There are not extensive passages in the Bible that specifically address the end of the world and the creation of the New Heaven and New Earth, but those that do are in agreement. The book of Revelation states, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea” (Rv 21:1). This agrees with the second letter of Peter:
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be discovered. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Pt 10-13)
And so the day of the Lord will consist of the following events. First is the second coming of Christ. Second is the resurrection of the dead into glorified bodies and the glorification of the bodies of the living. Third is the Final Judgement. Fourth is the destruction of the old heaven and the old earth. And fifth is the creation of the New Heavens and the New Earth.
There is surprisingly little formalized doctrine about the end of the world and the creation of the new heavens and the new earth. The Roman Catholic catechism addressed it in this manner:
“Though already present in his Church, Christ’s reign is nevertheless yet to be fulfilled “with power and great glory” by the King’s return to earth. This reign is still under attack by the evil powers, even though they have been defeated definitively by Christ’s Passover. Until everything is subject to him, until there be realized new heavens and a new earth in which justice dwells, the pilgrim Church, in her sacraments and institutions, which belong to this present age, carries the mark of this world which will pass. “[i]
And so, Roman Catholics acknowledge that there will be new heavens and a new earth but do not specifically address the destruction of the old heaven and the old earth. But both are completely absent from the Lutheran Large Catechism and the Reformed Westminster Confession of Faith. The Arminian Confession is the most complete on this topic and reads as follows:
“This manner of awakening and partial alteration will be immediately followed by that blessed glorification which is the completion of all the other acts, in which the Lord Jesus (after He descends from heaven with a shout of encouragement, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God to the aforementioned judgment) receives those who have [been] awakened by the angels through His power to be with Him in the air, and most powerfully transfers them from the universal corruption and total destruction of the whole world (being then entirely in flames) into the eternal and glorious habitations of heaven (which in Scripture are called the new heavens, the new earth and the future world) and will perpetually give them unspeakable glory and joy to enjoy together with Himself, with God, and with His holy angels.”[ii]
It is unclear what is meant by equating heaven with the new heavens, the new earth and the future world. It seems that the Arminian interpretation is that heaven is unchanged except that it is the new residence for glorified Christians. This interpretation does not address how this is possible since “the heavens will be destroyed by burning” and the “first heaven and the first earth passed away.” But all agree that the final abode of glorified Christians will be in Heaven in the presence of Christ. All do not agree, however, if equal eternal blessings will be the same for all. This issue relates to whether there are rewards in Heaven or not.
[i] Catechism of the Catholic Church: Summary, Libraria Editrice Vaticana, 1992: ¶671.
[ii] The Arminian Confession of 1621, Ch. 19, ¶3.
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