The context of Revelation 21:1; the new heavens
and earth in Bible prophecy.
Isaiah 65:17 For, behold,
I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be
remembered, nor come into mind. 18 But be you glad and rejoice for ever
in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and
her people a joy. 19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my
people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the
voice of crying. 20 There shall be no more there an infant (who
dies as an infant) of days, nor
an old man that has not filled his days: for the child shall die an
hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be
accursed. 21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they
shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 22 They shall not
build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for
as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and my elect shall long
enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labor in vain, nor
bring forth (children) for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the
LORD, and their offspring with them. 24 And it shall come to pass, that
before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will
hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall
eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They
shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, said the LORD.
Hopefully
readers who have accepted the idea that the book of Revelation's New
Jerusalem is a literal city that drops down out of the sky and all that
that implies are noticing in these verses about the New Jerusalem that
there are issues with the picture their teachings have painted in their
minds on the subject. Here at the end of verse 20 we have sinners (who
are cursed) present. We have children being born, old men dyeing, people
building houses and farming. People enjoying the fruit of their labors
and living long prosperous lives. Most real Christians experience verse
24 as part of their walk with God. As you will soon learn if you don't
already know, (if you keep reading.) The New Jerusalem has literally
dozens of chapters of Bible prophecy regarding it. The two chapters in
the book of Revelation are all direct or indirect quotes from the
chapters in the Old Testament. The context of all these chapters,
including the two in Revelation is not a literal\physical city but a
picture of things that would be coming to the world starting at a
specific time pronounced in Bible prophecy ahead of time. Not a new
physical planet but a new order of things. A world in which
righteousness that was rare in the ancient world becomes an accepted
standard in many nations, (not always lived up to) of the time period it was speaking of.
Allow this question to be asked. When in the history of
the world as a matter of course were peoples able to build houses,
cities, farms and keep them as free people? Where were they able to live
long prosperous lives and able to raise their children as they see fit
and without some king or despot able to take them their parents and
families to do with them as they wanted? Where in 7500 years that
the ancient world was subjugated to the despotism of kings and emperors
did the peoples enjoy liberty from literal slavery; where one-third to
one half the people ever born spent their lives as the property of
others? After the patriarchs died off, and for thousands of years the
average life span of the world was 40 years old. When, in many nations
of the world, did it all of a sudden climb to 80 years+ and still
climbing? When did nations in the world as a matter of course start
enjoying the rule of law based in Biblical principle as opposed to the
rule of kings and their arbitrary will? The fact is that the world in
which many peoples in many nations are now enjoying never existed
before, but started to be birthed just 500 hundred years ago. (Right
when the Bible prophesied this phenomena would begin to occur by the
way.) At the end of verse 17 it says the former world will not be
remembered nor come to mind. Many readers do not even realize that
they have completely forgotten what the ancient world was like.
Generations have no knowledge of it; they only know their free
prosperous world that they are experiencing. They don't have any idea
what changed it to what they enjoy now nor any idea how to maintain it
their world. They cannot conceive that places like North Korea were the
norm and people couldn't do anything about it.
The animals mentioned
just like in other prophecies that say the same thing also represent
different nations. Pages of material could be written on the minute
details of this last part of Isaiah 65. However the focus is the
two chapters in Revelation. If the reader is finding this hard to
swallow please be patient. Every verse of these two chapters of
Revelation will yield the same types of surprising things. In the mean
time though, have you ever noticed these verses?
Isaiah 49 6. And he said, It is a light thing
that you (The messiah) should be my servant to raise up
the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also
give you for a light to the Gentiles, that you may be my salvation to
the end of the earth. 7. Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and
his Holy One, to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors,
to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall
worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of
Israel, and he shall choose you. 8. Thus says the Lord, In an acceptable
time have I heard you, and in a day of salvation have I helped you: and
I will preserve you, and give you for a covenant of the people,
to establish the earth, to cause to
inherit the desolate heritages;
Isaiah 51:16. And I have put my words in thy
mouth, and I have covered you in the shadow of mine hand, that I may
plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of
the earth, and say to Zion, You are my people.
Psalms 96 9. O worship the Lord in the beauty of
holiness: fear before him, all the earth. 10. Say among the heathen that
the Lord reigns: the world also shall be
established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people
righteously. 11. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let
the sea roar, and the fullness of it. 12. Let the field be joyful, and
all that is there: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice 13.
Before the Lord: for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth: he shall
judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
Isaiah 45 17.But Israel shall be saved in the
Lord with an everlasting salvation: you shall not be ashamed nor
confounded, world without end. 18. For thus says the Lord that created
the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he has
established it, he created it not in vain, he
formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.
19. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said
not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the Lord speak
righteousness, I declare things that are right.
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