unity with God.

Verse 3 says, “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.”

In the Old Testament, when the children of Israel lived in the wilderness, they built a portable structure called the tabernacle. It was the temple or the place where God dwelt. And the presence of God was revealed symbolically in the form of a cloudy pillar. In today’s age, the age of grace, the tabernacle of God is the individual bodies’ of each believer. As each dispensation of God’s grace has passed, with each new dispensation God has revealed himself and his knowledge further to man. In the age of the law as in the age of grace today, those who would have God dwell with them must do so by faith, faith in Jesus Christ. But very soon when the temporary age that we live in now ends, a new age will begin. It will be the age of eternal grace, for all things will last forever. In this eternal age; God will not reveal Himself symbolically but man will walk with God by sight, because just as First John 3:2 says “we shall see Him as He is.” God Himself shall be with me and with you, if so be; that the Spirit of God dwell in you.

Verse 4 says, “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 anymore pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Aside from all of the good things that will make eternity with God such a wonderful place, the lack of anything bad; will make God’s eternity that much more perfect. Verse 4 says that God shall wipe away all tears. What is the cause of human tears? Probably one of the worst sorrows you will ever experience in this life is the death of someone you love. But there will be no death in heaven because there will be no sin. Those whom you love, that have trusted in Christ, will be with you for all eternity. The days of bliss and joyful fellowship will never end. Every moment will be precious and special. Verse 4 also says that there will be no more pain. There are many different kinds of pain; there is physical pain, emotional pain, mental pain, and even spiritual pain. But with bodies that are glorified there will be no pain because there is no sin in this new creation of God. Man will not grow old; nor experience disease, nor physical injury, nor suffer from physical handicaps. It probably does not take much for you to be reminded of all the sufferings and negative things’ which are the facts of this life. But in heaven none of these things will be there, because God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes.

Romans 7:19 says, “For the good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do.” Galatians 5:17, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

Any believer who follows after the footprints of Christ will come to understand the intense spiritual warfare that is always occurring between the old man and the new man. In this life there is no rest from the spiritual warfare that we are a part of. And to be filled and led by the Spirit of God takes no small effort on the part of man. But just as Revelation 20:14 says, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire,” all sin and all spiritual warfare will be done away with because the devil himself will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity, and he is the ultimate source of all sin and suffering. In the new heaven and the new earth you will find that there is no more struggle with the flesh because you will have a glorified body and the old man will have been cast away with the old creation. And as you walk beside Jesus and talk with Him face to face, the Spirit of God will be there inside of you. And you will always be filled and led by the Spirit of God, there will be no struggle and it will take no effort on your part to submit your will to God. The person of the Holy Spirit will be more real and revealed than could have ever been in this life, because in this new creation we will walk by sight and not just faith.

Three times in the last chapter of Revelation Jesus said, “Behold I come quickly.” The end of the world is nigh. Today is the day of salvation. And very soon the horizons will burst forth and the Son of God will appear bearing judgment and wrath upon those who have mocked His precious blood. But to those who repent of their sins, Christ will give peace and rest in the eternal kingdom of God.

When we look out across the field of humanity; we see many people that so easily become discouraged, depressed, and fall by the wayside. With so many wonderful things planned for the future by God, the believer should not get so easily discouraged or distracted from His separation unto the gospel of Christ.

The Bible says in I Peter 1:13, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”

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