The Lord’s Prayer will not be fully answered until Jesus returns, at which time heaven and earth will merge and God’s will will be done on earth as in heaven.
(Rev 21:1-5 ESV) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new (kainos).” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Notice that “new” in v. 5 is kainos rather than neos, meaning renewed, restored, or refreshed rather than brand new or made from scratch.
Following Isaiah’s prophecies of a new (or renewed) heaven and earth, John’s Revelation reveals God bringing heaven to earth so that God may live with man.
(Isa 65:17-19 ESV) 17 “For behold, I create new (kainos) heavens and a new (kainos) earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.”
(Isa 66:22-23 ESV) 22 “For as the new (kainos) heavens and the new (kainos) earth that I make shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain. 23 From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the LORD.”
We find the same idea in Romans 8 —
(Rom 8:19-22 ESV) 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
Paul describes the Creation as having been subjected to futility (the Gen 3 curse) and longing to be freed from the curse. “Futility” is the same word translated “vanity” in Ecclesiastes. It’s often used of idolatry. It’s the nature of the world when separated from God. Pointless. Futile. Frustrated. Unable to be what it was meant to be.
When Jesus returns, there will be no more vanity. No futility. Rather, we’ll be restored to our intended place in the universe. We’ll be human as God meant for us to be human when we were first created — except better.
