A New Heaven and a New Earth

In this chapter

In this chapter, you’ll:

Read the text: Rev 21 · Rev 22

Key takeaways

• The new heaven and new earth restore God’s creation; the sea’s absence means the end of everything the sea stood for.
• The New Jerusalem is the Holy of Holies made city-sized: God with his people, no temple needed, no distance left.
• The city doesn’t need the sun; God’s glory is its light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
• The river and the tree of life bring Eden back and finish it — no curse, and healing for the nations.
• God’s people will see his face. Eternity isn’t abstract. It’s home.

Reflect & discuss

• Read Revelation 21:1–5 alongside Isaiah 65:17 and 25:8. Which of Isaiah’s promises reappear? What does Revelation add?
• The city is a cube (21:16), like the Holy of Holies (1 Kings 6:20), and it has no temple (21:22). What do those two details say together?
• Eternity is pictured as a restored world, not an escape from it. How does that change common ideas of “heaven”?
• The gates never close and the nations bring their glory in. What does that suggest about what will last from this world?
• (Personal; feel free to pass — and if you’d rather keep this one to yourself, that’s fine.) “He will wipe away every tear.” Which tears do you most long to see wiped away?

The last question is personal — no one should be required to answer it.