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The Garden City
by
Jon W. Quinn
It is the future. Mankind has
been raised from the dead. The living have been changed and now, with those who have been raised, possess immortal, eternal
spiritual bodies. The final judgment has been concluded, and now you approach your final, eternal home for the first time. In the present time,
we read the Scripture for glimpses of what that home shall be. We realize that the things described in the pages of God's
word are often symbolic and figurative. We understand that there are things too marvelous and wonderful for us to grasp presently.
As we, in our imaginations, attempt to picture heaven, we know we fall far short of the beauty and wonder of the real thing. But, back to the future,
not everyone is entering the gates of the heavenly city with you. At judgment, mercy and peace were available only for those
who had sought for it in their lives by obedient faith. Those who had walked in other ways than God's way had ended up
at another destination than the one God's way leads to. Some had denied there would be a severe side to judgment at all.
There would be no grace for those who had refused it on earth. (Hebrews 10:31; 2 Peter 3:9; Matthew 23:37,38; 2 Thessalonians
1:9). The Eternal Garden City “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for
the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne,
saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and
God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death;
there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. And He who sits on the
throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."
And He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts
from the spring of the water of life without cost. "He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God
and he will be My son.”... And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy
city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone,
as a stone of crystal-clear jasper... And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple...
And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is
the Lamb. And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
in the middle of its street. And on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding
its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall no longer be
any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; and they shall
see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. And there shall no longer be any night; and they shall not have need
of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine them; and they shall reign forever and
ever.” (Revelation 21:1-8; 10-11; 22,23; 22:1-5). The First
Step Inside Heaven
You took your first step into your everlasting hometown and you were filled with an awe that would never cease. You
knew at that moment that you were where you really belonged. The world had not been your home, but this was! It was just right
in every respect. It was obvious that you would never tire of this place and that nothing would ever spoil it or diminish
from its beauty and wonder. You realize now that you had never really been “home” until this moment! (Hebrews
11:8-10; 13-16).
Even now, those years you had spent on the earth seemed very fleeting. All those days and experiences now seem as a wisp of
vapor that has vanished away (James 4:14). Though you knew it to be so before, you see even more clearly what a waste it would
have been to give up all of this for brief pleasures and riches earthly life could have afforded you had you not been as diligent
to do the Father's will. The First Desire Inside Heaven Your new body has many
new capacities. In the old body, to see God would have been fatal. But now, that is no longer true (Exodus 33:13; 18-23).
Jesus had said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8). Now you can approach God's
throne and see first hand the source of all you are. He is your origin. Your spirit is His offspring. So, you join with the
multitudes (Revelation 7:9-17) around the throne of God and see Him in His eternal form and join in praise with complete peace
and confidence, sharing with others joys to the extent you have never known before. And though you are a part of a vast multitude,
you are with the Father on an intimate level, for His “eyes are in every place” (Proverbs 15:3; Psalm 17:14,15). Other Aspects of the Paradise City The size of the city was great (Revelation 21:6). The word “paradise”
means “park” or “garden” and refers to the restoration of Eden-like qualities (Revelation 2:7;
22:2). There is the “River of Life” flowing through it, and the “tree of life” growing everywhere.
There was
also your special place. Jesus had promised you a dwelling place, or “mansion” (KJV). The word simply means “abiding
places” (John 14:1-3). Its a place prepared just for you. It needs no lock and key. It has no light fixtures for obvious
reasons. Light is everywhere.
Your neighbors are righteous people made perfect just like you are (Hebrews 12:23). Old things such as envy and hate are gone.
Nothing like that in this city. The old things have passed away. New things have come. Welcome home!
 QUESTION: "I've
noticed that the Bible mentions 'the Book of Life'. Is it a literal or figurative book? Is it
important for people today?" ANSWER: To
answer your questions concerning "the Book of Life", I'll ask and note the Bible answers to five important questions
about that unique volume. The answers will be the same whether "the Book of Life" is a literal book [scroll]
or a figurative record... WHAT
IS IT?
It's a list of the names of all righteous human beings – all persons who "fear",
"serve", and are "workers" for God (Malachi 3:16-18; Philippians 4:2-3). WHERE IS IT KEPT?
The list is not stored in any earthly archives,
library, museum, or vault; instead, it is kept "in heaven" (Luke 10:17-20; Hebrews 12:22-24). HOW DO I GET MY NAME IN IT?
My
name is written in it if I am righteous – if I am either a flawless lawkeeper or a forgiven sinner (Acts 10:34-35;
Romans 4:1-8). CAN MY NAME BE
REMOVED FROM IT?
God can and will "blot out" [erase or wipe away] my name if I become unfaithful
(Exodus 32:30-33; Revelation 3:1-6). WHAT
WILL BE ITS FUTURE ROLE?
It will perform an essential function when the final judgement of all human
beings takes place (Revelation 20:11-15; 21:10,27). Who will
spend eternity in heaven? Every person whose name was written in and not later erased from "the Book of Life". Who
will spend eternity in hell? Every person whose name was never recorded in or was blotted out of "the Book
of Life". Is your name written in it?
But
thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments:
and they shall walk with me in white; for they are
worthy.
He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed
in white garments;
and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life,
and I will confess his name before
my Father, and before his angels.
Revelation
3:4-5
Is your name written in the book of life?
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