Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
The New Earth
Revelation 21:1 (NASB)
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
After the day of judgment before the white throne, when all of the unsaved are cast into the Lake of Fire, the earth we live on today will pass away and God will give to us a new Earth. The scripture says that there will no longer be any sea. I do not believe this is talking about seas as in great bodies of water.
The Bible often uses “land” to symbolize Israel or the Jewish people, and the “sea” to represent the gentile nations. We who are given the new earth will all be God’s children. There will be no gentile nations. There will be no sinners. So symbolically there will be no sea.
However, it is entirely possible there will be no great bodies of water. Today we need water to survive. Life as we know it cannot live without it. On the new Earth however, we will have our glorified bodies that will never die. We will no longer need water to survive so there may be no reason for God to put it on the new earth.
Contrary to a common teaching, the new earth will not be this earth remade. It will be an entirely new creation from God and will be many times larger than this planet. The Bible says God will place a new Jerusalem on the new earth. It will not be a city made by our hands, but by God’s, and placed on the new earth. The Bible gives us the size of this city.
Revelation 21:15-17 (NASB)
15 The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, twelve thousand stadia; its length, width, and height are equal. 17 And he measured its wall, 144 cubits, by human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.
A “stadia” is an ancient Greek unit of measure that equals about 185 meters (606.95 ft.). 12,000 stadia would be equal to about 2,220 Km (1,379.4 miles).
Because the city will be as tall as it is high, some believe it will be a pyramid shape. So I took a picture of the earth a placed a pyramid on it that would be pretty close to how large the city would be.
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
After the day of judgment before the white throne, when all of the unsaved are cast into the Lake of Fire, the earth we live on today will pass away and God will give to us a new Earth. The scripture says that there will no longer be any sea. I do not believe this is talking about seas as in great bodies of water.
The Bible often uses “land” to symbolize Israel or the Jewish people, and the “sea” to represent the gentile nations. We who are given the new earth will all be God’s children. There will be no gentile nations. There will be no sinners. So symbolically there will be no sea.
However, it is entirely possible there will be no great bodies of water. Today we need water to survive. Life as we know it cannot live without it. On the new Earth however, we will have our glorified bodies that will never die. We will no longer need water to survive so there may be no reason for God to put it on the new earth.
Contrary to a common teaching, the new earth will not be this earth remade. It will be an entirely new creation from God and will be many times larger than this planet. The Bible says God will place a new Jerusalem on the new earth. It will not be a city made by our hands, but by God’s, and placed on the new earth. The Bible gives us the size of this city.
Revelation 21:15-17 (NASB)
15 The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, twelve thousand stadia; its length, width, and height are equal. 17 And he measured its wall, 144 cubits, by human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.
A “stadia” is an ancient Greek unit of measure that equals about 185 meters (606.95 ft.). 12,000 stadia would be equal to about 2,220 Km (1,379.4 miles).
Because the city will be as tall as it is high, some believe it will be a pyramid shape. So I took a picture of the earth a placed a pyramid on it that would be pretty close to how large the city would be.
A city that large on a planet this size would be ridiculous. Especially when you consider the fact that our atmosphere only goes 30 miles up. A fair amount less than 1,379 miles. Not that we would need the atmosphere to survive mind you, as we will not be able to die, but we would still need the atmosphere to make life livable.
Take a look at the moon for example….
All of those craters you see in the picture? Those are due to asteroids or comets impacting the moon. Our atmosphere does not only give us air to breath, but it protects us from being constantly pelted by comets and asteroids. If a city that size was placed on a planet this size, that city would be destroyed.
To handle a city that size, the new earth would have to be hundreds of times larger than this one, at the least.
So the Lord will give us a new Earth that will be many many times larger. He will then place a new Jerusalem on that new earth. An amazing city created by the hands of God.
Revelation 21:18-21 (NASB)
18 The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundation stones of the city wall were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; 20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
However, we will not all be living in that city. This will be the capital city of the world. The Holy City where the highest citizens will live. We will spread out from that city and build nations and cities just like we did in this world. Only this time those places will all be governed under God and contain no sin.
The kings of the nations on the new earth will come and bring their glory into the New Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:24 (NASB)
24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
If there are kings, there will assuredly be servants.
Mark 9:35 (NASB)
35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and *said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
Mark 10:43-44 (NASB)
43 But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.
If there are kings and servants, there will also be many other positions and trades. There will be laborers and builders. There will be artists and entertainers. Designers, both architectural and interior and many others. The position and career you are given, the level of authority you receive in the New Earth will be according to how great your rewards are.
1 Corinthians 3:8 (NASB)
8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
2 John 8 (NASB)
8 Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.
Revelation 22:12 (NASB)
12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
The positions we receive will be forever, with no chance of moving up, for there will be no new births and nobody coming up from behind us to take our place. If you are an entertainer, you will be one forever. If you are a stone mason you will be one forever. If you are a servant, you will be one forever. The rewards you receive will be dependent upon your good deeds and your sin in this life.
Many have this image in their heads that we will all live the same life in heaven. They don't consider the fact that we will have new glorified bodies and not just be spirits. We will have bodies so we can live new lives. Our rewards will all be different. We will all be happy in the afterlife, but we will not all get to enjoy it to the same level.
Those who receive great rewards will have positions that afford them more time to enjoy life. They will have servants waiting on them. They will get to take longer vacations. Those who receive few rewards will be servants. They will serve those who receive great rewards. They will not be able to do as they please as often. They will not be able to enjoy the New Earth to its fullest. They will still be happy. They will live in the presence of God and never feel pain or suffer sorrow. They will even like doing what they do. They will be treated with love and kindness and have friends who love them. But they will still be servants and need to do what they are told. They will not be able to go experience the joys of the new Earth as often.
As time goes, we will likely develop new technology. New types of entertainment. Those who have greater rewards will get to enjoy these things more than those who receive few rewards. They will have more time to visit friends.
Those who receive great rewards will enjoy the New Earth to its fullest. Those who receive few rewards will not. Yet the lowest level of rewards will still be far greater than those who were not saved.
