Feasting on New Earth

That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; That our daughters may be as pillars, Sculptured in palace style; That our barns may be full, Supplying all kinds of produce; That our sheep may bring forth thousands And ten thousands in our fields; That our oxen may be well laden; That there be no breaking in or going out; That there be no outcry in our streets. Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!

(Psalms 144:12-15)

What will the children of God eat in the age to come? Many assume that, just as carnivores will become herbivores, people will also become vegetarian, given God’s declaration that there will be no more death (Revelation 21:4). However, in context, this statement refers specifically to human death, not the animal kingdom. In the above passage of Scripture, the Holy Spirit describes the new earth, not the New Jerusalem, which, as we will discuss later, lacks farmlands. This passage highlights farmlands blessed with abundant produce, including vast flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. While sheep might be used for wool, cattle are primarily raised for food, as are sheep ultimately. God designed these animals for human consumption, which is why the children of God will raise them on their farms in the age to come.

But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption,

(2 Peter 2:12)

In the above passage of Scripture, the Holy Spirit, through the apostle Peter, confirms that certain creatures are created by God to be slaughtered for human consumption, including farm animals like cattle and sheep.

Then he said to me: "This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many.

(Ezekiel 47:8-10)

This passage primarily refers to the Lord’s millennial reign on the current earth, but it reveals truths applicable to the new earth. The river mentioned is the river of Life, flowing from the Lord’s throne during His reign. In the age to come, this river will flow from both the Lord’s throne and God the Father’s throne. The passage indicates that saints will eat fish during the millennial reign, and there is no reason to believe this will not continue in the age to come. The river is described as containing abundant fish, suggesting the river of Life on the new earth will also have fish. Notably, fish are only mentioned after the river flows out of Jerusalem, implying that, as we will see later, the river of Life within the New Jerusalem will lack fish, with fish present only in rivers outside the city walls. The fish are described as similar to those in the sea, indicating that, despite the absence of a sea on the new earth, its rivers may contain sea-like fish, available for food.

Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

(Luke 22:15-16)

In this passage of Scripture, our Lord Jesus provides insight into what will be eaten in the age to come. He states that He will partake of the Passover meal again when it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God, indicating that He, His saints, and the children of God will eat this meal annually for eternity. The Passover meal includes unleavened bread, bitter herbs, and lamb, confirming that meat will be consumed in the age to come.

The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honour into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honour of the nations into it.

(Revelation 21:23-26)

This passage of Scripture describes the kings of the earth bringing their glory and honour into the New Jerusalem. Who are these kings? They are the saints of God, as Scripture states they will reign as kings on the new earth (Revelation 5:10). The “glory and honour of the nations” refers to the produce from their farms. As we will discuss later, no farming will occur in the New Jerusalem, yet the saints will eat and drink normal foods during shared meals. These foods will be prepared from the farm produce of the nations. As previously noted, the resurrected bodies of the children of God will resemble those of Adam and Eve before the fall, requiring physical food for sustenance. This is a key reason why farming will be central to their lifestyle. In contrast, the saints’ resurrected bodies will be spiritual, like Jesus’ body. While saints can eat physical food, as Jesus did after His resurrection (Luke 24:41-43), their bodies will not require it for sustenance. The Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, teaches that God will do away with the stomach and natural foods for the saints (1 Corinthians 6:13), as their bodies will be sustained by the fruit of the tree of Life.

Michael E.B. Maher

The End of the Age

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