¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for ^(A)the revealing of the sons of God.

¹¹ Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, ^(A)what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ^12 (B)waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and ^(C)the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³ But according to his promise we are waiting for ^(D)new heavens and a new earth ^(E)in which righteousness dwells.

²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have ^(A)the firstfruits of the Spirit, ^(B)groan inwardly as ^(C)we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, ^(D)the redemption of our bodies.

¹⁷ “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, ^(A)in the day when I make up ^(B)my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. ¹⁸ Then once more you shall ^(C)see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

² Beloved, we are ^(A)God's children ^(B)now, and what we will be ^(C)has not yet appeared; but we know that ^(D)when he appears^{[a] (E)}we shall be like him, because ^(F)we shall see him as he is.

²⁰ as it is my eager expectation and hope ^(A)that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full ^(B)courage now as always Christ ^(C)will be honored in my body, ^(D)whether by life or by death.

The New Heaven and the New Earth

21 Then I saw ^(A)a new heaven and a new earth, for ^(B)the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw ^(C)the holy city, ^(D)new Jerusalem, ^(E)coming down out of heaven from God, ^(F)prepared ^(G)as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, ^(H)the dwelling place^[a] of God is with man. He will ^(I)dwell with them, and they will be his people,^[b] and God himself will be with them as their God.^{[c] 4 (J)}He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and ^(K)death shall be no more, ^(L)neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

⁵ And ^(M)he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I ^(N)am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for ^(O)these words are trustworthy and true.”

^21 (A)whom heaven must receive until the time for ^(B)restoring all the things about which ^(C)God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

New Heavens and a New Earth