On the New Earth we will look back and marvel at the history of God’s work on earth. I think it will read something like this, and it should help us to remember the context of our lives and what God is doing in us.
God generated a garden of delights for humanity to enjoy and called them to develop and expand and steward this garden in partnership with himself and each other. Humans chose to embrace evil and mixed it with the good had God made. Because of this God established death on earth as a judgment on them and in order to shorten the time that humans would live in a corrupted world. Humans lost the delight of living and they were alienated from full fellowship with God. The leader of the fallen angels, Satan, became the destroyer-prince over the earth.
But God did not abandon humans and he called Abraham to be the father of a nation that would be God’s own people by restoring them and reuniting them with himself. But century after century Abraham’s descendants failed to reunite with God until finally a descendant of king David became a new Adam who lived a perfect God-shaped life. He invited all people to join to him so that they could also be New Adams who would share in his inheritance from the Father.
Jesus Christ was the New Adam and God incarnate; in him, God and humanity were united in one person. He defeated the Enemy in his ministry, death and resurrection and became the final sacrifice for our sins. The Father enthroned him in heaven as king of the humans, the Adamic ruler over the earth and from there he continued to orchestrate the battle for the restoration of humanity. After he ascended the Holy Spirit descended on God’s people and empowered them for godliness and service.
Thus, in Christ God reestablished his Edenic kingdom on earth and his people lived as citizens of his kingdom, inviting others into this growing kingdom. After his kingdom was fully populated, king Jesus returned and judged all humans. Those who rejected his kingship were destroyed, but his citizens now live in a new and better Eden on a new and better Earth where they can fulfill their original callings in the Garden of Eden and form a complete community of love with God and his followers.
Now we are living in perpetual peace and joy as we live with God in the way he originally intended.
