Dr. J. Vernon McGee :: The World That Will Be

The World That Will Be

Turning to the twenty-first chapter of the book of Revelation, I want you to notice this language.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:1-8)

Now as we turn to the world that will be, it might be well for us to tie the strings of this message together. We first saw “The World That Was” — that world of the past; then “The World That Is” — this present world; and now “The World That Will Be” — the world of the future. Actually, these are three time periods of the world.

Concerning the world that was — it perished, perished in a judgment of water. The reference here in 2 Peter to that destruction can refer to the flood of Noah’s day (there being ample evidence for that), but it can likewise refer to that period which may be between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 in which the earth became without form and void. During that period, we find water covering the face of this earth and then God moving in, drawing the land out of the water. There may have been a pre-Adamic judgment, concerning which we know very little. We see only the scar marks, and the stones bear mute evidence to the fact that there was a judgment on the earth.

The second time period is “The World That Is.” The world in which we are living is a world which is moving to judgment, not a judgment again by water, not a submerging or an immersing in water, but a judgment of fire. The language of Peter is striking, as we saw in the preceding section. He speaks of the elements; that is, the basic materials, these little rows of blocks, the atoms, being unloosed, being untied. What is known today as atomic fission may be the method God will use to unloose the atoms of this universe.

Do not misunderstand me, I do not know whether man has found out all of God’s secrets or not. We do know this: Man has broken into God’s treasure house where He has put these things in store, and man has found out God’s secret, an awful secret, the method by which this universe can be destroyed some day, the method by which God may move in. And man has opened Pandora’s box, turning loose upon this world a veritable plague, putting a fear in the heart of mankind. Men in all walks of life, not just preachers but informed men everywhere are dreading what the future holds. A judgment is coming upon this present world. God’s Word speaks of that.

The best commentary to be found on 2 Peter 3 is the atomic bomb. Atomic fission has thrown more light on this chapter than has any commentary.

Now then we come to “The World That Will Be.”

The Destruction of This Present World

Since this present world is to be destroyed, there are several problems which arise in the mind.

When will it be destroyed? I want to make a rather startling statement: I think we can know the time this is going to take place. Do not misunderstand me. I am not setting dates, and I do not believe we can know the dates. We can know only the chronological order of the events, which seems to me to be the important thing.

Men today visualize this universe of the future devoid of life, a satellite like the moon, with not a vestige of life, either plant or animal, on topside of it because of man’s inhumanity to man.

May I just pause a moment to say this: Premillennialism is under attack today. (I am a premillennialist, and I trust you are.) Premillennialism is a system that presents God’s program, but any man who sets a date for the events of this program removes himself from the realm of the sound teachers of the premillennial school.

Now let us go into the question as to when this present world will be destroyed. Please note carefully the language again, for we are after something else in these verses. Look again at 2 Peter 3:7 (REVISED STANDARD VERSION).

But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist have been stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

When does this destruction of ungodly men and the judgment of ungodly men take place? Well, beloved, it does not take place until after the Millennium. It does not take place until the Great White Throne judgment when, we are told, the dead are raised. To me, that is the most striking language one can find. The Word says that the unbelieving dead are to be raised. If they are raised, are they not alive? No, they are still dead; they are spiritually dead. But they are raised out of the grave to stand before a holy God — these people who thought it was not necessary to seek refuge from their sins in the blood of our Savior, who have been rejecting it down through the ages and have said that they will stand before God on their own merits and by their own works at the time of the judgment. This judgment takes place after the Millennium, when this present earth will be destroyed and when the new earth and the new heaven come into view.

How will the day of the Lord come? We have further means of answering that question in verse 10:

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire.

“The day of the Lord” is an expression with which all of us should be familiar. It is an Old Testament expression used by the first of the writing prophets and continuing down through the prophets. It refers to a time of judgment that is coming upon this earth; it refers to the beginning of that awful day known as the Great Tribulation, continuing even through the Millennium and all the way to the Great White Throne of Almighty God. All of this period is “the day of the Lord” because God is moving in to straighten out the affairs of this world.

In connection with the Great Tribulation period, I should like to remind you that this is one period through which you and I, as God’s people, will not have to pass. There is a time of great trouble coming upon this earth, and the world is moving into it just as a boat moves into a tornado or a typhoon at sea. But God’s people are promised that they are going to be delivered from that time of trouble.

We are not looking for the Lord to come as a thief. You know that when you are looking for a thief, you barricade the door, putting extra locks on it to try to shut him out. But, my beloved, for the believer the coming of Christ is a blessed hope. It is something against which the believer does not lock his door — he opens the door and welcomes the day of His coming. But He will come as a thief in the night to an unbelieving world that wants to shut Him out and would shut Him out if it were possible.

We are also looking for a new heaven and a new earth. Will you listen to this language:

But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. (2 Peter 3:13-14)

You and I are looking, not for the Great Tribulation to come or a time of trouble or worldwide nuclear devastation, but for the Lord from heaven. That is still the blessed hope of the church. By the way, keep in mind that all through the Bible the word church refers to the whole body of true believers.

The Believer and the Tribulation

We are told repeatedly in the Word of God that God’s people are to be delivered from the Great Tribulation. I should like to turn to two or three passages to show you how clear the Bible is on this. In Romans 2:5 we read language like the following:

But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.

Paul here is talking about the judgment that is coming and the day of wrath that is coming upon ungodly men who reject Christ. But notice what he said to those who trusted Christ in Romans 5:9:

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

The blood of Christ, my beloved, is the reason His church is not going through the Tribulation. It is because He paid the price, delivering His church from that awful day. In 1 Thessalonians 1:10 we read of the hope which is given to the church:

And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come.

He has delivered His church from the wrath to come, but that day is coming. In 1 Thessalonians 5:9 we read:

For God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Why the Believer Does Not Go Through the Tribulation

The Grace of God Would Be Frustrated. If you should ask me for the main reason why the church will not go through the Great Tribulation, I would say to you that for the church to go through the Tribulation would frustrate the grace of God. There are people who say, “If you trust Christ, He will save you; but, of course, you will have to go through the Tribulation, a time of awful trouble here upon this earth.” But that is to frustrate the grace of God! If you are saved by grace, you have been saved from all judgment and all wrath, and the grace of God that saves you from sin is the same grace of God that can deliver you from this time of wrath that is coming upon the earth.

The Church Would Have No Intercessor. The second reason the church will not go through the Tribulation is that during the Tribulation period Christ leaves the throne of intercession and becomes the Judge. If the church were still on the earth, this would mean that the church had no Intercessor in heaven. The very minute that the Lord moves from the place of intercession, He has in that minute taken the church to be with Him. The reason that the Lord is in heaven at the right hand of God this very moment is to make intercession for those who are His own.

The Tribulation Saints Pray for Revenge. The Tribulation saints, those who trust Christ during that awful period, pray for revenge, and their prayer is answered. But the church is never asked to pray for revenge. We are told definitely not to pray for revenge, but rather to leave that in the hands of God and to pray for those who despitefully use us.

If the church were to go through the Great Tribulation, the edge of the blessed hope would be dulled. But we do not go through that awful time; we are looking for the Lord from heaven — that is the great pulsating hope for the church.

Order of Events

This time of great trouble which is coming upon the earth is spoken of in the Word of God as being unparalleled in the history of the world. The Lord Jesus called it the Great Tribulation. He said there had been nothing like it before and there would be nothing like it afterward. That is the reason I know we are not now in the Tribulation — we are not in a period of trouble that we could not match somewhere else in history. When the world gets into the time of the Great Tribulation, nobody will ask, “Are we in it?” Brother, they will know it!

After that, the Millennium takes place, which is the thousand years’ reign of Christ over the earth. Immediately following the Millennium, the devil is released for a little season — the reason I do not know. Someone once went to Dr. Chafer, saying, “Dr. Chafer, after God puts the devil down in the bottomless pit, why in the world would He turn him loose again?” Dr. Chafer said in reply, “Well, that is a problem, but if you will tell me why God turned the devil loose in the first place, I will tell you why God will turn him loose in the second place.”

God is going to turn him loose again for a little while, and at that time he will gather together all those who are in rebellion against God. Then the judgment comes, the Great White Throne judgment, after which the new heaven and the new earth come into view, because this earth and the present heaven are to be destroyed.

The New Heaven and the New Earth

Now let us turn to Revelation 21 which we quoted at the beginning of this section, and we shall look for some very specific things concerning the new heaven and the new earth. However, our first reference is in 2 Peter 3, verse 13:

“Righteousness dwells.” It is interesting, is it not, that in the world that was, righteousness was a possibility? In this present world righteousness is provided for those who trust Christ. In the millennial world righteousness will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. But in the new earth that is to appear, righteousness will be at home. It will dwell. It will never leave. To be in a world where everything is right will be wonderful!

This earth is not the dwelling place of righteousness now, in spite of what a great many people are saying. The fact of the matter is there is nothing right in this world. Shakespeare put it, “The times are out of joint.” Browning was wrong in his “Pippa Passes” when he made the statement, “The lark’s on the wing, the snail’s on the thorn, God’s in His heaven and all is right with the world.” God is in His heaven, but all is not right with this world. In fact, everything is all wrong.

But there is coming a new earth in which everything is going to be right. The righteousness of God will have its abode there as it never has in the past. Now you talk about a platform for a new order for the Democrats or for the Republicans or for the Communists. I want to give you the platform for this new earth — mere man cannot match what God has in mind for this earth. The first thing that is going to be true is that God will be here:

He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)

That is going to be a glorious day! Although God is here now through the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ would like to make Himself real to you, He is not dwelling on this earth now. God is going to dwell on this earth. What a program — what a glorious program that will be!

“God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4). Is that not a wonderful platform? He is going to wipe away all tears. Think of the heartache today in this world. Think of the broken hearts and the frustrated lives on topside of this earth. Things are not right down here, but some day God is going to make them right. He is going to wipe away all tears. What a glorious and wonderful day that is going to be yonder in the future!

“There shall be no more death” (Revelation 21:4). Death is the last enemy that is going to be put down. Death is going to occur in the Millennium — there will be people who will die during the Millennium because the last enemy to be destroyed will be death; but in this new earth, death will not be present. Thank God for that! Death is the great enemy of mankind; death is your great enemy. My friend, death is stalking you, and one of these days, if the Lord tarries, he will get you. Death is moving up and down this earth. He is the one that is getting the victory — he is the one that got the victory over Hitler, he is the one who got the victory over Mussolini and Joe Stalin. Death will stop every man one of these days. Death is the great enemy of all mankind. But, thank God, there is a day coming when we will not have to go to the cemetery any more. The day is coming when we will never have to put a loved one in the grave. In the new earth, death is to be removed.

“Neither shall there be any more pain” (Revelation 21:4). Think of the suffering that is on the topside of this earth. In the new earth which is coming some day, there will be no pain, no more hospitals, no more suffering.

“I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5). We have been stressing the fact that the earth which comes into being after the present one is destroyed is to be new, and here we are told that all things will be made new. I would like to refer you also in this connection to Isaiah 65:17:

… Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

This new earth is going to be so wonderful that we are going to forget all about this earth on which we now live. Some of us have had the experience of looking at the new automobiles, and when we look at a new model and then get back into our old car, it looks worse than we had thought. It is very discouraging to drive off with the old paint job, the same old jalopy, after looking at the new models. Someday there will be a new earth. God has this new model earth which will be coming into view. The thing that characterizes it is newness. I know nothing about it, but I have done a great deal of speculating. I think there will be so many changes that we will not recognize the new earth when we see it in that day.

There will be no evil there:

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and fornicators [sexually immoral], and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. (Revelation 21:8)

There is a very definite reason for it. We find it revealed in the record of Lot and his wife fleeing Sodom. When she left that city of Sodom, she left all of her interests there. She loved “Lot,” but it was a lot of Sodom that she loved. She had her heart wrapped up in the things of Sodom. I think she belonged to the bridge clubs; she belonged to the Shakespeare club; she belonged to all the important clubs in the city of Sodom. She was in society. Her sons and daughters had married into Sodomite society — in fact, they had married Sodomites. Awful thing! And she lost most of her children — she left all of them back there but two. When she left the city, she turned around and looked back. Do you know why she looked back? Because she did not believe God would destroy the city. There are a lot of people today who do not think that there is a judgment coming upon this world. Mrs. Lot did not believe it either. She could not imagine that the wonderful culture of Sodom was so God-dishonoring that a holy God was going to destroy it. And so she turned and looked back.

I wish we had a picture of her when she looked back. I think you would have seen tragic longing in the face of that woman. Her children were back there and that is where her interests were. And I will tell you, she died when she moved out of Sodom — her heart turned to stone and her body to salt.

My friend, how do you feel toward this world? You do not have to withdraw to a monastery. You do not have to build a fence around yourself. The Lord Jesus said to the Father, “I pray that you keep them in the world.” He wants to keep us in the world down here, but He doesn’t want the world in us. It ought to lead us to holy living as we see these things happening around us today and read of events that are coming to pass.

And then there is something else I would like to say. These things ought to have an effect on those who are without God and without hope in this world. It ought to make them very solemn and very serious. Perhaps in the past you have ridiculed this Bible and you have disbelieved its prophetic warnings and you have not enjoyed reading about the hour of doom that is coming upon this earth. But, my friend, men from all walks of life — editors, educators, scientists, statesmen — look out at this world and view the future with alarm. Winston Churchill called it “the awful unfolding scene of the future.” Dr. Adolph Keller, probably the best-informed man in Europe as far as the church is concerned, said, “We don’t understand in Europe what you people are talking about when you speak of building a new order. We know in Europe that an old order has come to its death. It is dying; it is on the way out.” And then he made this statement: “It’s five minutes to twelve in the history of the world.”

Judgment for the Unbeliever

My beloved, if men from all walks of life are talking in this manner, what should be the attitude of an unbeliever who has turned his back upon God? In view of the fact that we are moving into impending judgment, what should be your attitude? Do not let the patience of God deceive you. Hear Him again.

The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness; but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

God is very patient. God has plenty of time. Do you know the reason He is not moving forward today? It is because He has eternity behind Him and eternity ahead of Him. He is not crowded for time — He is not rushing to catch a train — He is not rushing to keep an appointment at a certain time. God has eternity, and He is in no hurry. And then again, He is very patient. And the patience of God deceives many. An Old Testament writer said it like this:

Because judgment against an evil work is not executed speedily, the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (Ecclesiastes 8:11)

Because God does not move immediately, do not be deceived. He is going to move in time, and that is His message for this present hour.

You remember that when Paul went into that decadent city of Athens which was then living on past glory, the glory that had been Greece, the Athenians were skeptical and cynical as they listened to the gospel. And Paul told them there:

The times of this ignorance God overlooked; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. (Acts 17:30)

That is His message today, my friend, because of His impending judgment.

And when Paul went in to talk with Felix, he reasoned with that man concerning righteousness and temperance and judgment to come. That is part of the program of God. You may feel that I am old-fashioned myself, that I am outmoded and a back number to be talking about these things, but this is the Word of God. God is patient and it is not His will that any should perish but that all should come to know Him.

In a southern city a very prominent judge was out for lunch. As he started to cross the street, he saw a young man step in the pathway of an oncoming truck. This judge made a leap and grabbed the young man, throwing him out of the pathway of that truck. When he took him out of the way, the people around heaved sighs of relief, and the young man thanked him profusely. The judge went on his way. Weeks passed and even months went by. Then this young man was arrested for a very serious crime. He was brought into the court of this judge. When he came into the presence of the judge, he recognized him and was just waiting for his opportunity to speak. When that time came, he said to the judge, “You know me, Judge. You know me.”

The judge replied, “Young man, I don’t think I do.”

He said, “Yes, you know me. Don’t you remember? One day at the corner of (and he identified the spot) you rescued a young man. Well, I was the young man. Can’t you help me today?”

The judge looked down at this young man who had committed the awful crime, and there was silence in the courtroom. Finally, the judge said, “Young man, the other day I was your savior. Today I am your judge.”

Today the Lord Jesus Christ is your Savior. Tomorrow He will be your Judge.

May I close with this little story? Dr. Harry Rimmer told it. It concerns the water supply of Los Angeles. They tell me that it costs $25,000,000 to turn on a spigot in order to get a drop of water here. There was a dam built over here in the mountains not far from us without proper tests being made. The dam was anchored to the rock on the side, but it was the kind of rock that crumbled when it was saturated with water. After the dam was filled, as time went on, it began to give way without being detected. One night the night watchman in making his rounds came off the dam and was just coming into the powerhouse when he heard an awful, awful crash. He turned to see the dam going out and a great wall of water rushing down. He knew that below were multitudes of people who would be destroyed. He rushed to the telephone and called one town after another, warning them that the destruction was on the way. When the word was brought to a little town down in the pathway of the water, the sheriff there went out and there in the very bed of this river was camped a group of migrant workers. They were there to pick fruit and had a regular little tent town. They laughed and refused to believe that a flood could come. They looked at the moon and said, “How could there be a flood? The moon is shining.” The sheriff continued to warn them, but they refused to listen. Finally he had to move on to warn others. It is said that many of their bodies were washed two and three miles out to sea when the deluge came to their little tent town.

And multitudes at this moment are looking around them saying, “The moon is shining” or “the sun is still shining. The deluge is not coming.” My friend, it is coming. Today He is your Savior. Tomorrow He will be your Judge.