New Genesis Pt. 3: What the Final Resurrection Means for Eternity

Before we dive into this final post on New Genesis, let’s take a moment to review how we got here. In Part 1, I argued that the earth will not be destroyed in the end but will be purified. Imagine a stubborn stain on your carpet, furniture, or clothing — one that constantly reminds you of the time when it was once spotless and perfect. Now, imagine being able to remove that stain completely, restoring the item to its original, pristine condition. This is what God is doing in Revelation 21. The result isn’t a new piece of furniture or clothing but the original, restored to its flawless state. Ultimately, the earth and everything in it will be returned to how it was meant to be all along.

In Part 2, we explored the original state of the world. Genesis 1 shows us how God transformed the earth into a home for us, with everything in its proper place, ready for both God and humans to inhabit. In Genesis 2, we see that humans were given the responsibility to work alongside God in caring for this home and everything within it. We also took a brief detour to examine ways in which we may have misunderstood the relationship between man and woman.

Now, in Part 3 of New Genesis, I’d like to combine these two ideas to help us better understand what to expect at the end of all things.

Before we do that, let me clarify something. I am not talking about life after death or the state of existence immediately after I die. The question, “Where do I go when I die?” is not one that the biblical authors were mainly concerned with, likely because, like us, they didn’t know much about it. Additionally, when people today ask that question, they are often conflating two separate ideas. Here’s what I mean: when most people ask, “What happens after I die?” They are partly asking about the state of their being as their body lies lifeless. But they also ask about what things will be like when they exist in heaven or with Jesus forever. I want to separate those ideas into two distinct concepts. N.T. Wright, in Surprised by Hope, has provided language to help us understand these two ideas. He calls it “life after, life after death,” meaning there is life after death, and then there is life after that life-after-death existence. This is what the biblical authors refer to as the Final Resurrection.

Okay, let’s start with the first part: What happens immediately after my heart stops beating and my brain stops functioning? According to Jesus and Paul, we learn that we go to be with Jesus in a garden-like rest. Let’s explore a few examples from Jesus' teachings and one from Paul.

In John 13–17, Jesus is saying goodbye. He tells his followers that he is going to his Father. In chapter 14, he talks specifically about His Father’s house.

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” — John 14:2–4

Every time I read this passage, I hear the Audio Adrenaline song play in my head. “It’s a big big house with lots and lots of room, big big table with lots and lots of food..” This is the wrong way to think about what Jesus is referring to.

When Jesus talks about His Father’s house, He is talking about a Temple. The language of God’s house is always connected with a Temple. This temple/house has many rooms, as Jesus tells them. Older translations use the word Mansions, which is where we get the idea that when we die if we’ve lived a good Christian life here on earth, we will receive a mansion. Sadly, this is not true—no mansion for you. The word here is monai, which is cognate with the word meno and means dwelling place. It occurs twice in John’s gospel, in the same chapter. The second instance is John 14:23, when Jesus replied,

“If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him.”

Other translations say it like this:

“we will come to him and make our dwelling place with him.”

On the surface, this tells us that we will be with God when we die. This way of reading John 14:23 maps onto another saying of Jesus explored below. But what if Jesus is referring to a final dwelling place? The forever dwelling place? If so, He isn’t talking about the moment we die, but the final return of Christ at Resurrection, where God’s home comes to earth, and God comes to dwell with us forever. For more on that, check out my first post in this series.

So, using John 14:2–4 to communicate the state of things forever after we die falls short of what Jesus is actually trying to communicate.

Here is another example from Jesus. When he is on the cross, he is crucified alongside two other people. Luke 23. One mocks Jesus, and the other comes to Jesus’s defense. As the story goes, the one who did not mock Jesus asks that Jesus remember him when he enters His Kingdom. This is to say, don’t forget me when you take charge of everything. Jesus’s response is odd. One might think Jesus would reply, sure. No problem. You got it. But instead, he is told that today, he will be with Him in Paradise. What’s that all about? So much can be said here, but the simple truth is that the moment the thief on the cross dies alongside Jesus, he will be invited to rest with him in a garden-like peace. This is the word Paradise. It literally means Garden or Park. Jesus is letting this person know that when he dies, in that moment, he will be with Jesus in a garden. Genesis 2, anyone?

So what happens when we die? According to Jesus, those who put their trust in Him go to a garden to rest.

What about Paul? There are many places we could pull from that give us a hint as to what will happen according to Paul, but the most glaring statement comes from his letter to Corinth. He says this.

We are confident, I say and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. -2 Corinthians 5:8 NIV.

For Paul, it was clear: when we are no longer in our earthly bodies, we are with the Lord. However, it’s important to stress that, even for Paul, this is not the final state. If you spend some time reading 1 Corinthians 15, you’ll understand what I mean. Paul firmly believes in the eventual reunion of body and spirit, known as the Resurrection.

Okay, so to answer the question, where do we go immediately when we die? We go to be with Jesus. That’s about all we know.

The better question, and the one people care most about is, what happens after the garden rest and upon the resurrection? Where will we be, what will we do, and why should I care?

Let’s talk about New Genesis.

Much of what I’m about to say is speculative — we don’t know for sure. However, there are clues in Revelation 21 and 22. The basics are this: When God returns and brings His Kingdom, he will rule as King and Lord over everything. Alongside humanity, in a kingdom no longer governed by sin and death.

How we picture this final state of everything is very important. It can alter the ways in which we act and interact with the world around us. Here’s what I mean. Much of what has shaped the imaginations of 20th and 21st-century Christians conception of heaven comes from images borrowed from Dante’s Inferno or even cartoons — think baby angels, white robes, pearly gates, and clouds in the sky. People have claimed visions of the afterlife. These visions usually include lots of light, white clothing, singing, and gates. It’s almost like a ghostly existence far removed from the real substantial smells, tastes, and sounds we have here on Earth. But what if there’s another way to envision the eternity we are meant to hope for? I believe there is. Before diving into that vision, let’s establish a few key concepts.

First, what God began in Genesis 1 and 2, He did not abandon. It’s not as if the creation was a flawed idea at the beginning. Can God have bad ideas? Can He make mistakes? Of course not. What He started in the beginning, He fully intends to redeem and bring to completion. So, whatever the “New Genesis” is in Revelation 21, it’s not a completely new concept — it’s the full realization and proper fulfillment of what He initiated long ago.

Second, it’s clear from Genesis 1 and 2, and Revelation 21, that God intends to make His home here — not somewhere distant, up in the sky, but with us, among the people He created and the world He made for them. He wants to dwell with us. Consider John 14:23 as a reminder of this.

Third and finally, if God is restoring what He originally started, and He will live with us on this earth, then perhaps we will resume where it all began.

In Genesis 1, God gives the newly formed humans an identity and vocation.

Let us make humankind in our image after our likeness.-vs. 26

Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! -vs. 28

What does it mean for humans, as images of the Creator, to “be fruitful and multiply” and to “fill and subdue” the earth? If God’s original intention was for humans to grow and help the earth flourish, then maybe the advancements we see today — roads, towns, cities, electricity, plumbing, even iPhones — are part of what we were always meant to develop.

The problem with the first attempt was that humans chose to pursue this without God’s wisdom. As a result, these innovations, though beautiful, have also harmed both the earth and ourselves. If we had trusted God from the start, could these things have existed without the negative impacts on creation and humanity?

What if the end of all things will be much like the beginning, but this time with us fully trusting in the abiding presence of our Creator? In this renewed relationship, we would truly reflect our image-bearing nature, living in proper harmony with God and each other. As humans, we will continue to grow and adapt, reflecting God’s creative nature back into and onto the earth.

There’s a hint of this in Revelation 22, where God comes to dwell with us on earth following the establishment of the new Temple. Imagine the earth as we know it, but when God comes, He comes both geographically and architecturally. We are even given the dimensions of His Kingdom, which has a “front door” where humans will go in and out. (I use the word “humans” intentionally — check out this post for more on that.)

But what about the areas outside that Kingdom? If it has borders, what lies beyond them? Do we have any role outside the dwelling place of God?

Now, look closely at Revelation 22:2. There’s a river flowing from God’s throne, running down the middle of the street. On both sides of the river is the tree of life, producing twelve kinds of fruit, one for each month of the year. The tree’s leaves are for the “healing of the nations.” Almost every English translation of the Greek phrases it this way. At this point, we should be drawn to Ezekiel’s vision of the Temple in chapter 47. In that chapter, Ezekiel describes God’s temple in the same way John does in Revelation 22. In both descriptions, a river sustains trees, and the leaves provide healing for the nations. What could possibly need healing once God’s dwelling place is with us? Haven’t we already established that there will be no more death, sickness, pain, suffering, or disorder? What more could there be to fix or restore? This is a mystery to us, unfortunately. But whatever it is that needs healing, you can be sure that we, his images, will be involved, just like the original plan in Genesis 1 and 2.

So what does this mean for you? I believe the end of all things — the New Genesis — can be something exciting to look forward to. Eternity doesn’t have to sound boring. Imagine continuing to build, grow, love, laugh, and enjoy each other and God, all without the threat of suffering or lack, without the pain of aging, and without the harm we cause one another. To live in this world with God, in perfect harmony with each other — that sounds incredible. So I say, come quickly, Lord. Let the New Genesis begin!