by Randy Alcorn
From opposite standpoints of the Christian world, from different quarters of human life and character, through various expressions of their common faith and hope, through diverse modes of conversion, through different portions of the Holy Scripture will the weary travelers enter the Heavenly City and meet each other—"not without surprise"—on the shores of the same river of life.
DWIGHT L.MOODY
The city's open gates are a great equalizer. There's no elitism in Heaven; everyone will have access because of Christ's blood. His death is the admission ticket to every nook and cranny of the New Jerusalem. People won't have to prove their worth or buy their way through the gates. All people will have access to the city's parks, museums, restaurants, libraries, concerts—anything and everything the city has to offer. Nobody will have to peek over the fence or look longingly through the windows.
The gates are where people enter and leave the city. The vast distances involved—three gates on each of the city's sides, which measure more than 1,400 miles—suggest each gate may go out into a different country, perhaps each with radically different terrain. Imagine the people of every nationality, color, and dress going in and out of the city, some people leaving on a task or mission, some going on an adventure, others coming to a banquet or going to visit friends and loved ones.
People have always gathered at city gates to share news and tell stories. Will people on the New Earth be less relational than we are now? No, we'll be freed to be more relational, without the fears, inadequacies, and sins that currently plague us. We'll be eager to hear other people's stories, and we'll all have our own stories to tell—and we'll be able to tell them better than we ever have. No one will have to wonder if they're being told the truth, since there will be no deceit (Revelation 21:8).
Are we to take the references to the city's walls and gates at face value? Some people say no: "These descriptions, of course, are not meant to be taken literally. They are vivid poetic metaphors for a reality which is indestructible, gleaming, incalculably precious. . . . If invited for a walk, most of us would prefer a leafy country lane to a street paved with gold. One is natural and instantly appealing; the other seems lifeless and manufactured."186
As we'll deal with in appendix B, we shouldn't dismiss the physical descriptions of the great city. Streets can be made of actual gold and still have symbolic meaning. My wedding ring reminds me of my commitment to my wife, but that doesn't mean it isn't a literal ring. The open gates of Heaven will remind us of God's accessibility, but that doesn't mean they aren't literal gates. I think it would be more enjoyable than most commentators suppose to walk on a street paved with gold. I've had great walks on asphalt—what's wrong with gold? We are wrong to assume we must either walk on gold streets or leafy country lanes. Why not both?
WHAT WILL IT BE LIKE FOR THE CITY'S CITIZENS?
To be part of a city is to be a citizen, which involves both responsibilities and privileges. The apostle Paul reminded the Philippians, who were proud of their Roman citizenship, "Our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20). Note the verb in the statement: Our citizenship "is," not "will be," in Heaven. Although our citizenship in Heaven is present, our residence there is future. People bom far from their father's native country are still citizens of that country, even though they have never lived there. One day as children and heirs of Heaven's king, we will enter into full possession of our native land, which we will rule to our Father's glory.
God's people were once nomadic, wandering in the wilderness of Sinai for forty years. Finally they settled down in cities. The New Jerusalem will be a solid, permanent city, secured by far more than tent stakes.
A building's greatest strength is its foundation. The New Jerusalem has not one foundation, but twelve, each decorated with a different gem (Revelation 21:14,19-20). Furthermore, this city is built by God himself. In Old Testament times, Abraham "was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:8-10). The New Jerusalem is that city. Whatever God builds will last.
People have told me they can't get excited about the New Jerusalem because they don't like cities. But this city will be different—it will have all the advantages we associate with earthly cities but none of the disadvantages. The city will be filled with natural wonders, magnificent architecture, thriving culture—but it will have no crime, pollution, sirens, traffic fatalities, garbage, or homelessness. It will truly be Heaven on Earth.
If you think you hate cities, you'll quickly change your mind when you see this one. Imagine moving through the city to enjoy the arts, music, and sports without pickpockets, porn shops, drugs, or prostitution. Imagine sitting down to eat and raising glasses to toast the King, who will be glorified in every pleasure we enjoy.
The Artist's fingerprints will be seen everywhere in the great city. Every feature speaks of his attributes. The priceless stones speak of his beauty and grandeur. The open gates speak of his accessibility. All who wish to come to him at his throne may do so at any time. We can learn a lot about people by walking through their houses. The whole universe will be God's house—and the New Jerusalem will be his living room. God will delight to share with us the glories of his capital city—and ours.
CHAPTER 25
WHAT WILL THE GREAT CITY BE LIKE?
Why did Magellan and Columbus and all the other explorers and their crews go off seeking "the new world"? Because we were made to seek out new worlds. We were made to be seekers and explorers. As we seek and explore God's creation, we'll grow in our knowledge of God, becoming increasingly motivated to explore the wonders of God himself.
The demands and distractions of our present life teach us to set aside or stifle our longing to explore, yet it still surfaces. On the New Earth, that desire won't be thwarted or trumped by pragmatic considerations. Rather, it will be stimulated and encouraged by God, each other, and all that's within us.
However, the first place we may wish to explore will be the largest city that has ever existed—the capital city of the New Earth. The New Jerusalem will be a place of extravagant beauty and natural wonders. It will be a vast Eden, integrated with the best of human culture, under the reign of Christ. More wealth than has been accumulated in all human history will be spread freely across this immense city.
HOW EXTRAVAGANT WILL THE CITY BE?
Presumably many other cities will be on the New Earth, such as those Jesus mentioned in the stewardship parables (Luke 19:17-19). The kings of nations who bring their treasures into the New Jerusalem must come from and return to somewhere, presumably countryside and cities lying beyond the New Jerusalem. But no city will be like this one, for it will be called home by the King of kings.
Heaven's capital city will be filled with visual magnificence. "It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal" (Revelation 21:11). John goes on to describe the opulence: "The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone" (Revelation 21:18-19). John then names twelve stones, eight of which correspond to the stones of the high priest's breastpiece (Exodus 28:17-20).
The precious stones and gold represent incredible wealth, suggestive of the exorbitant riches of God's splendor. "The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass" (Revelation 21:21). Each gate tower is carved from a single, huge pearl. "Among the ancients, the pearl was highest in value among the precious stones."187 The text doesn't say this, but commentators often suggest that because a pearl is formed through the oyster's pain, the pearl may symbolize Christ's suffering on our behalf as well as the eternal beauty that can come out of our temporary suffering.
WHAT IS THE RIVER OF LIFE?
John describes a natural wonder in the center of the New Jerusalem: "the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal
, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city" (Revelation 22:1-2). Why is water important? Because the city is a center of human life and water is an essential part of life. Ghosts don't need water, but human bodies do. We all know what it's like to be thirsty, but the original readers, who lived in a bone-dry climate, readily grasped the wonder of constantly available fresh water, pure and uncontaminated, able to satisfy the deepest thirst.
Notice that the source of this powerful stream is the throne of God, occupied by the Lamb. He's the source of all natural beauties and wonders. They derive their beauty from the Artist. The great river reflects his thirst-quenching, need-satisfying nature. He always meets his people's needs and fulfills their longings.
On the New Earth, we won't have to leave the city to find natural beauty. It will be incorporated into the city, with the river of life as its source. The river flows down the city's main street. Likely it has countless tributaries flowing throughout the rest of the city. Can you picture people talking and laughing beside this river, sticking their hands and faces down into the water and drinking? This fully accessible natural wonder on the city's main street is amazing—something that would be featured in any travel brochure.
The city has many other streets, of course, but none like this, for this one leads directly to the king's throne. The fact that the water is flowing down from it suggests the throne's high elevation. One need only follow the street—or the river—up to its source to arrive at the city's centerpiece: the Lamb's throne.
WHAT IS THE TREE OF LIFE?
After John describes the river of life, he mentions another striking feature: "On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:2).
The tree of life is mentioned three times in Genesis 2, in Eden, and again four times in Revelation, three of those in the final chapter. These instances seem to refer to Eden's literal tree of life. We're told the tree of life is presently in Paradise, the intermediate Heaven (Revelation 2:7). The New Jerusalem itself, also in the present Heaven, will be brought down, tree of life and all, and placed on the New Earth (Revelation 21:2). Just as the tree was apparently relocated from Eden to the present Heaven, it will be relocated again to the New Earth.
In Eden, the tree appears to have been a source of ongoing physical life. The presence of the tree of life suggests a supernatural provision of life as Adam and Eve ate the fruit their Creator provided. Adam and Eve were designed to live forever, but to do so they likely needed to eat from the tree of life. Once they sinned, they were banned from the Garden, separated from the tree, and subject to physical death, just as they had experienced spiritual death. Since Eden, death has reigned throughout history. But on the New Earth, our access to the tree of life is forever restored. (Notice that there's no mention of a tree of the knowledge of good and evil to test us. The redeemed have already known sin and its devastation; they will desire it no more.)
In the New Earth, we will freely eat the fruit of the same tree that nourished Adam and Eve: "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7). Once more human beings will draw their strength and vitality from this tree. The tree will produce not one crop but twelve. The newness and freshness of Heaven is demonstrated in the monthly yield of fruit.The fruit is not merely to be admired but consumed.
Then shall I see, and hear, and know All I desired or wished below; And every power find sweet employ In that eternal world of joy.
ISAAC WATTS
The description of the tree of life in Revelation 22 mirrors precisely what's prophesied in the Old Testament: "Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing" (Ezekiel 47:12).
Commentator William Hendriksen suggests, "The term 'tree of life' is collective, just like 'avenue' and 'river.' The idea is not that there is just one single tree. No, there is an entire park: whole rows of trees alongside the river; hence, between the river and the avenue. And this is true with respect to all the avenues of the city. Hence, the city is just full of parks, cf. Rev. 2:7. Observe, therefore, this wonderful truth: the city is full of rivers of life. It is also full of parks containing trees of life. These trees, moreover, are full of fruit."188
This broader view of the tree of life would account for the fact that the tree grows on both sides of a great river at once and yields twelve different kinds of fruit. (Of course, even if Hendriksen is wrong in supposing that the tree of life is collective, it is reasonable that just as there were other trees in Eden, there will be other trees on the New Earth.)
John also tells us that "the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:2). For the third time in Revelation 21-22, the inhabitants of the New Earth are referred to as nations. Nations will not be eliminated but healed. But since we won't experience pain or disease in Heaven, what's the point of leaves for healing? Perhaps they, like the tree's fruit, will have life-sustaining or life-enhancing properties that will help people maintain health and energy. Our physical life and health, even our healing, comes not from our intrinsic immortal nature but from partaking of God's gracious provision in the fruit and leaves of the tree of life. Hence, our well-being is not granted once for all but will be forever sustained and renewed as we depend on him and draw from his provision.
Some people find it hard to understand why perfectly healthy people will need food, water, and health-giving vegetation on the New Earth. It appears that we will still have needs, but they will all be met. The organic nature of edible fruit and medicinal leaves emphasizes the tie of mankind to Earth, suggesting that eternal life won't be as different from life in Eden as is often assumed.
WILL THE NEW EARTH HAVE OTHER NATURAL WONDERS?
What Scripture tells us about the river of life and the tree of life and its fruits is indicative of the natural wonders that will be part of the New Earth. Just as "the tree" probably includes many trees, "the river" likely becomes many rivers, which in turn form lakes. Since this is the New Earth, we should expect geographical properties of Earth: mountains, waterfalls, and other natural wonders.
In describing the New Earth, John speaks of "a mountain great and high" (Revelation 21:10). Note that John calls it a mountain, not the mountain. We know that the New Earth has at least one mountain, and we can assume it has hundreds or thousands of them.
Just as our resurrection bodies will be better than our current ones, the New Earth's natural wonders will presumably be more spectacular than those we now know. We can expect more magnificent mountains and more beautiful lakes and flowers than those on this earth. If we imagine the New Earth to have fewer and less beautiful features than the old, we picture the earth's regression. The least we should expect is retention. But in fact, I believe there's every reason to anticipate progression. The depiction of the precious metals and stones and vast architecture is lavish beyond imagination, as are the descriptions of trees on both sides of the great river, bearing new fruit each month. Everything God tells us suggests we will look back at the present Earth and conclude, creatively speaking, that God was just "warming up" and getting started.
Look at God's track record in creating natural wonders in this universe. On Mars, the volcano Olympus Mons rises 79,000 feet, nearly three times higher than Mount Everest. The base of Olympus Mons is 370 miles across and would cover the entire state of Nebraska. The Valles Marineris is a vast canyon that stretches one-sixth of the way around Mars. It's 2,800 miles long, 370 miles wide, and 4.5 miles deep. Hundreds of our Grand Canyons could fit inside it.
The New Earth may have far more spectacular features than these. Imagine what we might find on the new Mars or t
he new Saturn and Jupiter and their magnificent moons. I remember vividly the thrill of first seeing Saturn's rings through my new telescope when I was eleven years old. It exhilarated me and stirred my heart. Five years later, I heard the gospel for the first time and came to know Jesus, but the wonders of the heavens helped lead me to God. How many times in the new universe will we be stunned by the awesomeness of God's creation?
Remember, God will make the new heavens, which will correspond to the old and which will therefore include renewed versions of the planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies God created in the first heavens.
The New Earth's waterfalls may dwarf Niagara—or the New Niagara Falls may dwarf the one we know now. We will find rock formations more spectacular than Yosemite's, peaks higher than the Himalayas, forests deeper and richer than anything we see in the Pacific Northwest.
Some current earthly phenomena may not occur on the New Earth, including earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and volcanoes. These may be aberrations due to the Curse. God's Kingdom is described as one "that cannot be shaken" (Hebrews 12:28). However, it maybe that the foundations of the New Earth's buildings will be such that they would remain solid in the most violent storms or earthquakes. In that case, we might ride out an earthquake as if we were on a roller coaster—experiencing the thrill of the event without the danger. We could praise God for the display of his magnificent power.
On the present Earth, God shows himself through natural wonders and weather (Job 9:5-7; 38:34-35). Since the old Earth is the prototype of the new, there's every reason to believe he will show his greatness and beauty the same way on the New Earth.
WILL THE NEW JERUSALEM'S BEAUTY BE NATURAL OR DESIGNED?
As I mentioned earlier, some people read the Bible's description of Heaven's capital city and think they will be uncomfortable in that vast architecture. Tolkien seems to address this in his Lord of the Rings trilogy, where he portrays differing concepts of Elvish beauty and Dwarvish beauty. Elves, people of the woods and waters, celebrate and protect the natural beauty of Middle Earth. Dwarves, in contrast, are miners and builders who dig deep for precious stones and construct vast buildings. The Elves are uncomfortable with Dwarvish architecture, and the Dwarves feel uncomfortable deep in the forest.
