Imagine what life would be like if God was silent about the end times.

Thankfully, God has told us both about the beginning of time and the end of time. Isn’t it great that he did tell us?! What kind of God must he be to do this? He must be good and kind, and he must be sovereign—truly reigning over every hour.

The clarity God gives us about the future is a glorious and needed comfort for those who believe in Jesus. It is our sure and living hope. For those who are sitting on the fence or not trusting Christ, the clarity God gives about our future is a gracious gift of God to warn and motivate.

Revelation 21-22 tells us God’s vision for the New Heavens and the New Earth. It’s quite a lot of ground to cover. If you are a true believer in Jesus, it’s a soul satisfying glimpse of home—your eternal home. It is a hope-giving, endurance-enabling, joy-inspiring promise. If you are not a Christian today, this is an invitation. There’s still time. And you’re not reading this article by accident.

We’re not going to turn over every single rock as we jump into these chapters. We’re going to cover this ground instead by focusing on a few specific things to give us a vision of the New Heavens and the New Earth. In this article, we want to look at what will not be in the New Heavens and the New Earth.

What Will the New Creation Be Like?

Revelation 21-22 makes it clear that there are a lot of things that will not be in the New Creation. This is part of the glory of the New Creation.

The first heaven and earth will pass away, no more sea (21:1) (not the ocean, but the primordial chaos from which evil comes), tears, death, mourning, crying, or pain (21:4), no one detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, or liars (21:8), no temple (21:22), no sun, moon, or stars (21:23), closed gates or night (21:25), uncleanness, or falsehood (21:27), or cursed things (22:3).

It was very encouraging for me to ponder what will not be in the New Creation.

You might enjoy pondering this as much as I did, so I’ve written a list out for you.

This is the future Jesus Christ promises to all who put their trust in his substitutionary death and resurrection for the forgiveness of their sins. And imagine what reality would be like without these things. Take your time thinking through this list. Take it slow. Read it out loud, or to a friend!

There Will Be No More of This

1. No More Sin

No cynicism. No skepticism. No more false teaching. No more atheism. No more relativism, elitism, syncretism, or any other “ism.” No more blasphemy. No belittling of the name of God or of those made in his image. No cold, indifferent, apathetic hearts. No more hypocrisy.

No more illicit longings. No more addiction. No more false, empty promises: parental, romantic, political or religious. No more regrets.

No slavery or human trafficking. No senseless acts of violence. No more theft. No more gangs. No more predators. No rape: by strangers, gangs, soldiers, or your date. No abuse of wives or children or the elderly: emotional, physical, or sexual. No more molestation or sodomy or incest. No more neglect. No more wife-beaters. No more suicide bombers. No more genocide. No abortions. No more unwanted children. No more evening news – the only news will be good news of the glory of the Lamb and our indomitably bright future!

No more porn. No more exploitation. No more prostitution. No more moral failure. No more fraud. No more opportunism. No more religious charlatans. No more looting. No more cheating. No more hiding or evading or shiftiness.   No more tyrants. No more terrorists. No more despots. No more persecution. No more caste systems. No more bullies. No more school shootings.

No more slander or gossip. No more cliques. No more jealousy or envy. No more bitterness. No more rage. No more pride. No more cruelty. No more torture. No more breaking and entering. No more assault. No more prisons. No more road rage. No more racism or racists. No more injustice. No more identity theft.

No more gambling. No more addiction. No more regrets. No more eating disorders. No more self-mutilation. No more suicide.  No more spiritual warfare. No more temptation. No more sin.

2. No More Brokenness

No miscarriages. No stillbirths. No birth defects. No more infertility. No more orphans.

No more unfulfilled longings. No more nightmares. No more broken dreams. No more haunting memories. No more horror movies. No more disappointment. No more depression. No more dysfunction. No more widow or widower-hood. No more loneliness.

No more poverty. No more debt. No more creditors. No more futility. No more famine. No more starvation. No more lack. No more unemployment. No more underemployment. No more politics. No more pollution. No more war. No more dark alleys. No more danger. No more car accidents. No more lawsuits. No more identity crises.

No more goodbyes. No more insecurity. No more anxiety. No more fear. No more shame. No more guilt. No more uncertainty. No more misunderstanding.

No more mental illness. No more psych wards. No more cancer. No more MS. No more cystic fibrosis. No more multiple myeloma. No more pneumonia. No more collapsed lungs. No more Marfan syndrome. No more arthritis. No more Alzheimer’s or dementia. No more hearing aids or contacts or eyeglasses. No more seizures. No more tremors. No more Kawasaki disease. No more diabetes. No more tumors. No more viruses. No more infections. No more strokes or heart attacks—or threats of either one. No more cardiac arrhythmia. No more blood clots. No more Crohn’s disease. No more cerebral palsy. No more back pain. No more allergies. No more insomnia. No more handicaps. No more wheelchairs. No more hospitals.

Who Is Welcomed into the New Creation?

Isn’t that glorious?! Oh, the glory of all that will not be in the New Creation!

We have Jesus to thank for all of this!

If you’re not a believer in Jesus, ask yourself honestly: is that the type of world you would enjoy being a part of, or are there things on that list you’d rather not go away?

Second, there’s one qualification we must consider… There are a lot of ugly, dark things on that list. Make sure you don’t just think that it’s all “out there.” If you’re honest with yourself and with God, you’ve seen the seed or root of most if not all of those sins in yourself.

According to the Bible, the enemy and darkness and problem with the world is not “out there”— it’s “in here”—in our hearts. This is all the more reason to worship with deep gratitude the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus, who came to earth to make a way to redeem the human heart.

Through Jesus’ willing sacrifice on the cross, God “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14 ESV). Jesus was slain in order to free us from the penalty, and the power, and the presence of the darkness and crookedness in our hearts if we turn from our sin and put our trust in him.

Apart from God’s saving grace, we too would be on that list of what will not be in the New Heavens and New Earth. We would be excluded from heaven—that’s what we deserve—were it not for the blood of the Lamb and the gifts of repentance and faith (Ephesians 2:1-10).

But because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection every sin mentioned on that list can be forgiven—no matter how wretched!

The only reason you won’t be excluded in the New Creation is if, by God’s amazing and sovereign grace, 2 Corinthians 5:17 is talking about you, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (NIV).

Can you say with confidence that God has made you new?

Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (ESV). The just penalty for our sin should be that we are not included in this New Heavens and New Earth but suffer under God’s wrath instead for eternity. But Jesus Christ went to the cross to pay your debt out of deep love for you, so that he might make you new and bring you into the New Heavens and New Earth to worship and enjoy God forever.

Have you believed that Jesus died for your sins, and asked him for forgiveness and a new heart? His gift of new life is free, he paid the price.

Will you trust him for new life, putting your hand into his eternally, and then trust that he will bring you into the best life with him after this one is over, when all that’s bad will be no more?

This article was adapted from the sermon, “Home,” on Revelation 21-22, preached by our friend Chris.