Lesson 51 — The New Heaven and the New Earth

1. 1 THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH

The New Heaven and the New Earth

Revelation 21:1–22

The Earth’s Third and Eternal Sinless Career

Revelation 21:1–22

The Earth Made Perfect the Third Time (Rev. 21–22)

Revelation 21:1–22

(Age of the Ages or the Eternal Perfect State)

Under these headings we shall consider the eternal conditions on the New Earth in particular and other eternal things in general. The Age of the Ages is the age of endless ages, one age within another and one age after another, forever. It is the time of the Earth’s third perfect state and sinless career under the redeemed rulers of coming generations.

We have covered somewhat in detail the seven dispensational periods of God’s dealings with fallen man and have found that God has been merciful and longsuffering with all rebels, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance 2 Peter 3:9. God has tested man and will yet try him under every necessary test before the final restitution of all things. He does this to prove to man that He is just in demanding that all free wills become submissive to Him as the proper means of attaining eternal security and happiness. God has fully demonstrated that man is a failure apart from His grace and help. He has given man ample time to learn this, so after the Millennium He will usher in a new and eternal perfect state, for the good of eternal generations to come according to His eternal plan. By the end of the Millennium it will be the right time in His plan to destroy all rebels, sin and death, and to remove the curse. His plan at that time will be to take all who have submitted to His will and purged their wills through grace of all possibility of rebellion and restore them to the original state of replenishing the Earth and subduing it as before the Fall. Thus, we see that the fall of man did not change God’s eternal plan, but merely delayed the fulfillment of it. By the time the Millennium has ended God will have used the Fall and His dispensational dealings with man to further and perfect His plan. Innumerable people will have been redeemed and glorified as immortal beings to help God administer the affairs of the universe and rule all coming generations. Man will no longer be placed on probation to see if he will obey God, for he will have gone through all the testings necessary and will have proven himself true to God. He will be worthy and ready to be placed in an eternal state to live faithful to God as he did during the probationary periods. This age may be called The Dispensation of the Redeemed for Earth’s government will be administered by the redeemed and it will be a success forever. There will be no more dispensational failure, for the redeemed and natural man will have been purged of any possibility of failure, as we have seen in Lesson One, Point VII.

II. The New Heaven and the New Earth Revelation 21:1–22

(End of the Earth’s Second Sinful Career—the Earth Made Perfect the Third Time)

The New Heaven and the New Earth are the result of the renovation by fire of 2 Pet. 3:10-13. The destruction of the old sinful order on Earth will end and the renovation by fire will be the last time in all eternity that any part of the universe will be marred by sin and rebellion of the creatures therein. All things concerning the eternal perfect state cannot be known, but there are scores of Scriptures which speak of eternal things. If we are to believe what is plainly written concerning eternal things on this Earth, then we can know much concerning the eternal state, but if we reject what is plainly stated we have no basis of knowledge at all and shall remain in ignorance through our own choice. If we believe the Bible is the Word of God, then we can certainly take God at His Word when He speaks in scores of passages concerning eternal conditions on this Earth. The following studies will be helpful to a more complete understanding of the eternal future. We shall list only those eternal events that are not dealt with in the two previous lessons on the Millennium and renovation of the Earth. It will be well for the student to review these lessons before studying the following eternal things.

III. New Lands Revelation 21:1

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” Are we to understand that there will be no more water on the Earth after it is renovated? That this is not the thought of this passage is clear from many other passages in the Bible. The passage merely tells of the great change that will take place in the large oceans on the Earth at the time the Earth “passed away” or is “changed” from one condition to another as proven in the previous lesson. The thought is that the large oceans covering about three-fourths of the Earth will be no more, having been evaporated by the “fervent heat” when the Earth is renovated. In other words, the waters which fell from the heavens and came out of the deep to cover the Earth at the time of chaos Genesis 1:2 will again be put back into the heavens and in the deep bowels of the Earth and the Earth will be renewed to its original state as before the Fall of Lucifer, and before the first rebellion of the Earth against God.

There will be an abundance of rivers, lakes, and small seas on the Earth forever as proven by the following:

1. Seas and isles are definitely mentioned in the eternal reign of the Messiah Psalms 72:8-10, 17Psalms 97:1-6Isaiah 42:4, 10Isaiah 66:19-21Zechariah 9:10Ezekiel 47:1-23.

2. Rivers are also mentioned Ezekiel 47:1-12, 18Zechariah 9:10Zechariah 14:8Revelation 22:1-3.

3. Some seas were originally created with the Earth to be eternal and will last as long as Israel, the sun, moon, and the Earth itself Jeremiah 5:22Jeremiah 31:35, 36Psalms 146:6Proverbs 8:29Acts 4:24Acts 14:15Revelation 14:7.

4. An abundance of water on the Earth will be necessary to fulfill prophecies speaking of fruitful seasons and waters springing up in the desert Genesis 8:22Amos 5:8Amos 9:6Job 38:4-16, 22Psalms 104:5-14, 24.

This evaporation of the large oceans will mean that millions of square miles of land will be reclaimed and made habitable for coming generations of natural people.

IV. The New Jerusalem Revelation 21:2–22

The next thing that John saw in his vision of the New Heaven and the New Earth was the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven to an eternal site on the New Earth. The following is an outline study of the city, its names, age, source, preparation, location, measurements, outward appearance, materials, walls, foundations, buildings, lighting and water system, traffic, restrictions, food, inhabitants, and rulers.

1. 1 The Names of the City Revelation 3:12Revelation 21:2John 14:1-3Hebrews 12:22-23. There are many names for the city and they are all significant and express various ideas concerning the capital of the universe. These names are as follows:

(1) The New Jerusalem Revelation 3:12Revelation 21:2. The word “New” simply means that the city is kept fresh, clean, pure, and new in appearance by the presence of God.

(2) The Holy City Revelation 21:2Revelation 22:19. The word “Holy” simply means that it is a pure, clean, and a holy city consecrated to the holiness of God and all social systems in the universe.

(3) The Bride the Lamb’s Wife Revelation 21:2, 19. It is called this because the city will be the eternal home of all the redeemed where they will live in eternal union with God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and faithful angels. The redeemed inhabitants have been purchased by the blood of Christ. They will become inhabitants of that city through His redemption. All the redeemed are united to Christ and therefore are spoken of as being married to Him even now, as we shall see in the next lesson.

(4) The Tabernacle of God Revelation 13:6Revelation 15:5Revelation 21:3. The city is called by this name because it is the place of God’s throne and it is where He personally lives and reigns (See Lesson Forty-one, Point VIII, 1 and 5, (2) for a study of the temple of God).

(5) The Great City Revelation 21:10. It is called by this name because it is the largest, most magnificent, wonderful city in all of creation. It is great because it is the universal capital of the Great God.

(6) The Holy Jerusalem Revelation 21:10. This name pictures again the absolute purity and holiness of the city of God.

(7) The Heavenly Jerusalem Hebrews 12:22-23. This name simply portrays the fact that the city is in Heaven; that is, it is an heavenly city and not an earthly one. There is a heavenly city called Jerusalem and there is an earthly city also by that name. The earthly Jerusalem will be the headquarters of Christ and His reign on the Earth and the seat of the world government, and the heavenly Jerusalem is the capital of the whole universe. Paul speaks of the Jerusalem that is above as being free and the mother of us all; that is, we are all born-again by God who lives and reigns in the Heavenly Jerusalem Galatians 4:19-31.

(8) The City of the Living God Hebrews 12:22-23. This expresses the truth that the New Jerusalem belongs to God, the Living God, and that He owns it as well as all other parts of the vast creations.

(9) My Father’s House John 14:1-3. Here Jesus calls the New Jerusalem “my Father’s house.” He speaks of it as containing many mansions. Not only are there many mansions, but there are streets, fountains of water, rivers, furniture and other material things that make the city a real place for people to live, as much as any city on the Earth.

Some Bible students argue that there is no real city with mansions in Heaven. They say that the saints are the mansions referred to by Jesus. They cannot seem to be able to believe in a real material city with streets, homes, fountains, and other things that make real living for the heavenly inhabitants. The Bible is clear on the subject, but if men do not want to believe what it says they will have to remain in ignorance. If men choose to be ignorant on any Bible question, they will simply have to remain ignorant 1 Corinthians 14:38.

As we have seen in Lesson Forty-two, Heaven is a real place, a real country, a real planet, and a material land just like the Earth. We have listed previously in this lesson many real and material things in Heaven. Nearly all of Rev. 21-22 pictures the reality of Heaven and the New Jerusalem and many things therein.

Some years ago I knew a brilliant young preacher who was destined to make a mark for God in the world. He was climbing high in religious circles of a certain denomination. The only fault that was apparent was that he became too worldly smart to believe the simple and literal statements of Scripture. He began to reason that the Bible was a spiritual, heavenly, and symbolic book. One time in an argument with Him concerning the New Jerusalem and the mansions in Heaven he contended that the mansions were the saints and that the city was symbolic of the Church. It was impossible to reason with him because there was no common ground of reasoning. When one man believes the simplicity of the Bible and another rejects the Bible as being literally true, there can be no common ground for agreement between the two.

This young man went East and made a great success in the church world due to the fact that most church members have been taught that the more mysterious and spiritualized the Bible can be made the more receptive they should be to such teachings.

One day I picked up a religious paper that announced the death of this young man. His wife told how that on his death bed he saw the most beautiful city that he was going into. He described the city in detail. I said to my wife, “It is too bad that men have to die before they get sense enough to believe the Bible.” This young minister became a believer in the literalness of the Bible in his dying hours when he could have believed it all of his life and could have been a greater blessing to others.

It is most ridiculous to argue that the saints are the mansions that Jesus spoke about. Let us read Jn. 14:1-3 in the manner that this young man and many other teachers would have us believe: “In my Father’s house [the Father Himself] are many mansions [saints]: if it were not so, I would have told you [mansions]. I go to prepare a place [saints] for you [mansions]. And if I go and prepare a place [saints] for you [mansions], I will come again, and receive you [mansions] unto myself; that where I am, there ye [mansions] may be also.” Does this make good sense? Certainly not!

It would be just as foolish for us to make the New Jerusalem a symbol of the Church. Suppose we read everything pictured in Rev. 21-22 as symbolic of the Church. One can see for himself how utterly foolish such a passage would be. What could walls, gates, foundations, streets, a river, trees of life, and the many details of the city symbolize about the Church? One might as well throw the Bible away and give up all hope of having any understanding of it if he is going to do away with the plain, literal, sane, and simple understanding of what is plainly written in it. A God that could not make Himself clear in human language so that we can believe what He says would be no God at all. One cannot retain this perverted concept of God and the Bible and still claim a clear understanding of truth.

On the other hand, how literally clear is everything in Scripture if we understand what is written in the same sense that we would if we found it in another book! The description of the city, the New Jerusalem, is too detailed to spiritualize it and do away with the literal meaning of a real city, so let us be sensible and take the Bible as it was intended to be read. If it says there is a real city in Heaven let us believe that God knows what He is talking about. He should know whether there is a city or not since He made all things and since He lives in Heaven. If we cannot believe what He says on this question, we cannot believe Him on other questions. The rejection of any one thing that God says is to make Him a liar and unreliable in what He says on other questions.

1. 1 The Source and Origin of the New Jerusalem Revelation 3:12Revelation 21:2, 10John 14:1-3Galatians 4:26Hebrews 9:11Hebrews 11:10-16Hebrews 12:22. These passages speak of God being the Architect, Builder, and Owner of the Holy City (which is now in Heaven but will be moved from Heaven to the Earth after the Millennium) and of the city being prepared as the home of the redeemed of all ages. The city had its beginning in the mind of God sometime in the dateless past. When it was originally created is not known and all speculation about it is pointless. We do know that it is a real city, that it was built by God, and that it will always be the capital city of God.

1. 1 The Preparation of the New Jerusalem Revelation 21:2John 14:1-3Hebrews 11:10-16Hebrews 13:14. These passages simply state that the saints will have a part in the Holy City and that such a place is now being prepared for them. This fact alone proves that the saints are not the mansions or the city, as is taught by some. Jesus promised that He was going away to prepare a place for the saints in His Father’s house. Paul stated that all the Old Testament saints and the present Church saints were not that city but that they were looking forward to becoming a part of it Hebrews 11:8-16Hebrews 13:14. This is definite proof that the saints are not the New Jerusalem. They could not look for the city to become a part of it and still be the city.

1. 1 The Eternal Location of the New Jerusalem Revelation 3:12Revelation 21:2, 9Revelation 22:1-5. These passages state that the Holy City will be transplanted from Heaven to the Earth after the Millennium to be among men forever. The eternal location will be on the Earth.

1. 1 The Outward Appearance of the New Jerusalem Revelation 21:11. The Holy City is described as being adorned as a bride for her husband; as having the glory of God, as being like a precious stone, clear as crystal; as having a jasper wall around the city about 300 feet high; as having twelve large pearl gates on which are written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; as having twelve angels at each of the great gates which are not closed day or night; as being foursquare with three gates on each side, as having twelve foundations and on them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb; as being 1,500 miles square and 1,500 miles high; as having the foundations garnished with all manner of precious stones; as having streets of gold like transparent glass, and as having rivers, trees, fountains of waters, and the glory of God for the light of it. The city itself is pure gold, like unto clear glass.

Thus, from Scripture we can conclude that the city is not a cube, for a wall would be of no value around a cube, which itself would have four sides 1,500 miles high. From all the statements in Scripture it is clear that the city is a series of mountain peaks, beginning inside the walls as low foothills and increasing in height until the highest peak is 1,500 miles high. On the highest part is built the heavenly tabernacle or capital building where God sits as the Supreme Moral Governor of the Universe. It was after the patterns of this tabernacle that Moses made his earthly tabernacle Hebrews 8:5Hebrews 9:23. On the mountains and in the valleys are built the many mansions of Jn. 14:1-3. There are living fountains of waters springing up through the city and rivers of water, clear as crystal, as we shall see below. That the city is built on mountains is clear from Lesson Forty-five, Point III, 4, (4).

The floor of the throne room itself is like a sea of glass, clear as crystal, and of unknown dimensions, but it is very large or it could not contain upon it at one time the innumerable company of tribulation saints, as pictured in Rev. 7:9-17; 15:2-4. There is an immense banquet hall where the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and other large banquets will be held throughout eternity.

These facts, with those in Lesson Forty-two concerning Heaven, prove that Heaven is a real planet and the New Jerusalem a real city. The greatness and grandeur of Heaven and the capital city of the universe cannot be fully comprehended, but sufficient facts are given in Scripture to enable all men to understand that there is to be a real life in the most perfect environment possible for all those who will love God and conform to His plan in this life.

1. 1 The Walls, Gates, and Foundations of the New Jerusalem Revelation 21:12-14Hebrews 11:10-26. The walls are 144 cubits high or about 300 feet if we take a cubit to be 25 inches. The gates are solid pearls and the foundations are garnished with the most precious stones in creation. The city must rest on the ground for there would be no need of foundations for a city suspended in the air. The gates are open day and night to permit the people of the nations on Earth to traffic in the city Revelation 21:23-27.

1. 1 The Measurements of the New Jerusalem Revelation 21:15-17. The city is l,500 miles square and 1,500 miles high with a wall 300 feet high all around the city. The city lies foursquare at the base and towers like a series of mountain peaks, as explained above. The New Jerusalem site in Heaven is called Mount Zion in Heb. 12:22-23; Rev. 14:1. This evidently refers to the highest mountain peak of the city on which the capitol building is located.

1. 1 The Materials of the New Jerusalem Revelation 21:10-21. The materials of the city are gold and precious stones of various kinds.

1. 1 The Age of the New Jerusalem Revelation 21:2. It is called “new” (Greek, kainos, “new in freshness and character,” not neos, “new in age”) for it is kept new and fresh by the very presence of God. The actual age of the city is unknown. It might have been created with the Heaven and the Earth. It has been the location of God’s throne ever since Heaven was created Psalms 11:4Psalms 93:2Psalms 103:19Isaiah 6:1Isaiah 14:12-14Isaiah 66:1Revelation 4:2-10Revelation 5:1-13Revelation 7:9-17Revelation 8:3Revelation 22:1-3. It was in existence when man was created, for all saints from the time of Abel have looked for it Hebrews 11:8-16Hebrews 13:14.

1. 1 The Streets of the New Jerusalem Revelation 21:21. The singular number in this passage does not mean that there is only one street in the city any more than the same statement does in Rev. 11:8. There are at least twelve great broadways in the city for there are twelve great gates to the city and men traffic through these gates into the city. John is describing only one of the streets so we can understand what all the rest are like. They are all made of pure gold, transparent and clear as glass.

1. 1 The Buildings of the New Jerusalem John 14:1-3Revelation 3:12Revelation 7:15Revelation 11:19Revelation 14:15, 17Revelation 15:1-8Revelation 16:1, 17. John’s statement in Rev. 21:22, “I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it” could not possibly mean that there will be no literal temple in the New Jerusalem, for there is one as proven in the above passages. The idea is that no material temple or shrine will be in the city as an object of worship, or a place for people to make pilgrimages to, or worship in, but all people will worship God and the Lamb in Spirit and in truth as the true sanctuary and objects of worship.

1. 1 The Light of the New Jerusalem Revelation 21:23, 25Revelation 22:5. The light of the city will surpass the light of the sun, moon, and stars. We have seen that the light of the sun and moon will be increased during the Millennium Isaiah 30:26, so if the glory of God outshines this new light of the sun and moon it will be wonderful beyond words. These passages do not teach that the sun and moon will not shine, but that in this particular city there will be no need for them, for there will be a greater light—the glory of God. Neither do these passages teach that there will be no sun and moon in the rest of the Earth, for they will shine forever and day and night will not cease on Earth Genesis 8:22Psalms 89:2-3, 29Jeremiah 31:35-36. This light of the New Jerusalem will radiate from God’s throne on the highest peak of the city—1,500 miles high—and give light to all the city below. It is beyond the imagination of man to picture how marvelous will be the dazzling light from the glory of God shining on this city of transparent gold and decked with all manner of precious stones and pearls. Whether this glory will be the full brightness that God lives in now as stated in 1 Tim. 6:16 is not clear, but it will be brighter than the brightest sunlight possible, as is stated in Rev. 21:23-25.

1. 1 The Water of the New Jerusalem Revelation 22:1. There will be an abundance of water in the city. Twelve great rivers running from the great throne of God 1,500 miles high down to the base of the city and in the middle of the twelve great broadways into the different parts of the Earth. Besides these rivers there will be an abundance of living fountains of waters and smaller streams throughout the city. Every mansion no doubt will have its own water system springing up perpetually. Imagine the beauty of the glory of God shining on the living fountains and rivers as pictured in Rev. 7:17; 14:7; 22:1. From the midst of the fountains there will be gorgeous colors in the glory of God like rainbows on Earth.

1. 1 The Inhabitants of the New Jerusalem John 14:1-3Hebrews 11:10-16Hebrews 12:22Hebrews 13:14Revelation 3:12Revelation 12:12Revelation 13:5Revelation 21:2-5, 9Revelation 22:3-4. It can be seen from these passages that God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, angels, redeemed glorified saints, seraphim, cherubim, and other heavenly folk will inhabit the city. Earthly and natural people will not live in the city. They will merely traffic in the city as we shall see below. The city is called “the bride, the Lamb’s wife,” for it is “prepared” for the glorified saints and the faithful angels as an eternal home.

1. 1 The Traffic in the New Jerusalem Revelation 21:24-27. Natural people of the nations who live through the Millennium and who do not rebel with Satan against God at the end of the Millennium will be permitted to enter the New Earth to plant, harvest, build, multiply and replenish the Earth as Adam and his seed would have done if they had not fallen. These people will traffic in the New Jerusalem and walk in its light and their kings will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it forever.

1. 1 The Food of the New Jerusalem Revelation 2:7, 17Revelation 19:1-10Revelation 22:2Psalms 78:25Luke 22:15-18, 28. These passages teach that even glorified saints will eat in the next life. The overcomer is promised “the tree of life,” “the hidden manna,” “the fruit of the vine” and “the Passover Lamb” in the next life. The inhabitants of the New Jerusalem will “eat and drink” at Christ’s table in His kingdom and enjoy foods that they have never enjoyed in this world. There will be rows of trees of life 1,500 miles long on both sides of the twelve great rivers of water running through the middle of the twelve great broadways. The trees of life bear twelve kinds of fruit and the leaves of the trees will be for the preservation of natural life for the peoples of the natural nations throughout all the eternal generations to come. Besides this, there will be an abundance of fruit from the different fruit trees throughout the Earth Ezekiel 47:1-12.

1. 1 Restrictions of the New Jerusalem Revelation 21:27Revelation 22:14-15. No dogs, sorcerers, whoremongers, murderers, idolaters, liars, or anything that defileth will ever enter into the city, but they which are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, those who enter the New Earth from the Millennial Age, and those that will be born in all eternity.

1. 1 Rulers of the New Jerusalem Revelation 22:3-5. The Great God, His Son, and the Spirit will rule from this city over the entire universe and the free moral agents therein.

The following arguments prove that there will be natural men on this earth forever and that all natural life will continue in all eternity as God intended when He created such life on the earth:

1. 1 In Isa. 66:22-24 God assures Israel that they shall be an earthly people forever. “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.” The Hebrew word for “seed” is Zera, meaning “seed, fruit, plant or posterity.” It is used 273 times in the Old Testament and in every case it means natural seed, whether seed sown in the ground or the natural seed of man Isaiah 59:21.

1. 1 The phrase “all flesh” in Isa. 66:22-24 further proves that natural men will continue in the New Earth and will come to worship God in the new moons and sabbaths. The Hebrew for “flesh” is basar, meaning “flesh,” “skin,” “nakedness” or “body.” It is used 252 times and always means natural flesh or animal life.

1. 1 In Rev. 21:3-4, 24-26 the men and nations mentioned are natural peoples for the tabernacle of God comes down to dwell among men and God shall wipe away all tears, etc. Such could not be true if these men were the glorified saints, for God has been dwelling among them for 1,000 years already and He has wiped away all tears from their eyes 1,000 years before these Scriptures are fulfilled.

1. 1 The Earth was created to be inhabited by natural beings and natural man was promised the Earth as an eternal inheritance from the very beginning Exodus 32:13Psalms 25:13Psalms 37:9-11, 22Psalms 69:36Psalms 82:8Isaiah 60:21Matthew 5:5Matthew 25:34. These passages were spoken to earthly people and will be fulfilled when earthly people inherit the Earth after the Millennium. Glorified saints will reign as kings and priests under Christ over these earthly peoples forever Daniel 7:13-14, 18Isaiah 9:6-7Luke 1:32-351 Corinthians 6:2Revelation 5:9-10Revelation 11:15Revelation 20:4-10. People who live on Earth during the Millennium will not be glorified and enter into the same privileges as the saints who have part in the first resurrection and who were glorified before the Millennium. For if the earthly people were glorified, then who would be the subjects of the eternal kingdom that Christ and the pre-millennial glorified saints reign over? Who would marry and reproduce the natural generations of men on the eternal Earth, as required in Point 6, below?

1. 1 God created man to live forever in the natural body, as is clear from the fact that man would have lived a natural life forever if he had not sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The penalty for man’s sin was death—physical, spiritual and eternal death. However, the fall of man did not cause God to change His original and eternal plan for man on the Earth. God cannot in the end suffer a defeat, so He turned man’s Fall into a blessing by His plan to gather out of the race during the period of the Fall an heavenly people to reign over the natural people, who will be redeemed from the Fall and all its effects after the Millennium. The fall of man simply delayed the original purpose of God, but because of the delay God gained more than He would have gained otherwise. As it is now, God will have an heavenly resurrected and glorified people who will reign over the coming generations of natural people. If the Fall had not come all men would have continued as natural people forever and there would have been no class of glorified saints from the human race to help God administer the affairs of the universe forever. After the Millennium, natural man will be fully redeemed and will live on the New Earth just as Adam did before the Fall, to carry out God’s original purpose of replenishing the Earth with natural people Genesis 1:27-31Genesis 9:12Isaiah 45:18.

1. 1 The Bible plainly declares there will be eternal generations of natural peoples (Gen. 9:12; 13:15; 17:7-8, 19; Exod. 3:15; 12:14, 42; 27:21; 30:8, 21; 31:16; 40:15; Lev. 3:17; 6:18; 10:9; 17:7; 23:14, 21, 31, 41; 24:3; 25:30; Num. 10:8; 15:15; 18:23; Deut. 5:29; 12:28; 28:46; 29:29; 2 Sam. 7:24-29; 1 Chron. 23:25; Ps. 12:7; 45:17; 72:5; 79:13; 89:4; 100:5; 102:12, 24; 106:31; 119:90; 135:13; 145:13; 146:10; Isa. 9:6-7; 51:8; 59:21; Jer. 31:35-36; 32:38-40; Ezek. 37:24-28; Lam. 5:19; Dan. 2:44-45; 4:3, 34; 7:13-18; Joel 3:20; Lk. 1:32-35, 55; Rev. 5:10; 11:15).

We will quote a few of the above passages, all of which were uttered by God, thus proving that God Himself says that there will be eternal generations of natural people on the earth, as would have been the case, if man had not fallen.

“And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations” Genesis 9:12.

“For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever . . . “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee . . . And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God” Genesis 13:15Genesis 17:7-8.

“Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God” Deuteronomy 12:28.

“For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, Lord, art become their God . . . And now, O Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said . . . Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever” 2 Samuel 7:24, 25.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulders: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace . . . Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” Isaiah 9:6, 7.

“As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever” Isaiah 59:21.

“Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name; . . . If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever” Jeremiah 31:35-36.

“And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever . . . Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore . . . My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people . . . And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore” Ezekiel 37:25-28.

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever . . . Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure” Daniel 2:44, 45.

“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him . . . And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed . . . But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever” Daniel 7:13, 14.

“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: . . . And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” Luke 1:32, 33.

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever . . . And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever” Revelation 11:15Revelation 22:5.

The Plan of God in a Nutshell

If one can conceive of the wonderful conditions that would have been on the Earth today if man had not fallen and then transfer that idea to the New Earth, he would have the whole plan of the Bible in a nutshell, as far as the future is concerned. The fall of man does not do away with God’s original purpose. It has only postponed this purpose until the final restitution of all things, as explained in Point VIII, below. In other words, if man had not fallen natural life would have continued forever with children being born throughout eternity. Animals would have continued to be born and utilized by man for his own good. There would have been no thorns and thistles or curse of any kind on the Earth as we know it at the present time. There would have been no suffering, pain, tears, failures, sin, death, or any of the present effects of man’s rebellion. Certainly every man can conceive of these wonderful conditions on the Earth if man had not sinned. These perfect and sinless conditions would have been eternal for as long as man remained true to God.

If one can conceive of these eternal perfect conditions, he can also conceive of the same thing in the New Earth when the curse is removed and natural man continues the original program of God forever, as would have come to pass if man had never fallen. What is hard to understand about this glorious natural state in the New Earth, since it is clear that this same condition would have continued forever if man had not fallen?

Even if man had remained true to God and had not fallen He did not plan to resurrect men and give them heavenly bodies. Neither is God going to resurrect, change from natural to spiritual bodies, and make the future natural men spiritual and heavenly in body. The men who will not rebel with Satan at the end of the Millennium will continue on the Earth forever as natural people. It is only the rebels at the end of the Millennium that will be destroyed from the Earth. By that time it will be possible to live forever in natural bodies just as man could have done if he had not sinned, for the curse will be removed with all of its effects just as if man had never sinned. Then men will live in natural bodies forever and carry out the original creative purpose in replenishing the Earth and continuing natural life on the Earth. During the present curse, God is getting through a refining process, an heavenly people out of the race to reign over all coming generations of natural people.

Besides all the Scriptures proving eternal generations of natural people, there are three passages speaking of a thousand generations, which is a Hebraism for “perpetual generations” Deuteronomy 7:9Psalms 105:8. In Ps. 90:10 Moses speaks of our years as being from seventy to eighty. If the thousand generations were to be calculated on this basis we should have the continuance of the human race for 70,000 to 80,000 years. This would be about as hard to conceive of as eternal generations. Then too, where in Scripture are we told that the generations are to cease after this long period? The word “generation” (singular and plural) is used 213 times in the Bible and in every case except in Gen. 2:4, it is used of natural generations of men and their multiplying posterity in the Earth.

The references in the following points are just as clear as those mentioned above and need no interpretation. However, many of them have been postponed until the time of the repentance and restoration of the persons who failed after the promises were made. Nevertheless, none of these passages have been annulled, nor will they ever be.

1. 1 In the Bible there are a number of eternal covenants with natural men and beasts. Such could not possibly be true if both parties of the covenants were not eternal Genesis 9:16Genesis 17:7, 19Exodus 31:16Leviticus 24:8Numbers 18:192 Samuel 23:5Psalms 105:10Psalms 111:5, 9Isaiah 55:3Isaiah 61:8Jeremiah 32:40Jeremiah 50:4-5Ezekiel 16:20Ezekiel 37:26.

1. 1 Eternal lands were promised to Abraham and his natural posterity forever. His natural seed must remain forever in order for this to be fulfilled Genesis 13:15Genesis 17:6-8Genesis 49:4Exodus 32:12-13Leviticus 25:23, 30Deuteronomy 4:40John 14:29Isaiah 60:21Jeremiah 25:25Luke 1:32-35Matthew 19:28.

1. 1 The Scriptures abundantly prove that David’s natural seed, his earthly throne and kingdom with its earthly subjects are all eternal and will be ruled by Christ forever (2 Sam. 7:11-17, 24-29; 22:51; 23:5; 1 Ki. 2:45; 9:3-5; 1 Chron. 17:7-15, 22-27; 22:10; 28:4-9; 2 Chron. 13:5; 21:7; Ps. 89:3, 4, 35-37; 145:13; Isa. 9:6-7; Ezek. 43:7-9; Dan. 2:44, 45; 7:13, 14, 18-27; Mic. 4:7; Lk. 1:32-35; Heb. 1:8; 12:28; Rev. 11:15; 22:5).

1. 1 Planting and harvesting, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will go on while the earth remains Genesis 8:22Psalms 104:5Ecclesiastes 1:4Isaiah 65:21-25Micah 4:3-4Joel 2:18–3. Certainly glorified saints will not be the ones to plow, sow, reap, and enjoy the fruits of their labors, for they are the ruling class. It will be the natural people who go from the Tribulation period into the Millennium and from the Millennium into the New Earth that will plant and harvest forever on the Earth. They will be the ones that will marry and have children forever and live a normal, natural life just as man would have done if he had not fallen. Thus we must distinguish between the two classes of eternal people of Adam’s race, the natural people who will be the subjects of the kingdom forever, and the spiritual, immortal, resurrected, heavenly, glorified saints of all ages before the Millennium who will be the rulers and heirs of the kingdom forever. The natural people will carry out God’s original purpose on Earth just as man would have done if he had continued on the Earth forever without the Fall and the present rebellion against God.

1. 1 Many other eternal truths are mentioned in connection with natural man and his life on the eternal Earth, which proves that there will be natural men and other creatures here forever and that natural life and conditions on Earth will be perpetual in a perfect state, just as it would have been if man had not fallen (Gen. 17:13; Exod. 12:14, 17, 24; 27:20, 21; 28:26-43; 29:9; 30:8, 17-21; 31:16-17; 40:15; Lev. 3:17; 6:12-13, 18-23; 7:34-38; 10:9, 15; 6:29-34; 17:7; 23:14, 21; 24:2-9; Num. 10:8; 15:15; 18:8-11, 19-23; 19:10, 21; 1 Chron. 15:2; 23:13; 2 Chron. 2:4; 2 Ki. 17:37; Ps. 125:1; Isa. 45:17; 51:6-11; 54:8; 55:13; 56:5; 60:15-20; Ezek. 46:14; Zech. 14:16-21).

1. 1 The glorified saints are to reign as “kings and priests” on Earth forever. How could they be “priests” forever without worshippers to minister unto? How could they be “kings” forever without a kingdom and subjects to reign over? They certainly will not reign over and minister unto themselves.

1. 1 In all the passages in the above points the words “everlasting,” “forever,” “perpetual,” etc., are used. The same words are used for the eternal existence of God, so if one is eternal the others must be also. We have no right to take such words to mean anything but what they say, unless such is plainly implied in the passages where they are found, or some statement is found elsewhere to the contrary. Any usage of such words in any passage other than that of an eternal sense is always made clear in the passage itself. When used dispensationally and in connection with eternal things they mean eternal in every case.

1. 1 God gave recognition to His intention to have a perpetual race through the Tree of Life when He drove Adam from it Genesis 3:24. What purpose will trees of life have in the New Earth if it is not for the preservation of natural life? Eternal bodily life of glorified saints will not depend on such trees, for they have immortal bodies by virtue of the resurrection and transformation by the Spirit of God. If the above passages mean what they say then they prove the perpetuity of the race as natural physical beings as would have been the case if man had not fallen. When death, the penalty for sin, is destroyed after the Millennium, because sin ceases to be, life will automatically go on through the medium of natural preservation—the trees of life Revelation 2:7, 17Revelation 22:2.

1. 1 The obvious question in view of the perpetual multiplying of the race is how can the Earth hold so many coming generations? This may be answered satisfactorily by the following suggestions:

(1) The how of many revealed parts of God’s eternal plan is not clear. We are not asked to understand how certain things will be brought about. We are simply asked to believe what is plainly written. The how of God’s plan is in His hands. Is the God who created all things and foretold eternal plans now limited in His power to bring these things to pass? Nevertheless, the how of the question of over-population seems to be answered in Ps. 8; Isa. 40:29-31. In these passages common, natural man was supposed to have power and dominion over all the works of God’s hands. This would include all the planets. Christ came to restore man’s dominion over all things Hebrews 2:7-10. It seems logical to believe that in the future restoration man will have power over, and access to the planets, which are a part of God’s handiwork. God could take care of all future generations, whenever necessary, by populating other planets.

(2) After the restoration it will be possible for vast multitudes of people to live on the Earth. Even now in Japan about three-fifths of the arable land is owned by small peasant proprietors who provide for their families on holdings of as small as one acre, some even less. How much greater will be the possibilities when the ground is freed from the curse so that it will bring forth as before the curse.

Possibly a few figures in connection with the area of the Earth and the many people it should be capable of holding might be interesting at this point. It is said that the total area of the Earth is 196.95 million square miles. There are now about one million square miles of lake and river surface, not counting, of course, the area of the oceans. Granting that there will be no oceans in the New Earth, let us suppose that 4.65 million square miles will be necessary for seas, rivers and lakes and that 2.25 million square miles will be necessary for the site of the New Jerusalem. That will leave 190 million square miles of land for man. If one acre were given to one person there would be room for about 121.6 billion people on the Earth or about 119 billion people more on the Earth than are on the Earth at present. There are about two billion people on Earth now.

(3) It may be stated further in connection with this subject that men will not multiply on Earth as fast after the restoration as before. It is clear from Gen. 3:16 that with the curse came the multiplication of conception. When the Earth and all therein are loosed from the curse a normal condition will also be restored along this line.

VI. New Conditions in the New Earth Revelation 21:3-8

The wonderful conditions of the Millennial Kingdom will be carried on into the New Earth. All rebels will be confined to the Lake of Fire. Death, sin, sorrow, sickness and everything that entered the world through the curse will be removed Romans 8:18-25Hebrews 12:25-281 Corinthians 15:24-28. God the Father, Himself comes down with the New Jerusalem to be with men after the Millennium in the final fulfillment of Emmanuel, “God with us” Psalms 68:16-18Isaiah 7:14Zechariah 2:10-11Zechariah 8:3Matthew 1:23Revelation 21:3Revelation 22:5. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things and conditions that will be in the new eternal perfect state—where God is all and in all as before rebellion started in the universe.

We conclude, therefore, that the New Heaven and New Earth will be merely the continuation of the old ones in a new state, that the wonderful and perfect eternal conditions will be the same as was in the mind of God in the creation of the Heaven and Earth, and that the new peoples will be the descendants of Adam and Eve who will be redeemed and brought back into a sinless state as before the Fall, to replenish the Earth and carry out God’s original plan concerning man and the universe Ephesians 3:9-11.

VII. “Behold, I Make All Things New” Revelation 21:5

This statement says that God will make all things new. The Greek, kainos, in this passage means “renewed,” not “new in existence” as would have been if the Greek naos had been used. The book of Revelation unveils events that are being fulfilled and will be fulfilled even to the time of the new eternal perfect state. We see the course of the Church and its translation, the great tribulation and its judgments, then the thousand years reign of Christ and the saints on the Earth, Satan’s last stand, and the great judgment of the wicked of all ages at the end of the Millennium. Finally, we see the New Heaven and New Earth and the eternal perfect state with all things made new, and the eternal plan of God completed. The voice from the throne which said, “Behold, I make all things new” spoke again and said,

“It is done” Revelation 21:6

What is done?

1. The sinful career of the immediate heavens and of the Earth 2 Peter 3:5-13.

2. The renovation of the defiled heavens and of the Earth 2 Peter 3:3-13.

3. “All things” are made new Revelation 21:5.

4. All rebels will finally and completely be put down 1 Corinthians 15:24-28.

5. Man’s will purged of all possibility of rebellion Revelation 21:3-8.

6. The curse, hunger, crying, sorrow, pain and death removed 1 Corinthians 15:24-28Revelation 21:3-8.

7. Earth will be placed back into the hands of the eternal Godhead by the Redeemer 1 Corinthians 15:24-28Acts 3:21-22.

8. Rebels will be judged and confined to Hell Revelation 20:11-15.

9. God will be recognized again as the Supreme Ruler of the Universe 1 Corinthians 15:24-28Revelation 21:3-8.

10. God’s original plans for free wills and the universe will be realized Ephesians 3:9-11.

11. God’s form of government and His own being will be vindicated before all free wills in the universe 2 Peter 3:9Ephesians 3:9-11.

12. God’s throne and headquarters will be moved from the third Heaven and established on Earth Revelation 21:3–22.

VIII. The Full Restitution of All Things Acts 3:21

The Bible does not mean by the “restitution of all things” that the devil, fallen angels, demons, and wicked men will finally be redeemed. The expression refers to the restoration ministry of the Messiah during the Millennium when God will use Him to gather together “all things” which are in Heaven and which are on Earth Ephesians 1:10. This restoration has been “Spoken by the mouths of all his holy prophets since the world began” Acts 3:21. Many of these prophecies of full restoration of the “whole creation” are recorded in the many passages of these last four lessons. No prophet ever spoke of the conversion and restoration of the rebel spirits or wicked dead men. No such hope is ever held out to such beings in either Testament. In fact, just the opposite is taught in Scripture, as is clear from Ps. 9:17; Isa. 24:21; 66:24; Dan. 12:2; Mt. 5:29-30; 10:28; 13:42, 50; 18:8; 24:51; 25:30, 41, 46; Mk. 9:43-48; Jn. 3:36; 5:28-29; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; Heb. 2:3; 6:2; 10:26-29; Jude 7; Rev. 14:9-11; 19:20; 20:10-15.

All the wicked dead will have had their chance to be reconciled to God during their lifetime. Salvation has been provided for all, but it benefits only those who will accept and call upon God for mercy. Those who will not become reconciled to God during their lifetime will never have a second chance, but will remain dead until the resurrection of all the wicked at the end of the Millennium. They will then be raised and judged for their sins and will be cast into the Lake of Fire, according to the passages in the last paragraph above.

The rest of the creation of free wills and all the material creation, including the animals, will be fully restored to the original perfect state as before the Fall. This perfect state will be the final fulfillment of what God had in mind before the creation of all things. Therefore, the final restitution of all things simply means that God will redeem and restore the whole creation as it was before the Fall. It means that God’s original program will finally be realized with all free moral agents who will conform to His will and that all creatures and the Earth itself will be made perfect again as before the present curse.

IX. Eternity Merely the Continuation of Time

The common conception is that at a certain point time ceases to be and eternity begins. But the fact is that we are now in eternity, for eternity is the extension of time forever. There never will be a time when there will be no time. The word “time” means “infinite duration,” or its measure into distinct parts, “a definite portion of duration.” The word “eternity” means “infinite duration,” or “time, continuing without end.” Time is commonly contrasted with eternity. Such contrasts may be true as far as things that have a beginning are concerned, but such could not be true of things that have no ending. The heavens and earth and all things therein as originally created are eternal. Since the creation of these things, eternity has been broken up into times and seasons, days and nights, months and years and ages and periods, and God always recognizes this in His Word. Men generally think of eternity as beginning with the next life or with the New Heaven and New Earth, but this is not true. When men enter the next life and the heavens and the Earth are made new, there is no change made in time or eternity, for they remain the same forever. The change is made in men and in the heavens and earth in that they enter into a new state which is eternal and unchangeable. The Bible teaches that times and seasons, days and nights and summers and winters shall not cease, for these things are eternally regulated by the sun, moon, and stars, which are eternal Genesis 1:14-18Genesis 8:22Psalms 89:29, 35Jeremiah 31:35-36Revelation 4:8Revelation 7:15Revelation 14:11Revelation 20:10.

The Bible never teaches that time will cease to be. This error has been brought about through the mistranslation and misinterpretation of two passages of Scripture. The first passage, Rev. 10:6, instead of reading “time should be no longer” should read “delay should be no longer.” It could not mean that time will be no longer, for after this the Tribulation runs its course for several more years and Christ comes to the Earth to reign l,000 years before the so-called eternity begins. The second passage, Rev. 21:21, is misinterpreted to mean that there will be no night in the New Earth, but the passage really refers to the Holy City itself and not the Earth. There will be no night in the Holy City, but there will be in the rest of the Earth Genesis 8:22Psalms 89:29-37Jeremiah 31:35-36Revelation 4:8Revelation 7:15Revelation 14:11Revelation 20:10.

Some Bible students teach that before the New Earth there will be another dispensational age called “The Perfect Age,” which will be 33,000 years long. This theory is based upon the expression “thousand generations.” According to them a generation is thirty-three years long or the average length of life today. This phrase “thousand generations” does not teach another future dispensational age of 33,000 years, but is a Hebraism of eternal generations as seen in Point V, 6.

The Bible teaches that the “perfect age” is the one beginning with the New Heaven and the New Earth after the Millennium and that it is eternal, as has been abundantly proven already. There is no mention of any other age between the Millennium and the New Earth in any passage of the Bible. The last chapters of Revelation give the future ages that will be. They are the Millennium (Rev. 20) and the new eternal perfect age beginning with the New Earth, as in Rev. 21–22.