Louie Giglio - All Things New (09/21/2025)
I want to walk us through some big ideas today, and I want us to leave this place convinced about our future. But I also want us to be impacted right where we are in the present. I want heaven to become real to us today, and I want it to significantly affect the way we live our lives in this moment. John says, «Then I saw.» I want to emphasize again that this has been the key idea in Revelation: it’s seeing, having our eyes opened, being tuned in, being awake, and being alive to what God is doing now and around us—what we can see and what we can’t see. John tells us, on behalf of Jesus, that there is a new heaven and a new earth. I want you to wrap your mind around that today. We’re not just going to heaven; what John sees is a new heaven, but he also sees a new earth.
I love that our story, if we rewind back to Genesis 1, is a creation story. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The first thing He said was, «Let there be light.» I want you to notice that when we’re coming to the end of our story, it’s just like the beginning of our story. Our story ends with a creation in the same way that it begins with creation. I love how Eugene Peterson says this; I’ll put it up so you might want to snap a photo. He states, «The biblical story began quite logically with a beginning; now it draws to an end, not quite so logically, with a beginning. The sin-ruined creation of Genesis is restored in the sacrifice-renewed creation of Revelation. The products of these beginning and ending acts of creation are the same—the heavens and the earth in Genesis and a new heaven and earth in Revelation. The story that has creation for its first word has creation for its last word.» Then he quotes T.S. Eliot: «The end is where we start from.» At the end of our journey on this earth, stepping into eternity is creation. It’s not the end; it’s a new beginning, and the new beginning is a new heaven and a new earth.
It says about this new heaven and new earth that God is making all things new. In verse five, He who was seated on the throne said, «I am making everything new.» Some translations say, «I am making all things new.» Think about that. There are always two sides to many of the issues we have found in Revelation, especially when we come to chapter 21. One side says that God is going to completely destroy this world, this earth, and create a brand new earth, starting all over again. However, there is another way of thinking in the theological community that says God is going to purify this earth, put it through a challenging refining process, and then restore it to the perfect state He intended for it. I’ll just show you maybe two places quickly so you can understand how this plays out. I don’t know that it will necessarily shape how you live your life, but just so you’ll know: 2 Peter 3 clearly states, «But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; the heavens will disappear with a roar, and the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.» This is a scripture where people argue that this corrupted earth gets completely destroyed, and a new earth will emerge.
But I want to point out a few other passages. In Genesis 9, God speaks to Noah after the flood while establishing a covenant. He states, «I establish my covenant with you; never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood.» There’s that same word we saw in the previous text—"never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.» Now, think about this: Did the flood destroy the earth such that God created a new one? No, the flood did a refining and purifying work on the earth. But all life wasn’t destroyed because those on the ark survived. Now, God promises He will never again use a flood to destroy the earth. Fire, as we go back to our other text, will be used to purify the earth, but not a flood, and it won’t destroy the earth. The word «destroy» doesn’t imply that the earth was done away with and a whole new earth was created.
I also want to point out Romans 8, because not only are we longing for this future city of God, but the whole earth is longing for the future city of God. We know that the whole creation, the earth, and everything else in all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. In other words, the earth has been longing, just as you are. I want to be in that place where there’s no more death, no more sorrow, no more tears, and no more mourning. I think that the creation knows it will be part of the renewal and restoration of all things in the end. You can read through these texts and many others to land where you will. However, Daryl Johnson has conveyed little thoughts throughout this entire collection that resonate with me, and this one made a lot of sense: He who was seated on the throne said, «I am making everything new.» Let’s return to the literal wording: «I am making all things new.» Interestingly, the one seated on the throne didn’t say, «I am making all new things»; He said, «I am making all things new.» I am taking this earth—corrupted, broken, and groaning—and I will refine it and restore it to be just as it was intended. It’s much more than renovation; it is a miraculous resurrection of the earth. In the same way that we are restored and resurrected, the earth now becomes new.
If you’re reading carefully, you might have noticed that in this new heaven and new earth, the one thing pointed out at the very beginning is that there is no longer any sea. As the sea goes away in the new heavens and the new earth, readers might say, «Wait a minute, I happen to love the sea. It’s my favorite part of earth. I look forward to it all year long. I like to sail or deep-sea fish, or I enjoy sitting on the beach and looking at the sea. Now, I learn right away that there’s a new heaven and a new earth, but there is no sea?» Once again, some say this is symbolic; remember throughout these chapters, the Beast of the sea represents chaos, corruption, and everything against the people of God and the Person of Christ. Some interpret this as a future without chaos and tumult. Others read it literally, and they say that for whatever reason, when this new earth is perfected and resurrected, there isn’t a need for an ocean anymore. I don’t know which way you want to read that, but I think here’s the key thing: if you love the ocean, you’re not going to miss out on anything in the new heaven and the new earth because everything in the new earth and the new heaven will be better than what we are currently experiencing.
Here’s the big idea: there is a new heaven. We all understand that because when we reach the end of this life, we’ve been convinced we will go to heaven, where we will live forever with God. But I ask today, if that is our future, what is the purpose of the new earth? As these are joined together, we will see this through the text. As we walk through it in the next few minutes, there’s a comingling of God being with His people in this new heaven and new earth. But I want to offer a thought that you might have never considered before: you’re going to spend your eternity, your future, in a perfect earth. This new earth is a place for you and me to return to the state God intended in the beginning. It will be a place familiar to us—not a «floaty» state, as one theologian I heard recently described it. We will be in a place that is familiar to us. We will experience glorified bodies. We will be significantly upgraded, made into the likeness of Christ, who, after being raised from the dead, walked through walls into the upper room or ascended into heaven to meet the disciples in Galilee.
We don’t know if it took Him 20 seconds to get there or 20 minutes, but it was probably not the all-day journey it would take His followers. We know that when He got there in His glorified body, raised from the dead, He built a fire and had breakfast with His followers. I can’t imagine, when eating breakfast together, that He said, «Here, have some fish. I won’t have any because I’m in my glorified body.» Instead, I imagine they all had breakfast together—He in His glorified body, they in their non-glorified bodies. They recognized Him, knew Him, and touched Him; they put their fingers in the scars on His wrist and side. The scars He still bears in His glorified body in heaven right now. So when we look at our future, we see a familiar place, perfected in a way we’ve barely begun to imagine, with God in the midst of it. It’s heaven and earth all beautifully united in the new city of God.
I love how He describes it in verse two: «I saw the holy city.» Now remember, every other city we’ve seen has been the unholy city—Babylon the Great—and cities throughout the story of Scripture represent anti-God movements. Now God redeems the city and refers to it as the «holy city,» the New Jerusalem. Now, it’s important to remember that this is all being written around 96 AD, and in 70 AD, Jerusalem was completely destroyed. Titus and the Roman armies came, besieging Jerusalem, completely destroying it and leaving it in ruin. So for John, this is the context in which he understands the earthly Jerusalem as wiped out. But now he has a vision: there is a new city of God, a new holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It’s not being built by the efforts of men; it is coming down, being built by God Himself.
I’m telling you today, this is your reality. Whatever has been wiped out and laid in ruins in your life, there is a new city coming down, a new creation coming down, a new heaven and a new earth coming down, because God gives back what the locusts have eaten. Even though the Jerusalem on earth is wiped out, a new Jerusalem is coming down from heaven, from God. We started in a garden, but we will end in a city. Now, I know for some of you there will be tension today, as some may say, «I don’t like cities. I’m in one right now, but I don’t love it. I’d rather live on 45 acres somewhere. I enjoy my garden, my pasture, little country lanes, and I like tilling the soil in a smaller community. I don’t want to live in a city.» But this city is a city of perfection. The reason it is a city is that it is God gathering His people from every nation, every language, every tribe, every tongue into one beautiful eternal gathering. This is what is coming down from heaven, from God.
It reminded me of this text in Hebrews 11 that discusses Abraham: «Abraham left his place. God called him out to go to a place he didn’t know, and he obeyed. He followed God. He didn’t know exactly where the path would lead him, but he heard God’s call.» Yet it says about Abraham that he was looking, even in that step of faith, for a city whose builder and architect is God. He was looking for this New Jerusalem. He didn’t know exactly what he was seeking or have the ability to describe it like John is about to do, but he knew there was a new city coming that God designed Himself. He didn’t hire an architect or design firm; He was the architect and the designer and builder of this new city, and that’s where you and I are going.
Then I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, «Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.» It’s interesting when we look at this text; it states they will be His peoples. In other words, it’s not just this one group of people who He has shepherded through the covenant historically, but it’s peoples. It includes every tribe, every language, every nation, every tongue—gathered together. That’s the beauty of a city where God is in the midst of His people, and His people are the peoples. Through the covenant, Jesus came, but through Jesus, the gospel has gone out to all people, every nation, every tribe, every tongue, and all of humanity will enter the city, all bearing His name on their foreheads. It’s not a matter of «Look, we’re the whoever,» or «Look, we’re from this country.» It’s «No, we’re all here, named by the same name.» We may come from different ethnic backgrounds, but we’re gathered now by Him, who calls us His children, and all of the people are in the city, with God in their midst.
Some amazing things happen; we’ll see that in verse four. But don’t miss that heaven is ultimately about being with God. Heaven isn’t about the streets of gold, the twelve gates, the twelve foundations, or the crystal; it’s about being with God and God being with us. It says in the text there was no temple there. For those with a Jewish mindset, they would be concerned: «There must be a temple. If there’s no temple, where do we meet with God? Where do we go to bring our sacrifice? Where do we go to worship Him? How do we meet with God?» He says, «I am now the temple; I am in your midst. We’re all together now—You and Me.» Yes, it’s a new, upgraded, fully restored, perfect earth, familiar in many ways. I believe there will be many things for us to do in heaven. But the prize of heaven is God. This truths must reveal to those of us in the church today.
Once again, Eugene Peterson stated it powerfully: «If we don’t want God, or don’t want Him very near, we can hardly be expected to be very interested in heaven.» In other words, if your Christianity and faith say, «I don’t want to be in the lake of fire; I want my name written in the Lamb’s book of life. I want to make sure that at the end of this journey, I go to heaven. I don’t know all what heaven is about, but we’ll figure that out when we get there"—but that faith does not say, «I just want Jesus. I want Him today. I want Him in my work. I want Him with my family. I want Him in my heart. I want to know Jesus. I want a relationship with Him"—then, when I get to heaven, you won’t know all the details, but I do know God will be there, and He will be with His people. He will dwell with them, and His dwelling place will not be in some building or temple made by human hands; it will be among the peoples who bear His name.
John 17:3 states, «This is eternal life.» Are you ready? «This is what eternal life is: that you know God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent.» If you don’t love God right now, desire God, want God, want to pursue God, wish to be connected to God, and want your life to be about God—not just the things of God but about God—then you are definitely not ready for heaven, because heaven is God in the midst of His people. He is proud to say about His redeemed, «I will be their God; I will be your God.» You will be my people.
The relationship between God and His created ones is at the epicenter of the new heaven and the new earth. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. There will be no funerals in the new heaven and the new earth—no hospitals, no ICUs, no cancer wards, no surgical centers, and no prescription drugs. There will be no counselors, no depression, and no struggle. All will be swallowed up in the restoration and resurrection of humanity and all creation, and it’s beautiful. He wants us to know that everything will be made new, but He also assures us that these words are trustworthy and true. It’s done. He said, «I am the Alpha and the Omega. I started it, and I am now starting it all over again. At the ending, I began it. I am here at the end, as powerful as I was at the beginning.»
I’m not just saying, «Let there be light» this time; I’m saying, «I am the light of eternity.» If you are victorious, you will inherit all this. I don’t know what you have coming from your relatives or ancestors, but I know what you have coming: the God the Father, God the Son, and the God who is the Holy Spirit brought you to life. You have an inheritance coming, and you’re inheriting all of the new heavens and the new earth and the God who dwells in them. He will be your God, and you will be His children. Again, the connection, the relationship—it’s all there. But notice, He wants us to know who will not be there: the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, idolaters, and all liars. We already know what happened to them; they are consigned to the fiery lake of burning fire—this second death.
Praise God, in Christ, with our names written in the Lamb’s book of life, we escape this second death. But I want you to see how beautiful it is. He continues, going down to describe this new city coming down, this holy city coming down from heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, so God’s radiance, His eminence, the heaviness of who He is—the glory shines through this new heaven and new earth. Its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal. This city of God coming down from heaven is brilliant in every way. As He describes the various stones and jewels there, each refracts light and enhances beauty beyond what our eyes can imagine. So, we know about heaven: it’s beautiful, bright, full of color and vibrancy, and unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.
We see the history of the fulfillment of all God has done in the city: on the gates, the twelve gates were inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Not because they were all great, but because the God who led them was great. On the twelve foundations, the names of the twelve apostles appear—again, not because they were all great, but because the God who chose them, filled them, empowered them, and used them is great. Then we see this angel with a measuring rod. I don’t want you to miss this; it fills my heart with awe. He measured the city with a rod because it was laid out as a square. Now, this is one of those things you have to read multiple times and then go, «Wow, that’s amazing.» It was as long as it was wide—that’s a square! Everyone knows that. So he tells us how long and wide it was: it was 12,000 stadia in length. 12,000—a perfect number, which I believe symbolizes completeness—times completeness—times completeness—times completeness. As wide as it is, long as it is, and as high as it is. Once he adds the height, we understand that, yes, it’s a square, but now we know how high it is. So we know it’s a cube.
The city of God coming down out of heaven, whose builder and architect is God, is a cube. You might be wondering, «What difference does that make?» The last place we saw a cube was the one described in 1 Kings, which was 20 cubits by 20 cubits by 20 cubits and was covered in gold. This cube was the Holy of Holies in God’s temple. The holiest place was a cube, and now the holy city, the New Jerusalem, is also a cube because the holy city is the Holy of Holies—God dwells there. The only difference is that humans never dwelled with God in the first cube, but now humanity will dwell with God forever in the cube that is the holy city of God. I love how Eugene Peterson expresses it: «What an upgrade.»
While we’re talking about upgrades, he states that the upgrade went from the Holy of Holies, which was 27 square cubits, to the new city of God, which is 3,000,000 255,000 square cubits. It’s God saying, «You’re going to be with Me, and I’m going to be with you.» It is the most intimate of relationships: you and I restored into the holiness that is God. The whole city of God is God and His holiness dwelling among men. He names all of these jewels, then says—it’s beautiful—"I didn’t see a temple there, because the Lord and the Lamb are its temple. It doesn’t need the sun or the moon, for the glory of God gives it light.» Let there be light!
The Lamb is its lamp. Isn’t it beautiful that in the restored earth and the restored heaven, in the holy city—the Holy of Holies—where all things are made new, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is still the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world? Every one of us who will dwell in the cube of the Holy of Holies—the New Jerusalem—forever in a restored earth can do so because of the sacrifice that Jesus made to allow us to enter through the gates that this text says will never close, because there is no threat to this city, and there is no night. Praise God!
But then, look again at verse 27: nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful move some of our upgrade. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will enter. He just wants to remind us one more time, and I’d like to ask again today: not whether you think you’re going to heaven, not whether you think you are a good enough person to go to heaven, but do you know that the only people in heaven are those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? By faith in Christ today, by choosing to fully follow Him, you can find your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
The last thing I want to quickly mention is that the angel showed me the river of the water of life. There’s so much here. We find no sea but a massive river, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God. It flows down the middle. On each side of the river stood the Tree of Life. Remember, the Tree of Life was in the Garden of Eden, and because man had fallen—because Adam and Eve had fallen—they were banished from the Garden of Eden and were not permitted to return. Why? Because the Tree of Life was in the Garden of Eden, and had they returned and eaten from it, they would have had forever life separated from God. But now, through this great redeeming work of God and through Christ, we’re entering the great city. Again, there is the Tree of Life, which bears twelve crops of fruit, yielding fruit every month. For those of you who like to garden and appreciate the countryside, even in the cube that is the holiness of God—the city of God, the New Jerusalem—you find crops yielding fruit every month.
And the leaves of this tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. What curse? The curse from Eden, the curse of sin, the curse of man’s fall—the curse we still struggle with while being restored and redeemed by the work of Jesus. That curse that still lingers on the earth, which groans, is gone because the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. Let’s close with this: they will see His face! Yes, His name will be on their foreheads. They don’t bear 666 on their foreheads; they bear His name. They are moving without the need for a light or a lamp, for the Lord will give them light. Let there be light! They will reign with Him forever and ever.
We will be in the eternal, victorious, conquering reign of the Son of God. What a vision and revelation today! You must understand that no one has seen God’s face. Moses got in that little crack in the rock to see God’s glory pass by, but he couldn’t see Him fully and live; no one can see Him and survive. We saw God’s glory in the face of Christ, but we will now see Him face to face. You can have many different relational angles with someone, but only when you see their face and lock eyes with them do you fully, truly know them. And in this moment, the miracle of miracles is that we, having fallen from His love and grace, are now restored and redeemed by the love of God. We are not in some floaty state in the by and by; we are in a perfectly restored earth, enjoying life together. I don’t know what all of that looks like. I recommend Randy Alcorn’s book on heaven; it is the classic text on heaven. He discusses all the questions: How old will we be in heaven? What happens to babies who die young and go to heaven? What about our pets and physical activity? He frames all of this beautifully, and I would encourage you to explore that.
I believe heaven will be satisfying. It won’t be that we’re all just sort of in some ethereal state, listening to elevator music in the background; it will be meaningful and productive. We’ll reign with Christ, doing the things we love with the people we love, and there’s nothing we’ll miss in heaven that won’t be restored in a way that surpasses our experiences on the corrupted earth. This is because the new, upgraded earth and new heaven will be infinitely better. But all of that pales in comparison to the reality that we will see His face! I can scarcely wrap my head around that.
A few decades ago, a band named Audio Adrenaline had a song popular in youth culture called «In My Father’s House.» It goes, «It’s a big, big house with lots and lots of rooms, with a big, big table, lots and lots of food, and a big, big yard.» Who remembers that? Well, that house isn’t built yet; it’s being built right now. «I am making all things new.» Not, «I will make all things new,» but, «I am making all things new.» So right now, in this corrupted world where all things are not new, we’re agents of a God who is making all things new.
Let’s look around at our world and ask ourselves, «How can I renew what is around me? How can I be part of restoration?» Not that I will restore the earth—that will happen through refinement. But during this process, I don’t want to lose hope or give up. I want to ask, «How can I renew my neighborhood? How can I strive to make all things new in my community? How can I affect my family?» Because I am part of a God who is a kingdom builder. He’s not going to build a kingdom; He’s building the kingdom. He’s not going to do this at the end of time; He’s doing it right now, leading up to a brand new world. I’m part of a kingdom that is within us; it is near, it is here, and it is all around us. Christ is in us.
I’m living as a kingdom agent, as a citizen of heaven. I’m mentally taking stock of what I’m part of and what I’m inheriting in Him. Still, I know I’m on this earth for a while. I don’t know for how long, but I’m here temporarily in a broken world. So I’ve focused my eyes on a city coming down out of heaven from God, and I’m focused on my city, praying every day, «Let Your will be done, and let Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.» Praise God, we have a future, and it is better than we’ve ever dreamed or imagined! Let’s live like we’re going to inherit the greatest city in the history of the world and the ability to see the face of God!