SPEAKER: Pastor Russel Moldovan In “New Heavens & New Earth,” Pastor Russel Moldovan traces God’s promise of final restoration from Isaiah 65 through the New Testament. He explains that Isaiah’s prophecy operates on two horizons: the near fulfillment of Israel’s return from Babylonian exile and the ultimate fulfillment in the Messiah, when God’s Kingdom is fully completed. Isaiah’s vision of a “new heavens and a new earth” describes far more than the rebuilding of earthly Jerusalem; it points to a restored creation in which the effects of sin are completely reversed. Peter and John later pick up this same promise, describing the return of Christ, the New Jerusalem, and a world where God dwells with His people and where death, mourning, crying, and pain are gone forever. Pastor Russel connects this hope to the “now but not yet” Kingdom of God, which was inaugurated through Jesus’ ministry, His death and resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, but which will not be fully realized until Christ returns. The sermon then explains why a renewed creation is necessary. Because humanity’s sin brought both moral evil and the corruption of the natural world, creation itself now “groans” as it waits for redemption. When Christ returns, God will finally remove everything associated with the curse of sin. Pastor Russel vividly emphasizes that not only will the possessions and institutions of this present world pass away, but so will all of the things that cause human suffering—disease, fear, loneliness, grief, guilt, broken relationships, addiction, violence, funerals, sin, Satan, and death itself. That future hope also creates a responsibility in the present. God’s apparent delay in Christ’s return is an expression of His patience, giving more people the opportunity to repent. Therefore, believers are called to wait with holiness, longing for Christ’s return while actively participating in His mission through prayer, faithful example, evangelism, and witness. The sermon ultimately presents the new heavens and new earth not simply as something Christians are waiting to receive, but as a promise that should shape how they live and serve Christ right now.
