What’s New?
By Jerry Batson, Th.D.
Special to The Alabama Baptist
Since the beginning of this year, Theology 101 has sought to let the Bible give us answers to the theme question, What’s New? In our exploration of God’s new things, we took note of His new covenant and His new commandment. We have considered that God has provided the way to make us new creatures by means of a new birth which resulted in the new name, Christians. By virtue of the new birth, Christians possess a new heart and experience new mercies daily.
‘According to His promise’
Last week in continuing to pursue our theme, we gave attention to the future singing of a new song as set forth in the fifth chapter of Revelation.
Yet another aspect of that blessed future is this week’s topic of new heavens and a new earth. This prospect has its roots in the hope Isaiah voiced when he relayed “thus says the Lord” in these words: “Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth” (Isa. 65:17). This prophetic hope still awaits its future fulfillment.
This hope indeed became part of the early church’s anticipation of “the day of the Lord,” with the declaration voiced in 2 Pet. 3:13: “We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” In the Apostle John’s extensive vision of the future, he reported in the opening words of Revelation 21: “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (v. 1).
It seems fitting that these weeks of thinking about the theme, “What’s New?” should end with thinking about what lies ahead in eternity future. According to that promise passed on by the Apostle Peter, the new heavens and earth will be a place in which righteousness is the order of the day.
In his vision of the future, the Apostle John saw a new city descend from heaven to this new earth. What he saw was a city beloved and beautiful, ready and waiting for a marriage supper (Rev. 21:2).
Pondering additional particulars in this passage, we might note that this new city will be one in which God dwells with His redeemed people to be their God forevermore (21:3). God’s presence with His people means the absence of tears, death, sorrow, crying and pain because former things will have passed away and all things will have been made new (Rev. 21:4-5).
The final verse of Revelation 21 sets forth the reminder that the citizenry of the new earth will be “those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (v. 27).
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