The new heaven and earth will be this present universe—only it will be purified of all evil, sin, suffering, and death. The Greek word used to designate the newness of the cosmos is not neos but kainos. Neos means “new in time” or “new in origin.” But kainos means “new in nature” or “new in quality.” So the phrase “new heavens and a new earth” refers not to a cosmos that is totally other than the present cosmos. Rather, the new cosmos will stand in continuity with the present cosmos, but it will be utterly renewed and renovated.
