The New Heavens & New Earth

After the first 1000 years of Christ’s reign has been

completed and the final rebellion put down, the
earth will be destroyed by fire along with most of its
inhabitants.

God will then completely restore both the earth and

the heavens surrounding it to their original
perfection (Revelation 20:4-7, Isaiah 24:6, Revelation 20:9, Isaiah
65:17, Revelation 21:1).

Why Do The Heavens Need To Be

Made New?
There is no scriptural evidence that the Heaven
where God lives needs renewing. There is no sin
there. However, there is much scriptural evidence
that the heavenly places surrounding this earth, our
atmosphere and beyond, are the abode of fallen
angels. It seems the very heavens surrounding our
earth’s atmosphere are infested with these fallen
beings and has been corrupted by sin. So the
heavens will need renewing along with the earth
(Revelation 12:9, Daniel 8:10, Ephesians 6:12).

The new earth will continue to be inhabited by all

the saved from down through the ages (Matthew 5:5,
Revelation 21:24, Psalm 115:16).

Death will finally be abolished in the new earth, and

all broken hearts will be healed. The inhabitants of
the New Earth will never again experience sickness,
pain, death or sorrow (Revelation 21:2-4).
But God’s great redemption will not be forgotten in
the new earth. The City that God will send down
from Heaven will be a visible reminder of it
(Revelation 21:10-27).

The names of the twelve tribes of Israel, the nation

through whom our redeemer came, will be written
upon the twelve gates of the Holy Jerusalem. Each
of these magnificent gates will be made of one great
pearl (Ezekiel 48:31-35, Revelation 21:21).

The wall of that city will have 12 foundations. Each

foundation will be made of a different precious
stone in which the names of the twelve Apostles of
the Lamb will be inscribed. The brightness of the
Holy Jerusalem will light the whole earth (Revelation
21:14, 23-24, Isaiah 60:19-20).

Those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book

of Life will be permitted to enter the city, and there
the saints will walk on streets made of pure gold
(Revelation 21:21, 27).

Yearly Reminders
The people of the new earth will observe new
moons and Sabbaths just as they did during the
millennium (Isaiah 66:22-23).

As the Feasts of the Lord, in the former times,

foretold Christ and God’s plan to redeem our souls
bodies and the earth, the new moons and Sabbaths
on the new earth will serve as reminders of God’s
great love, mercy and redemption (Exodus 12:14, Leviticus
23:21, Isaiah 66:22-23).

There will be one other act of remembrance

performed by the people of the new earth, a
reminder, not of God’s mercy, but of His justice.
Pilgrimages will be made to the one place on earth
that will not be made new.

The Lake of Fire, formed when hell enlarged itself

by moving up and breaking through to the surface
of the earth (on the day Christ returned), will
remain. And the land area surrounding it will
remain a desolate wasteland—forever. This will be
a grim reminder to all that God is a God of justice
as well as a God of mercy (Isaiah 14:9, 34:9-10, Ezekiel 47:11).

Indeed, it is impossible to display love and mercy

without the justice that, of necessity, must
accompany it. The people of the new earth will
make pilgrimages to this desolate area to look upon
the carcasses of those who will be cast into the Lake
of Fire (Isaiah 66:24, Revelation 14:9-11, 20:10, Mark 9:43-48).

The scriptures do not contradict themselves when

we are told, on the one hand, that the smoke of their
torment goes up forever and ever and on the other
hand they are called carcasses. The word carcass
accurately describes these suffering transgressors,
because the Bible consistently refers to people who
are separated from God through sin as dead (Matthew
8:22, Ephesians 2:1, 5, Colossians 2:13, 1 John 3:14, Revelation 3:1).

Those who will be consigned to the lake of fire,

those who will die twice, will not be preserved
whole, because their spirits will be taken from them
at the second death, and James tells us the body
without the spirit is dead. Their souls, which cannot
die, and their dead bodies, which will never be
consumed, will remain united in the lake of fire—
forever—but with no way to access the presence or
power of God. That will be their destruction (1
Thessalonians 5:23, James 2:26, Luke 16:23-24).

The soul is that hidden man that Peter spoke of, and
of which he said, “Is not corruptible.” That means it
cannot decay or cease to exist (1 Peter 3:4).

Those whose names are not written in the Lambs

Book of Life will be cut off, forever, from the
presence and power of the God who is the source of
all life (2 Thessalonians 1:9, Ephesians 2:1).

These carcasses will be in a constant state of decay,

and will burn forever, but will never be consumed
(Isaiah 66:24, Mark 9:43-48).

The people of the new earth will be able to

physically look upon the carcasses of these
transgressors. And they will do so with abhorrence.
The men and women who transgressed during the
time of God’s mercy and grace, who rejected the
salvation so freely offered, who rebelled after
having lived for 1000 years under the rule and reign
of Jesus Christ himself, are past redemption and
past pity. They are now looked upon, rightly, with
nothing but contempt (Isaiah 66:24).
There will be no brokenhearted wives, husbands,
fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, sisters, friends or
brothers sobbing over their fate. Jesus will have
thoroughly wiped those tears away when he made
all things new (Isaiah 65:17, Revelation 21:4).
If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your
personal savior, or if you are unsure of your
salvation—please make certain of it now—Repent
of your sins. Ask God to forgive you of your sins
and save you through faith in his risen son today—
right now. There will be no second chances when
this life is over. This is it (Hebrews 9:27, Luke 12:16-21, Romans
10:9-10, 13).

The scriptures say, “Take heed to the things we have

heard, lest at any time we should drift away from
them. For if a word spoken by angels was certain
and every transgression received a fair repayment:
How shall we escape…if we neglect so great a
salvation?”

Chapter Review:
 • Why will the heavens need renewing along
with the earth (Revelation 12:9, Daniel 8:10, Ephesians
6:12)?
• Who will inhabit the earth forever (Matthew 5:5,
Revelation 21:24, Psalm 115:16)?
• Will the brightness of the Holy Jerusalem
light only part of the earth (Revelation 21:14, 23-24,
Isaiah 60:19-20)?
• Who will be permitted to enter the city
where saints will walk on streets made of
pure gold (Revelation 21:21, 27)?
• Will new moons and Sabbaths be observed
by the people of the new earth (Isaiah 66:22-23)?
• What will serve as a grim reminder for the
people of the new earth (Isaiah 14:9, 34:9-10, Ezekiel
47:11)?
• How do the scriptures refer to people who
are separated from God through sin (Matthew
8:22, Ephesians 2:1, 5, Colossians 2:13, 1 John 3:14, Revelation
3:1)?
• According to 1 Peter 3:4, can the soul cease to
exist?
• According to Hebrews 9:27, are there any more
chances to accept Christ after we die?

Are you reading your Bible daily, always picking up

today where you left off yesterday? If not, the book of
John is a good place to start. A King James Bible with no
chapter headings or footnotes is recommended.

This is an excerpt from the book Redemption: Bible

Prophecy Simplified by Jocelyn Andersen available
FREE for Download at
www.Lulu.com/JocelynAndersen
When We Come To Christ
When we come to Christ, does God require us to
give up the cultural identity and heritage we were
born into?

Absolutely not!

But everyone who does come to Christ should be

willing to give up everything that will hinder the
development of his or her new identity in, and
service to, Jesus.

When we surrender our lives to Christ, we no longer

belong to ourselves but to the God of Heaven and
the Father of our Lord (as in master) Jesus Christ
who purchased us with his own blood. We are not
our own—for we have been bought with a great
price (1 Corinthians 6:20).

In the book of Genesis, we see Abraham being

instructed to leave his country, his kindred, and his
Father’s house to go to an unknown land that God
would show him.

That could not have been easy for Abraham. He

lived in a culture where family ties and
responsibilities meant a great deal, but, none-the-
less, he was obedient to his God in this command.

Abraham was neither asked nor required to adopt

the ways and trappings of another cultural Identity
when he chose to follow God. But he was required
to allow God to develop his life and lifestyle into
something completely new.
When we come to Christ, the scriptures say old
things are passed away... and all things are become
new. We become a completely new creation and are
instructed to walk in newness of life.

At some point in time most of our ancestors

followed an old way. When following the old way,
if a new God or spirit were introduced, wasn’t the
proper worship of, or way of relating to that entity
sought and adhered to?

Why then, would we not be willing to do the same

for our Redeemer and Creator, the great God of the
universe, the one True God, Christ Jesus?

In Acts chapter 19:17-19, we see new believers

entering their new life in Christ with a healthy fear
of God. We witness them enthusiastically bringing
items which were used in “curious arts” i.e., occult
(demon worship—“old ways”) and burning them.

These Christians had no desire to retain anything of

the old ways that had never been able to bring life.

We would be wise to follow their example as we

examine and carefully evaluate some of the things
we allow ourselves to come into contact with and
become influenced by (via our old life and
activities, our associations, our possessions, and
various forms of media we allow ourselves to be
exposed to).

The cultural situation we were born into constitutes

a large part of who we are, but being a New
Creation in Christ supersedes even that.
Absolutely everything in the life of a Christian is
superceded by the new identity now possessed in
Christ—regardless of what earthly culture one is
born into.

Whether we are black, white, Jew, Gentile, Native

American, Asian…, the list can go on and on, if we
love tradition and the ways of our earthly culture
more than Jesus, if we choose to identify with our
earthly culture more than Jesus...

He tells us we are not worthy of him.

If we love this world and the things it contains

(including the cultural heritage we were born into)
more than Jesus…

The love of the Father is not in us.

Just as Joshua challenged the children of Israel

before they crossed over into the Promised Land,
the Spirit of God challenges us today to, “Choose
you this day...”

Do you love your Savior enough to examine the

things you may have held dear, even sacred, your
entire life? Would you like to be able to say, along
with Peter, “Behold, we have forsaken all and
followed thee…?”

Are you willing to give up everything for Jesus?

He gave up everything for you.