The New Heaven and New Earth (21:1-2)
Peter says: “By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” (2 Pet.3:7-10). The fact that there is “no more sea” is significant, since John was exiled on an island and separated from those he loved. Two-thirds of the globe today is water; so that in the new creation, God will have devised a whole new system for watering the earth.
New People of God (21:3-8):
What wonderful changes there will be when we enter eternity! God will dwell personally with His people in a glorious and intimate way. There will be no more tears, death, or sorrow. All of these came into the world through sin (Gen 3), but now the curse is removed (22:3). God’s “It is done!” parallels Christ’s “It is finished!” (Jn. 19:30) The same Lord who started creation will also finish it. He is Alpha and Omega (the first and last).But the people who do not enter the new earth are fearful, the vile, the murderers and the sexually immoral the cowards who would not confess Christ, because they have not believed Christ and went along with the crowd and practiced sin. God puts “cowards” at the head of the list! They are afraid to take a stand for Chris and are liable to commit any kind of sin as a result.
The New Jerusalem (21:9-27):
The New capital city is the New Jerusalem which is an actual city. The new Jerusalem is not heaven but heaven’s capital.It will be the 3rd city named Jerusalem in redemptive history. The first is the historic Jerusalem, the City of David in Palestine was destroyed in 70 AD but later built up and exists now. The second Jerusalem will be the restored Jerusalem where Christ will rule during the millennial kingdom. But the New Jerusalem does not belong to the first creation which is neither historic city nor the millennial city It is the Eternal city.
The heavenly city i.e. New Jerusalem will hover over the earth during the Millennium, and then descend when the new creation has taken place. The city looked upon as a bride. Abraham “looked for a city … whose builder was God” (Heb. 11:10). The New Jerusalem is that city. This city unites God’s people of the OT and the NT i.e. Israel and the church.The city will have 12-gates named after the 12-tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles are named on the foundation stones. The dimensions and descriptions of the city stagger our imagination. “Foursquare” means “equal on all sides”; which may mean the city is a perfect cube, a “holy of holies” radiant with the presence of God. Or, it could be a pyramid. In either case, the city measures about 1,380 miles each of length, width and height which is approximately 2/3rdthe size of the United States! The focus is that God will design the New Jerusalem with plenty of room for all the redeemed (Jn. 14:2-3). The thickness of the city’s wall is 72-yards thickness. The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone on which 12-Apostles names are written. All the 12-rarely available precious stones viz, jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, carnelian, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth and amethyst precious stones were found decorated on the foundation stones. This flawless city appeared as a diamond refracting the brilliant, brazing glory of God throughout the new heaven and the new earth. The scene was one of breath taking beauty, a spectrum of dazzling colours flashing from the New Jerusalem throughout the re-created universe.