Ironically, we cannot talk about the hope of heaven without also talking about the restoration of earth. Just as our spirits will be joined to our bodies, one day heaven and earth will be joined so that the planet will be heavenized. John received a vision of this grand union, likened to a marriage ceremony, at the end of the book of Revelation:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.’ — (Rev. 21:1-3)
The heavenized earth will be absolutely stunning. God’s throne will be the focal point of the new creation, and from it will flow the river of the water of life that nourishes the tree of life (Rev. 22:1-2). This imagery at the end of the Bible of the river of life together with the tree of life (along with the reality of God dwelling among his people) is reminiscent of the garden of Eden (Gen 2:10 & 3:24). Like the temple in Jerusalem, Eden itself served as another visual depiction of heaven. The most beautiful Hawaiian sunset or breathtaking alpine vista, the most magnificent human city or ornate place of worship are all but small foretastes of the city which God has prepared for us. When heaven and earth merge, earth will become the ultimate paradise, permeated with the glory of God. This is in ultimate fulfillment of what the prophets anticipated (Hab. 2:14; Isa. 6:3), and it should be the expectation of every believer in Jesus Christ.
The final state of the universe reveals to us that God cares about the created world which he made. God doesn’t abandon his creation. He doesn’t only save our souls and leave our corpses to perish along with the cosmos. God restores everything, and through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we look forward not only to the redemption of our spirits, but of our bodies, and of the whole created order. Paul said, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (Rom. 8:20-21) The abolishing of sin and death will lift the ancient curse upon the earth described in Genesis 3:17-18, and all creation will praise its maker.
In this new creation, God’s glorified people will dwell forever upon a glorified earth. We will join the festal choirs of angels, and we will quench our thirst with the water of life, and feed upon the tree of life. There will be no more songs of lament, only hymns of praise to him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb – who opened for us the gates to paradise through the wood of the cross.
Footnotes
See the wonderful description of this in Meredith Kline’s God Heaven and Har Magedon. (Pg. 28)
