Revelation of John 21:3
A New Heaven and a New Earth
Rev 21:1. When all evil and all evil doers have got their everlasting unchangeable, terrible destiny, the attention of John is drawn to a completely new heaven and a completely new earth. “The first heaven and the first earth” have had their time, they have fled away (Rev 20:11) and have been destroyed by burning (2Pet 3:7; 12). In that way room has been made for “a new heaven and a new earth”. The great difference from the first earth is that the sea, which is still there in the kingdom of peace (Eze 47:20; Zep 2:6; Zec 9:10; Zec 14:8) is no longer there in eternity. Also the turbulent, rebellious nations represented by the sea, and the wicked who are like the tossing sea (Isa 57:20) are no longer there. There is an atmosphere of constant, complete rest. The true theocracy has come. God rules, or better said, governs, for here it is more about God Who dwells in rest, while there is nothing more to be restrained, there is nothing left that can rebel. Then righteousness dwells on earth (2Pet 3:13) and not merely rules as in the kingdom of peace. Everything corresponds inwardly and outwardly to God’s Being. The old creation is perishable (Psa 102:26; Mt 24:35; 1Cor 7:31; 1Jn 2:17) and therefore transient. The new creation is completely new and of permanent, everlasting nature. The new is not a replacement through renewing and improving of the old, but the new heaven and the new earth have never been there earlier. The second is not only different from the first, but also better than the first. In the same way, is what God has wrought in the redemption different from and better than what man has lost as a consequence of sin. God has not only solved the problem of sin, but given something far more wonderful instead. With God the second always has preference over the first. You find often in Scripture that the second or later born is given preference over the firstborn. Just look, for example, at Abel being given preference over Cain, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Ephraim over Manasseh, David over his older brothers (cf. also Job 42:12; 1Cor 15:47; Heb 8:6). Rev 21:2. After the wonderful total picture of the new heaven and the new earth, John sees a city. This city is the center of the whole new scene. Also in the new order of matters where there is no longer sin, there is room for holiness. The city is “the holy city”. Holy means separated. Separation has not always to do with separation from evil. When God, for example, sanctifies the seventh day, it means that He has given this day a separate place compared to the other days (Gen 2:3). In that way, this city occupies a distinct place in the whole new order. This city is the “new Jerusalem” which indicates the contrast with the old Jerusalem. It is a movable city. It comes “down out of heaven”, for heaven is the land where it belongs. It comes “from God”, for the beginning of the city is in God, in His counsel. The new Jerusalem comes down without coming to earth to form a link, as it were, between heaven and earth, to connect them.The city looks “as a bride adorned for her husband”. This description makes clear that this new Jerusalem is the church. After a thousand years she still has the same radiant beauty she had at her marriage (Rev 19:7). The ravages of time have not affected her beauty at all. For all eternity, she will possess that beauty. The city is ‘holy’ and is compared with ‘a bride’. That means that God, Who is light – holiness has to do with God as light – and love, is seen in that city. Here the church is perfectly fit to be connected to Him because it perfectly corresponds to His Being. In this way she also completely meets His desires, she fits Him, is like Him (Eph 5:31-32; 1Jn 3:3). This new Jerusalem must be distinguished from the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb 12:22). With the heavenly Jerusalem is meant the dwelling place of all heavenly saints. The heavenly Jerusalem is the heavenly capital from where the kingdom of peace is ruled. It is the center of rule in which believers from the Old Testament and the New Testament have their place and task. The new Jerusalem consists of only those who are the church of the living God, the dwelling place of God in the Spirit.Also when there is mention of ‘the Jerusalem above’ (Gal 4:26), it is something different than what is called here the ‘new Jerusalem’. The Jerusalem ‘above’ is not that much of a city with reigning characteristics, but rather indicates a sphere in which believers live. That sphere is a sphere of freedom that stands opposite to the law The Jerusalem above is therefore contrasted with the earthly Jerusalem, which represents the sphere of the law.Rev 21:3. After John has seen these wonderful and extensive new things, he hears a loud voice. That voice comes with a declaration from the throne, the seat of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God has reached its final destination; it has achieved its purpose. The explanation says that God dwells among men. He does so in “the tabernacle”, which refers to the church, for that is the dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph 2:22). There are more names used for God’s dwelling place, like a temple and a house. That particularly here it is spoken of “the tabernacle” as a dwelling place, refers to the mobility of the dwelling place, like the tabernacle during the journey in the wilderness of the people of Israel. It is also nice to consider that the word ‘tabernacle’ is also seen in what you read about the dwelling of the Lord Jesus among us. When you read “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14), it literally says ‘the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us’, meaning ‘dwelt in a tent’. The tabernacle speaks about the way in which God dwells among His people. The tabernacle in the Old Testament is a picture of God’s dwelling place. The true dwelling place of God you see in the Lord Jesus and in the church. A remarkable thing is that it says that God will dwell “among men”. That it is a special joy for God to dwell with men, can be seen by the fact that it is mentioned three times in this one verse. All these men together are His people. There is no more mention of separate nations. Nations originated because of sin, but all consequences of sin have been removed. Therefore, there is no longer any difference between Israel and the nations. Israel will no longer occupy a privileged place. Israel had to do with God’s counsels from the foundation of the world (Mt 13:35; Mt 25:34) and had an earthly and temporary existence. All earthly and temporary things will no longer be there. There are only people, believers from all times, without distinction. The only distinction that will remain concerns the new Jerusalem, the church, which exists from before the foundation of the world. The verse ends with an expression of special intimacy between God and His people. “God Himself”, without any intermediary, as, for example, Moses or Elijah or a high priest has been, “will be among them”. There is no longer anyone through whom God has a relationship with His people. He is the God of that one great people. And that one great people have and know no one but Him alone as their God. Rev 21:4. When that wonderful situation has come, every memory of sorrow, which was inseparable from the first things, will be removed. The description of the glory of eternity is still best done for us by saying what is not there. We cannot yet grasp the glory of what is there (cf. 2Cor 12:4). But we can indeed understand that there will no longer be there what often makes our life on earth now so difficult and laborious and what makes us yearn for heaven. Therefore this description is in itself a great encouragement already. The five words that say what will no longer be there, now mark the whole world event and the whole world history since the fall of man into sin. In Revelation 7 it was already announced that God will wipe away every tear from the eyes, like a mother wipes away the tears from the face of her child (Rev 7:17). He wipes away “every tear”, after which never another tear will well up. Everything that causes tears now will then be gone forever. Then every man will live in perfect harmony with God, perfectly in agreement with God and perfectly unanimous with every other man. When sin is no longer there, there is also no longer death, nor anything associated with death as pain and sorrow, of which tears are the expression. It will never come back, for “the first things have passed away” forever.Now read Revelation 21:1-4 again.Reflection: What make you most long for the new heaven and the new earth?
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