davidbowerkingwood

God’s Grace

In a manner which is not revealed, the new heaven and the new earth will be populated by those God has preserved through the judgment that is coming. I know of no information in the Bible that reveals how this is done but we can know with complete confidence it shall be done. The cataclysmic judgment that is coming on the old creation will not affect those who are a part of God’s family.

All human and angelic creation will survive this mass extinction event; the unredeemed human creation and fallen angels to eternal judgment in the Lake of Fire while the redeemed and God’s angels will join God in the new universe God will prepare.

While the Bible does not reveal exactly how or when this shall happen it would appear the spiritual innocence enjoyed by Adam and Eve before the fall will be restored to the nations; there will no longer be any sort of struggle with sin; the fallen sin nature will be gone forever!

In Revelation 21:3-4 it is written:

“³ I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

Another matter of which I am completely convinced is the creation of the new heaven and earth will most certainly not take billions or even millions of years. The exaggerated time spans required by the theory of evolution requires a much greater leap of faith than the existence of an omnipotent creator God who simply spoke creation into being.

Whereas it pleased God to create our present heaven and earth in six days it may please Him this time around to create the new heaven and earth in six seconds; I am convinced with God all things are possible!

The New Universe

In Revelation 21 and 22 we are given a tantalizing glimpse of the new universe; needless to say it is a wonderful but all too brief view of what is coming. In Revelation 21:24-26 the nations are mentioned:

”  ²⁴ The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. ²⁵ Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. ²⁶ And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city.”

In Revelation 22:1-2 the nations are mentioned again:

“22 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. ² It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.”

Most of what we know about the new universe is revealed in Revelation 21 and 22 which I encourage you to carefully and prayerfully read once more. Since this essay is focused on the nations let us take what is revealed and see where that may lead us.

One Christian’s Perspective on the New Universe

 Those of you who have heard me teach know of my enthusiasm for trying to connect the dots; I love to speculate on what is not revealed in the Bible by using what is revealed as a starting point. I freely admit this is speculation so let’s just have some fun with it, OK?

One of my minor joys, as a retired business man, is I have no theological reputation to preserve; I can speculate and have fun with my Christian faith with no fear of damage to my theological reputation. I impose upon myself only one condition and that is my speculations must have a reasonable foundation in the Bible.

Over the years I have developed an impression of God and His ways from my study of the Bible. I am one of those who see God as totally sovereign and in complete control of everything. My view of the Trinity is more fully expressed in my essay, “What is Reality?“

Kings and Nations

The Bible reveals there will be kings and nations and they shall have glory; it has nothing to say about the size or number of kingdoms and the extent of their glory but I think it may be wise to think on a large scale; let’s use Solomon’s glory as a starting point and build on that!

While the Bible reveals there will be no more death it says nothing about no more births; I’m inclined to believe we shall see a repeat of the command given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, “be fruitful and multiply.” I think it possible there will be a population explosion in the mortal population unlike anything ever seen before.

I also think it possible there will be many habitable planets similar to earth in the new heavens with God’s children spreading out to new worlds. If man can imagine this God could make it happen, remember with God all things are possible. Discoveries would suggest our present universe is rather inhospitable to human life but I’m of the opinion the new universe will be just the opposite.

Work to be Done

For years I have been impressed with the idea that God gave Adam a job to be done; life in the Garden of Eden was never intended to be a free ride. In Genesis 2:15 it is written:

“¹⁵ The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.”

Other translations translate the Hebrew word, עָבַד (`abad)  as to work or till the land. I suppose this makes the world’s oldest profession a gardener.

The point being is I believe strongly that we shall all have responsibilities in the new universe. I cannot even begin to speculate on the work the nations will do but I’m convinced they will be working too. Previously I wrote on the Christian’s roles as children of the royal family, ambassadors and priests and have no doubt we’ll have a lot of work to do.

Bottom Line

The new universe will be a busy, happy place and I for one look forward to it!

²⁰ He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

²¹ May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.