We now come to Revelation 21:1-4:

 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 

and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."

 

         The word “new” in verse one above could have been translated “fresh,” or even “renewed.” Likewise, the word “heaven” could be translated “elevation” or “sky.” The word “earth” could have been translated “ground.” The point is that this is not saying there will be a new planet or heaven, but that there will be fresh, new ground and sky. The curse and all pollution will be removed from the ground and the air.

         The Lord asked me in a prophetic experience if I believed that He had to return lest no flesh survive because of our weapons. When our all-knowing God asks us a question, it is not because He is seeking information. He was obviously challenging my perspective. I answered “yes” to His question, and He asked me another one: “Did you consider that it might be because of the way the earth is being destroyed?” That was the end of the conversation.

         A couple of years later, I was shown in a dream the anger of The Lord because of the plastic pollution. The Lord so loved “the world” that He sent His Son for our redemption and salvation. The world has also been redeemed, and it will also be saved. He loves this earth, and as He warned in Revelation 11:18, He would “destroy those who destroy the earth." As we are told in Psalm 24:1 and in I Corinthians 10:26, “The earth is The Lord’s, and all that is in it.” For this reason, we should in every way endeavor to treat it with the utmost care and respect, and convey the warning that those who destroy it will be destroyed.

         In this week’s text, we see the New Jerusalem coming down to the earth as the bride. The New Jerusalem is the bride of Christ, the heavenly city of God that will rule over the earth spiritually, just as the physical Jerusalem will rule over the nations from the physical realm. This New Jerusalem is also called “Jerusalem above” and “our mother” in Galatians 4:26. She is the mother of those who are born from above.

         The Lord promised Abraham that his seed would be as the stars of heaven and the sand of the seashore. This speaks of the heavenly and the earthly seed. In His reign the heavenly Jerusalem will be joined to the natural, physical Jerusalem as the bridge between the heavenly realm and the earthly. We are a “new creation” in Christ, and this is the bridge we are called to be a part of—and at home in—in both realms. In the age to come, these two realms will be joined.

         As we see in the rest of this text, the earth will be restored to the paradise it was originally, just as the prophets foretold. All the consequences of the fall, even death and all pain and mourning, will be removed from the earth. We cannot comprehend how wonderful this will be, but the best part of all is that God will dwell on the earth among men. He created us for His pleasure, and He will get great pleasure from mankind and the earth that He created.

         So, let’s determine to be a part of building this bridge between heaven and earth by worshipping our God, who is Spirit, in Spirit and truth. Let’s also resolve to honor Him by honoring the great gift that He gave to us with this earth. Let us resolve to fulfill the first command He gave to man—to tend this garden as it is The King’s own garden that He has entrusted to us.