“For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me, says YHWH, “so shall your descendants and your name remain”. Isaiah 66:22
I asked a friend last week what he thought life on the new earth would be like. He thought a moment and answered that he had taken a course in permaculture a few years back and that class had shaped his pictures of what the new earth could be like. He went on to say that he wondered why more Christians don’t live in closer cooperation with God’s creation. Eco-friendly might be another way to summarize his thoughts.
When was the last time you thought about what life on the new earth will be like? After I’ve ridden the rhino and petted the tiger and talked with Adam and sang with David, what will my days in eternity be filled with? Will there be commerce, technology, construction, government, education, exploration, and science? How much cooking, planning, cleaning, organizing will a sinless life require? The Bible is quite silent on this topic and so I admit that this topic will contain a lot of speculation, but imagination is a God-given ability.
Whatever you or I picture of the New Earth should be consistent with the revelations of God and His kingdom that have already been provided us. If we are going to take our characters with us into eternity, perhaps there are other practical ways of living that we would also begin to practice now.
I don’t know when all things are going to be made new. But I would like to live in such a way today, that what is asked of me in that eternal tomorrow comes naturally.
Consider:
1. What talent do you look forward to cultivating in the New Earth that you could work on in this life?
2. How could you adjust your relationship to ’stuff’ to better reflect the values of a New Earth?
3. What effect of sin do you most look forward to being rid of when all things are made new?
4. Consider how conversations will go with your 3 favorite Bible characters. What might they ask you?