Sin and sinners have been destroyed. Satan and his angels have been cast into the lake of fire. Death and the grave have been consumed by Eternal fire, which no one will be able to quench. When God’s judgment carries out the verdict pronounced upon sinful beings and the fire completes its destructive work, there will no longer be any need to sustain the flames. The entire surface of planet Earth will be cleansed of every trace of the former civilization. Nothing will ever again remind us of lawlessness. The enemy of the soul will perish forever, and his destructive influence will never again darken anyone’s mind.
And the Lord will create a New Heaven and a New Earth. Perhaps there will no longer be boundless oceans. God’s creative power will make the Earth a unique masterpiece in the entire Universe, and our planet will become the place of the personal presence and dwelling of the Godhead.
God the Father will be our Eternal God, and we will have free access to the White Throne, where we may bow at His feet in joy and gratitude and share our unending love with Him.
We will all attain the full stature of Christ. The incorruptible seal of Eternal youth and unfading beauty will adorn our faces. Perfect Agape Love will be the most precious treasure of each one of us. Every day, this treasure will grow and multiply through good deeds and thoughts, making us even richer. Love will become the one universal currency, accepted on every planet and circulating among all Heavenly beings. This will be proclaimed.
I believe that our bodies will receive amazing abilities for travel and rapid movement over great distances.
Most likely, we will acquire a unique ability to communicate with one another so that we may simultaneously maintain relationships with millions of new friends while learning the details of their views on various matters.
Every request we make to God will be granted, and every prayer will be answered. The wonders of God’s creative work will no longer merely surprise us; they will awaken sincere admiration and genuine joy.
All of us who were emotionally attached to our pets will be able to receive them again in the same form and with the same feelings and distinctive traits they had before their death. The animals already living there will welcome their new companions into their joyful family.
The conclusion of the Millennium will also bring time to an end. There will no longer be any need to keep count of the endless years of Eternity, although perhaps, out of interest, we will count the days and weeks during the first million years. After that, only the new moon and the Sabbath will remain, when we will come before God’s face each time to worship and gladden our dear Lord with our happiness in Eternal Life with Him.
Considering the fact that we will have the special status of Christ’s Bride, perhaps we will also have unique personal relationships with Jesus, in which He will reveal Himself to us in a marvelous way so that we may know Him. Our attachment to Him will be so strong that we will be one spiritual flesh, entering deeply into one another’s inner world. God’s continual presence in me, and my presence in Him, will become an Eternal feature of our relationship, which will never end. This status will grant us privileges that distinguish us from other Heavenly beings. And everyone will rejoice that we have been honored with such a great distinction.
All our bold dreams will be fulfilled in the most amazing projects. The creative thought of each one of us will find expression in the realities of life.
In the Heavenly Jerusalem, we will have our Eternal dwellings, given to us by God as homes. Yet the New Earth will be so beautiful as a place to live that we will want to build a small castle in some cozy place for temporary stays and for receiving guests from other planets. All our buildings will embody marvels of engineering and become new masterpieces of thoughtful invention.
God’s Word does not reveal whether families will be formed and children born in Heaven. But I believe that many women who gave their lives for faith in God while pregnant will have the opportunity, after their resurrection, to carry their children to full term and give birth to them for God’s glory.
I also believe that although we will be given new bodies, the Lord will not deprive us of freedom of choice or separate us from those with whom we were joined by family ties. Knowing how children come into the world, we will always be able to ask God to bless and restore this function of the body, and He will not refuse us. But perhaps we will be offered something better, something we cannot even imagine. Therefore, those who never had time to start a family or have children should not grieve. We have a wonderful God Who has provided answers for these needs and expectations as well. No one will be disappointed.
Will I be happy on the New Earth? What a strange question. I already know that the Eternal principles of the laws of happiness will remain Eternal, while the contents of my house of happiness will be so diverse and amazing that I will have to keep expanding the walls of my dwelling endlessly to make room for everything new and beautiful that I will learn and receive in the New Life. And the Lord will continually give me gifts so that through them I may rejoice even more in Eternal Life with its Eternal surprises.
And the most wonderful thing is that I will be able to give freely to all my new and old friends from everything I possess.
When Jesus once again asks me what He could do for me to gladden my heart, I will present Him with an entire list of my friends’ needs, which He will gladly fulfill. And together we will watch the joy of those who receive these gifts.
Eternity is worth fighting for even now, and worth entering even now by comprehending its Eternal Laws with our mind, reason, and heart.
Today we comprehend it by faith, but Eternity is as real as our world. It exists and is rapidly approaching, ready to open its doors to everyone who longs to receive it and does everything possible to establish strong ties with its Creator.
Eternity is God’s dream of not spending this time alone, but of filling this vast realm with tireless beings redeemed from the power of sin and death. Never again in Eternity will a moment come when God is left alone to live only for Himself. We simply will not let Him. The Lord will continually devise new joys and activities for us so that our minds may constantly develop in love and creativity.
I believe that God Himself does not cease in His Divine perfection, but opens new prospects for Himself so that, at a certain point in Eternity, He may share them with us.
Are you interested in the world of the stars? Do you think Eternity will be long enough for us to explore the vast expanses of the Universe and, upon reaching its edge, discover how boundless it is?
And wherever we may be in infinite space, we will always know Whose we are, where our Eternal Home is, and Who our Bridegroom is, so that we may return again to this inexhaustible Source of infinite love and happiness and draw incorruptible treasures from Him to share with others.
And we will forever know and understand that God is Love.
Questions for Reflection
Please read Matthew 20:23; 25:31–46; John 14:1–3; 1 Corinthians 2:9; Isaiah 35; 65:17–25; Matthew 5:5; 2 Peter 1:5–11; 3:10–14; Revelation 11:15; 21:1–7; 22:1–5; Daniel 2:44; 3:33; Matthew 21:43; 23:13; Luke 22:29–30 in the light of this chapter. What did you understand from this chapter? Are you interested in hearing reflections about Eternity? Are we describing what the Lord is preparing for us in terms that are too good? Why do many people consider Eternity a fairy tale? Why do many people more readily believe in the theory of evolution, which still remains a theory, yet refuse to believe in the reality of Eternal Life, even though it is logical, consistent, and true? Do you believe that your body is a well-designed mechanism created by the Heavenly Creator Himself? Would you be interested to learn who your neighbors will be in the Heavenly Jerusalem? Will the saved have love for one another? Is it worth learning love now if everyone will receive it in Eternity anyway? Do you think fear will have a place in our relationship with God in Eternity? If so, what kind of fear will it be? Have you already packed your bags for the move to the Heavenly dwellings? Have you left behind everything that cannot enter there? Will Eternal Life be conditional? If so, what will the condition be? Why will the saved need the Tree of Life? And what does the phrase “the leaves for the healing of the nations” mean? Do you have a gift for God that you would like to present to Him?