CHAPTER SEVEN

THE PROMISED RENEWAL:
A NEW CREATION

What is the point of history? Why do life and the universe and you and I exist at all? All history and all creation exist ultimately for God’s glory. This is what we find at the conclusion of the New Testament. In the last book of the Bible, Revelation, written by the apostle John, all creation is taken up into God’s glory.

The Book of Revelation

I know the book of Revelation is sometimes the subject of sensationalistic documentaries with ominous music. But Revelation is actually a book of wonderful hope and encouragement for God’s people. It presents the consummation of our salvation. We are finally in God’s place, under his rule, and in a perfectly right relationship to him. The heavens and the earth are re-created, and the struggling church militant becomes the resting church triumphant (see Rev. 21:1–4; 21:22–22:5).

Some people get to Revelation and say, “This is just idealistic Greek Platonism.” Or, “This is just another world-denying gnosticism, as if only the invisible matters.” But that is not what John presents us at all. In Revelation, creation is refinished, refurbished, and re-presented in a new heaven and a new earth, all of which tends toward the great end of the Bible and world history—the glory of God himself. That is no Platonism or gnosticism! As Christians, we do not merely believe in an eternal soul that ascends and lives with God in the clouds. We believe in a doctrine that was offensive to the ancient Greeks: the resurrection of the body.

In a manner beyond our comprehension, God will one day reconstitute these presently rotting bodies of ours. Jesus’ own resurrection was only the “firstfruits.” It was the beginning of the great harvest to follow (1 Cor. 15:20). And his remaking of our bodies is a picture of what he will do with all creation.

Dwelling with God

The holiness of God’s people will finally be complete, and we will dwell together with him. Really, Revelation presents the garden of Eden restored, only better. Now it is a heavenly and perfect city, a city that works not because the sewers are good and the taxes are low but because God abides with his people. John describes the measurements of this heavenly city as a great cube. Any Christian who knows the Old Testament knows that John’s vision harks back to the Most Holy Place. This special place within Israel’s temple was itself a perfect cube and the most manifest location of God’s presence on earth. Now, in this cube-shaped heavenly city, God’s full, unmediated presence is given to all his people. The whole world becomes the temple. John writes:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev. 21:3–4)

Since we know what this world is all about, we Christians have great news to offer.

The Purpose of Life

I remember sitting cross-legged one day in an undergraduate philosophy class at Duke University in a room with purple shag carpet on the floor, walls, and ceiling, lit by one dangling lightbulb (I am dating myself quite clearly). The professor began the hour by asking the question, “What’s the purpose of life?” Well, nobody would say anything, because these days answering that kind of question sounds prideful. But I was a young Christian, and the silence was killing me. I remember thinking to myself that here were all these people made in the image of God, and I was not saying anything. So I finally blurted out, “The purpose of life is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever!”

Christian friend, that is the purpose of life! We are not clueless about that fact. You may not know why you are in the job you are in. You may not know why you have the disease that you have. You may not know a lot of very significant things. But right now, you know the most significant thing in all the world: the purpose of life is to know God so that you may glorify him and enjoy him forever.

A Time of Waiting and Hope

Presently, we live in a time of waiting, and for that reason the book of Revelation appropriately concludes the New Testament. It was written by an old man who had been left alone and deserted in exile. Everything this world values had been taken from him, and he was utterly desperate. Still, he was full of hope!

And that is Christianity. We are to live filled with such hope. God has promised that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of his glory, and he will keep this promise in his new creation. Every promise made by God will be kept by God.