New Heavens

"New heavens and a new earth" is the biblical designation for the renewed cosmos that will replace the present creation at the consummation of God's redemptive plan. The promise originates in Isaiah (Isa. 65:17–25; 66:22), where God declares he will create new heavens and a new earth in which the former things — including weeping, death, and premature death — will not be remembered or come to mind, and in which his redeemed people will enjoy shalom, productive labor, and his immediate presence. Peter describes the eschatological transition: the present heavens and earth will be dissolved and purified by fire, and God's people await "new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Pet. 3:10–13). Revelation's climactic vision centers on this renewal: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away" (Rev. 21:1), followed by the descent of the New Jerusalem and the declaration that God will dwell with his people and wipe away every tear (Rev. 21:2–5). Whether the new creation is a total replacement (ex nihilo) or a radical renewal and transformation of the present creation is debated; the Greek word kainos (new in quality) and the analogy of bodily resurrection favor transformation. The new heavens and earth are the eternal home of the redeemed.