Are The New Heaven And The New Earth Already Here? - Part Three
We are examining the new heaven and new earth of Revelation 21:1-5.
We are seeking to understand if the new heaven and new earth are already here.
Revelation 21:1-5 contains several references in the Jewish Scriptures that must be considered if we are to answer the question: Are the new heaven and new earth already here?
In this study, we have looked at two references:
Reference #1: The New Heaven and New Earth
Reference #2: The New Jerusalem
Let’s now look at a third reference.
Reference #3: God’s dwelling place is now among people
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. (Revelation 21:3; see also Ezekiel 37:26-28)
As with Reference #1 and Reference #2, we need to look into the Jewish Scriptures to more fully understand Reference #3: God’s dwelling place is now among people.
Let’s examine Ezekiel 37:26-28.
Ezekiel 37:26-28
“I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’ ”
God, speaking through Ezekiel the prophet, foretold of a time when he would make an everlasting covenant/testament of peace with the people of Israel.
Jesus establish this covenant of peace through his blood as seen in Hebrews 13:20.
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep…
In this everlasting covenant/testament of peace, God would establish peace for the people of Israel, meaning they would no longer experience the judgments of the law as they did under the old testament of law.
Additionally, in this covenant of peace, God would dwell among the people.
He would be their God and they his people.
During the period of the old testament of law, God dwelled among the people of Israel in a tent of meeting constructed under the leadership of Moses, then he dwelled among them in the temple constructed under the leadership of Solomon.
This temple was destroyed by Babylon, then rebuilt by Zerubbabel.
It was additionally added to by King Herod.
The temple was standing when Jesus lived.
However, Jesus said in Matthew 24-25; Luke 19:41-44; and Luke 21 that the temple would be destroyed.
In AD 70, the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, which was foretold in the book of Revelation.
Replacing this old, physical, law-based temple, is the new, spiritual, grace-based temple, where God dwells among people - those who believe in Jesus.
Those who believe in Jesus are said to be the spiritual temple of God where God dwells by his spirit (Ephesians 2:11-22).
In Part 4 of Are The New Heavens And Earth Already Here?, we will examine more closely this new spiritual temple - God’s dwelling place among people. CLICK HERE to read Part Four
