"And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
A. A General Outline of the New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21:1) "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and the sea is no more." The old heaven, the old earth, and the old sea have all passed away. Now there is only the new heaven and the new earth; there is no mention of a new sea. Isaiah 65:17 says that God will create a new heaven and a new earth, but that which follows verse 17 concerns the millennial kingdom. The main purpose of Isaiah 65 is to compare the people who are blessed by God with other people. Verse 17 says that God will create a new heaven and a new earth; this is a proclamation. Verses 18 through 25 describe the conditions in Jerusalem in the millennial kingdom. Also, the new heaven and new earth mentioned in 2 Peter 3:13 are the same as those mentioned in Revelation 21:1. B. The Relationship between the New Jerusalem and the People on the Earth (Revelation 21:2-4) 1. Revelation 21:2 "And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." This city is holy. Formerly, God had only a temple, but not a holy city. He lived in that temple; but now, the holy city replaces the temple, and all of its people are priests. The old Jerusalem was made by men and has become old; the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven and is new. In the millennium the New Jerusalem will be in the air; it will not come down to the earth, because at that time there will still be the old Jerusalem on earth. But when the New Jerusalem does come down out of heaven, she will still be wearing her new adornment. At the wedding dinner of the Lamb, she is the bride. Now it seems that by adorning herself a little bit, she becomes the wife of the Lamb for eternity.
2. Revelation 21:3 "And I heard a loud voice out of the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will tabernacle with them, and they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them and be their God." "A loud voice." This may still be the Lord's voice. "He will tabernacle with them." Hereafter, there will no longer be any distinction between the Jews and the