Will the New Earth Be an Edenic Paradise?
This world -including its natural wonders- gives us foretastes and glimpses of the next world. This life -including its culture- gives us a look into the next world. If we take literally the earth depictions of life on the New Earth, it will allow us to make a direct connection with our current lives. When we are eating with people here, enjoying food and friendship, it’s a bridge to when we will be eating there, enjoying food and friendship. This isn’t making a leap into the dark of a shadowy afterlife; it’s just taking a few natural steps in the light scriptures give us. The Grand Canyon, the Alps, the Amazon rain forests, the Serengeti Plain- these are rough sketches of the New Earth. What about a visit to the Serengeti Plain without the worry of being eaten by a lion?
Whenever we see beauty in water, wind, flower, deer, man, woman or child, we catch a glimpse of Heaven. Just like the Garden of Eden, the New Earth will be a place of sensory delight, breathtaking beauty, satisfying relationship, and personal joy. “Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and there He put the man He had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground- trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.”(Genesis 2:8-9). The phrase, ”planted a garden”, shows God’s personal touch, His intimate interest in creative details of the mankind’s home. John 14:2-3 tells us that Christ is paying attention to the details as He prepares for us an eternal home in Heaven. Think- if He prepared Eden so carefully and lavishly for mankind in the six days of creation, what has He fashioned in a place He’s been preparing for us in the 2,000 years since He (Jesus) left this world?
There are those who believe that the New Earth will “start over” with Eden’s original paradise. The scriptures indicate the New Earth will be a carryover of culture and nations from the old earth. The New Jerusalem will be a great, advanced city as we see in Revelations 21:22. Besides Eden wasn’t just a garden. It was an entire land of wonders (Gen. 2:11-12). In Revelations 21:19-20, it tells us about the foundations of the New Jerusalem’s walls. The onyx of Eden (as described in Exodus 28:9-12 & Ezekiel 28:13) will be on this foundation and displayed as a memorial to Eden. So we will not return to Eden but we will remember it. Isaiah 51:3 says “Indeed, the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and sound of a melody.” Isaiah, considered the greatest prophet of the Old Testament, says all of the New Earth will be magnificent and glorious. But so does Ezekiel 36:35- “This desolate land has become like a Garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.” Isaiah even goes further in 35:1 and 55:13. That seems to be saying that if we want to see a desert, we had better do it now. In studying Isaiah, I am amazed at the New Earth prophecy in the Old Testament. Wait until you hear about animals from Isaiah.
What will New Nature Be Like?
We’ve never seen men and women as they were intended to be. . We’ve never seen animals the way they were like before the Fall. Have you seen the old Travelers Insurance commercial with the scenes of the animals? We have seen marred remnants of what once was. Likewise, we’ve never seen nature unchained and undiminished. Authors C.S. Lewis (Narnia) and J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) saw core truth of old mythologies and they give us a glimpse of people & beasts & trees that are vibrantly alive. Lewis goes on to say that “Christians have the best of both worlds; we have joy whenever this world reminds us of the next and we take solace whenever it does”. If you get a chance, watch the original Narnia where Lucy & her family and friends come upon what reflects the biblical revelation of the New Earth. It also uses the comparisons of the Old Narnia to the New Narnia to capture the biblical theology of the old and New Earth better than any theologian- according to Randy Alcorn. So C.S. Lewis has used scripture in the making of his Narnia series. It is hard to believe that these movies became popular in today’s environment.
On the New Earth we will see the Earth where no good thing will be destroyed. The New Earth will be a place of healing, the place where all hurts are healed, all suffering forever eclipsed by joy (Rev. 22:2). Every healing was a memorial to the Eden that was and a signpost to the New Earth that will be. Everything changes when we grasp that all we love about the old Earth will be ours on the New Earth – either in the same form or another. Think about what this means- we won’t have to regret leaving all the wonders of this world we’ve seen or mourn not having seen its countless other wonders now. We will yet be able to see them.
The following link takes you to much more information on Heaven. It says the material is only from the KJV translation- which is okay but should not be considered the only good source translations of the Bible.
REVELATION: A DEEPER LOOK INTO THE MEANING
THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS IS FILLED WITH SYMBOLISM AND PHRASES THAT ARE NOT EASY TO UNDERSTAND. THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD BOOKS ON REVELATION AND HEAVEN. THIS IS JUST ONE FOR YOU READING TIME.
FOR EBOOKS ON HEAVEN AND GOD’S PRESENCE Copy and Paste:
http://4fd03ku0f-4l9w6qlh25q9eh-d.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=ABIDINGINGOD