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For some decades now, the interest in eschatological topics seems to be increasing,
specially the subject of the new creation.1 For example, the idea of living forever in a new
heaven and a new earth has been a really great rediscovery of faith for several believers.
Nevertheless, the mainstream evangelical thought still remains withplaces some obstacles to
comprehend Gods ultimate plan for the future of the humanity and cosmos. It seems that
several Christians never heard about a doctrine called new creation and others who are
convinced that God's ultimate plan for humanity is to live in an immaterial heaven.2 For these
reasons, Anthony Hoekema suggests how far away some believers are from the real biblical
understanding of everlasting life.3
It is relevant research on this issue due to the fact that is lacking careful theological
studies specially concerning new creation. William Shedds three-volume Dogmatic Theology Commented [RS1]: NA chamada autor-data, inserir
apenas o sobrenome do autor da obra.
contains eighty-seven pages on eternal punishment, but only two on new creation. 4 In his Formatted: Font: Italic
nine-hundred-page theology, Great Doctrines of the Bible, Martyn Lloyd-Jones devotes less Formatted: Font: Italic
than two pages to the eternal state and the new earth.5 Louis Berkhofs classic Systematic Formatted: Font: Italic
Theology devotes thirty-eight pages to creation, forty pages to baptism and communion, and
fifteen pages to what theologians call the intermediate state. Yet, it contains only two pages
on Hell and one page on the eternal state.6 By contrast, Herman Bavinck seems to devote
particular attention to this doctrine writing fifteen pages on it. The same might be said about
Anthony Hoekema.7
1 See: ALCORN, Randy. Heaven. Carol Streams: Tyndale House Publishers, 2007; HENDRIKSEN, William. A
vida futura segundo a Bblia. So Paulo: Cultura Crist, 1988; LADD, George, Eldon. The Presence of The
Future. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996; MIDDLETON, Richard. A New Heaven and New Earth: Reclaiming
biblical eschatology Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014; MOLTMANN, Jrgen. Teologia da esperana. So
Paulo: Loyola, 2005; WOLTERS, Albert. Criao Restaurada. So Paulo: Cultura Crist, 2007; WRIGHT, N.T.
Surpreendido pela esperana. Viosa: Ultimato, 2009.
2 Middleton, says: This holistic vision of Gods intent to renew or redeem creation is perhaps the Bibles best-
kept secret, typically unknown to most church members and even to many clergy, no matter what their
theological stripe. (2014, p. 24).
3 HOEKEMA, Anthony A. A Bblia e o futuro. So Paulo: Cultura crist, 1989, p. 368.
4 SHEDD, W. G. T. Dogmatic Theology, 3 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
5 LLOYD-JONES, D. Martyn. Great Doctrines of the Bible, vol. 3, The Church and the Last Things (Wheaton,
In this first part of the essay, we will try to show that Platonism has a huge importance
not only in the Christian reflection regarding what is physical or spiritual, but a broadly
impact on how Christians understand the final state of the believers. Basically, this platonic
influence led some theologians to comprehend the final state of the redeemed as an ethereal
Heaven, which is a non-physical life in a non-physical place, with non-physical persons and
activities.
Viosa: Editora Ultimato, 2009, p. 34-35; PEARCEY, Nancy. Verdade Absoluta, So Paulo: Editora CPAD,
2006, pp. 33-168; BAUCKHAM, Richard and HART, Trevor. Hope against Hope: Christian Eschatology in
Contemporary Context. Trinity and Truth; London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1999.
14 Later identified by some Christian theologians with Spirit or the Logos.
and depth of being from which all reality flowed 15 . Plotinus thus explicitly identified the
ascent to the divine with the turn inward, thereby initiating a Western form of mysticism that
has reverberated throughout the church in the middle ages and even into the modern period.16
Though almost every Christian writer in the first few centuries of the church affirms
the resurrection of the body, one famous exception is Origen of Alexandria (185-254), who
had been significantly influenced by the Platonic vision. 17
In his famous work On First Principles 18 , Origen affirms that since only God is
strictly bodiless, we will indeed have bodies at the resurrection; yet he claims that the
resurrection body will not be in the grosser and more solid condition of the body that is
characteristic of lower beings, 19 but instead will shine with the splendor of celestial
bodies fit for more perfect and blessed beings. Indeed, he is adamant that the resurrection
body will be a spiritual body, which can dwell in the heavens. 20
Bavinck suggests that Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches as a whole were
also responsible for spread this abstract supernaturalism concerning salvation within the
Christianity.21 He claims that before Reformation, the Church saw salvation as exclusively
transcendent and therefore, as it concerns the earth, considers the Christian life embodied
ideally in monasticism. As Wright summarizes: dualistic Christianity see that the good
things in life are spiritual and heavenly while earthly things are bad; the present time is evil,
but the future will be good; the earth is Satan's place although the Heaven is God's place.22
It is no wonder that Plato has influenced the history of Christian thought, for among
Christians there is some concern for the body; however, the subjects pertaining the immortal
soul are still priorities in Christianity in general. Perhaps this is one of the explanations from
which some currents of Western Christian theology incite the need for constant purification
through the practice of fasting and sexual abstinence with a focus on celibacy, so present in
the Church Fathers period, and among many segments of present-day Christianity.23
Someone would ask: Where can we find this dualistic theology recorded today? Some
reformed authors propose that the holistic vision of salvation is obfuscated by many
15 Some Christians identified this with the Father or the mystery of the Godhead.
16 MIDDLETON, 2014, p. 33.
17 BAVINCK, 2012, p. 727.
18 Origen, On First Principles, trans. G. W. Butterworth (reprint, Gloucester, MA: Peter Smith, 1973).
19 Ibid., On First Principles 2.2.2 (Butterworth, 8182).
20 Ibid., 2.10.3 (Butterworth, 141).
21 BAVINCK, 2012, p. 730.
22 WRIGHT, 2009, p. 34.
23 LOPES, 2008, p. 193.
traditional hymns and songs sung in the context of communal worship.24 This is an important
point because it is from what they sing that those in the pew typically learn their theology,
especially their eschatology.25
Middleton comments that from the classic Charles Wesley hymn Love Divine, All Formatted: No widow/orphan control, Don't adjust
space between Latin and Asian text, Don't adjust
Loves Excelling, which anticipates being Changed from glory into glory, / Till in heaven space between Asian text and numbers
we take our place, to Away in a Manger, which prays, And fit us for Heaven, to live with
Thee there, congregations are exposed to, and assimilate, an otherworldly eschatology. Some
hymns, such as When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder, inconsistently combine the idea of
resurrection with the hope of heaven26:
On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise, Formatted: Indent: Left: 0", First line: 0.5", Space
Before: 0 pt, Line spacing: 1.5 lines
And the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, Ill be there.27
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control, Don't adjust space between Latin and Asian
Most hymnals no longer have the sixth verse of Amazing Grace: text, Don't adjust space between Asian text and
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, numbers
The sun forbear to shine; Formatted: Justified, Indent: Left: 0", First line: 0.5",
Space Before: 0 pt, Line spacing: 1.5 lines
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.28
Formatted: No widow/orphan control, Don't adjust
space between Latin and Asian text, Don't adjust
The content of these hymns collaborates for what Wrights used to claim: There has space between Asian text and numbers
been such a massive assumption made in Western Christianity that the purpose of being a
Christian is simply, or at least mainly, to go to heaven when you die.29 Since God intends
to destroy the present space-time universe so quite soon, then, it really does not matter how
we live in this world. If this reasoning is correct, therefore, there is no other option but the
isolation of secular things and an exclusive dedication to spiritual ones. It was well said by
Nancy Pearcey that the insertion of the dualistic worldview in Christianity was the main
responsible for the present state of alienation, that is, a faith unconcerned with reality. 30
As noted above, several Christian liturgies are responsible for the perpetuity of this
dualistic mentality. If heaven could not be reduced to living in a physical place thus evil
This second section of the essay aims to outline what scholars means by apocalyptic
literature, its developments, contributions or misunderstandings, and then opt for a
hermeneutical approach with more appropriate exegetical tools to understand John's
Revelation.
34 KOCH, Klaus. The rediscovery of apocalyptic. Naperville: Alec R. Anderson, 1972, pp. 18-35)
35 HANSON, P. D. Apocalypse, genre; Apocalypticism. In: CRIM, Keith (Ed.). The interpreters dictionary of
the Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1976, p. 27-34.
36 HANSON, P. D. The dawn of apocalyptic: the historical and sociological roots of Jewish apocalyptic
41 HELLHOLM, David. The Problem of Apocalyptic Genre and the Apocalypse of John, Semeia 36, 1986, p. 26.
42 AUNE, 1986, p. 89-90.
43 LINTON, Gregory L. Reading Apocalypse as Apocalypse: The Limits of Genre. In: BARR, David L. (ed).
The reality of Apocalypse: Rhetoric and Politics in the book of Revelation. Atlanta: SBL Symposium series,
n.39, 2006, p. 11.
44 BULTMANN, Rudolph. Jesus Cristo e Mitologia. So Paulo: Fonte editorial, 4ed, 2008, p.15-16.
45 KSEMANN, Ernst. Anfange christlicher Theologie. In Exegetische Versuche und Besinnungen II, Gottingen
1964, p. 100.
46 SCHWEITZER, Albert. A Busca do Jesus histrico. So Paulo: Novo sculo, 2003, p. 434.
47 Recently, the book of EHRMAN, Barth, Jesus, Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1999, resurrected Schweitzer's thesis and sought to prove that Jesus was mistaken in his
conviction that the Kingdom of God would drastically erupt during his ministry.
Collins argues that the key to understanding a text is its literary form.48 Since John's
book of Revelation is an apocalypse, the best way to understand it is through the apocalyptic
literary genre.49 The paradigmatic definition accepted by them is as follows:
Press, 1994, p. 4; MOUNCE, Robert H. The Book of Revelation. Michigan: Eerdmans, 1977, p. 24; BROWN,
Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament. New York: Doubleday, 1997, p. 778.
55 KOESTER, Helmut. Introduction to the New Testament. New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2000: 2, p. 248-57.
8, 2.1-3.22, 22.10-21), (7) the frequent presence of exhortations, and (8) The absence of the
vaticinia ex event, a term referring to a prophecy written after the author already had
information about the events to be "predicted". Such elements favor an innovative cataloging
of the book of Revelation as a mixed genre, while weakening the dominant critical view that
relates it as a common Jewish apocalyptic book.56
Thus, the present writer's position is that while the book of Revelation has received
influence from apocalyptic literature, it does not fit the "pure" standards of the Jewish
apocalypses, but it is best understood if viewed as an innovative literary genre that combines
the categories of epistle, prophecy, and the apocalyptic mentality.
56 There are other proposals with fewer adherences by the scholars, which can be found in the works of J.
Ramsey Michaels, M. Eugene Boring, Jrgen Roloff, J. T. Van Burkalow, James Blevins, among others.
57 BEALE, 1999, p. 77.
passages to record what he saw and heard. For this reason, familiarity with OT is the most
essential condition for an adequate and profitable Revelations reading.58
During the books reading, it is clear that John offers new interpretations for the
ancient texts. Such novelties are the result of the new lenses for which John is reading OT and
his own reality. Beale salient at least four perspectives in which John used the biblical ancient
prophecies: 1. Christ corporately represents the true Israel of the Old and New Testaments; 2.
History is unified by a wise and sovereign plan, so that the earlier parts of canonical history
are designed to correspond typologically and point to the later parts of history; 3. The end-
time era was inaugurated with the first coming of Christ; 4. The later parts of biblical history
interpret earlier parts, so that Christ, as the center of history, is the key to interpreting the
older parts of OT.59
importncia da anlise literria para a interpretao do livro. In: Fides Reformata, XVIII, No. 1, 2013, p. 9-23.
For this reason, the number seven will be used as a paradigmatic example. Lima proposes that
the number seven is predominant implicitly and explicitly. Instead of be taken literally, the
seven needs to be comprehended as an idea expressing wholeness or completeness. 67
There are consensus that the number seven appears explicitly: Seven spirits (Rev. 1.4,
3.1, 4.5, 5.6), golden candlesticks (Rev. 1.12; 2.1), stars (Rev. 1.16, 20, 2.1, 3.1), candlesticks
(Rev. 1.13,20; 2.5; 11.4), seals horns (Rev. 5.6), eyes (Rev. 5.6), angels (Rev. 8.2.6, 15.1, 6-8,
16.1, 17.1, 21.9), trumpets (Rev. 8.2.6), thunders (Rev. 10.3), crowns (Rev. 12.3), heads (Rev.
12.3; 13.1, 17.3, 7.9), plagues (Rev. 15.1.6), goblets (Rev. 15.7; 16.1), hills (Rev. 17.9) and
kings (Rev. 17.10). Moreover, there are seven thousand people killed by an earthquake (Rev.
11.13).68
John also implicitly uses the number seven. God receives seven attributes in Rev. 5.12
and 7.12. The same is true regarding the people of God, to whom seven beatitudes are
pronounced: Rev. 1.3, 14.13, 16.15, 19.9, 20.6, 22.7, 22.14. The term the word (s) of God
appears exactly seven times: Rev. 1.2, 9; 6.9; 17.17; 19.9, 13; 20.4.69
Fourth, the colors in the book of Revelation must also be interpreted symbolically.
Among the colors John mentions in the Apocalypse, white and black are remarkable. While
the purple indicates riches (Rev. 18.16), gold denotes the perfection of the new heaven and
new earth (Rev. 21.18, 21). Kistemaker still mentions other colors occurring sporadically in
the Apocalypse, but their contexts fail to clarify their use.70
Fifth, John uses symbolic creatures to convey his message. The quadrupeds are a horse
to be ridden (Rev. 6.2-9), a lamb destined to be killed (Rev. 5.6), a lion with devouring mouth
(Rev. 13.2), a bear leaning on its powerful feet (Rev. 13.2), an ox in all its strength (Rev. 4.7)
and a leopard in all its rapidity (Rev. 13.2). Reptiles are a serpent representing Satan (Rev.
12.9,15; 20.2), a scorpion exhibiting its sting (Rev. 9.3, 5, 10) and frogs depicting evil spirits
(Rev. 16.13). Birds are the vultures that bury themselves over their corpses (Rev. 19.17, 18)
and the eagle with their wings outstretched (Rev. 8.13). The locusts probably represent the
plague (Rev. 9.3).
For the reasons above, it is clear that knowing the Hebrew mentality is of utmost
importance for the interpretation of John's Revelation. In contrast to the abstract mentality of
the Greeks, the tables, illustrations, and symbols are the OT Jewish method of
communication. Although John spent considerable time in a Greek setting, and wrote his
67 Ibid., p. 11.
68 KISTEMAKER, 2004, p. 15
69 The seven is also used to symbolize negative things, Cf: BAUCKHAM, 1993, p. 110.
70 KISTEMAKER, p. 29.
book in the Greek language, his composition reflects the Ancient Near East mentality that
communicates revelation with the corroboration of pictorial images.71
About the purpose of symbols Calvin says that they are used to generate a real sense
of what cannot yet be experienced. This is the case of the condemnation of the wicked: since
no description can properly express the gravity of divine vengeance against the reprobates,
their torments and tortures are presented figuratively to us by corporeal things, that is to say,
through darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth, unquenchable fire, worm to corrode without
end the heart (Mt. 3.12, 8.12, 22.13, Mk. 9.43, Is. 66.24).72
As Beale points out, through the images, John seeks to motivate the readers to see
what they still do not see. It motivates readers not to commit to the world, but to align their
thoughts and behaviors with the God-centered patterns of the new creation. They must see
their own situation in this world in the light of the new world, which is now their true home. 73
71 Ibid, p. 31.
72 CALVIN, Institutes, 3, 25, 12.
73 BEALE, 1999, p. 69.
74 KISTEMAKER, 2004, p. 97.
the writer is not presenting a chronological sequence, but rather different aspects of the same
events.75 The structure of the book is not only recapitulative, it is also progressive because as
events are repeated, the details of these intensify to perfect completeness.
The strongest argument for the recapitulation view is the observation of repeated
combined scenes of judgment and salvation found in the conclusions of several sections
throughout the book. The pattern of these scenes is always the same, consisting of a
description of judgment followed by a picture of salvation:
Thus, the initial section of the book, the letters and the segment of completion, the
new creation, are not parallel in a synchronous or thematic way, but are antithetically parallel,
forming an inclusion frame for the five (or six) internal sections, which recapitulate.77 This
understanding of the structure provides a very important theological principle for this work,
the idea that the kingdom of God and the new creation have already begun but have not yet
been consummated.
75 Ibid., p. 23.
76 BEALE, 1999, p. 121.
77 BEALE, 1999, p. 135.
In fact, the final chapters of Revelation are the fulfillment of all the themes developed
at the beginning of the book, as well as of every message of the Old and New Testaments. In
this way, the recapitulative-progressive theory best explains the nature of the theological
meanings of John's Apocalypse. The pictures of the new covenant, the new temple, the new
Israel, and the New Jerusalem are the future fulfillment of the main prophetic themes of the
Bible that find their last climax in the new creation. Therefore, the new creation itself is the
most comprehensive of these biblical promises, of which the four new realities above are only
facets. Such promises are metaphors for the unique reality of God's intimate and glorious
presence with his people.78
Finally, the format that the book was written and structured should motivate its readers
to a thorough reading of the story and not just a purely futuristic look. While important
sections of the book will shed light on the future, many more refers to the past and the
present. The book of Revelation is not merely a futurology but also a redeeming, historical,
and theological psychology for Christian church thinking. 79 In other words, the Revelation of
John, if understood with the proper eyes, has great relevance both for the future and for the
present reality.
In the next section, based on the hermeneutical assumptions adopted here, a biblical
and theological analysis will be made regarding the new heaven and new earth concept.
78 Ibid., p. 173.
79 Ibid., p. 177.
century preacher, Lloyd-Jones claims "it seems quite evident that our heaven will be to live in
this perfect world where God made his tabernacle with men and women. The new Jerusalem
descends to the earth (Rev. 21.2) and we will live there in this wonderful city."80
Though Lloyd-Jones is correct in stating that God's people will live in a perfect world
that is no other world than this, he clearly mixes the concepts of heaven and new creation
without proper explanation. The same happened with Alcorn in his book Heaven, which is
about new creation.81
Some theologians have also realized this confusion and have struggled to organize the
concepts in a more biblical and coherent way. Wright highlights that heaven is the temporary
place where the saved will enjoy the presence of God after death, but it is not the final
destination their. The reason for this, they have not yet received the resurrection of the body,
which will only happen in the new heaven and new earth. 82 Wright makes an important
distinction between Chapters 4 and 5 of Revelation with Chapters 21 and 22. In the first two,
the description is of what is happening in heaven (which is another dimension) now, with the
redeemed and with Christ, but in the two last, the scene refers to the final destination of all the
saved here on earth:
when we come to the picture of the actual End in Revelation 2122, we find, no
ransomed souls making their way to a disembodied heaven, but rather the new
Jerusalem coming down from heaven to earth, uniting the two in a lasting
embrace.83
In his work Psycopannychia84, Calvin taught that the intermediary state is a reality of
both blessing and expectation for the believers, for its blessing is provisional and
incomplete. 85 Since that time, the doctrine of the intermediate state has been taught by
Reformed theologians 86 , and is reflected in the Confessions of the Reformation. 87 As
W.G.T. Dogmatic Theology, Klock & Klock Christian Publishers, 1979, III, p. 591-640; BAVINCK, Herman.
Dogmtica Reformada. So Paulo: Cultura crist, 2012, pp. 595-651; BERKHOF, Louis. Teologia Sistemtica.
So Paulo: Cultura crist, 2000, pp. 675-690; BERKOUWER, G.C. The Return of Christ. In: Studies in
Dogmatics. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972, pp. 32-64.
87 Cf. Catecismo de Heidelberg, Q.57; Confisso Belga, art. 37; Confisso de Westminster, cap. 32 (ou 34);
Breve Catecismo de Westminster, Q.37; Catecismo Maior de Westminster, Qs. 86, 87.
Hoekema adds: "our glorification will not be complete until the resurrection of the body has
taken place"88
Recently, Campos also made this correction in his series of books The Human Habitat
by mentioning the book by Alcorn, Heaven, which deals with the new Jerusalem, but has a
misleading title. He suggests that contemporary authors may have the fear of being identified
with the teachers of Jehovah's Witnesses. 89 The preface of the work summaries the need for a
theological distinction between heaven and new creation:
A first important theological distinction was to distinguish the intermediate state Formatted: Font: 11 pt
(heaven) from the final state (new earth). That is, when we die, we go to a place
called "heaven" and there, as wonderful as it may be, is not our final destination
because, we wait for the resurrection of the body to dwell in the restored paradise,
the habitat that God has always intended for us.90 Formatted: Font: 11 pt
Formatted: Font: 11 pt
Therefore, for a proper understanding of the doctrine of new creation, it is necessary to
distinguish the present and provisional place of the souls (heaven or intermediate state) from
the final place of the saved with their resurrected and glorified bodies (new heaven and new
earth). In this essay, both the heaven and the new creation will be treated as material and
physical places, one being provisional and the other definitive, respectively. 91
of resurrected Jesus might be found in ALMEIDA, Jair de. O Padro den: Modelo de restaurao da criao.
In: FIDES REFORMATA XII, No2, 2007, p. 79-92. In page 82, the author claims that: E nossa opiniao que ha
grande chance de o homem Jesus ressurreto e glorificado estar, desde sua ascensao , no paraiso perdido de Adao .
Nao haveria lugar melhor para sua existencia como homem.
92 BAVINCK, 2010, v.4, 725.
Currently, most Reformed theologians seem to have cast aside the hypothesis of a
radical discontinuity between the old creation and the new. While many authors of Lutheran
confession continue to favor the concept of annihilation of the land93, among the majority of
calvinists there is a growing tendency to emphasize the renewal of creation. 94
Bavink argues that passages supposedly teaching the destruction of the substance of
the world describe, in metaphorical terms, the change that will be introduced after the Lord's
day, but do not signify the destruction of the substance of the world. Therefore, the defense of
the annihilation of the present cosmos it is a denial of the biblical narrative of redemption and
restoration. In Scripture God redeems and renews the same humanity, the same world, the
same heaven and the same earth that have been defiled and corrupted by sin. 95
Turretini points out several arguments in favor of the cosmos renewal as opposed to
those who favor the total annihilation of it.96 First, he declares that from the Psalm 102.25-27,
the destruction of the world and the creatures is carried out through verbs of semantic field
like aging, changing, which do not designate extinction of annihilation, but only change.
Further, the destruction or judgment of God does not affect the world completely, but only
areas marked by deliberate sin.
Secondly, he mentions that 1 Peter 3.6, 10-12 is also about the renewal of creation.
Peter compares what is about to happen in the future with what has already happened in the
flood. Actually, the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. Turretini
notes that the world perished, but was not destroyed because the world that arose from the
flood was not another creation, but exactly the same, totally purified.
Thirdly, the apostle illustrates the changing of creation as a qualitative changing: pass
away, dissolved, burned up, and exposed. God is treasuring the creation to melt it in
the fire. As a goldsmith, God's purpose is not to destroy, but to expose the dross of the world
and restore its genuine value. The fire that will strike the world is a fire of purification, as fire
does with gold, and as fire does to purify food. It is the fire that kills the bacteria and thistles
generated by sin. Through fire, God rescues the old world. Therefore, the dramatic passages
of apparently destruction (2Pt. 3.10, 12; Mt. 24.35; Mk. 13.31) refers to what fire burns, melts
and purges, rather than annihilates.97
Jesus is speaking the language of the Jews of his day: the language of the kingdom. They
are all waiting for the climatic moment of universal history to dawn. There is a
widespread expectation that God is about to act in love, wrath, and power by the
2006, p. 141; PANNENBERG, Wolfhart. Teologia Sistemtica. So Paulo: Paulus, 2009, v.3, p. 58.
105 Ibid., p. 274.
106 Ibid., p. 10.
107 WOLTERS, 2007, 83.
intervention of his anointed king (Messiah) and by his Spirit to restore his reign over the
whole world all creation, all nations, all human life. Jesus makes the astonishing claim
that he is that anointed king, that the Spirit of God is on him to restore all creation and all
human life to live again under the rule of the sovereign God.108
To rescue the doctrine of new creation is, consequently, reclaim the heart of the
gospel. As Goheen points out, the kingdom of God is the central theme of good news. 109 But
what exactly is this kingdom that Jesus claims is breaking into history? The kingdom of God
is first of all the power of God at work in the Messiah and by the Spirit to restore all creation
and all human life from the pollution of sin and its devastating effects. In his words and
deeds, Jesus makes known that all history is leading to this restoration. Gods healing power
will ultimately triumph over sin, death, and evil at the end of all things.
Beale states that Gods work as creator is continued through Christs work of
redeeming fallen creation, which is new creation, inaugurated by his resurrection. 110 Thus,
just as the kingdom of God was inaugurated by the first coming and will be consummated at
the second coming of Christ, contemporary theologians tend to speak of the new creation
being inaugurated and consummated by the same advents.
From now on, the texts of Isaiah 65.17, 2 Peter 3.13, and Revelation 21 and 22 will be
analyzed for a broader understanding of the nature of the restored cosmos.
108 GOHEEN, Michael. A Light to the Nations: The missional Church and Biblical Story. Grand Rapids: Baker
Academic, 2011, p. 17.
109 Ibid., p. 19.
110 BEALE, G. K., & MCDONOUGH, S. M. Revelation. In Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old
Testament, Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic; Apollos, 2007, p. 1098.
111 WATTS, John. Commentary on Isaiah (34-66): WBC, v. 25, Dallas: Word Books, 1987, p. 438.
This structure is very similar to Chapters 20 and 21 of Revelation of John, where first
God judges the enemies of the church and then promises the new creation. Motyer 112 argues
that the whole Chapter is written on the basis of this contrast between what has passed and
what will be, between Babylon and New Jerusalem, and so on.
Beale states that Isaiah 65.16-18 makes a qualitative contrast between the "previous"
earth, where the "first affliction" of the captivity occurred and "a new heaven and a new
earth" where there will be "joy and exultation" lasting. In the other quotation, Isaiah 66.22, he
points out that one of the qualitative differences is that "the new heaven and the new earth"
will remain "forever" in contrast to the old, which has passed away. Therefore, Revelation
21.1 depicts the future fulfillment of the two prophecies of the new creation in Isaiah. Judaism
also conceived the new creation as a renewal of the ancient creation (see Jub 1:29, 4:26, 1 in
45.4-5, 2 Bar 32. 1-6, 57: 2, 4 Ezra 7.75, Tg. Ps.- J. Deut 32.1, Tg. Hab. 3.2).
In Isaiah 65.17, this contrast is perceived grammatically by the expression "For",
which functions as an explanation of verses 13-16, referring to past anguish. God will create a
new reality because he has already overcome the previous one, so that his people can enjoy a
new life without having to remember what happened.
This aspect of God's creative role in the passage is directly related to Genesis 1 and 2.
Watts points out that the expression "create" appears in the account of creation nine times and
within the block of Isaiah 40-60 nineteen times. For him, the emphasis of the text is that the
new creation is a work of Yahweh, not of men.113 The same God who created the heavens and
the earth in the beginning will be responsible for creating the new heavens and new earth at
the end. This is why Motyer suggests that the new heavens and new earth are nothing more
than the fully restored Eden.114
The first things that passed away are related to the tragic past that Israel lived in the
hands of the ancient kingdoms that dominated the people of God, especially Babylon,
recorded in Chapters 1-39. This past will be eliminated from the memory of Israel when God
himself comes against the enemies and thus usher in a new era of joy in a new earth.
In fact, the immediate fulfillment of this prophecy occurred after the Babylonian
empire was defeated militarily by the Persians and by the consequent decree of Cyrus in favor
of the reconstruction of Jerusalem. However, the prophecy was not fully fulfilled during that
112 MOTYER, J. Alec. Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, v. 20,
Downers Grove, IL: IntervarsityPress, 1999, p. 449.
113 WATTS, 1987, p. 456.
114 Ibid., p. 452.
historical period as enemies continued to revive the dreams of the past in their pagan practices
and rebellions.115
The most plausible interpretation is that Isaiah 65.17 is a micro model of macro reality
recorded in Revelation 21.1. Although Jews have received victory against the Babylonians
and enjoy relative peace in their rebuilt Jerusalem, the fulfillment of the new creation is
eschatological and will occur when Christ, the true king, defeats the ultimate Babylon and
then makes a new creation of the whole universe. Therefore, the prophecy of Isaiah 65.17 can
be read keeping in mind its immediate, local, national, and limited fulfillment, but must be
understood and magnified by its future, global, international and perfect spectrum in
Revelation 21.1 where all God's people will enjoy the renewal of the whole cosmos.
Schulz claims that Isaiah's view of the new heaven and earth is a kind of
"eschatological reversion to primeval conditions," that is, the prophet looks to a future reality
that reminds him of what the original conditions were like. Thus, the historical reality of the
future is seen under the imaginative lens. In interpreting a text as rich as this, the reader is led
to read Genesis 1-2, Isaiah 11, Revelation 21-22, among so many other passages. Because of
such variation and combination of images, a literal reading of these passages is not
plausible.116
Beale highlights this very adequately. He claims that at the consummate time of
Israels restoration, there will be a new creation. The return from Babylon was only an
adumbration of a yet future restoration for Israel, since there was then no appearance of a
Messiah, no new creation, and no temple greater than Solomons, and Israel remained in
subjugation to its enemies for generations afterward. As seen in Revelation 3.14, the Isaiah
prophecy has been inaugurated in the death and resurrection of Christ in a more radical way
than ever before. It has also been inaugurated throughout the church age as people believe in
Christ and become a new creation (2Co. 5.17; cf. 2Co. 4.; similarly Ga. 6.15).117
This reading has its force in the fact that Isaiah himself writes his prophecy in
universal categories, that is, for Jews and Gentiles. He states in Chapter 66.22-23 that the new
heavens and new earth will be open to worship of all the nations of the earth. On the other
hand, contrary to universalist theological tendencies, the enemies of the people of God will
receive permanent judgment118
119 PENTECOST, Dwight. Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1965,
p. 490, 561.
120 WALVOORD, John. Revelation. Chigago: Moody Publishers, 2011, p. 293.
121 MACARTHUR, Revelation. (chp. 12-22). Thomas Nelson, 2000, p. 263
122 MOTYER, 1999, p. 451.
creation. Fifth, Isaiah's style is clearly metaphorical and hyperbolic, so a literalist reading
does not make justice to the Scriptures.
123 KISTEMAKER, Simon. Epstolas de Pedro e Judas. So Paulo: Cultura crist, 2006, p. 435.
124 DODD, C.H. The Parables of the Kingdom. Nova York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1961.
125 KISTEMAKER, 2006, p. 438.
126 Ibid., p. 455.
He also mentions that the nouns heavens and earth have no definite article, so that they
form a pair (2Pt. 3.12). The term heavens refers to the atmospheric sky, not to the dwelling
place of the glorified saints. This dwelling needs no renewal, for it remains untouched by sin.
However, some considers this interpretation forced due to the fact that there are texts
speaking of purifying the heaven where God dwells, as the text of Revelation 12, which
mentions the expulsion of the dragon from there. 127
Because of sin, the whole creation of God groans in his suffering, as Paul writes (Rm.
8.22). The creation now hopes for the day when God will set it free from the fetters of sin to
share in the glory of the children of God. In the new heavens and new earth he casts out sin,
and thereby liberates the creation of his bondage. Peter calls this new creation "the home of
righteousness." The apostle personifies the term justice and says that it has permanent
residence in the new heavens and new earth.128
Therefore, according to Peter, the Christians hope for a day of judgment that will be
followed by the restoration of all things. On the one hand, fire burns and consumes the wicked
and sinners; on the other hand, it purges all impurities from the earth by making it new,
transformed, and useful to be the dwelling place of God's people in everlasting righteousness.
127 This comment was made by Dr. Leandro Lima, the writer masters advisor.
128 KISTEMAKER, 2006, p. 455.
Chapters 21 and 22 of Revelation bring together much of the OT themes. Beale points
out that all the promises of restoration of the created world made by Isaiah in Chapters 11, 25,
52, 55, 61, 65, 66 are finally fulfilled. Therefore, in a more attentive reading of the book of
Revelation, it will be clear that the final word of the book is hope and not destruction.129
Aune130 suggests a threefold structure consistent with the vision of the New Jerusalem
(2.10b-22.5):
3.6.1 The new heaven and the new earth (Rev. 21.1-8)
Following the proposals of structuring above, the final scene of the book is opened
with the vision of a new heaven and a new earth. Aune131 argues that the first view of the new
creation is composed of a poem in the form of chiasmus (1-4) and seven real sayings of that
seated on the throne (5-8):
In this case, the emphasis of the structure of the four verses lies in the relationship
between the holy city, which is the bride of the lamb dwelling with God himself in the new
This structure is in accordance with the pattern of the book, composed of seven
beatitudes, seals, trumpets, bowls, etc., highlighting the perfection and fullness of what will
be the new creation that God promises to create.
John sees a new heaven and a new earth. In the earlier analysis of Isaiah 65.17 it was
considered that it was not another creation, but of the same heaven and the same earth,
qualitatively renewed, because the Jews waited for the time when Jerusalem would be rebuilt,
and then they could definitely dwell there. Hendriksen133 puts forth that in the Greek language
there are two ways of referring to something "new." Something that is new in its origin or
something that is new in its quality. The first term [nos] is used for something created
from nothing, related to its origin, and the second [kains], different from the first,
indicates novelty in terms of quality.
John uses the term [kains] four times: a new heaven and a new earth, the word
of God from the throne that makes all things new and the new Jerusalem. The same term that
is repeated four times in Revelation is also found in the reference to the new creation of 2
Peter 3.13. In other words, God will not despise the earth that he has created, on the contrary,
he promises to redeem his original qualities, destroying that which is rotten and rejuvenating
that which is already good. Appropriately, Beale states that the Church expects a new world
not another world; a restored world, not an unknown world.134
This assessment is corroborated by the fact that the NT authors present salvation as
restoration. Frequent terms are: "reconciliation," "renewal," "regeneration," and
"restoration".135 God regenerates the saved without destroying them, the body of those who
are alive in the second appearance of Christ will not be destroyed, but renewed. And likewise,
God will not destroy the good world he created, but will renew his quality. Paradise is not
(Is. 66.24) And they shall go out and (Rev. 21.8) But as for the cowardly, the
look on the dead bodies of the men who faithless, the detestable, as for
have rebelled against me. For their murderers, the sexually immoral,
worm shall not die, their fire shall not be sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their
quenched, and they shall be an portion will be in the lake that burns
abhorrence to all flesh. with fire and sulfur, which is the second
death.
Interpreting the above references, Morris 145 suggests that the book of Revelation
presents judgment and grace accompanied by one another. The beauty of the bride necessarily
involves the prostitute's judgment, the new creation demands the disappearance of the old
woman, and so on; it is impossible to inhabit Babylon at the New Jerusalem.
1987, p. 236.
Finally, the first scene (Rev. 21.1-8) describes the new creation as a new place with a
new people in a new relationship with God: a new earth (place), the New Jerusalem (people),
and the perfect union between Christ and his people (relationship).
angel is stationed at every gate. For him, these angels are comparable to the angels of the
churches and the twenty-four elders who represent the true people of God.150
The city of Ezekiel (Ezk. 48. 31-34) has four groups of three gates facing east, north,
south, and west; Ezekiel's list begins with the north and then the east, but in John's vision, the
angel measures first at the east gate, then north, south, and west (influenced by Ezekiel 42.15-
19). Each of the gates of Ezekiel and John is named after one of the twelve tribes of Israel
written on it. Interpreting the symbol, Beale suggests that the high and great wall represents
the inviolable nature of the communion with God that these people will have in the new
creation.151 Further on, John's statement contributes to this indestructible status of security in
God: " nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false,
but only those who are written in the Lambs book of life (Rev. 21.27).
Conclusion
For the reformed tradition, the final destiny of redeemed humanity is the new creation,
not a place distant from this world, but precisely the same cosmos totally restored. This essay
firstly by arguing argue that the hope of an everlasting living within an immaterial place in the
future is not part of the Christian worldview, rather, it is about an inadequate absorption of the
dualistic mindset of platonism.
Second, in order to comprehend the eschatological promises of Scriptures, we sought
to analyze which hermeneutical principles best fit the reading of Revelation. It was suggested
that Revelation has a mixed genre composed by epistolary, prophecy and apocalyptic literary
forms. Moreover, an adequate reading of Apocalypse must consider its OT intertextuality, the
symbolic nature of the book as a whole, and attempt to its recapitulative-progressiveness.
Finally, it was presented some introductory features about new creation theology,
highlighting the differences between the intermediate state and new creation, its relations to
the kingdom of God, and three exegetical surveys on Isaiah 65.17, 2 Peter 3.13 and
Revelation 21 and 22.
We recognize that what Christians believe about the afterlife directly affects what they
believe about life before death, that is to say, eschatology matters. For this reason, as the
Church lives in the midst of the era of the inauguration and consummation of the Kingdom of
God, it is precisely in this interval of ages that the Church needs to perform its missional task.
God is working for the restoration of all things and inviting his Church to join him in this
project. As Hoekema pointed: we can not simply regard the present earth as a total loss, or
rejoice with its decay. We really have to be working for a better world right now."163