Q254 : The New Jerusalem and the New Earth

Dr. Henebury,

Can I encourage you by saying what a blessing your lectures on Biblical Covenantalism^a and Eschatology^b are proving. They are informative and extremely helpful in addressing and answering a whole series of questions that I have been asking recently.

In lecture 9 of your series on Matthew^c (5:1-12^d) , and specifically in relation to the Beatitude, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (v.5), you say that the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven to earth. How would I defend that statement Biblically, when the text in Revelation 21:2 does not actually say the New Jerusalem comes down to earth, and your whole emphasis throughout (correctly and commendably in my opinion) has been on a literal interpretation on Scripture as “God means what He says”?

A254 : by Paul Henebury

Thank you for your question. I think your query is spot on and I should like to respond by saying that although there is no direct phrase which tells us New Jerusalem comes to Earth, there are, I think, good reasons for the assertion. First, in Rev. 21:1-2 the contrast between New Heaven and New Earth with heaven and earth which passed away sets up an expectation that New Jerusalem, if it descends from Heaven, comes to the New Earth. But secondly, Rev. 21:10-26 links the city with those “kings of the earth” who “bring their grandeur into it.” Unless they fly up to it (a possibility) New Jerusalem must be accessible from the ground.

Anyway, that is my thinking.