Question:
ÎIn the following verses, a common expression is observed,: “a new earth”:
“I have put My words in your mouth and have covered you with the shadow of My hand, to establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.” (Isaiah 51:16); “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.” (Isaiah 65:17); “But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13); “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.” (Revelation 21:1)
It is natural to ask: Who will live on that new earth if the people of God will be raptured in Heaven?
If we are talking about the Church (I think the person who asked this question meant the Church), Revelation 5:9-10 says that the Christians (that is the Church) will reign on earth:
And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10)
In order to understand how the Church will reign on earth after being raptured in the sky, let us follow the Church references from the book of Revelation. There are not many.
1. After the sixth seal and after the seventh bowl, the Church is in heaven
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” … Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9-10, 13-14)
After the seventh bowl, after the judgment and destruction of Babylon (chapters 16-18), the Lamb’s wedding is announced in heaven:
”’Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (Apocalipsa 19:7-8)
2. The church will come to earth together with the Lord Jesus at His Second Coming
Revelation 19:11-21 describes the Second Coming of Jesus on earth. He will be followed by the armies which are in heaven. In verse 14, the armies which are in heaven “were clothed in fine linen, white and clean,” just as the Lamb’s bride was given to clothe herself (Revelation 19:8).
3. The Church will reign on earth together with Jesus Christ for 1000 years
Revelation 20 tells us the events that will come after the Second Coming of Jesus on earth.
– the devil is bound for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:1-3)
– those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4-6).
– after 1000 years the devil will be released and will deceive the nations which will surround the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and a fire will come down from heaven and will devour them and the devil will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone. (Revelation 20:7-10)
4. When the Last Judgment begins, the earth and heaven will flee from the presence of the Lord, and no place will be found for them
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.(Revelation 20:11)
5. The new heavens and the new earth will be other than now
It is not about the renewal of the earth. In Revelation 21:1, the Apostle John specifies that the first heaven and the first earth passed away:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. (Revelation 21:1)
6. The church will live on the new earth
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2)
The New Jerusalem is the Church.
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, ”Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. (Revelation 21:9-11)
But on the new earth there will not be just the Church. If you want to know more about who will live on the new earth, I propose that you study the book of Revelation. We have an inductive Bible study in four parts. It is important to know and understand Revelation in order to be blessed:
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. (Revelation 1:3)
You cannot heed what you don’t know! That is why it is very important to study the book of Revelation! Knowing the plan of God gives you peace and hope that what He has promised He will accomplish.
Translated by Marcela Tasca