{"id":30787,"date":"2017-10-26T08:07:25","date_gmt":"2017-10-26T12:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/blog\/?p=30787"},"modified":"2022-04-29T14:53:07","modified_gmt":"2022-04-29T18:53:07","slug":"the-new-heaven-and-new-earth-an-interview-with-john-eldredge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/blog\/2017\/10\/the-new-heaven-and-new-earth-an-interview-with-john-eldredge\/","title":{"rendered":"The New Heaven and New Earth: An Interview with John Eldredge"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ransomedheart.com\/about-john-eldredge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><img class=\"alignright\" alt=\"John Eldredge\" title=\"John Eldredge\" src=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/17162320\/EldredgeJohn.jpg\" width=\"175\"><\/a>What is God\u2019s promise for a new heaven and a new earth? Does the Bible say that heaven is our eternal home? Or is it as Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew, that the next chapter of our story begins with &#8220;the renewal of all things,&#8221; by which he means the earth we know and love in all its beauty?<\/p>\n<p>Bible Gateway interviewed <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ransomedheart.com\/about-john-eldredge\" alt=\"John Eldredge\" title=\"John Eldredge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">John Eldredge<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/johneldredge\" title=\"John Eldredge Twitter stream\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@johneldredge<\/a>) about his book, <a href=\"https:\/\/biblegateway.christianbook.com\/Christian\/Books\/product?item_no=037994&amp;p=1172374&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=interview\" title=\"Buy your copy of All Things New in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em>All Things New: Heaven, Earth, and the Restoration of Everything You Love<\/em><\/strong><\/a> (Thomas Nelson, 2017).<\/p>\n<p>[<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/blog\/2016\/05\/praying-with-authority-an-interview-with-john-eldredge\/\" title=\"Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, Praying with Authority: An Interview with John Eldredge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, <em>Praying with Authority: An Interview with John Eldredge<\/em><\/a>]<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/biblegateway.christianbook.com\/Christian\/Books\/product?item_no=037994&amp;p=1172374&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=interview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img class=\"alignright\" title=\"Buy your copy of All Things New in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day\" alt=\"Buy your copy of All Things New in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day\" src=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/19150132\/AllThingsNew.jpg\" width=\"150\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>What do you mean, \u201cHow you envision your future impacts your current experience more than anything else\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>John Eldredge:<\/strong> If you knew you were going to inherit $30 million dollars in three years, it would totally change your outlook on your life right now. The only possible reason that Paul could describe our current suffering as \u201clight and momentary\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=2+Corinthians+4%3A17&amp;version=NIV\" title=\"Read 2 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV) on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2 Cor 4:17<\/a>) was because he knew we were about to inherit the fulfillment of our wildest dreams. He saw it coming; it took his breath away.<\/p>\n<p>I think we have radically underestimated the power of hope. If you honestly believed that all your dreams were going to come true any day, it would change the way you live. It\u2019s the hopeless who give up on living; people who are filled with hope live extraordinary lives.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/biblegateway.christianbook.com\/Christian\/Books\/product?item_no=087670&amp;p=1172374&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=interview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img class=\"alignright\" title=\"Buy your copy of All Things New Study Guide with DVD: A Revolutionary Look at Heaven and the Coming Kingdom in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day\" alt=\"Buy your copy of All Things New Study Guide with DVD: A Revolutionary Look at Heaven and the Coming Kingdom in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day\" src=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/12081826\/AlLThingsNewSet.jpg\" width=\"275\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>[<a href=\"http:\/\/biblegateway.christianbook.com\/page\/tcg\/biblegateway\/bible-gateway-promotions\/bg-john-eldredge?p=1172374&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=interview\" title=\"Browse the many books by John Eldredge in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Browse books by John Eldredge in the Bible Gateway Store<\/a>]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why do you say heaven is not our eternal home?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>John Eldredge:<\/strong> Paul says in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Romans+8\" title=\"Read Romans 8 on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Romans 8<\/a> that all creation\u2014meaning this earth\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Romans+8%3A22&amp;version=NIV\" title=\"Read Romans 8:22 (NIV) on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">groans for the day of <em>its<\/em> redemption<\/a>. Creation is included in the coming kingdom. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Revelation+21\" title=\"Read Revelation 21 and 22 on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Revelation 21 and 22<\/a> are the summation of the entire human story; they&#8217;re the announcement of the coming kingdom. John sees \u201cheaven and earth new-created\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Revelation+21%3A1\" title=\"Read Revelation 21:1 on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">21:1<\/a>) The earth is right there, restored. That is why Jesus described our future as \u201cthe renewal of all things,\u201d \u201cthe re-creation of the world\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew+19%3A28\" title=\"Read Matthew 19:28 on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Matt 19:28<\/a>). In fact, when John sees the New Jerusalem descending out of heaven, it&#8217;s coming <em>to the earth<\/em>. Our future is to reign with God \u201con the earth\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Revelation+5%3A10\" title=\"Read Revelation 5:10 on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rev 5:10<\/a>). Heaven is where the saints who&#8217;ve died in Christ currently live. But a day is coming when even Jesus leaves heaven to come to the earth: \u201cHeaven must receive him <em>until<\/em> the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Acts+3%3A21&amp;version=NIV\" title=\"Read Acts 3:21 (NIV) on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Acts 3:21<\/a>). As Dallas Willard taught, \u201cThe life we now have as the persons we now are will continue, and continue in the universe in which we now exist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/biblegateway.christianbook.com\/Christian\/Books\/product?item_no=682165&amp;p=1172374&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=interview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img class=\"alignright\" title=\"Buy your copy of All Things New Study Guide: A Revolutionary Look at Heaven and the Coming Kingdom in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day\" alt=\"Buy your copy of All Things New Study Guide: A Revolutionary Look at Heaven and the Coming Kingdom in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day\" src=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/12081846\/AlLThingsNewStudyGuide.jpg\" width=\"150\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>What does Scripture mean when it says \u201cmake all things new\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>John Eldredge:<\/strong> Let\u2019s look at this very carefully, because this promise is essential to the teaching of Jesus and to the hope he wants us to grab hold of. Jesus said, &#8220;I tell you the truth: at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne\u2026everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life&#8221; (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew+19%3A28&amp;version=NIV\" title=\"Read Matthew 19:28 (NIV) on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Matthew 19:28<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>The Greek word used here for <em>renewal<\/em> is <em>palinggenesia<\/em>, which is derived from two root words: <em>paling<\/em>, meaning <em>again<\/em>, and <em>genesia<\/em>, meaning <em>beginning<\/em>, which of course hearkens back to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Genesis+1\" title=\"Read the book of Genesis on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Genesis<\/a>. Genesis again. Eden restored. Could it possibly be? Sometimes comparing the work of various translators gets us even closer to the meaning of a passage; let\u2019s look at two more. Petersen translates it as, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew+19%3A28&amp;version=MSG\" title=\"Read Matthew 19:28 (MSG) on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the re-creation of the world.<\/a>\u201d The NLT has it as, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew+19%3A28&amp;version=NLT\" title=\"Read Matthew 19:28 (NLT) on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">when the world is made new.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/biblegateway.christianbook.com\/Christian\/Books\/product?item_no=087656&amp;p=1172374&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=interview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img class=\"alignright\" title=\"Buy your copy of All Things New: A DVD Study - A Revolutionary Look at Heaven and the Coming Kingdom in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day\" alt=\"Buy your copy of All Things New: A DVD Study - A Revolutionary Look at Heaven and the Coming Kingdom in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day\" src=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/12081838\/AllThingsNewDVD.jpg\" width=\"150\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Jesus announced the coming kingdom of God. He then demonstrated what that promise means\u2014crippled walk, blind see, deaf hear, the dead are raised to life. His miracles are illustrations for his message, and unforgettable demonstrations they are. No one who saw them could miss the point\u2014the kingdom of God means a great restoration. He then announces the renewal of all things right before the Romans seize him; and as if to make sure everyone gets the point, he walks out of the grave scot-free three days later\u2014the most dramatic illustration of restoration you could ask for.<\/p>\n<p>Many people have the vague but ominous idea that God destroys the current reality and creates a new \u201cheavenly\u201d one.  But that&#8217;s not what the Scripture actually says: &#8220;For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God\u2019s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God\u2019s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us&#8221; (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Romans+8%3A19-23&amp;version=NLT\" title=\"Read Romans 8:19-23 (NLT) on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Romans 8:19-23 NLT<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Paul teaches us that creation\u2014meaning the earth and the animal kingdom\u2014longs for the day of its redemption when \u201cit will join God\u2019s children in glorious freedom from death and decay\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Romans+8%3A21&amp;version=NLT\" title=\"Read Romans 8:21 (NLT) on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">v.21<\/a>). Clearly that does not imply destruction; far from it. Paul anticipated a joyful day when creation shares in the eternity of the children of God: &#8220;The created world itself can hardly wait for what\u2019s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead&#8221; (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Romans+8%3A19-21&amp;version=MSG\" title=\"Read Romans 8:19-21 (MSG) on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Romans 8:19-21 MSG<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>The glorious times ahead, when all things are made new. God restores the lives of his children; he restores the earth he loves.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why do you write that our hope is in God\u2019s promise of restoration, not heaven?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>John Eldredge:<\/strong> I want to say as clearly as I can\u2014nothing I have written is intended to diminish the beauty, hope, or truthfulness of heaven. Heaven is where your dear loved ones who died \u201cin Christ\u201d are now. Should you or I die before the <em>palinggenesia<\/em>, we&#8217;ll immediately be in that paradise ourselves, thank the Living God. Jesus is currently in heaven, too, along with our Father, Holy Spirit, and the angels. Which makes it a breathtaking place!<\/p>\n<p>But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Hebrews+12%3A22-24\" title=\"Read Hebrews 12:22-24 on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hebrews 12:22-24<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Heaven is absolutely real, and precious far beyond words. It&#8217;s the \u201crest of\u201d the kingdom of God, the \u201cparadise\u201d Jesus referred to. The City of God is currently there.<\/p>\n<p>For the time being.<\/p>\n<p>Peter explained in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Acts+1\" title=\"Read the book of Acts on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Acts<\/a> that Jesus remains in heaven <em>until<\/em> his return, when all things are made new: &#8220;Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets&#8221; (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Acts+3%3A21&amp;version=NIV\" title=\"Read Acts 3:21 (NIV) on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Acts 3:21<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><em>Until<\/em>\u2014so much gravity and excitement contained in that word; such patient anticipation. When the time comes for God to restore everything, Jesus <em>leaves<\/em> heaven and comes to earth. To stay. The heavenly Jerusalem comes to earth, and \u201cthe dwelling of God is with men\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Revelation+21%3A3\" title=\"Read Revelation 21:3 on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rev 21:3<\/a>). Heaven is not the <em>eternal<\/em> dwelling place of the people of God. The new earth is, just as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Revelation+1\" title=\"Read the book of Revelation on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Revelation<\/a> says. Just as the entire promise of the renewal of all things says. Just as Jesus explained, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/\" title=\"Read the Bible on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bible<\/a> declares.<\/p>\n<p>Better said, we get heaven <em>and<\/em> earth; both realms of God\u2019s great kingdom come together at the renewal of all things. Then will we truly say, \u201cit\u2019s heaven on earth.\u201d For it will be.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the new earth and why does it matter?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The new earth is this planet (and the heavens, too, the cosmos) restored and renewed. I want to point out that when, \u201cHe who was seated on the throne said, \u2018I am making everything new!\u2019\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Revelation+21%3A5\" title=\"Read Revelation 21:5 on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Revelation 21:5<\/a>) he does not say, \u201cI am making all new things.\u201d He says he is restoring his heavens and his earth. As scholar and theologian N. T. Wright has written, the early Christians \u201cbelieved that God was going to do for the whole cosmos what he had done for Jesus at Easter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are myths about heaven and what does the Bible actually say?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>John Eldredge:<\/strong> First, heaven is not the eternal church service in the sky. We do not sing songs forever. Second, God does not destroy this planet like the Death Star and airlift us all to some other place. We reign with God on the earth. When the Master returns in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Luke+19%3A11-27\" title=\"Read Luke 19:11-27 on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">parable of the minas and the talents<\/a>, he does not send his servants to church forever. He gives them the entire estate. So too, in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew+25%3A31-46\" title=\"Read Matthew 25:31-46 on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">parable of the sheep and goats<\/a>, the sheep are rewarded by being given kingdoms. Notice also that we eat and drink in our coming life: Jesus said he would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew+26%3A29\" title=\"Read Matthew 26:29 on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">not drink wine again until he does so with us in the kingdom<\/a>. We go to a feast. Our coming life is very much like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Genesis+1\" title=\"Read Genesis 1-2 on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">what Adam and Eve enjoyed before the fall<\/a>\u2014a sinless humanity living with God on a sinless earth. Think of all the adventures we&#8217;ll have!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why should a person read this book?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>John Eldredge:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Hebrews+6%3A19\" title=\"Read Hebrews 6:19 on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hebrews 6:19<\/a> says that there is a hope that is \u201cthe anchor of the soul,\u201d or as Petersen translated, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Hebrews+6%3A19&amp;version=MSG\" title=\"Read Hebrews 6:19 (MSG) on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an unbreakable spiritual lifeline.<\/a>\u201d The world is in a massive hope crisis. Suicides are skyrocketing; depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. In this broken hurting world, we&#8217;re supposed to be living with so much hope people stop us and ask us about it (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=1+Peter+3%3A15\" title=\"Read 1 Peter 3:15 on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1 Peter 3:15<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>But hope isn\u2019t something you catch like a cold or the flu\u2014you have to take hold of it; you have to seize it. \u201cWe who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Hebrews+6%3A19&amp;version=MSG\" title=\"Read Hebrews 6:19 (MSG) on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hebrews 6:19 MSG<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Most Christians have no real imagination for their future; they\u2019ve never given a single thought to the first three things they plan to do when they step into the kingdom of God. As Pascal wrote, \u201cOur imagination so powerfully magnifies time, by continual reflections upon it, and so diminishes eternity\u2026for want of reflection, that we make a nothing of eternity and an eternity of nothing\u2026this is a dangerous game.\u201d The tragic result is, we put all our hopes and expectations on this life, and it breaks our hearts.<\/p>\n<p>What will be the great and sustaining hope of your life? That is an urgent and critical question.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is a favorite Bible passage of yours and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>John Eldredge:<\/strong> I love the post-resurrection stories about Jesus. Remember\u2014he is the forerunner for the Great Renewal, \u201cthe beginning and the firstborn from among the dead\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Colossians+1%3A18\" title=\"Read Colossians 1:18 on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Colossians 1:18<\/a>). He died, as everyone has and will. But on the third day he was raised to life, leaving his grave clothes folded neatly in the tomb. (A very touching detail I might add, as if to say, \u201cAnd that\u2019s that,\u201d like a man putting away his flannel pajamas now that winter is past). On Easter morning Jesus walked out of the grave radiantly alive, restored, and everyone recognized him. The \u201cnew\u201d Jesus is not someone or something else now; he&#8217;s the Jesus they loved and knew. He walks with them, has meals with them\u2014just like before. The most striking thing about the post-resurrection activities of Jesus is that they&#8217;re so remarkably <em>ordinary<\/em>:<\/p>\n<p>Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, \u201cFriends, haven\u2019t you any fish?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d they answered. He said, \u201cThrow your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.\u201d When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish\u2026When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, \u201cBring some of the fish you have just caught.\u201d So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, \u201cCome and have breakfast.\u201d None of the disciples dared ask him, \u201cWho are you?\u201d They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=John+21%3A4-6%2C+9-13&amp;version=NIV\" title=\"Read John 21:4-6, 9-13 (NIV) on Bible Gateway\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John 21:4-6, 9-13<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>This is such a homely scene\u2014so commonplace\u2014the sort of thing you\u2019d expect to run into along the shore of Lake Michigan or the Mississippi. Just a group of guys hanging out at the beach, cooking breakfast for some friends. Jesus\u2019 restored life is surprisingly like his \u201cformer\u201d life. As will be drinking wine at the feast; as will be the feast itself (do you realize you <em>eat<\/em> in the life to come?!). The Great Renewal rescues us from all the vague, ethereal, unimaginable visions we\u2019ve been given of an eternal life Somewhere Up Above.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are your thoughts about Bible Gateway and the Bible Gateway App?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>John Eldredge:<\/strong> I know to say it here sounds like pandering, but the truth is, I use it all the time. It\u2019s very, very helpful.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is there anything else you\u2019d like to say?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>John Eldredge:<\/strong> The renewal of all things is the most beautiful, hopeful, glorious promise ever made in any story, religion, philosophy. or fairy tale.<\/p>\n<p>And it is <em>real<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>And it is <em>yours<\/em>.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Bio:<\/strong> John Eldredge is an <a href=\"http:\/\/biblegateway.christianbook.com\/page\/tcg\/biblegateway\/bible-gateway-promotions\/bg-john-eldredge?p=1172374&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=blog\" title=\"Browse the many books by John Eldredge in the Bible Gateway Store\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">author of many books<\/a>\u2014including <a href=\"http:\/\/biblegateway.christianbook.com\/Christian\/Books\/product?item_no=200392&amp;p=1172374&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=blog\" title=\"Buy your copy of Wild at Heart in the Bible Gateway Store\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man&#8217;s Soul<\/em><\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/biblegateway.christianbook.com\/Christian\/Books\/product?item_no=88769&amp;p=1172374&amp;utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=blog\" title=\"Buy your copy of You Have What It Takes in the Bible Gateway Store\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>You Have What It Takes: What Every Father Needs to Know<\/em><\/a>\u2014a counselor, and a teacher. He is also president of Ransomed Heart, a ministry devoted to helping people discover the heart of God, recovering their own hearts in God\u2019s love, and learning to live in God\u2019s Kingdom. He lives near Colorado Springs, Colorado.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><center>See how <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/plus\/?utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bgplus\" title=\"Try Bible Gateway Plus during a FREE trial period starting right now\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bible Gateway Plus<\/a><\/strong> helps you become biblically wise &amp; spiritually fit. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/plus\/?utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bgplus\" title=\"Try Bible Gateway Plus during a FREE trial period starting right now\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Try it right now!<\/a><\/center><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is God\u2019s promise for a new heaven and a new earth? Does the Bible say that heaven is our eternal home? Or is it as Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew, that the next chapter of our story begins with &#8220;the renewal of all things,&#8221; by which he means the earth we know [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[477,446],"tags":[283,723,859,393],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v17.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The New Heaven and New Earth: An Interview with John Eldredge - Bible Gateway Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Does the Bible say that heaven is our eternal home? 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