13, 14. (a) What other instance of the phrase “new heavens and a new earth” should we consider? (b) Why is Peter’s prophecy of particular interest at this time?

¹³ Take care not to miss the point. This is neither an exercise in Biblical interpretation nor a mere glance at ancient history. You can see this by moving to another occurrence of the phrase “new heavens and a new earth.” In 2 Peter chapter 3, you will find this occurrence and see that our future is involved.

¹⁴ The apostle Peter wrote his letter over 500 years after the Jews returned to their homeland. As one of Jesus’ apostles, Peter was writing to the followers of Christ, “the Lord” mentioned at 2 Peter 3:2. In 2Pe 3 verse 4, Peter brings up Jesus’ “promised presence,” which makes the prophecy very pertinent today. Ample evidence shows that since World War I, Jesus has been present in the sense of having authority as Ruler in God’s heavenly Kingdom. (Revelation 6:1-8; 11:15, 18) This takes on special meaning in view of something else that Peter foretold in this chapter.

15. How is Peter’s prophecy about the “new heavens” finding fulfillment?

¹⁵ We read at 2 Peter 3:13: “There are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.” You may already have learned that Jesus in heaven is the key Ruler in the “new heavens.” (Luke 1:32, 33) Yet, other Bible texts indicate that he does not rule alone. Jesus promised that the apostles and some others like them would have a place in heaven. In the book of Hebrews, the apostle Paul described such ones as “partakers of the heavenly calling.” And Jesus said that those of this group would sit on thrones in heaven with him. (Hebrews 3:1; Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:28-30; John 14:2, 3) The point is that others reign with Jesus as part of the new heavens. Then what did Peter mean by the term “new earth”?

16. What “new earth” already exists?

¹⁶ As with the ancient fulfillment​—the return of the Jews to their homeland—​the current fulfillment of 2 Peter 3:13 involves people who submit to rulership by the new heavens. You can find millions today who are gladly submitting to such rulership. They are benefiting from its educational program and striving to follow its laws found in the Bible. (Isaiah 54:13) These make up the basis of “a new earth” in the sense that they form a global society of all nationalities, languages, and races, and they work together in submission to the reigning King, Jesus Christ. A significant fact is that you can be part of this!​—Micah 4:1-4.

17, 18. Why do the words at 2 Peter 3:13 give us reason to look to the future?

¹⁷ Do not feel that this is the end of matters, that we do not have any detailed insight into the future. In fact, as you examine the context of 2 Peter chapter 3, you will find indications of a great change ahead. In 2Pe 3 verses 5 and 6, Peter writes about the Flood of Noah’s day, the Deluge that ended the wicked world back then. In 2Pe 3 verse 7, Peter mentions that “the heavens and the earth that are now,” both the rulerships and the masses of people, are reserved for “the day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly men.” This confirms that the phrase “the heavens and the earth that are now” refers, not to the material universe, but to humans and their rulerships.

¹⁸ Peter explains thereafter that the coming day of Jehovah will bring about a great cleansing, making way for the new heavens and new earth mentioned in 2Pe 3 verse 13. Note the end of that verse​—“in these righteousness is to dwell.” Does that not suggest that some major changes for the better must occur? Does it not raise the prospect of really new things, a time when humans will find greater enjoyment in living than they do today? If you can see that, then you have gained insight into what the Bible foretells, insight that relatively few have.

19. In what setting does the book of Revelation point to “new heavens and a new earth” yet to come?

¹⁹ But let us go further. We have looked at the occurrence of the phrase “new heavens and a new earth” in Isaiah chapter 65 and another instance in 2 Peter chapter 3. Now turn to Revelation chapter 21, which contains one other occurrence of this expression in the Bible. Again, understanding the setting will help. Two chapters before, in Revelation chapter 19, we find described in vivid symbolism a war​—but not a war between hostile nations. On one side is “The Word of God.” You likely recognize that as a title of Jesus Christ. (John 1:1, 14) He is in heaven, and this vision depicts him with his heavenly armies. Battling against whom? The chapter mentions “kings,” “military commanders,” and people of various ranks, both “small ones and great.” This battle involves the coming day of Jehovah, the destruction of wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10) Moving on, Revelation chapter 20 opens by describing the removal of “the original serpent, who is the Devil and Satan.” This sets the stage for considering Revelation chapter 21.

20. Revelation 21:1 indicates that what significant change lies ahead?

²⁰ The apostle John begins with the thrilling words: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more.” Based on what we have seen in Isaiah chapter 65 and 2 Peter chapter 3, we can be sure that this does not mean replacing the literal heavens and our planet, with its watery deep. As the preceding chapters showed, wicked people and their rulerships, including the invisible ruler Satan, will be removed. Yes, the promise here is of a new system of things involving people on earth.

21, 22. Of what blessings does John assure us, and what does the wiping out of tears mean?

²¹ We are assured of this as we move into this wonderful prophecy. The end of Re 21 verse 3 speaks of the time when God will be with mankind, turning his beneficent attention toward people doing his will. (Ezekiel 43:7) John continues in Re 21 verses 4, 5: “He [Jehovah] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away. And the One seated on the throne said: ‘Look! I am making all things new.’ Also, he says: ‘Write, because these words are faithful and true.’” What an uplifting prophecy!

²² Pause to savor what the Bible is foretelling. ‘God will wipe out every tear from their eyes.’ That cannot refer to normal tears that wash our sensitive eyes, nor can it refer to tears of joy. No, the tears that God will wipe out are tears caused by suffering, grief, disappointment, hurt, and agony. How can we be sure? Well, this remarkable promise of God links wiping out tears with ‘death, mourning, outcry, and pain being no more.’​—John 11:35.

23. The end of what conditions is guaranteed by John’s prophecy?

²³ Does this not prove that cancer, strokes, heart attacks, and even death will have been eliminated? Who of us has not lost a loved one to some disease, accident, or disaster? God here promises that death will be no more, which suggests that the children who might be born then will not have to face the prospect of growing up and then getting old​—ending in death. This prophecy also means no more Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis, fibroid tumors, glaucoma, or even cataracts​—so common in old age.

24. How will the ‘new heaven and new earth’ prove to be a blessing, and what will we yet consider?

²⁴ You would no doubt agree that mourning and outcry would decrease with the removal of death, old age, and disease. Yet, what about grinding poverty, child abuse, and oppressive discrimination based on background or skin color? Were such things​—common today—​to continue, we would not be rid of mourning and outcry. Thus, life under “a new heaven and a new earth” will not be marred by these present causes of sorrow. What a change!

2. What are some things that you look forward to?

² In the preceding article, we examined three of the four instances where the Bible foretells “new heavens and a new earth.” (Isaiah 65:17) One of those reliable predictions is recorded at Revelation 21:1. The subsequent verses tell of the time when Almighty God will drastically change earthly conditions for the better. He will wipe out tears of grief. No more will people die from old age, sickness, or accidents. Mourning, outcry, and pain will be gone. What a delightful prospect! But can we be sure that it will come, and what impact could that prospect have on us right now?

Reasons for Confidence

3. Why can we trust the Bible’s promises about the future?

³ Note how Revelation 21:5 continues. It quotes God, seated on his heavenly throne, as declaring: “Look! I am making all things new.” That divine promise is better than any national declaration of independence, any present-day bill of rights, or any human aspiration for the future. It is an absolutely reliable declaration by the One who the Bible says “cannot lie.” (Titus 1:2) Understandably, you might feel that we could stop right here, relishing this exquisite prospect and trusting God. But we need not stop. There is more for us to learn about our future.

4, 5. What Bible prophecies already considered can bolster our confidence about what lies ahead?

⁴ Reflect on what the preceding article established as to the Bible’s promises of new heavens and a new earth. Isaiah foretold such a new system, and his prophecy had a fulfillment when the Jews returned to their homeland and reestablished true worship. (Ezra 1:1-3; 2:1, 2; 3:12, 13) Yet, was that all that Isaiah’s prophecy pointed to? Definitely not! The things he foretold would be fulfilled in a grander way in the distant future. Why do we reach that conclusion? Because of what we read at 2 Peter 3:13 and Revelation 21:1-5. Those passages point to new heavens and a new earth that will benefit Christians on a global scale.

⁵ As noted earlier, the Bible uses the phrase “new heavens and a new earth” four times. We have considered three of these and have reached encouraging conclusions. Pointedly, the Bible foretells that God will eliminate wickedness and other causes of suffering and that he will then further bless mankind in his promised new system.

6. What does a fourth prophecy mentioning “new heavens and a new earth” foretell?

⁶ Let us now examine the remaining instance of the expression “new heavens and a new earth,” at Isaiah 66:22-24: “‘Just as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making are standing before me,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘so the offspring of you people and the name of you people will keep standing. And it will certainly occur that from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath all flesh will come in to bow down before me,’ Jehovah has said. ‘And they will actually go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that were transgressing against me; for the very worms upon them will not die and their fire itself will not be extinguished, and they must become something repulsive to all flesh.’”

7. Why should we conclude that Isaiah 66:22-24 will have a fulfillment in coming days?

⁷ This prophecy had an application among the Jews reestablished in their land, but there would be another fulfillment. That had to be down the stream of time from when Peter’s second letter and the book of Revelation were written, for they pointed to a future ‘new heaven and earth.’ We can look for that grand and complete fulfillment in the new system. Consider some of the conditions that we can look forward to enjoying.

8, 9. (a) In what sense will God’s people “keep standing”? (b) What is the import of the prophecy that Jehovah’s servants will worship “from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath”?

⁸ Revelation 21:4 indicated that death will be no more. The passage in Isaiah chapter 66 agrees with that. We can see from Isa 66 verse 22 that Jehovah knows that the new heavens and the new earth will not be temporary, of limited duration. Furthermore, his people will endure; they will “keep standing” before him. What God has already done for his chosen people gives us reason for confidence. True Christians have faced vicious persecution, even fanatical efforts to wipe them out. (John 16:2; Acts 8:1) Yet, even very powerful enemies of God’s people, such as Roman Emperor Nero and Adolf Hitler, have not been able to eradicate God’s loyal ones, who bear his name. Jehovah has preserved the congregation of his people, and we can be sure that he can keep it standing lastingly.

⁹ Similarly, those faithful to God as part of the new earth, the society of true worshipers in the new world, will keep standing individually because they will be rendering pure worship to the Creator of all things. That will not be occasional or haphazard worship. God’s Law, provided to Israel through Moses, called for certain acts of worship each month, as marked by the new moon, and each week, as marked by the Sabbath day. (Leviticus 24:5-9; Numbers 10:10; 28:9, 10; 2 Chronicles 2:4) So Isaiah 66:23 points to regular, ongoing worship of God, week after week and month after month. Atheism and religious hypocrisy will not exist then. “All flesh will come in to bow down before” Jehovah.

10. Why can you be confident that the new world will not be permanently marred by wicked ones?

¹⁰ Isaiah 66:24 assures us that the peace and righteousness of the new earth will never be in danger. Wicked people will not ruin it. Recall that 2 Peter 3:7 says that ahead of us is “the day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly men.” Those coming to their end will be ungodly. No harm will come to innocents, unlike what often happens in human wars, where civilian casualties outnumber military ones. The Great Judge guarantees us that his day will be a destruction of the ungodly.

11. What does Isaiah show will be the future of any who turn against God and his worship?

¹¹ The surviving righteous ones will see that God’s prophetic word is true. Isa 66 Verse 24 foretells that “the carcasses of the men that were transgressing against” Jehovah will be proof of his judgment. The graphic language Isaiah used may seem shocking. Yet, it is consistent with a historical fact. Outside the walls of ancient Jerusalem were dumps for garbage and, occasionally, for the corpses of executed criminals judged unfit for a decent burial.a There the worms and incinerating fire would soon eliminate both the garbage and those corpses. Evidently, Isaiah’s imagery illustrates the finality of Jehovah’s judgment on transgressors.

What He Has Promised

12. Isaiah gives what further indications regarding life in the new world?

¹² Revelation 21:4 tells us of some things that will not exist in the coming new system. However, what will exist then? What will life be like? Can we get any reliable hints? Yes. Isaiah chapter 65 prophetically describes conditions that we will enjoy if we have Jehovah’s approval to live when he, in the final sense, creates these new heavens and new earth. Those blessed with a lasting place in the new earth will not grow old and inevitably die. Isaiah 65:20 assures us: “No more will there come to be a suckling a few days old from that place, neither an old man that does not fulfill his days; for one will die as a mere boy, although a hundred years of age; and as for the sinner, although a hundred years of age he will have evil called down upon him.”

13. How does Isaiah 65:20 assure us that God’s people will enjoy security?

¹³ When this was first fulfilled on Isaiah’s people, it meant that the babes in the land were safe. No enemies were coming in, as the Babylonians once did, to carry off sucklings or to cut down men who were in the prime of their life. (2 Chronicles 36:17, 20) In the coming new world, people will be safe, secure, able to enjoy life. If a person chooses to rebel against God, he will not be allowed to continue living. God will remove him. What if the rebellious sinner is a hundred years old? He will die “as a mere boy” compared to having endless life.​—1 Timothy 1:19, 20; 2 Timothy 2:16-19.

14, 15. Based on Isaiah 65:21, 22, to what rewarding activities can you look forward?

¹⁴ Instead of concentrating on how a willful sinner might be removed, Isaiah describes the living conditions that will prevail in the new world. Try to picture yourself in the scene. What might first come to your mind’s eye are things close to home. Isaiah treats that in Isa 65 verses 21 and 22: “They will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. They will not build and someone else have occupancy; they will not plant and someone else do the eating. For like the days of a tree will the days of my people be; and the work of their own hands my chosen ones will use to the full.”

¹⁵ If you have not yet gained building experience or done gardening, Isaiah’s prophecy suggests that an education awaits you. Would you, though, be willing to learn with the help of capable instructors, perhaps kind neighbors who happily lend you a hand? Isaiah did not say whether your house will have large paneless windows with blinds, so that you can enjoy tropical breezes, or closed glass windows through which you can observe changing seasons. Will you design a house with a slanted roof to shed rain and snow? Or will the local climate suggest a flat roof​—like one of those in the Middle East—​a roof where you can gather with your family for delightful meals and conversation?​—Deuteronomy 22:8; Nehemiah 8:16.

16. Why can you expect the new world to be permanently satisfying?

¹⁶ More important than knowing such details is that you will have your own residence. It will be yours​—not like today when you might slave to build but then another person benefits. Isaiah 65:21 also says that you will plant and eat the fruitage. Clearly, that summarizes the general situation. You will derive intense satisfaction from your efforts, the fruits of your own labors. You will be able to do that over a long life​—“like the days of a tree.” That certainly meets the description “all things new”!​—Psalm 92:12-14.

17. Parents will find what promise especially encouraging?

¹⁷ If you are a parent, these words will touch your heart: “They will not toil for nothing, nor will they bring to birth for disturbance; because they are the offspring made up of the blessed ones of Jehovah, and their descendants with them. And it will actually occur that before they call out I myself shall answer; while they are yet speaking, I myself shall hear.” (Isaiah 65:23, 24) Do you know from experience the pain of ‘bringing to birth for disturbance’? We need not list the range of problems children may have that bring disturbance to parents and others. Related to that, we have all observed parents so preoccupied with their own careers, activities, or pleasures that they spend little time with their children. In contrast, Jehovah assures us that he will hear and respond to our needs, even anticipate them.

18. Why can you expect to enjoy the animals in the new world?

¹⁸ While you are thinking about what you may enjoy in the new world, picture the scene that God’s prophetic word sets out: “‘The wolf and the lamb themselves will feed as one, and the lion will eat straw just like the bull; and as for the serpent, his food will be dust. They will do no harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain,’ Jehovah has said.” (Isaiah 65:25) Human artists have tried to paint that scene, but this is no mere word picture produced with artistic license. This will be real. Peace will prevail among humans and will be matched by peace with the animals. Many biologists and animal lovers spend the best years of their life learning about a few types of animals or just one species or breed. In contrast, think what you will be able to learn when animals are not dominated by fear of humans. Then you will be able to approach even birds and tiny creatures whose habitat is the forest or jungle​—yes, observe, learn from, and enjoy them. (Job 12:7-9) You will be able to do so safely, free of danger from man or animal. Jehovah says: “They will do no harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain.” What a change that will be from what we see and experience today!