¹³But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Beyond vindication and judgment, our ultimate focus is on the “beyond”: the new heavens and a new earth. Scripture gives precious little information to satisfy our desire to know what is coming, but we have enough to whet our thirst, to provide us with a taste—and the taste is indeed exquisite. The apostle Peter, who walked with our Lord for over three years, who himself got a peek at glory on the Mount of Transfiguration (see 2 Peter 1:16–18, Matt. 17:1–5), desired it. So did the apostle John when he described what he saw in a revelation of the end times:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:1–4)

Life now is difficult. None of us escapes it. The pain and suffering of this fallen world has wreaked hell on earth. Made in God’s image, we long in our souls for something better. Judgment is only part of what we desire. We do not have a selfish, superficial desire for retribution or revenge but a continual yearning for true righteousness. This desire was ignited when we came to know the joy of God’s righteousness being extended to us: He justified us on the cross through our Lord Jesus’ substituting for us, taking God’s righteous judgment for our sin upon Himself. Thus, we long for God’s righteousness to be made known in all creation.

Peter was familiar with Paul’s letters, as he is about to inform us. But we don’t know how much he and John communicated with each other or whether they had read each other’s writings. Both the gospel of John and the book of Revelation (written by John) were probably penned after Peter’s death. Nonetheless, the promise recorded by John would have resonated with him:

“Behold, I [Jesus] am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.” (Rev. 22:12)

Lord, the cry of John’s heart resonates with me: “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).