The New Earth is an expression used in the
Book of Isaiah ( & ),
2 Peter (), and the
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of ...
(
21:1) in the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...
to describe the final state of
redeemed humanity. It is one of the central doctrines of
Christian eschatology and is referred to in the
Nicene Creed as the
world to come
The world to come, age to come, heaven on Earth, and the Kingdom of God are eschatological phrases reflecting the belief that the current world or current age is flawed or cursed and will be replaced in the future by a better world, age, or ...
.
Biblical references
The twenty-first chapter of the
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of ...
introduces the final state of perfection where, according to one commentator, "cosmic time has been turned into eternity." In symbolic and visual language, God allows John to see the glory and beauty of the inheritance of His people. The first thing the reader notices about this vision is that it includes a "new heavens and a new earth" (
21:1). To understand what the Bible teaches about eternity, the reader of the Apocalypse must understand the New Testament doctrine of the "
New Heavens and the New Earth."
The basic difference with
the promises of the Old Testament is that in Revelation they also have an
ontological
In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality.
Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities exi ...
value (: "Then I saw 'a new heaven and a new earth,' for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea...'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away") and no longer just
gnosiological (: "See, I will create/new heavens and a new earth./The former things will not be remembered,/nor will they come to mind").
Interpretation
In
Koine Greek
Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...
, there were two words that are translated as "new" in the English Bible; ''neos'' and ''kainos''. One Greek resource states:
That ''kainos'' should not be taken as something totally new can be seen in a passage like the following:
Here the
Apostle Paul uses ''kainos'' in the expression "new creation." Paul did not intend to convey the idea that this is a completely different individual. There is continuity between the old person and the new person to such an extent that it remains the same person, but renovated. The person is the same, but the quality of that person has been transformed.
In the same way, the biblical concept of the New Earth is one of renovation and restoration. Either on this current earth or on a rebuilt new planet. This conclusion is supported by Peter's words in his public speech in the temple at Jerusalem.
This earth, however, will be either cleansed or destroyed by a great great very hot tempature of heat or fire, for the purpose of restoration as expressed in the following passage:
See also
*
New Jerusalem
References
External links
Then I Saw a New Heaven and EarthManual for Cosmic Victory: The New EarthLamb & Lion: The New EarthA New Heaven and a New Earth: The Case for a Holistic Reading of the Biblical Story of RedemptionTour of Heaven: New EarthWhat are The New Heavens and New Earth
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New Earth
New Earth
New Earth
Biblical cosmology
Book of Isaiah
Second Epistle of Peter