by Rex Rouis
God’s New Kingdom will be indescribably wonderful – a place where everyone is happy and thoroughly enjoying the company of everyone else. One where people walk in peace, without hurt, sorrow, or dread. This City will have a Leader who knows and loves each person intimately by name. A Leader who gave His life for everyone there. You cannot imagine a more personal or loving connection than that! The New Kingdom, beyond being beautiful, will be about satisfying and heartwarming relationships.
While this Kingdom possesses countless incredible qualities, the one I think about most is its eternal nature. This Kingdom, God’s Kingdom, and now through the work of Christ Jesus, our Kingdom will endure forever. Before we explore its “forever” qualities, let’s take a moment to consider a few of the other amazing attributes of our New Kingdom, our eternal and final home:
It Is Accessible Only Through Christ Jesus
We don’t work to receive this Kingdom, nor do we have to attempt to make ourselves worthy of it. There is no amount of self-work or self-improvement we could ever do that would make us worthy of His Kingdom. Our only action is to believe that Jesus Christ paid the sufficient price for our access and to accept Him as Lord and Savior. He and the Kingdom are a gracious loving gift. He alone is worthy and He alone can make us worthy.
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” Colossians 1:13
“The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.” 2 Timothy 4:18
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17
Multitudes of Believers Will Dwell In It
The magnitude of its citizenry will be immense. Let us work the harvest field of lost souls so that more may be accepted.
“I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven…” Matthew 8:11
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…” Revelation 7:9
It Will Be Glorious, Beautiful, and Filled With His Light
Its beauty will know no bounds. It is being personally designed and built by God Himself for our use and enjoyment. His glory will fill it and will be the light of it. Somehow we will share in His glory and we too will glow with divine light.
“In my Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” John 14:2-3
“For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” Hebrews 11:10
“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” Revelation 21:23
“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” Matthew 13:43
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
All There Are Holy, Righteous, and Set Apart
He who was holy and worthy has made us holy. We now can live with God Almighty Himself without separation or fear forever. Christians have been separated and set apart from all that is evil and offensive to God. He has taken down all barriers to Himself. My highest vision of the Kingdom is to be able to sit next to God Himself, shoulder to shoulder, on a park bench and silently gaze upon the untold beauties of Heaven, without fear or shame. Imagine that – total acceptance, total fulfillment, and total peace.
“But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Revelation 21:27
“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.'” Revelation 21:3
It will Be Eternal, Everlasting, and Unending
And all of this will last forever. Nothing will diminish or be lost. All glory, love, and fellowship will extend beyond time itself.
“And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:33
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken…” Hebrews 12:28
“For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:11
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” Revelation 11:15
“Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end…” Isaiah 9:7
“But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.'” Hebrews 1:8
“For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:13
To me, “forever” simply means there will be nothing after it; it will never end, diminish, or lose any of its divine beauty and perfection. No relationship will ever suffer harm or come to an end. Instead, there will be unending peace, rest, and joy in the company of everyone you meet. It may sound simple and even old-fashioned, but every person there will embody a ‘pleasantness’ beyond anything imaginable on earth.
God set an infinitely high standard for this New and Final Kingdom. There could be no room for error – it must be perfect and carry this perfection for all eternity. Remarkably, God designed it this way from the very beginning.