New Earth's Eternal Seasons

Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.

(Genesis 3:17-18)

As seen in the above passage of Scripture, part of the curse on the current earth is that it produces thorns and thistles. Since there will be no curse on the new earth that God creates, there will be no thorns, thistles, or anything similar. Instead, God will ensure that the new earth produces only trees and plants that are pleasant to the sight and good for food, as in the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 2:9).

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.”While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease."

(Genesis 8:20-22)

While there are many differences between the new earth and the current earth, some aspects will remain the same. In the above passage of Scripture, God states that while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night will continue. A more accurate translation of verse 22 would be, “As yet all the days of the earth” or, as the Darby Bible Translation renders it, “Henceforth, all the days of the earth,” indicating God’s eternal decree for the earth. Thus, this passage refers to both the current earth and the new earth God will create, confirming that seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night will persist in the new earth.

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

(Revelation 22:1-2)

The above passage of Scripture, describing the New Jerusalem, confirms that seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, and winter and summer will continue on the new earth. It mentions trees yielding their fruit, indicating seedtime and harvest, and specifies twelve months, with a different fruit produced each month. This shows that seasons will persist on the new earth, and it will take twelve months to orbit the new sun God creates. The seasons on the current earth result from its 23.5-degree axial tilt as it orbits the sun, making seasonal changes pronounced. It is possible that God will reduce the tilt of the new earth, making seasonal changes less extreme than those we experience today.

The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honour into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).

(Revelation 21:23-25)

The above passage of Scripture describes the New Jerusalem but also provides insight into the new earth. It states that the city will not need the sun or moon to shine in it, as the glory of God will illuminate it. Some interpret this to mean there will be no sun or moon in the new heavens. However, the passage specifies that the gates will not be shut “by day” and emphasizes that there will be no night “there,” referring only to the city. If there were no sun or moon, the Scripture would simply state that the gates will not be shut. By mentioning “by day,” the Holy Spirit indicates that day and night will continue on the new earth. Thus, unlike the New Jerusalem, the nations living outside the city walls will experience day and night, as well as the light of the sun and moon, as God promised for eternity (Genesis 8:22).

"For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me," says the Lord, "So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me," says the Lord.

(Isaiah 66:22-23)

In the above passage of Scripture, God clearly reveals that, just as the current earth experiences a new moon, the new earth will also have a moon orbiting it every 29.5 days. The new earth will experience the same passage of time as the current earth, rotating on its axis every 24 hours. With a sun in the new heavens, the new earth will have day and night. God also states that the Sabbath will be observed every seventh day, as on the current earth.

Michael E.B. Maher

The End of the Age

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