What Will The New Universe Be Like?

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:1-7

What if I told you everything around you, every chair, every building, every blade of grass was destined for destruction? I don't mean an esoteric diminutive destruction, I mean a simple wiping clean of a chalkboard, and the rewriting of physics, space, time, gravity, matter, and the laws which govern the universe.

Rewriting them in what way you ask? Ah, a very good question. The rewriting of such laws and material constructs in order to facilitate an environment of perfection; an environment, in essence set to standards that are in themselves, perfect. An environment set for perfection, for the housing of perfected beings, and for the interaction of the perfected beings with the originator of reality: the divine architect of all things; God.

What if I told you that the entire universe was destined for renewal, along with a renewal of the Earth we sit upon? It's true. If the whole of Christianity is true, the real version, set within the pages of the Bible, then this is most certainly the case. The present Earth, as it is, broken and troubled, along with the present disordered state of the universe are both destined for "fire." (2 Peter 3:7) For removal, for renewal.

The entire purpose of becoming a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, to be born again in his resurrection, is for the purpose of gathering a wayward species to a Supreme Being who created them. And for the purpose of this reconciliation is the new heaven and new earth, described as New Jerusalem in the NT.

The heavens, the universe, the vastness of space are a description of who God is. They describe God to us, today. When we look up into the sky during the day or during the night, we're getting a glimpse at the awe of God. But even further do we get a glimpse at the glory of God when we understand how large the universe is. It is mind boggling. We are further inspired by the glory of God when we view star clusters through the Hubble space telescope.

I wonder, what would a perfected universe look like? Theologically we understand that the universe is broken, fallen, along with Earth and ourselves. Might the distance between stars, galaxies and planets be closer? Might they be traversable? Then again, would there even be a universe in the same manner as this, in the perfected universe? It's hard to know. It's hidden from us today. But God's word says that none of us could possibly imagine what he has in store for us.

One thing is for certain: It won't be disappointing. Most things in my life have been a disappointment. Most things I've ever wanted did not live up to their hype or my desire. Even when they did, I was still disappointed because such things didn't make me happy. Life after death? That is something different. God doesn't disappoint. At least not in the area of redemption.

And what will this city be like? Think about this: When you read the measurements of the city, you realize that it's a giant cube.

Revelation 21:16 (NIV) says, "The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long."

That's pretty amazing isn't it? New Jerusalem is a giant cube. 12,000 stadia is about 1,500 miles. If you were to look at that on a map, it would be the length from Maine to Florida, across the whole eastern seaboard. Then take that length and fit it into a cube shape.

Do you know the first thing I think about when I think about the cube shaped New Jerusalem? I think of the Borg from Star Trek. Yes, I'm that nerdy. They are kind of like space zombies. "We are the Borg you will be assimilated resistance is futile." And they shoot nano-probes into your neck and you become Borg too. It's pretty scary. Anyway, I digress.