Tool Beta
The Ancient World Behind the Text
Pick a passage anywhere in the New Testament. See the customs and ideas a first reader knew without being told.
Revelation 21:1-8, new heaven, new earth, no more sea
John sees a new heaven and a new earth, with no more sea, and the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God like a bride dressed for her husband. A voice announces that God's dwelling is now with people, that he will wipe away every tear, and that he makes all things new; the thirsty will drink freely, while the cowardly, the faithless, murderers, sorcerers, idolaters and liars have their place in the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:1-8, in every translation this tool compares.
The old creation is gone and John sees a new heaven and earth, with no sea, and the holy city descending from God, beautiful as a bride on her wedding day. A voice announces that God now lives among his people, and that tears, death and pain are over for good. God declares that he is renewing everything, offers free water of life to the thirsty and an inheritance to those who overcome, while those who persist in evil are shut out in the second death. Why the sea is gone, and whether creation is renewed or replaced, are debated.
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/present-age-and-age-to-come\/","n":"This age and the age to come","s":"Jews divided history into the present age, under the rule of evil nations, and the age to come, when God would rule unchallenged. The sufferings expected before the change were called birth pangs.","r":""}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/the-sea\/","n":"The sea","s":"To ancient Israel the sea stood for chaos and danger that only God could command. The Gospel stories on the lake of Galilee lean on that old picture.","r":""}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/heavenly-jerusalem\/","n":"The heavenly Jerusalem","s":"Jews looked for a Jerusalem built by God for the age to come, and some spoke of it as already waiting in heaven. Exiles and resident aliens knew what it was to look for a city that would be home.","r":""}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/the-tabernacle\/","n":"The tabernacle and its heavenly pattern","s":"The tent sanctuary Israel carried through the wilderness, with an outer room for the priests and an inner room, the holy of holies, for the ark. Moses built it to a pattern shown on the mountain, and many Jews thought of the earthly sanctuary as a copy of a heavenly one.","r":""}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/magic-and-sorcery\/","n":"Magic and sorcery","s":"Spells, charms and incantations were sold and used across the ancient world, by Jews as well as pagans, and many feared the evil eye. People told a sorcerer, who worked in secret and for pay, from a holy man who acted openly.","r":""}
New heavens and earth come from Isaiah 65:17 and 66:22. Jewish texts spoke of the world purified, transformed or replaced; Keener thinks Revelation means replacement, and the ESV Study Bible weighs both. Beale notes that the word new means new in kind, Wright stresses heaven and earth joined, the Zondervan dictionary says "the old universe will be marvelously regenerated", and Heiser notes that Isaiah gives the new creation and the new Jerusalem together. The missing sea is read as chaos, home of Leviathan, for Heiser, who writes, "When Eden comes, there is no more sea"; a hostile element removed (the dictionary); no place left for monsters to rise (Wright); five senses at once, from evil to trade (Beale). Keener doubts that John's hearers knew the old Canaanite sea stories, and the cultural backgrounds notes think the river of life replaces the sea. God dwelling with his people is tabernacle language (Leviticus 26:11-12; Ezekiel 37:27; Keener; Wright); Heiser hears the verb of John 1:14 and promises to Israel now reaching every believer. Magic was widespread in Roman Asia (Acts 19; Keener) and counted antisocial, done secretly for the magician's own good (the cultural backgrounds article Magic in the New Testament).
- Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, introduction to Revelation 21:1-8, and on 21:1, 21:3 and 21:8
- NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, notes on Revelation 21:1, 21:3 and 21:8
- G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, on Revelation 21:1
- Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm, ch. 42, section No More Sea
- N. T. Wright, Revelation for Everyone, comments on Revelation 21:1-5 and 21:6-21
- ESV Study Bible, study note on Revelation 21:1
- CSB Study Bible, note on Revelation 21:1
- Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary, entries eschatology (IV. Eternal happiness) and sea
- NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, article Magic in the New Testament (Acts)
- Michael S. Heiser, Revelation 21-22: The New Heaven and the New Earth, video lecture (Naked Bible Revelation series)
