Builders of Faith

Builders of Faith Explorer I:  Exploring Bible Truth

Lesson 25—The New Earth

 

 

1.  Where will the permanent home of the saints be located?

 

“Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.”  Matthew 5:5.  “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”  II Peter 3:13.  “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away….”  Revelation 21:1.

 

Answer:  Although we learned in Lesson #23 that the saints will live in heaven for 1,000 years (during the millennium), their permanent home will be a recreated earth called the New Earth, which will be remade after the destruction of the wicked at the end of the millennium cleanses the old earth.

 

 

2.  How will the New Earth be different from the earth as it is now?

 

A.  Revelation 21:1:  “…Also there was no more sea.”—God Himself will be with His people, so there is no reason to think that the word sea is used here in any symbolic sense.  About 70 percent of the earth is covered by water today; but there will be much more land in the New Earth.

 

B.  Revelation 21:4:  “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”—All of our sorrows and stresses, even of the past, will be wiped away.  And there will be no more hospitals, funeral homes, accidents, or evil of any nature in the New Earth.

 

C.  Isaiah 11:6-9:  “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them.  The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain….”  (See also Isaiah 65:25.)—With no death, the “wild” animals will then be tame and will all eat grasses, and none of them will endanger each other or humans.

 

D.  Isaiah 60:18:  “Violence shall no longer be heard in your land….”—There will be no more crime, terrorism, war, or threats of war.  Peace will reign supreme.

 

 

3.  What will be the new capital of the universe, and who built it?

 

“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them….’”  Revelation 21:2-3.  “…for he [Abraham] waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”  Hebrews 11:10.  “But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”  Hebrews 11:16.

 

Answer:  These texts teach that God built a heavenly city called New Jerusalem, that it will come to earth at the end of the millennium, and that God will dwell with His people.  All this evidence indicates that God will live in New Jerusalem, and that it will become the new capital of the universe.  Just think:  Despite the sinful past of people on earth, when God has made a final end of sin, He will move His capital from Heaven to the New Earth, specifically to New Jerusalem!  What an awesome God!

 

 

4.  How large is the New Jerusalem?

 

“The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth.  And he measured the city with the reed:  twelve thousand furlongs.  Its length, breadth, and height are equal.  Then he measured its wall:  one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.”  Revelation 21:16-17.

 

Answer:  Given the ancient custom of measuring cities in terms of their circumference, the New Jerusalem is probably 3,000 furlongs on each side of the square, for a grand total of 12,000 furlongs in circumference.  While a furlong is 1/8 mile, the Greek word for “furlong” here is actually a little less than 1/8 mile.  So each side of the city would be a little more than 345 miles.  If the city’s “length, breadth, and height are equal”, then the New Jerusalem would be a cube.  Interestingly, the Most Holy Place (or Holy of Holies) in the earthly sanctuary/temple was the only other thing mentioned in the Bible as a cube (see I Kings 6:20).  Since the latter cube represented the very throne room of God’s presence, then it is probable that the New Jerusalem is a cube in order to represent the fact that it is the city of God’s very presence.  Each wall measures 144 cubits, which is approximately 210 feet.  But since the entire city is a cube, then the wall measurement given must be of its thickness.  Even if our assumptions are not correct, it is quite clear that the New Jerusalem will be large enough to accommodate all the saved, even if that number were close to the total number of people who ever lived.  God does things on a grand scale, which means there is room for you!

 

 

5.  How many foundations does the city have, and of what are they made?

 

“Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”  Revelation 21:14.  “The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones:  the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.”  Revelation 21:19-20.

 

Answer:  Each wall has twelve foundations composed of twelve different precious stones.

 

 

6.  How many gates does the city have, and of what is each one made?

 

“Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:  three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.”  Revelation 21:13-14.  “The twelve gates were twelve pearls:  each individual gate was of one pearl….”  Revelation 21:21.

 

Answer:  The city has twelve gates, three on each side of the city.  And each gate is a gigantic pearl!

 

 

7.  Of what are the city’s streets made?

 

“…And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.”  Revelation 21:21.

 

Answer:  Imagine gold so pure that it shines like transparent glass!

 

 

8.  What special tree that had been in the Garden of Eden will be in New Jerusalem?

 

“And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”….  Genesis 3:22.  “In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month.  The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”  Revelation 22:2.

 

Answer:  The Tree of Life will straddle each side of the river in the city and bear twelve different kinds of fruit, one kind each month.

 

 

9.  Will people in heaven, and later on the New Earth, have a ghostly appearance, or will they have real, physical flesh and bones?

 

“…when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst….”  John 20:19.  “…Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them….  But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit….  ‘Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself.  Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have….  ‘Have you any food here?’  So they gave Him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb.  And He took it and ate in their presence.”  Luke 24:36-43.  “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body….”  Philippians 3:20-21.

 

Answer:  The righteous will have the same type of glorified body as Jesus had after His resurrection.  Note that this includes the ability to pass through physical objects just as Jesus suddenly appeared in the room with the doors shut.  Yet they will also possess a physical nature, with flesh and bones.  They can be seen, touched, and they will be able to eat food.

 

 

10.  Will people recognize each other in heaven and on the New Earth?

 

“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.  Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”  I Corinthians 13:12.

 

Answer:  After their initial shock, didn’t the disciples recognize Jesus?  Moreover, when we can see Jesus face to face, we will still recognize our friends and loved ones.

 

 

11.  What kinds of activities will the righteous be doing on the New Earth?

 

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth….”  Isaiah 65:17.  “They shall build houses and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.  They shall not build and another inhabit; They shall not plant and another eat….”  Isaiah 65:21-22.  “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”  John 14:2-3.  “‘For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain before Me,’ says the Lord, ‘…it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ says the Lord.”  Isaiah 66:22-23.  

 

Answer:  Jesus’ promise in John 14, in the context of Revelation 21, means that He is building a mansion in the New Jerusalem for each of us.  In addition to that home, however, we will build our own houses in the country, where we can also plant gardens and vineyards and enjoy country living.  Of course, we can play with all sorts of animals that used to be wild and dangerous in the former earth.  We will also be able to visit other worlds and parts of the universe with our glorified bodies—all without getting tired.  Furthermore, we can also imagine that there will be people in heaven and on the New Earth who know very little about Jesus, or who knew Jesus but did not know much about His truth through no fault of their own.  Therefore, some of us may well have the privilege of teaching such people Bible truths.  Finally, we will worship the Lord each Sabbath, and also monthly, and learn new depths of His wonderful love for us!

 

 

12.  Can we fully grasp everything that God will provide for us after the final end of sin?

 

“…Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”  I Corinthians 2:9.

 

Answer:  God gives us some information about heaven and the New Earth.  But we cannot begin to imagine all the activities and beauty that awaits us there, for it is simply out of this world!  The description under Question #11 above barely scratches the surface.  No one will be like little angels playing a harp on a cloud.  There is so much to learn about God’s universe and about Him too that no one will ever get bored throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity.

 

 

13.  How can I have the assurance that I will be part of God’s glorious New Earth?

 

“He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”  I John 5:12-13.  “Blessed are those who do His commandments [or, wash their robes], that they have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city [New Jerusalem].”  Revelation 22:14.

 

Answer:  You have assurance so long as you have a positive relationship with Jesus.  Such a relationship includes doing His will, and having Him cleanse you from all unrighteousness.  Then you can be assured that you have eternal life and the right to enter heaven and the New Jerusalem.  It’s really all about your attitude toward Jesus.  If you have accepted Him as your Savior, seek to turn from known sin, and accept His commandments and principles, then despite your current imperfections, God counts you as perfectly righteous in Jesus.  Praise the Lord for what He has in store for us in heaven and on the New Earth!  Despite the fact that this means we have to give up so much of this world’s pleasures, if we persist with Jesus, we shall one day soon exclaim, “Heaven is cheap enough!”

 

 

Quiz for Lesson 25—The New Earth

 

1.  Where will the permanent home of the saved be located? (1)

  Heaven

  Earth

  Jerusalem

  Mars

2.  Identify the things below that will be different from the way things are on earth right now. (3)

  No more large oceans

  Wild animals will no longer be wild.

  Accidents will still happen, but there won’t be a need for police.

  No more sorrow or stress

  Peace will be the norm, but an army will make sure that large wars never break out.

3.  What will be the capital of the universe? (1)

  Jerusalem

  Heaven

  New Jerusalem

  Zion

4.  Which of the following statements accurately describe the size and shape of the New Jerusalem? (3)

  It will be almost 350 miles on each of its four sides.

  Each wall will be approximately 210 feet thick.

  It will be the shape of a large circle.

  It will be the shape of a cube.

  It will be about 500 miles on each of its four sides.

5.  Which of the following items are a correct match regarding the make-up of the city? (2)

  12 gates made of pearls

  12 gates made of pure gold

  The streets made of precious stones

  The foundations made of precious stones

  The walls made of pure emerald

6.  The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil will be in the city. (1)

  True

  False

7.  Will you be able to recognize friends and loved ones there, and will we have a ghostly appearance or real flesh and blood? (1)

  We will recognize those we knew before, but they will be of ghostly appearance.

  Everyone will be unrecognizable but with real flesh and blood.

  We will recognize those we knew before, and we will all have real flesh and blood.

  We will have totally different physical natures and won’t be able to recognize each other.

8.  What kinds of activities does the Bible say that we will do there? (3)

  We will build houses.

  We will plant vineyards and eat of their fruit.

  We will spend all of our time in the New Jerusalem.

  We will worship the Lord every Sabbath.

9.  Are we able to imagine everything that God has in store for us there? (1)

  Yes

  No

10.  What does the Bible teach that we need to do in order to be there? (2)

  Keep the Commandments or wash our robes

  Exert great willpower in order to be worthy to be there

  Have a positive, ongoing relationship with Jesus

  Make one decision in your life to accept Jesus as your Savior