New Heaven New Earth

New Heaven New Earth

Revelation 21

Part 1

Heavenly minded

A common critique

“So heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good.”

It’s usually a critique of a person who is so focused on spiritual ideas, religious talk, or “other-worldly” thinking that they don’t live out practical love, service, or responsibility here on earth.

C.S. Lewis argued the opposite — that the people who did the most earthly good were the ones most focused on heaven.

Here what I think.

I agree with Lewis.

If we could have a “critique” of the modern church today is that it’s not heavenly minded enough.

The church and Christians can become so focused on the earthly things.

Here’s some examples

Money and Materialism.

Measuring success by budget size instead of life change.

Matthew 6:19–21 (NLT) — 19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Power, Control & Church Politics

When leadership becomes about control rather than shepherding.

Mark 10:43 (NLT) — 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,

Popularity, Image & Reputation

Designing sermons to avoid offense instead of proclaiming truth

Measuring health by attendance instead of transformation.

Galatians 1:10 (NLT) — 10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

Programs Over People

When activity replaces discipleship.

Mark 2:27 (NLT) — 27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.

An earthly minded church.

A church is too earthly focused when it prioritizes:

Comfort over calling, image over integrity, growth over godliness, and success over surrender.

A heavenly minded church.

“Are we more passionate about what we own, what we build, and how we look — or about who we are discipling, who we are loving, and who we are reaching?”

The Biblical Evidence

The heavenly minded

Throughout history God’s people have been preoccupied about heaven.

They have longed for its joys because they have been only loosely tied to this earth.

We see ourselves as “strangers and exiles on the earth”.

Hebrews 11:13 (GW) — 13 All these people died having faith. They didn’t receive the things that God had promised them, but they saw these things coming in the distant future and rejoiced. They acknowledged that they were living as strangers with no permanent home on earth.

Hebrews 11:16 (NLT) — 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Psalm 42:1–2 (ESV) — 1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

Philippians 3:20 (NLT) — 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

Colossians 3:1–2 (NLT) — 1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

Rejection of the world.

James 4:4 (NIV) — 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

1 John 2:15 (NLT) — 15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.

Heaven is an actual place.

It’s not a state of spiritual consciousness 

Scripture refers to heaven more than five hundred times.

Three people have gone to heaven in glorified bodies

Enoch Gen 5:24

Elijah 2 Kings 2:11

Jesus Acts 1:9

Jesus has gone ahead to prepare our heavenly home.

John 14:2–3 (ESV) — 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

When we die, we are immediately taken to heaven.

2 Corinthians 5:8 (NLT) — 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

New Heaven and New Earth

Then I saw…

Judgement day is over.

All sinners of all ages, Satan and his demons, have been sentenced to the “Lake of Fire”.

Banished gone for all eternity.

The Vision

Revelation 21:1 (NIV) — 1 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.

The phrase new heaven and new earth come from two OT passages

Isaiah 65:17 (ESV) — 17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.

Isaiah 66:22 (ESV) — 22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain.

Just a note about the bible.

Notice the word NEW

This is not a fresh coat of paint

This is not a remodel.

It’s brand new freshly created.

The old earth has passed away.

God originally created the earth to be suitable as mankind’s permanent home.

The entrance of sin, however, corrupted the earth and the universe.

Isaiah 24:5 (GW) — 5 The earth is polluted by those who live on it because they’ve disobeyed the LORD’s teachings, violated his laws, and rejected the everlasting promise.

This will be divine judgement.

Luke 21:33 (ESV) — 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Quote: “The old order was in “bondage to decay” (Rom. 8:21) and “groaning … in pains of childbirth until now” (Rom. 8:22), awaiting the day when “the heavens … will be dissolved” and “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness will dwell” will be established to forever replace the old (2 Pet. 3:12–13).”

No longer any sea

Think of this. No sea.

Our current world is ¾ water.

Water is essential for survival

We look for water on other planets as signs of life.

Only earth has sufficient water to maintain life.

Water of life

With glorified bodies we will not require water.

There will be a river in heaven but…

Revelation 22:1 (ESV) — 1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

Revelation 22:17 (NIV) — 17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

Absence of evil

No sea can also have a metaphorical meaning

The sea was seen as a place of chaos and evil.

Likely both are true.

Where the heart is.

Are you so earthly minded that heaven is a distant thought?

Or are you so heavenly minded that you feel like a stranger?

The term kingdom focused