Reflections on What Believers Can (Possibly) Expect in the New Heaven and New Earth
ΙNTRODUCTION
This will be a brief discussion of some of the glorious realities that, I believe, we who are believers in Christ will experience in the New Heaven and New Earth.
PRELIMINARY POINTS
Preliminary Point 1:
First of all, I would like to start by quoting 1 Corinthians 2:9 –
but just as it is written: ‘Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the human heart, all that God has prepared for those who love Him’ [emphasis added].
I submit myself to the truth that there are glorious realities to be experienced in the New Heaven and New Earth that we cannot fathom at this point.
However, in the next few verses (i.e., 1 Corinthians 2:10-13), Paul says the following –
For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words [emphasis added].
I believe there is a correlation between the “things” of verse nine and the “things” of the latter verses. Also, the antecedent (i.e., the word to which a pronoun refers) of “them” in verse ten is clearly the “things” from verse nine.
What does this correlation show?
In verse ten, Paul tells us that, through His Holy Spirit, God has revealed these “things” to us who are believers in Christ. I do not believe the revelation that is referenced in verse ten is exhaustive (As I mentioned above, I do submit myself to the truth that there are incomprehensibly glorious realities to be experienced in the New Heaven and New Earth.). However, based on 1 Corinthians 2:10-13, something has indeed been revealed already, and it’s important that believers consider what has been revealed to us about our future with Christ.
Why is it important?
Scripture is clear that believers are to look to the joy that is set before them as one of the primary means of enduring faithfully to the end (c.f., Hebrews 11:6, Hebrews 11:23-26), and this reality was most clearly demonstrated by Christ Himself during His time on earth.
How did our Lord endure faithfully to the end?
See Hebrews 12:1-3 –
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart [emphasis added].
Christ endured His suffering perfectly by fixing His eyes on the joy set before Him. Fixing denotes a determined gaze, not a lackadaisical one. Jesus never lost sight of the joy He, and all who would believe in Him, would experience because of His faithfulness at Calvary.
So, again, why is the topic at hand important?
We must follow in our Lord’s footsteps. If Christ looked to the joy set before Him to endure faithfully, why would we think we could do differently?
Preliminary Point 2:
At no point in this discussion will I be asserting that any of the glorious realities we may experience in the New Heaven and New Earth are the ends in themselves.
Enjoying Christ is the end.
Any suggestions I make about activities that await us in our future with Christ will only be offered because I believe that, through them, we will enjoy Him more.
See Psalm 16:11 –
You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
It’s in Christ’s presence that there is fullness of joy. It’s at Christ’s right hand that there are pleasures forever. Christ will be why the New Heaven and New Earth are so gloriously satisfying.
Preliminary Point 3:
Because I believe that the New Earth will be a better Eden, I need to make some observations about the Edenic state before the Fall.
God created Adam and Eve to rule over all the earth (Genesis 1:26, 28; 2:19-20a).
God told Adam and Eve to subdue the earth (Genesis 1:28).
God gave Adam and Even plants and fruit to eat (Genesis 1:29).
God calls His creation very good (Genesis 1:31).
God dwelt with man (Genesis 2:15-22; Genesis 3:8).
God gave Adam and Eve to one another for marriage (Genesis 2:22-25).
Preliminary Point 4:
Isaiah 65 and Revelation 21:1-22:5
Attention must be given to Isaiah 65 and Revelation 21-22, for in them, we find many details about the New Heaven and New Earth.
What does Scripture explicitly state about the New Heaven and New Earth in these passages?
The former things, including the present heaven and earth, will pass away (Revelation 21:1; Isaiah 65:17).
God will dwell with man (Revelation 21:3; Isaiah 65:24).
God will wipe away tears (Revelation 21:4; Isaiah 65:19).
There will be no more death or pain (Revelation 21:4).
Christ will make all things new (Revelation 21:5).
Christ will receive His Bride, the Church (Revelation 21:10-26).
Evil will not be present (Revelation 21:27; Isaiah 65:25).
The curse will be gone (Revelation 22:3; Isaiah 65:23-23).
Man will behold the face of God (Revelation 22:4).
Man will reign with Christ (Revelation 22:5).
Man will enjoy God’s presence forever (Isaiah 65:18).
God will enjoy His people (Isaiah 65:19).
Man will plant crops and build (Isaiah 65:21).
Man will enjoy work (Isaiah 65:22-23).
Man and animals will eat plants and fruit (Isaiah 65:21, 25).
The aforementioned list is not exhaustive. I selected the most relevant details for the discussion at hand.
DISCUSSION PROPER
The New Heaven and the New Earth: A Better Eden
The overarching reality of the New Heaven and the New Earth is that the Lamb Who was slain has overcome all of His enemies. Consequently, those of us who are believers will dwell and reign with Him forever. Not only that, we will also behold His face (Revelation 22:4). This is wonderful, for 1 John 3:2 says that “when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” God is so infinitely glorious that, as we behold Him, we will be made like Him. He has graciously given us a foretaste of this reality already through His Holy Spirit, Who continually conforms us to the image of Christ each day by revealing Christ to us more each day (c.f., 2 Corinthians 3:18). However, this foretaste is just that – a foretaste (Note: I am not suggesting that, as we behold Christ now, we are being shortchanged. The veil has been lifted in Christ (2 Corinthians 3:16). Christ is the exact representation of the Father (Hebrews 1:3), and as we behold Him, we behold the Father (John 14:9). Nonetheless, at the present, we still have an active enemy (1 Peter 5:8), and we still have indwelling sin that we must actively and daily kill (Romans 8:13); these cloud our view. Also, quite obviously, we are not physically with Christ yet.).
This becoming “like Him” does not refer to His essence. We do not become God. Instead, as the context of 1 John 3:2 teaches, this becoming “like Him” refers to purity. We will be made like God in purity – Sin will be completely abolished. Our Lord’s victory and our having been clothed with the righteousness of Christ will forever be fully realized (Revelation 22:3-5; Revelation 19:8). Of course, this victory is realized now in an already-not-yet kind of way. That is, already, Christ’s victory is sure (1 Corinthians 15:55-57), and, already, we have been declared righteous (Romans 5:1) and we have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). However, because we still are in our sinful bodies and have a present enemy, Christ’s victory is not yet fully realized as it will be in the New Heaven and New Earth, when sin will be no more, and our enemy’s defeat will be experienced fully.
This discussion of beholding Christ fully and of our complete purification being realized is essential to the topic at hand, as beholding Christ and the absence of sin will totally transform us to a point that we will be able to fully live out what it means to be human and to enjoy God forever.
Let me explain.
God has all rule and authority over all of creation, both the heavens and the earth, for they were created by Him (Psalm 24:1; 102:25). By His gracious design, however, as a means to manifest His glory, He created men and women in His image and commissioned them to rule and subdue the earth (See Preliminary Point 3.). When God created them in His image, they were not all-knowing (and I’m not suggesting that we will ever be all-knowing.), yet He gave them the ability to think, reason, and to work (e.g., Adam named the animals, was told to work the ground, and reasoned that there was not a suitable helper for him.). So, they would have to use their minds to cultivate the earth and subdue it, which they did – Genesis 4 and the subsequent chapters show man not only planting crops, but also building cities (Genesis 4:17), which means that man formed tools, machinery, and supplies. How did they obtain these tools, machines, and supplies? The same way that people do today – They learned how to cultivate and subdue the earth. Behind every piece of equipment that is used to produce anything is a human who worked the earth in some aspect, gathered resources from nature, formed it into necessary parts/supplies, and fashioned it. Nothing comes from nothing. Thus, any man-made item in use at this very moment is the result of cultivating and subduing the earth, and its creation (used loosely) and use is to point to something greater. The problem is, not every person who is cultivating and subduing the earth and/or reaping the benefits of those who have is a believer in Christ, and even those who are believers are still burdened by sin and the flesh. Consequently, this work is tainted, and the sight of the greater reality to which these creations point is distorted. The same can be said about food that we eat. Food was given to help sustain life, and behind the food we eat (organic or processed), there is cultivating and subduing the ground. Sin also taints food, as people, even believers, may misuse food by living gluttonously and/or depriving themselves unhealthily.
Also, God instituted marriage, and He gave it to mankind to enjoy (See Preliminary Point 3.). Men and women were to join together, enjoy one another, and produce offspring. However, because of sin, there is tension between husbands and wives. Pride and selfishness are very present in everyone, and as a result, these sins are present in each marriage, to varying degrees. The covenant of marriage is ultimately to point to the relationship between Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5:22-33). Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for Her and to nourish her as his own body, and wives are to submit to their husbands. However, even spouses who seek to honor God in their marriage fail to love each other biblically because of the daily struggle against sin that is still present in everyone. Also, because death is a reality, spouses die, pregnancies end tragically, and children lose their own lives or their parents die and are left to be raised by a relative or orphanage – or have to fend for themselves.
Further, while I do believe that the Fall took place shortly after creation, I believe that Adam and Eve’s response to hearing God walk in the Garden (Genesis 3:8) suggests that they were familiar with His dwelling among them. God desires to have a relationship with mankind, which He clearly demonstrated throughout history by instituting the sacrificial system, the construction of the tabernacle and the Temple, through Christ’s incarnation, life, death, and resurrection, and daily, through continuing to sanctify believers and save unbelievers. The relationship between God and mankind has been broken because of man’s rebellion, and it’s only through Christ, that man can be reconciled to God. Daily, however, people, even believers, continue to sin. Of course, believers confess and repent of their sins – a defining difference between believers and unbelievers, and their relationship with God, in Christ, is secured, for He has sealed them with His Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13), and nothing in all of the created universe can separate them from His love in Christ (Romans 8:38-39). However, because of sin, our flesh, and the enemy, we still choose sin and choose to grieve our Heavenly Father Who has pursued us from before the world began.
The glorious realities of the New Heaven and New Earth are, as stated previously, that the victory of the Lamb over sin and death will be totally realized and the purification of those who are in Christ will be totally realized. Thus, even though, at the present time, we have to kill sin and the deeds of our flesh daily, as we reign over the earth, plant crops, eat, build, and dwell with God and others in the New Heaven and New Earth, we will do so perfectly and unburdened, because we will be beholding God’s face fully.
So, I finally arrive at the point – What do I expect in the New Heaven and New Earth?
Again, I submit myself to the truth that there are things that God has prepared that we cannot imagine. However, I do believe that there are some apparent parallels between Eden as described in Genesis 1-3 and what Isaiah 65 and Revelation 21:1-22:5 say about the New Heaven and New Earth, and I believe these should be considered.
See the chart below for the parallels I found in the two passages.
When Isaiah and Revelation mention the “former things will pass away/be forgotten,” in one sense, I take this to be a figurative “passing away” and “forgetting.” When taken literally, I believe it refers to the truth that sin, pain, and death will be no more, and our purification will be totally realized. However, if Jesus is praised as “the Lamb,” which He is (Revelation 21:9, 14, 22, 23, 27; 22: 1, 3), and if the smoke (even if it’s figurative) of God’s judgment being poured out on the unfaithful rises up forever and ever, which it does (Revelation 14:10-11; 19:3), there is likely some remembrance of sin, but it will not be a painful remembrance. Christ as the Lamb of God is not just an image for us to think of as cute. It’s a glorious truth to be proclaimed – Jesus endured the wrath of God on behalf of all of those who believe in Him, and as a result, believers are clothed in His righteousness forever, get to enjoy Him forever, and are reconciled to the Father forever. Further, Romans 8:19-22 teaches that the creation around us groans to be made new, which Christ will do (Revelation 21:5), so I believe there is a sort of restoration (a very weak word, I understand) of this present creation that will take place (I’ve heard the New Heaven and New Earth described as a “radical renovation” of the present creation. Though, I do submit myself to Peter’s teaching in 2 Peter 3, wherein he states that this creation will be “destroyed with intense heat” and “burned up.”).
Also, I don’t believe the “former things passing away” should be taken literally to suggest that we will all be wiped of our memory and start at the intelligence level of a baby or that we will not have physical bodies. After His resurrection, Jesus retained His knowledge: He remembered Scripture (Luke 24:27, 44), His friends (John 20), and how to prepare and cook a meal (John 21:9-13). He also had a physical body with which He could eat (Luke 24:42-43) and which could be touched (Luke 24:38-39). Likewise, in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul argues that our bodies will be raised, and in Romans 8:23, he says that our bodies will be redeemed.
Continuing, I also believe spouses, though no longer married (Matthew 22:29-30), will remember one another; through seeing and recognizing one another, they will be able to reflect on the glorious reality that the Church’s marriage to Christ is fully realized, that event which their earthly marriage pictured. Those who were single for their whole lives will also be able to rejoice, for, whether their singleness was a choice or not, they will also experience the joy of being married to Christ. Those who had the gift of celibacy for Kingdom purposes will glory in the fact that their choice to devote themselves solely to Christ was so worth it, as they behold Christ and all of those around them enjoying Him. Those who had the desire to have been married on earth, but weren’t, will no longer feel that sting of loneliness, but will have exceeding joy, as their union with their Savior will be enjoyed.
Christians’ having bodies and being able to remember things from this world in the New Heaven and New Earth is important, as we will use these things to enjoy God more fully and help others do the same.
For example, I believe there will be learning in the New Heaven and New Earth, and there will be teachers – and this will be a glorious thing, even if learning intimidates you now. Ignorance is not inherently a sinful thing. Consider the possibility that someone who is an engineer now will retain their knowledge in the New Heaven and New Earth, be able to apply it to the building we will be doing, but also to teaching others how to design and build structures, electronics, etc. Then, for instance, someone like me, who is not an engineer, could learn how to design and build as well, which will be enjoyable experience every second, because I will be beholding the glory of God, unburdened by pride, and will be able to see the learning and work as a means to enjoy God more fully. Then, I could teach others how to work on these projects. Similarly, I believe we will continue to study how God has fashioned the human body to work and how to properly maintain it (showering, using the restroom, exercising, etc.). For example, as studies are done, people could make soap that is ideal to be used to cleanse the body (No, I’m not suggesting that we will have to wash our bodies to preserve them from decaying; they will not deteriorate.); however, since we will be working the ground and building, it’s likely we will become dirty and need to wash our bodies. As we do, even that will become a worshipful experience. As we are cleaning with the soap, we can recall to mind all that we have learned about the body and the process of making the soap to use – as a means to be reminded of and contemplate the wisdom, creative abilities, and beauty of God, Who formed our bodies and gave us wisdom and minds to take care of our bodies, etc. You could go on, of course – As we learn about the biological composition of water and grow to be amazed at God through it, that will also help us to enjoy God more in any activity involving water, including a shower. If this seems far-fetched, I simply point you to Paul’s command: “...whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God [emphasis added]” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
As another example, I believe there will be sports in the New Heaven and New Earth, including competitive sports. Football teams could still be formed and compete against one another – because there will be no pride to battle and there will be an ever-present and enjoyable realization that such talents are given by God. As two teams compete, obviously, one would win and one would lose. The winning team would not boast in themselves or lord it over the losing team. The two could work together to improve each other’s performances, acknowledging areas for growth. One may suggest that this would pose a problem – How can people make mistakes in the New Heaven and New Earth? I would simply respond that, again, we will not be all-knowing, for we do not become like God in essence. There will be areas to grow in knowledge and understanding, which, ultimately, is from where mistakes stem. The beautiful thing will be that we will want to grow in knowledge and understanding, for we will fully realize that, as we do, we will better know, understand, and enjoy God, from Whom we have our bodies and capacity for knowledge and understanding. And I see no problem with those who are Christian athletes being able to retain their knowledge and share it with others who are not currently athletically inclined, like myself.
Continuing, since we will be building, I think cities, towns, restaurants, stores, houses, etc. will exist. I see no problem with currency being an aspect of the New Heaven and New Earth, either, for behind a thriving and just economy there is logic, wisdom, and justice, all of which originate in God Himself. Greed and selfishness will have been destroyed, so any transactions will be righteous and pure. As people grow to understand and flourish in various economies, their enjoyment in God’s wisdom, justice, and purity will also expand. The same can be said as people travel to cities/towns with other economies.
Further, I believe it’s clear that we will no longer eat meat; our diet will consist of fruits and vegetables, which we will cultivate and grow. This will be a glorious reality, though, as animals will no longer have to die to sustain us – a wonderful reminder that death has been defeated by our Savior, by Whose sacrifice alone we will be there. Also, no animal will be carnivorous any longer; the wolf and lamb will graze together, and lion will eat straw (Isaiah 65:25) – another reminder of our Savior’s victory.
CONCLUSION
As I close, I know there are areas where I am likely wrong. I have given much thought to this topic because, as I stated at the very beginning, our Lord looked to the joy set before Him to endure faithfully to the end, and we are commanded to follow His example. Also, the parallels between Eden and Isaiah 65 and Revelation 21:1-22:5 seem to be too apparent to be ignored. Finally, in the New Heaven and New Earth, I am certain that we will be in the presence of our Lord, and we, unburdened by sin, will finally get to behold His face – and that’s the point. So, whatever we will be doing in the New Heaven and New Earth, I am certain that, on the basis of God’s infallible Word, it will be significantly, wondrously, and exponentially better than what we experience now on earth – because we will be physically with our Lord, in Whose presence is fullness of joy, and at Whose right hand, there are pleasures forevermore.
