John writes, “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” (Revelation 21:1-2).
It appears that after the rapture, the current heavens and earth will be done away and replaced by “new heavens and a new earth.” It seems obvious that there has to be a new earth because Adam and Eve disobeyed God thereby introducing sin and death into the world. “Just as sin came into the through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
The Bible also states, “In the beginning You [God] laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; they will wear out like a garment, Like clothing You will replace them and they will be discarded. But You will remain the same, and your years will never end.” (Psalm 102:25-26).
In exhorting believers to live godly lives while awaiting the Lord’s return, Peter wrote “Since everything will be destroyed … what kind of people ought you to be … as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:11-13).
God declared, “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.” (Isaiah 65:17). Note: “The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.” Obviously, this is telling us the new heavens and a new earth will replace the existing heavens and the existing earth. In the Beatitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). This can’t be the earth as it is today. The flood in Noah’s day destroyed the then world because of sin. This present world is set for destruction by fire because of sin. “The present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7).
Christ will rule over the earth as the “King of kings and Lord of lords” for a 1,000 years. Maybe we can conclude that the “new heavens and new earth” means either remade or purified in keeping with what Peter wrote, “That day will bring about destruction of the heavens by fire and the elements will melt in the heat” (2 Peter 3:12). Its worth noting that christians will “change,” meaning that our mortal bodies will put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:54). Therefore, our “new” bodies should require the new earth, “the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).
Small thought: Since the 1,000 year of Christ and Eternity have much in common, could it be that the “new heaven” refers to the believer’s immortal body re-uniting with his spirit after the Lord returns? Only the spirit goes to heaven when the christian passes away? “The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).