Greek Key Terms:
Context: From the heavenly throne, God declares the new creation where all things are made new — the ultimate and eternal reformation, transcending all previous renewals. This is the consummation of every reform, every covenant renewal, every act of restoration in Scripture. The present tense "I am making" (poiō) signals that this renewal is already underway in Christ and will reach its completion at the eschaton.
OT-to-OT Development:
Connections:
Christological Connection: Josiah made things new in Israel — purging idols, renewing the covenant, restoring Passover — but only temporarily. Christ makes ALL THINGS new, eternally and comprehensively. This is the consummation of the entire Josiah trajectory, and the escalation is total. Where Josiah removed idols from the land, in the New Jerusalem "nothing impure will ever enter it" (Revelation 21:27) — not because impurity has been cleansed away but because it has been ontologically excluded from the new creation. Where Josiah restored covenant fellowship for one generation, in the new creation "the dwelling place of God is with man" forever (Revelation 21:3) — the covenant formula ("I will be their God, and they will be my people") reaches its ultimate and irreversible fulfillment. Where Josiah's reform delayed judgment by a single generation, Christ's new creation removes the curse entirely — "no longer will there be anything accursed" (Revelation 22:3). Where Josiah cleansed and restored the physical temple, in the New Jerusalem there is no temple at all, "for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb" (Revelation 21:22) — the entire concept of sacred space is swallowed up in the unmediated presence of God. The word kaina ("new") is qualitative, not merely temporal: this is not the old world repaired but a fundamentally renewed order, just as Christ's resurrection body is the same yet gloriously transformed. Every reformer in Israel's history — Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Hezekiah, Josiah — attempted partially and temporarily what Christ accomplishes perfectly and eternally. In the already/not-yet framework: Christ is already making all things new through the Spirit's work of sanctification and the church's mission to the nations; but the not yet is the full vision of Revelation 21 — no tears, no death, no mourning, no pain (Revelation 21:4), the former things having passed away completely.
Connection Method(s): Contrast + Redemptive-Historical Progression + Promise-Fulfillment — Josiah made things new temporarily in Israel while Christ makes ALL things new eternally, consummating what every OT reformer attempted partially. Isaiah's "new heavens and new earth" promise (Isaiah 65:17) finds its ultimate fulfillment. ANTI-DEFAULT CHECK: This is correctly classified as Contrast + Redemptive-Historical Progression + Promise-Fulfillment rather than Typology because Revelation 21:5 is not establishing a Josiah-Christ type-antitype relationship but declaring the consummation of all redemptive history. The contrast between temporary and eternal reformation is the operative hermeneutical dynamic, set within the larger redemptive-historical progression from old creation to new. Promise-Fulfillment applies because Isaiah 65:17 and 66:22 are explicit divine promises that Revelation 21 claims as fulfilled.
Trajectory Table: 086 - Josiah (Reformer King Prophesied by Name)