“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

The bumper sticker read, “There is no Planet B.” But this, and many other scriptures say differently. God’s plan from before the creation was to put in place a new heavens and a new earth.

Why would he have to do that? It started with the disobedience of Adam and Eve to God’s command in the garden of Eden, as recorded in Genesis 3. In Genesis 3:17-19 we read about the curse that God put on the earth because of their sin, “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” The creation was cursed by God because they disobeyed.

 Romans 8:19-22 reveals the same thing, “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” There needs to be a new earth.

But why new heavens? There are at least three times in scripture where it is recorded that the enemy, satan, is in God’s presence: Job 1, Job 2, and Zechariah 3. Apparently, in God’s mercies and humility the enemy is allowed to have access to God’s presence. But the day is coming when he will be removed from heaven. Revelation 12:7-10 tells us, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”

Here we learn two things. First, the end of the passage tells us that the enemy of our souls uses his access before God to accuse the saints. And he does it day and night! This reminds of Zechariah 3. The other thing we learn is that his access will end on the yet-to-come day when he will be cast out of heaven, with all of his minions, never again to enter there, as told in Revelation 12. Their next destination is the lake of fire. Never again will they come before God to accuse the saints, or for any other reason!

Those hallowed halls have endured the footprints of the enemy and his demons ever since the fall of man, perhaps even before. The glorious presence of the Lord God Almighty has been assaulted by the comings and goings of him who is not only the enemy of mankind, but the enemy of God! Revelation 12:10 shows rejoicing in heaven at the enemy’s departure.

So, there is also a need for a new heavens. God’s plan from before the foundation of the world was to provide redemption for mankind, and to undo His great creation and replace it with another: both heaven and earth. In 2 Peter 3:10 we read, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” According to timing revealed in scripture, this verse covers around 1,007 years. The end refers to the heavens passing away, and the earth being burned up. This will make way for the new heavens, and the new earth, described in Revelation 21 and 22.

Concerning that coming time of the end, in Revelation 22:12, 13 Jesus said, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” He is the beginning and the end. John 1:3 says of Jesus, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.,” revealing that He was the beginning of all of creation. In that He is the end, this suggests that the end of all things, discussed above, is also in His almighty and capable hands. We can do nothing to coerce Him or force His hand. The day of the end will come at the time that He has set, and not a minute sooner.

Unlike a “Plan B” as we call it, where the first and best plan fails, so contingencies are put in place, God’s new heavens and new earth will be better than what we know now. As Peter tells it in 2 Peter 3:13, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” There is the difference. This earth seems void of righteousness, and as noted above, the enemy and his minions have access to God’s presence for a while, which will end in God’s timing. But the new heavens and the new earth will be characterized by nothing but righteousness! The new heavens and new earth will be glorious!

At the end of the verse above we read that there will be no more sea. This interesting comment reminds of Micah 7:19 where we read, “He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” According to this, until the day of the new heavens and new earth, the depths of the sea contain the sins of those that are redeemed. And in the new heavens and new earth, there will be no more sea. It and its contents will be taken away, never to be seen again. How wonderful is that!

John saw the Heav’n and earth made new,
The first had passed away,
The holy city coming down,
The new Je­ru­sa­lem.

And God Himself shall dwell with men,
And wipe away all tears,
There is no sorrow, pain or death,
Throughout the coming years.

Behold, I make all things anew,
These faithful words are true,
To him who overcometh sin,
On earth with God shall rule.

In beau­ti­ful Je­ru­sa­lem,
God’s glo­ry gives it light,
All kings and nations walk in it,
For there shall be no night. (Louise Lapp)

“…Which in His times He shall shew, Who is the Blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and the Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; Whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to Whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen.”

The end of verse 14 speaks of the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. This makes Him the subject of verses 15 and 16. These verses say that in His timing, Jesus will reveal Who is the Blessed and only Potentate, and King of kings and Lord of lords.

Jesus is, and will one day be, King of Kings and Lord of lords. Revelation 19 reports the coming of the Lord Jesus to the earth. In verses 11-16 John says, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” All earthly kings will bend the knee, as will all inhabitants of the earth.

In his dream of a great statue, which represented the kingdoms of the world, Nebuchadnezzar saw a stone that was cut out without hands which struck and destroyed the statue. In Daniel 2:44, through Daniel the Lord revealed that as “…in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”

Even before the time of Daniel the Lord had promised that He will reign on the earth. When that happens, His kingdom will last forever. God’s kingdom will destroy all the others, but it shall never be destroyed, and it will stand forever. He only is Blessed, and He only is the great authority over the earth, even now. The day will come when He will rule as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Mankind thinks that their governments will make things right. The truth is that all the kingdoms of the world are established by God. In Daniel 4:25 Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar, “…the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.” Paul told the people of Athens in Acts 17:26, God has “…made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation…” Not only does God dictate the boundaries of the kingdoms, He dictates how long they will last. In His time Jesus shall reign, and human governments will be but a memory. He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

In His time Jesus will reveal Him Who “…only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto…” There is no overstating the greatness and the glory of God, Maker of Heaven and Earth and all that is in them. Almost every contact between men and God recorded in scripture resulted in the men falling on their faces as dead. Scripture says that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).

In His time Jesus will reveal Him “…Whom no man hath seen, nor can see…” In Exodus 33:18-20 Moses requested that he may see God’s glory: “And Moses said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.” His presence and brightness are so great, that no mortal can endure it. Wonderfully, in Revelation 22:3, 4 were told, “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: and they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.”

Concerning Jesus, Philippians 2:9-11 tells us, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” In His time Jesus will show Him, “…to Whom be honor and power everlasting.” Jesus is that one that will be honored by all.

The day when Jesus will reveal these things is yet to come. World events suggest it will be soon. Since it is impossible for God to lie, no doubt He will surely come again and establish His kingdom on the earth. When He comes, He will be the Blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And He shall reign for ever and ever.

Lift up your heads, pilgrims aweary,

See day’s approach now crimson the sky;

Night shadows flee, and your Belovèd,

Awaited with longing, at last draweth nigh.

Refrain

He is coming again, He is coming again,

The very same Jesus, rejected of men;

He is coming again, He is coming again,

With power and great glory, He is coming again!

Dark was the night, sin warred against us;

Heavy the load of sorrow we bore;

But now we see signs of His coming;

Our hearts glow within us, joy’s cup runneth o’er!

Refrain

O blessèd hope! O blissful promise!

Filling our hearts with rapture divine;

O day of days! Hail Thy appearing!

Thy transcendent glory forever shall shine.

Refrain

Even so, come, precious Lord Jesus;

Creation waits redemption to see;

Caught up in clouds, soon we shall meet Thee;

O blessèd assurance, forever with Thee!

Refrain (Mabel J. Camp)