Eden Restored, Earth Renewed

'Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.

(Deuteronomy 1:39)

In this section, we will discuss what life will be like on the new earth that God will create, focusing on the living conditions for the children of God who will inhabit it. This is distinct from the conditions for the saints in the New Jerusalem, which, as we will explore later in this series, will share some similarities but differ significantly in many aspects.

To understand life on the new earth, we must grasp a fundamental truth about the children of God in the age to come: unlike the saints, they will have no knowledge of good and evil. In the above passage of Scripture, God clearly states that all children lack this knowledge (for more details, see my series The Conscience of Man). This passage is prophetic, as just as God gave the children of Israel their promised land, He will give His children their promised land—the new earth. Because they lack knowledge of good and evil, the children of God are akin to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. How does this impact life in the age to come?

Many Bible teachers describe life on the new earth from a worldly perspective, assuming it will resemble today’s world. They discuss sports, science, arts, entertainment, travel, business, media, and education, suggesting these will persist and that saints will govern them. However, this thinking has two major flaws.

First, when God creates the new earth, there will be no man-made infrastructure. There will be no sports stadiums, science labs, movie theatres, art galleries, vehicles, highways, planes, airports, ships (as there will be no sea), harbours, corporations, factories, shopping malls, newspapers, internet, satellites, television, radio, schools, universities, or churches. In short, the societal structures of this life will not exist in the age to come.

Second, the population of the new earth will have no knowledge of this world’s systems, having grown up in heaven, where such infrastructure is absent. Even children who were exposed to this world before dying and going to heaven will have no recollection of it, as God will erase all memory of this world in the age to come (Isaiah 65:17). Thus, the children of God will have no desire for this world’s ways, as they will be unaware of them.

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?"

(Genesis 3:8-11)

Some may argue that God will expect the saints to teach the children of God about this world’s lifestyle for adoption in the new earth. To address this, consider the Garden of Eden. When God created Adam and Eve, they were naked and unashamed, as that was their natural state. God had no issue with their nakedness, nor did they, as it was all they knew. During this initial period, life in the Garden was simple and perfect. However, a tempter entered, suggesting there was more to life than they knew. In the above passage of Scripture, God asks Adam, “Who told you that you were naked?” We know the fate of the tempter—Satan will be cast into the lake of fire forever. Just as God disapproved of Satan introducing Adam and Eve to more than they needed to know, He will not approve of saints following Satan’s example by suggesting to His children that there is more to life than what He has ordained. Thankfully, no saints will do this, ensuring this issue will not arise. With this understanding, we can now examine what life will truly be like on the new earth.

"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.

(Isaiah 11:6-9)

On the new earth, Isaiah’s prophecy quoted above will be fulfilled. Carnivores will become herbivores, as the passage teaches that the lion will eat straw like the ox, as it did in the Garden of Eden before the fall (Genesis 1:30). There will be no “wild” animals; all will be tame, and all species will coexist harmoniously. Additionally, animals will have a special affinity with mankind. The passage reveals that little children will play with animals considered dangerous today—cobras, vipers, leopards, and lions—yet these animals will be as docile as lambs.

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind…. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain," Says the Lord.

(Isaiah 65:17-25)

We previously examined this passage of Scripture, but it also confirms that all animals on the new earth will be docile and tame, with carnivores becoming herbivores.

Michael E.B. Maher

The End of the Age

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