Verse 1 also says, “And the sea is no more.” The sea is the result of the waters of judgment, the waters which God used to judge the pre-Adamic world. (See Life-study of Genesis, Message Two.) The work of God’s re-creation was to recover the land by restricting the waters which were the result of this judgment (Gen. 1:9-10; Jer. 5:22). The living creatures of the pre-Adamic world, after being judged by the waters, became the inhabitants of the sea. After they are dealt with by Christ and His believers (Matt. 8:29-32; Luke 10:17; Acts 16:16-18; 19:12) and the sea has given them up to the judgment of the great white throne (20:13), there will be no more need of the sea. From the time of God’s work of re-creation, God has intended to abolish the sea by dealing with Satan and his demons. Hence, to say “the sea is no more” indicates that Satan and his evil followers have all been dealt with and will not be found in the new heaven and new earth.
Isaiah 65:17 says, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” Here we see that the former things will not be remembered. God has a great ability to forget.
The new heaven and the new earth will remain before the eternal God, that is, remain forever (Isa. 66:22). To remain forever means to remain for eternity.
Second Peter 3:13 says, “But according to His promise we are expecting new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” Here we see that righteousness will dwell in the new heaven and new earth. This means that everything will be right, proper, and fitting and that there will be no more friction.
Verse 2 says, “And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” The New Jerusalem will come down to the new earth. After all God’s redeemed saints have been raptured to the heavens, they will be in the New Jerusalem, which will come down out of heaven from God. This indicates that our dwelling place for eternity will not be heaven, but will be the New Jerusalem on the new earth.
The New Jerusalem will come down as the Bride for Christ. This indicates that the New Jerusalem is not a material city; she is a corporate person, the Bride. This city will also be the tabernacle of God for His dwelling with man (v. 3). To Christ, this new city will be the Bride for His satisfaction; to God, it will be the tabernacle in which He will dwell and through which He will express Himself.
Verse 3 says, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall tabernacle with them, and they shall be His peoples, and God Himself shall be with them.” The “peoples” in this verse will be “the nations” in verse 24. There will be several peoples, and each corporate people will be a nation on the new earth. These nations which will surround the New Jerusalem will be restored, but they will not be regenerated. At that time, their rebellious nature will have been purged away. As the restored and purged nations, they will live outside the New Jerusalem and they will enjoy the common blessings in the new heaven and the new earth.
These common blessings are mentioned in verse 4: “And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain—they shall be no more; for the former things have passed away.” In the new heaven and new earth there will be no tears, no death, no sorrow, no crying, and no pain. In the new heaven and new earth there will be full satisfaction and rest; there will be no more cause for tears. Since death will be wholly swallowed up by life (1 Cor. 15:54) and cast into the lake of fire (20:14), in the new heaven and new earth there will be no more death. Death will be thrown into the “trash can,” the lake of fire, and the elements of death—sorrow, crying, and pain—will be abolished.