In this message I have the burden to give a further word on the new heaven and new earth.
In the new heaven and new earth there will be the sons of God and the restored people. The sons of God will be regenerated, but the people will simply be restored to the condition of God’s original creation according to God’s ordained principles. Hence, there will be a distinction between the sons of God and the restored people.
We need to see how the sons of God are produced as the constituents of the New Jerusalem. In the millennium there will still be a difference between the New Jerusalem and the saved remnant of Israel. However, in the new heaven and new earth there will no longer be any difference between Christians and saved Jews. When the Lord Jesus comes back to set up the millennial kingdom, the Jews will be saved but not perfected. For this reason, there will be a difference between the perfected Christians and the saved but unperfected Jews. The Lord will use the millennium to perfect the saved Jews. By the end of the millennium all the saved Jews will have been perfected and will be the same as the perfected Christians. Then all the perfected Jews and Christians will be joined to be one kind of saint who, in the sight of God, will be the race of faith, the descendants of the one father, Abraham. Therefore, in the new heaven and new earth, there will be no distinction between the Christian believers and the saved Jews. Together they will constitute the one, enlarged New Jerusalem.
The New Jerusalem in the millennium will include neither the unperfected believers nor the saved but unperfected Jews. Those believers who have not been perfected in this age will be perfected during the millennium, perhaps in the outer darkness. God, then, will use two different ways to perfect the defeated Christians and the saved Jews. The defeated Christians will be perfected by what will take place in the outer darkness. God’s way to perfect the saved Jews will be to put them during the millennium into the position of priests of God to learn of God and to teach the nations. By these two means both the defeated Christians and the saved Jews will be perfected. Then after the millennium all the perfected Christians and the perfected Jews will be a single entity—the New Jerusalem. Outside the New Jerusalem will be the restored nations as the people on the new earth.
Many believers and unbelievers alike hold a traditional concept regarding eschatology. According to this traditional concept, there will ultimately be only two results—heaven or hell. Those who are good will supposedly go to heaven, and those who are evil, to hell. This concept is held not only by Christians but also by Jews, Moslems, and Buddhists. This traditional concept is natural and religious; it is not according to the Scriptures. Because the influence of the traditional concept is so strong, it is crucial for us to see what biblical eschatology is.
We need to consider biblical eschatology in relation to God’s kingdom. The kingdom of God is God’s reign, His rule, and it is eternal, even as God Himself is eternal. Psalm 90:2 tells us that God is eternal: from eternity to eternity He is God. In Psalm 145:13 we are told that God’s kingdom likewise is eternal. Because God is eternal, His kingdom, His government, also is eternal.
Between eternity past and eternity future, God’s kingdom has four dispensations: the dispensation before law, from Adam to Moses; the dispensation of law, from Moses to Christ; the dispensation of grace, from Christ’s first coming until His second coming; and the dispensation of the kingdom, which will last a thousand years. After these four dispensations will be eternity future with the new heaven and new earth. The new heaven and new earth is a matter of the final, the consummate, eschatology. The universe will consummate in the new heaven and new earth.
Three matters concerning the new heaven and new earth deserve careful attention. First, in the new heaven and new earth the most striking and outstanding thing is the New Jerusalem.
Second, in the last two chapters of Revelation, the emphasis is on the new earth, not on heaven. Actually, these chapters do not say anything about heaven. In the center of the new earth will be the New Jerusalem, which will descend from heaven. Revelation 21:2 says, “I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.” This indicates that when the new heaven and new earth appear (v. 1), the New Jerusalem will come down to earth. In a very real sense, God will forsake the heavens and devote His full attention to the earth.
During the millennium the earth will not be altogether lovable, for it will not yet have been thoroughly cleared up. Certain things will be cleared up only at the end of the millennium. When the Lord Jesus comes back, Satan will be bound and cast into the abyss (Rev. 20:1-3). But at the end of the millennium Satan will be released from the abyss, come back to earth, and “deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog” (vv. 7-8). From this we see that there will be evil on earth even at the end of the millennium. For this reason, the earth will not be pleasing to God, and He will not yet come down from heaven to earth. The old heaven and earth will need purification, and this purification, this purging, will be accomplished by fire (2 Pet. 3:12-13). After the purging of the old heaven and old earth by fire, God will come down to earth and place His beloved New Jerusalem, which will be His eternal dwelling place, in the center of the new earth. On this new earth will be the restored and purified nations, who will enjoy the blessings of God’s creation.
The third matter related to the new heaven and new earth is the lake of fire. The New Jerusalem will be a city of water, and outside this city, and in contrast to it, will be the lake of fire. If we compare Revelation 22:15 and 21:8, we shall see that the lake of fire will be outside the holy city. Revelation 22:15 says, “Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the fornicators and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone who loves and makes a lie.” Revelation 21:8 tells us, “The fearful and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and fornicators and sorcerers and idolaters and all the false, their part shall be in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Taken together, these verses reveal that in the new heaven and new earth outside the New Jerusalem, the city of water, will be the lake of fire, which will be the universal “trash can,” containing all negative things.
The first ones to be cast into the lake of fire will be Antichrist and his helper, the false prophet. They will follow Satan to the uttermost, and for this reason they will be the first to be cast into the lake of fire, going there ahead of Satan. Eventually, the condemned nations (Matt. 25:41), Satan the Devil (Rev. 20:10), the demons (Rev. 20:13a, 15), and all sinners, including those who worship Antichrist and his image (Rev. 20:13b-15; 21:8; 22:15; 14:9-11), will also be cast into the lake of fire. Finally, even death and Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire, the second death. Therefore, all the “trash” in the universe will be swept into the lake of fire as the universal trash can.
In the consummation of the eschatology revealed in the Bible, that is, in the new heaven and new earth, there will be a threefold issue. There will be nothing in the heavens, but on the new earth there will be three categories of people. First, there will be the New Jerusalem constituted of the redeemed, regenerated, transformed, perfected, and glorified believers, expressing God’s glory and shining over the nations.
Second, around the New Jerusalem will be the restored and purged nations, who will enjoy God’s creation. During the millennium, certain of the nations will inherit the kingdom prepared “from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34). From the time God created the earth, He had the intention to prepare a kingdom for His created people to enjoy His blessing. In eternity future the new earth will be the full enjoyment to God’s created and restored people. These people, although fallen, will be purified and restored to the original condition of God’s creation to enjoy the new earth.
Third, on the new earth there will also be the lake of fire. All the negative things throughout the four dispensations will be swept into the lake of fire. God’s Christ, the anointed One, has been commissioned by God to accomplish this work. After all negative things, including death and Hades, have been dealt with by being cast into the lake of fire, God will clear up, will purge, heaven and earth by fire. By passing through the purging fire, the old heaven and old earth will become the new heaven and new earth. Then God Himself will be happy to come down from the heavens to the earth, something He has been longing to do.
On the new earth God’s redeemed, regenerated, and transformed people will be the center. They will be God’s dwelling place and Christ’s counterpart, His bride, the New Jerusalem. Around the New Jerusalem as the center will be the restored and purified nations as the peoples on the new earth enjoying God’s blessing in His creation.
In the new heaven and new earth, the New Jerusalem will be the manifestation of God. Within the city God will be the light, and Christ, the Lamb, will be the lamp (Rev. 21:23). The New Jerusalem will be a golden lampstand shining out the Triune God over the nations. All the nations will walk in this light and will bring their glory and honor into the city (21:24, 26). This will be the complete fulfillment of the Lord’s word in Matthew 5:16. “Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in the heavens.” As the New Jerusalem, a universal, golden lampstand, shines forth the Triune God over the nations, the nations will enjoy this light and bring their glory and honor into the New Jerusalem. This should be the situation with the church today. The shining of the church is a shining by life and with life. The churches today are shining over the Gentiles by life, with life, and in life. This life is the life of the processed and consummated Triune God. The light shining out from the churches is the light of life (John 8:12). As we shine out the light of life over the unbelievers, they may walk in this light, even as the nations on the new earth will walk in the light of the New Jerusalem.
The nations on the new earth will enjoy the shining of the light of life from the Triune God in the New Jerusalem. They will enter into eternal life and they will be under the shining of eternal life, but they will not have eternal life in them. As the nations enjoy the shining of eternal life, they will bring their glory and honor to the shining New Jerusalem. Whereas the nations will enjoy the shining of eternal life, all the negative, rebellious ones will suffer eternal torment in the lake of fire.
My burden in this message has been to present a clear picture of biblical eschatology. The consummation of this eschatology has three elements: the New Jerusalem, the lake of fire, and the new earth between the New Jerusalem and the lake of fire.
The New Jerusalem is produced by God’s redemption, regeneration, sanctification, transformation, perfection, and glorification. In the New Jerusalem we shall enjoy, experience, and express the processed Triune God to the uttermost. Those who are in the New Jerusalem will constitute the first category of beings in the new heaven and new earth. God’s work to produce the beings in this category is His work of the new creation in the old creation.
The second category of beings will be the restored and purified nations. They will be produced by God’s work of restoration and purification on the old creation.
In addition to these two categories of beings, there will be a third category consisting of all those who have been cast into the lake of fire. Through God’s working, all of God’s rebellious creatures and all negative things will be swept into the lake of fire. They will remain there for eternity as a testimony of God’s righteousness. This is the reason God’s righteousness will dwell in the new heaven and new earth. Anyone who does not know God’s righteousness should consider the lake of fire. The lake of fire signifies God’s righteousness. All of God’s rebellious creatures will be punished and tormented in the lake of fire as the expression of God’s unlimited righteousness, whereas God’s life and glory will be manifested in the new heaven and the new earth, and especially on the new earth, through the New Jerusalem.