Sárospataki Füzetek 15. (2011)

2011 / 4. szám - TANULMÁNYOK

Houwelingen, p. h. r. van

2:7 could be represented as follows: ‘To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise garden of God’.11 Those who conquer belong in the company of the Conqueror, and they will be allowed to live in God’s natural environment, that is his royal domain.

2. A new heaven and a new earth, where there is no sea

Various exegetes11 12 have rightly pointed to the chiastic structure of Revelation 21:1- 5a:

A A new heaven and a new earth (1 a)

B The first heaven and earth have passed away (lb)

C There was no longer any sea (lc)

D The new Jerusalem comes down out of heaven (2)

D1 The dwelling of God is with men (3)

Cl There will be no more death, etc. (4a-4c)

B1 The old order of things has passed away (4d)

A “I am making everything new!” (5)

Together, ‘heaven and earth’ represent the created order. In Genesis 1:1, the expression ‘heaven and earth’ is a comprehensive formula for the entire cosmos. We are told how the first heaven and the first earth were created. ‘Heaven’ stands for the heavenly expanse; ‘earth’ represents the dry land that appears when the waters flow away. In Revelation 20:11, John refers to this cosmic constellation when he says: “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.” The removal of the old order takes place to make room for a qualitatively new act of creation by God.13 The décor changes: a new heaven and a new earth appear (see Isa. 65:17 — a new creation; 2 Peter 3:13 quotes this prophetic promise).

In the Old Testament, ‘the new’ (xatvog) refers to God’s saving intervention in the future, expected by the people of Israel; in the New Testament, it refers to the eschatological renewal brought about by the saving work of Jesus Christ. What is ‘new’? Not a renovation of the existing order: the Creator makes a clean start, as at the first. Isaiah prophesies that ‘the former things will not be remembered’, while the new order will endure (Isa. 65:17; 66:22). The striking element of Revelation 21:5a is that the One who sits on the throne (already described in chapter 4 and 5) himself, in his own person, speaks: “I am making everything new!”.14

Verse 2 says that the new Jerusalem comes down ‘out of heaven’. That must mean the dwelling place of God himself, the One who transcends the old as well

11 Gerhard Maier creates an unnecessary contradiction by noting that “nicht das vergangene Paradies von Gen 2” would be meant, but that rather is spoken “vom endzeitlichen Paradies” (Die Offenbarung des Johannes, Kapitel 1-11 (Historisch-Theologische Auslegung; Brunnen: Brockhaus, 2009), 148.

12 See, for instance, David E. Aune, Revelation (Word Biblical Commentary; Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1998), 1114.

13 David Mathewson, A New Heaven and a New Earth. The Meaning and Function of the Old Testament in Revelation 21.1-22.5 (Sheffield: Academic Press, 2003), 38.

14 After an additional command to write (verse 5b), the godly voice from the throne continues in the verses 6-8.

14 SÁROSPATAK.! FÜZETEK 2011/4