Revelation 21:1

New Testament Apocalyptic ASV (1901)

What does Revelation 21:1 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more.
Revelation 21:1 — American Standard Version

Context — Revelation 21

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, etc.] This vision relates to a glorious state of the church, not in the times of the apostles, or first dispensation of the Gospel; when the old Jewish church state, with its ordinances, rites, and ceremonies, passed away, and a new church state, a new dispensation, new ordinances, and a new people, took place; and when saints came not to Mount Sinai, but to Mount Sion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem; and when God tabernacled and dwelt with men in particular churches and congregations; and the curse of the law and the sting of death were taken away by Christ, and there was no condemnation to them that were in him; which is the sense…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH: NEW JERUSALEM OUT OF HEAVEN. (Rev. 21:1-27) the first--that is the former. passed away--Greek, in A and B is "were departed" (Greek, "apeelthon," not as in English Version, "pareelthe"). was--Greek, "is," which graphically sets the thing before our eyes as present. no more sea--The sea is the type of perpetual unrest. Hence our Lord rebukes it as an unruly hostile troubler of His people. It symbolized the political tumults out of which "the beast" arose, Rev 13:1. As the physical corresponds to the spiritual and moral world, so the absence of sea, after the metamorphosis of the earth by fire, answers to the unruffled state of solid peace which shall then prevail.…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth - Such a heaven and earth that they might properly be called new; such transformations, and such changes in their appearance, that they seemed to be just created. He does not say that they were created now, or anew; that the old heavens and earth were annihilated; but all that he says is, that there were such changes that they seemed to be new. If the earth is to be renovated by fire, such a renovation will give an appearance to the globe as if it were created anew, and might be attended with such an apparent change in the heavens that they might be said to be new. The description here Revelation 21:1 relates to scenes after the general resurrection and…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“And I saw - So it runs, Rev 19:11, Rev 20:1, Rev 20:4, Rev 20:11, in a succession. All these several representations follow one another in order: so the vision reaches into eternity. A new heaven and a new earth - After the resurrection and general judgment. St. John is not now describing a flourishing state of the church, but a new and eternal state of all things. For the first heaven and the first earth - Not only the lowest part of heaven, not only the solar system, but the whole ethereal heaven, with all its host, whether of planets or fixed stars, Isa 34:4; Mat 24:29. All the former things will be done away, that all may become new, Rev 20:4-5, Pe2 3:10, Pe2 3:12. Are passed away - But…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“21:1–22:9 The final scenes of the new heaven and earth are striking pictures of a new community and home for God’s people that is fashioned and given by God. These scenes help to lift the spirits of persecuted Christians. John lays out his basic vision (21:1-8) and follows it with two expansions: (1) In 21:9-27, he presents the new Jerusalem as the site of holy perfection; (2) in 22:1-5, he describes the new Jerusalem as the ultimate Garden of Eden that Adam and Eve could have experienced had they not sinned. 21:1 The vision involves God’s creation of the new heaven and earth (cp. Gen 1:1 with Isa 65:17; 66:22). The old creation has disappeared—it was subject to decay (see Rom 8:20-21; 2 Pet…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“a new: Rev 21:5; Isa 65:17-19, Isa 66:22; Pe2 3:13 for: Rev 20:11 and there: Rev 13:1; Isa 27:1, Isa 57:20; Dan 7:3 Revelation 21:2”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification