We Won’t Be Idle for Eternity: Insights from Revelation 22 on the Afterlife

A recent survey shows that around 73% of adults in the United States believe in heaven. Moreover, about 60% of them think the afterlife means a future without suffering, where we’ll have “perfectly healthy bodies.” However, I think most people haven’t given much thought to what they’ll actually do with these bodies throughout eternity. This article explores the activities that the church will engage in for eternity, as described in Revelation 22.

The Bible tells us that believers will have an intimate relationship with God in the new heavens and earth. Revelation 21 – 22 portrays a cosmic sanctuary, where all of creation will be filled with the glory of the triune God (21:1 – 4). As Revelation 21 continues, John focuses more on the church’s identity in this new cosmos. He describes the church as a city – bride, using these two symbols to emphasize that the church is the true Israel and the end – time temple (vv. 9 – 21). On the new earth, there won’t be a need for a physical building to house God’s glory because creation and redeemed humanity together will function as a vast sanctuary (v. 22).

High Priests of the New Sanctuary

While highlighting the church’s identity, John also gives us two clues about its role. In Revelation 22:4, it says that believers “will see [God’s or the Lamb’s] face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” Here, we can see John’s deep understanding of the Old Testament, as he seems to be referencing Exodus 28:36 – 38:
“You are to make a pure gold medallion and engrave it, like the engraving of a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD. Fasten it to a cord of blue yarn so it can be placed on the turban; the medallion is to be on the front of the turban. It will be on Aaron’s forehead.” (CSB)

On the Day of Atonement, which was the holiest day in Israel’s calendar, the high priest, who was the holiest person in Israel, entered the Holy of Holies (the holiest place on earth) twice. The first time, the high priest took two handfuls of incense and poured it over hot coals from the altar of incense. This created a “cloud of incense” to “cover the mercy seat” (Lev. 16:12 – 13). The purpose of this cloud was to shield the high priest from the ark because the glory of God was so powerful that full exposure to it would be deadly.

Think about how serious this was: God only allowed the high priest to enter his presence once a year, and even then, the priest had to create a barrier of incense. And the glory in the temple’s inner sanctum wasn’t even the full manifestation of God’s glory.

By applying what we know from Exodus 28 and Leviticus 16, we find something remarkable: every believer in the new heavens and earth is like a high priest. The Holy Spirit has anointed and transformed believers so completely that their bodies are completely holy. There’s no trace of sin, uncleanness, or defilement. Because of Christ’s work and our union with him, every person in the eternal state has direct access to God’s presence. We won’t need a cloud of incense to protect us from seeing God’s face.

Kings of the New Sanctuary

Now, let’s look at the second clue. Revelation 22:5 says, “[Believers] will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” The last part of this verse makes us think of one of the Greek translations of Daniel 7:27: “[God] shall give the authority and the kingdom and the magnitude of all the kingdoms, which are under heaven, to the holy people of the Most High, to reign over an everlasting kingdom” (NETS).

Daniel 7 is one of the most challenging books in the Old Testament, but it’s also very important. It’s mainly about an enigmatic “son of man” with divine qualities. This messianic figure will defeat the fourth beast (thought to be the Roman Empire in the original context) and vindicate a righteous group of people who follow his eternal rule (7:11 – 14, 22 – 27). What’s true for the son of man is also true for this righteous group. Daniel 7 predicts events that will happen at the end of history. All four Gospels say that Jesus is this mysterious son of man, and his life, death, and resurrection started the fulfillment of this long – awaited prophecy. The Gospels also teach that Jesus’s followers will inherit his eternal reign. But there’s a difference: in the New Testament context, Satan and his demons, not the Roman Empire, are seen as the fourth beast. And Christ’s followers will extend God’s rule over the demonic realm.

Revelation 22:5 is the complete fulfillment of the prophecy in Daniel 7. Between Christ’s first and second comings, believers mainly fought against Satan and his influences on a spiritual level, like sin, false teaching, and temptation. But in the new creation, they’ll have some level of rule over both the spiritual and physical realms. This might explain what Paul meant in 1 Cor. 6:3 when he said, “Do you not know that we are to judge angels?” Of course, our rule won’t be the same as God’s over the entire creation, but it seems we’ll manage creation in the way God originally intended for Adam and Eve (Gen. 1:28).

The Significance of Life in the New Sanctuary

Now, let’s explore the importance of the church’s priestly and kingly roles. We need to be careful because we’re looking at ideas, hints, and connections in the Bible. In the Old Testament, a lot of the priests’ work was related to their service in the sanctuary. For example, they had to burn incense (Ex. 30:7 – 9), take care of the lamps (27:20 – 21), and set out 12 loaves of bread (Lev. 24:5 – 9) to make sure the sanctuary worked as God wanted. In other words, they maintained God’s house. If Israel’s tabernacle or temple was a symbol of the new earth, then the priests’ maintenance work might be similar to what the church will do to take care of the new earth.

Maybe this maintenance will include growing food. After all, Jesus ate in his glorified body (Luke 24:43), and the Bible has many examples of God’s people sharing meals. Isaiah 25:6 even says that God will prepare a great banquet for all nations in the new creation. Although this passage uses a lot of metaphors, they seem to point to something real.

The church’s role as kings is also interesting. The idea of ruling in Revelation 22:5 usually means exercising God’s sovereign power over a certain area. The church will be like kings, applying God’s rule throughout the new earth. The church will “exercise sovereignty over the new creation in a way similar to how Adam was to rule ‘over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

Think about what Adam did in the garden. He looked at the animals, gave them names, and organized them (Gen. 2:20). Similarly, in the new creation, the church will probably study creation, learn how it works, and manage it. As one author put it:
The purpose of this new body will be to rule wisely over God’s new world. Forget those images about lounging around playing harps. There will be work to do and we shall relish doing it. All the skills and talents we have put to God’s service in this present life… will be enhanced and ennobled and given back to us to be exercised to his glory.

When we understand that we’ll be priest – kings in God’s sanctuary, our future seems exciting, real, and full of awe. We can be sure that our priestly and kingly activities will be done “to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).