In the article Home—The Mountain of God Part 1, I noted that man’s home before the fall was God’s mountain home at Eden. Here’s how I concluded that article in part,
“This was man’s home, the mountain of God. A place of freedom, flourishing, and fellowship. And it was lost in an instant. And, we’ve been longing and looking for that home, the mountain of God, ever since. But, given our sin, we find we cannot climb back up the mountain of God. Thus, the question man has been left asking ever since the Fall is, Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? (Psalm 24:3). The answer: Not a sinful man in Adam, but a holy man. A new Adam…He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation (Psalm 24:4–5). Thankfully, Jesus ascended that mountain. God set Jesus his Son on his mountain as king and those who seek refuge in him will find their home there again in the new creation (Psalm 2:6–7, 12). What will that home, the mountain of God, be like?”
To know what our mountain home with God will look like in the new creation, look at Eden, and then read with the grain of the redemptive narrative.
The Mountain Home Itself
God’s intention was always to spread his glory through the spread of the borders of his kingdom and the walls of his mountain home to fill the earth through his image bearers (Genesis 1:28). This remained God’s intention after the Fall,
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).
And God will accomplish this through the last Adam, Jesus saving his people from all nations (Matthew 28:18–20).
Like Eden, there will be a mountain of God in the new creation that will be our home...Only it will be even greater than Eden. It will be what Eden as it should have been and was going to be. Imagine Eden, the mountain of God, covering the whole earth, housing a people made up of peoples of all nations. That’s what Isaiah foresaw.
It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it (Isaiah 2:2).
Jesus establishes this global kingdom that conquers and outlasts every earthly kingdom by building his church on the rock of his resurrected life, the substance of the gospel. Daniel prophesied this day when he interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The great kingdoms of the earth would be toppled by the rock of God’s kingdom, which grew into a mountain that filled the earth (Daniel 2:34–35).
Our future mountain home marked by beauty, joy, and the presence of our King,
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King (Psalm 48:1–2).
And as I noted in Part 1, “…Our future home, the mountain of God in the new creation, will be much like Eden. It will be a place of freedom, flourishing, and fellowship but in a new, escalated, and qualitatively different way.”
Eschatological Freedom, Flourishing, and Fellowship
Consider the eschatological, perfect freedom, flourishing and fellowship we will experience in our mountain home with God in the new creation. Here in this section I will primarily include complete passages rather than simply verse references in hope that the living and active Word drives the promises of our future mountain home with God deep into our hearts.
Perfect Freedom
Our home, the mountain of God in the new creation, will be a place of perfect freedom. Jesus came to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound (Isaiah 61:1). The mountain home of God, Zion, will welcome ransomed, free people (Isaiah 35:10). And, unlike Eden before the Fall, God will not need to tell us, “don’t do…!” because the new creation will be a place free from sin and temptation.
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8).
So, while Eden was a place of a lot of freedom and one particular restriction, in the new creation there will be no need of such restriction because man will be free of sin, walking in lock step with his Creator. And there he will eat from the tree of life and drink from the water of life for free (Revelation 2:7; 21:6).
Our home, the mountain of God in the new creation, will be a place of perfect freedom.
Perfect Flourishing
Our home, the mountain of God in the new creation, will be a place of perfect flourishing. Man will not know want and will have perfect security in God’s mountain home. Isaiah foresaw this day,
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth (Isaiah 25:6–8).
Like Eden, a river will flow down from God’s mountain to nourish the land and the inhabitants. Only this river will flow with the water of life and cause to sprout up a grove, an orchard of the tree of life, or perhaps a giant tree of life that spreads its roots and boughs to span the river, from which all peoples will be nourished and healed year round in the city of God,
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:1–2)
Our home, the mountain of God in the new creation, will be a place of perfect flourishing.
Perfect Fellowship
Our home, the mountain of God in the new creation, will be a place of perfect fellowship. God will dwell with his people forever. And the benefits of his fellowship are abundant. He will comfort us,
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:1–5).
He will be our temple and light,
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 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. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations (Revelation 21:22–26).
And we will worship in perfect joy an perfected relationship as his people beholding his face,
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads (Revelation 22:3–4).
And God will be with us, and we will be with him forever,
…the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever (Revelation 22:5).
Our home, the mountain of God in the new creation, will be a place of perfect fellowship.
Conclusion
Perhaps the best way to conclude Part 2 here is the same way I concluded Part 1. Our home…
“…The mountain of God will be the joy of the earth (Psalm 48:1–2). And Jesus will reign there as our king. And when we finally come home we will come with singing. And everlasting joy shall be upon our heads. And we shall obtain gladness and joy. And sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Isaiah 35:10).”
And when we get there, our brother, the High King Jesus, will say, “Welcome home.”
