God has hidden most things about eternity. But there are a few things He has shown us in His word about our lives to come. One of the things He’s told us is where we will be.
Are we going to be spirits floating around forever in the clouds? Is Heaven in the sky? What will happen with the earth?
2 Peter 3:13 "But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells."
According to God’s word, there’s going to be a new earth. The bible also tells us that the creation will be resurrected in the same way that our bodies are. Both creation and our bodies will be ‘redeemed’ and set free from their corruption:
Romans 8:19-23 "(19) For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. (20) For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope (21) that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (22) For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. (23) And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body."
When sin came into the world, mankind became corruptible… so did creation. Now, just as we hate our corruption, and despise the downward spiral of our health – the creation waits eagerly to be set free as well. Just as we will be resurrected and renewed, so will the earth and the heavens that exist now. We are purged with the fire of God’s testing in this life, and the earth will be purged as well.
2 Peter 3:7 "But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men."
The bible says that God is going to bring down fire on it. It will be cleansed one final time. This time not by a flood, which does not totally destroy – but by the heat of a fire that no man has ever come close to.
2 Peter 3:10 "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up."
The bride of Christ (the church) will live with her bridegroom forever on a perfect earth.
Revelation 21:1-2 "(1) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. (2) And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband."
What does this mean for us? It means that we can have a genuine hope of a physical eternal life – not some abstract idea of ghosts flying around everywhere! It means that in eternity we will be walking around with Jesus just like we are walking around now (after all, did not our Lord Himself do the same after He was resurrected?). We will have bodies and there will be gravity and we will talk to people and we will eat – only our bodies will be incorruptible, we will be sinless, and this earth will be perfect as well. We don’t have to worry about natural disasters and we don’t have to worry about getting cancer or AIDS. It will be perfect, and we will be with our beloved bridge groom, Jesus Christ. We will have perfect fellowship with our Father and will be filled to the fullest by the Holy Spirit. Think of it like life would have been if Adam and Eve never fell… except it will be better.
Why will eternity be better than the garden of Eden? The answer is because Adam and Eve were merely made in the image of God. But every believer in Christ is a child of God. Do you see the difference between the two? This is what God Himself accomplished by the blood of His own Son - a fellowship with God that Adam and Eve never knew.