We firmly believe and expect an amazing future. As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been given assurance that a wonderful future in the Kingdom of God awaits us; and it is a forever future. But contrary to much that is said by believers today, this future is not off in the heavenly sphere somewhere but rather on earth. The Word of God reveals a lot of details about the future Kingdom of God, though we wish it gave even more. We often struggle in this life and it is good to look ahead.
Understanding the Future and Looking at the Past. A helpful principle in our interpreting of the Book of Revelation is this: “we should study Revelation with Genesis in mind”. This is a valuable interpretive point. When we look carefully at Genesis 1 and 2, we learn of God’s original intention in His creation work. That work was “very good.” There was nothing deficient or wrong about what the Creator did. And so, when man ruined everything by sinning, God embarked on a program to restore and reconcile all that was damaged and lost in Eden. Revelation gives us a brief picture of Eden 2.0. The Lord God is taking mankind back to His original plan, only it will be an enhanced version. Fellowship with God, rulership of the planet and a physical paradise was in the original plan and these realities will be present in the revised and enhanced version.
The Two Phases of the Future Kingdom of God: Phase 1, the Millennial Reign of Messiah Jesus. The prophets of the Old Testament did not clearly see that the future kingdom of God has two distinct parts to it. But in the progress of God revealing truth, this point became clear. The O.T. definitely does tell us that at Messiah’s coming (the 2nd coming of Christ), the kingdoms of man (controlled and energized by Satan, the “god of this world”) are forever ended and then, and only then, the future Kingdom of God is established. Daniel puts it this way:
“and in the days of those (earthly) kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put to an end all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.” (Dan. 2:44)
So, no kingdom of man will emerge again on this earth. It is in connection with Christ’s 2nd Coming that He begins to rule. Jesus said in Matthew 25:31: “when the Son of Man comes in His glory…then He will sit on His glorious throne.” He has not yet come in His glory and, therefore, He has not yet sat on His throne, which shows that He is not presently ruling, as some people say.
The first phase of the future, forever kingdom is the messianic (millennial) phase which lasts for 1,000 years (Rev. 20). This phase is needed because God must fulfill His covenant commitment to Abraham and his descendants. When Jesus Christ returns at His 2nd coming, the curse placed on the earth in Genesis 3 is removed. The creation is “set free” from the curse and there is one giant step back towards Eden (Rom. 8:19-23). The O.T. speaks of the deserts and barren places becoming well-watered and fertile (Isa. 35:1-2, 6-7); that there is an absence of disease and deformity (Isa. 35:5-6); violence in the animal kingdom will no longer exist as lions and lambs live peacefully together (Isa. 11:6-9). And best of all, the spiritual, moral atmosphere on earth will be totally different. Righteousness, peace and joy will be the atmosphere we breath during the reign of Messiah Jesus (Isa. 11:4-5; 32:1; Jer. 23:5) and Jesus will be ruling Israel and the world (Psa. 2) from Jerusalem. In Jerusalem there will be a huge, grand temple to which all the nations of the world will come to worship Messiah Jesus (Ezek. 40-48). The O.T. has an abundance of information about the physical and spiritual conditions that exist in this phase of the future kingdom, and it is abundantly clear that it will be unlike anything we have experienced. It will be grand and glorious.
Phase 2: The Forever Kingdom of God. This phase has far less information but enough is given to get a feel for the absolute wonder of it. Revelation 21:1 – 22:5 sheds some light on our forever existence. There are five basic truths included here in this discussion.
- There will be a new heaven and a new earth. God declares that He is going to make “all things new” (21:5). The word “new” does not mean that things in the eternal kingdom will be strangely different, only that they will be recent and fresh, and therefore, superior to the old. The Apostle Peter states that at the end of the age, the old heavens and earth will go out of existence with a roar and they will be totally destroyed by intense heat. (2 Pet. 3:7, 10-12). Then God will create a fresh version of the original heavens and earth. The earth was created for mankind and It is on this new earth that man will spend eternity. We often say that “we will be living in heaven forever with Jesus.” Is that accurate? We might want to rethink that statement because Revelation 21-22 indicates that the eternal phase of the Kingdom of God is on the new earth. Regarding the new earth, John does add that on the new earth “there is no longer any sea” (21:1). Why? Probably because much of the water on today’s earth came from the judgment of the Noahic flood and, therefore, the original earth did not have the vast oceans of today. There will be no evidence of judgment (large amounts of water) on the new earth.
- There will be a new level of fellowship with our Lord God. In the Garden of Eden, God came and fellowshipped with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. In the future kingdom there is no need of a temple. Rather, God will come and live among us in a continuous, ongoing 24/7 fellowship (21:3; 22:3-4). There will be no hindrances to fellowship because of sin as that matter is forever settled. This fellowship with the Lord God will make the eternal kingdom so very rich and full, as Psalm 16:11 says, “in Thy presence is fulness of joy, and in Thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.” This is beyond present experience, but it will be amazingly good.
- There will be the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem appears to be the center of life on the new earth. The 12 gates are named after Israel’s 12 tribes, and there are 12 foundation stones on which the city sits, named after the 12 apostles. This tells us that Israel and the Church are both remembered and are both there. It is a huge city measuring 1500 miles in width, length and height. The glory of the Lord fills the city so that there is no need for sunlight. (The text does not say that there is no sun.) The old universe had a sun, moon, and stars, and the fresh one and will have all those entities.
Details regarding activities in the New Jerusalem is not given but if it is the center of life, it will be the place to be in the eternal kingdom. It should be noted that there is much life outside the city as kings and kingdoms will exist in the eternal phase of the future kingdom (Rev. 21:24). This would indicate that the human family is divided into sub-groups, perhaps even including families and clans.
- There will be the “tree of life” and the “water of life.” The tree of life existed in the Garden of Eden and had the ability to perpetuate life. It is also found in the eternal kingdom. And the water of life is there as well which apparently has a life-giving quality to it. These appear to have an important place in the coming eternal phase of the kingdom.
- There will be an absence of negative things. Sin has had a devastating, universal impact on life here. But sin and death were conquered by Christ’s death and their impact will no longer be felt or seen in the eternal kingdom. And what sin produced will no longer exist as well. So, Revelation 21:4 declares that “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” These are what dominated this life, and it is difficult to imagine a world without them. We cry for many reasons; because we are physically hurt, or devastated by hurtful words, disappointments, broken relationships, or betrayals. Pain comes in many forms, from physical to emotional to psychological. Pain no more will be experienced. We will never again see a loved one die, or see death come to anyone. Wars, mass shootings and the like will never exist in this kingdom.
As we oftentimes struggle in this life, it is always good to remember that our best life lies ahead of us in the future, forever kingdom of God. God intends to bring back His “very good” original for His creation to enjoy and benefit from. And this He will do. Keep one eye on heaven for that is where our Savior is coming from.