I realize that none of us, nor all of us put together, knows everything there is to be known about the future, either in heaven or in the lake of fire. What we can know, at least to a degree, is what God inspired to be written down in what we call the Bible. Revelation 21:23 says that the glory of God will lighten the heavenly Jerusalem, which will come down to a new earth. Then Revelation 21:24-26 says, “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day; for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Please keep in mind that we are looking at the eternal home of all of the saved, for the new Jerusalem will come down from the heavens to this new earth, according to Revelation 21:1-3, 9-11. Those who are not too thrilled about the so-called “pie in the sky by and by” need to read the Bible more carefully, or to read it period, for it makes clear that a whole new world is coming, with the new Jerusalem now in the heavens coming down to a new earth. By the way, the new earth is different than the earth during the millennium, for the earth during the millennium will have some born in that time who will never be saved. It will also have death, but the new Jerusalem that comes down from the heavens will have none of these things. Revelation 21:27 says, “And there shall in no wise enter into it (the city in Revelation 21:23-26) any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” By the way, anyone who reads Revelation chapters 21 and 22 will have to see what I am saying, if he takes these chapters at face value. God had in mind the new heavens and new earth before He ever created the present heavens and earth. So, God is not “running up to an emergency and seeking to find a solution”, for He had all of eternity in His mind before He created anything!
I realize that some people are not too eager to get into the teaching of future things, especially the Book of Revelation, but this last book of the Bible is just as much the message of God to mankind as John 3:16. So, it would be wise for all of us to keep reading all of the Bible to see what we can learn about how to live in this present time, but also what God has in mind for eternity. I am sad that most of the world of mankind will not be in the new creation, but it is not God’s fault, for He invites all of mankind to come to Him for salvation and rest in Him. The major problem with most of mankind is that most people seek to work out their own problems, find their own solutions and to leave God out of the equation. May I say that God is the One Who instituted the equation if we want to use that word. John 3:16 still says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The love of God for mankind is at least one of the reasons that God created man. God has forever known that mankind would be sinful, yet at the cost of giving His only begotten Son to save those who believe, God saw a means of saving all who desire to be saved. I have been on earth almost 81 years, and I have seen a multitude of changes, but the plan of God for the salvation of mankind has never changed! Some things can change for the better, but that is not true of salvation and the plan that Jesus should die on a cross for the rest of us! God made salvation simple, but men complicate it by their desire to continue in sin. The devil and his helpers have a way of making sin look like the best choice one can make, at least if he desires to enjoy life on earth. For 62 years as a gospel preacher, I am still convinced that God is right!
J. Briggs King
