The ultimate destiny of all creation

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them [as their God]. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away.'" (Revelation 21:1–4)

This final vision of Saint John the Apostle unveils the ultimate destiny of creation and the culmination of divine salvation: the advent of the new heaven and new earth, and the eternal communion between God and His redeemed people. The image of the new Jerusalem descending from heaven evokes not an escape from the world but its transformation by divine grace. The old creation—marked by sin, death, and separation—is definitively surpassed by the eschatological reality where God makes all things new. The sea, a traditional symbol of chaos and evil in biblical imagery, is no more, signifying the end of disorder and fear.

Revelation 21 is the consummation of the entire biblical narrative. What began in the Garden of Eden—an intimate fellowship between God and humanity disrupted by sin—is now perfectly restored. God’s dwelling (skēnē, "tent") with humanity fulfills the covenantal promises made throughout salvation history, from Exodus to Ezekiel to Emmanuel. God does not merely visit His people; He abides with them eternally. The language used—“they will be His people, and God Himself will always be with them”—echoes the ancient covenant formula but now brought to its full, unbreakable realization.

The text also presents a profound pastoral promise: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.” This is not poetic exaggeration but a declaration of the definitive end of suffering, grounded in God’s personal and paternal care. In this new reality, death-the final enemy—is no more. Mourning, wailing, and pain, which represent the full spectrum of human sorrow, belong to “the old order,” now passed away. The eschaton is not merely a future event but the final healing of all wounds, the rectification of all injustices, and the vindication of all faithful endurance. It is the answer to the Church’s prayer: “Thy kingdom come.”

This vision gives hope to all who suffer, mourn, or labor under the weight of a broken world. It sustains the Church in persecution and consoles the faithful in grief. Revelation does not deny the present darkness, but reveals its temporary nature. The promise of the new Jerusalem invites every Christian to live in anticipation of glory while remaining faithful in tribulation. It calls for a spirituality of vigilance, hope, and purity—living as those betrothed to the Lamb, awaiting the wedding feast to come. The Church on earth, though imperfect and suffering, participates already in the reality that will one day be fully unveiled.

Revelation 21:1-4 is the Christian's ultimate horizon—a vision not of abstract perfection but of communion. It is the destiny for which all things were created and the goal toward which the entire cosmos is moving under the lordship of the risen Christ. In the face of death, the Church proclaims life; in the shadow of sorrow, she proclaims joy; and in the noise of chaos, she hears the voice from the throne: “Behold, I make all things new.” This is the sure and certain hope that sustains the pilgrim Church, for the One who promises is faithful, and His word shall never return void.

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