Isaiah’s New Heavens and New Earth
Isaiah gives us one of the Bible’s great pictures of the future:
“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth.”
— Isaiah 65:17
What was Isaiah describing?
Some understand Isaiah 65 as a prophecy of a future thousand-year earthly kingdom. Christ will return, reign from Jerusalem for 1,000 years, and only afterward will the final new heavens and new earth arrive.
But is that how the New Testament uses Isaiah’s prophecy?
Rather than beginning with a prophetic timetable, let’s follow Isaiah’s words through the Bible.
What Did Isaiah See?
Isaiah wrote:
“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.”
— Isaiah 65:17
Isaiah then describes Jerusalem filled with joy. People build houses and live in them. They plant vineyards and enjoy their fruit. Children are blessed. The wolf and lamb feed together. God’s people enjoy peace and security.
But there is something that immediately catches our attention.
Isaiah also says:
“The one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child.”
— Isaiah 65:20
If Isaiah is describing eternity, why does he speak about someone dying?
That is an important question, and we should not ignore it.
Remember How the Prophets Spoke
Isaiah was describing a future his original readers had never seen.
He described God’s coming blessings with pictures they understood: Jerusalem, children, houses, vineyards, long life, fruitful work, and peaceful animals.
This is common in prophecy.
The prophets often described future spiritual realities using familiar earthly language. The question, therefore, is not simply, “What would Isaiah’s first readers have pictured?”
We should also ask:
How do later inspired writers use Isaiah’s prophecy?
This is where the New Testament becomes especially important.
Peter Uses Isaiah’s Words
Peter describes the future coming of the Lord and says:
“But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”
— 2 Peter 3:13
Notice the language.
A new heaven and a new earth.
Peter is using the language of Isaiah.
But Peter places this hope in connection with the day of the Lord, when the present heavens and earth face judgment and God’s people look forward to the world in which righteousness dwells.
Isaiah’s promise had not been forgotten.
Peter tells Christians that this is their hope.
John Uses Isaiah’s Words Too
Then we come to the end of Revelation.
After the final judgment in Revelation 20, John says:
“Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.”
— Revelation 21:1
Once again we hear Isaiah.
But John tells us even more about this new creation:
“There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
— Revelation 21:4
Now Isaiah’s picture becomes clearer.
Isaiah described life so long that dying at one hundred would seem like dying as a child.
John carries that hope to its completion:
There will be no death at all.
Isaiah described extraordinary blessing in prophetic pictures familiar to his readers. Revelation shows us the completed reality.
Follow the Words Through the Bible
Look at the progression:
Isaiah 65:17
“I will create new heavens and a new earth.”
2 Peter 3:13
“We are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth.”
Revelation 21:1
“I saw a new heaven and a new earth.”
This is an important Bible-study principle.
We don't have to guess what became of Isaiah’s promise. Later inspired writers pick up his language and carry it forward.
Let the Bible interpret the Bible.
But What About the Thousand Years?
Revelation certainly speaks about “a thousand years” in Revelation 20. We should not ignore that passage either.
The question is not whether Revelation mentions a thousand years. It does.
The question is:
What do those thousand years represent, and where do they belong in the biblical story?
Revelation 20 must be studied carefully in its own context. But we should be cautious about taking Isaiah’s “new heavens and new earth” and turning it into a description of a temporary earthly kingdom when the New Testament itself uses Isaiah’s language for the great hope awaiting God’s people.
Isaiah does not use the expression “a thousand years.”
He says:
“New heavens and a new earth.”
And those are precisely the words Peter and John use.
One Hope for God’s People
Peter wasn't writing only to people living in national Israel. He was writing to Christians awaiting Christ’s return.
Their hope was Isaiah’s hope:
a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells.
John ends the biblical story with the same hope.
God dwells with His people. The curse is removed. Death is gone. God's servants see His face.
The Bible doesn't end with earthly political power.
It ends with new creation.
The Story Comes Full Circle
Genesis begins with God, humanity, creation, life, and fellowship with God.
Then sin enters.
With sin come the curse and death.
At the end of Revelation, what was lost is restored.
The curse is gone.
Death is gone.
God dwells with His people.
The tree of life appears again.
And creation itself is made new.
That is where Isaiah’s prophecy ultimately takes us.
Read First. Conclude Later.
Isaiah 65 contains language that deserves careful study. We shouldn't pretend that verse 20 isn't there, nor should we force every prophetic picture into a literal timetable.
Instead, follow Isaiah’s words through Scripture.
Isaiah says:
New heavens and a new earth.
Peter says:
We are waiting for them.
John says:
I saw them.
And when John sees them, death itself is gone.
Before placing Isaiah 65 into a prophetic chart, let the later inspired writers show us where Isaiah’s prophecy was headed.
Read the text first. Then conclude.
Related Studies
Was the Kingdom Postponed?
Was the cross an interruption of God’s plan—or was it the plan from the beginning?
The Thousand Years of Revelation 20
What does Revelation actually say about the millennium?
TEXT B4 TRADITION
Read First. Conclude Later.