The eschatological hope of the Christian faith
"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 sublime passage from the final vision of the Book of Revelation unveils the eschatological hope of the Christian faith—the consummation of God’s redemptive plan in the creation of a new heaven and a new earth. John the Seer, writing amid persecution and suffering, does not merely predict the end of time but proclaims its transformation. What he sees is not an annihilat...