We pick up the tale of a gallant knight in search of Eldorado:

And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow—
“Shadow,” said he,
“Where can it be—
This land of Eldorado?”

“Over the mountains
Of the moon,
Down the valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,”
The shade replied,—
“If you seek for Eldorado!”

These last two verses of the poem “Eldorado” reflect the often-mysterious mind of its author, Edgar Allen Poe. When he wrote about Eldorado in 1849, it was a theme more familiar then than now with 1849 being the second year of the California gold rush. Much of America was on fire with gold fever! His poem was a romantic warning about the dream of pursuing wealth through gold.

It was that same fever during the sixteenth century A.D. that led Spanish and other European explorers to search every peak and valley of the northern half of South America for El Dorado—the legendary city of gold. The entire history of El Dorado—“the golden one”—is incredibly complex. The term originally referred to a mythical, tribal chief of an indigenous Colombian people who covered himself with gold dust and dove into a lake. The natives would then throw objects of gold into the lake in an acclamation ceremony. For them, gold had a ceremonial value, not a monetary value.

The legend of El Dorado expanded to include a city of gold located somewhere in the jungles. All this talk of gold—and there was plenty of gold in circulation, to be sure—fueled the European appetite for wealth. Explorers, including Sir Walter Raleigh of England, spent more than a century searching for El Dorado, the lost city of gold, without success. But the dream of El Dorado has inspired literature, films, poetry, and gold exploration to this day.

The explorers of the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries could have saved themselves much trouble and expense by being aware of the city described in Revelation 21:18: “The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass” (emphasis added). History will see a city of gold, but its name will not be El Dorado—it will be Polin Hagian (Greek for “holy city”), the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2). “And the street of the city [will be] pure gold, like transparent glass” (Revelation 21:21, emphasis added).

In this issue of Turning Points we have been examining the golden years. And in this article I want to talk about where our golden years will conclude: in a literal city of gold, the eternal New Jerusalem. Gold is mentioned more than four hundred times in the Bible—sometimes referring to the valuable metal itself and other times as a picture of spiritual value. As early as Genesis 2, reference is made to the “land of Havilah, where there is gold” (verse 11). And the Bible concludes with descriptions of a city of gold with gold streets. Throughout recorded human history, gold has been a symbol of wealth or value. Thus, you have read about golden opportunities, golden years, a golden age, and now golden streets—all representing valuable aspects of life.

Golden Expressions

Over the 20 years Solomon spent building the temple and his own palace in Jerusalem, Hiram, king of Tyre, gave him 120 talents of gold in exchange for 20 cities in Israel. A biblical talent was approximately 75 pounds in weight, so 120 talents would have been 9,000 pounds of gold or 144,000 ounces. Today, gold is valued at around $2,400 per ounce, so 120 talents of gold would have a value of $345,600,000 in today’s dollars. Solomon used that gold to cover the inside of the temple and to make vessels and adornments associated with the temple.

In addition to gold from Tyre, Solomon’s trading ships brought 420 talents of gold from Ophir (Arabia) valued at $1.2 billion. And the queen of Sheba gave Solomon 120 talents of gold with the same value as Hiram’s 120 talents: $345.6 million. God had promised Solomon that he would increase his wealth as well as his wisdom (1 Kings 3:12-13)—a promise that was kept.

The condition placed upon Solomon was that he walk in God’s ways, which he ultimately failed to do—and his nation did likewise. Historians say that when Babylon set fire to Jerusalem and the temple in 586 B.C., the melted gold from the burning temple ran like liquid streams of wealth.

The accumulation of gold can be an expression of wealth, while the destruction of gold can express judgment. By the time Jesus was on the scene, He warned against the accumulation of valuable treasures on earth. Instead, He said, concentrate on storing up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). Why? Because “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Solomon treasured gold more than he treasured God—and lost everything.

Golden Estates

But a day is coming when gold will not be a focus of greed or grandeur but of the glory of God. If we lived in a golden city today and walked on streets of gold, people would no doubt chip away at the walls and streets in order to hoard the pieces of gold for themselves. But in the New Jerusalem, God’s “golden estates,” that won’t be a problem since there will be no sin natures among the inhabitants and, therefore, no greed or theft. Instead of gold having monetary value, gold will reflect the brilliant glory of God. “But there shall by no means enter [the city] anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (Revelation 21:27).

If your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life, this city I am describing is going to be your eternal home. If you were going to visit a city or country you had never visited before, you would no doubt read about it so as to know what to expect. None of us has ever visited the New Jerusalem before, but thankfully we have a guide that describes our future eternal home: Revelation 21:1–22:5. If you have not read these verses, I encourage you to do so. You will see that gold is only a part of the brilliance and beauty of this city. The description should make you all the more eager to get there.

And when will that be? After the thousand-year Millennium, which follows the seven-year Tribulation, which follows the Rapture of the Church—which could happen at any time. So if your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life through faith in Christ and if the Rapture happens today, you will enter God’s Golden City in 1,007 years. And that is when the most golden (valuable) experiences we can imagine will begin.

Golden Experiences

Has any subject been written about more than heaven? Checking online book sources, you’ll find tens of thousands of titles dealing with heaven—obviously, not all are written from a biblical perspective. And while the Bible doesn’t answer every question we may have about heaven, we can be sure about several categories of what to expect.

Relationships. First and foremost, we will live in the presence of God the Father, Son, and Spirit for all eternity. Second, we will be reunited with loved ones who died in Christ—not only our immediate family members but ancestors we have never met who knew the Lord! Heaven will be a place of eternal relationships.

Restoration. As much as we enjoy the beauty and abundance of this earth today, a restored creation in all its original glory is something we can hardly imagine. No more decay, death, damage, or destruction, only a creation that is as pure as the Creator Himself.

Righteousness. Pure relationships and restored creation will only be possible because sin will have been done away with. Not just the presence of sin but the power of sin. Think about yourself as a totally righteous child of God. That’s what you will be in heaven for eternity.

It’s one thing to consider the golden years as those that make up the senior season of our life here on earth—and they are. But the true golden years, spent in God’s city of gold, are yet to come. I look forward to an eternity walking the golden streets with you!