Gen. 1:3

to

Rev. 20:15

Present Adamic world

and Earth

and Earth

Gen. 1:1.

First death

Second death

Rev. 21:1.

If the new heaven and the new earth represent 'the last syllable of

recorded time', then they will also be that perfect kingdom which the Son

shall deliver up to God, even the Father, 'that God may be all in all', and

once again, there will be many students of Scripture who will believe that

such is the case.  We should expect, if this be so, that, seeing the apostle

Paul had a ministry which went beyond the limits of the kingdom of Israel and

the New Jerusalem, we should find him referring again and again to the new

heavens and new earth as the great goal of the ages.  As a matter of fact,

the only New Testament writers who speak of the new heaven and new earth, are

Peter in his second epistle (3:10-13) and John in the book of the Revelation.

True, Paul affirms that if any man be in Christ Jesus he is a new creature (2

Cor. 5:17), and approaches the language of Revelation 21:4 when he says, 'old

things are passed away, behold, all things, are become new' (2 Cor. 5:17).

In 2 Corinthians 12:2 he tells us he was 'caught away (not "up") to the third

heaven', which, in verse 4 he refers to as Paradise and this therefore seems

to refer to the new heavens of Revelation 21 and to the Paradise of

Revelation 22.  Again in Romans 8:19-21 he looks to a day when creation's

groan shall cease, but it remains true nevertheless that only Peter and John

actually use the term 'new heavens and new earth'.

All this time, of course, we have been speaking with the book shut.

The moment we 'open the book' at Revelation 21:1 we are confronted with

features and facts that give us pause.  The new heaven and new earth take the

place of 'the first' heaven and earth.  The Companion Bible comment here is

'first, or former as verse 4'.  This is the translation given in The

Twentieth Century New Testament.  It is the translation of the Greek word

protos by the A.V. itself in Revelation 21:4 'the former things are passed

away'.  When Luke wrote in Acts 1:1 of the Gospel he had already written he

said, 'The former treatise have I made', not 'the first'.  So also, the

'first' covenant and the 'first' tabernacle of Hebrews 8:13 and 9:8 speak of

the 'former' of the two covenants and tabernacles under review.  The

Tabernacle in the wilderness was not the 'first' that ever was, for Abraham,

Isaac and Jacob dwelt in 'tabernacles' long before Moses was born.  The

'first' covenant of Hebrews 8:13 was not the first that ever was, but the

'former' of two, the 'second' covenant being more often called 'new', just as

we find the 'second' heaven and earth that the apostle had in mind in

Revelation 21 is called 'new' likewise.  If we now retranslate Revelation

21:1 and read:

'And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the

former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more',

we immediately start the enquiry, To what does the apostle refer, when he

says 'the former'?  If he has in mind the former of two then he cannot refer

to Genesis 1:1, for a secondary and lesser 'heaven' intervenes, the work of