FromNowUntilForeverBook8.5x5.5 REV.indd

“A metropolis of this size in the middle of the United States would stretch from Canada to Mexico and from the Appala- chian Mountains to the California border.” 631 If the city is made up of multiple levels, with each floor being twelve feet high, it will contain over 600,000 stories! Believers who have suffered in crowded quarters on this old, fallen earth can look forward to ample living space on the new earth. Purity— As God told John, “ Nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it. (Reve- lation 21:27). Cities across our globe currently suffer from the blight of physical and spiritual decadence. Such will not be the case in the age to come. The Word also tells us that the entrance to the city will never be closed (Revelation 21:26). In ancient times, the gates of walled cities were secured at night to guard against ene- my attack. I carefully lock and deadbolt our doors at night, and often during the day, to guard against possible intruders. Thankfully, this won’t be necessary when God establishes His Kingdom exclusively on this earth. Serenity— Recall from the Millennium chapters the emphasis on and description of Kingdom peace.This 1000 year period of harmony and tranquility is only a foretaste of what’s in store for all eternity.What a joy and celebration it will be to live in a world free of conflict, violence and war. Humankind’s inhumanity to humankind, which is con- stantly worsening, will be non-existent on the New Earth. Add to that animals coexisting peacefully and a world free from natural and man-made disasters. As Paul writes, “Creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now,” in eager expectation of that time when it “Will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Ro-

135