Kingdom Consummated Part 3

At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Consummated,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.

Last week, in our ‘Kingdom Consummated’ series, we continued our discussion on Biblical hope and New Creation. We have a lot more to add to that discussion this week.

Revelation 21:1-5 (NIV)
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

When discussing new creation in Scripture, it is essential to pause and note the language being used. In Greek, there are two very different words that both get translated into English as “new.” The first is neo, which means ‘new’ in time. Think of it like when someone builds a brand new house. It has just been constructed; it is recent, new in the sense of being fresh off the line.

However, the word used in Revelation 21 is not “neo,” but “kainos.” This word carries a different sense. It means renewed, restored, or refreshed. It describes something that was once new, may have aged or broken down, but has now been renewed. That distinction matters because it shapes our understanding of God’s promise. The same word is used of us in Christ. We are not discarded and replaced, we are kainos creations, renewed by His Spirit.

This fits perfectly with what we have been saying in this series: God is a God of restoration and redemption. Yet many people imagine that God plans to destroy the world we know and replace it with something altogether different. Scripture, however, paints a richer picture.

Romans 8:19-23 (NIV)
19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Paul tells us that creation itself is waiting in eager expectation, longing for the day when it will be liberated from decay. Right now, the world is in bondage, groaning like a slave in chains. But Paul does not say creation will be discarded. Instead, he describes it like a woman in labor, groaning, yes, but with purpose, waiting for birth. This is not the end of creation but the transformation of creation.

Creation groans for the same thing we do, the redemption of our bodies. Just as we long for resurrection, so too the earth and everything in it waits to be set free and renewed. This is not destruction but restoration. The pattern is the same one we see in Jesus: what happened to Him at Easter, death defeated, life renewed, is what will happen to us and to creation itself.

This means the world around us is not disposable. It is destined for glory. Yes, judgment is real and this present age will pass away, but even that is like labor pains, necessary for the birth of something better. The future God has promised is a world made new, a restored creation, sharing in the resurrection hope of God’s people.

This weekend at Keys Vineyard Church, we will discuss all this and more, so be sure to join us in person or online.

Steve Lawes is a pastor at Keys Vineyard Church and also the founder of the Online Bible Institute Network.