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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Rev_21:1-4
1 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. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."
Rev_21:1 "Then I saw" There is a span of some period of time, how much time depends on your interpretation of "the thousand years" of chapter 20.
▣ "a new heaven and a new earth" This Greek term for "new," kainos, emphasizes quality, not chronological time (cf. Rev_2:17; Rev_3:12; Rev_5:9; Rev_14:3; Rev_21:1-2; Rev_21:5). This was an OT theme, a recreated earth (cf. Isa_11:6-9; Isa_65:17; Isa_66:22; see also Rom_8:18-25; 2Pe_3:10; 2Pe_3:12). All believers are citizens of this new Kingdom (cf. Php_3:20; Eph_2:19; Heb_12:23) and share this new creation (cf. 2Co_5:17; Gal_6:15; Eph_4:24). A parallel theological concept would be the "city of God not made with human hands" of Heb_11:10; Heb_11:16; Heb_12:22; Heb_13:14.
The new creation will be like the initial creation. Heaven may be a restored Garden of Eden. God, mankind, the animals, and all natural creation will fellowship and rejoice again! The Bible begins with God, mankind, and the animals in perfect fellowship in a garden (cf. Genesis 1-2). The Bible ends with God and mankind in a garden setting (cf. Revelation 21-22) and by prophetic implication, the animals (cf. Isa_11:6-8; Isa_65:25). Believers are not going to heaven; the new Jerusalem is coming down out of heaven (cf. Rev_21:2) and coming to a recreated and cleansed earth. God and mankind are together again (cf. Gen_3:15; Isa_7:14; Isa_8:8; Isa_8:10; Rev_21:3).
▣ "for the first heaven and the first earth passed away" There will be a restored creation (cf. Act_3:21; Rom_8:21; Col_1:20), no longer affected by sin (cf. II Baruch 37:6; 2Pe_3:10-12; Rev_20:11).
▣ "and there is no longer any sea" There have been several interpretations of this phrase (see note at Rev_4:6):
1. because the sea is mentioned in Rev_4:6 as a way of speaking of the holiness of God which separates Him from sinful mankind, some have seen its exclusion here as the restoration of perfect fellowship between God and humanity
2. because in Rev_20:13 the sea seemed to be one of the three holding places of the dead, it is a way of saying that all of the dead have been assigned to one of two eternal destinies
3. because the first beast in Rev_13:1 comes out of the sea and there is an allusion to the sea as referring to evil people in Isa_57:20, it is possibly the wicked that are no more
4. because Rev_17:15 is a quote from Isa_17:12-13 where the waters stand for people, many assert that it refers to the wicked nations, like Psalms 2. I like #1 best.
Rev_21:2 "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem" Jerusalem in Palestine is called "the holy city" in Isa_52:1 (cf. Isa_48:2; Isa_64:10; Dan_9:24; Neh_11:1). This new Jerusalem is first mentioned in Rev_3:12 and alluded to in Heb_11:10; Heb_12:22; and Heb_13:14. This shows how John took OT prophecies, terms, titles, and promises and applied them to the new people of God. This city is not the old covenant Jerusalem in Palestine as some millennialists have assumed, but the new covenant heavenly Jerusalem.
▣ "coming down out of heaven" There are not two descendings, one in Rev_21:2 and another in Rev_21:10. Apocalyptic language is very fluid and should not be structured chronologically, logically, or literally.
▣ "made ready as a bride adorned for her husband" This is an allusion to Isa_61:10 (cf. Rev_19:7). In these last chapters several metaphors are used to describe the people of God: (1) a bride (cf. Rev_19:7; Rev_21:2); (2) a wedding guest (cf. Rev_19:9); and (3) a city (cf. Rev_21:22; Rev_21:9; Rev_22:2).
The OT metaphor of YHWH (cf. especially Hosea 1-3) as husband and Israel as bride is the background of the image of the Church as the bride of Christ (cf. Eph_5:21-31).
Rev_21:3 "'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men'" This Greek phrase repeats the OT promises of God dwelling with men in three different ways:
1. it is an allusion to the tabernacle, a symbol of YHWH's presence
2. "He shall dwell among them" is what the term "Immanuel" of Isa_7:14 (cf. Joh_1:14) meant
3. "they shall be His people" is covenant terminology; now all believing people (cf. Joh_10:16) are God's chosen people (cf. Lev_26:11-12; Eze_37:23; Eze_37:27).
Rev_21:4 "and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes" This is an allusion to Isa_25:8 (cf. Mat_5:4; Mat_7:17). The new age will be a time of joy, peace, wholeness, and praise!
▣ "and there will no longer be any death" This last enemy (cf. Rev_20:14) will be destroyed (cf. 1Co_15:26). Believers will have their new bodies like Christ's resurrected body (cf. 1Co_15:50-57; 2Co_3:18; 1Th_4:15-16; 1Jn_3:2).
▣ "there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain" This is an allusion to Isa_65:19 and also reflects Isa_35:10.
▣ "the first things have passed away" The first created order was affected by the Fall (cf. Genesis 3; Gen_6:5; Gen_6:1-13), but a new order will be unaffected by sin (cf. Heb_12:27-28).