The New Heavens and the New Earth
1 Isaiah writes «This is the declaration
of Yahuh, the Creator of the heavens, the God who prepared and established the
foundations of the Earth, and who did
not found it for chaos but made it to be inhabited: “I am Yahuh and there is no
other”»; (Isaiah 45:18...19) «My word will be fulfilled accurately, and the word that
goes out from my mouth shall not return void to Me, without having fulfilled
my purpose and without what motivates it, has been achieved»;
(Isaiah 55:11) «Behold, I establish
new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall
not be remembered, nor come to the heart». (Isaiah
65:17)
The end of this world
2 Since ancient times, God’s prophets foretold the end of this world or human society,
which the rebellion of men submitted to the «evil
spiritual forces that inhabit the heavenly places» (Ephesians 6:12), announcing a «Day burning like a furnace», in which «all the arrogant and all those who practice
transgression will be as stubble»
and «the day that shall come, will burn them... and
will not leave root or branch of them» (Malachi
4:1...2)
Peter also speaks about this Day, and writes «the Day of Yahuh will come like a thief, and then, the
heavens shall pass away with a roar and the elements, intensely hot, will be
dissolved while the earth and everything on it, shall be consumed» (2
Peter 3:10). He compares this destruction with that suffered in Noah’s day,
when he writes: «by the Word of God, in ancient
times were made a heaven and an earth that emerged from the waters and was
surrounded by water, and by the command of the same Word, that world of then was
destroyed by the waters of the deluge. Now, by the same Word, the present heavens and earth are reserved
for fire and for the day of the judgment and destruction of the
ungodly». (2 Peter 3:5...7)
3 The destruction of the world in Noah’s day, did not mean the end of
the planet, which according to Scripture, was flooded and heavily shaken. This
catastrophe wiped out a corrupt and violent society, but
God protected Noah and his
family, and eight people
survived it. Much later, Paul writes: «at that time His voice
shook the earth, and now promises: “One more time I will shake not only the earth but also the
heavens». And when he says “one more time”, He means that the things He
shakes will come to an end and will be
removed». (Hebrews 12:26...27)
The foretold “shaking” of the “earth” will particularly affect the
indifferent and godless humanity that inhabits on it, however,
Scripture says that the planet will be restored under the kingdom of God, and inhabited by a new human society
under the rule of Christ. For this reason, when Jesus taught his disciples the
essential things to ask God in prayer, said first these three: «sanctified be your name; your kingdom come to us and
your will be done on earth as in
heaven». (Matthew 6:9...10)
4 On the Book of Jesus’ revelation to John, the events to happen at
the time of the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth, are reported through
symbols and allegories. We read: «The seventh angel
sounded his trumpet, and powerful voices from heaven announced: “Now, the
kingdom of the world has come to be the kingdom of our Sovereign and of his
Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever”». And paying homage to God, the divine inhabitants
of heaven said: «We thank you, Yahuh, God Almighty who is and was, because
making use of your great power, you
have established your kingdom. The nations were angered, but
your indignation came, and the time to judge the dead, to reward
your servants the prophets and the saints, and the humble and the powerful who
show respect for your name, and of destroying all those who destroy the
earth»(Revelation 11:15…18). Jesus followers must have
faith in this promise of God, as did Peter, who declared: «according to His promise, we are expecting new heavens
and a new earth which hosts justice». (2 Peter 3:13) And also Paul
refers to this new earth, when he writes that «He (God) does not
submit to angels the future inhabited earth of which we speak»
(Hebrews 2:5), but to a «son, whom he
appointed forevermore, the heir of the universe that was created for him»
(Hebrews 1:2), and states that Christ, «after having offered himself once, to abolish forever the
sins of many, will manifest himself for a second time, not because of sin, but
for those who wait for him to be saved». (Hebrews
9:28)
5 One day, «when Jesus left the temple and was going away, his disciples
approached and pointed out to him the buildings of the temple. But Jesus told them: “Do
you see all this? Indeed I say to you, there will not be left here stone upon
stone, which is not thrown down”»; and later,
«in the mount of olives, the disciples came to him
privately and said: “Tell us, when will
these things be? and which will be the sign of your
presence and of the end of
the world?» (Matthew 24:3)
Jesus spoke to them about the destruction of Jerusalem, and said that
many would die within its walls, and that his followers would be mistreated
because of his name (Luke 21:20),
and speaking of his return, he foretold the signs that should precede it, and
warned those who would be waiting for him, with these words: «Be watchful that you be not
deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Anointed!” and
deceive many.
You will hear battles around you, and you will also hear reports of
wars. See not to be alarmed; it is necessary that all these things take place,
but it is not yet the end”». (Matthew
24:4…6)
6 Then, Jesus said: «Ethnicity will be
raised upon ethnicity and kingdom upon kingdom, and there will be major natural
disasters, (the Greek word “sismoi” is not only
applied to earthquakes, but also to all kinds of natural disasters) and in several places, epidemics and famine, and there
will be fearful phenomena, and also in heaven, extraordinary phenomena»,
(Luke 21:10...11) «at that time there
will be signs in the sun, the moon
and the stars, and distress in the nations of the earth, because of the roaring
and tossing of the sea, (the Greek word
“thalassa” describes the sea swell, and Scripture applies it to crowds in
commotion. See Isaiah 17: 12…13 and 57:20, and
Revelation 17:15) while men faint by the
fear at the prospect of what comes upon the inhabited earth, for the powers
of heaven shall be shaken. And at that time, they will see the Son of man
coming in a cloud, (like the apostles saw him ascend to the
heavens)
with power and great glory… when these things start to happen, stand up and lift up
your head, because your deliverance is near». (Luke
21:25...28) And declared: «the heavens
and the earth shall pass away, but my words remain». (Luke
21:33)
7 Looking towards the town, Jesus had said: «Jerusalem, Jerusalem! That which kills the prophets and
stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children, as a bird gathers her
brood under her wings! But you were not willing. Behold, your house is forsaken to you. I say to
you that you will not see me again until my return, when you may say: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of
God!”» (Luke 13:34...35) The Jerusalem destroyed in 70 AD, had rejected and
killed God's anointed. The town and the people ceased then to be the special
property of God on earth, and were replaced by all those who, because of their
faith in God’s Christ, were considered as Abraham’s genuine spiritual offspring.
In fact, the Covenant of the Law, the ritual sacrifices, the Temple and the
town, had already supplied the prophetic picture intended to lead the people to
the arrival of the promised Messiah, who by virtue of his sacrifice, became the
mediator of a New Covenant between God and men, a pact of life that took effect when
«Christ, as the high priest of the good things to
come» entered «once and forever into the
Holy of the greatest and perfect Tabernacle, which was not built by human hands,
so, which does not belong to this creation, taking with him, not the blood of
goat bucks and young bulls, but his own, in order to procure us an eternal
redemption». (Hebrews 9:11...12)
8
In 70 AD, many disciples saw the
fulfillment of Jesus words about the siege and fall of Jerusalem and of the
destruction of its Temple, which put an end
to the ceremonial and the sacrifices required by the Law. However, his
prediction went much further in time, and none of them could live to see the
signs of his return and the end of this world. Jesus had foretold them, so that
the disciples who would remain attentive to his words at the established time,
might understand the proximity of their hope. For them, he said: «When you see these things happening, discern that the
kingdom of
God is near. Indeed, I tell
you, this generation will not pass away until all things are fulfilled».
(Luke 21:3…32) And urging them to remain vigilant, he warned:
«Keep watch, that your hearts be not loaded with eating and drinking, and with
the anxieties of this life, and the day comes upon you suddenly, because it will
come over all those who inhabit the entire face of the Earth, as a trap. So be
watchful at all times, praying that you may be found worthy of escaping all the
things that must come, and stand up before the Son of Man». (Luke
21:34...36)
The new earth
9 Jesus had told the multitude: «Blessed
are the meek for they will possess the
earth in heritage», (Matthew 5:5)
Some seven hundred years before, prophet Isaiah wrote: «Yahuh declares: Behold! I will create new heavens and a new
earth, and the former shall not be mentioned or will come to mind. And
those I create shall bring rejoice and joy forever, because I will make Jerusalem
(the government of Christ) rejoice, and its people
(the population of the earth) joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be joyful for my people, and among them will never be heard weeping and
wailing». (Isaiah 65:17…19) On that day, people «will build houses and dwell in them, and they shall plant
vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build and others inhabit it, or
will plant and others eat it, for as the days of a tree shall be the days of my
people, and my chosen shall enjoy for long the work of their hands. They will
not labor in vain nor bring forth for trouble, because they are the seed of
those blessed by Yahuh, and with them also their descendants. And it shall be that before
they ask, I will answer them,
and while they are still speaking,
I shall already have paid attention to them». (Isaiah 65:21…24)
10 This Jerusalem that God calls “rejoicing” is not an earthly town, but that which
Christian Scriptures calls the “New
Jerusalem”; for this reason and in harmony with the prophecy of
Isaiah, John writes: «I saw a new heaven and a new earth, because
the former heaven and the former earth disappeared, and the sea (the
turbulent mankind ) is no
longer. And I saw how God made come down from heaven the holy city, the New Jerusalem, adorned as a bride for
her husband. Then I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “The Temple of God
is with mankind,
and shall stay beside it
because they will be His
people, and God himself will intervene on their behalf and wipe every tear
from their eyes. There shall be no more death or mourning or crying or
pain, because the former things have
come to an end”. And He who sits on the throne said, “Look! I make all
things new” and went on: “Write, for these words are trustworthy and
true”». (Revelation 21:2…5)
11 While John perceived in his vision the events of the Great Day of
Yahuh, heard some voices that announced: «The
kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Sovereign and of his
Christ, and he shall reign for ever and
ever». (Revelation 11:15)
This words mean that Jesus will reign over «the new
inhabited earth»,(Hebrews 2:5) preached by the apostles. In
that day, «from Zion
shall go forth the Law and from Jerusalem (the New Jerusalem), the word of Yahuh. And He shall judge among nations and
will correct many people, and they will beat their swords into plowshares and
their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they be trained again for war». (Isaiah 2:3...4) God shall then
«extinguish death forever. He will wipe the tears
from all faces, and remove from the Earth the grief of his people».
(Isaiah 25:8)
The new heavens
12 Paul writes that in a vision, he was once transported to the
“third heaven”. (2Corinthians
12:2) Now, in Scripture, the first heaven is understood to be the atmosphere
surrounding our planet, the second, is the vast universe of our physical
dimension, and the third heaven represents the place of God's
presence.
Besides, since all the heavens are above humanity, this term is also
used to express supremacy or government. So, the New Heavens stand for Christ's government, whose composition
and functions are illustrated by allegories and symbolisms, for as Paul
says, there are things that cannot be expressed «in
a language suggested by human knowledge, but with that taught to us by the
Spirit, to express spiritual things in spiritual terms». (1Corinthians
2:11...13)
13 God declared through Isaiah: «Your people, all of the justified, shall
inherit forever the earth, the sprout of my planting and the work of my
hands to manifest my glory. The tiny will become a thousand, and the small one
will become a great people, because at that time, I, Yahuh, will work swiftly». (Isaiah
60:21...22)
Even if this prophecy had a representative fulfilling when Jerusalem
was rebuilt and restored on the period between Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, its
final and full implementation will come when God establishes His kingdom on
Earth.
On the Book of Revelation we read that John heard a “new song” honoring the Lamb of God, which
said: «Worthy are you of receiving the scroll and open the seals, because
you were slain and with your blood, ransomed for God people from every tribe,
language, people and nation, making them kings and priests of our God,
to reign over the earth».
(Revelation 5:9...10) John saw also all the justified who belonged
to the government of Christ, and writes: «I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him, one
hundred and forty-four thousand who had their own name and the name of their
Father, written on their foreheads». (Revelation 14:1), «They are those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes, and
have been acquired from mankind to be the first fruits to God and to the
Lamb». (Revelation 14:4)
14 The people in this crowd were not only Jews, as were the apostles
and the first disciples, for they came from all the earth, and symbolically
represented the twelve tribes of
Israel. They are all
those who have joined the death of Jesus through baptism in his name, and
because of their faith in God’s purpose, are considered by Him as the genuine
offspring of Abraham, participating with him in this promise: «I will favor you, I will bless you and I will
increase you; I will multiply your
progeny, which will be as the stars of heaven and as the sand of the sea
shore (that cannot be counted)... and all the nations on earth will be blessed
through your progeny, because you have listened to my words».
(Genesis 22:17...18)
Paul explains, «the promise was made to Abraham and to his progeny; it does not speak
of his progenies, as referring many, but speaking of only one, it says: “your
progeny”, which is Christ... and because of the faith in Jesus
Christ, all of you are now children of God, and all of you, who have been baptized into Christ, are
part of the Christ. Therefore, there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, man or
woman; all of you are one with Christ. And according to the
promise, if you belong to Christ, you are also heirs and
descendants of Abraham». (Galatians
3:16, 26... 29)
15
In harmony with these words, Paul
says: «In fact, circumcision or uncircumcision is nothing, what matters is a new
creation. Let there be peace and mercy upon the Israel of
God, and upon all those who walk by these principles». (Galatians
6:15...16) And really, the
Israel of God, made up by the
progeny that integrates the body of Christ, is a new creation, for it came to
existence on Pentecost day.
Peter portrays it as «a chosen progeny,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people God acquired for
Himself», (1Peter 2:9) and writes: «Now that you understand how generous is the Lord
(Jesus), turn yourselves to him, the
“living stone” rejected by
men but chosen and precious to
God, so that you may be also built like living stones, to
construct a spiritual house (or
temple), a holy priesthood to offer God
through Jesus Christ, gratifying spiritual sacrifices». (1Peter
2:3...5)
These living stones supported by the cornerstone, which is Christ,
are those that God «calls according to His
purpose... and that from the beginning, He recognized and designated to be
modeled in the likeness of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn of many brothers».
(Romans 8:28...29)
The New Jerusalem or Israel of God
16 Each one of the designated by God, belongs to the body of
Christ, who is their head. Among
them «there is no Jew and no Greek, no circumcised
and no uncircumcised... there is only a unity in Christ», (Colossians
3:11) the unity of
thought, purpose and objectives, shared by those who are part of the New Jerusalem, «the holy city that God brings down from
heaven», (Revelation 21:9...11) and «does not need sunlight or moonlight, being illuminated by
the glory of God through its lamp, which is the Lamb. The nations shall walk
guided by its light, and the kings of the earth shall yield to it their glory...
Nothing unclean and no one abominable or liar shall enter it, only those
recorded in the book of life of the Lamb». (Revelation
21:23...27)
The call they receive comes from Yahuh himself, as in apostolic
times, so it «does not depend on who wants or on
who proposes, but on God's mercy». (Romans
9:16)
Recalling the faith of the prophets and of the men of old, Paul
writes that some of them «were stoned, mowed into
pieces, tortured, or killed by the sword», while others «roved, wandering in skins of sheep and goat, deprived of
all things, in afflictions and ill-treatments, because the world was not worthy
of them! However, even if all of them received such a
good
testimony of their faith, they could not reach the promises because God had prearranged
for us
(Christ’s body) something better,
so that they would not reach perfection without us». (Hebrews
11:37...40)
And this means that before so many faithful servants of God could
obtain the promise of a resurrection to a life without death, on the promised
earth of peace and justice, Christ’s administration must be
established.
17 The declarations of the ancient prophets, of the apostles, and of
disciples of Jesus, through the centuries reveal by means of allegories or
symbolic images, God's purpose for humanity. Paul declares that their words are
part of the «sacred secret kept hidden since remote
times, and now made known through the prophetic Scriptures, so that by mandate
of the Eternal God, the obedience to the faith is made known among all the
nations». (Romans 16:26)
Some few years after the death of the apostles and the first
disciples, the Good News and the apostolic letters underwent minor tweaks and
deliberate interpolations, which contrast the revealed doctrine, twisting its
meaning to support some ideas that
were later added in it as dogmas. Nowadays most of
these alterations are well known, but are not removed from the text, since they
receive credit as tradition of the Church.
In spite of this, we must have in mind that the canonical Scriptures
transmit one same message and
are in
perfect harmony
from the Genesis
to the Revelation, constituting
the only reliable source of
the faith for the disciples of Christ. Their teaching should be well
known, and be imparted and defended without fear, for even if as Paul says,
«these things are absurd for those who are to
perish...» because «by means of its own
philosophy, the world has not come to know God, He, in his wisdom, judged
appropriate to save those who believe through something considered absurd: the
things that we proclaim. And while the Jews demand evidence, and the Greeks are after philosophy, we proclaim Christ's sacrifice, which
for the Jews is a stumbling block and for the nations, an
absurdity. However, for those who have been called, whether Jews or
Greeks (whether Israelites or people from other nations), Christ is the divine power and the divine
wisdom. What is simple for God, is beyond human wisdom, and what is light
for God, is beyond human power». (1Corinthians 1:18...25)
18 However, Paul alerts the disciples: «I
want to remind you, brothers, that the good news I announced to you,
that which you have heard, and in which you persist, will permit you to be saved
if you stay in it just as I declared
it to you, otherwise you would
have believed in vain!» (1Corintios 15:1...2) Let us then strive to «remember accurately the words of the holy
prophets, and the instructions that the Lord and Savior transmitted to us
through the apostles» (2 Peter
3:2), «while we wait for the Day of Yahuh, in full confidence that,
"in harmony with its multifaceted wisdom, God carries out his secular purpose through
our Lord Jesus Christ» (Ephesians 3:10...11).
