Revelation 21:1 (WEB)

Passage

I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more.

Nearby Context

Revelation 21:1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more.

Revelation 21:2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:3 I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heaven", "earth", "first", "passed", and "away". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heaven" and "earth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "I saw the holy city New Jerusalem...", so "heaven" and "earth" should be read forward into that movement. In Revelation context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "heaven" and "earth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.