He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making all things new!” Rev.21:5… “The kings of the earth will bring their splendor into the New Jerusalem” Rev.21:24 … “And they will reign forever” (Rev.22:5).
Dear Jesus, my old notions of heaven were rather boring—and unbiblical, mind you. Harps, halos, robes, and singing have been replaced with a dynamic vision of the life we will enjoy in the new heaven and new earth. Not just perfect relationships, but perfect creativity and culture building forever. We will be beautiful and create beauty forever.
You are making all things new, not all new things, so there will be a lot of continuity with the world as we know it. Places dear to us will become even more dear. Tolkien referred to it as the Day when “everything sad comes untrue”; and C S Lewis spoke of the resurrection of Jesus as the beginning of “death working backwards.” Everything broken will become “uber-beautiful”—a better version of its original. Stunning, to say the least, and certainly sensational on Gospel-steroids.
So what will we do with the accumulated “splendor of the kings” brought into the New Jerusalem? It at least suggests that we will take the best of every culture represented in eternity and start building new creation culture together forever. All the art, tastes, cultural markers, music, symbols, language, norms, values, and artifacts of every nation will be celebrated and blended to reveal even more of your glory Jesus.
Our fascination, curiosity, awe, and joy will increase forever and ever. Everything we do will be worship saturated, meaning it will declare your praise and reveal more of your truth, goodness, and beauty, Jesus. Thank you for a heaven that’s way more “heavenly” than we ever imagined. So Very Amen.