The New Earth will be a physical, tangible place where believers will dwell after the final resurrection. The New Heavens and New Earth will together constitute the New Universe, which will be the eternal Heaven, a permanent renewal and restoration of God’s original creation, forever free from sin and suffering.

A thoughtful reader asked me, “When the New Earth arrives, do you believe there will remain a Heaven that is distinct from the New Earth? Or will the ‘merging’ of Heaven and Earth be total?”

The Heaven that now exists, called the present Heaven, is where God dwells with His people and angels and the living creatures. It is where His throne is located, and hence, it is the location from which He governs the universe. The present Heaven is a place free from the curse, without sin, death, and suffering.

We are told three times in Revelation 21:3 that God will come down to dwell with His people on the New Earth. We are promised there will be no death or suffering on the New Earth (Revelation 21:4). We are also told the curse will no longer exist on the New Earth (Revelation 22:3).

Scripture is clear that the New Jerusalem will be relocated from the present Heaven to the New Earth: “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:1).

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